Re-Considering Sharks’ 2003 Draft

There’s no such thing as a perfect Draft.

That’s an obvious statement, but it’s worth remembering when re-considering the San Jose Sharks’ 2003 Draft.

Yesterday, I was surprised by the blowback when the Sharks’ 2003 Draft class came out as the franchise’s best in terms of Games Played and Goals.

Headlined by Joe Pavelski, Milan Michalek, Matt Carle, and Steve Bernier, San Jose unearthed 3,387 regular season games and 808 goals (and counting) from 2003.

But instead of stressing the positive – the Sharks netted a pair of top-six forwards in Pavelski and Michalek, and a top-four defenseman in Carle who they converted into a No. 1 in Dan Boyle via trade – the focus was on the negative.

Why didn’t the San Jose Sharks pick Jeff Carter, who went to the Philadelphia Flyers at No. 11, over Michalek at No. 6?

Why didn’t the Sharks select Zach Parise, who went to the New Jersey Devils at No. 17, over Bernier at No. 16?

Why didn’t GM Doug Wilson and director of amateur scouting Tim Burke choose Patrice Bergeron, who went to the Boston Bruins at No. 45, over Josh Hennessey at No. 43?

Why didn’t they nab Shea Weber, who went to the Nashville Predators at No. 49, over Carle at No. 47?

And so on.

But the fact is, most of the rest of the league would gladly take the San Jose Sharks’ haul from the 2003 Draft over their own picks.

Pavelski, Michalek, Carle, Bernier, and company rank second in this Draft class in team Games Played and Points, and first in Goals.

Beyond the numbers, who had a better Draft than the Sharks?

Probably the Anaheim Ducks and Predators and Chicago Blackhawks? The Ducks pulled two first-line forwards in Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, the Preds selected a pair of No. 1 defensemen in Weber and Ryan Suter, and the Blackhawks found two top-pairing blueliners in Brent Seabrook and Dustin Byfuglien, and a two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender in Corey Crawford.

Maybe the Flyers, who netted two first-line forwards in Carter and Mike Richards? Philadelphia also got hefty returns when they traded both in 2012.

That’s a handful of teams – at best. And Pavelski, Boyle, and a 39-goal campaign from Dany Heatley, who came to San Jose in a deal centered around Michalek, isn’t a meager result either.

But every other organization in the league?

Sure, the Bruins plucked Bergeron, but what about Mark Stuart at No. 21 over Ryan Kesler at No. 23?

Sure, the Minnesota Wild selected Brent Burns, but after Burns, their most successful pick was Patrick O’Sullivan and his 334 games.

Sure, the New Jersey Devils landed Parise, but after Parise, their most successful pick was Petr Vrana and his 16 games.

Yeah, it would’ve been nice if the Sharks had somehow scored Carter, Parise, Bergeron, Weber, and Pavelski in the same Draft.

But 29 other NHL teams would say the same thing. And most would’ve been happy with just one Pavelski.

An aside: The Sharks weren’t just lucky to select Pavelski and his 1,250 games and 449 goals in the seventh round. Of course, there’s some luck involved in any successful Draft pick. But there’s also skill: Do you think an eventual seventh-rounder like Pavelski was on every organization’s Draft list? Of course not. So give Wilson, Burke, scout Pat Funk, and others some credit for valuing Pavelski above others.

The Draft is an inexact science. You’re going to miss on most of your selections. Just 16 of 2003’s 292 picks played over 1,000 games, and this was considered one of the best Drafts ever. You have 30 front offices vying for the same, very limited number of hits.

Sure, you can focus on who the San Jose Sharks didn’t get in the 2003 Draft. But the reality is, the Sharks got so much out of it.