Hi all, I am hoping that this will turn into more than one article. I will be taking a look at a number of SHL drafts to see who were the best and brightest. Today I am starting with the draft that started it all and is the reason why all of us are here, the season 1 draft.

*Due to the inaccuracies in the early days of the SHL, some of this will be done by memory. Also, anyone not from the draft will not be included*


Before we get started, here are a few facts and figures about the S1 Draft.

• The first ever pick in an SHL Draft was Goaltender Ryan Jesster to the Calgary Dragons. He would be the Dragons goalie for over a decade and put up very respectable numbers.
  
• Of the 48 players drafted from Season 1, only 6 went on to play for more than a decade.
  
• 9 players from Season 1 are currently in the Hall of Fame (Sergei Karpotsov, Jonathan Kane, Scott Stevens, Sarmad Khan, Jeff Dar, Jay McDonald, Pavol Skvoznak, Ryan Jesster, Ron Mexico)
  
• With Season 1 being the only draft to have a direct correlation to a Challenge Cup, @Leafs4ever had the best draft as the Winnipeg Jets won the inaugural Challenge Cup Championship.
  

#5. Pavol Skvoznak: RD2, P9. 484GP, 159G, 239A

Accolades:

• 4x Challenge Cup Champion (S1, S4, S6, S12)
  
• HOF Class of Season 14
  

While the accolades may not jump off of the page at you, the overall ability to win is what puts Skvoznak at number 5 on this list. Skvoznak was drafted with the 9th pick by the Winnipeg Jets after a trade which sent pick #1 to Calgary (Ryan Jesster) in exchange for Skvoznak and pick #4 (Jay McDonald) and helped the Jets win the Challenge Cup. Skvoznak would end up playing for and winning Championships with the Edmonton Comets, LA Panthers and Minnesota Chiefs. Skvoznak ranks 4th in Goals, 2nd in Assists and 3rd in ponts per game.

#4. Ryan Jesster: RD1, P1. 467GP, 257W, 163L, 40SOL

Accolades:

• 2x Challenge Cup Champion (S8, S9)
  
• 1x McBride Winner (S8)
  
• 1x Littleton Winner (S9)
  
• 3x Khan Winner (S4, S8, S9)
  
• 1x Honcho Winner (S8)
  
• 1x Razov Winner (S8)
  
• HOF Class of Season 15
  

Jesster is definitely considered one of the first great goaltenders in the league. Being drafted with the first ever pick in the league brought on some added expectations which took a while for Jesster to reach. After starting off slow, Jesster turned himself into a bonafide superstar in his 4th season in the league. Jesster won back to back cups with Dragons, took home 3 MVPs as voted by the players and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a first ballot hall of famer. His 3 Khan wins and 0 Mexico wins shows how undervalued he was by the media. It is interesting to note that Jesster is the number 1 ranked Goalie in the League of Accomplished Players.

#3. Jay McDonald: R1, P4. 483GP, 160G, 206A

Accolades:

• 3x Challenge Cup Champion (S1, S3, S4)
  
• 3x McDonald Winner (S2,S3,S4)
  
• 1x Littleton Winner (S1)
  
• 1x Razov Winner (S1)
  
• 1x Karpotsov Winner (S4)
  
• HOF Class of Season 17
  

The highlight reel of the best duo in the league at the time, Jay McDonald was electric. Picked 4th by the Jets, McDonald would be the leader of that first championship team before moving on to being a GM/Player for the upstart Edmonton Comets. McDonald would go on to win 2 more Cups with the Comets, as well as finishing first in the league in goals for three straight seasons. His longevity hurts him a bit as he had a pretty steep decline in output after about his 7th season. McDonald never took home an MVP trophy but was nominated once and had enough Championships and goals to make him a top 3 player from this draft class.

#2. Sergei Karpotsov: R2, P12. 160GP, 56G, 98A

Accolades:

• 3x Challenge Cup Champion (S1, S3, S4)
  
• 1x Mexico Trophy Winner (S4)
  
• 1x McDonald Trophy Winner (S4)
  
• HOF Class of Season 7
  

Karpotsov in a lot of ways is the Bobby Orr of his draft class. He was dominate for a short period of time, before injuries took their toll and forced him to retire in his prime. Karpotsov was the 2nd player drafted by the Jets in season 1 and he immediately paid dividends, helping the Jets win the Challenge Cup and finishing with 47 points in 40 games for the club. He would go on to Edmonton and take home 2 more titles. Karpotsov was nominated for the Mexico Trophy all four seasons he played (finishing runner up 3 times) and took home the award in his final season thanks to a 30 goal performance. Karpotsov was the first player inducted into the Hall of Fame and will forever be known as a winner.

#1. Ron Mexico: RD 6, Pick 34. 538GP, 187G, 280A

Accolades:

• 2x Challenge Cup Champion (S1, S7)
  
• 4x Mexico Trophy Winner (S3, S5, S6, S9)
  
• 3x Khan Trophy Winner (S3, S5, S9)
  
• 4x Karpotsov Trophy Winner (S3, S5, S6, S9)
  
• 2x McDonald Trophy Winner (S5, S6)
  
• HOF Class of Season 15
  

One of the greatest players of all time had to be #1 on this list. Mexico was a late pick seen by many as depth player, including the Steelhawks who shipped him out in his first season with the club. Mexico arrived in Winnipeg and helped the Jet win the Challenge Cup. After Karpotsov and McDonald left the Jets, Mexico became their superstar. He won 4 MVPs out of 6 nominations and led the league in scoring 4 times. He won a second title with Jets in a much more prominent role and is ranked #1 on the Accomplished Players List. Mexico is ranked 1st in goals, assists and points for this draft class which makes him the easy choice to be ranked as the best player from the 1st ever draft class.



Finally I was to leave you with some odds and ends from this class:

Odds & Ends

• 1st overall Pick: Ryan Jesster (CGY)
  
• Mr. Irrelevant: Drew Doughty (WPG)
  
• Best Pick: Ron Mexico (Pick 34)
  
• Worst Pick: Kevin Paille (Pick 8): 233GP, 6G, 29A
  

Andrew James - Retired Defenseman - Edmonton Comets

Winston Windsor - Retired Defenseman - Edmonton Blizzard

Karsten Kadinger - Retired Defenseman - West Kendall Platoon

Tommy Thompson - Retired Center - Buffalo Stampede

Weston Windsor - Defenseman - Newfoundland Berserkers
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Position: Left Defense
Handedness: Left
Jersey Number: 11
Height: 5ft 10in
Weight: 175 lbs
Birthplace: Colorado, United States
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SMJHL CAREER STATISTICS
S77 | NL | GP: 60 | G: 10 | A: 35 | P: 45 | ATOI: 16:10 | +13 |
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SMJHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS
S77 | NL | GP: 5 | G: 0 | A: 1 | P: 1 | ATOI: 21:13 | -6 |
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TRANSACTIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS
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S77 | Claimed by Newfoundland (Waivers)
S78 | Position Change (Center > Defense)