RHL17: Expansion Draft Results!!!

If there was one thing that Mind Melds GM Khoo had in mind going into the Expansion Draft, it was to hopefully get some good value from slim pickings. "I think we accomplished our mission in getting who we did. There were a couple of surprises in terms of who was left unprotected, which made my decision very easy." But the usual suspects were available at draft time that composed of mostly unrated players for RHL17 that required Khoo to take a pass on several teams.

Khoo ended up selecting 9 rated players and 1 prospect which is far from a full team. There are plenty of FAs out there and plenty of CAP space available.

A quick introduction of who was picked (with help from the Official NHLPA website):

Matt Cullen

Matt Cullen joined the Carolina Hurricanes for the 2005-06 National Hockey League season. He signed with the Hurricanes before the 2004-05 NHL lockout, a year in which he won a goal-scoring title in Italy with SG Cortina. In the Italian playoffs, he scored 22 points in 18 games.
Matt played more than 500 games in his first seven NHL seasons with the Florida Panthers and Anaheim Mighty Ducks. He scored a career-best 48 points in 2001-02, the year in which he led the team with 30 assists. At the minor-pro level, Matt played for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and Baltimore Bandits. At the college level, he was a WCHA Second Team All-Star at St. Cloud State in 1996-97. After his freshman season in 1995-96, he was the Anaheim Mighty Ducks' second-round selection in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.

Matt Cooke

Matt Cooke is in his seventh National Hockey League season with the Vancouver Canucks. He has more than 400 games of NHL experience (including the playoffs). He won a Northwest Division title with the Canucks in 2003-04, the team's first division title in 11 years. In 2002-03, he won the Fred J. Hume Award as the Canucks' unsung hero. In 2001-02, he led the Canucks with 111 penalty minutes.
Matt made his NHL debut on Oct. 14, 1998. At the minor-pro level, he played for the Syracuse Crunch in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. At the major-junior level, Matt played for the Kingston Frontenacs and Windsor Spitfires. He finished 10th in league scoring with 95 points in 1996-97. At year's end, he was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.

Ben Clymer

Ben Clymer joined the Washington Capitals before the start of the 2005-06 National Hockey League season. He is a Stanley Cup champion, having won a playoff championship with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has been a full-time NHL player since 2001-02, the year he scored a career-high 14 goals and 32 points in 81 games. In 2002-03 and 2003-04, he won Southeast Division titles with the Lightning.
During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Ben played for Biel-Bienne in the Swiss Nationalliga-B. In his first two pro seasons in 1999-2000 and 2000-01, Ben split his time between the NHL and the International League (Detroit Vipers). Before turning pro, he played one season of major-junior hockey with the Western League's Seattle Thunderbirds. He was a college player in the two previous season at the University of Minnesota, although he missed nearly all of the 1997-98 season with a shoulder injury. Before college, he played high school hockey with the Jefferson Jaguars.

Ric Jackman

Ric Jackman started the 2005-06 National Hockey League season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, he played for Bjorkloven in the Swedish first division, scoring 39 points in 46 games.
In 2003-04, he played his first full season at the NHL level, splitting the campaign between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Penguins. After playing just 25 games for the Penguins, he led the team with a .96 points-per-game average. Six of his seven goals were scored on the power play. From 1999-2000 to 2002-03, Ric played for the Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Dallas Stars.

Jamal Mayers

Jamal Mayers was drafted 89th overall in the 1993 Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues. On November 3, 1996, he made his NHL debut in a 6-3 win over the Stars. After playing five more games that season (he recorded an assist on November 5 against the Maple Leafs), Jamal returned to the NHL for 34 games and 56 hits in 1998-99. In 1999-2000, he joined the NHL ranks full-time and recorded 17 points and 150 hits in 79 games as the team won the Presidents' Trophy.

A recent representative of Team Canada at the 2007 World Hockey Championships, Mayers is known for his high intensity play and relentless forechecking that have always given troubles to defenders.

Mike Ribeiro

Mike Ribeiro was drafted 45th overall in the 1998 Entry Draft by the Montréal Canadiens. In 1999-2000, he played his first 19 games at the NHL level and scored two points. In 2000-01, he played two games with the Canadiens. In 2001-02, Mike played 43 games with the Canadiens and scored 18 points as the team made the playoffs for the first time in four years. Mike was playing in the AHL playoffs when the Canadiens advanced to the NHL’s second round. In 2002-03, Mike played 52 games and scored 17 points as the Canadiens missed the playoffs. In 2003-04, Mike played 81 games as the Canadiens posted their highest win total (41) in eight years and made the playoffs for the second time in three years. Mike led all Montréal scorers with 45 assists and 65 points and ranked second with a +15 plus/minus rating. In the playoffs, Mike helped the Canadiens reach the second round before losing to the Lightning.

Dwayne Roloson

Dwayne Roloson signed as a free agent with the Calgary Flames on July 4, 1994. On November 13, 1996, he made his NHL debut in a 3-3 tie with the Stars. Fifteen nights later, he earned his first win with a 2-0 shutout over the Kings. Dwayne played 31 games that season, splitting goaltending duties with Trevor Kidd. He posted a 9-14-3 record and a 2.89 goals-against average. In 1997-98, Dwayne played 39 games for the Flames and won 11 times with a 2.99 GAA.

In 2006 he helped guide the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes before suffering a knee injury in Game 1 that kept him out of the entire series.

Duvie Westcott

An up and coming defenceman for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Westcott was drafted in the 2001 and has steadily improved his game at the AHL level before cracking the lineup as a regular in 2005.

Nathan Dempsey

Drafted in the 11th round in 1992 by the Leafs, Dempsey has never lived up to his billing in which he displayed good overall ability and control on the PP but is undersized and tends to loose physical battles in the corners. He just signed a contract with SC Bern of the Swiss National League for 2007-2008, so he may be only available for a couple of seasons in the RHL.

Jordan Smith (Prospect)

Drafted 39th overall in the 2004 draft, Jordan was a promising defencemen in the ANA system before a freak accident left him blind in one eye. He has since retired from professional hockey. GM Khoo has stated that since Smith was a freebie that won't cost anything, there was no harm done in having him on the prospect list.