Draft 2001 Futurewatch  by Geoff Rhine

June 20, 2001

Out of every draft there are good players. Sometimes there are great ones. These players are not always taken in the Top 5. Many of these players are "diamonds in the rough" that GMs and scouting staffs have worked very hard to find. Our correspondent Geoff Rhine has come up with a list of players he believes that we'll look back on ten years from now and think, "Gee, what a deal he was" or "Man, can you believe they took him there?"

Gems - Players who will bring the most value for the position in which they are chosen:

• Forward - David Steckel, Marcel Goc

• Defence - Igor Knyazev

• Goal - Tomas Duba

Busts - Players who will bring the least value for the position in which they are chosen:

• Forward - Mikko Koivu, Ales Hemsky

• Defence - Carlo Colaiacovo

Safest Bets - Players with the greatest chance of having long, successful careers:

• Forward - Tuomo Ruutu, Stephen Weiss

• Defence - Mike Komisarek

Future Stars - Players most likely to be future all-stars in the NHL:

• Forward - Ilya Kovalchuk, Stanislav Chistov, R.J. Umberger

• Defence - Lukas Krajicek, Dan Hamhuis

• Goal - Dan Blackburn

Risky Picks - Players with boom or bust potential:

• Forward - Alexander Svitov, Alexander Perezhogin, Jiri Novotny

• Defence - Tim Gleason

 “C” Men - Players most likely to become captains of their teams:

• Forward - Jason Spezza, Greg Watson

• Defence - Mark Popovic

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Photographs courtesy of BBS