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Toronto Maple Leafs: 25 Years of Draft Disasters

By Robb Ellis |
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Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A general view of the complete draft board after the completion of the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The 2015 NHL Entry Draft is just one week away and as Toronto Maple Leafs fans we can’t help but be excited.

We have watched for months as Brendan Shanahan has torn this organization down and is slowly rebuilding it piece by piece. We have also scooped up every bit of Toronto Maple Leafs news we can get our hands on during that time.

Is Babcock coming to Toronto? Where will Kessel go? How about Phaneuf? And of course, who will we draft with the 4th overall pick? Will it be Dylan Strome? Mitchell Marner? Maybe Noah Hanafin or Ivan Provorov will join Morgan Reilly as the defence pair of the future?

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Whoever it is, it has become pretty evident that the player will be a “can’t miss” kind of player but should we be that confident? Just googling the likes of Alexandre Daigle, Patrik Stefan, and Brian Lawton might just change your mind. Or maybe we need to look closer to home with our very own blue and white?

Oddly enough, Cliff Fletcher, who was heralded as some sort of saviour during his first tenure with the Leafs, is responsible for five out of the ten picks on this list. Brian Burke, the man who was brought in to save the organization in 2008, made the list twice.

It is common knowledge in the hockey world that when it comes to drafting and developing young players, this organization can be given nothing more than a failing grade. Hindsight is always 20/20 but let’s take a closer look at the ten worst Toronto Maple Leafs draft disasters of the last 25 years.

Next: Draft Disasters 8-10

Jun 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) makes a save against Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) in the first period game five of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

10. Landon Wilson- Right Wing
Dubuque Fighting Saints- United States Hockey League
First Round- 19th Overall- 1993

They passed on- Saku Koivu, Todd Bertuzzi, Jamie Langenbrunner, Bryan McCabe, Vaclav Prospal, Eric Daze, Miroslav Satan, Pavol Demitra

This pick was the Leafs second in the first round of the 1993 draft. They had already selected Swedish defenceman Kenny Jonsson with the #12 pick they had acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in the trade that brought Dave Andreychuk and Darren Puppa to Toronto in exchange for Grant Fuhr. With their own pick, Cliff Fletcher selected Landon Wilson, a big American forward with offensive upside and a mean streak.

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Wilson was coming off an impressive season of 29 goals and 36 assists for 65 points in just 43 games for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL, a league that also featured future NHLers Jason Blake, Aaron Broten, Mike Peluso, and current Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill.

The following year, ironically enough on draft day once again, the Leafs sent him to the Quebec Nordiques in a multi-player deal involving Wendel Clark and Mats Sundin. Wilson went on to play 375 NHL games with the Avalanche, Bruins, Coyotes, Penguins, and Stars but was out of the NHL by 2004. It’s hard to evaluate players who never ended up playing for the teams that actually drafted them but the Leafs clearly had better options available to them.

9. Eric Fichaud- Goaltender
Chicoutimi Sagueneens- Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
First Round- 16th Overall- 1994

They passed on- Patrik Elias, Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Drury, Jose Theodore, Mathieu Dandenault, Sheldon Souray, Milan Hedjuk

The Toronto Maple Leafs were originally supposed to pick at 22 but were busy on this day making two draft day deals. Early in the draft, they rocked the hockey world by acquiring Mats Sundin from the Quebec Nordiques in exchange for Wendel Clark, flipping first round picks in the process.

This pick originally belonged to the St. Louis Blues but was acquired by the Leafs from the Washington Capitals in a deal that also brought forward Mike Ridley to Toronto. Forward Rob Pearson and Quebec’s first round pick went the other way.

In the end, they picked at 16 and used it to draft goaltender Eric Fichaud from Chicoutimi in the QMJHL. Less than a year later, with 24-year old Felix Potvin firmly entrenched as their number one goalie and 26-year old Damian Rhodes ready to take on a backup role, Toronto traded young Fichaud to the New York Islanders for veteran forward Benoit Hogue and a 5th round draft pick. Hogue played all of 56 games with the Leafs before being shipped off to the Dallas Stars.

The 5th round pick was used to take Ryan Pepperall who played three seasons with the AHL affiliate in St. John’s but never played a single NHL game. It may make you sick to your stomach to picture Daniel Alfredsson in a Maple Leaf uniform, but it could have happened.

8. Tyler Biggs- Right Wing
U.S National Development Team
First Round- 22nd Overall- 2011

They passed on- Riccard Rakell, Tomas Jurco, Boone Jenner, Brandon Saad, Nikita Kucherov

The Leafs had already traded their first-round pick in the 2011 draft to the Boston Bruins in the Phil Kessel deal. They did, however, acquire Philadelphia’s first-rounder (25th overall) in a deal for Kris Versteeg. As we all know, Brian Burke loved “belligerent and truculent” players and had his eye on 6’0, 200 pound winger Tyler Biggs from the U.S National Development Team.

