NHL Draft 2011: New Jersey Devils Draft Tidbits and Facts

With the NHL draft just a few days away, I figured it'd be an ideal time to list out some facts about the Devils and their draft history that the diehards and stat hounds out there might enjoy, as the team prepares for its 30th NHL draft. 

• The player drafted the latest by the Devils and to eventually suit up for the Devils in the NHL, was Steve Sullivan, who was drafted in the ninth round and 233rd overall by the Devils back in 1994.  He has played in 890 career NHL games, only 49 as a Devil before being dealt to Toronto as part of the package that brought Doug Gilmour to New Jersey.
• The lowest player drafted by the Devils to play anywhere in the NHL was Joey Tenute, who was selected 261st overall in the eighth round of the 2003 NHL draft.  He played in just one game for the Washington Capitals during the 2005-06 season.
• The player drafted by the Devils to play the highest amount of career games in the NHL was Brendan Shanahan, who was selected No. 2 overall in the 1987 NHL draft, and went on to a career with 1524 games, including 656 goals, 698 assists and 2489 penalty minutes.  He played in 315 games in his two stints with the Devils.
• The Devils have drafted as high as second twice in their history and did pretty well both times, selecting Shanahan and Kirk Muller (1984).  The team has never drafted No. 1 overall.
• The lowest the team has ever selected in the first round (and kept their pick) was when the Devils selected Matthew Corrente, who was taken 30th overall in the 2006 NHL draft.  He has played 34 games for the team to date and is currently set to be a restricted free agent.
• The highest goaltender ever drafted by the Devils was their 20th selection overall in the 1990 NHL draft.  They selected Martin Brodeur with the pick, and I think it's fair to say that pick has worked out pretty well for the Devils.
• Three times the Devils have selected number three overall with great, average and ugly results.  Scott Niedermayer (1991) was the great, helping lead the Devils to their three Stanley Cup Championships (and picked up a fourth with Anaheim) in what will certainly be recognized as a Hall of Fame Career when he is eligible.  Craig Wolanin (1985) played in 695 NHL games, but is more remembered to Devils fans for being used in a trade (along with Randy Velischek) to acquire Peter Stastny on March 6, 1990.  The third was Neil Brady (1986), who had some very productive years at the AHL level but never made a real impact in his 89 career NHL games.
• The player drafted highest by the Devils to never appear in an NHL game was Todd Copeland, who was selected 24th overall (Round 2) also in the 1986 NHL draft.  Copeland was a Ridgewood, NJ native who played at the University of Michigan.  He played six years in the AHL and IHL but never was able to sniff the NHL.
• Between the likes of Brady and Copeland, it's fair to say the Devils could have done better with their selections.  Other players picked in the 1986 draft included the likes of Vincent Damphousse (6th), Brian Leetch (9th), Craig Janney (19th), Adam Graves (22nd), Teppo Numminen (29th), Jyrki Lumme (57th) and Lyle Odelein (141st).
• With the fourth pick in this year's draft, assuming the Devils keep the pick, it will be the tenth player the Devils have taken in the top ten slots.  It will mark the first time the Devils have picked a player fourth.
• Other players taken in the top 10 not mentioned yet include Bill Guerin (5th in 1991), John MacLean (sixth in 1983), Rocky Trottier (eighth in 1982) and Lance Ward (10th in 1996).  Obviously, the results hit both sides of the scale with these top 10 picks.
• Of the 295 players the Devils have drafted in the last 29 years, 139 have played at least one game in the NHL, for a 47.1 percentage.  I don't have the stats to back it up, but my gut is the Devils are at or certainly near the top compared to other teams over the same span.
• About 25 percent of the 295 picks have played at least 100 games in the National Hockey League.
• Pierre Dagenais had the distinction of being drafted by the Devils twice.  After being drafted No. 47 overall in the second round of the 1996 draft and not signing, he was taken No. 105 in the fourth round of the 1998 draft, again by New Jersey.
• The Devils have drafted as many as fourteen players in a single draft (1988, 1990 & 1996) and as few as five players in a draft (2010).

Below is a chart showing a breakdown of the production of each draft class at the NHL level.  I've bolded the leaders in each category for reference purposes.  Unfortunately, I was unable to include the goaltending stats, but the likes of Martin Brodeur, Chris Terreri, Sean Burke, Kirk McLean and all the other goalies the Devils have drafted over the years.

Year	#	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1982	12	2761	565	689	1254	5460
1983	10	2687	497	770	1267	2782
1984	12	3386	560	903	1463	3538
1985	12	3240	129	569	698	3320
1986	12	856	116	211	327	817
1987	10	2857	747	962	1709	3324
1988	14	706	184	233	417	329
1989	10	2022	529	588	1117	2100
1990	14	4149	195	547	742	2264
1991	11	2457	507	970	1477	1244
1992	12	3708	308	592	900	2966
1993	11	2561	369	617	986	2439
1994	12	2608	713	1084	1797	2076
1995	11	1841	380	486	866	821
1996	14	2234	129	294	423	2732
1997	8	213	6	8	14	37
1998	11	1951	418	818	1236	1229
1999	8	454	23	81	104	645
2000	13	1478	95	237	332	1354
2001	11	254	24	30	54	443
2002	11	319	5	11	16	689
2003	7	437	164	178	342	147
2004	7	452	89	164	253	219
2005	7	322	42	62	104	117
2006	8	148	3	22	25	82
2007	6	97	14	19	33	10
2008	9	80	9	15	24	18
2009	7	36	4	7	11	6
2010	5	0	0	0	0	0

I've tried to include some interesting facts about the Devils and their draft history.  Let me know your thoughts and I plan to make a prediction on whom the Devils will take at No. 4 in Friday's draft in the next day or two, so be sure to keep an eye out for it.

For more 2011 NHL draft coverage, stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updated NHL mock drafts, NHL draft rumors, NHL draft results and draft grades.

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