Most disappointing 1st round pick ?

[Big Phil]

Rico Fata. Just because he was drafted ahead of guys like Gagne, Tanguay, Regehr, Gomez etc. He was so fast out there, faster than almost anyone we have ever seen. And while his skills could never keep up with his feet, I always thought there would always be a place in the NHL for him just based on his skating ability alone. He was good in the '99 WJC. But he never panned out and he's one of the first I could think of

Also '97 had some brutal ones. Stefan Cherneski never really got that chance since he had to retire from concussions (?)

But others in that year like J-F Damphousse, Daniel Tkaczuk, Michel Riesen, Matt Zultek, Ty Jones, Mike Brown and Kevin Grimes. If you havent heard of any of these guys, that is my point

 

[MS]

I've gotta give this one to Jack Valiquette... Selected by the Leafs in the 1st round in 1974.... 13th overall....in his only year in the OHA he racked up 63 goals and 72 helpers in 69 games for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, but Valiquette's promising career with the Leafs just never happened.

Really?

Valiquette might have been a disappointment, but he still played several years in the league and put up a couple 25-goal, 50-point seasons. In fact, you could argue his career turned out better than 3 of the top 5 players out of that 1974 draft, and he was taken 13th. Not even close to one of the biggest disappointments ever, or even of his draft year.

__________

Given the hype and the obvious ability he had, Daigle has to be right up there. Should've been a star, just didn't have the head/heart for it.

Ryan Sittler is the most atrocious player ever taken with a top-10 pick. Interesting article posted earlier in this thread where he blames injuries, but the fact of the matter is that he turned in a 2-goal rookie season complete with an ECHL demotion before the injury problems he was talking about occurred. Just a godawful pick based solely on his last name. Similar thing happened with Alexander Kharlamov, who also was taken ridiculously early because of his bloodlines.

 

[Passchendaele]

patrick stefan

Stefan was an NHL player for almost a decade. I wouldn't even call him a bust. And IIRC, nobody expected him to become a superstar.

 

[Passchendaele]

Apparantly Sadler looked like the real deal. They were comparing him to a young Robinson. Just didn't enjoy playing hockey.

Sadler did enjoy playing hockey. What he didn't like thought, is the pressure.

 

[MS]

Sadler did enjoy playing hockey. What he didn't like thought, is the pressure.

From what I've read, it sounds like Sadler had a lot of the same anxiety/nerves issues that Brian Fogarty did, which were amplified by the pressures of playing professional hockey. Dealing with it by quitting hockey is obviously a lot healthier than drowning yourself in alcohol, though.

 

[cynicism]

And IIRC, nobody expected him to become a superstar.

I'm not so sure about that...


Jeff Ware. Nepotism at its best.

 

[brianscot]

One perspective of Boston's first round debacles:

LW - Rob Cimetta - 16 career goals after a solid junior career in the OHL.

C - Clayton Pachal - 2 career goals, taken over Brian Sutter or Reed Larson.

RW - Shayne Stevenson - zero NHL goals in a good draft year (1989)

D - Jonathan Aitken - 8th overall, 44 career NHL games, only 3 with Boston.

D - Lars Jonsson - 7th overall, can't be signed, and then the Flyers can't get him past the AHL.

G - The immortal Evgeni Ryabchikov - zero NHL games.

 

[Space Herpe]

I don't think any needs to look further than my NY Islanders.

Duncan MacPherson-20th overall- Zero NHL games
Dean Chynoweth-17th overall-241 games, 22 points
Kevin Cheveldayoff-16th overall-Zero NHL games
Dave Chyzowski-2nd overall-126 games, 31 points
Scott Scissons-6th overall-2 NHL games, Zero points
Brett Lindros-9th overall-51 NHL games, 7 points
Michael Rupp-9th overall-263 games, 44 points


Trading Luongo to draft Rick DP.

 

[SChan*]

maybe stamkos

 

[cynicism]

maybe stamkos

 

[SChan*]

in the future that is, not now.

 

[tony d]

Hugh Jessiman. The 2003 draft was one of the best in recent memory. All the 1st round picks from that draft have played in the NHL except for him. I bet the Rangers are kicking themselves for picking this guy.

 

[justsomeguy]

he didn't dissappoint as much as he broke hearts...

poor *******

If broken hearts don't count as major disappointments.....

Fogarty was supposed to make us forget all about Bobby Orr

 

[kdfsjljklgjfg]

Alexandre Daigle

 

[Ender]

First guy that came to mine for me was Teemu Riihijarvi. Shark's drafted him #12 in '95. Never came to NA... I don't even know why he was drafted that high really...

 

[RabbinsDuck]

I have always been suprised Fogarty was drafted as low as he was. You would think a defenseman who blew by all of Orr's junior records would be a no-brainer for the number one pick. I think it is clear his anxieties were already becoming known by a lot of those within the hockey world. Jimmy Devellano has a quote where he took Fogarty out to dinner and the kid was so nervous the whole time that he knew he would never draft him.

