Vancouver Canucks: Redrafting the 2008 NHL Draft
Round 5 – 131st Overall
Original Pick: RW Prab Rai
New Pick: D Jared Spurgeon (156th to NYI)
Honorable Mentions: W Matt Martin (148th to NYI), RW Cam Atkinson (157th to CBJ)
The Canucks had to wait until the fifth round before they got to go again. With the 131st pick, they selected Prab Rai, a lightning-fast skater of the WHL Seattle Thunderbirds. Vancouver signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract in 2010, but the Surrey native never really had the chance to start his professional career.
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In 2010, Rai suffered injuries from a car crash that forced him to sit out the 2010-11 campaign. As hard as he tried the following years, it was impossible for him to fully recover from his back injury, which limited his professional career to 40 games in the ECHL — over the course of five seasons. It is a sad and unfortunate story no one could have predicted, but it just fit so well into Vancouver’s draft history.
Instead of Rai, who was unranked by NHL Central Scouting, the Canucks could have had defenseman Jared Spurgeon, who is a solid player for the Minnesota Wild today. Or, they could have had forwards Matt Martin or Cam Atkinson. That said, only five picks from the 2008 fifth round appeared in over 100 NHL games — one of them being D-man Philip Larsen, whom the Canucks acquired from the Edmonton Oilers this offseason.
Rai is a perfect example for the bad luck the Vancouver Canucks organization — and some of their players — have had over the years.
Next: Round 6