The Canucks have gone into the 2020 NHL entry draft in a fairly uninteresting position. They not only don’t have their 1st round pick (traded in part for J.T. Miller), but they also don’t have their 2nd round pick (traded in part for Tyler Toffoli). As a result, Vancouver doesn’t pick until the 3rd round at 82nd overall. I won’t sugarcoat it: third round picks usually don’t make the NHL or if they do, they only have brief tastes of NHL hockey. Between 2004 and 2006, only 49 of 90 players played at least one NHL game and only 36 of 90 played more than 10 NHL games.
That said, there are still plenty of diamonds to be found in the rough of the third round and although Vancouver hasn’t had an overly successful 3rd round history, they have found a few gems.
10. Jean-Marc Lanthier – RW (1981, 52nd overall)
This Montreal native was drafted by Vancouver in 1981 and became a high-scoring forward in the QMJHL with the Laval Voisins in the two years following his draft. After a strong start in the AHL in 1983-84, Lanthier joined the Canucks for 11 games during that season, scoring 2 goals and 3 points. Lanthier’s best years were the following two seasons, split between the AHL and NHL. Lanthier scored 10 points in 27 games in 1984-85 and in 1985-86, played the most NHL games of any season in his career, suiting up for 62 games with the Canucks, scoring 7 goals and 10 assists along the way. Lanthier’s career wound down after that, playing five more games in 1986-87 before finishing out his career in the minors. He played 105 NHL games, scoring 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points.
9. Ed Dyck – G (1970, 30th overall)
Dyck was the first goaltender ever drafted by the Canucks when he was selected at 30th overall. It didn’t take Dyck too long to make the NHL, playing 12 games with the Canucks in 1971-72. The Canucks were a miserably bad team in 1971-72, but Dyck showed some promise, outperforming the then backup, 29-year old George Gardiner. Dyck earned more starts for the 1972-73 season and was the full-time backup behind Dunc Wilson for the Canucks, but he struggled to perform as well in the 25 games he played. Still, it was in this year that Dyck would secure the only shutout of his NHL career. Dyck played little in 1973-74, partially due to his lacklustre play, but also in part due to the hot new goaltender, Gary Smith, who had joined the Canucks. Dyck’s career as an NHL netminder ended then, but he played a few more years in lower leagues before finally hanging up the skates.
8. Sean Pronger – C (1991, 51st overall)
Pronger is probably most famous for being the older brother of Hart Trophy winner defenseman, Chris Pronger, but he also had a respectable NHL career himself. Pronger was drafted at 51st overall by the Canucks, but went unsigned by the Canucks and signed with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1995. Pronger made the jump not only from the ECHL to the AHL, but also played in 7 games with the Mighty Ducks. Pronger split the following year with the Ducks and the Baltimore Bandits of the AHL and looked solid, scoring 7 goals and 14 points in 39 games with the Mighty Ducks. Pronger’s best season likely came in 1997-98, when he played 62 games, scoring 20 points in a year where he was traded from Anaheim to Pittsburgh late in the year. Pronger would bounce around the NHL and see stints in the AHL before finding a more permanent home again in the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets team. In 2002-03, Pronger played a career-high 78 games, scoring 7 goals and 13 points. Pronger retired with 260 NHL games and 59 points
7. Rich Lemieux – C (1971, 39th overall)
The Canucks did well in two consecutive third round picks, as after picking Dyck in 1970, they picked centre Rich Lemieux in 1971. Lemieux joined the Canucks right away in 1971-72, scoring 7 goals and 9 assists in 42 games, a promising start. Instead of the infamous sophomore slump Lemieux exploded in 1972-73 with by far the best season of his NHL career. Lemieux played in 78 games, scoring 17 goals and an impressive 35 assists for 52 points. Lemieux was third on the Canucks in scoring and second in assists behind only Andre Boudrias. Lemieux struggled in 1973-74 and was picked up by the Kansas City Scouts in the 1974 expansion draft, where his play improved a little in 1974-75. However, that was the last substantial season of Lemieux’s NHL career. Lemieux played in 274 NHL games and scored 121 points.
6. Kevin Connauton – D (2009, 83rd overall)
The first active player to make this list, Connauton was selected at 83rd overall in 2009, one spot lower than Vancouver’s 3rd round pick in 2020. Near the end of the 2012-13 season, however, Connauton was traded to the Dallas Stars with a 2nd round pick in exchange for Derek Roy. Connauton made his NHL debut with Dallas in 2013-14, playing 36 games and scoring 8 points, including his first NHL goal. Connauton was traded early in the 2014-15 season to the Blue Jackets and found a home there. With Columbus, Connauton’s famously powerful slapshot finally found it’s groove and in 54 games, he scored 9 goals and added 10 assists for 19 points.
Connauton was traded again in 2015-16, but had another solid season split between Columbus and the Arizona Coyotes. Connauton struggled mightily with the Coyotes in 2016-17, but had a bounce-back year in 2017-18 scoring 11 goals and 21 points in 73 games. After another somewhat disappointing year in 2018-19, Connauton was traded to the up-and-coming Colorado Avalanche, where he struggled to find a spot on the deep defensive lineup. As of this writing, Connauton is a pending UFA searching for another job in the 2020-21 season.
