Guys who never got a chance in the NHL

[crobro]

The Hiti Brithers from Yugoslavia

Doru Toreanu from Romania

 

[Leafs87]

I think Jeremy Williams deserved more of a look

 

[blood gin]

Hegen perhaps, I don't see Draisaitl. Draisaitl was always good but never the standout player. But when we are talking about Germans, Gerd Truntschka would have been a goodie. Was drafted, but never played a game in NA. I don't know why. An absolute fantastic playmaker.

He wasn't the biggest guy but I think he was someone who could've stuck in the league if he came over. Could be that he attended a training camp and just outright didn't like it in America

 

[a79krgm]

Taro Tsujimoto - "The Pride of Tokyo" Once highly regarded by Punch Imlach, but never got his due. Drafted by Buffalo in 1974 (selected ahead of future cup winners Dave Lumley and Stefan Persson)

THE LEGEND OF TARO TSUJIMOTO

 

[crobro]

Jiri Dudacek
Tretiak
Dale Derkatch
Miles Zaharko
Shane Driscoll
Taylor hall(80’s version)

 

[Sanf]

The Hiti Brithers from Yugoslavia

Doru Toreanu from Romania

These are hard to figure.

Tureanu did not exactly dominate the B pool of WHC level. That would be expected if he would have been NHL level player? There are some quotes and stories about him, but I don´t know if his level of play is myth or was he real thing. There is so little footage of him so it´s difficult to say.

Hiti brothers. Bit of same case. Not really standouts statistically. And there was nothing to stop them to play in NA (atleast to my knowledge). To my knowledge Rudi Hiti was given contract by LA Sharks of WHA. They were really expecting to came to play for them. But Hiti never came.

Jiri Dudacek
Tretiak
Dale Derkatch
Miles Zaharko
Shane Driscoll
Taylor hall(80’s version)

Derkatch is interesting one. Everybody considerd him too small to NHL. He did put impressive numbers in WHL. Oilers seemed to be the only one who believe in him. They offered him a contract atleast in 1984 and 1985. Derkatch considered the salary too small compared to similar players and left to Europe to get better paycheck. So in a way it was a case of Oilers giving him some sort of chance, but Derkatch didn´t believe that it was really a serious one.

 

[Tarantula]

Taro Tsujimoto - "The Pride of Tokyo" Once highly regarded by Punch Imlach, but never got his due. Drafted by Buffalo in 1974 (selected ahead of future cup winners Dave Lumley and Stefan Persson)

THE LEGEND OF TARO TSUJIMOTO

I guess he was a player like you have never seen before.

 

[Gilles Meloche]

Rob Hisey...

Rob Hisey (b.1984) Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Another small player with outstanding hands and vision that would thrive in today's NHL.

 

[Passchendaele]

Derkatch is interesting one. Everybody considerd him too small to NHL. He did put impressive numbers in WHL. Oilers seemed to be the only one who believe in him. They offered him a contract atleast in 1984 and 1985. Derkatch considered the salary too small compared to similar players and left to Europe to get better paycheck. So in a way it was a case of Oilers giving him some sort of chance, but Derkatch didn´t believe that it was really a serious one.

That sounds dumb as hell to be honest.

Here's a chance to join a dynasty and play with Wayne Gretzky and throw it all away for a few bucks.

If he were a legit top-talent, he would have made his money eventually. I'd be surprised if he isn't having any regrets to this day.

 

[hypereconomist]

I agree with the mention of Toni Rajala. Small, but did well during his time in North America and had good all-around skill. Could have been a skilled second-line type if given a chance and is certainly better than any current Oiler forward not named Draisaitl, RNH, or McDavid.

Linus Klasen deserves a mention. Really small, but speedy and silky smooth hands. Would have been interesting to see if he was cut out for the NHL if he wasn't stuck on the fairly deep, Trotz-coached Preds while he was in North America.

 

[skeena1]

Lasse Oksanen. Played almost 300 games for Finland. The trophy given annually to the outstanding regular season player in Finland is named after him. He made a very brief appearance at the first ever Vancouver Canucks training camp but went home.

 

[Hextallent63]

Todd Bergen, 85 flyers. He tore it up in limited regular season and I believe killed in the playoffs. Got in Keenans doghouse and pissed off Bobby Clarke. Does anyone remember seeing him play or have any Insight on how good he was?

 

[Torspo21]

Lasse Oksanen. Played almost 300 games for Finland. The trophy given annually to the outstanding regular season player in Finland is named after him. He made a very brief appearance at the first ever Vancouver Canucks training camp but went home.

Oksanen was offered a contract by the Canucks, but he was running his own gas-station in Tampere, and figured he makes more money with it than what the Canucks would had paid.

 

[sr edler]

Linus Klasen deserves a mention. Really small, but speedy and silky smooth hands. Would have been interesting to see if he was cut out for the NHL if he wasn't stuck on the fairly deep, Trotz-coached Preds while he was in North America.

