First round picks who were barely professional level?

[Stelio Kontos]

Cal Foote

 

[HansonBro]

This thread screams Rob Schremp

 

[Senor Catface]

This thread screams Rob Schremp

Over 100 games played in the NHL and a respectable AHL career I think disqualifies him from what the OP meant.

I think he meant players who didn't even get a sniff of the big leagues, or didn't come close, and were even awful in the minor leagues.

 

[Sstroh84]

Blue Jackets have had 4 first round picks that finished their NHL career with less than one full season of games played.

Alexandre Picard (4oa), Kerby Rychel (19oa), Nikita Filatov (6oa), Gabriel Carlsson and (29oa).

Of those guys Picard and Filatov played a few more years over in Europe at least, while Rychel called it quits after a couple of years in the minors. Jury is out on Carlsson but he'll probably play in Europe for a while.

Add 1st round picks like Gilbert Brule, John Moore, Pascal Leclaire, Ryan Murray, Marco Dano, Sonny Milano, Liam Foudy and you understand why this franchise has struggled so badly.

 

[Profet]

Pavel Brendl

 

[pi314]

At one point, Angelo Esposito looked like a slam dunk first overall pick.

Then fell to 20th.

Then full time bum.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Tyler Biggs and Stuart Percy lol

 

[BertCorbeau]

Tyler Biggs and Stuart Percy lol

Percy was derailed by a hip injury IIRC .. actually was strong up until then.

Anton Gustafsson drafted 21st OA in 2008 played a grand total of 1 AHL game.

 

[DaveG]

f***ing panic pick Philippe Paradis. Dude had no business even being a f***ing 3rd rounder, yet alone a first.

 

[PaulD]

Terry Ryan
Habs 95
8th over all.

Iginla went 11th.

Ryan had a cup of coffee

 

[MessierII]

Terry Ryan
Habs 95
8th over all.

Iginla went 11th.

Ryan had a cup of coffee

Great actor though and solid radio personality in Edmonton these days.

 

[Matty Sundin]

Aki Berg

The disrespect of Ali Berg needs to stop. Dude was warrior and actually really good player that has become a meme before meme existed. Aki deserves much better.

 

[Gnashville]

Michael McCarron

He’s played over 200 NHL games and probably plays another 5 more seasons.
Both him and Jankowski are considered “busts” but have created nice careers for themselves as PK specialists and 4th liners here in Nashville. Someone has to do the dirty jobs.

 

[DitchMarner]

Wade Belak (RIP) played a good number of games in the NHL, but I don't think he was really an NHL-calibre player. He put up poor numbers in other Leagues as well and was basically just a Dead Puck Era goon. He really struggled after the Lockout. He was a poor skater and had no offensive ability at all.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Marek Zagrapan, Dennis Persson, Artem Kryukov.

Zagrapan is the most "successful" of the group, with some ok AHL numbers and some decent euro seasons, but still nothing great.

Came here for Zagrapan, props to him for playing until he was like 35 though. 9 different leagues by my count after getting drafted, dude got some miles in.

At one point, Angelo Esposito looked like a slam dunk first overall pick.

Then fell to 20th.

Then full time bum.

He was always a full time bum of a human, I’m not usually so happy to see prospects fail.

The disrespect of Ali Berg needs to stop. Dude was warrior and actually really good player that has become a meme before meme existed. Ali deserves much better.

Word, and Carlo Coliacovo isn’t a joke, and Cheechoo and Eriksson were good once! That’s barely related, but it bears repeating.

 

[PaulD]

Great actor though and solid radio personality in Edmonton these days.

Good. Cause he sure wasn't and NHL er

 

[NVious]

The disrespect of Ali Berg needs to stop. Dude was warrior and actually really good player that has become a meme before meme existed. Aki deserves much better.

Aki "Andy Wang" Berg

 

[Memento]

Shawn Belle and Marek Schwarz have to count for the Blues. Schwarz was only successful in the Czech second tier league. Don't even know how Belle played, but he barely played any NHL games.

I suppose the most recent bust is Dominik Bokk (whom I thought would actually be good); he's been overseas in the German league. Not sure how he's doing, but I don't ever think he'll play an NHL game. At least we got Justin Faulk for him?

 

[bert]

Jay O’Brien is the most recent example

Tyler Boucher seems to be trending this way.

 

[Meichel Kane]

Marek Zagrapan, Dennis Persson, Artem Kryukov.

Zagrapan is the most "successful" of the group, with some ok AHL numbers and some decent euro seasons, but still nothing great.

Kryukov an absolute beauty:

 

[OrrNumber4]

Teemu Riihijarvi

 

[Malkinstheman]

Tyler Biggs has to be up there. Okay ECHL player but that's about it.

 

[shello]

How about Brandon Gormley?

 

[McDrailers]

Terry Ryan fits this bill right? I mean the guy played ECHL hockey just last year. Player SR in Newfoundland for at least ten years prior to that.

 

[1specter]

Wade Belak (RIP) played a good number of games in the NHL, but I don't think he was really an NHL-calibre player. He put up poor numbers in other Leagues as well and was basically just a Dead Puck Era goon. He really struggled after the Lockout. He was a poor skater and had no offensive ability at all.

View attachment 902034

Somehow I completely missed that he was a first round pick, and 12th overall no less. It's worth noting though that he was drafted as a defensive d-man and only really switched to forward full time when he joined the Leafs, so offense and production shouldn't be weighed as heavily for him, but you're not wrong that if he wasn't a goon he probably wouldn't have been playing at anything more than ECHL level.