 

[camarodude39]

Alexandre Daigle

I'm surprised he hasnt been talked about in this thread more than two times. I have always considered him the standard when evaluating a bust. Man, what a waste of talent.

 

[Shredder]

I have always been suprised Fogarty was drafted as low as he was. You would think a defenseman who blew by all of Orr's junior records would be a no-brainer for the number one pick. I think it is clear his anxieties were already becoming known by a lot of those within the hockey world. Jimmy Devellano has a quote where he took Fogarty out to dinner and the kid was so nervous the whole time that he knew he would never draft him.

Fogarty's monster season came at age 19 and when the other top players on that Thunders team were also 19-20 years old. He "only" scored 70 points in 56 games in his draft year. Obviously very good, but hardly earth-shattering. His 155 point season didn't happen until two years later and on a team that scored 6.2 goals per game.

In comparison, Orr established his records when he was 17. At the age Fogarty was putting the finishing touches on his OHL resume, Orr won his first Norris Trophy...

- - -

As for this thread, the Hawks would like to submit their fantastic haul from the 2000 draft:

10th overall: Mikhail Yakubov
11th overall: Pavel Vorobiev

Fannnntastic.

 

[EpochLink]

Winnipeg Jets first ever first round pick was Jimmy Mann, John Ferguson Sr. thought he would develop into a good power forward but he never panned out...he was just a goon. What's ironic about this pick was that Quebec had their first ever first round pick and they got future Hall of Famer Michel Goulet

EPIC FAIL

 

[RabbinsDuck]

Fogarty's monster season came at age 19 and when the other top players on that Thunders team were also 19-20 years old. He "only" scored 70 points in 56 games in his draft year. Obviously very good, but hardly earth-shattering. His 155 point season didn't happen until two years later and on a team that scored 6.2 goals per game.

In comparison, Orr established his records when he was 17. At the age Fogarty was putting the finishing touches on his OHL resume, Orr won his first Norris Trophy...

Thanks! The proper perspective on the timeline makes a lot of sense.
The story of Fogarty has always interested (and saddened) me.

Now I almost wonder if it would have helped him to go pro sooner. Probably not, that kid just sounds like he was doomed from the get-go. Might have been better for him if he did not have such an amazing talent.

 

[Big Phil]

Stefan was an NHL player for almost a decade. I wouldn't even call him a bust. And IIRC, nobody expected him to become a superstar.

The Hockey News had high hopes for him. In fact he was once touted as a potential 100 point man by them. Sounds like a superstar to me.


By the way can't believe no one has said this yet.............Danny Geoffrion? 8th overall in 1978. Played basically two seasons. Had 0 goals in his rookie campaign. If his name is Danny Smith is he any better than a 4th round pick?

 

[Teemu]

Every Blackhawks 1st rounder from 1989 until 2003 (with the minor exception of Dean McAmmond). What an unbelievable period of draft futility.

 

[TheProspector]

Wade Belak FTW.

 

[CapsChemist]

Fogarty's monster season came at age 19 and when the other top players on that Thunders team were also 19-20 years old. He "only" scored 70 points in 56 games in his draft year. Obviously very good, but hardly earth-shattering. His 155 point season didn't happen until two years later and on a team that scored 6.2 goals per game.

In comparison, Orr established his records when he was 17. At the age Fogarty was putting the finishing touches on his OHL resume, Orr won his first Norris Trophy...

- - -

As for this thread, the Hawks would like to submit their fantastic haul from the 2000 draft:

10th overall: Mikhail Yakubov
11th overall: Pavel Vorobiev

Fannnntastic.

Whats the deal with Vorobiev? I remember him scoring 10 goals in 20 games a few seasons ago and then he got demoted to the AHL.

Why did he get demoted and is he in the KHL now?

 

[drew1234]

Fogarty's monster season came at age 19 and when the other top players on that Thunders team were also 19-20 years old. He "only" scored 70 points in 56 games in his draft year. Obviously very good, but hardly earth-shattering. His 155 point season didn't happen until two years later and on a team that scored 6.2 goals per game.

In comparison, Orr established his records when he was 17. At the age Fogarty was putting the finishing touches on his OHL resume, Orr won his first Norris Trophy...

- - -

As for this thread, the Hawks would like to submit their fantastic haul from the 2000 draft:

10th overall: Mikhail Yakubov
11th overall: Pavel Vorobiev

Fannnntastic.

well look at that year. they really could of done much better.

7th: Lars Jonsson
8th: Nikita Alexeev
9th: Brett Krahn
...
12th: Alexei Smirnov
14th Vaclav Nedorost
15th: Artem Kryukov
Marcel Hossa 16, Alexi Mikhnov.


Not sure why soo many russians were selected that year.. but they all busted.