Sports Page Atlanta

The Thrashers have been making draft picks since 1999.  Some of them have been really good, some of them not as good.

If you forgot who the Thrashers picked with their first pick each year, here they are…

1999: C - Patrik Stefan (1st overall pick) - 64 career goals, played briefly in Switzerland last season

2000: LW - Dany Heatley (2nd overall pick) - has 221 career goals so far, his last 141 have been with the Ottawa Senators

2001: LW - Ilya Kovalchuk (1st overall pick) - 254 career goals, 50+ in 2 of last 3 seasons

2002: G - Kari Lehtonen (2nd overall pick) - 75 career wins, 11 career shutouts

2003: D - Braydon Coburn (8th overall pick) - now plays for Philadelphia Flyers

2004: D - Boris Valabik (10th overall pick) - big defensiveman was late callup last season

2005: RW - Alex Bourret (16th overall pick) - scored 9 goals in 54 games for Hartford last season in the AHL

2006: C - Bryan Little (12th overall pick) - scored 6 goals in 48 games for the Thrashers last season

2007: RW - Spencer Machacek (3rd round - 67th pick overall) 33 goals for Vancouver in the WHL last season

All-Star Ilya Kovalchuk scored 2 goals (both in the 3rd period) against the Tampa Bay Lightning which proved to be the only goals of the game as the Thrashers won 2-0. The 2 goals gives Kovalchuk 52 on the season which matches his career-best which he accomplished in the 2005-06 season.

There are 2 more games left on the Thrashers schedule for left wing to score. Tonight Atlanta hosts the Florida Panthers and then they wrap up the season at home against the Lightning once again.
photo credit: Timmy!!one

Ilya Kovalchuk has been the only bright spot for the Atlanta Thrashers lately. On Tuesday in a loss against the Flyers, he netted his 50th of the season. This is the 2nd time in his brief career that he has scored 50 goals in a season. He now has 252 career goals in just under 6 seasons.

But do you remember back in the Thrashers first season back in 1999-2000 who the team’s leading scorers were???

Here are the top 6 from that season…

1. Andrew Brunette - 23
2. Ray Ferraro - 19
3. Dean Sylvester - 16
4. Nelson Emerson - 14
5. Yannick Tremblay - 10
6. Mike Stapleton - 10

No one else scored in double-figures that season for the Thrashers.
photo credit: FrenchKheldar