Basking in the bittersweet feeling of two successful seasons culminating with a controversial loss in the Stanley Cup Finals, fans in Buffalo considered the 1999 NHL Draft to be a monumental visit to the woodshed.  The reason?  At a downtown rally after his franchise fell short against Dallas, then-Sabres owner and Adelphia Communications magnate John Rigas, promised fans that he “was prepared to give (the Sabres) the tools to finish the job”.  With organizational depth at defense, the Sabres approached a relatively weak pool of players in desperate need for a pure scorer, as well as size up front.  With a total of 12 picks, the Sabres stocked the shelves on draft weekend with nine forwards, two defensemen, and a goaltender.  

 

Five years later, Rigas is behind bars for stealing millions of dollars from Adelphia, and the tools have yet to arrive.  Of the 12 players selected by Buffalo in 1999, five have seen NHL action, with just three playing a total of 54 games in a Sabres sweater (average of only 5 NHL games per pick).  Aside from Coach Lindy Ruff refusing to shake hands with Commissioner Gary Bettman, the 1999 NHL Draft will be remembered by Sabres fans for tenuous negotiations with the top pick, a faulty fax machine, and a mid-round backstopping surprise. 

 

 

Barrett Heisten—1^st Round, 20^th overall (NCAA - University of Maine)

Status: NHL Bust

NHL Games: 10

 

After missing with Wayne Primeau (17^th overall, 1994) and Erik Rasmussen (7^th overall, 1997), the Sabres continued their search for a gritty, scoring winger in the first round by selecting Barrett Heisten from the NCAA Champion Maine Black Bears. After posting 12 goals and 28 points his freshman year, the 6’1”, 200-pound Alaska native upped his production to 13 goals and 37 points in 1999-2000, good for second on the team.  Sabres management made a serious pitch to sign Heisten after the season, but their offer was deemed less than flattering.  Being a former first rounder, as well as an integral component of USA World Junior entries in 1999 and 2000, Heisten felt that the Sabres organization wasn’t giving him fair value, and he soon grew estranged.

 

In a move to extricate himself from the Sabres organization, the unhappy Heisten left the collegiate ranks to skate for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.  By doing this, he followed the precedent set by Mike Van Ryn, who jumped from the University of Michigan to the Sarnia Sting of the OHL for the purpose of being classified as a junior player, thus shortening the New Jersey Devils’ time period to sign him from three years to two.  Already with one season at Maine as a Sabres property under his belt, Heisten became a free agent after notching twenty goals and 77 total points for Seattle in 2000-2001.

 

With many teams in pursuit of his services, Heisten settled on a contract with the New York Rangers in June of 2001.  His tenure on Broadway wouldn’t last long.  In 10 NHL games with the Rangers, he was unable to crack the scorer’s sheet, and was relegated to duty with their AHL affiliate in Hartford.  Producing just nine goals and 18 points in 49 games with the Wolfpack, the impatient Rangers traded Heisten and Manny Malhotra to Dallas in exchange for Martin Rucinsky and the since deceased Roman Lyashenko. 

 

Heisten finished out the 2001-2002 season with the Stars farm team in Utah, and still has yet to see action for the big club.  He scored ten goals for 20 points in 58 games in 2002-2003, and tailed off to a paltry four goals for 13 points in 73 games this past season.  While his production dropped after a concussion in 2003, the big winger has never seemed to find the scoring touch that many thought he would be able to display at the pro level.  In a Dallas organization rich in prospects, the 20^th overall choice of the 1999 NHL Draft is in danger of completely falling out of the Dallas radar.  Two notable players taken off the board following Buffalo’s choice of Heisten: Nick Boynton (21^st to Boston), and Martin Havlat (26^th to Ottawa).

 

 

Milan Bartovic—2^nd Round, 35^th Overall (Slovakia)

Status: NHL Prospect

NHL Games: 26

 

Looking to add more speed to their offensive corps, the Sabres chose Slovakian winger Milan Bartovic with their second round choice.  Bartovic moved to North America following his selection to play for Tri-City of the WHL, only to finish his first season playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings.  In 56 games between the two teams, Bartovic tallied 26 goals for 57 points.  He also helped Team Slovakia win a silver medal at the 2000 World Juniors.

 

In 2000-2001, Bartovic went on to net 15 goals for 40 points in just 34 games for Brandon, and found himself playing the season out in Buffalo’s AHL affiliate in Rochester.  The offensively gifted winger made his mark immediately, notching a goal and an assist in his only two regular season appearances.  In four playoff games, the AHL rookie posted an assist.

