Ranking the 9 Worst Draft Busts in NHL History

It’s never fun to have a terrible season, but at least NHL teams can take solace knowing they’ll land a game-changing prospect in the subsequent NHL draft. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

Not every NHL prospect will turn out like Alex Ovechkin or Connor McDavid. These prospects may have had those expectations, but they proved to be NHL draft busts.

Which high prospects failed to live up to the hype? We look at the nine worst NHL draft picks of all time.

The NHL draft has been around since 1963, so everyone was still learning about the process in 1964. It might not be fair to label anyone from this draft a bust, but No. 1 overall pick Claude Gauthier makes the list.

Gauthier hasn’t many stats, but he played for a midget team in Quebec. The Detroit Red Wings must’ve liked what they saw because they selected him with the top pick.

He remained with the St. Jerome Alouettes for the 1966-67 season. Thankfully, we can show you his statistics from that season.

• 19 games played
• 15 goals
• 15 assists
• 30 points

It wouldn’t seem like 30 points in 19 games is a bad mark. However, one of the worst picks in NHL draft history is that Gauthier never played in the NHL.

That wasn’t unheard of in this era, as only nine of the 24 players in the 1964 NHL draft played in the NHL. Gauthier was the top pick, so he stands out as the original NHL draft bust.

This was an era when scouting wasn’t a big thing. Perhaps they could’ve used this guide on what scouts look for in NHL prospects.

The early days of the NHL draft weren’t up to today’s standards. However, there was hope the NHL would turn the corner after a successful 1966 NHL draft. That all went away with the 1967 NHL draft.

Rick Pagnutti had five years of experience in the North Ontario Junior Hockey Association. His 1966-67 season was the best, as he had 30 goals, 50 assists, and 80 points. The Los Angeles Kings selected him No. 1 overall.

Like Claude Gauthier, going No. 1 overall was the highlight of his NHL career. He was one of the biggest NHL draft busts because he never played in the NHL. In fact, only three draft picks in the 1967 draft played in the league.

Pagnutti carved out a solid career in the hockey minor leagues. He won Defensive Player of the Year in the IHL in 1972. Check out his numbers.

• 13 goals
• 45 assists
• 58 points

It’s a shame he never played in the NHL because he showed star potential in the minor leagues. It’s hard to believe he wouldn’t have at least carved out a solid NHL career. We wouldn’t consider him an NHL draft bust.

The Washington Capitals joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1974. Washington used the No. 1 pick to select defenseman Greg Joly. In his final season, Joly posted impressive numbers in the WHL, with 92 points.

Joly failed to make an impact in his rookie season. He only recorded one goal and seven assists in 44 games. He also posted a minus-69 mark on a Washington team that only won eight of their 80 games.

On this date in 1975, Pens beat Capitals at home, 12-1. Pens with 65 shots. Washington D Greg Joly was -9, which scarcely seems believable.

— Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) March 15, 2018

He improved the following season, recording eight goals and 17 assists. However, Washington realized he would never live up to the hype. They traded him to the Detroit Red Wings ahead of the 1976-77 season.

Joly could’ve shaken the label of NHL draft bust with the Red Wings but never made an impact. Joly spent the remainder of his career in Detroit, bouncing back and forth between the NHL and AHL.

His best season in the NHL featured seven goals, 20 assists, and 27 points. That’s enough to consider him one of the biggest busts in NHL draft history.

Maybe the worst thing about his career was his minus-165. His struggles extended well beyond his lack of goals and assists.

It doesn’t take an NHL fan to know Patrik Stefan has one of the biggest blunders in NHL history. However, he was a disappointment from the start of his NHL career.

The Atlanta Thrashers made Stefan the No. 1 overall pick of the 1999 NHL draft. Atlanta was an expansion team, and they were counting on Stefan to be the face of their franchise. Ultimately, that never materialized.

On this day in 1999, the @Canucks take the Sedins, Henrik and Daniel, with the 2nd & 3rd overall picks in the NHL Entry Draft. While the #1 pick to the Thrashers (Patrik Stefan) will struggle in the NHL, the Sedins go on to HOF-calibre careers + set several VAN franchise records pic.twitter.com/q1ugK9lslc

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) June 26, 2021

Stefan played in 72 games his rookie season but only recorded five goals and 20 assists. His numbers improved in 2000-01, but he wasn’t playing at the level of a No. 1 overall pick.

He spent six seasons with the Thrashers. Stefan posted 14 goals, 26 assists, and 40 points in the 2003-04 season. Those are solid numbers for a role player, but that marked his career-high. That was very disappointing for a player we expected to be a star.

Stefan spent his final season in the NHL with the Dallas Stars. He only recorded 11 points and, of course, failed to score while inches from a wide-open net.

It was one of the worst NHL draft mistakes for Atlanta. They could’ve selected one of the Sedin twins, who went No. 2 and No. 3 overall.

In three straight NHL drafts, the Edmonton Oilers held the No. 1 overall pick. They landed a pair of quality prospects in 2010 and 2011, but things didn’t work out with Nail Yakupov in 2012.

The 2012-13 season involved a lockout, so Yakupov started the season in the KHL. He played 48 games with Edmonton and produced solid numbers as a rookie.

• 17 goals
• 14 assists
• 31 points

It wasn’t anything special, but Yakupov didn’t look like one of the worst NHL draft picks. Unfortunately, that turned out to be the best season of his career. He played three more seasons with the Oilers, never recording over 35 points.

