The NHL Draft is just a few weeks away, and the St. Louis Blues hold the 19th overall pick. To get an idea about what kinds of players get picked in that range, we're looking at players selected 19th since the start of the cap era--that's 2005 to last summer. It's an interesting mix of players that turned out to be stars, journeymen, and total busts that never played a single NHL game. Let's get into it.
2005: Jakub Kindl (D), Detroit Red Wings
We kick things off with defenseman Jakub Kindl, who played over 300 NHL games between the Red Wings and the Florida Panthers. He got regular games in the early 2010s, but returned to the European leagues in 2017. A fine, if unspectacular, career.
2006: Mark Mitera (D), Anaheim Ducks
Our first bust strikes early: Mitera never played in the NHL and played for six AHL teams.
2007: Logan MacMillan (LW), Anaheim Ducks
It was a tough couple of years for the Anaheim Ducks, as MacMillan also never played a single NHL game. Back-to-back busts for the Ducks, which is relevant for the next entry on this list.
2008: Luca Sbisa (D), Philadelphia Flyers
Sbisa only played one season with the Flyers, and that's because he was traded the following summer to the Anaheim Ducks (along with Joffrey Lupul, two 1st-round picks, and a 3rd-round pick) for Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger. Sbisa bounced around the NHL until he retired in 2021, playing for seven teams in the process; if anyone still plays Puckdoku, he's a solid answer in many categories.
2009: Chris Kreider (LW), New York Rangers
Finally, a truly good player! Calling Kreider a star may be a stretch, but 326 career NHL goals and 582 points 883 games is nothing to shake a stick at. Throw in a 52-goal 2021-22 season, and Kreider is exactly the kind of player you'd want to acquire with the 19th overall pick.
2010: Nick Bjugstand (C), Florida Panthers
Not a flashy player, Bjugstad has been a solid depth center ever since his first full NHL season in 2013-14. Bjugstad doesn't rack up the points, but he brings steady two-way play to a team's bottom six.
2011: Oscar Klefbom (D), Edmonton Oilers
Ah, what could've been: Klefboom had a promising run in the late 2010s, but injuries derailed his career almost from the jump. A chronic shoulder injury ended his playing career in 2020 and, in 2024, he officially retired.
2012: Andrei Vasilevskiy (G), Tampa Bay Lightning
No disrespect to Chris Kreider, but Andrei Vasilevskiy is probably the best player taken at 19th overall since the dawn of the cap era. "The Big Cat" needs little introduction: two Stanley Cup rings, a Vezina trophy, and a Conn Smythe. Taking a goalie that early in the draft can be a risky, but Tampa sure got that one right (and maybe the Blues should consider it, too).
2013: Kerby Rychel (LW), Columbus Blue Jackets
Rychel had a big draft year (87 points in 68 games with the Windsor Spitfires), but never established himself as an NHL regular. He had a decent AHL career but, when all is said and done, 43 career NHL games isn't a great return for the 19th overall pick.
2014: Tony DeAngelo (D), Tampa Bay Lightning
Technically speaking, this wasn't a bad pick by the Lightning: DeAngelo is an offensive defenseman who can help a power play. He's also an offensive defenseman, known for using racial slurs and getting in altercations with his goaltenders. He just finished playing for his sixth NHL team (the Islanders, most recently) and is a UFA this summer.
2015: Evgeny Svechnikov (LW), Detroit Red Wings
Svechnikov played 172 NHL games over parts of six seasons with three teams. This is an especially disappointing pick, considering how stacked the 2015 draft was--and that Joel Eriksson-Ek went one spot later at 20th overall.
2016: Kieffer Bellows (LW), New York Islanders
Bellows wasn't a bad pick--he was known for having an elite shot--but none of his other skills really translated to the NHL. He's played 113 games for three different teams.
2017: Josh Norris (C), San Jose Sharks
This is a fun one. Norris never played a game with the Sharks, as his rights were traded to Ottawa a year later as part of the massive package that brought Erik Karlsson to San Jose. Norris has struggled to stay healthy his entire career, but there's a good second-line center in there somewhere.
2018: Jay O'Brien (C), Philadelphia Flyers
Never mention JOB to Flyers fans, as this pick was a disaster for the team. O'Brien was drafted out of the high school circuit and has yet to sniff any sort of NHL (or even AHL) action. The Flyers received a compensatory 2nd-round pick in the 2024 draft after letting his rights expire.
2019: Lassi Thomson (D), Ottawa Senators
We're now reaching a point where it's difficult to describe a player as a "bust," because the players that follow are still young enough to establish themselves. However, in Thomson's case, we'll still call him a bust: 18 NHL games with the Sens, he's now playing back in Europe, which makes it unlikely he'll ever be an established NHLer.
2020: Braden Schneider (D), New York Rangers
Schneider has been a successful defenseman for the Rangers, suiting up for 286 games in four years at the NHL level. He isn't a stud by any means, but he's already a respectable NHL defenseman at just 23 years old.
2021: Fedor Svechkov (C), Nashville Predators
We're now firmly in the territory of "who knows" when it comes to a player's success in the NHL. Svechkov debuted with the Predators this season and, in 52 games, scored eight goals and 17 points in a depth role. Not a terrible rookie season and, at just 22, there could be more there.
2022: Liam Ohgren (LW), Minnesota Wild
Ohgren has spent most of his time in North America in the AHL, but he played 24 games with the Wild this season, registering two goals and five points.
2023: Oliver Moore (C), Chicago Blackhawks
Moore played nine games with the Hawks at the end of the season, after his NCAA season was finished, and registered four points (all assists) in that time. He's an excellent skater and could provide even more dynamic qualities behind Connor Bedard in the Hawks' top six.
2024: Trevor Connelly (LW), Vegas Golden Knights
On talent alone, Connelly could've been drafted higher; there were, however, concerns about his character. No surprise then that Vegas, ruthlessly committed to winning, was the team to take a chance on him. Connelly has yet to debut in the NHL but, given his skill, could be quite effective on a perennially contending Golden Knights squad.
So, are there any lessons the Blues can take from the last 20 years of drafting? Not really--at 19th overall, it's basically closing your eyes and throwing a dart at the board, hoping for the best. If they're lucky, they'll find a Kreider of Vasilevskiy level talent; however, they're just as likely to pick a player who will never get an NHL game. We'll see which direction GM Doug Armstrong goes on June 27.