With the 2003 draft right around the corner, here’s a look at the recent draft history of the Montreal Canadiens under General Manager Andre Savard (2001 and 2002).

2001

The ’01 draft was considered by many to be one of the deeper drafts in some time, with some highly skilled players.  After several poor seasons at the draft table, Andre Savard’s job was to turnaround a thin prospect pool, and upgrade the overall talent. Sounds easy, but as a rookie GM, Savard and company had their hands full.  They had eight picks to work with, and four in the top 100, but most importantly they had the seventh overall pick, the highest they’ve picked since 1984.  (Petr Svobada fifth overall)

1^st round, 7^th overall, Mike Komisarek-RD.  The University of  Michigan star blueliner is a physical force both in size and his hitting abilities.  With his combo of size and skating, it’s no wonder why he was chosen so high in the draft.  There just aren’t many 6’4" 240 lb defensemen that can skate well with decent speed and hit like a freight truck, so when one comes along, you have to pick him.   At the time, he was considered to have a weakness on offense, but after a fine rookie season this year in the AHL, Komisarek showed major signs of improvement.  He has a good low heavy shot from the point, with a strong ability to get it on net, which is the primary job for the pointman.  It’s still early, but for Andre Savard, making Komisarek his first pick as the Canadiens GM was a great start.

1^st round, 25^th, Alex Perezhogin-RW.  With the trade of Trevor Linden, Dainius Zubrus, and the Habs second round pick (acquired from NJ) to Washington for Richard Zednik, Jan Bulis and the Caps first round pick, Savard and company were able to take a gamble with an extra 1^st round pick.  Perezhogin was considered by scouts to be a bit of a project, but there were no questions about his ability to score goals, scoring 47 goals in a lower level league in Russia.  An excellent skater, with speed and good hands, the Habs looked to improve their goal scoring abilities.  But playing under ex-Pens coach Ivan Hlinka for Omsk in the Russian Super Leauge,  Perezhogin has learned to play a two-way game getting time on the PK. 

2^nd round, 37^th overall, Duncan Milroy-RW.  Milroy was playing in the WHL where he racked up 92 points in his draft year for the Swift Current Broncos.  A strong character guy, Milroy just knows where to be at the right times.  After being traded to the Kootenay Ice, Duncan turned it up several notches, helping his team win the WHL championship and the Memorial Cup.  He was named the MVP of the playoffs, where he racked up 37 points in 21 games.  Recently signed this summer, Milroy should be in Hamilton next year.

3^rd round, 71^st, Thomas Plekanec-C/LW.  Plekanec was playing for Kladno in the Czech league, which is the men’s league, a great experience for a young player.  A gifted forward that is blessed with very good stickhandling, skating, and instincts with the puck, Plekanec may be on the small size, but there’s no question of his skill level.  Signed last summer to play in Hamilton, Thomas has a strong rookie season in North America, adapting to the new culture, language, and hockey style.  He should get top line ice time in Hamilton next year.

4^th round, 109^th, Marttie Jarventie-LD.  With a thin blueline, the Habs looked to overage Finnish defensemen Jarventie to fill a need right away.  Known for his abilities on offense, while playing in the Finnish Elite League for TPS, the Habs picked him to help out in Quebec, and a brief stint in the NHL (1 game).  A shoulder injury this year, and a newborn baby, he was given permission to return home for this season, but he is expected back next season, as he will be needed in Hamilton.

6^th round, 171^st, Eric Himelfarb-C.  Himelfarb played for the Sarnia Sting of the OHL, but he was traded to the Barrie Colts last summer.   A small but skilled center, that was one of the most consistent prospects the Habs had, but he was not signed this summer, thus he will go back into the draft.  He still could be redrafted, but that’s highly unlikely.

7^th round, 203^rd, Andrew Archer-RD.  A lack of depth on right defense could have been the reason to pick the large blueliner.  Playing for the Oshawa Generals, Archer was traded to the Guelph Storm of the OHL.  Archer didn’t produce at Oshawa recording only two points in 50+ games, but after being traded, he picked up 39 points the next three seasons.  Not known for his offence, the stay at home defenseman plays a smart safe game not taking many chances, but being solid in his own end.  With his long reach and 6’4" frame, the captain of Guelph was signed this summer to play in Hamilton next season.