5. Jarkko Ruutu – R (1998, 68th overall)
Jarkko, the older brother of Tuomo Ruutu, is well-remembered by both fans of teams that had him on their team and the rivals of those teams. Ruutu was known for his agitating playstyle and loved to get under the skin of the opposing team’s star players. As such, he wasn’t as much known for his skills and often had the answer the bell with either a fight or a big hit. Drafted by Vancouver, Ruutu slowly but surely worked his way into the role of an NHL regular on the bottom six of the Canucks in the early and mid 2000s, peaking when he scored 10 goals in 2005-06.
As a free agent in the summer of 2006, Ruutu signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where his success would continue, holding a regular NHL role on a strong team that even went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 against the Detroit Red Wings, a playoffs in which Ruutu played 20 games. Ruutu later signed with the Ottawa Senators, where he began to diversify his game and show some offensive skills, particularly in 2009-10, when he scored 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points. Ruutu was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2010-11 and after that season ended his NHL career, going home to Finland to finish out his playing career.
4. Peter Schaefer – L (1995, 66th overall)
Drafted by the Canucks in 1995, Schaefer began his NHL career in 1998-99, playing 25 games for the Canucks during their miserable year. Schaefer found a permanent role on the team in 1999-00, scoring 16 goals and 31 points, good for 6th in team scoring. Schaefer improved in 2000-01 to 36 points, but then decided to play in Finland in the SM-Liiga for the 2001-02 season. Schaefer was part of a somewhat famous trade in Canuck circles to acquire defenseman Sami Salo before the 2002-03 season began. Schaefer initially struggled upon his return to the NHL, but found his footing again in the 2003-04 season. Schaefer hit the prime of his career with the Senators in 2005-06 and 2006-07, scoring 20 goals in 2005-06 and 50 points, followed by 46 points in 77 games the following year. Schaefer played a year in Boston before then later finishing out his career again with Vancouver in 2010-11 in what was a brief 16-game NHL finale.
3. Glen Hanlon – G (1977, 40th overall)
While not famous worldwide, if you were in Vancouver during the late 70s, Hanlon was the talk of the town. Hanlon made his NHL debut in 1977-78, but didn’t get serious playing time until 1978-79, when he surprised the Canucks with how NHL-ready he was. Despite being just 21 years of age, Hanlon looked at ease in the NHL with a .898 save percentage, out-performing veterans Gary Bromley and Dunc Wilson by a significant margin. Still, Hanlon only played in 31 games as the team warmed up to the idea of him as a starter. Hanlon finished 6th in Calder voting, but one has to wonder if he could’ve placed higher if he had played more games. Hanlon was the starter for the Canucks in the 1979-80 season and played well, though not as impressively as in his rookie campaign.
Hanlon would be traded to St. Louis in the 1981-82 season and then to the New York Rangers one season later, where he would settle in. There, Hanlon was a reliable goaltender who could play 40-50 games or move into a strong backup role if needed. Hanlon moved on to play for the Red Wings in the late 80s where he continued in that same role and in 1987-88, tied for the league-lead in shutouts with four. Hanlon played his last NHL game in 1991, playing in a total of 476 NHL games.
2. Alex Edler – D (2004, 91st overall)
There is a strong case for Edler being in the top spot on this list, but I think intangibles count for a lot, as you’ll see with my top pick. Alex Edler is considered by some to be the greatest Canuck defenseman of all-time, as he currently holds the all-time defenseman records for games, goals, assists, points, and more stats as well. Edler broke onto a somewhat lacklustre 2007-08 Canucks defensive core after a short stint in 2006-07, but looked surprisingly solid, scoring 8 goals and 20 points. He nearly doubled that in 2008-09 with an impressive 37-point season and cemented himself as an integral part of the Canucks defensive system. Edler continued to improve year over year an in 2011-12, had his best NHL season to date with 11 goals and 49 points, finishing 13th in Norris voting. After that, Edler began to struggle a bit for several years before having a career renaissance starting around 2018. Edler, now 34 years of age, currently sits at 873 games, 99 goals, and 401 career points, all with the Canucks.
1. Stan Smyl – R (1978, 40th overall)
There’s a good case that over the case of their careers, Edler has been the more skilled player between the two, but Canuck fans from the 80s will be very quick to tell you amazing stories of Smyl’s work and effort as the fearless leader of the Canucks during the 1980s. Smyl’s career actually began in the late 70s, playing as soon as he was drafted. After a strong rookie year, Smyl burst forth with a great sophomore season, scoring 31 goals and 78 points in 77 games. This season for Smyl gives him the unique distinction of the last NHL player to lead his team in goals, assists, points, and PIM all in the same year. Smyl continued as one of the team’s offensive leaders and in 1982, after a legendary playoff run, he was named team captain in place of Kevin McCarthy.
Smyl responded to the captaincy with by far his best offensive season, scoring 38 goals and 50 assists for 88 points, even though he missed six games during the season. After that, Smyl continued to remain a solid offensive (and physical) force for the team for another three years until he began to wear down as he neared 30 years of age. By the late 80s, Smyl’s offense was largely gone, but he still remained as a solid defensive bottom six forward and as the team’s captain. Smyl retired in 1991 as the Canucks were on the cusp of some great teams. Smyl retired with 896 games, 262 goals, and 673 points. He was the captain of the Canucks for eight seasons.
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