2019 NHL (National Hockey League) Entry Draft at Rogers Arena
Hockey, a widely-known sport across the world as the “fastest game on earth”.
In just under two months from now, the NHL Entry Draft will be held in our city. It is where great hockey minds of yesterday and today alike will meet and as these future stars of tomorrow will get to be drafted by one of the NHL’s 31 teams to become a piece of the puzzle to make their respective team better in the many years to come. Come be part of the festivities
Who will become the next Vancouver Canuck or your favorite NHL Team’s pick? Who will we pick in the 10th overall spot as the “best player available”? Even at the draft, there will be lots of wheeling and dealing as all 31 NHL GMs vie to make their team better either through drafting or making trades. The hometown Canucks are no exception especially after having missed the playoffs the past four years. Anything can happen. Who can forget a memorable 1999 Entry Draft where the Canucks “stole” the show by picking perhaps two of the best Canucks of all time in Daniel and Henrik Sedin (2nd and 3rd overall). Brian Burke, the Canucks General Manager at the time, pulled the trigger on a bunch of major deals that would insure that the Canucks would not leave without the twins.
Burke was determined to draft both Swedish twins – Daniel and Henrik Sedin, after their performance at the 1999 IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) World Championship in Oslo, Norway. He began by complementing his existing third overall pick by trading defenseman Bryan McCabe and Vancouver’s 1st-round pick in the 2000 Draft (used to select Pavel Vorobiev) to the Chicago Blackhawks for the fourth overall pick. Then, on the day of the draft, he acquired the first overall pick from Tampa Bay, flipping Chicago’s fourth overall pick — which the Lightning subsequently traded to the New York Rangers, who used it to draft Pavel Brendl — and two third-round selections. Vancouver and Atlanta (now the Winnipeg Jets) then worked out a deal whereby Atlanta, who held the second overall selection, promised to select Patrik Stefan with the first overall pick, leaving both Sedins available to Vancouver at 2nd and 3rd. (That’s why both Daniel wore “22” and Henrik “33” because they were drafted in those positions with just an extra “2” and “3” added to their jerseys.)
What better way to kick off summer than coming to Rogers Arena to see and take in all of the excitement than all things hockey! The NHL also widely known as the greatest hockey league on earth is ready to showcase you the next stars of this exciting, fast-paced and amazing game on ice.
The future of the NHL and it’s 31 (soon-to-be 32 starting in the 2020-21 season when Seattle commences play for their first season in the NHL) teams starts here. Are you getting excited yet? We are! To all the future stars and prospects of tomorrow, “Welcome to the NHL!”
