The weird story of Stefan Nilsson, who was drafted by 4 completely different NHL groups and did not play for any of them.
There are two drafts going down this week – the Seattle Kraken Enlargement Draft and the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. In a single, the Vancouver Canucks lose a participant; within the different, the Canucks will add a handful of views to the group.
With each drafts in thoughts, it looks like the best time to look again on one of the uncommon draft tales in NHL historical past: the man who was drafted 4 occasions.
Properly, three and a half. It is sophisticated.
In 1986 Stefan Nilsson was an aspiring younger participant in Sweden. The younger striker scored a stable 5 factors in 5 video games on the European Junior Championship – the forerunner of the U18 World Cup – and even performed just a few video games in Sweden’s highest males’s league, the then Elitserien.
Accordingly, the Washington Capitals risked Nilsson and chosen him within the sixth spherical of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. Sadly, the Capitals could not signal it, so two years later, in 1988, it was again within the draft. That is the place it will get unusual.
Too many Stefan Nilssons
Within the 1987/88 season, Nilsson had confirmed himself within the Elitserien and scored 10 targets and 21 factors in 31 video games as a 19-year-old. That was sufficient to rekindle the curiosity of the NHL groups within the Swedish middle.
This included the Calgary Flames, which Nilsson chosen within the seventh spherical. This additionally included the Canucks, who selected Nilsson within the twelfth spherical.
Wait wait. You cannot. You can’t choose a participant who has already been chosen by one other staff, which the Flames instantly argued to the league. There was just one downside – the Flames had picked the improper 20-year-old Stefan Nilsson from the Elitserien.
See, there have been two of them. A Stefan Nilsson performed for HV71; the opposite Stefan Nilsson performed for Luleå. The Flames wished whoever was taking part in for Luleå and by accident picked the improper one.
So as to add to the confusion, there was a 3rd Stefan Nilsson who was 19 years outdated and was additionally accessible within the 1988 draft. And all three Stefan Nilssons performed for Sweden within the Junior World Championship in 1988.
Or ought to that be Stefans Nilsson?
No marvel, in any case, that there was confusion. You possibly can think about Flame’s GM Cliff Fletcher speaking to his scouts and asking, “You guys like Stefan Nilsson, proper? To be clear, I imply 20 yr outdated Stefan Nilsson, not 19 yr outdated Stefan Nilsson. I do not need to screw this up! “
Nilsson was chosen twice within the 1988 draft, not less than in spirit. We name it a time and a half.
All of this might have been prevented if the groups had merely referred to as Nilsson by his actually wonderful nickname: Skuggan, which interprets as “The Shadow” into English. Unimaginable.
Sadly, the “actual” Stefan Nilsson by no means got here to Vancouver to play for the Canucks, however his days of being drafted by NHL groups weren’t over.
Enlargement of design devices
In 2000, two new groups joined the NHL: the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. To finish their roster, the NHL held a draft enlargement, identical to it did for the Seattle Kraken. The most important distinction, nevertheless, is the variety of gamers groups might shield.
For the Kraken enlargement design, groups can shield seven forwards, three defenders and one goalkeeper, or eight skaters in every place and one goalkeeper. Even with this restricted guard checklist, the Canucks are unlikely to lose a worthwhile participant. Both the Kraken tackle a striker with restricted potential like Kole Lind or Zack MacEwen, or they take goalkeeper Braden Holtby, which supplies the Canucks some aid on the wage cap.
Nonetheless, in 2000, groups have been in a position to shield as much as 15 gamers: 9 forwards, 5 defenders and one goalkeeper. They have been even in a position to shield two goalkeepers and nonetheless shield seven forwards and three defenders.
It wasn’t even one staff that was left of the remaining, however two. There have been few first rate gamers to select from and positively no stars. Nonetheless, the 2 groups needed to take somebody with them.
The primary participant to be misplaced by the Canucks was Darby Hendrickson towards the Minnesota Wild. Hendrickson was born in Minnesota and served as one of many first alternate captains of the Savages. He was rightly the most effective gamers within the 2000 draft enlargement and had performed 20 video games within the AHL final season.
The second Canucks participant chosen within the 2000 draft enlargement was none apart from Stefan Nilsson.
Minnesota Wild legend Stefan Nilsson
The Canucks nonetheless owned Nilsson’s rights from his 1988 draft. Identical to now with Russian gamers, the groups held the rights to European draftees indefinitely, as there was no switch settlement between the NHL and these leagues on the time.
Nilsson had confirmed that he was the very best of the three Stefan Nilssons, who had a protracted profession with Luleå within the Elitserien and was their captain for six seasons. He even led Sweden to a silver medal on the 1997 World Cup, certainly one of three years he has represented Sweden on the event.
In 2000, nevertheless, Nilsson was already 32 years outdated and there was no likelihood of shifting to the NHL. He had not even performed within the Elitserien for 2 seasons, however spent just a few years in Austria and Switzerland earlier than later returning to Luleå triumphantly.
Why did the wild ones select Nilsson? Was it a mistake the Flames made in 1988? Did you need to select another person?
It wasn’t in any respect. It was about cash. By the tip of the enlargement draft, the Blue Jackets and Wild had picked whoever they actually wished, however they needed to take two gamers from every staff. At that time, they solely wished gamers who did not need to pay them.
So the savages picked Nilsson, understanding it would not value them any cash.
It wasn’t an enormous loss to the Canucks. Brian Burke, the Canucks normal supervisor on the time, mentioned dryly, “We put hen wire over the resort home windows to forestall anybody from throwing themselves out,” concerning the prospect of shedding Nilsson.
Nonetheless, it was a missed alternative for the savages. Whereas the Canucks hadn’t uncovered many first rate gamers, a 23-year-old Brent Sopel was accessible. He might definitely have helped the blue line of savages within the years to come back.
The most important miss for each the Blue Jackets and the Wild was, after all, Martin St. Louis. The longer term Hart and two-time Artwork Ross winner was uncovered by the Calgary Flames however needed to get away as an attacking dynamo on the age of 24. Neither enlargement staff selected St. Louis and the Flames purchased his contract as an alternative. So he can signal with Tampa Bay Lightning.
Oops.
Nilsson has by no means performed a recreation for the Capitals, Flames, Canucks or Wild. He lastly retired from Luleå in 2004, however returned to the membership as a coach in 2012. He’s at present the overall supervisor of Luleå and his quantity 4 was retired from the staff in 2015.
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