The Athletic Hockey Show Prospect Series

Episode: Revisiting the 2017 NHL Draft
Date: March 20, 2026
Hosts: Max Bultman, Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler, Chris Peters

Episode Overview

In this deeply analytical episode, The Athletic’s prospect team revisits the 2017 NHL Draft—one of the most debated, unpredictable, and ultimately compelling classes in recent memory. With nine years of hindsight, the panel breaks down how perceptions have shifted, which prospects panned out or flamed out, and the broader lessons scouts and teams should draw as they look ahead to future drafts.

Discussions cover the shifting reputations of 2017’s top players, fascinating case studies in player projection, the pitfalls of overvaluing “draft time consensus,” and how the lessons of 2017 reverberate into today’s scouting landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The 2017 Draft at a Glance

• Unprecedented Uncertainty at the Top
  • Nico vs. Nolan: At the time, most debate focused on Nico Hischier vs. Nolan Patrick for the #1 pick, largely because teams were desperate to find the elusive “franchise center.” ([01:54])
  • Evolving Perspective: Neither is clearly the best player in hindsight, and the class’s true standouts (e.g., Cale Makar, Miro Heiskanen, Elias Pettersson) were not consensus top two at the time.

Notable Quote

“At the time, the whole discussion was Nico versus Nolan...that one's not really the conversation anymore.”
— Max Bultman [02:55]

How Have Opinions and Results Shifted Over Nine Years?

• Defense Shapes the Redraft
  • Makar & Heiskanen: Both defensemen have clearly eclipsed the original top picks and would headline any modern redraft.
  • Forwards Who Rose: Players like Nick Suzuki, Jason Robertson, Robert Thomas, and Drake Batherson became top-line NHLers, despite not being top-10 picks.
• Late Bloomers and Surprises:
  • Both Batherson and Robertson, selected outside of the first round, developed into stars after being underestimated for their skating or youth profile.
  • Heavy-footed prospects like Michael Rasmussen and Cody Glass struggled, but not all slow prospects failed.

Notable Quote

“If you were to rank the forwards from that class, I think Nick Suzuki…has as compelling a case as any of those guys.”
— Max Bultman [04:56]

The Peril and Potential of Scouting Prototypes

• Skating: Not Everything
  • Many top scorers (Robertson, Batherson) were below-average skaters but thrived due to elite hockey sense and work ethic.
  • Corey Pronman: “Robertson…is one of the great lessons in the equalizing factor of hockey sense and the ability to understand how to create offense and how to use time and space to your advantage.” ([12:05])
• Injury Red Flags:
  • Extended careers derailed (or delayed) by tough injuries—e.g., Gabe Vilardi took years to reach the NHL due to a back issue.
• Elite Tools Aren’t Enough:
  • Vesa Laine, Klim Kostin, and others are raised as players whose size and skill didn’t translate—lack of competitiveness, “average” hockey sense, or adaptation issues were their undoing.
  • Corey: “When you’re that size or you’re big and you’re slow, you got to have some other trait there to really hang your hat on.” ([17:26])

Notable Quote

“...Sometimes you just have to allow yourself to believe that what they're doing at the level they're at is impressive.”
— Chris Peters [13:44]

Defensive Depth and the Legend of Cale Makar

• Defenseman Run Flopped (14-18th Picks):
  • Five straight D-men in the mid-first (Foote, Brannstrom, Valimaki, Liljegren, Vaakanainen) did not pan out as top players.
• How Did Makar Go 4th, Not 1st?
  • No junior-A defenseman—especially one under 6’0”—had ever been selected #1 overall, and NHL teams weren’t ready to cross that threshold despite private consideration.
  • Corey: “The balls it would have taken to take a late birth date 5’11” defenseman in the AJHL ahead of those guys...” ([23:17])
• League Strength Skepticism:
  • Makar’s league (AJHL) carried less weight than USHL/OHL/QMJHL/WHL equivalencies.
  • Slow start in the NCAA prompted doubts, but sophomore leap clinched his path.

