Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A general view of the complete draft board after the completion of the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
We are continuing our countdown of the worst to best ninth overall selections from the past twenty-four NHL draft weekends. Looking back in history, with their ninth overall pick at this year’s draft, the San Jose Sharks may end up with some real quality talent. However, they may also end up with someone who can barely crack the lineup. If you have missed the first part of the story, please be sure to check it out by following the link here.
In the first part, we had a look at some of the more forgettable players that were drafted ninth overall. The good news is, there is a steep improvement in this week’s players, and some of the names here are slightly more recognizable.
The bad news is, there are still no NHL All-Star selections or Stanley Cup winners, and you can hardly call any of these players impactful. I sure hope the Sharks’ selection this year will perform better than the four players below. So let’s get back to the list, starting with a very familiar family name.
22. Brett Lindros – Forward
NHL Stat Line: 51GP / 2G / 5A / 7P / 147PIM
The younger brother of the enigmatic Eric Lindros, Brett could not foster a huge impact in the NHL. Unfortunately, Brett Lindros’ career was sidelined due to post-concussion syndrome after playing in only 51 games at the age of 20. We will never know for sure, but even when we consider that he was still developing and growing his talents, it was unlikely that he would have reached the 1.14 points per game production that his older brother boasted in his 760 games in the NHL.
Brett Lindros had a big 6ft-4in frame, weighing 245 pounds. Considering that the league was entering the dead puck era, he may have stuck around for little longer, playing limited minutes as a bruiser. However, he never had the chance to stick around, and his young career was cut short.
21. Brian Lee – Defenseman
NHL Stat Line: 209GP / 5G / 31A / 36P / 124PIM
Puck Prose
Right-handed shooting defenseman, solid numbers while playing for the University of North Dakota, U.S. team representative at the World Junior Championships for three years in a row, and a decent first year in the AHL – Brian Lee was good enough to occasionally feature for the Ottawa Senators, but not enough to become a regular among Ottawa’s defensive corps.
In February 2012, after featuring in 187 games for the Senators, Lee was traded to Tampa Bay for Matt Gilroy – a relatively fair trade, as both players were constantly fighting for a spot in the lineup. Lee’s last season was 2012-13 when he appeared in 22 games for the Lightning without registering a single point, but accumulating 16 penalty minutes. After getting demoted to Tampa’s AHL affiliate, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and never featured in another NHL game.
20. Robert Petrovicky – Forward
NHL Stat Line: 208GP / 27G / 38A / 65P / 118PM
A true journeyman around the world of hockey, Robert Petrovicky captained Team Slovakia during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Looking back at his career, you can see that the man really loves the game. Still a decent contributor in the Slovakian Ice Hockey League at the age of 41, Petrovicky has also played hockey in Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, as well as the IHL, the AHL, and the NHL.
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His NHL presence was quite unexceptional, but he managed to stretch those 208 games that he played over eight years of hockey – first donning the Hartford Whalers jersey in 1992-93 season, and last suiting up for the New York Islanders in 2000-01 season before taking his talents back to his native Europe. He never stuck around for too long in the same place, and after all these travels it sure is fitting to play what was likely his last professional hockey game with the same club he started with (Dukla Tencin) at the age of 17.
19. Jamie Lundmark – Forward
NHL Stat Line: 295GP / 40G / 59A / 99P / 204PIM
The New York Rangers were very patient with their first round pick in 1999. They did not rush Lundmark into the NHL, letting him play two more seasons in the WHL, and a full season in the AHL before calling him up for the first time during the 2002-2003 season. Unfortunately, what they saw from the kid producing 216 points in 159 games in the WHL did not translate as well to the NHL ice.
After the 2004-05 lockout, the carousel of NHL cities he would call “home” started spinning – from Phoenix to Calgary, then to Los Angeles, back to Calgary, and also to Toronto. That is not including his short stint in Russia, and all the AHL affiliates he played for. He was last seen playing in Austria, where Lundmark is almost a point per game player. The Edmonton, Alberta native is making his living by playing the game he loves, and that is terrific. However, with one point short of reaching triple digits in points – Lundmark’s time in the NHL has already been forgotten by many.
Stay tuned for the next part of our countdown. The names on the list are only going to get better, and will also include one of the ex-Sharks players.