 

The next two seasons for Rochester, Bartovic was a model of consistency.  He scored 15 goals for 26 points in 73 games in 2001-2002, and eighteen goals for 28 points in 74 contests the following season.  His defensive game, especially penalty-killing, improved greatly from season to season. The 2002-2003 season marked the speedy Slovakian’s first ever NHL action, with an output of one goal in a brief three-game stint.

 

The 2003-2004 season turned into a breakout year for the 6’0”, 195-pounder.  In 52 AHL games, Bartovic put up 18 goals and 11 helpers.  He earned AHL Player of the Week honors on January 19, 2004, and a call-up to Buffalo, after scoring goals in five consecutive games amidst a ten game point streak for the Amerks.  While in Buffalo, he received nearly 13 minutes of ice time per game while being teamed with fellow prospect center Derek Roy to form two-thirds of the Sabres “energy line”.  Despite scoring just one goal for 9 points in 23 games, Bartovic was praised for his constant hustle.  His speed is a great complement to that of Russian speedster Maxim Afinogenov, a factor assuring his upward mobility on the Sabres depth chart for years to come.

 

 

Doug Janik—2^nd Round, 55^th Overall (NCAA - University of Maine)

Status: NHL Prospect

NHL Games: 10

 

The Sabres went back to Orono, Maine for their second pick of Round 2, grabbing defenseman Doug Janik of the NCAA champion Black Bears.  Like his University of Maine teammate Barrett Heisten, Janik was a member of team USA at the 1999 and 2000 World Junior Championships.  After three seasons at Maine, he made the jump to the professional ranks by joining the Rochester Americans for the 2001-2002 season. 

 

Janik’s pro career has been marked by gradual improvement each season.  In his first year on the farm, the Massachusetts native played in all 80 games en route to being named the team’s rookie of the year, unsung hero, and most improved player.  This past season as an alternate captain for Rochester, Janik developed into the team’s steadiest rearguard, exhibiting more leadership and physical play in his own end.

 

Not an offensive juggernaut by any means, Janik has 11 goals and 55 points through three seasons with Rochester after scoring 12 goals and 53 points over the course of three collegiate seasons.  During a four-game cup of coffee with the big club this past season, Janik appeared comfortable with the game speed, and confident in his defensive angles.  Not considered an enforcer, he did manage to amass 19 penalty minutes in the four games, 17 of which came late in February match-up against Atlanta. 

 

A little more “pop” offensively would probably have Janik in Buffalo more often.  After 10 career games for the Sabres, the defenseman remains pointless.  All in all, it looks as if Buffalo snagged themselves a solid, stay-at-home blueliner with the 55^th selection.  A jump to the NHL in the next season or two is a very real possibility for the 6’1”, 200-pound New Englander. 

 

 

Michael Zigomanis—2^nd Round, 64^th Overall (OHL - Kingston Frontenacs)

Status: NHL Prospect

NHL Games: 36

 

Buffalo’s third pick of Round 2 yielded them a flashy, creative center with great offensive instincts.  Playing with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs in 1998-1999, Zigomanis was their second leading scorer with 29 goals and 85 points.  Besides his lack of burning speed, the knock on Zigomanis coming into the draft was his propensity to float in his defensive zone.  Still, his playmaking efforts offered too much of an upside for the Sabres to pass up.

 

After being selected 64^th overall, the York, Ontario native had an impressive campaign for Kingston in 1999-2000, leading the team in goals (40), and assists (54).  His 94 points ranked fifth overall in the OHL, and his stock was on the rise.  In five playoff games that year, Zigomanis had no goals and four assists in a first round loss to Sudbury.  Zigomanis would go on to finish his junior career in Kingston with his second straight 40-goal season in 2000-2001.  Despite appearing in just 52 games, he again was the team leader in points with 77.  The 6’0”, 190-pound winger was poised to take his game to the next level.

 

The Sabres and Zigomanis negotiated right up to the final hours of the league’s deadline for signing major junior players.  This is where the story takes the oddest of turns.  Just when it looked as if the two sides had struck a deal, the Sabres’ last minute scramble to file the necessary paperwork with the league offices came up short due to a broken fax machine.  When it was all said and done, Buffalo missed the deadline, Zigomanis went into back into the draft pool for 2001, and Buffalo GM Darcy Regier took the company credit card to Office Max.

