Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - by Year

Atlanta Thrashers

v. 2008

Historical Review of Draft Results

Results by Draft Year

Please reserve comment for a future post wherein I will request commentary on the review as a whole.


The first table takes the player-grading system (please check that section for more clarification if needed) and applies it to each draft-year. This results in a series of positive and negative scores that indicate the degree of success the organization had in each draft year.

A second table (see below) is then used to assign a grade those scores - i.e. 1999 and 2001 may both have a positive score but even the village idiot will tell you that 2001 was a much better draft year. Loosely based on the player-grading system it serves to organize and summarize our information:


A quick review of the Thrashers results by YEAR reveal two drafting issues that may not have been managed well by the team: a) no sustain and b) no clusters of talent.

Sustain

First, right off the top, the team deserves a pass for drafting Stefan. I remember that draft year and there was no question that, other than the Sedins, Stefan was the class of the field. 1999 is not a failed draft year for the Atlanta Thrashers. Just a case of really, really bad timing.

After 1999 there is a very very good player in Heatley (2000) and a carry-the-team guy in Kovalchuk (2001). One, or both, may make the Hall of Fame one day.

But that is it.

For reasons I should not have to explain (but may one day anyways), Lehtonen was the wrong pick at the wrong time and that - coupled with Stefan's inability to rise above journeyman caliber play - broke the team's momentum via the draft. No sustain is a killer.

Clusters

At the 2000 Entry Draft, of the 14 picks Atlanta made, only Heatley would have a noteworthy NHL career. Two journeymen in 1999 (Stefan started early at that), one in 2000 and another in 2002 do not a championship team make.

Simply put, too many players who attain the journeyman ranking take too long to get there (i.e. Exelby). Heatley and Kovalchuk had no one to help them out. Which is to say, if you don't have the sustain you gotta have the clusters.

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It isn't that the Atlanta Thashers have had a lot of bad draft years. Honest. As time passes we will see many of these scores increase (2003 may be the teams best overall draft year ever), but they - the draft years - did not happen the way Atlanta fans needed them to. Flip 2003 and 1999, or even 2002 and 1999, and we are talking two totally different teams (timewarp notwithstanding).

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Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Introduction
Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Draft Results Summation

Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Yrs 1999 to 2003
Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Yrs 2004 to 2008

Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Draft Results By Year
Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Draft Results By Round
Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Draft Results By Pick
Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Draft Results By Age
Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Draft Results By Position
Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Draft Results By League
Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Draft Results By Country of Birth

Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Player Grading System
Atlanta Thrashers 2008 HRDR - Graded Players Summary

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Have a great evening everyone.