THE ONE ABOUT PETTERI NOKELAINEN
Reader story request: why Nokie was dealt
Two of the first five story requests from PB readers were about the trading of 2004 Islanders first round pick Petteri Nokelainen to the Boston Bruins. What follows is a remembrance/factual account of events.
Petteri – “Nokey,” everyone calls him – was taken in the middle of a wild and wacky first round in 2004 that saw great players, huge misses and question marks to this day:
1. Alex Ovechkin
2. Evgeni Malkin
6. Alex Montoya
16. Nokelainen
17. Marek Schwarz
20. Travis Zajac
25. Rob Schremp
29. Mike Greeen
Nokelainen was taken 81 selections before Detroit took Johan Franzen, 144 picks before Boston drafted Ben Walter, 209 picks before the Islanders took Chris Campoli and 242 prior to Montreal taking a Swiss defenseman named Mark Streit.
That’s the draft for you. What I recall about his selection was the Islanders not billing him as any kind of star, but a top-notch two-way player who could chip in 20 goals and contend for a Selke. (Most of you are better at this Internet thing than me, so if you can find the articles feel free to link them in Comments). The Islanders were very happy with the pick, although no one walked out of there thinking they grabbed a star with the 16th pick.
What I also recall is that year the hockey staff (at the time) was talking “character, character, character.” (Reminds me of the Commenter a few days ago who ranted that character doesn’t mean diddly if you can’t play). Nokelainen fit the “character” component, as did Blake Comeau (second round) and Campoli (7th round).
And yes, so did Wes O’Neill (4th) – who has split this season between the Johnstown Chiefs and Lake Erie Monsters. Steve Regier (5th) was also in that draft. Reg is a point-a-game with Peoria (AHL) this year and has dressed 8 times this season for the St. Louis Blues.
Petteri went through a rough, frustrating ordeal in his time in the organization. After showing real solid promise, he suffered a knee injury in a game against Pittsburgh on Nov. 5, 2005 and missed the rest of the season. He developed tendinitis in the knee and underwent countless treatments. It was a heartbreaking time. Nokey is a real good kid whom everyone liked. He loves to play and it was killing him to be unable to. Every time I saw him in the press box…well, it was tough.
The following season, the feeling was the knee injury measurably slowed him down. Nokelainen played the season in Bridgeport, going 6-10-16 in 61 games. It was mutually agreed by the team, Petteri and his agent that the proverbial “change of scenery” was in order.
Garth Snow shopped him around for most of the summer of 2007. On Sept. 11, he finally landed a deal with the Boston Bruins that met his requirements: a center prospect (Ben Walter) and “protection” in the form of a conditional draft pick. When Nokelainen played in 57 games last season for Boston, the pick became a second rounder in 2009.
Petteri is scoreless this season in 19 games with Boston, averaging 10 minutes a game on the fourth line. He was recently a healthy scratch for five consecutive games, but has become a useful depth forward on an excellent team. Ben Walter played 8 games for the Islanders this season. After starting this year on the IR, he is 5-8-13 in 14 games in Bridgeport. Walter is 24, Nokelainen will be 23 in January.
Ironically, both Walter and Nokelainen played well under Scott Gordon in Providence. I doubt Scott would tell me whom he’d rather have. Although the Bruins’ superb season will result in the pick being in the back end of the round, I’m sure the Islanders are excited to have an extra second-rounder next summer.
On Parise and others: Many of you have requested articles about the Islanders decision to pass on Zach Parise and stuff like that. Being on the PR side and not the hockey side, most times I really don’t know what I could add to the discussion. In the case of Parise, the scouting staff in 2003 - I believe only two scouts remain from that group – had Robert Nilsson ranked ahead of Zach. I have no idea why they passed on Parise at that pick or the hundreds of other players they didn’t take in any draft. I was only privy to some knowledge on who they took and why.
I personally don’t recall anyone sitting about the table saying Parise stunk, or anything crazy like that. It was simply a matter of a team taking the player they had higher on their board – like the Rangers also did when they took Hugh Jessiman over Parise and Dustin Brown. In a bad draft for both New York teams, the Islanders and Rangers passed on Mike Richards, Patrice Bergeron, Corey Perry and many others.
No doubt, a regettable move by the Islanders. I’ll admit to remembering how Lou Lamoriello moved up to pick 17 to take Zach and thinking, “Uh oh.” Short of the Islanders’ chief scout at the time granting an interview where he would release his rankings and scouting reports on Robert and Zach to me – not gonna happen – there’s not much left for me to enlighten you on.
Same thing for just about all the reader story ideas about hockey trades and drafts that start with “What were they thinking when…”
Reaction to this story in Comments. Please place any additional story ideas in “You Play Point Blank Editor” thread below. Thanks for all the responses…CB
18 Responses to THE ONE ABOUT PETTERI NOKELAINEN
Reader story request: why Nokie was dealt
-
Mikey G. says:
If that is true, package 2 of those three and get another low 1st rounder.