Worried that Biggs would not be on the board at 25, Burke shipped Toronto’s second round pick (39th overall) and Boston’s first-round pick (30th overall acquired in the Tomas Kaberle trade) to Anaheim for their first-rounder (22nd overall) to select Biggs. It may be too early to call him a “bust” but he has yet to appear in an NHL game. Just seeing players like Saad and Kucherov, both taken in the second round, playing significant roles for their teams in the playoffs, makes you wonder what Burke and his scouts were thinking.

Biggs has played 108 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies scoring 10 goals and 5 assists for 15 points. The Leafs’ full rebuild may buy him some time but the organization’s patience may be wearing thin. This pick has the potential to move up on this list if Biggs finds his way out of the organization at some point in the near future.

Next: Draft Disasters 5-7

Jun 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Brad Richards (91) celebrates during the 2015 Stanley Cup championship parade and rally at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports

7. Drake Berehowsky- Defence
Kingston Frontenacs- Ontario Hockey League
First Round- 10th Overall- 1990

They passed on- Martin Brodeur, Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight, Geoff Sanderson, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Alexei Zhamnov, Sergei Zubov

The Leafs were on a high, coming off their first .500 season in 10 years and making the second round of the playoffs. Even so, they still managed to qualify for the 10th Overall pick in the 1990 draft. Electing to look for help on the blue line, general manager Floyd Smith selected hometown boy Drake Berehowsky from the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs.

As most young draft picks do, Berehowsky returned to the OHL in the fall and spent the next two seasons between the Frontenacs and the North Bay Centennials, who had traded for his rights. The 1991/92 season in particular, gave the Leafs something to get excited about as Berehowsky managed 19 goals and 82 points in just 62 games with the Frontenacs. He also showed some toughness recording 147 penalty minutes.

Expectations were high but Berehowsky was unable to win a regular spot on the Leaf defence in three straight seasons. On April 7, 1995, the organization’s patience officially ran out when they traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for journeyman rearguard Grant Jennings. He would return for a forgettable second stop with the Leafs in 2004 but never fulfilled the promise that was expected 14 years earlier. So who was still available when the Leafs made this pick? Arguably the greatest goalie ever… Martin Brodeur!

6. Marek Posmyk- Defence
Dukla Jihlava (Czech. Republic)
Second Round- 36th Overall- 1996

They passed on- Zdeno Chara, Jan Bulis, Mathieu Garon, Colin White, Tom Poti, Michal Rozsival, Pavel Kubina, Sami Salo

After trading their first round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers (Dainius Zubrus) in the trade that brought Dimitry Yushkevich to Toronto, the Leafs first pick in the 1996 draft was at number 36. They used it to take hulking defenceman Marek Posmyk. At 6’5, 228 pounds, Posmyk was an intimidating presence on the blue line.

After returning to the Czech Republic the following season, the Leafs convinced Posmyk to come to North America in his final year of junior eligibility to play for the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, who owned his rights. The following season, Posmyk failed to crack the Toronto lineup and was sent to the St. John’s Maple Leafs in the AHL. On February 9, 2000, the Leafs sent him to Tampa Bay in the trade that sent Mike Johnson to the Lightning in exchange for Darcy Tucker. Wouldn’t Zdeno Chara have looked good in the blue and white?

5. Petr Svoboda- Defence
BK Havlickuv Brod (Czech. Republic)
Second Round- 35th Overall- 1998

They passed on- Pavel Datsyuk, Mike Fisher, Mike Ribeiro, Brad Richards, Erik Cole, Brian Gionta, Shawn Horcoff, Chris Neil, Andre Markov

After selecting Nikolai Antropov in the first round, the Leafs went for another European with their second rounder taking the 6’3, 200 pound defenceman from the Czech. Republic. After seeing him represent his country in two straight World Junior Championships, the Leafs were very high on Svoboda’s potential to be an NHL star.

Svoboda should not be confused with the other defenseman with the same name who played over 1000 games with the Canadiens, Sabres, Flyers, and Lightning from 1984-2001. No, this Petr Svoboda played in 18 games for the Leafs in the 2000-01 season and 115 games over three seasons for the Leafs AHL affiliate in St. Johns before heading home. A quick look at who the Leafs passed on makes this pick a bust.

Next: Draft Diasters 2-4

Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A general view of the complete draft board after the completion of the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

4. Brad Ross- Left Wing
Portland Winterhawks- Western Hockey League
Second Round- 43rd Overall- 2010

They passed on- Tyler Toffoli, Brendan Gallagher, Dalton Prout, Mark Stone

Another Brian Burke entry finds its way onto the list. Originally belonging to the Calgary Flames, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired this pick from Chicago in a draft day deal sending Jimmy Hayes to the Windy City. Burke used the pick to select left winger Brad Ross, a Steve Ott-like left winger from the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. Ross was coming off a good season in which he scored 27 goals, 68 points, and had a whopping 203 penalty minutes in 71 games which was enough to ship the promising Hayes the other way.

