The 2007 NHL Draft: A Look Back

A look back at the 2007 NHL Draft and the top 10 picks.

Introduction

It’s been 10 years since the 2007 NHL Draft and it’s time to take a look back at one of the most eventful and star-studded drafts in recent memory. It was a draft that saw the likes of Patrick Kane Logan Couture, Max Pacioretty, and Jakub Voracek enter the league, and it’s safe to say that all four have made an impact in the NHL.

The first round of the 2007 NHL Draft was packed with talent, but it was the second round where things really started to heat up. In fact, 11 of the 20 players drafted in the second round have gone on to play at least 200 NHL games including Kane, Couture, Pacioretty, Voracek, P.K. Subban, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Justin Braun.

So what happened to the rest of the 2007 draft class? Let’s take a look back at some of the hits and misses from one of the most interesting drafts in recent memory.

The 2007 NHL Draft

It’s been 10 years since the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and it’s time to take a look back at how the first-round picks have fared.

The first overall pick that year was Patrick Kane who has gone on to become one of the best players in the world and has already won three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks The second pick was James van Riemsdyk, who has been a solid player for the Toronto Maple Leafs and is currently in his ninth NHL season

There have been some busts from that draft as well, like Kyle Turris (third overall) and Sam Gagner (sixth overall). But there have also been some late-round gems like David Perron (26th overall) and Milan Lucic (50th overall).

So what can we expect from the 2017 NHL Draft? Time will tell, but it’s always fun to look back and see how players from previous drafts have developed.

A Look Back

The 2007 NHL Draft was one of the most interesting and unpredictable in recent memory. Coming off of a lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season, there was no real consensus on who the top prospects were. As a result, there were a lot of surprises on draft day, and many of the players who ended up going in the first round ended up playing significant roles in the NHL. Here’s a look back at how the 2007 NHL Draft played out.

The First Round

The 2007 NHL Draft was held on June 22–23 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The first round of the draft consisted of the 30 NHL Teams selecting amateur players from junior, collegiate, High School or European leagues.

The draft order was determined by a combination of the 2006–07 standings and how far each team advanced in the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs. As a result of their disappointing performance during the 2006–07 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins received the first overall pick.

They used it to draft defenseman Kris Letang from Val-d’Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He became just the fourth defenseman in franchise history to be drafted first overall after Craig Patrick (1980), Tyson Nash (1996), and Simon Despres (2009). Several other notable players were also selected in the first round, including Patrick Kane (first overall pick by Chicago Blackhawks), Jakub Voráček (seventh overall pick by Columbus Blue Jackets), and Max Pacioretty (22nd overall pick by Montreal Canadiens).

The Second Round

The second round of the 2007 NHL Draft was held on June 23, 2007, immediately after the first round. A total of 60 prospects were selected over the course of the round, coming from all over the world. Players eligible for the draft were born on or after September 15, 1985.

The NHL Draft Lottery was held on April 29, 2007 and it determined the order in which the 14 non-playoff teams would select in the first round. Pittsburgh held onto the first overall pick while Chicago moved up from sixth overall to second overall. Phoenix, Los Angeles Washington and Boston completed the top 6.

In terms of where draftees came from, Canada led the way with 40 players drafted in 2007. The United States was next with 12 players taken while Russia had five representatives drafted. The Czech Republic (2), Sweden (2), Finland (1), Kazakhstan (1), Latvia (1), Slovakia (1) and Switzerland (1) each had one player drafted in 2007.

There were 11 defensemen taken in the second round of the 2007 NHL Draft including Keaton Ellerby going 10th overall to Florida. Other notable blueliners chosen included Kevin Shattenkirk (14th overall by Colorado), Karl Alzner (5th overall by Washington) and Brendan Smith (27th overall by Detroit).

Up front, 34 forwards were taken led off by Brandon Sutter going 11th overall to Carolina. Claude Giroux was chosen 22nd overall by Philadelphia while Lars Eller went 13th to Montreal. Max Pacioretty went 22nd to Montreal while Patrick Kane went 1st overall to Chicago.

The Third Round

In the third round of the 2007 NHL Draft a total of 30 players were selected. Of those 30 players, only five have played in more than 100 NHL Games Here’s a look at those five players, as well as some of the other notable picks from that round.

The most successful player from the third round of the 2007 NHL Draft is San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Vlasic was selected 35th overall by the Sharks and has gone on to play in 786 NHL Games scoring 67 goals and adding 222 assists for a total of 289 points. He’s been a key member of the Sharks’ defense for more than a decade and was named to the NHL All-Star Game in 2019.

Another defenseman who has had a successful NHL career is Detroit Red Wings blueliner Brendan Smith. Smith was chosen 27th overall by Detroit and has played in 350 NHL Games totaling 17 goals and 78 assists for 95 points. He’s also appeared in 34 Playoff Games tallying four goals and 11 assists for 15 points.

