Most disappointing 1st round pick ?

[Palinka]

High on this list, though often forgotten has got to be Scott Kelman.

Chosen 15th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes with the first round pick they received from Anaheim for Oleg Tverdovsky (remember, he had a couple of great years with the Ducks after this trade). Kelman regressed so poorly that Phoenix lost all interest in signing him and when he went back into the draft 2 years later he wasn't even selected.

To go from 15th overall to not even being drafted. Yikes...

Didn't the Coyotes move up to snag Kelman too? Or was that DesRochers the year before?

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

Steve Kelly.

 

[Badger Bob]

Variations on this thread topic have popped up a few times, and my answer is always the same. Dale McCourt was a #1 overall pick, and was destined for greatness. He hung around for a while, but NHL stardom didn't materialize for him, after a promising rookie season.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13606

 

[Z0S0]

AJ Thelen-12th Overall I guess he could still come around as a late bloomer since hes a defenceman but as it stands he could be considered a bust.

 

[FissionFire]

Dale McCourt.....picks like that are why we were the "Dead Things".....

 

[cbj55]

Doug Wickenhiser

 

[hfboardsuser]

Variations on this thread topic have popped up a few times, and my answer is always the same. Dale McCourt was a #1 overall pick, and was destined for greatness. He hung around for a while, but NHL stardom didn't materialize for him, after a promising rookie season.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13606

How? I don't see it. He had seasons of 72, 71, 81 and 86 points. He was over a PPG for Detroit before being traded, and did okay there too. Had a short career, absolutely, but I don't see how he was a worse #1 pick than Stefan or Lawton.

 

[FissionFire]

The 90's had some real duds for the Red Wings....
Jesse Wallin, #26 in '96 (in his defense injuries ruined his career)
Maxim Kuznetsov, #26 in '95
Yan Golubovsky, #23 in '94
Curtis Bowen, #22 in '92

They've also had quite a few lovely ones during the "Dead Things" era. Most of these weren't "busts" but they sure were very disappointing to Red Wings fans.....
Keith Primeau, #3 in '90
Kory Kocur, #17 in '88
Joe Murphy, #1 in '86
Brent Fedyk, #8 in '85
Shawn Burr, #7 in '84
Mike Blaisdell, #11 in '80
Dale McCourt, #1 in '77
Fred Williams, #4 in '76
Bill Lochead, #9 in '74
Terry Richardson, #11 in '73
Serge Lajeunesse, #12 in '70

But it's not like we couldn't see it coming since they drafted horribly well before that.....
Steve Andrascik, #11 in '68
Ron Barkwell, #9 in '67
George Forgie, #3 in '65
Claude Gauthier, #1 in '64


Fred Williams in '76 was probably the worst. As I recall the Wings decided to pass on his linemate Bernie Federko (who went 3 picks later) because the team wanted a faceoff man instead of a scorer.

 

[Passchendaele]

McCourt was a pretty good player. Scored 72 points as a rookie then had seasons of 71, 81 and 86 pts. 27 pts in 26 games the year he was traded.

 

[hfboardsuser]

The 90's had some real duds for the Red Wings....
Jesse Wallin, #26 in '96 (in his defense injuries ruined his career)
Maxim Kuznetsov, #26 in '95
Yan Golubovsky, #23 in '94
Curtis Bowen, #22 in '92

They've also had quite a few lovely ones during the "Dead Things" era. Most of these weren't "busts" but they sure were very disappointing to Red Wings fans.....
Keith Primeau, #3 in '90
Kory Kocur, #17 in '88
Joe Murphy, #1 in '86
Brent Fedyk, #8 in '85
Shawn Burr, #7 in '84
Mike Blaisdell, #11 in '80
Dale McCourt, #1 in '77
Fred Williams, #4 in '76
Bill Lochead, #9 in '74
Terry Richardson, #11 in '73
Serge Lajeunesse, #12 in '70

Funny story about Kocur: My mom worked with his wife, and they needed a sitter one night. She knew her husband had been drafted into the NHL, but didn't know much more. So I go over to their place, and what I do see in the den? A photo of him on the podium with whoever the GM was at the time.

Really nice guy, and he's the assistant coach of the local Midget AA team in my hometown. He's worked his way up honestly from Novice- he could've thrown his name around to get a better job, I bet- and he's a heck of a teacher. His sons are good kids and good players.

Good bloodlines; he's of course the cousin of Joey Kocur, and is the second cousin of Wendel Clark.

 

[pitseleh]

More of a Sam Bowie/Michael Jordan type disappointment than an outright draft disappointment, but what if the Bruins draft Brad Park instead of Barry Gibbs in 1966? Gibbs was a solid player, albeit not for the Bruins, but the thought of Orr and Park patrolling that blueline for a decade is just scary.

