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New York Rangers: The best and worst draft classes of the 1990s

By Scott Esposito

Jun 1994: The New York Rangers celebrate as they score against the Vancover Canucks during the Stanley Cup Finals at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancover, Canada. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /Allsport
Jun 1994: The New York Rangers celebrate as they score against the Vancover Canucks during the Stanley Cup Finals at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancover, Canada. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /Allsport /
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Jamie Lundmark #17 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Jamie Lundmark #17 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Worst: Class of 1999

Notables

Pavel Brendl (1st round, 4th overall, forward)

Jamie Lundmark (4th round, 9th overall, forward)

Analysis

Hard to blame Rangers brass here. For starters, the pickings were slim in what is widely considered among the weakest drafts in NHL history. Also, the players the Blueshirts chose had torched the opposition in Canadian juniors in the seasons leading up to draft.

Brendl had a monster 1998-99 season in Canadian juniors, having notched 73 goals and 61 assists for 134 points for the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen. In 110 games over the next two seasons in juniors, he had 91 goals.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, Brendl never played for the Rangers. He was traded with Kim Johnsson and Jan Hlvac to the Flyers in August 2001 for Eric Lindros. Brendl lasted just four seasons in the NHL, scoring a combined 11 goals and 11 assists in 78 games.

So what happened?

Well, according to many accounts, including Rick Carpiniello’s in his book Nightmare on 33rd Street, Brendl reported out of shape for his first Rangers training camp, was only slightly better in his second one, and was widely viewed as being lazy.

Like Brendl, Lundmark was drafted after a terrific season in Canadian juniors,  having posted 40 goals and 91 points for WHL Moose Jaw in 1998-99. He just didn’t flourish in the NHL, where he lasted just six seasons.  He played parts of three seasons with the Rangers, recording 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points in 114 games.

Among the players could’ve had include Barret Jackman, Martin Havlat and Ryan Miller, who won the Vezina in 2010 with Buffalo.

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