8^th round, 266^th, Victor Ujcik-LW.   With the lack of skilled forwards in our prospect pool at the time of the ’01 draft, Savard took a chance on overage Euro Ujcik, who was a veteran of the Czech Senior League.  A small but skillful winger, that knows who to put the puck in the net, Ujcik was drafted as a gamble to come over, as he is over 30 years old, and not known to be considering coming to North America anytime soon.  He does have international experience playing for the Czech National Team.

2002

The ’02 draft was considered to be not as deep as some of the earlier drafts.  The Habs had the 15^th overall pick, and a total of six picks in the draft.  Here’s how it went,

1^st round, 14^th overall, Chris Higgins, C.  After a trade with the Oilers to move up one spot, the Habs selected Higgins from the Yale Bulldogs of the ECAC in the NCAA.  Higgins had a strong freshman year at Yale, where he was their leading scorer; in addition he also was the leading scorer for USA’s Junior National Team at the World Championships.  Just recently signed by the Habs this summer, Higgins brings a lot of skill and hard work, where he will be looked to add offense next year in Hamilton most likely. 

2^nd round, 45^th overall, Thomas Linhart, LD.  A stay at home defenseman from the Czech Junior League, Linhart may have been picked for his crease clearing abilities, which the Habs sorely lack.  A questionable pick to many, as he was taken much earlier then expected, with several top notched players still available.  A shaky rookie year in North America did nothing to help fans question more of who wasn’t taken with this pick, but not having a third round pick could have influenced the decision.  Needs to have a strong year next season to be offered a contract.

4^th round, 99^th overall, Michael Lambert, C/LW.  The Habs traded with the Flames to move up a few spots to grab Lambert who was played in their own back yard.  He plays for the Montreal Rocket, who just happens to play in the same building as the Habs, the Bell Center.  He had a strong draft year, but this season he wasn’t as physical, and was a healthy scratch at times.  A gifted forward who can find the back of the net, he will need a strong season next year to earn a contract.

6^th round, 182^nd overall, Andre Deveaux, C/RW.  A big physical forward that the Habs lack, Deveaux racked up the PIMs this season, while showing good progression in his production over last year.  Still needs work in his own end, but a lack of big physical forwards works in his favor.

7^th round, 212^th overall, Jonathan Ferland, RW.   Power forward in the making, Ferland plays a strong physical game with soft hands.  An overager in the draft, his skating is a question mark, but if he can overcome that, the Habs get a solid prospect added to their organization.  His penalty minutes are decreasing while his point production increases.  A +48 this year was one of the tops in the QMJHL, and just might earn him a contract this summer.  A lack of power forwards in the Habs system helps his chances to be signed.

9^th round, 275^th overall, Konstantin Korneev, RD.  A smallish blueliner from Russia, Korneev was taken after his solid play at the U-18 tournament where he had to play third line center due to team injuries.  Playing for the Russian Junior National Team, in addition to being on the top pairing on his team in the Russian Super League, Korneev is a darkhorse prospect that could surprise a lot of fans with his skillful play.  Another solid tournament at the World Junior Championships this year, where his team got the gold and Korneev was solid in his own end, amongst the top +/- players in the entire tournament.  After another year in the RSL and some added weight (hopefully) he should force management to bring him over.

That’s all of Savard’s picks to date.  To sum it up, he’s taken 14 players so far.  Two from the NCAA, six from the CHL- 1 WHL, 2 QMJHL, 3 OHL, and six players from the European leagues- 2 Russians, 3 Czech’s, and 1 Finland.  Out of the 14, two were overage Euro’s from the first draft, while three more were a year older.

Canadiens Draft Picks in 2003

1^st round 10^th overall.

2^nd round 40^th overall.

2^nd round 61^st overall. (acquired in the Eric Chouinard trade)

3^rd round 79^th overall.

4^th round 109^th overall. (acquired in the Oleg Petrov trade)

4^th round 113^th overall.

6^th round 177^th overall.

6^th round 188^th overall. (acquired in the Doug Gilmore trade)

8^th round 241^st overall.

9^th round 271^st overall.

The original 5^th round pick (147^th) was traded to the Oilers for coach Claude Julien.

The original 7^th round pick (207^th) was traded to the Wild for Sylvain Blouin.