If his first two drafts with the Toronto Maple Leafs wasn’t telling enough in regards to how dark his tenure was with the organization, John Ferguson Jr. had another disappointing draft as the team’s general manager in 2006. After moving the team’s top pick from the 2005 NHL Draft – in Tuukka Rask – Ferguson took to the draft floor again, with more disappointment looming.
Related: Revisiting John Ferguson Jr.’s Draft – 2005
In a draft that saw some questionable picks in the top-10, like Peter Mueller and James Sheppard, others like Kyle Okposo, Phil Kessel and Jonathan Toews went on to have strong NHL careers – including multiple Stanley Cups for two of them.
It was a draft that saw 91 players suit up for at least one NHL game in their careers, with the average being a 365-game career with 160 points averaged from those 91 players. Overall, 42.7 percent of the players drafted in 2006 played at the NHL level, with the lowest picked player to suit up being Erik Condra – an Ottawa Senators pick in the seventh round, 211th overall.
As for Ferguson Jr. and the Maple Leafs, they made seven selections in this draft and while they never acquired a franchise player, this was one of his more successful drafts at the helm of the Maple Leafs. A goalie that would succumb to disappointment to an uncle that just fit in, this draft had everything for the Maple Leafs, with some careers in blue in white were a little more short-lived.
Early Rounds (1-3)
Round 1, 13th Overall – Jirí Tlusty, LW (HC Rabat Kladno, Czech Republic)
The pick was horrible by any means and eventually Jiri Tlusty would find some success as a middle-six forward at the NHL level. However, that came after the Maple Leafs moved on from him.
He went on to play 446 regular season games with 177 career points for the Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, Winnipeg Jets and New Jersey Devils, last playing in the NHL in 2015-16. As for his time with the blue and white, he debuted as a 19-year-old in 2007-08 with 10 goals and 16 points in 58 games showing some promise for the team that drafted him.
Over parts of three seasons, he played in 74 games for the Maple Leafs and finished with just 10 goals and 20 points overall. Ultimately he was a disappointing pick with the 13th overall selection for Ferguson Jr. and the team. Tlusty’s best season came in 2012-13 as a 24-year-old with the Hurricanes when he had 23 goals and 38 points in 48 games.
In the end, the Maple Leafs would acquire Philippe Paradis for Tlusty from the Hurricanes on Dec. 3, 2009 in a one-for-one trade that worked out better for the Hurricanes. Paradis never played a game for the Maple Leafs, who moved on quite quickly from Tlusty when it was all said and done.
Missed Opportunity:
- Claude Giroux, C/RW – Drafted 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers
- Semyon Varlamov, G – Drafted 23rd overall by the Washington Capitals
- Nick Foligno, LW – Drafted 28th overall by the Ottawa Senators
There were easily three picks here that, looking back, would’ve benefited the Maple Leafs at the time. Giroux, above all, would’ve been an all-around addition, while Foligno would’ve provided the leadership eventually. It’s safe to say this was a miss on the part of the Maple Leafs.
This can’t be written out as a bad pick given what he did for the organization at times during his run with the Maple Leafs. Deserving of a second-round selection? Some might argue not. But in a draft where talent dwindled early, Nikolay Kulemin might’ve been one of the best picks during Ferguson Jr.’s tenure.
Kulemin went on to debut for the Maple Leafs as a 22-year-odl in 2008-09. He played 73 games and scored 15 goals and finished with 31 points. He would go on to play the majority of his NHL career with the Maple Leafs, finishing off with the New York Islanders from 2014 to 2018 before heading back to Russia to continue his hockey career.
As a member of the Maple Leafs, he had 84 goals and 195 points in 421 games scattered over parts of six seasons. However, he only ever saw seven playoff games for the Maple leafs in 2012-13 before joining the Islanders to close out his NHL career.