 

[MS]

Variations on this thread topic have popped up a few times, and my answer is always the same. Dale McCourt was a #1 overall pick, and was destined for greatness. He hung around for a while, but NHL stardom didn't materialize for him, after a promising rookie season.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13606

I dunno, McCourt was pretty much a point-per-game player on awful teams for the first 5 years of his career.

The things I've heard on McCourt remind me a bit of Daigle in some ways - off-ice things apparently really killing his love for the sport. Was awarded to LA as compensation for the signing of Rogie Vachon and spent an entire season fighting that ruling, and apparently that really affected him. Then was traded a couple times and ended up on a godawful Leaf team in his final year.

And even in his last season he was still a 50-point player. He was an excellent player ... his career was just 5 years shorter than it should have been. Averaged 70 points/season over a 7-year career.

 

[FissionFire]

McCourt was a pretty good player. Scored 72 points as a rookie then had seasons of 71, 81 and 86 pts. 27 pts in 26 games the year he was traded.

I dunno, McCourt was pretty much a point-per-game player on awful teams for the first 5 years of his career.

The things I've heard on McCourt remind me a bit of Daigle in some ways - off-ice things apparently really killing his love for the sport. Was awarded to LA as compensation for the signing of Rogie Vachon and spent an entire season fighting that ruling, and apparently that really affected him. Then was traded a couple times and ended up on a godawful Leaf team in his final year.

And even in his last season he was still a 50-point player. He was an excellent player ... his career was just 5 years shorter than it should have been. Averaged 70 points/season over a 7-year career.

Still, this thread isn't about the worst players but the most disappointing. For Red Wings fans Dale McCourt was a huge disappointment. Definitely up there with Fred Williams and Keith Primeau as one of the biggest.

 

[hfboardsuser]

That still doesn't make any sense. Patrik Stefan has to be the most disappointing; he was the very first pick in the history of the franchise!

 

[MS]

Still, this thread isn't about the worst players but the most disappointing. For Red Wings fans Dale McCourt was a huge disappointment. Definitely up there with Fred Williams and Keith Primeau as one of the biggest.

I really don't see how he was *that* disappointing.

In 4 full seasons he led the team in scoring 3 times. His last 2 seasons with the club he had 86 and 81 points, and had 27 points in 26 games the season he was traded. He was pretty clearly an elite player for that club.

Now, he didn't turn them into a contender, but that really wasn't his fault. That team was just brutally managed at the time. And the Vachon thing wasn't really his fault either.

Nor is it his fault that the trade to get rid of him turned out to be an *awful* one for Detroit, in which they added Mike Foligno as well.

In the grand scheme of things, a #1 overall pick who averages about 80 points/season in 4+ years for the team that drafted him really isn't all that disappointing. He probably should have been a bit better, and should have had a longer career, but in a thread filled with Lawtons and Stefans and Wickenheisers he isn't even close.

I can see where you're coming from because he did have something of an unfulfilled career with Detroit compared to what was expected of him as a rookie, but to me it's a long ways away from a lot of the other guys being listed here. I could likewise list Petr Nedved as a huge disappointment for the Canucks, but in the bigger picture ... it really wasn't that bad.

____________

Will mention Jim Sandlak, though.

#4 overall in the '85 draft, dominated at the 1986 WJCs (named tourney top forward), was probably the best power-forward prospect in the game in the mid-1980s.

His development was the reason Vancouver traded Cam Neely - they had two young power-forward RWs, and the consensus at the time was that Sandlak was going to be a better player, and that made Neely expendable in a trade for a skill center.

Unfortunately Sandlak could rarely put his game together to be the player he should have been, and topped out at 40 points. 3rd-liner for most of his career.

 

[Badger Bob]

To those of you who were disputing Dale McCourt, the numbers don't not tell the whole story. Potting 30 goals a season on a featured scoring line during that era was not a major accomplishment. Let me reiterate: greatness was projected/expected of him. He was drafted to extremely high expectations, as in franchise player status. Things didn't turn out as planned.

Whether it was being part of a poor team (at the time) or off-ice distractions, that was the problem, he didn't suffer from career-ending injury problems and was offered a change of scenary. The Sabres were among the top teams until Scotty Bowman dismantled them, but Mike Foligno turned out to be the much more valuable acquistion. McCourt became a journeyman and ultimately landed in the Swiss league. Considering what his performance in junior suggested, his pro career has to be regarded as a huge disappointment for not fulfilling the tremendous potential.

 

[Burner Account]

Patrik Stefan.

 

[Mark Stones Spleen]

Alexander Faigle.

