Penguins have avoided Europe in the draft under Shero - 06-19-12
A running joke regarding the Penguins and how they have drafted since Ray Shero became general manager in 2006 is that "they don't draft Europeans."
That is only a slight exaggeration. They have selected five players who have been trained primarily in Europe since 2006. Defenseman Viktor Ekbom of Sweden (2009), forward Tom Kuhnhackl of Germany (2010), goaltender Alexander Pechurskiy (right) of Russia (2008), defenseman Timo Seppanen of Finland (2006) and forward Dominik Uher of the Czech Republic (2011) have been chosen by the Penguins under Shero's watch.
In contrast, Shero's predecessor, Craig Patrick, selected 13 European-trained players in his final six drafts with the Penguins.
The Penguins' total under Shero is near the bottom of the league during that span. Only the Sabres have drafted fewer players from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean since 2006.
(Note: Defenseman Philip Samuelsson is not included in the Penguins' total. Despite being born in Sweden, he has been trained primarily in the United States.)
| Teams | European Players |
Total
Draft Picks
|
Percent |
| Blues | 17 | 35 | 48.6 % |
| Islanders | 17 | 52 | 32.7 % |
| Oilers | 17 | 43 | 39.5 % |
| Red Wings | 16 | 41 | 39.0 % |
| Lightning | 15 | 42 | 35.7 % |
| Canucks | 14 | 36 | 38.9 % |
| Flyers | 13 | 40 | 32.5 % |
| Maple Leafs | 13 | 44 | 29.5 % |
| Predators | 13 | 44 | 29.5 % |
| Rangers | 13 | 39 | 33.3 % |
| Capitals | 12 | 44 | 27.3 % |
| Ducks | 12 | 45 | 26.7 % |
| Stars | 12 | 29 | 41.4 % |
| Wild | 12 | 36 | 33.3 % |
| Blackhawks | 11 | 52 | 21.2 % |
| Senators | 11 | 41 | 26.8 % |
| Blue Jackets | 10 | 46 | 21.7 % |
| Canadiens | 10 | 40 | 25.0 % |
| Coyotes | 10 | 42 | 23.8 % |
| Panthers | 10 | 49 | 20.4 % |
| Devils | 9 | 41 | 21.9 % |
| Flames | 9 | 37 | 24.3 % |
| Jets/Thrashers | 9 | 44 | 20.5 % |
| Hurricanes | 8 | 36 | 22.2 % |
| Kings | 8 | 49 | 16.3 % |
| Avalanche | 6 | 43 | 13.9 % |
| Bruins | 6 | 37 | 16.2 % |
| Sharks | 7 | 34 | 20.6 % |
| Penguins | 5 | 35 | 14.3 % |
| Sabres | 4 | 43 | 9.3 % |
(Photo: Rich Lam/Getty Images)