Bulldogs still waiting to produce an NHL first rounder

Three have their names called, but in the second, third and seventh rounds

The Hamilton Bulldogs had a nice weekend at the NHL draft. Artyom Grushnikov was taken by Dallas in the second round, Ryan Winterton landed with Seattle in the third and Chandler Romeo was selected by Ottawa in the seventh.

“We’re thrilled,” says general manager Steve Staios

No doubt. This trio of bigleague prospects adds to the list of impressive things this franchise has done in its first six years. It’s won a championship, been to a Memorial Cup, and put players into the NHL.

Yet, there’s one thing still missing from the franchise’s resume.

It still hasn’t turned out a firstround pick.

Since the Bulldogs joined the Ontario Hockey League in the fall of 2015, 15 of the OHL’s 20 teams have seen a player go in the first round. Next spring, the Kingston Frontenacs will come off that list of five that haven’t when Burlington’s Shane Wright likely goes first overall, which will leave the Kitchener Rangers, North Bay Battalion, Oshawa Generals and, yes, the Bulldogs as the outliers. Does this bother Staios at all? “Not really,” he says. Honestly? It’s not something he thinks about?

“It would be nice for our organization but mostly for our players.”

If there is any frustration for him or the rest of the folks in the organization, it would likely come from the fact that several Bulldogs have been widely touted as potential first rounders early in their draft year. Yet, when the time came to be selected, they all slipped.

Arthur Kaliyev was supposed to go on the first night. He slid to the second round. Jan Mysak was mentioned as a possible first last year. He fell to the third round. Same with MacKenzie Entwistle. Matthew Strome was mentioned in that category. He plunged all the way to the fourth.

This year, Grushnikov was talked about as a likely first rounder. He was going to be the guy to break through. Instead, he went in the second. Not playing a single shift for the Bulldogs this past (cancelled) season thanks to COVID-19 absolutely threw a wrench into everything. However, it’s impossible not to note that once again, a likely first rounder ended up not being that.

Is there an explanation for all this?

“So much is circumstance,” Sportsnet junior hockey and draft guru, Sam Cosentino, says.

Had there been hockey last season, Grushnikov — who’s new to the North American game and lost out on a chance to show what he can do — probably hears his name called on the first night, he says. Had the Bulldogs not been a championship contender a few years ago they wouldn’t have traded a young Connor McMichael who went on to be a first rounder.

And both Cosentino and NHL Central Scouting’s Joey Tenute say they still think Kaliyev should have been a first rounder. Meaning the team could have easily had three first-night picks already.

All that said, it hasn’t happened. Does it really matter?

“I think it has a huge impact,” Cosentino says.

He says when teams are recruiting players, the franchise’s past successes are bound to be brought up. Kids and their families want to go where they believe they can be turned into a star. Look no further than the London Knights who’ve had eight first rounders since Hamilton joined the OHL.

Further, it enhances the team’s brand to see the team name called on the opening night of the draft when most eyeballs are watching. An organization can produce many later-round picks but if people aren’t sitting in front of their sets watching the hour-uponhour of coverage of the later rounds, they don’t see that.

So, Hamilton continues to wait for its first rounder.

Its next chance may come sooner than later. Tenute points at Hamilton defenceman Jorian Donovan. He’s really good, he says. He’s already a big kid. He has good hockey DNA since his father, Shean, played 951 NHL games. If the 17-year-old comes back after a year away and plays up to potential …

“He’s got a chance, for sure.”