 

[nerdman60]

Terry Ryan , Montreal. Rejean Houle made some bad picks and he was the worst.

 

[FissionFire]

To those of you who were disputing Dale McCourt, the numbers don't not tell the whole story. Potting 30 goals a season on a featured scoring line during that era was not a major accomplishment. Let me reiterate: greatness was projected/expected of him. He was drafted to extremely high expectations, as in franchise player status. Things didn't turn out as planned.

Whether it was being part of a poor team (at the time) or off-ice distractions, that was the problem, he didn't suffer from career-ending injury problems and was offered a change of scenary. The Sabres were among the top teams until Scotty Bowman dismantled them, but Mike Foligno turned out to be the much more valuable acquistion. McCourt became a journeyman and ultimately landed in the Swiss league. Considering what his performance in junior suggested, his pro career has to be regarded as a huge disappointment for not fulfilling the tremendous potential.

Dale McCourt was supposed to be Steve Yzerman for the Wings. He was supposed to have that type of impact on the franchise. His on-ice play wasn't very impressive during a high-scoring era. 80 points in a time when 100+ point seasons were common? Big downer.

 

[Badger Bob]

Dale McCourt was supposed to be Steve Yzerman for the Wings. He was supposed to have that type of impact on the franchise. His on-ice play wasn't very impressive during a high-scoring era. 80 points in a time when 100+ point seasons were common? Big downer.

Exactly. He was projected to be elite superstar, Canada Cup level. Not achieving fulfilling the potential is the epitome of disappointing. Those who are arguing the point are kids who weren't even born when McCourt entered the league. They just scan stat sheets and mumble, "but, he was a PPG player for some of those years..." as if that gives any kind of impressive accomplishment. Then we get names like Falloon & Stefan listed?

My uncle was living in St. Catherines at the time, and he used to tell my dad how great Dale McCourt was going to become. All of his Ontario League and Jr. B action had been within the Niagara Peninsula. McCourt was rock star level entering the draft. That's how much hype accompanied him.

His awards from Juniors:

OMJHL First All-Star Team (1976, 1977)
Memorial Cup Tournament All-Star Team (1976)
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup Tournament MVP) (1976)
WJC-A All-Star Team (1977)
Named Best Forward at WJC-A (1977)
OMJHL MVP (1977)
Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year (1977)

Then, all of his NHL teams were within 3 1/2 hours of home. Although it's probably true that the court preceedings took a toll on him, he continued to play pro hockey. So, the OP who tried to make the comparison with Daigle is off the mark. Not sure if other off-ice distractions affected McCourt, but during that era, plenty of star players enjoyed the night life and performed on the ice.

 

[Hockeynomad]

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

I remember seeing Robin Sadler at 31 playing as a member of Austrian team at 1988 Calgary Olympics.

 

[Steveorama]

This topic is torture to Canuck fans everywhere, but I'll take a shot!

Dan Woodley (7th overall)
*Alek Stojanov (7th)
Jason Herter (8th)
Josh Holden (12th)
Shawn Antoski (18th)
Libor Polasek (21st)
Nathan Smith (23rd)

*thank you, Pittsburgh, for saving our ***** here

Patrick White, 25th overall in 2007, looks well on his way to joining this elite group! (12 points in 58 NCAA games for an "offensive" centre)

 

[Steelhead16]

pat falloon & brett lindros

Finally. Thought I was going to have to add that one myself.

 

[SJGoalie32]

Riihjarvi was, if I remember correctly, a case of the Sharks trying to outsmart everyone by jumping on a major project at an early slot. The only problem was that no one else was even looking at him until a heck of a lot later in the draft.

It really was more of just an atrociously historically abominable pick than he was a "disappointment." But since his name came up....

TR was a right winger selected 1st round, 12th Overall in the 1995 NHL Draft; the first of six Finnish players drafted by the Sharks that year. The #11 pick in that draft went to Jarome Iginla, the #13 pick went to Jean-Sebastian Giguere. Of all the players picked in the 1995 draft Riihijarvi was the only one never to play an NHL game.

Teemu played in the Finnish League, recording just 2 goals and 1 assist in 26 games over two seasons prior to his draft. In the 10 years following his draft, he never recorded more than 8 goals or 18 points in any FNL season, and for his career has zero points in 24 career Finnish league playoff games.

Another interesting note about the Sharks 1995 draft: of the 12 players selected that year, 9 of them never saw a single game of NHL action--including all of the Sharks picks in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rounds.

The only Sharks 1995 draftees to ever see any NHL in action:

-Vesa Toskala (4th round)
-Miikka Kiprusoff (5th round)
-Ryan Kraft (8th round): 1 assist in 7 career games