First round picks who were barely professional level?

[HabsQC]

Nikita Scherbak and David Fischer for the Habs

 

[Z-Diddy]

mentioned earlier, Nikita Filatov, I still never forget The Hockey News putting him on a cover issue, dubbing him the #1 prospect in the world,

 

[Treb]

For the Habs, Alain Heroux (1982) retired after his first full AHL season were he got 18 points in 48 games.

 

[ScottyMascotty]

German Rubtsov
Morgan Klimchuk (retired)
Shane Bowers
Emile Poirier
Henrik Samuelsson

 

[McGarnagle]

Evgeni Ryabchikov went #21 overall in 1994, cup of coffee in the AHL while mostly spending the next few years getting blown out in the ECHL, by 1997 he was in the WPHL, then wrapped his career up in the Russian second division.

 

[Stephen]

Colten Teubert has to be close, he got some pro games but that's because he was big meanie during the big meanie era so guys tried to force him in, but he was worthless in NA Pro, and flamed out of the DEL.

Matt Zultek for the Kings, as well. 15 OA, rentered and was drafted in the 2nd round, and bounced around the ECHL for a bit before busting out of even lower leagues

Kinda interesting to think how a guy like Teubert could be ranked so highly and not even eke out a Ben Chiarot type career.

 

[HisIceness]

Bobby "One pick before Claude Giroux" Sanguinetti.

Drafted by NYR in 2006 but traded to Carolina on day 2 of the 2010 draft in an effort to give him a fresh start and because the blue-line in Carolina wasn't very good, both in Raleigh and in the pipeline. They did manage that day to draft Faulk but he was going to be a few years away and Carolina needed whatever help they could get.

Sangs didn't crack the roster that year so he played in Charlotte and I watched a lot of him. I liked the player, he was slow but he had a booming shot and was physical. His skating wasn't perfect but it wasn't a detriment either. He was never going to be a top pairing guy but I figured he'd make an okay 2nd pair guy, or at worst a good 3rd pairing guy. Again, all things at the time Carolina needed.

He got called up in 2012-13, the short season. He wasn't very good. Like not even needs more seasoning or whatever. He just didn't belong on an NHL ice rink. To be fair to him, Carolina in general at that time was completely directionless and operating under a budget, but at the same time Sangs just didn't have what it took to be an NHLer.

NYR used that pick IIRC to draft (and eventually develop for Carolina lol) Jesper Fast.

 

[Breakers]

Griffin Reinhart

Guy is in the British league

Like he wasn’t even close making the NHL.

 

[Pablo El Perro]

Denis Shvidki needs a nod.

 

[Machinehead]

Because it still hurts.

Kris Chucko began a streak of three Flames 1st round picks who combined to play 20 games for them.

Chucko.
Matt Pelech.
Leland Irving.

So again.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”

I understand.

In solidarity:

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

[NYI365]

The Oilers trading a first (which turned into Barzal) and an early second for him is one of the funniest trades I've ever seen. That move was peak Chiarelli, he really started his time with the Oilers with a bang.

That was just the Hockey Gods way of making it up to us for all of Mike Milbury's trades.

 

[mattihp]

Denis Shvidki needs a nod.

A scorer without a scorer's skillset and mind.

 

[Hobocop]

Patrick White? Only reason I remember the name is because he got sent to the Sharks in the Ehrhoff deal. 25th overall in 2007.

After he was done at U of Minnesota, he mostly wandered around lower-tier German leagues and Slovakia, it looks like:

Patrick White (b.1989) Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Patrick White, a hockey player from Grand Rapids, MN born Jan 20 1989 who was active from 2006 to 2017.

www.hockeydb.com

 

[paulmm3]

It's amazing the heterogeneity between draft classes. Most of the 2012 first round fits this picture. Just an exceptionally poor draft class. 2018 doesn't have much after Bouchard at 10 and Dobson at 12. Then you have draft classes like 2015 on the other end of the spectrum.

 

[rafterman]

AJ Thelen. 12th overall, 10AHL games, 4 seasons in ECHL

 

[Brodeur]

Jesse Niinimäki was a head scratcher for many Finns, didn't stand out in juniors. He had a couple of decent seasons in Liiga eventually that were good, but in general was enigmatic.

Interesting to read after the fact:

https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Sharks-add-some-Finns-with-gamble-in-draft-3140893.php

The Sharks say they've had their eyes on Riihijarvi for two years. They were taken by his ability to combine skill with physical play and size. Burke was reluctant to compare Riihijarvi to any current NHL players, but said he's unique because players that tall usually don't possess all of his skills.

"It wasn't that difficult of a choice because we like what he brings," said Burke, who expects the 209-pound Riihijarvi to fill out to 235. "This is a unique guy who everyone wanted, but didn't know where to slot him. We're ecstatic to get him."

Apparently other teams were very interested in Riihijarvi. New York Islanders general manager Don Maloney told Lombardi he had a deal in the works to acquire the 15th pick, which he would have used to take Riihijarvi. Detroit's Scotty Bowman made it a point to congratulate the Sharks on their first-round selection, as did Ottawa player personnel director John Ferguson.

Edit: need my eyes checked, mixed up Niinimaki and Riihijarvi.

 

[HFpapi]

Hunter Shinkaruk was drafted 24th overall, still "only" 29 years old which is prime aged and just recently signed with Cardiff of the UK Elite League. Grand total of 15 NHL games played.

 

[Wasted Talent]

Zack Phillips went from a late 1st rounder to playing in EIHL, Austria, Poland and Germany's 3rd tier league.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

He was a 2nd rounder but Bode Wilde was considered a super high upside pick and a 2nd round steal , he’s playing in the German 2nd division only a few years later

That's wilde. Probably doesn't bode well for his chances.

 

[luiginb]

Logan MacMillan is probably the best example from a Ducks’ perspective. Massive problem child with attitude issues, traded to Calgary, couldn’t hack it in the AHL or ECHL for 2 years before he headed to Europe, had a decent-ish season in Austria but did nothing in either the VHL (Russian 2nd division) or England (weirdly was a PPG player in Romania) and his career was done by 30.

We have something like 5 rinks in the whole country...

 

[Albatros]

Igor Knyazev (2001 Carolina #15). A highly rated prospect with a great junior career, best defenseman at the WJC, and then simply nothing. Couldn't make the NHL, couldn't make the Russian league, ended up with fringe semi-pro gigs at lower levels before retiring at 30.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

AJ Thelen. 12th overall, 10AHL games, 4 seasons in ECHL

Man, thought i was suffering Mandela Effect and confusing this guy with the wide receiver

 

[Senor Catface]

Martin Vagner
Andy Rogers (scored 4 goals through 8 years of WHL, AHL, ECHL play)
Sasha Pokulok

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

Not sure if it counts, but Theo Peckham is an example of a guy who's career finished as quickly as it started.

He played 6 years pro, playing NHL games in each of them.

In his 6th pro season, he played 4 games in the NHL, got demoted to the AHL, and after 4 games there demoted to the ECHL and played 4 more games. The next season he played half a year in the AHL and 5 games in Denmark. The following two seasons was in the ECHL and 4 games in Slovakia before retiring.

EDIT: lol I must have missed the "1st round picks" part!

 

[AlainVigneaultsGum]

Juolevi