On Sunday June 30th at the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey Jason Dickinson, Hunter Garlent, Tyler Bertuzzi, Ben Harpur, Justin Auger, and Zac Leslie will hope to fulfill a lifelong dream of being drafted to the NHL.
Leading up to the draft, GuelphStorm.com will revisit the past 19 NHL Entry Drafts beginning with the 1993 draft reviewing the many Storm players that have been grabbed by NHL clubs and where their professional careers would take them.
Twenty years ago at the Coliseum in Quebec, on June 26th 1993 Todd Bertuzzi and Mike Rusk were in a similar spot.
Drafted among the likes of Chris Pronger, Paul Kariya, Rob Niedermayer and Saku Koivu, Storm alum Todd Bertuzzi went to the New York Islanders in the 1st round with the 23rd pick. Since that time Bertuzzi has played for a total of six NHL teams and has competed on a world stage for Team Canada three times including the 2002 Olympic Gold medal hockey team. Bertuzzi’s longest tenure was with the Vancouver Canucks playing eight years and enjoying his most successful seasons. The Sudbury native currently plays for the Detroit Red Wings.
Mike Rusk was the second Storm alumni to be drafted in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Unlike Bertuzzi, Rusk had to wait until the 9th round when the Chicago Blackhawks would select the 175 lb defenceman 232nd overall. Rusk was drafted in the third last round along with Mike Grier and Pavol Demitra. Rusk, however, never did crack the Blackhawks roster and instead played a number of years of professional hockey in the ECHL, WPHL and the CHL. He played two games with the St. John’s Maple Leafs of the AHL, but failed to record a point. In 2002-03 Rusk retired from professional hockey.
One year later at the 1994 NHL draft, the Storm would see seven players drafted by an NHL team -the most in team history. For the second year in a row, a Storm player was taken in the first round. Jeff O’Neill would hear his name called on June 28th at the Hartford Civic Centre by the hometown Whalers. The Richmond Hill native was taken 5th overall after Ed Jovanoski and Oleg Tverdosky and before Ryan Smyth, Brett Lindros, Mattias Ohlund and Ethan Moreau. In 2002 O’Neill went to the Stanley Cup Final with the Hurricanes before losing to the Detroit Red Wings. He ranks first or second in almost every Hurricanes scoring record playing 608 games for the franchise and was selected to the Eastern Conference 2002-03 All-Star team. In July 2005, O’Neill was traded to Toronto Maple Leafs were he would play two seasons before retiring from professional hockey.
Drafted in the third round of the 1994 NHL draft, Rumun Ndur joined the likes of Sheldon Souray, Fredrik Modin and Chris Drury. The second Storm player selected that year, the Nigerian born defenceman was taken by the Buffalo Sabres with the 69th overall pick. Becoming the first ever Nigerian-born player to play in the NHL, Ndur enjoyed a solid professional career playing 69 games in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Atlanta Thrashers. He won a Calder Cup as a member of the Rochester Americans in 1996. In 2009-10 Ndur played for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the IHL.
Selected by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round with the 98th overall pick, Jamie Wright was the third Storm player taken at the Hartford Civic Centre back in 1994. The left winger was one of seven other players drafted in that round to suit up for more than 100 NHL games. Starting with Dallas then Calgary before finishing up in Philadelphia, the 33 year old scored 12 goals and recorded 20 assists in 124 games. In 2010-11 Wright played for Basel of the Swiss-B league.
Two Storm players Ryan Risidore and Mark McArthur were drafted in the fifth round of the 1994 draft 109th and 112th respectively. Risidore was selected, like teammate Jeff O’Neill, by the Hartford Whalers. He didn’t play any games in the NHL, but managed a decent professional hockey career playing 211 games in the American Hockey League for the Springfield Falcons, Hartford Wolfpack and the Hamilton Bulldogs. The 33 year old also had a couple of minor stints in the ECHL playing for the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks and the Columbus Cottonmouths. In 2004-05 Risidore played OHASr hockey for the Aylmer Blues.
Selected three picks after Risidore, McArthur was drafted by the New York Islanders, but similar to Risidore, never played a game in the NHL. McArthur played three seasons with the Utah Grizzlies before suiting up for 26 games with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL. Since then the 33 year old has taken his game to Europe and remains overseas playing the 2009-10 season with the Riessersee SC.
The New Jersey Devils selected the sixth Storm player of the draft in 1994 choosing Jeff Williams 181st overall. Williams, selected in the 7th round, never played a game in the NHL. The Pointe Claire native played five seasons in the AHL with the Albany River Rats, Syracuse Crunch and dressed for nine games with the Portland Pirates. 2004-05 is listed as his last professional season playing for the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL.
The seventh and final Storm player was selected in the eighth round of the 1994 draft. Eric Landry went to the San Jose Sharks 193rd overall. Landry played 12 games for the Saint John Flames in the AHL and recorded two points. Since that time he’s played in the ECHL, WPHL, CHL and the WCHL. His last season was in 2002-03 when he played 72 games for the Anchorage Aces.