 

The biggest benefactors of the Sabres malfunctioning office equipment?  The Carolina Hurricanes, who plugged in their own fax machine and signed the playmaking centerman after selecting him with the 46^th pick in 2001.  In his first professional season with Lowell of the AHL, “Ziggy” played in 79 games, scoring 18 goals and 48 points.  He returned to Lowell for the 2002-2003 season, where he posted 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) in 38 games.  He earned his first call-up on February 26, 2003, scoring a goal in his NHL debut against Phoenix.  He would also record a goal and an assist four days later versus Pittsburgh to round out the scoring in his 19-game stint with the ‘Canes.

 

With Carolina wanting him to fortify his defensive play, Zigomanis once again started the 2003-2004 season in Lowell.  In 61 games with the Lock Monsters, he scored 17 times totaling 52 points.  He would go on to be named MVP of the AHL All-Star Classic in Grand Rapids, scoring the game winner to go along with two helpers.  He finally got the call from Carolina GM Jim Rutherford, and went on to record three assists in the final 17 games of the season.   Zigomanis has added 10 pounds to his frame, and possesses the offensive flair to make it as an NHL regular.  Expect him to work his way through the defensive shortcomings, becoming part of the mix in Raleigh next season.

 

 

Tim Preston—3^rd Round, 73^rd Overall (WHL - Seattle Thunderbirds)

Status: NHL Bust

NHL Games: 0

 

We should have seen this third round flop coming.  After being taken 73^rd overall, Seattle’s Tim Preston went on two average just 34 points over the next two WHL seasons.  Unimpressed, the Sabres decided to pass on signing the native of Langley, BC.  Continuing the decade long trend, Preston joined the likes of Jason Young (1991), Ondrej Steiner (1992), Ethan Philpott (1993), Mathieu Sunderland (1995), Francois Methot (1996), and Jeff Martin (1997) as players taken by Buffalo in Round 3 that never had a sniff of the NHL.  Three picks after Preston had his name called, current Atlanta defenseman Frantisek Kaberle (111 points in 309 NHL games) was chosen by Los Angeles.

 

After playing his overage season in Saskatoon (WHL), Preston played one professional season with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers in 2002-2003, scoring four goals and four assists in 22 games. 

 

You won’t find Preston’s name on any professional roster for 2003-2004.  Instead, with the days of chasing hockey greatness behind him, Preston skated as a member of Team Russia in the 2004 Walt Disney movie “Miracle”, chronicling the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team’s run to the gold medal.

          

Karel Mosovsky—4^th Round, 117^th Overall (WHL - Regina Pats)

Status: NHL Bust

NHL Games: 0

 

Buffalo added another big body with the selection of forward Karel Mosovsky in the fourth round.  Leaving his native Czech Republic to play for Regina in 1998-1999, the 6’2” 200-pound winger caught the eye of Buffalo scouts by finishing third on the Pats in scoring (26-25-51) in his first year of North American hockey.  He would play the next two seasons in Regina, scoring 24 goals and 58 points in 1999-2000, and 25 goals for 51 points in 2000-2001.  Buffalo signed to him to three-year entry-level contract following the 2000-2001 campaign.

 

Assigned to Rochester, Mosovsky was injured five games into his career, and missed the rest of the 2001-2002 season.  Returning to Rochester the following season, Karel appeared in 62 games, netting five goals and four assists.  His 2003-2004 season was cut short due to a shoulder injury after scoring five goals and an assist in 46 games.

 

Mosovsky has been unable to find the scoring touch in his injury-riddled time in the AHL.  He had seemingly turned the corner on being more of a physical, grinder type of player this past season before getting hurt.  With his contract expiring at season’s end, so too has his shot at making the ascent to the NHL as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.

 

 

Ryan Miller—5^th Round, 139^th Overall (USHL - Soo Indians)

Status: NHL Prospect

NHL Games: 18

 

The drafting of goaltender Ryan Miller prior to his freshman year at Michigan State University provided the Sabres a tiny glimmer of hope for their future between the pipes.  Miller made an immediate impact, though, as he stepped in and notched a 16-4-3 record, with a 1.36 GAA, and 7 shutouts in his first season for the Spartans. The 6’2”, 165-pound youngster was being referred to as the “steal of the draft”.  However, with Dominik Hasek manning the crease in Buffalo, Miller would not be rushed into the NHL.

 

The East Lansing, Michigan netminder continued his dominance in NCAA play in 2000-2001, posting a record of 31-5-4, with a 1.32 GAA, and a record 10 shutouts.  Dismissing any thoughts of a sophomore jinx, Miller set an NCAA single season mark for goaltenders by posting .950 save percentage en route to his team’s berth in the Frozen Four.  He also set a CCHA league mark with a 1.24 GAA.  His brilliant play earned him the CCHA Player of the Year honors, as well as the Hobey Baker award as college hockey’s player of the year.  Miller was only the second goaltender to ever win the award. 

