Looking back at the Canucks 2017 draft

It’s hard to believe but 2017 was half a decade ago. At the time of this writing, it is July 23 and this article will be out on July 24. Five years ago on these exact dates, the Vancouver Canucks welcomed a new batch of prospects at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in Chicago.

The Canucks were coming off a season where they finished second last in the NHL with 69 points only behind the Colorado Avalanche who had 48 points which was the lowest in the salary cap era. Now the Avalanche are one win away from the Stanley Cup.

But enough about the Avalanche. The Canucks did not get any luck at the draft lottery as they fell three spots to fifth overall. They had a total of eight picks in the 2017 draft which included two second round picks.

Let’s take a look back at the 2017 draft class for the Canucks and see how they have done in the five years since.

First round: fifth overall: Elias Pettersson

Before the 2017 draft, fans, media and scouts speculated that the Canucks would take Cody Glass, Gabe Vilardi or Casey Mittelstadt.

However, they took Elias Pettersson. At the time, the pick was taken by some surprise. Many mock drafts had Pettersson going ninth overall. Scouts praised his vision and playmaking but there were concerns about his lack of muscle.

The Sportsnet draft board said his potential was a second-line centre and his NHL player comparable was Paul Statsny who was a member of the St. Louis Blues at the time. I’ll admit my first choice was Glass but I was ok with the Pettersson pick at the time (despite being kind of surprised) because I didn’t know much about him.

It’s fair to say that this pick was a homerun.

Pettersson broke the SHL scoring record by a rookie the following season and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year the season after. He has also been an All-Star twice. Since coming into the league, Pettersson has managed 97 goals and 124 assists in 245 games.

He is and will be the franchise’s number one centre for many years and is a massive core piece. Pettersson has wowed fans with his playmaking, dekes, shot and even his defensive play. He has become a star in the league and is only getting better. Pettersson is the face of the franchise.

Apparently, Pettersson was a guy then-General Manager Jim Benning never wanted and was convinced by then-Director of Amateur Scouting Judd Brackett according to an article by Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News.

As for his lack of muscle, Pettersson has since bulked up.

Second round: Pick 33rd : Kole Lind

I liked this pick at the time. Kole Lind was coming off a season where he had 87 points in 70 games with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets

Benning famously said “Why isn’t anyone taking Kole Lind?” before making the pick.

Lind then got 95 points in 58 games with the Rockets this season. There was potential with Lind. He was known for scoring goals, speed and tenacity.

With the Utica Comets, Lind had 17 points in 51 games in his first season and then 44 points in 61 games the season after. He finally made his NHL debut on April 29, 2021, against the Toronto Maple Leafs but he only played seven games with the Canucks in the 2020-21 season registering no points.

Lind was taken by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft last summer. He played 23 games with Seattle last season scoring two goals and managing eight assists. But Lind spent most of the season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers scoring 17 goals and 18 assists in 35 games.

Lind showed promise in the Canucks organization but he was inconsistent. He could still be an NHL player but his ceiling is a depth piece.

Second round: 55th overall: Jonah Gadjovich

The pick used to select Jonah Gadjovich was received by the Canucks as compensation for the Columbus Blue Jackets hiring John Tortorella as their head coach in October of 2015.

Gadjovich was coming off a 70-point season with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. He put up 48 points in 42 games the next season and also won a gold medal at the 2018 World Juniors with Canada. In seven games, he scored a goal and two assists helping Canada win gold.

Gadjovich is a big and feisty two-way winger. However, his skating was a big weakness and that was something he was always working on.

Like Lind, he and an up and down time in Utica. Gadjovich made his NHL debut in May of 2021 against the Calgary Flames where he racked up 17 penalty minutes. With Utica in 2020-21, he led the team with 15 goals.

He impressed in training camp and preseason last September but he was put on waivers and claimed by the San Jose Sharks. Gadjovich probably deserved at least one more shot before being put on waivers. He got goal and two assists in 43 games with the Sharks this past season.

If Gadjovich pans out in the NHL, it will likely be as a fourth-liner.

Third round: 64th overall: Michael DiPietro

The Canucks took a goalie in the third round and that was Michael DiPietro who was coming off a solid season with the Windsor Spitfires with a 30-12-6 record, a .917 save percentage and a 2.35 goals-against-average.

DiPietro made his NHL debut on February 11, 2019, after being called up on an emergency basis a few days earlier. But he gave up seven goals in a 7-2 home loss to the Sharks.

There is potential that DiPietro can become an NHL goaltender but he’s not ready yet. (Putting him on the taxi squad for most of the 2020-21 season probably delayed his development.) He will continue to work with Abbotsford Canucks goalie coach Curtis Sanford next season.

Fourth round: 95th overall: Jack Rathbone

After being drafted by the Canucks, Jack Rathbone impressed at Dexter Southfield School and Harvard University. He made his NHL debut late in the 2021 season and managed a goal and two assists in eight games

There is a lot to like about Rathbone. He is a quick skater and is good at transitioning up the ice and displays a solid shot too.

However, he needs to work on his defensive game and that is a reason why he spent most of last season in Abbotsford instead of Vancouver. With Abbotsford, he managed 10 goals and 30 assists in 39 games which are decent numbers.

The upcoming preseason and training camp is big for Rathbone. His offensive game is good but can he improve his defensive game so he can stick around in the NHL?