Kulemin’s best season came with the Maple Leafs in 2010-11 where he tallied 30 goals and 57 points in 82 games playing alongside Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur. While he wasn’t a game-changing forward, his presence was helpful in a time when the Maple Leafs were struggling for consistent offensive production.
Missed Opportunity:
- Jeff Petry, D – Drafted 45th overall by the Edmonton Oilers
- Milan Lucic, LW – Drafted 50th overall by the Boston Bruins
It’s hard to judge the Kulemin pick fully as he did have some decent runs with the Maple Leafs. That said, a strong defenceman like Petry or the black-and-blue punishing play of Lucic could’ve help the Maple Leafs long-term.
Round 3 – No Pick
The Maple Leafs missed out on the third round in 2006 as their pick was in the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks acquired the pick in a deal on June 24, 2006, when they traded two 2006 fourth-round draft picks to the Maple Leafs in exchange for the third-round selection – a pick that ended up being 76th overall.
With that pick, the Blackhawks selected centre Tony Lagerstrom from Sodertalje SK in Sweden – a player who never played an NHL game.
Missed Opportunity:
- Tom Sestito, LW – Drafted 85th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets
Truth is, Sestito might’ve been a stretch, but any pick is better than not getting one. Given that the Maple Leafs got two fourth-round picks out of the deal, maybe they escaped a tough third round.
Middle Rounds (4-6)
Round 4, 99th Overall – James Reimer, G (Red Deer Rebels, WHL)
One of those fourth round picks that the Maple Leafs acquired in the deal with the Blackhawks was the 99th overall selection. It was pick they used to select goaltender James Reimer, who would go on to have a decent career with the Maple Leafs along with a handful of other teams.
Reimer is also remembered as being a part of one of the biggest playoff collapses in Maple Leafs’ history – one that can’t solely ride on his shoulders.
As for what he did with the Maple Leafs, Reimer played parts of six seasons with the team after debuting in 2010-11 as a 22-year-old. He finished his first season 15th in Calder Trophy voting before finishing 23rd in Hart Trophy voting two seasons later as a 24-year-old. Reimer played 207 regular season games for the Maple Leafs with a record of 85-76-23, a .914 save percentage (SV%) and 2.83 goals against average (GAA).
He suited up for the Maple Leafs in seven playoff games in 2012-13 going 3-4 against the Boston Bruins with a .923 SV% and 2.87 GAA prior to the epic collapse in the third period of Game 7.
Reimer was traded to the San Jose Sharks in 2015-16 with Jeremy Morin for Ben Smith, a third-round pick in 2018 and Alex Stalock and he followed that up with stops along the way with the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres in 2024-25.
He finished his Maple Leafs run 10th all-time on the franchise list in games played by a goalie and tied for eighth in save percentage on that franchise list. Keeping in line with being 10th, he also sits in that spot on the franchise’s all-time list in wins, which is pretty impressive considering the names on that list.
Missed Opportunity: None
Round 4, 111th Overall – Korbinian Holzer, D (EC Bad Tolz, Germany)
The other fourth-round pick the Maple Leafs acquired, they used to select Korbinan Holzer at 111th overall. Holzer debuted in 2010-11 as a 22-year-old, but never really developed into the full-time defender the Maple Leafs were hoping for. He played just 58 games over parts of three seasons for the team before he was traded to the Ducks in March 2015.
He tallied nine points over those 58 games, while averaging 17:30 of ice-time which likely put him in a position that he wasn’t meant to be in higher in the lineup. Holzer played his last NHL game in 2019-20 with the Nashville Predators finishing with 206 regular season games and never really panning out into a full-time NHL player.
Missed Opportunity:
- Matt Beleskey, LW – Drafted 112th overall by the Anaheim Ducks
Hindsight alone, Beleskey had longevity compared to Holzer. Change draft team and road of development and that could change too, but at least looking back on it, Beleskey could’ve been a better selection.