 

In the summer of 2001, Dominik Hasek was traded to the Detroit Red Wings.  With the goaltenders all moving up a peg on the depth chart, some wondered if the lanky Hobey Baker winner was ready to forego his college eligibility for a chance to accelerate his development in the Buffalo system.  Miller instead returned to MSU in 2001-2002 for his junior year, further cementing his place in NCAA hockey history.  He finished 26-9-5 with a 1.77 GAA on his way to being once again named a finalist for the Hobey Baker.  Miller recorded eight more shutouts to finish his career with an astounding 26, an NCAA record.  Overall, Miller posted a collegiate record of 73-19-12, and rewrote the CCHA and Michigan State record books for goaltenders in the process.  Miller was signed by Buffalo and welcomed into the revolving carousel that is the Buffalo Sabres goaltending situation.

 

Miller’s three years of college domination, coupled with his participation in the 2001 and 2002 IIHF World Championships for Team USA, led many in the Buffalo media to believe he was ready to challenge Mika Noronen and Martin Biron for the Sabres top netminder position.  He played most of the 2002-2003 season in Rochester, compiling a 23-18-5 record, with a 2.34 GGA, good for fifth in the AHL.  He was called up to Buffalo on two separate occasions, going 6-8-1, including his first NHL shutout against Minnesota in January.  His starts in Buffalo were marked by inconsistency.  Flashes of brilliance would often be interrupted by the untimely soft goal.  Miller put together a hot streak upon his return to Rochester, winning five of six games to vault the Amerks into the playoffs.  He was named Amerks rookie of the year at season’s end, and would go on to once again represent Team USA at the IIHF Worlds.

 

Entering the 2003-2004 campaign, Buffalo still had not identified a clear-cut No. 1 goalie.  The Sabres brass was hoping Miller would get off to a strong start, in effect ending the goaltending quandary.  Miller was tabbed as the opening night starter, and played in two shutout losses before being shuttled to Rochester.  He was recalled for a December contest against a merciless Detroit team, who handed the overmatched Sabres a 7-2 defeat.  After the game, Miller tearfully walked away from reporters, and questions about his mental toughness surfaced.  He would find himself in a brief slump upon returning to Rochester.  Ultimately Miller regained his edge, and went on to finish the regular season with a record of 27-25-7.

 

Miller clearly has the talent to win games alone.  A strong 2004 postseason performance could improve both his confidence and consistency under pressure; two mental adjustments that are vital to his success as a top NHL stopper.  Until these areas progress, Miller’s final NHL numbers for 2003-2004 (0-3-0 with a 5.08 GAA) suggest more time might be necessary before making a roster decision on Noronen or Biron. 

 

 

Matt Kinch—5^th Round, 146^th Overall (WHL - Calgary Hitmen)

Status: NHL Prospect

NHL Games: 0

 

After a dramatic increase in offensive production, Calgary Hitmen defenseman Matt Kinch was taken by Buffalo in Round 5.  In the 1998-1999 season, the speedy blueliner totaled 14 goals and 83 points, a 52-point jump from the previous year.  Despite his smallish frame, Buffalo went ahead and added the 5’11”, 185-pound Alberta native to their prospect stable.

    

Kinch continued to pile up hefty offensive numbers from the point in Calgary, gathering 75 points in 1999-2000, and another 84 in 2000-2001.  His playoff numbers were impressive as well, collecting 58 points in 64 games.  Still, the Sabres decided that the runner up in 2001 WHL Defenseman of the Year voting would have trouble with his size at the NHL level, and opted not to sign him. 

    

Kinch didn’t last long on the free agent market, signing with the New York Rangers in June of 2001.  After splitting time between Charlotte (ECHL) and Hartford (AHL) in his first pro season, Kinch has evolved into an important component of the Hartford power play over the course of the past two years.  He collected a career-high 29 points in 2002-2003, while totaling 20 this past season.  He won’t ever put up numbers like he did in junior, but the undersized Kinch still has value as a longshot NHL prospect. 

 

 

Seneque Hyacinthe—6^th Round, 178^th Overall (QMJHL - Val d’Or Foreurs)

Status: NHL Bust

NHL Games: 0

 

After averaging 22 goals and 57 points over five seasons in the “Q”, the hard working Hyacinthe wasn’t signed by the Sabres.  The 6’0” winger took his game to the Verdun Dragons of the Quebec Semi Pro League in 2002-2003, scoring 21 points in 22 games.  That season, he also went pointless in three games for the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL.  In 2003-2004, Hyacinthe was still chipping away at it with Verdun, this time in the QSMHL.  An NHL future is out of the question for the 23-year-old Montreal native.

