The most uninspired prospect who's become a good/great player in the last 10 years

[Turin]

Bryan Rust looked like a sure bet to be a decent 4th line energy winger coming out of the NCAA and even the AHL. Becoming a legitimate top six winger never looked like it was in the cards before he hit the NHL.

 

[WADEugottaBELAKthat]

Uh, not to make you question reality or anything, but Brad Marchand never played in the Olympics…

Touché, and thanks for the correction. The 2017 World Cup was the best-on-best I was looking for.

 

[JaegerDice]

Touché, and thanks for the correction. The 2017 World Cup was the best-on-best I was looking for.

Ah, I gotcha. I honestly forgot that tournament happened.

In any case, I agree Marchand is one of the best examples of a guy that vastly outperformed his scouting report and early developmental path.

After the 2013 playoffs, I honestly thought he would be a career third liner.

 

[JaegerDice]

Homer pick.

When a young, undersized (for the time) Duncan Keith was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2002 draft, I dont think anybody that watched him in the BCHL or at Michigan thought “By god, there goes a future 2x Norris winner, 2x Olympic Gold medalist, 3x Cup winner, Conn Smythe winner and arguably the best playoff performer of his generation.”

 

[MartinS82]

Bryan Rust is a good one. Third round pick. Good but not wowing production with the US program. Spent his first two years of NCAA scoring under 20 points a season, broke out to start getting 30 but never hit ppg. Never hit even .66 points per game at the AHL. But gets into the NHL through a mix of being energetic, responsible, and right guys at the right time, climbs the depth chart, and hits a ppg season in 19-20.

This is who I thought of as well. Even when he started with the Penguins, I hoped he'd be a decent fourth line energy guy. I had him in a group with Kuhnhackle, Scott Wilson, and a few others that might be able to give a bump to the the bottom six. Turned out to be a top 6 winger.

 

[SomeDude]

All the people saying Tage were probably the same ones laughing at people like me who were saying the Sabres didn’t get completely fleeced in the ROR deal. Big guys sometimes take a bit more time to reach their full potential.

 

[markymarc1215]

Alex Burrows but that is a little over 10 years ago. Currently, I would say Palat.

 

[PettersonHughes]

Alex Burrows but that is a little over 10 years ago. Currently, I would say Palat.

Yeah Burr and also Chris Tanev came to mind, random signing out of college who became a top-pair guy in Chris.

 

[JaegerDice]

Alex Burrows but that is a little over 10 years ago. Currently, I would say Palat.

Burrows is a question mark for me because he really was a replacement level player away from the Sedins.

All the credit in the world to him for being able to mesh with those two better than the legion of names the Canucks tried before or after him, Im just not sure he’s better than his scouting report without falling into that very specific situation.

 

[God]

Burrows is a question mark for me because he really was a replacement level player away from the Sedins.

All the credit in the world to him for being able to mesh with those two better than the legion of names the Canucks tried before or after him, Im just not sure he’s better than his scouting report without falling into that very specific situation.

he was a really good bottom 6 winger who deserved the chance to play up with the sedins. definition of a hard worker: started in the QMJHL when he was 19 and didn't do that well. next year, PPG player. year after, played in the ECHL, didn't do that well. next year, PPG player. year after, played in the AHL, didn't do that well. next year, PPG player and gets his first NHL call-up.

obviously, his point totals are elevated because of the sedins, but people don't know that during his first NHL stint in 2005-06, he formed a decent line with bertuzzi and kesler. burrows' first career nhl hat trick is assisted by kesler and bertuzzi with no sedins involved.

so burrows probably isn't the most uninspiring prospect given that teams could clearly see he was improving year after year, but i really don't think it's fair to call him a replacement level player.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

Dominik Kublaik

 

[Byron Bitz]

Going further back: Patrick Sharp, James Neal

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Maybe I'm interpreting the OP wrong, but Matty Beniers.

I had little doubt he'd be a decent player, but such an uninspiring prospect. He's basically just a very good skater that tries hard all over the ice and he has moderate offense. He lacks high end vision, handling, and sense. He really can't make those elite offense plays you see from the top offensive players in the NHL, and it's been as true in the NHL as it was when he played at the NTDP.

I watched a few Kraken games this season, and this dude is running their PP. Completely fuels my view that someone has to score the points on every team in the NHL, and because it's a league of parity being the first pick of an expansion team that invests so many resources into you really does tend to pay off a lot and get the absolute most out of you as possible.