-
Presently, the Isles have their own 1st rounder, three 2nd rounders, and their own 3rd rounder in 2009. Its far too early to be thinking about the draft, though… and there isnt a team in the NHL that would make deals swapping picks until much later in the season- if at all.
-
Chris,
Here’s a link to the NYI.com article, profiling Nokey, Comeau and Sergei Ogorodnikov (who bombed out in a season in North America and went back to Russia).
http://web.archive.org/web/20040627073748/www.newyorkislanders.com/news/draft062604_7.html
The Isles would have been better off if a note that Dave Fay wrote before the draft was true — that the Isles had interest in dealing with the Caps for the right to draft that Ovechkin kid.
And yes, the Isles do currently have three #2′s next year, including the pick that they got from the Leafs in the Schenn deal.
2 of those three could very well be in the first 10 picks of the round.
-
admin says:
Thanks a lot, Eric. That’s pretty consistent with how I recalled Petteri was billed. And of course the NYI had interest in the Caps pick. EVERYONE did. Never came remotely close to a deal. Appreciate it…CB
-
JayK says:
<>
That’s what is exciting. The Isles will almost surely be in the lottery, and then they will probably have two selections in overall draft picks 31-35. That’s three in the first 35, and four in the top 60. Not too shabby.
-
kevin says:
i still say we make a deal where we get a cup contending teams first and then draft doherty. its stll very early so well have to wait and see. i had high hopes for nokie but ever since that trade ive been happier then a little kid buying his first video game.
-
The Mick says:
It hurts when talking of past drafts and all the misses. Hopefully with the haul of draft picks from this year and those from next year this team can replenish the farm system and truly rebuild.
-
I remember Milbury brought Nokey with him to the NYIBC meeting. He is a good kid. He just doesn’t have very good luck.
-
BeatleBailey says:
I wonder if we have time to rebuild before the team gets moved or sold? I figure it will be 4 years before we are good and that is IF a majority of these picks made now work out.
-
Will says:
thanks for taking our ideas Chris. I figured there wasn’t some shocking reason Parise didn’t get drafted by the Isles, I think a lot more flack gets thrown the Isles way due to the legacy factor for Parise.
I had totally forgotten about the Bruins draft pick, really wishing now they weren’t doing so well! I’d love to see them package something and move up, but if last year taught us anything its that they value depth, and they need it
-
JPinVA says:
Nice piece. I was really hoping that Nokie and Bergy would have been the start of a re-birth…
When I saw Walter last year in Norfolk I thought that he was the best player on the ice (a team that had Tambellini, Nielsen, Rieger, colliton and Jackman).
that only goes to show how much I know. -
Thanks, Chris. Man, Petteri’s knee injury was a bummer; it’s nice to see him getting some NHL ice time.
To me, the examples CB cited above are precisely why we should *not* package the 2nd rounders for a higher pick: The draft is a crap-shoot, the late 1st round contains no sure things, so we need to hang on to quantity of picks to build depth and increase our odds of scoring a surprise.
-
jethro09 says:
I know why the Isles passed on Parise to take Nilsson: because Mike Milbury was the GM. He’s a fool. His awful track record over his tenure with the Isles should be evidence of that and also provide all the explanation needed for anyone who wonders why Nilsson was drafted instead of Parise.
-
PTA says:
Thanks Chris, love the insight. Parise stings but not as bad as the trades involving McCabe, Berutzzi, Turgeon, Chara, Luongo, Joikennen…etc. Any stories about these?
PTA
-
hextall72 says:
hey chris, being big hextall fan back in the philly and quebec day’s i was ecstatic when the isles signed him in the summer of 93 but scratched my head why healy was let go after the way he played the prior season and playoffs.. i feel the organization has gone down hill from that year on.. any comments on that?
-
KP says:
Why does anyone want to rehash the stories of trading Bertuzzi, Luongo, Jokinen, Redden and all that junk? Do you love to cut yourself and pour lemon juice in your own wounds?
-
matt says:
There was nothing better than watching the draft that year when we picked Nilsson. I forgot who was hosting the draft but they went nuts along with the crowd when they picked Nilsson. Everyone pretty much called the Islanders and their scouts and management idiots for passing on Parise. They were shocked that he made it that far down. Then to have the Islanders pass on him was ludicrous. I know CB is smoothing that matter over for some reason but I remember that day vivdily(except for who was hosting), WE LOOKED LIKE IDIOTS! Now we look like bigger idiots!!!!
When Nokelainen played in 57 games last season for Boston, the pick became a second rounder in 2009.
Someone please tell me – Does that mean the Isles have their own, Toronto’s, and Bostons 2nd rounders this year? Thanks