With prospects like Kieffer Bellows and Julien Gauthier still on the board while the Philadelphia Flyers were on the clock at 18th overall, fans were surprised and even angered that then-General Manager Ron Hextall decided to trade down four spots to select forward German Rubtsov with the 22nd pick. Bellows and Gauthier were thought to be the more popular choices at the time, but the now 21-year-old Russian has shown fans why Hextall chose him later on in the first round.
Rubtsov has found success in almost every league he’s participated in since being drafted.