Round 5 – No Pick
Once again, the Maple Leafs didn’t have a fifth-round pick in 2006. The pick was moved as a conditional pick on March 8, 2006, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in return for Luke Richardson. With it, the Blue Jackets used the 136th overall pick to take Nick Sucharksi – a left winger from Michigan State University.
As for Sucharski, he never played a game in the NHL, seemingly another pick the Maple Leafs might’ve dodged.
Missed Opportunity: None
Round 6, 161st Overall – Viktor Stålberg, LW (University of Vermont, NCAA)
There were glimpse of hope and promise for Viktor Stålberg during his NHL career. Still, in the sixth round, for the league to even know who he was, you have to chalk it up as an okay pick. The issue? The Maple Leafs might’ve simply moved on from him quicker than they maybe should have.
Related: Revisiting John Ferguson Jr.’s Draft – 2004
Regardless, as the 161st pick in 2006, Ferguson Jr. grabbed Stålberg from the University of Vermont. Shortly after, he debuted with the Maple Leafs as a 24-year-old in 2009-10, tallying nine goals and 14 points in 40 games as a rookie. But that was it in Toronto. He played just 40 games for the blue and white before the Maple Leafs traded him to the Blackhawks with Christopher DiDomenico and Paradis in exchange for Bill Sweatt and Kris Versteeg.
Stålberg did go on to score 82 goals and have 168 points over 488 career regular season games, while averaging 12:41 of ice time with the Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Predators, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators.
Missed Opportunity:
- Mathieu Perreault, C – Drafted 177th overall by the Washington Capitals
Round 6, 180th Overall – Leo Komarov, C (Assat, Finland)
Outside of Reimer and Kulemin, this might be the most memorable pick of this draft for Ferguson Jr. and one that did have an impact for the Maple Leafs in a depth role a handful of seasons down the road. Leo ‘Uncle Leo’ Komarov took a while to get to the NHL, but finally debuted in 2012-13 playing in 42 games for the Maple Leafs and collecting four goals and nine points.
But it was his influence away from the puck that made him a valuable asset. Feisty. Physical and a frustrating opponent to play against, Komarov drove opposing players nuts with the way that he approached the game. He was able to play that way, too, while not taking too many penalties for the Maple Leafs.
As for his career with the Maple Leafs, he scattered 327 regular season games with them over parts of five seasons – accumulating 52 goals and 122 points over that span. Eventually, the Maple Leafs decided to move in a different direction and Komarov signed with the New York Islanders for the remainder of his NHL career before the released him in November 2021.
Missed Opportunity: None
The Seventh Round
Round 7 – No Pick
As for the final round of the draft, the Maple Leafs didn’t make any selections to close it out. Their pick in this round was traded to the Boston Bruins on June 15, 2006, in exchange for the rights to Petr Tenkrát.
The Bruins would eventually trade the pick to the Phoenix Coyotes who selected Chris Frank from Western Michigan with the 188th overall pick. Frank never suited up for an NHL game.
As for Tenkrát, he never suited up for the Maple Leafs and actually ended up playing for the Bruins as a 29-year-old with nine goals and 14 points in 64 games. That spelt the end of his NHL career as well.
Missed Opportunity:
- Erik Condra, RW – Drafted 211th overall by the Ottawa Senators
Once again, the argument is that a prospect is better than not having one. Condra had a good run in the NHL and considering the Maple Leafs moved their seventh-round pick, Condra would’ve been a solid pick-up late in this draft.
Final Grade: B
Reimer, Kulemin and Komarov make this a tolerable draft for the Maple Leafs and Ferguson Jr. Even picks like Tlusty, Stålberg and Holzer cracked the NHL at some point in their hockey careers which has to count for something. The downfall? It’s what they didn’t do for the Maple Leafs.
Overall, you can see the success these players had making NHL rosters, but as a team, the Maple Leafs and Ferguson Jr. still followed it up with a lacklustre overall performance in the years that followed. Failed draft or not, Ferguson Jr.’s legacy has not resonated well in Toronto.