In January of this year, Ross was suspended 20 games by the AHL after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. This past May, after three pro seasons bouncing between the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and the East Coast Hockey League, he signed a contract with the Iserlohn Roosters of the German Pro League without playing a single game with the big club. Rumor has it, the Leafs have been trying to acquire Toffoli from the Kings for quite a while. They could have had him for free.

3. Jeff Ware- Defence
Oshawa Generals- Ontario Hockey League
First Round- 15th Overall- 1995

They passed on- Petr Sykora, Sami Kapanen, Marc Savard, Mikael Handzus, Mikka Kiprusoff, Brent Sopel

This one’s a head scratcher if only because of the player that was taken three picks later. After the departures of rearguards Bob Rouse, Sylvain Lefebvre, and Garth Butcher in previous seasons, Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher elected to select big, tough defenceman Jeff Ware of the Oshawa Generals with the 15th overall pick.

Still on the board was Czech forward Petr Sykora who had come to North America to play pro in the IHL at the age of 17 before becoming NHL draft eligible.

New Jersey would eventually take Sykora three picks later at number 18. Ware was a bust and played only 15 NHL games with the Leafs before being dealt to Florida in 1999 for David Nemirovsky.  Sykora would go on to play 1017 NHL games with the Devils, Ducks, Rangers, Oilers, Penguins, and Wild scoring 323 goals and 721 points.

2. Luca Cereda- Center
Ambri-Piotta (Swiss-A League)
First Round- 24th Overall- 1999

They passed on- Martin Havlat, Mike Commodore, Jordan Leopold, Frank Kaberle, Craig Anderson, Mike Comrie, Ryan Malone, Ryan Miller, Chris Kelly

Ironically, this one was the result of the Leafs’ FIRST three-headed management team of Ken Dryden, Mike Smith, and Anderson Hedberg. Cereda took an uncommon path to the NHL, choosing to play pro in his home country of Switzerland at the age of 17. After being selected by the Leafs, he returned to the Swiss-A league before returning in 2000 for Leafs training camp where he was diagnosed with a defective heart valve by Leaf medical staff.

Cereda returned to Switzerland to have heart surgery and missed the entire 2000-01 season. He returned to Leaf training camp in 2001 but was sent to the AHL’s St. John’s Maple Leafs. He played parts of three seasons in the AHL before returning to Switzerland for good.

The 1999 draft was pretty much a complete bust for the Leafs. Out of the nine players they drafted, only one played in the NHL. Defenceman Pierre Hedin appeared in three games with the Leafs in the 2003-04 season collecting one assist.

Next: Draft Disasters: The Number One

Apr 11, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The Toronto Maple Leafs logo on the offices of the Air Canada Centre before the final game of the season against the Montreal Canadiens at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

1. Brandon Convery- Center
Sudbury Wolves- Ontario Hockey League
First Round- 8th Overall- 1992

They passed on- Sergei Gonchar, Jason Smith, Valeri Bure, Mike Peca, Darren McCarty, Kirk Maltby, Mathew Barnaby, Jere Lehtinen, Adrian Aucoin, Anson Carter, Nikolai Khabibulin

Cliff Fletcher’s first draft with the Maple Leafs was an interesting one to say the least. The Leafs were coming off a disappointing 67-point season and Fletcher had been busy shaping his new team. After being on the job less than a year, “Trader Cliff” as he had come to be known as, had assembled a team of veterans that would eventually make it to the Western Conference Finals in two straight seasons.

Approached on draft day by New York Islanders general manager Bill Torrey, Fletcher was offered the #8 and #32 picks in the draft for his #5. Fletcher accepted the trade and took Brandon Convery, a high-scoring center from the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League. Every now and then, a player comes along that tears the American Hockey League to shreds but for some reason that talent never translates to the NHL level. Brandon Convery is that player.

From 1993 to 1998, Convery played 210 games with the AHL’s St. John’s Maple Leafs scoring 97 goals and 110 assists for 207 points. In that same time span, he appeared in 50 NHL games for the Leafs scoring just 7 goals and 10 assists. I couldn’t possibly call this entry complete without telling you who the Islanders took with the pick acquired from the Leafs.

That would be hard-hitting defenceman Darius Kasparaitis, who went on to play 14 seasons in the NHL. Ask any Leaf fan over the age of 35 who the biggest disappointing Leaf draft pick is and the conversation is likely to start with Brandon Convery, who now works as a “High Performance Sports Mentor.”

So there you have it: 25 years of Toronto Maple Leafs Draft Disasters. Got one to add? I’d love to hear it in the comments or hit me up on twitter @robb_ellis

Next: Leafs Third Round Target

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