Yakupov couldn’t build off a solid rookie season. The Oilers traded him to the St. Louis Blues for the 2016-17 season. He only lasted one season in St. Louis, recording nine points in 40 games. Yakupov played one more season before going to the KHL.

If there’s any solace for the Oilers, none of the top 10 picks in the 2012 NHL draft became stars. Still, it must be disappointing to have one of the worst picks in NHL draft history.

Rick DiPietro is the lone goalie to make the biggest NHL draft busts list. The New York Islanders already had a young goalie in Roberto Luongo, but they moved him to draft DiPietro.

DiPietro was a standout performer at World Junior Champions and Boston College, but New York’s decision to select him and trade Luongo is one of the biggest mistakes in NHL history.

He had a rough rookie season, going 3-15 with a 3.49 goals-against average. DiPietro showed some promise, but his biggest issue was staying healthy. He only played 50+ games twice in his first six seasons. DiPietro suffered one of the most common hockey injuries.

His status as a bust goes well beyond his play. The Islanders made the terrible decision to give him a big contract in 2006.

On this day in 2006, the Islanders signed Rick DiPietro to a 15-year, $67.5 million deal #Hockey365 #Isles pic.twitter.com/Ymn6jYtQOz

— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) September 12, 2021

He put up decent numbers in his first two seasons after signing the deal, but that was it. From the 2008-09 to 2012-13 season, DiPietro played a combined 50 games. That’s an average of 10 games per season.

Honestly, the decision to pay him was worse than the draft pick. New York had to do a buyout that would pay DiPietro until 2029.

Sometimes, the writing is on the wall that a highly-touted prospect won’t live up to the hype. The Boston Bruins failed to see that with Gord Kluzak.

Kluzak put up impressive numbers in the WHL, but he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss part of his final season. However, that didn’t stop the Bruins from selecting him No. 1 overall. That turned out to be a poor decision.

He still managed to play 70 games in his rookie season, but how does one goal and six assists sound? Sounds like one of the biggest NHL draft busts. The 1983-84 season ended up being the best of his career.

• 10 goals
• 27 assists
• 37 points

He missed the entire 1984-85 season but returned to post a career-high 39 points in 1985-86. He followed that up with a solid season, but injuries effectively ended his career.

Kluzak played a combined 13 games in his final three seasons with the Bruins. His knee injuries forced him to retire.

Honestly, Kluzak didn’t have terrible numbers when healthy. They weren’t up to the standard of a No. 1 pick, but they were serviceable. Injuries are the primary reason he’s an NHL draft bust.

Brian Lawton made history as the first American-born player to go No. 1 overall in the NHL draft. Unfortunately, that’s probably the highlight of his NHL career.

The Minnesota North Stars made the historical selection in the 1983 NHL draft. Lawton had a very respectable 10 goals, 21 assists, and 31 points in his rookie season. He split time between the NHL and AHL in the 1984-85 season.

Lawton had three straight seasons with 35+ points. It’s not terrible, but it’s much less than you’d expect from the No. 1 overall pick. He spent seven more seasons in the NHL but only cleared 30 points once.

This selection isn’t as much about his numbers but who went directly behind Lawton in the 1983 NHL draft.

• No. 2: Sylvain Turgeon (All-Star)
• No. 3: Pat LaFontaine (Hall of Fame)
• No. 4 Steve Yzerman (Hall of Fame)
• No. 5: Tom Barrasso (All-Star)
• No. 6: John MacLean (All-Star)
• No. 7: Russ Courtnall (All-Star)

All six players made the all-star game at least once, while Pat LaFontaine and Steve Yzerman were Hall of Famers. That was a tough pill to swallow for the Minnesota North Stars.

Every few years, a prospect comes along that everyone proclaims the next face of the league. Alexandre Daigle was that player in the 1993 NHL draft. The Ottawa Senators turned down multiple trades to keep the No. 1 pick. They made the obvious pick, selecting Daigle.

Daigle produced impressive numbers as a rookie, recording 20 goals, 31 assists, and 51 points. Unfortunately, that was the height of his NHL career.

He lasted four more seasons with the Senators, recording over 40 points once. Ottawa sent him to the Philadelphia Flyers ahead of the 1997-98 season. Daigle had one last solid season with the Minnesota Wild, but that was the only time he did anything outside of Ottawa.

#FlowFriday Chris Gratton (3rd overall) Chris Pronger (2nd overall) and Alexandre Daigle (1st overall) from the 1993 NHL Draft in Quebec, scene of the famous Daigle line “I’m glad I got drafted first, because no one remembers number two” pic.twitter.com/81Oe2faqvA

— Vintage Hockey Showcase (@hockey_vintage) January 28, 2022

Daigle was so thankful for going No. 1 overall because “no one remembers number two.” Well, the No. 2 pick in the 1993 NHL draft was none other than Hall of Famer Chris Pronger.

Everyone remembers Daigle as one of the worst NHL draft picks. He didn’t produce terrible numbers, but the hype made him the next great NHL star. Daigle came nowhere near those expectations.

The NHL draft isn’t like other sports because we don’t often see players come straight from college. Many players will play professionally in another country. It seems like scouts have had a much easier time avoiding busts in the 21st century. Nail Yakupov is the only player since 2001 to make my top NHL draft busts.

It would’ve been a mistake to bet on these players, but bettors can aim to earn a profit with the best hockey betting sites.

The NHL isn’t the only sport to have draft busts. Take a look at the biggest NFL and NBA draft busts.