1990 NHL Entry Draft


The 1990 National Hockey League Entry Draft was the 28th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Vancouver Canucks at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 16, 1990. It is remembered as one of the deeper drafts in NHL history, with 14 of the 21 first round picks going on to careers of at least 500 NHL games.
Nine of the twenty-one players drafted in the first round played 1,000 NHL games in their career.

Venue

The 1990 NHL Entry Draft was originally scheduled to be held at the Pacific Coliseum, the home arena of the host Vancouver Canucks located on the site of the Pacific National Exhibition. However, the Canadian Union of Public Employees union representing the PNE employees—CUPE Local 1004—threatened to strike June 15, one day before the draft. Consequently, the NHL and the Canucks decided to move the draft to BC Place in order to avoid the potential strike and issues of public access to the venue. In addition to BC Place, the University of British Columbia, the Vancouver Convention Centre and the Hyatt Regency Vancouver were also considered as replacement venues.
The Canucks had estimated that 10,000 spectators would attend the draft, which had free admission. However, holding the venue in a higher capacity venue allowed for that estimate to nearly double, with 19,127 spectators—a then record for attendance at an NHL Entry Draft—attending the draft.

Top prospects

Heading into the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, Mike Ricci had spent the entire 1989–90 season ranked as the top prospect by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. Prior to the release of the final rankings of North American skaters and goaltenders, it was speculated Owen Nolan, Keith Primeau and Petr Nedved would surpass Ricci; however, when the final rankings were released, Ricci remained as the top prospect. Jaromir Jagr was also considered to be one of the top prospects, but Central Scouting did not rank European players. Petr Nedved was an exception to that, as he played in North America after he defected his native Czechoslovakia.
RankingSkaters
1 Mike Ricci
2 Owen Nolan
3 Keith Primeau
4 Petr Nedved
5 Scott Scissons
6 Darryl Sydor
7 John Slaney
8 Ryan Hughes
9 Karl Dykhuis
10 Derian Hatcher

RankingGoaltenders
1 Trevor Kidd
2 Felix Potvin
3 Martin Brodeur

Selections by round

Round one

#PlayerPositionNationalityNHL TeamCollege/Junior/Club Team
1Owen NolanRight WingQuebec NordiquesCornwall Royals
2Petr NedvedCentreVancouver CanucksSeattle Thunderbirds
3Keith PrimeauCentreDetroit Red WingsNiagara Falls Thunder
4Mike RicciCentrePhiladelphia FlyersPeterborough Petes
5Jaromir Jagr^Right WingPittsburgh PenguinsPoldi SONP Kladno
6Scott ScissonsCentreNew York IslandersSaskatoon Blades
7Darryl SydorDefenceLos Angeles KingsKamloops Blazers
8Derian Hatcher^DefenceMinnesota North StarsNorth Bay Centennials
9John SlaneyDefenceWashington CapitalsCornwall Royals
10Drake BerehowskyDefenceToronto Maple LeafsKingston Frontenacs
11Trevor KiddGoaltenderCalgary Flames Brandon Wheat Kings
12Turner StevensonRight WingMontreal Canadiens Seattle Thunderbirds
13Michael StewartDefenceNew York RangersMichigan State University
14Brad MayLeft WingBuffalo Sabres Niagara Falls Thunder
15Mark GreigRight WingHartford WhalersLethbridge Hurricanes
16Karl DykhuisDefenceChicago BlackhawksHull Olympiques
17Scott AllisonCentreEdmonton OilersPrince Albert Raiders
18Shawn AntoskiLeft WingVancouver Canucks North Bay Centennials
19Keith Tkachuk^Left WingWinnipeg Jets Malden Catholic High School
20Martin Brodeur^GoaltenderNew Jersey Devils Saint-Hyacinthe Laser
21Bryan SmolinskiCentreBoston BruinsMichigan State University

Round two

Round three

Round four

Round five

Round six

Round seven

Round eight

Round nine

Round ten

Round eleven

Round twelve

Draftees based on nationality