Notable Moment

“I know New Jersey was thinking about it. They didn’t end up doing it, but they did a lot of research on Makar that year for the first overall pick...that was a serious debate in that room.”
— Corey Pronman [23:23]

Vegas’s 2017 Draft Disaster... And Recovery

• Three Top-15 Picks, One Kept, All Traded
  • Picked Cody Glass (6), Nick Suzuki (13), Eric Brannstrom (15)—but only briefly kept any, flipping Suzuki and Brannstrom in key trades.
• Lesson in Asset Agility:
  • Trading prospects for win-now stars (Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty) prevented a draft disaster from derailing the expansion club’s ascent.
  • Chris Peters: “Draft picks are commodities…they are not the future.” ([35:18])
• Nick Suzuki ‘What If’:
  • “You also wonder what do [the Golden Knights] look like with Nick Suzuki at the center of everything. But then you probably don’t have Jack Eichel at that point.” — Chris Peters ([36:07])

Redrafting the 2017 Top 10 (Panel’s Live Draft, [37:23])

1. Cale Makar
2. Miro Heiskanen
3. Nick Suzuki
4. Jason Robertson
5. Nico Hischier
6. Martin Nečas
7. Robert Thomas
8. Elias Pettersson
9. Jake Oettinger
10. Jeremy Swayman / Drake Batherson (debatable)

Observations:

• Four defensemen and four centers among their “top seven.”
• Goaltending class (Oettinger, Swayman) was quietly stellar.

Broader Lessons for Scouting & Future Drafts

• Patience Pays:
  • Don’t overreact to slow development; late bloomers emerged from 2017’s mid/late picks.
• Don’t Overvalue Short-Term League Bias:
  • The AJHL, OHL, QMJHL: Elite can emerge anywhere.
• Size and Skating Are Neither a Cure-All Nor a Death Sentence.
• **A premium blend of hockey IQ, compete, and adaptability keeps prospects in the “top” conversation—even with flaws.

Flash-Forward: 2026 Draft Insights ([42:32])

• Parallels to 2017:
  • Debate around sub-six-foot defensemen again heating up (e.g., Ryan Lin).
  • The value of prolific but “flawed” CHL producers in the late first/second round is again a major story.
  • “Highly competitive small D” (Ryan Lin) stand out from earlier “misses” because they bring both skill and compete.
• Unexpected Countries Rising:
  • Watch for Lithuania’s Seamus Ignatovicius, praised for size, athleticism, and pro experience.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Nick Suzuki on March 18, 2026…has as compelling a case as any of those guys.” — Max Bultman [04:56]

• “Robertson…is one of the great lessons in the equalizing factor of hockey sense and the ability to understand how to create offense and how to use time and space.”
  — Chris Peters [12:05]

• “When you’re that size or big and you’re slow, you got to have some other trait there to really hang your hat on.”
  — Corey Pronman [17:26]

• “The balls it would have taken to take a late birth date 5’11” defenseman in the AJHL ahead of those guys…”
  — Corey Pronman [23:17]

• “Draft picks are commodities. They are not the future.”
  — Chris Peters [35:18]

Key Timestamps

• [01:54]: Setting the stage: The “Nico vs. Nolan” debate
• [04:56]: Nick Suzuki’s rise and re-ranking 2017’s top forwards
• [12:05]: Jason Robertson, Drake Batherson, and lessons from “non-elites”
• [17:26]: Why some super-toolsy prospects fail
• [23:17]: Makar’s path and “league strength” debate
• [37:23]: Live redraft: The panel’s new top 10 from 2017
• [42:32]: How 2017’s lessons impact current 2026 draft discussions

Summary Table: 2017's “Hindsight” All-Stars

| Position | Original Draft Range | Hindsight Rank | Notable Trajectory | |----------|---------------------|---------------|-------------------| | Cale Makar | 4 | 1 | Transcendent defenseman (Norris, Cup, Team Canada) | | Miro Heiskanen | 3 | 2 | Elite two-way D, Dallas keystone | | Nick Suzuki | 13 | 3 | #1C in Montreal, two-way ace | | Jason Robertson | 39 | 4 | Elite NHL scorer; overlooked for skating | | Elias Pettersson | 5 | 8 | 100-pt C, dynamic, but drafted behind several less impactful players |

For Listeners & Scouting Fans

This episode is a gold mine for anyone interested in prospect evaluation, the realities of player development, and the unpredictable science of the NHL Draft. It serves as both a historical autopsy of a fascinating draft and a case study in what to look for—and look out for—in the next generation of players.

Endnote

Catch more prospect coverage and analysis from Chris Peters at Flo Hockey and from Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman at The Athletic.

All timestamps are in MM:SS format. Quotes are as attributed in the show. This summary skips all advertisement, intro, and outro content, focusing exclusively on the substantive podcast discussion.