Klasen is Huselius and Nylander light. Not really as good, plus smaller. He's the antithesis to a player like Arvidsson, who has succeeded with the Predators.

 

[El Cohiba]

Pavel Rosa
Kirill Koltsov
Igor Grigorenko (car accident)
Igor Makarov (impressed me in pre-season games I saw with the Hawks)
Pavel Vorobiev (brief chance, played decent)

Guys who I thought would be players that peaked early and never got a chance:
Shane McColgan--insane minor hockey player, thought he'd turn into something. Never cracked the NHL
John McFarland--same

Guys who played a number of games but didn't really get a chance in my opinion
Chris Conner--I think he had the skill to turn into a top 6 forward
Robby Fabbri-- freaking injuries

 

[El Cohiba]

Rob Hisey...

Rob Hisey (b.1984) Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Another small player with outstanding hands and vision that would thrive in today's NHL.

I remember him. He pulled the Schremp before it became the Schremp. Absolutely filthy hands

 

[YEM]

Todd Bergen, 85 flyers. He tore it up in limited regular season and I believe killed in the playoffs. Got in Keenans doghouse and pissed off Bobby Clarke. Does anyone remember seeing him play or have any Insight on how good he was?

“Who am I gonna trade him for - Lee Trevino?"

 

[Hextallent63]

“Who am I gonna trade him for - Lee Trevino?"

Hahaha

 

[crobro]

Steven Anthony was rated 1b to Crosby 1b in midget hockey

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

Jonathan Hedström

I don’t think it was that he didn’t get a chance, if I remember it correctly, it was his own decision to return to Sweden.

Hedström started suffering from eating disorders and depression during his year in the NHL, I think he himself opted back to Sweden to deal with his demons with some pressure lifted off his back. Though back in Luleå he had to play with the expectations of a former NHLer/go-to star on the team, and a GM that had zero understanding for his type of problems, so it didn’t get better just yet.

He wrote a book about his life.

 

[NyQuil]

Corey Locke was one of those guys who seemingly produced everywhere he went but could never stick in the NHL for more than a couple of games.

Obviously he played for a number of different NHL organizations so you could argue he had his chances.

CHL First Team All-Star - 2004 CHL Player of the Year - 2003 CHL Top Scorer Award - 2003 First Team All-Star - 2003 OHL Red Tilson Trophy - 2004 Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy - 2004 First Team All-Star - 2004 Red Tilson Trophy - 2003 Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy - 2003 First Team All-Star - 2003

AHL Calder Cup Champion - 2007, 2011 Second Team All-Star - 2010 Hamilton Bulldogs career points leader (229) Hamilton Bulldogs career goals leader (85) Hamilton Bulldogs career assists leader (144) First All-Star Team - 2011 Les Cunningham Award - MVP 2011

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Big Phil]

Did someone, maybe me, already say Lonny Bohonos? I just can't fathom what happened with him. 9 points in 9 playoff games for the Leafs in 1999. Then he's gone. It reminds me of say, in the NFL, whoever had Doug Flutie as their quarterback was just waiting for the chance to say they were cutting him and I never understood why. Pat Quinn had a stubbornness about this sort of thing that bothered me. Bohonos was a skilled player who was a shade under 6'0". He basically ignored Steve Sullivan in the same way and guess how that turned out. How is it someone else didn't give Bohonos a chance?

 

[LeProspector]

Corey Locke was one of those guys who seemingly produced everywhere he went but could never stick in the NHL for more than a couple of games.

Obviously he played for a number of different NHL organizations so you could argue he had his chances.

CHL First Team All-Star - 2004 CHL Player of the Year - 2003 CHL Top Scorer Award - 2003 First Team All-Star - 2003 OHL Red Tilson Trophy - 2004 Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy - 2004 First Team All-Star - 2004 Red Tilson Trophy - 2003 Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy - 2003 First Team All-Star - 2003

AHL Calder Cup Champion - 2007, 2011 Second Team All-Star - 2010 Hamilton Bulldogs career points leader (229) Hamilton Bulldogs career goals leader (85) Hamilton Bulldogs career assists leader (144) First All-Star Team - 2011 Les Cunningham Award - MVP 2011

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Came here to say this

He was small and wasn’t a good skater. Terrible combination for an NHL player.

 

[crobro]

Paul Gardner

Tom Reid(Vancouver minor hockey legend for Riley Park) rumour has it cause he was Black no junior team was brave enough to sign him)

Pekka Rautakallio

Tony Currie

 

[Hobnobs]

I don’t think it was that he didn’t get a chance, if I remember it correctly, it was his own decision to return to Sweden.

Hedström started suffering from eating disorders and depression during his year in the NHL, I think he himself opted back to Sweden to deal with his demons with some pressure lifted off his back. Though back in Luleå he had to play with the expectations of a former NHLer/go-to star on the team, and a GM that had zero understanding for his type of problems, so it didn’t get better just yet.

He wrote a book about his life.

Thats exactly why he didnt get a chance. He was hounded and bullied by his teams staff to depression and eating disorders. All explained by the man himself in the book you mention.