Up front, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman has had a nice career after being drafted 123rd overall in 2007. Hyman has played in 292 NHL games racking up 57 goals and 56 assists for 113 points. He’s also been a solid contributor in the playoffs, scoring 16 goals and adding 13 assists for 29 points in 58 career postseason contests.

A couple of other notable picks from the third round of the 2007 NHL draft include New York Rangers goaltender Antti Raanta (selected 107th overall) and Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson (selected 153rd overall). Raanta has played in 191 NHL Games posting a 105-52-19 record with a 2.33 goals-against average and .921 save percentage Karlsson has emerged as one of Vegas’ top forwards over the last few seasons and has tallied 132 goals and 171 assists for 303 points in 515 career NHL games

The Fourth Round

There have been some great NHL players drafted in the fourth round over the years. Here’s a look at some of the best:

-Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings Datsyuk was drafted 171st overall in 1998 and has gone on to become one of the best players in the world. He’s a six-time All-Star and has won three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings

-Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings Zetterberg was drafted 210th overall in 1999 and has also become one of the best players in the world. He’s a seven-time All-Star and has won two Stanley Cups with the Red Wings

-Dominik Hasek, Chicago Blackhawks Hasek was drafted 199th overall in 1983 and went on to have a Hall of Fame career. He’s a six-time All-Star and was awarded the Vezina Trophy (given to the NHL’s best goaltender) six times.

The Fifth Round

In the fifth round of the 2007 NHL Draft 124 players were selected. Of those 124 players, only 13 have played in at least one NHL game This means that only 10.5% of fifth-rounders from 2007 have made it to the NHL. The 13 players who have played at least one NHL game are:

-Kevin Shattenkirk, D, New York Rangers (selected 14th overall by Colorado Avalanche)
-Trevor Lewis, RW, Los Angeles Kings (selected 17th overall by Los Angeles Kings)
-Marcus Foligno, LW, Buffalo Sabres (selected 104th overall by Buffalo Sabres)
-Carter Rowney, C, Pittsburgh Penguins (selected 211th overall by Carolina Hurricanes)
-Justin Braun, D, San Jose Sharks (selected 201st overall by San Jose Sharks)
-Sean Couturier, C, Philadelphia Flyers (selected eighth overall by Philadelphia Flyers)
-Landon Ferraro, RW Detroit Red Wings (selected 32nd overall by Detroit Red Wings)
-Joakim Nordstrom, LW Chicago Blackhawks (selected 90th overall by Chicago Blackhawks)
-Brandon Sutter C Pittsburgh Penguins (selected 11th overall by Carolina Hurricanes)
-Tyler Pitlick RW Edmonton Oilers( selected 31st overall by Edmonton Oilers)

The Sixth Round

With the Hockey World still on pause, what better time to look back at some past NHL drafts. In this series, we will be taking a look at each Draft Class starting with the first ever draft in 1963 and working our way up to 2007.

The 2007 NHL Draft was held on June 22-23 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. For the first time in NHL history all seven rounds were held on the same day. A total of 211 players were drafted from all over the world, including 31 from Canada, 28 from the United States and 14 from Russia.

As is often the case with late-Round Draft picks, many of the players drafted in the sixth round in 2007 never ended up making it to the NHL. However, there are a few who did find success, including current NHLers such as P.K. Subban and Boone Jenner.

P.K. Subban was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 43rd overall pick in 2007. He made his NHL debut in 2010 and has since established himself as one of the league’s best defensemen, winning the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 2013 and 2015. He is currently a member of the Nashville Predators

Boone Jenner was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 37th overall pick in 2007. He made his NHL debut in 2013 and has since become a key member of the Blue Jackets’ lineup. He is currently one of their alternate captains and is coming off a career-best season in which he scored 30 goals and 26 assists for 56 points.

The Seventh Round

In the seventh round of the 2007 NHL Draft 210 players were selected. Of those 210 players, only three have played in more than 100 NHL Games To put that into perspective, of the 210 players selected in the seventh round of the 2007 NHL Draft only 1.4% have played in 100 or more NHL games That number drops to just 0.9% when looking at players who have played in 200 or more NHL games

So, who are those three players? The first is Milan Lucic, who was taken by the Boston Bruins with the 50th overall pick. Lucic has played in 719 NHL Games and has scored 177 goals and 398 points. The second player is Zack Smith, who was taken by the Ottawa Senators with the 161st pick. Smith has played in 518 NHL games and has scored 108 goals and 242 points. The last player is Anders Lee, who was taken by the New York Islanders with the 152nd pick. Lee has played in 420 NHL games and has scored 165 goals and 314 points.

All three of these players have been important pieces on their respective teams over the years and have had successful careers thus far. It just goes to show that you can never predict where a future star will be drafted from.