I think this post greatly undervalues Beniers skills. I had similar expectations as you but having watched him as a division rival his hockey sense and playmaking are high end. He can beat guys one on one and is just a problem solver.

 

[IComeInPeace]

Ah, sorry, my bad, he's a defenseman, lol.

I think you may have been thinking about the former 1st round pick that sucked.

Nicklas Jensen (b.1993) Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Nicklas Jensen, a hockey player from Herning, Denmark born Mar 6 1993 who was active from 2009 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

 

[wetcoast]

Still he scored 100+ points. History knows players who weren't even PPG in the CHL and became very good NHLers.

He scored over 100 points as an overager in the AHL he wasn't really a very interesting prospect.

also since you made the thread does anyone come to mind?

Milan Lucic ?

Milan Lucic Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Milan Lucic, a hockey player from Vancouver, BC born Jun 7 1988 who was active from 2004 to 2024.

www.hockeydb.com

I watched Lucic as a junior and thought that the Bruins really reached for Milan but they really did well with him and their next pick in the 2006 draft, some guy named Brad.

But then again 2006 wasn't some great deep draft either.

 

[Youngguns1380]

Gavrikov - 2015 6th round

 

[thestonedkoala]

Jared Spurgeon was a smallish defenseman that the Islanders didn't think was worth signing. Didn't have eye popping numbers in the WHL. Has carved out a long career

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Jake Muzzin

 

[ps241]

Ben Chiarot

He was drafted #120 overall in 2009. During his five year OHL career he never impressed me. He has 2 goals and 10 assists in 67 games in his draft year. I just remember him as a big body defenceman for Guelph who was not impressing at all. Finally in his overage year he broke out with 37 points in 64 games. He went on to play four seasons in the AHL with 24 ECHL games in there. Eight seasons later and he is traded for a 1st round draft pick.

You nailed it.

Having had a ringside seat to watch Ben break out in Winnipeg I think he was limited but had some good “Coach friendly” traits. Buff carried him very effectively in Winnipeg but Buff was that type of player. Ben was a mixed bag in Winnipeg and although i loved the underdog I was never a huge fan although to the point of this thread I really felt he got every last ounce out of his natural ability. He was a cap casualty in Winnpipeg but I was suprised when he went to Montreal and seemed to play well. That 1st for him was laughable and always will be. Ben has had long stretches where I feel he has probably played a bit over his head. I just always think of him as a bottom pairing guy with lots of heart that can play up in the line up effectively with the right partner.

 

[KristichBabych]

Trocheck. He was a small player but a lot of heart and good puck handling. Nobody talk about him and the chance of success we’re max 50% from a lots of scouts. He worked hard at every level and now have a good career.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Bryan Rust looked like a sure bet to be a decent 4th line energy winger coming out of the NCAA and even the AHL. Becoming a legitimate top six winger never looked like it was in the cards before he hit the NHL.

As one of his few fans as a prospect on the Pens board...yeah, pretty much this. Upside was third liner. Even when he began putting up respectable numbers in college his goals were almost all of the <5-10 foot variety that makes you hopeful of a third line future rather than a fourth, but there wasn't any aspect of his game that hinted at him being a consistent 20 goal scorer or able to flirt with a PPG level.

There's definitely players that came further out of the blue than a third rounder...but that doesn't hide the fact that Rust's ceiling was Matt Cooke without the nonesense. 15+15 and solid in all 3 zones is still decent, but certainly not the kind of prospect that sets the world on fire.

 

[Ace]

 

[Kielbasa]

Honestly I'm shocked no one has brought up Giordano yet. The arc of his career has the slowest burn:

Undrafted and about to quit hockey for business school before signing with Calgary

Plays well in the AHL and is okay in he NHL, then goes to Russia to play and is alright there too.

Comes back to Calgary a year later and stays, slowly getting better every year until he becomes a bonifide #1 defenceman and Norris winner at the age of 35.

 

[CBJx614]

We got through this many pages and no mention of Cam Atkinson?!

Undersized 6th round pick who is basically a perennial 60pt guy who is a PK specialist after essentially the entire league passing up on him.

 

[Caser]

Gavrikov - 2015 6th round

He also was voted the best D at that year's World Juniors.