Round 6 – 172nd Overall
Original Pick: F Alex Friesen
New Pick: F Alex Friesen
Honorable Mentions: None
It is finally happening — the Vancouver Canucks selected a player that I am picking again in this redraft. Not because there are no other players to choose from (well, there aren’t many), but because he is still in the system and actually made his NHL debut this year. Alex Friesen might never become a top-line player, but that was never what he was supposed to be. He is a hard worker and solid depth option for the bottom six.
Congrats, Canucks!
Round 6 – 175th Overall
Original Pick: G Jonathan Iilahti
New Pick: G Frederik Andersen (187th to CAR)
Honorable Mentions: RW Mark Stone (178th to OTT)
With their second sixth-round pick in the 2010 draft, Vancouver decided to go for a goalie. The idea was good, but they went for the wrong one. Between 174 and 205, the Canucks’ next pick, six goaltenders were selected. Only one of them made the NHL, and it was not Jonathan Iilahti.
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The Finn played four games for the Liiga’s Espoo Blues in the 2011-12 season, but he was unable to establish himself at the highest level. The following years, he played in Finnish and Swedish junior and second-tier leagues, and is currently active in Sweden’s third-tier league. Again, Vancouver did not make a bad pick, the player just didn’t develop into an NHL player.
Frederik Andersen, on the other hand, did just that. Originally, he was picked 187th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2010 NHL Draft. I emphasized the year because he was drafted a second time two years later. In 2012, the Anaheim Ducks took a chance at him exactly 100 picks earlier, after the Hurricanes did not sign him to a contract.
Today, Andersen is not with the Ducks anymore. But that is very recent news, as he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 21st, 2016. The Leafs have long been searching for a legitimate starter, but neither James Reimer nor Jonathan Bernier fit the bill. In 2015-16, Andersen had a .919 save percentage, sharing the Ducks crease with John Gibson. In five playoff games, he posted an outstanding .947 save percentage.
Frederik Andersen looks like he could be the starter Toronto has wanted for so long. Jonathan Iilahti is extremely unlikely to ever sit on an NHL bench or even make his way over to North America.
Next: Round 7