Igor Knyazev
With the 15th pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes gambled on Russian defenseman Igor Knyazev. A strong puck mover with decent size, Knyazev entered the draft as the second-ranked European defenceman.
His pro career started with the Lowell Lock Monsters in the AHL where Knyazev didn’t show much promise in terms of his offensive upside. To compound things, his defensive play regressed, leading the Hurricanes to trade him to the Phoenix Coyotes in the summer of 2003.
Unable to crack the NHL roster of either the Hurricanes or Coyotes, Knyazev returned to Russia in 2004, having spent two seasons in the AHL without ever seeing NHL action.
Note: Danny Markov, the player received from Phoenix in the trade, was later sent to the Philadelphia Flyers for Justin Williams. The Markov trade also marked the end of David Tanabe‘s first stint with the Hurricanes.
A Familiar Face
Eight spots after Knyazev was selected, the Los Angeles Kings took Tim Gleason. As we all know, Gleason went on to spend the majority of his career with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he became a fan-favorite.