Developing prospects drafted after the first round can be complicated at times. Unlike top picks, those selected in the second or later rounds statistically have a smaller chance of becoming impactful at the NHL level. That being said, teams are able to find late-round steals almost every year, which is why the 2020 and 2021 drafts remain a dark cloud over the Vancouver Canucks organization.
During the 2020 and 2021 drafts, the Canucks had a total of 11 picks. Of those 11 picks, zero have played NHL games, with only three having some form of connection to the organization. While there is a chance that one or two of these players could still play in the NHL, overall, these two drafts could go down among the worst in franchise history.
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Starting in 2020, Vancouver made five selections. Of those five, only Jackson Kunz remains with the organization as he is signed to an AHL deal. Here are the five draft picks:
82nd- Joni Jurmo
113th- Jackson Kunz
144th- Jacob Truscott
175th- Dmitri Zlodeyev
191st- Viktor Persson
As for players that Canucks could have had, here are some players who have played NHL games drafted just after these selections:
83rd- Alex Laferriere
114th- Mikael Pyyhtiä
150th- Matt Kessel
181st- Cole Reinhardt
205th- Ilya Solovyov
Moving to the 2021 draft, Vancouver made six selections. Of the six, only Danila Klimovich and Aku Koskenvuo. Here are the six draft picks:
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41st- Danila Klimovich
137th- Aku Koskenvuo
140th- Jonathan Myrenberg
169th- Hugo Gabrielson
178th- Connor Lockhart
201st- Lucas Forsell
And here is a look at players who have played NHL games the Canucks could have drafted instead:
47th- Logan Stankoven
144th- Jaroslav Chmelar
150th- Joshua Roy
193rd- Tyson Kozak
203rd- Zakhar Bardakov
In the end, the inability to produce at least one NHLer from these two drafts is currently causing Vancouver issues. There is also a case to be made that Jim Benning’s constant trading away of picks, even middle-round ones, has impacted the organization this season. As mentioned, while there is still a chance someone from this draft makes the NHL one day, the odds are that both classes will continue to remain bare.
Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning announces Jake Virtanen (not pictured) as the number six overall pick to the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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