Alek Stojanov
Perhaps the most famous Vancouver
first-round flop, Alek Stojanov,
who the Canucks deemed worthy
of the seventh overall pick in 1991,
is most famous for being the guy
flipped to the Penguins in exchange
for Markus Naslund. Naslund would
go on to captain Vancouver and
become their all-time leading scorer
while Stojanoy played just 45 more
NHL games, scoring two goals,
before fading away into obscurity.
Canucks: 1, Penguins: 0

Stojanov would toil away in
the minors for several years before
calling it quits in 2002 after a pair
of seasons with the illustrious New
Mexico Scorpions of some league
called the WPHL and a serious car
accident.

Today, Stojanov, 35, is
a firefighter. While he was
undoubtedly a complete and
total bust, he may have done for
Vancouver than any Canuck draft
pick since. To be fair to Stojanov,
in an interview with Sportsnet, he
doesn’t take pity on himself. He’s a
big Markus Naslund fan and cheers
hard for both the Canucks and

 

Jason Herter

A former Vancouver Canucks’

first round draft pick from 1989,
defenseman Jason Herter, 38, was
always high on skill, just not on
desire.

Playing just one game in
the NHL with the New York
Islanders, Herter drifted through
the minor leagues, suiting up
for such distinguished clubs as
the Kalamazoo Wings and the
Orlando Solar Bears, for years
before eventually winding up his
career in Germany back in 2002.

After his playing days, Herter
became a U.S. Junior League
scout before taking up a head
coaching position for 16-year-olds
in something called the Midwest
Elite Hockey League. Now, Herter
is an assistant coach with the
Fargo Force, a USHL junior team.

Herter was drafted by
Vancouver as a smooth-skating
defender with a big upside. One
game in the NHL and basically
zero contributions to the Canucks
proved that the upside wasn’t that
large. What a gem.

   

‘ 5
Josh Holden
The Canucks took Josh Holden in

the first round, 12" overall, back in
the 1996 entry draft and he turned
out to be one of many forgettable
draft day busts. For the past four
years Holden, 31, has been plying
his trade with various club teams in
the Swiss-A league. He managed
just 60 career NHL games, 46 of
which came with Vancouver, but
only chipped in four goals with
the Canucks and five in his NHL
tenure.

That isn’t great for a guy
who was selected in the draft as
a high-scoring center from the
Regina Pats. Over in Switzerland,
Holden’s best scoring total has
been 26 goals, with his second best
being only 18. Considering that
the Swiss-A league is known as a
high scoring area for soft offensive
players, that isn’t saying all that
much.

Holden only ever proved to
be a borderline perimeter player
in the NHL and with the Canucks.
Another great first-round choice.

  

at

Shawn Antoski
Back in 1990 the Canucks took Petr
Nedved 2™ overall. He would go onto

lead a successful and productive NHL
career. Left-winger Shawn Antoski,
who Vancouver snapped up 18"
overall, would not.

Despite playing 183 NHL
games in an enforcer’s role, Antoski’s
career, which also spanned stints with
the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh
Penguins and Anaheim Mighty Ducks,
was devastated by a string of brutal
injuries.

The first was a lasting hip ailment
that ended up requiring hernia surgery.
After recovering from that, Antoski
was nearly killed in a terrible car
accident that fractured and depressed
his skull.

After coming back from that
serious setback, Antoksi, who was
known for his fighting skills, re-
fractured his skull while playing with
his dog, and then realized it was time
to retire from the game.

Antoski was never a big scorer,
but he was a great scrapper with
many memorable YouTube moments,
including a classic minor league bout
where he scales the penalty box walls

 

 

 

Penguins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to get at an opposing player.

 

 

 

Lions sign Pierce

  

Garth

McLennan
Sports editor

   

his
has

been an
offseason
of
upheaval
for the BC
Lions but at least Wally Buono managed to
retain one star player, signing quarterback
Buck Pierce to a two-year contract
extension with an option for a third year.