 

Riku Hahl, who has 92 regular season and 34 NHL playoff games under his belt for the Colorado Avalanche, was taken eight picks after Buffalo’s choice of Hyacinthe.  Eight picks after that, Nashville drafted Martin Erat (90 points in 183 NHL games) with the 191^st pick.

 

 

Bret DeCecco—7^th Round, 206^th Overall (WHL - Seattle Thunderbirds)

Status: NHL Bust

NHL Games: 0

 

Coming off a season which saw him hit the 100 point barrier (57goals, 43 assists) for Seattle of the WHL, Bret Dececco was picked up by Buffalo in the seventh round.  The 5’11” scoring winger had a considerable dropoff in offensive output over the next two seasons, averaging just 32 goals and 60 points.  Concerned about the decreased production, and a need to sign players with more size, Buffalo passed on Dececco.  Entering the ECHL in 2001-2002, Dececco is currently a member of the Alaska Aces, his fourth team in three seasons.  Four picks after Dececco, the Detroit Red Wings selected promising forward Henrik Zetterberg (87 points in 145 NHL games).

 

Brad Self—8^th Round, 235^th Overall (OHL - Peterborough Petes)

Status: NHL Bust

NHL Games: 0

 

Round 8 saw Buffalo go back to the OHL, picking 5’10”, 165-pound Brad Self of Peterborough.  The crafty forward averaged nineteen goals and 51 points over four OHL seasons.  Not having the size to absorb the rigors of the NHL, Self went unsigned.  Also a lacrosse stand-out, Self currently plays professionally for the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League.

 

 

Craig Brunel—9^th Round, 263^rd Overall (WHL - Prince Albert Raiders)

Status: NHL Bust

NHL Games: 0

 

Buffalo’s final pick of the 1999 draft was used to select 6’0”, 220-pound WHL enforcer, Craig Brunel. Originally a sixth rounder by Nashville in 1998, Brunel racked up over 800 penalty minutes in four junior seasons with Prince Albert and Red Deer. After brief AHL stays with Rochester and Philadelphia, Brunel has punched out a niche as an enforcer for six different teams at the “AA” level.  The Minnedosa, Manitoba native has amassed 772 minutes in penalties throughout his four-year career.

 

    

Summary

 

With 12 players brought into the fold in 1999, three (Bartovic, Janik, and Miller) should make significant contributions in the Sabres future.  Miller is the key to this draft class.  He has been a victim of high expectations from the Buffalo media thus far, but at 23 years of age, is still considered a top-five NHL goaltending prospect.

   

For two others from this crop, Zigomanis and Kinch, the dream is still alive with other franchises.  Zigomanis has time to push his way up the depth chart in Carolina and make his mark as a steady playmaker.  Kinch looks more like a career minor leaguer, but still has a distant chance to test his offensive abilities from the point in “the show”.

 

The highly touted Heisten has been unable to put it together at the pro-level, making him a complete bust for the Sabres, Rangers, and Stars.  With Dallas reportedly ready to slash payroll for 2004-2005, Heisten has perhaps his last chance to shine amongst a talented group of Stars hopefuls.

    

It’s worth noting that three players from the 1999 draft, Tim Connolly (5^th overall, 325 NHL games), Taylor Pyatt (8^th overall, 267 NHL games) and Michael Ryan (32^nd overall, prospect), were acquired later by Buffalo via trades, and are expected to produce as NHL regulars.  Connolly and Pyatt were thrust into the NHL right away with the Islanders, who at the time were short on talent.  Islanders GM Mike Milbury grew impatient with the slow development of the two, and packaged them together to get Mike Peca from Buffalo.

 

Connolly suffered a concussion at the end of the 2002-2003 regular season and missed all of the 2003-2004 season.  The Syracuse, NY native has scored 99 points in four NHL seasons.  So far, Pyatt has also been a disappointment in Buffalo.  A player who possess great size (6’4”, 215 lbs.), Pyatt has yet to use this to his advantage, and seems light on his feet at times on his way to 36 career goals. 

 

Ryan was acquired from Dallas in the 2003 deadline deal that sent Stu Barnes to Dallas.  Unlike Connolly and Pyatt, Ryan has been given time to develop properly in Rochester.  With a degree of chippiness to his game, Ryan scored 12 points in 49 games for the Amerks this past season, his first as a pro.