Each player is projected on making it to
the NHA on a grading scale of 1-10.
PLAYER LEGEND - (HIGHLIGHT COLOUR DEFINES LEAGUE PLAYING IN)
Playing in the N.H.A. Playing in the N.H.A. Farm League Playing in N.A. Development League (Prospect) Playing in the NCAA or other Amateur League (Prospect) Playing in Europe (Prospect)
Transactions (leading up to and throughout the draft):
NONE
The Hitmen have made no transactions since the trade deadline.
Organizational Weaknesses (prior to Draft): Projected top-pairing defensemen; Powerplay QB; Very thin on Right Wing
NHA Draft Preview Prediction: No 1st Round Selection Actual Result: No 1st Round Selection
2007 NHA Entry Draft Selections Rich Peverley, C [2nd Round (47th Overall)]
John Negrin, D (WHL) [2nd Round (48th Overall)]
Jim O'Brien, C (NCAA) [3rd Round (57th Overall)]
Dustin Jeffrey, C (OHL) [3rd Round (71st Overall)]
Calgary did not make any moves heading into the draft but the Hitmen did manage to surprise a lot of observers with their selection of Rich Peverly late in the 2nd round; this could turn out to be a real steal for the Calgary franchise as Peverley was not on many GMs' radar and has the potential to make significant contributions to this club in the very near future. Other than that, GM Wilkinson picked up a defenceman who could eventually find a spot on the 2nd pairing and a couple of solid forwards with 3rd line potential.
16) Michael Gergen, RW
Acquired: 128th OV, '05 Draft
17) John Lammers, LW/C
Acquired: 132nd OV, '04 Draft
18) Tobias Stephan, G
Acquired: NHA Dispersal Draft
19) Igor Volkov, RW
Acquired: NHA Dispersal Draft
20) David Shantz, G
Acquired: 76th OV, '04 Draft
2009/06/01Calgary Hitmen - Facing the Future
The Calgary Hitmen have experienced steady playoff improvement year after year. The team lost in the 1st round of the playoffs in 2003-2004, the 2nd round in 2005-2006 and then made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals last season, where they were defeated in five games by the Dallas Bulldogs. And yet, despite their on-ice success, the Hitmen have still managed to bring some very talented prospects into the system. Despite the common view that With Jason Allison is playing his last season with the Hitmen, the team has no reason to worry; Matthew Lombardi and Valtteri Filppula are already earning their keep with Calgary, but the real reason for fans to be excited is with Bryan Little, who has all the makings of a first line center in the National Hockey Association. Little is currently developing his skills in Major Junior but could make the jump to the NHA within two seasons. The Hitmen are in desperate need of some depth on right wing. The team obviously boasts one of the best players in the league in Jarome Iginla, but does not have any future right wingers coming up through the ranks who will one day be able to provide some secondary scoring for the team. Goaltending could also be an issue down the road. Rick DiPietro is still fairly young at twenty-five years of age, but has had injury issues throughout his career and although the team does have some goaltending prospects in the system, none of them are projected as starters at the NHA level.
Left Wing - The Hitmen are lacking in young quality prospects at left wing and will need to address this issue within the next few seasons. Shawn Weller has the potential to be a strong power forward for the Hitmen, but his future will all depend on his offensive development in the NCAA. At the very least he could become a third liner who brings passion, determination and the ability to get under the skin of his opponents.
Center - As previously mentioned, Calgary has several good young centermen waiting to make their names, not least of whom is Bryan Little, the club's top prospect.
Right Wing - This is an area of great concern for the organization as there are no other right wing prospects coming up through the system who are expected to make a significant impact at the NHA level. If there comes a point where franchise forward Jarome Iginla decides to move on, the Hitmen could be in serious trouble at this position.
Defense - Defense has been a traditionally strong area for the Calgary organization and they are presently developing a couple of excellent prospects with different skill sets: Alexandre Picard, who is more of an offensive defenseman but needs to work on his physical play; and Matt Smaby, a monster of a defenseman at 6'-6", who could be a shut-down defenseman with the Hitmen within two or three seasons.
Goaltending - Calgary has some good goalies in the system (Jonas Hiller, Tobias Stephen, Curtis McElhinney), each with the ability to play a back-up role at the NHA level, or perhaps even fill a number one role for a short period of time. Unfortunately, the team does not have any visible heir to Rick DiPietro and will need to focus on this in future drafts.
2007/02/23Hitmen (Rockets) 2004 Draft Review
The Calgary Rockets had no picks in the first round of the 2004 NHA Entry Draft, but they did have four picks to address some team needs. Using the 48th overall pick to select defenseman Mark Fistric certainly deepens the Rockets pool of blueliners; the additional choices of a goaltender and two wingers also addressed some deficiencies in their farm system.
2008/04/01Hitmen 2005 Draft Review
The Hitmen had a successful year, culminating with an excellent playoff performance versus Vancouver which saw Calgary roll over a Cup favourite team. GM Cole Wilkinson made a number of personnel moves in the weeks leading up to the draft which will certainly change the look of his club, though with few high draft picks, the farm may end up as a cause for concern; with his only selection in the top 120 players, GM Wilkinson selected promising defender Matt Lashoff (#28 Overall).
