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Time Capsule: A Look Back at the 2000 Draft Part III of III
Written by: Geoffrey Ussery on 03/11/2003 
The reviewer at the time had this to say about the draft:
"This year's draft had not only a decidedly European flavor, but it also had an offensive flavor as well, for most of the players drafted have good puck skills and speed, which is exactly what was needed within the system. While they only selected one defenseman and reached some for a goaltender, they had a very solid draft regardless. Even though it may not be as good as their '97 draft ( 2 NHL'ers+3 potential NHL'ers), this draft will go down as being influential in starting a solid base of skill players for the future.
My Grade: a solid B "
All in all, it was a good view to have on the draft class at the time. A great deal of the selections have turned out to be sleeper-type picks, in other words, players that showed some promise but needed some time to put things together a bit more. There was a high number of European selections as well, and as these players have been left to mature in Europe, a few have blossomed. Just for the record, however, it turned out that the '97 draft class was not that great. Brenden Morrow and Roman Lyashenko are the only players to have seen significant time at the NHL level while there are three others in the system that have little chance of making it to the show (Gainey, Kristoffersson, and Komarov). So that makes one NHL'er, one fringe NHL'er (at this point), and three minor league long-shots for the '97 draft.
Now let us break the 2000 draftees into four separate categories: top-end prospects, solid prospects, long-shot prospects, and low-end prospects. Top-end prospects are considered to be those who have a very good chance of being successful in the NHL at some point in their careers, while solid prospects are those who have a decent shot at the NHL but may not be able to make it due to some shortcoming or depth. Long-shot prospects are those who are wild-cards to make the NHL; they generally have some promise, but for one reason or another lack something to even be considered a solid prospect. The low-end prospects are those who have almost no chance at the NHL in any case.
Top-End Prospects: 3 (Steve Ott, Joel Lundqvist, Antti Miettinen)
At the draft, it was hard to say that any of the prospects that Dallas had drafted were sure to make the NHL. Ott looked like he could since he lead his team in scoring as a rookie, but no one else really stood out at the time. Push forward a bit, and now, Ott has proven himself as a star player in the OHL and is already producing in the NHL after getting a call-up and sticking. Lundqvist has improved markedly and was one of the top players in the SEL for much of this season. Finally, Antti Miettinen has repeated his breakout season in the SM-Liiga, giving credence to him as a very good prospect who may be in the NHL as early as next year. These three have all come a long way since they were drafted, but aside from Ott, it remains to be seen if they will be able to stick and aid the Stars in the NHL. Chance are good, however, that one or both of Miettinen and Lundqvist will develop into nice NHL players given the type of games they play.
Solid Prospects: 2 (Dan Ellis, Alexei Tereschenko)
One was viewed as a reach and the other as a flashy player that needed work. After a few years, both are looking like solid selections. Ellis is a very good goaltending prospect that is remarkably little known around the league. He may have been viewed as a reach then, but he has shown extended flashes of brilliance that suggest he could have a bright future. Still, the goaltending depth chart is deep, and he must rebound from this sub-par year to make a better case for himself. Tereschenko has slowly evolved into a good two-way hockey player with still enough skill and speed to be deemed a flashy player. A solid prospect with still a little room to improve, it will nonetheless be difficult for Tereschenko to make a mark in the NHL with the Stars with Niko Kapanen now firmly entrenched on the roster.
Long-Shot Prospects: 3 (Vadim Khomitsky, Artem Chernov, Ruslan Bernikov)
Three Russian prospects all with nice upside reside in the long-shot section of the draft list. Each of them has the capability to be a good prospect but all have question marks on their game. With Chernov, it resides with the question whether that excellent 2000-2001 year was a fluke or a true indicator of his talent. With Bernikov, his chance hinges on whether he has the heart and willingness to use his physical gifts to become an NHL player. Khomitsky, however, could use just a bit more seasoning and tune up his game a little more to make his case a bit better.
Low-End Prospects: 2 (Marco Tuokko, Ladislav Vlcek)
Both Tuokko and Vlcek are non-factors for the Stars' NHL plans. Tuokko is a third line player in Finland with little more room to grow, and Vlcek is a journeyman in the Czech Extraliga. Neither will really add anything to the Stars roster, so they are better off just staying in their respective counrties.
Putting it all together, it appears that the Stars selected three prospects with very good chances to make the NHL, two with decent shots, and three more that are long-shots. Considering that two of those top-end prospects came from the third and seventh rounds, it makes the draft look very good throughout. There are a couple of picks toward the end that are far from special, but altogether, the Stars made very good to decent picks all the way through. Two steals and several other good picks were not usual for the Stars' drafting record in the mid-1990's, so this is a very refreshing change. Right now, this draft is forming the backbone of the Stars' system with 4 prospects ranking in the HF Stars' Top 10 (Ott, Miettinen, Lundqvist, and Ellis) and another in the Top 20 (Tereschenko). It already appears like it could be better than the '97 draft referred to by the reviewer, but time will tell since only one player has yet made it to the NHL.
The only thing that is left is to slap a grade on the draft performance now. As mentioned, with half of the selected prospects forming a quarter of the Stars' top prospects, this draft should receive a good grade. While it does not look like there are any potential superstars, there are three prospects who are good candidates for at least an NHL third line. Add in that there is a potential starter in goal and another quality prospect at forward, not even mentioning the long-shots who could turn out to be players too, and the case becomes even stronger. Without further ado, here is the moment some of you have been waiting for!
2003 Grade for the 2000 Draft Class: high A- (with still more room for improvement)
Copyright 2003 Hockey’s Future. Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.
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