The deal is worth $900, 000 over the
course of the two seasons and is a nice
reward for Pierce, 27, who has battled odds
and injures to emerge as not only one of the
CFL's best QBs, but also one of their best
stories.

It was just four years ago now, back in
2005, when Pierce was signed to serve as
the team’s third or fourth string quarterback
behind warring starters Dave Dickenson
and Casey Printers and fellow backup
Jarious Jackson. Jackson is still a Lion, but
now the positions are reversed as he backs
up Pierce.

Over the'last few seasons Pierce has
demonstrated that he is among the league’s
best pivots, but he has also ran into nagging
and persistent injury trouble that limited
him to just 11 games last year. Repeated
injuries have allowed Jackson to remain
in the discussion about who should be the
Leo’s starter, but with Pierce’s new pact
the situation appears to be settled once and

 

for all.

When he did suit up last year, Pierce
was exceptional, particularly over the final
eight games of the regular season where
the New Mexico State product managed
14 touchdown passes while throwing just
four picks. In all of the 2008 season, Pierce
threw for 3,018 yards with 19 TD passes.
He completed 232 passes on 362 attempts
for a completion percentage of 64 percent.

Lions’ fans can breath a sigh of relief
with Pierce’s signing. This winter the club
has failed to retain several key players that
have played a major role in making B.C. a
perennial contender. None of the departed
free agents have been more prominent than
6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive lineman
Rob Murphy, who at the behest of his
wife spurned the Lions’ generous contract
offers for a two-year, $309,000 deal with
the Toronto Argonauts. It was reported that
Buono had offered Murphy a contract that
would have made the superstar lineman
the highest paid player at his position in
the entire CFL. However, Murphy had
promised his wife that he would test
the free agent market and wound up in
Argonaut blue.

That disappointment for the Lions
came on the tail of star running back
Stefan Logan departing Vancouver for the
Superbowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
At least with the Pierce signing the Lions
will be able to remain competitive in 2009.

 

Terrible trade has
lasting implications

By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor

he Vancouver Canucks may not
[is done anything at all at the

NHL’s March 4" trade deadline, but
the Calgary Flames made sure that their
presence was felt.

The Calgary Flames were the day’s
most active team, and made two explosive
deals by bringing in star center Olli Jokinen
and puck-moving blueliner (and former
Flame) Jordan Leopold. The Leopold deal
trade should be a sticking point for Canucks
fans. Not that the team was ever in the
running for him, just at how he was picked
up by Calgary.

The Flames dealt a second round draft
pick, prospect Ryan Wilson and defenseman
Lawrence Nycholat. If that last name
sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because the
Canucks just placed him on waivers before
he was snapped up by the Flames and
subsequently shipped out to Colorado in a
deal that bolsters Calgary into Stanley Cup
contention.

If you’ll recall, Vancouver acquired
Nycholat from the Ottawa Senators for
talented young center Ryan Shannon.

For an organization that has chronically

lacked offensive depth, Shannon was a
young, incredibly fast forward who had the
ability to dazzle with the puck. Sure, he was
on the smaller side at 5-foot-9, but he was

a developing offensive player, something
Vancouver has sorely lacked for a while
now. Instead, management deemed Nycholat
to be a suitable fit, despite the fact that he
was nothing more than a depth defenseman
coming to a team that was already stocked
full of solid defenders. At the time Nycholat
had shown little upside with Ottawa and
sure enough, he did nothing here.

In 14 games with Vancouver, Nycholat
posted an eye-popping one assist and was
injured for most of his stay.

So in the end, the Canucks lose a gifted
center with scoring potential and gain...
what exactly? A journeyman defenseman for
14 games that has a grand total of two career
NHL games? That makes sense.

Then to rub it in, Flames GM Darryl
Sutter goes out and turns Nycholat,
who he got for nothing, into Leopold, a
rushing defenseman who, when healthy,
can quarterback the power play and be an
offensive force from the blueline.

That worked out well for us.

13