The Canuck Way continues to look at how the Vancouver Canucks have done in drafts past. Today, we look at the 1998 NHL Draft.
The Vancouver Canucks did what any team is supposed to do. Their top three picks all played in the NHL for at least a few seasons. However, after their third pick, not one single player would go on to play in the NHL.
Lets take a look at the picks.
Bryan Allen spent parts of five seasons with the Canucks, his role with the club increasing every year. However, in the off-season of 2006, he was sent to Florida in the deal that brought Roberto Luongo to Vancouver. He would spend five seasons with the Panthers, being sent to the Carolina Hurricanes for Sergei Samsonov in 2011. He finished the 2010-11 season and played the 2011-12 season with the Hurricanes before signing as a free agent with the Anaheim Ducks. He would play parts of three seasons there, including this season in which he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens.
Artem Chubarov played parts of five seasons with the Canucks. He earned a bit of history as he scored the game-winning goal in each of his four NHL games, the first player ever to accomplish the feat. After playing in his native Russia during the 2004-05 lockout, he elected to stay there.
No matter what team he played for, Jarkko Ruutu was one of the better pests in recent NHL memory. He played the first five seasons of his career with the Canucks before signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006. He played two seasons there before signing with the Ottawa Senators, where he would play the next two and a half seasons. He would be traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2011, where he would finish his career in that season. He played three seasons in the SM-liiga and spent this season in Switzerland.
Justin Morrison spent four seasons with the Canucks minor league affiliates along with one season with the Atlanta Thrashers AHL affiliate. He has since played in Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Russia and Germany. He currently plays for Lukko Rauma of the SM-liiga.
Regan Darby played for several AHL and ECHL before playing in England for two seasons from 2005-2007. David Jonsson never left Sweden, playing in various divisions of the country’s hockey leagues. Rick Bertran never played professionally after leaving the OHL. Paul Cabana played in the AHL, ECHL and UHL before playing in Sweden, Germany and England.
Vince Malts played the majority of his career in the ECHL with stops in the QSMHL, UHL and the Netherlands. Graig Mischler played for the Cleveland Barons and Hershey Bears of the AHL and the Reading Royals of the ECHL. Curtis Valentine played for five different teams in three seasons in the ECHL. Jason Metcalfe played for nine teams in six seasons in the ECHL.
Next: Could The Canucks Bring Back Santorelli?
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