Storm draft history ’01’
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 16 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.
At the National Car Rental Centre in Florida during the month of June 2001, Storm goaltender Craig Andersson was drafted by his second NHL team, the Chicago Blackhawks, in the third round. Taken 73rd overall Andersson would go on to play 109 games in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers. In between his time with the NHL, the Park Ridge, IL native played five seasons in the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals and the Rochester Americans. For the past three years Anderson has played for the Ottawa Senators.
With the second last selection of the fourth round, the Colorado Avalanche chose Storm winger Colt King with the 130th overall pick. After Junior, King played three years in the ECHL, two with the Augusta Lynx and one with the Utah Grizzlies. After the 2005-06 season, the Calgary native had a quick stint in the UHL with the Port Huron Flags before joining the Rocky Mountain Rage of the CHL. In 2009-10, King played with the Rapid City Rush, but made his AHL debut playing two games with the Rochester Americans. This year he played for the Missouri Mavericks of the CHL.
In his second time around, Charlie Stephens dropped drastically, going as the last pick in the sixth round to the Colorado Avalanche, 196th overall. Selected four picks after Jussi Jokinen, Stephens played just eight games in the NHL. Starting off his professional career in the AHL with the Hershey Bears, Charlie got the call from the Avalanche in 2002-03. Playing just two games as a call up, the Nilestown native was sent back down to the Bears. In 2003-04, he played six games in an Avalanche uniform, but finished the season in the UHL with the Quad City Mallards. Acquired later that year by the Ottawa Senators, Stephens played three seasons with the Binghampton Senators of the AHL before deciding to take his game to Europe where he was been ever since. Stephens played for the Krefeld Penguins of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga for three seasons before joining the Cologne Sharks in 2011-12. Last year he tied for second in scoring with 41 points in 52 games.
At the 2001 NHL entry draft with the 203rd overall pick, the Montreal Canadiens selected defenceman Andrew Archer. Starting his professional career off in the ECHL with the Columbus Cottonmouths, Archer played just six games before being called up to the AHL where he has been ever since. From 2003-2008 the Calgary native played 256 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs winning the Calder Cup Championship with the team in 2007. He played one more season in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs before going overseas to play in Italy with the Alleghe HC.
