Every year in June, the hopes and dreams of hundreds of young men come to fruition when they are selected by one of 30 teams in the NHL Entry Draft. While literally thousands of kids grow up with the dream of playing in the NHL, only a few hundred will be drafted. And, of the number drafted, the percentage of players who will actually ever play in the NHL hovers at 40-45 percent.
Since the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, 1,918 players have been selected. Taking into account the last four draft years (2010-2013) have not seen all of the players develop into NHL-caliber players yet, there have been 551 players who played at least one game at the NHL level.
Are you discouraged yet? The numbers don’t lie, and they are rather eye-opening. How many players can make the jump from junior/college hockey directly to the NHL? The number is as staggeringly small as the number of available roster spots on NHL teams each September.
Of the 1,918 players selected in the last nine years, only 56 players have had the skills and development to make the jump directly to the NHL, bypassing the minor leagues. This number includes players who played less than 10 games before being sent down to either the AHL or reassigned to their junior club. That averages out to just six players each year who are good enough to make the jump.
Historically, there are only 2-3 players who play more than 40 NHL games in the year that they were drafted. The Blue Jackets have had three players since 2005 make the club's roster out of training camp. Gilbert Brule, drafted sixth overall in 2005 from the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, played seven games in Union Blue before being reassigned to his junior club. In 2008, Nikita Filatov was picked sixth overall from CSKA Jr. (Russia) and played eight games before being sent down to the AHL.
That brings us to defenseman Ryan Murray, who was drafted second overall in the 2012 from the Everett Silvertips (WHL). With the 2013 season shortened by a lockout, Murray started the year with his junior club. He was named captain by the Silvertips and played 23 games, collecting two goals and 15 assists before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in November.
After surgery to repair the injury sidelined him for six months, the prevailing thought was he would be reassigned to Columbus’ AHL affiliate Springfield to “get his game back," but he showed the poise and skill that he was drafted for during training camp to earn a roster spot for the Blue Jackets on opening night.
In the two games that Columbus has played, his time-on-ice average is 15:11 with 19 shifts played in each of the two games. He has been paired consistently with James Wisniewsk. Yes, mistakes were made, but he never seemed to get flustered with the speed of the game at the NHL level.
Prior to the opening game, Wisniewski talked about helping his defensive partner stay calm amid the excitement of playing his first regular season NHL game.
"If he wants to, he can lean on me as much as he wants to," said Wisniewski. "I'll be talking to him, not trying to take his mind off the game, but just trying to keep him at ease, not let him get too worked up. I know that feeling. It is pure excitement and pure adrenaline.
"And when that wears off, you have to rely on your hockey sense. That's one thing that I'm not worried about with him. He's well beyond his years with his hockey sense. Hopefully we can be 'D' partners for a long time."
Murray found that the speed of the game closes off passing lanes much quicker than in juniors, leading to turnovers. But he learned rather quickly to adjust to that and settle himself down as the game wore on.
"He did (settle down)," head coach Todd Richards said. "I think, at times, he was trying to force a little bit by jumping up into the play, but I think as far as his skating and his strength, he looked fine. I don't think he was overpowered or overmatched. Obviously, he had a critical turnover in the first period (leading to a Calgary goal). As you move along, young players are going to make some mistakes. As coaches, we have to coach them and not have mistakes like that again. But, if you take that play out of it, I thought he was fine."
There were times he joined the rush that worked very well. In the second period, he jumped up with Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky and the only thing lacking was the puck ending up in the back of the Calgary net.
He looked more comfortable with the speed as the game progressed.
"I feel like in the first period that I was playing a little bit shy," said Murray. "In the second period, it was time to wake up. Wiz (Wisniewski) helped me function right. It's time to go and I want to contribute on this team and I want to help this team win. And, so does everybody else. We have a lot of guys in here that care about this team."
While he has only played two games of an 82-game season, there is very little doubt that he will stick with the club for the entire season.
As the season wears on, Murray should be able to settle into a rhythm and solidify the chemistry that is developing between him and Wisniewski. He uses his smarts rather than size, in overpowering opponents. His hockey sense, poise and skill should see him develop into a true offensive defenseman that every club need. That is something the Blue Jackets have never really had.
Columbus returns to action on Thursday as they travel to Buffalo to battle the Sabres, with the puck set to drop at 7 p.m.
