Right now, the Vancouver Canucks have six players that general manager Jim Benning drafted on the roster — and 11 of them have played at least one NHL game since 2014. While lots of these drafts picks have not yet had the opportunity to turn pro, Benning’s predecessor Mike Gillis had 14 draft picks from 2008 to 2013 play at least one pro game.
These numbers don’t jump off the page as being remarkably different. But once you delve into it deeper, you’ll noticethat the oldest player that Benning has drafted is 25-years-old in Nikita Tryamkin who has a shot to come back to the NHL after his season in the KHL.