1997 NHL Draft
Josef Melichar in the 1997 NHL Draft
Pittsburgh Penguins selected Josef Melichar 71st overall in the 1997 NHL Draft, with the 18th pick of round 3.
He was the second of the 16 Czechs selected that year. It was the third of the 9 picks Pittsburgh Penguins made in the draft. Of the 246 players selected in 1997, 101 have played in the NHL regular season. His 349 games put him 34th in the class.
- Overall pick
- 71
- Round and pick
- Round 3, pick 18
- Drafting team
- PITPittsburgh Penguins
- Date
- Age at the draft
- 18 years
The picks around it
Picks 68–74 in the 1997 draft
- 68Sergei YerkovichDEDMEdmonton Oilers
- 69Maxim AfinogenovR651 GP · 395 PBUFBuffalo Sabres
- 70Erik AnderssonR12 GP · 3 PCGYCalgary Flames
- 71Josef MelicharD349 GP · 49 PPITPittsburgh Penguins
- 72Jay LegaultLANAAnaheim Ducks
- 73Burke HenryD39 GP · 8 PNYRNew York Rangers
- 74Nick SmithC15 GP · 0 PFLAFlorida Panthers
Games and points are NHL regular season to date.
Place in the draft class
Where he came in the 1997 class
2nd
of 16 Czechs selected
21st
of 91 defensemen selected
Counted in draft order across the whole draft. The position is the one listed at the draft.
First Czechs selected
- 56Vratislav CechDFLAFlorida Panthers
- 71Josef MelicharD349 GP · 49 PPITPittsburgh Penguins
- 76Petr SykoraC12 GP · 4 PDETDetroit Red Wings
- 79Robert SchnabelD22 GP · 3 PNYINew York Islanders
- 85Petr MikaR3 GP · 0 PNYINew York Islanders
- 98Jan HoracekDSTLSt. Louis Blues
- 109Jan SulcCTBLTampa Bay Lightning
- 111Frantisek MrazekCTORToronto Maple Leafs
- 112Karel BetikD3 GP · 2 PTBLTampa Bay Lightning
- 152Petr HavelkaLPITPittsburgh Penguins
+ 6 more
After the draft
The road to the NHL
Josef Melichar made his NHL debut on October 7, 2000, 3 years and 108 days after the draft.
349
Games
7
Goals
42
Assists
49
Points
NHL regular season to date.
The team's draft
Pittsburgh Penguins picks in the 1997 draft
- 17Robert DomeL53 GP · 14 PPITPittsburgh Penguins
- 44Brian GaffaneyDPITPittsburgh Penguins
- 71Josef MelicharD349 GP · 49 PPITPittsburgh Penguins
- 97Alexandre MathieuCPITPittsburgh Penguins
- 124Harlan PrattDPITPittsburgh Penguins
- 152Petr HavelkaLPITPittsburgh Penguins
- 179Mark MooreDPITPittsburgh Penguins
- 208Andrew FerenceD907 GP · 225 PPITPittsburgh Penguins
- 234Eric LindDPITPittsburgh Penguins