Most overhyped prospects in recent memory?

[Breakers]

Listen, if Crouse was mid-level or obscure and was Team Canada’s version of Parker Ford, I’d believe it. The WJC probably got Juolevi ahead of Chychrun and Sergachev. In Crouse’s case, he was already heading towards a legitimate top-10 selection, as many outlets had him top-10 all along and right into the draft.

Rantanen had almost a carbon-copy draft season for TPS — A-rated in preseason, average 1st half, great WJC, great second half. Was he overhyped? Nope. People just acknowledged he had a great tournament, but if you watched his league play, you’d clearly see why he was hyped.

I just think you used a bad example.

Nope Juolevi was on a stacked team outside of the WJC as well

Bad example

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

View attachment 825857

I still have a Colagiacomo card that I'm hoping will be worth something. Colagiacomo entered that draft year as a possible top 10 pick. He led Team Canada in scoring (on a line with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau) at the 1997 Pacific Cup (precursor to the Hlinka Gretzky).

He didn't show post better numbers during his draft year which partially caused his slide. I've read accounts that scouts/teams figured that he had physically matured early and perhaps there wasn't much more untapped upside.

I had a copy of that Hockey News draft issue!

Colagiacomo looked like a dude who lied about his age and was really 28 years old when playing in the OHL.

 

[pth2]

I had a copy of that Hockey News draft issue!

Colagiacomo looked like a dude who lied about his age and was really 28 years old when playing in the OHL.

I had a paper copy that I used as a reference for years.

The fact a guy can go from top-liner prospect to never even making much of an impact in the AHL shows how huge the leap is between their draft year and the NHL.

I also have to wonder if the guy maybe had other issues or just didn't take hockey seriously enough. (ie, just ignoring his summer strength training might be enough to get a guy off track for good)

EDIT: I am impressed with my memory, to be honest.... THN had him as late-1st, early 2nd power forward, and that's basically what I stated. Not bad for 27 years later !

 

[93LEAFS]

Nope Juolevi was on a stacked team outside of the WJC as well

Bad example

Yeah, I'd say the Memorial Cup run on that 2015/16 Knights team likely did more for his stock than the WJC. They just absolutely destroyed the OHL Playoffs and the MC. That M. Tkachuk-Dvorak-Marner line is one of the most stacked junior lines you'll ever see, Dvorak is a capable middle-6 center in the NHL, and Marner/Tkachuk have both been voted All-stars on end of season ballots (Marner 1st team RW twice, Tkachuk 2nd team RW twice, but also has a Hart Nomination). They lost 2 games in the first round, and then swept the conference semi's, conference finals, OHL finals, and then didn't lose at the Memorial Cup.

Juolevi going 5 was a surprise over Tkachuk (following the shock of PLD over Puljujarvi), but it wasn't exactly shocking to see him going first among D, and if a different team was picking there, it easily could have been Sergachev. 6-9 in that draft was always expected to be some make-up of Juolevi, Sergachev, A. Nylander, and Keller, just the order was unclear. Instead Tkachuk slips to 6, and the other 3 go pretty much where expected.

 

[TMLife17]

Probably Bedard.

 

[HanSolo]

Krebs? Who overhyped Krebs? One guy on the internet?

Buffalo fans who acted like he was the piece that won Buffalo the Eichel trade. Me personally, I watched how his best hockey was his first 5 NHL games and then he just faded out to a pretty unassertive guy with sub par finishing.

 

[HighLifeManIsHigh]

Stefan Elliott had a small but loud fan club.

I remember back in the day when him and Tyson Barrie were both playing in the Dub, I told Avs fans that Barrie would easily be a better NHLer than Elliott. Holy shit did I get attacked. Really weird especially when they were both Avs prospects at the time

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

well no, i'm using stats as evidence right now. Clearly he's not performing up to par as a 1st overall pick, especially one that was that good in his draft year.

You asked if he’s even a second line forward.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

Nope Juolevi was on a stacked team outside of the WJC as well

Bad example

Someone else brought up Juolevi first and I said “probably”. And Chychrun ranked ahead of Juolevi in nearly every early-season list, so it’s more reasonable that his WJC helped his cause more than Crouse’s.

Personally, I don’t think Juolevi was overhyped. He always was considered top-10 caliber and he was very good for London. He just ended up a bust.

 

[Hockeyfrilla]

Mathias Emilio Pettersen, Aito Iguchi.

 

[CuuuJooo]

Scott Scissons and Brian Finley have entered the chat.

Also Angelo Esposito.

God, I'm old.

 

[Chainshot]

Scott Scissons and Brian Finley have entered the chat.

Also Angelo Esposito.

God, I'm old.

Scissons at 5OA was supposed to be the next great 2-way center. It just never happened.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

A missing in this thread is pre-draft Pavel Brendl.

 

[Satan]

They kept talking about on the TSN draft feed about how impressive his world juniors was

So yeah it did have an impact

Lawson Crouse was in the top 10 of several pre-2014-15 season lists - I don't think he was living off WJC hype from December into June (shocker that the network that owns WJC rights would talk about this event to fill air on live tv), he was considered a damn good prospect going into the year.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Laine deserved the hype, his shot was the best in the league from distance immediately as a teenager. Problem is he didn't improve his game w/ experience and his physical skills actually got worse because of injuries.

His shot was amazing, but his goal scoring ability lacked because he was not nearly as fast, explosive or physically dominant as even a young Ovechkin was showing us.

The way Ovechkin scored goals was at will. Laine never had that instinct unfortunately, so I think he was unfairly touted as being in #8's stratosphere in goal scoring prowess.

 

[frontsfan67]

Lawson Crouse was in the top 10 of several pre-2014-15 season lists - I don't think he was living off WJC hype from December into June (shocker that the network that owns WJC rights would talk about this event to fill air on live tv), he was considered a damn good prospect going into the year.

I’m a kingston fan and he was never hyped up I’m not sure what you’re smoking.

everyone knew he would be a good top 6 power forward and that’s what he has been in arizona. Definitely not over hyped

 

[Brodeur]

Also Angelo Esposito.

I still chuckle to this day, I have one beer league teammate who thinks he knows more about the draft than he does. It was probably around April 2007 and I was chatting with somebody else about Patrick Kane going #1. Teammate chimes in that Esposito is going #1 and how all his friends back in Canada were hyping him up. I told him that Esposito might not go in the top 10 at this rate and he bet me that he'd go #1.

Conversation then turned and same guy then proclaimed that (2007 NFL Draft prospect) Brady Quinn would be better than Tom Brady.

A few months later I jokingly tried to collect on the Esposito bet and teammate disavowed ever saying anything.

 

[Satan]

I’m a kingston fan and he was never hyped up I’m not sure what you’re smoking.

everyone knew he would be a good top 6 power forward and that’s what he has been in arizona. Definitely not over hyped

I lived in Kingston while Crouse was playing there- I think you need to re-read what I wrote and work on your reading comprehension because I didn't say he was "hyped up" or "over hyped" but I said he was a damn good prospect and in the top 10 on several pre-season rankings (this is a fact, go look at some archived lists).

Nobody outside of McDavid/Eichel got much spotlight in that draft year but the overreaction to Crouse going at 11 was funny as shit because he dragged that Fronts team on a nightly basis.

 

[TheBeard]

I assume Shane Wright has been mentioned.

 

[Bouboumaster]

From the Habs: The Legendary Josh Brooks

 

[Xirik]

lol Blackwood. Devils argued to death that he was better than Carter Hart.

He Seems to be doing better then Hart right now.

 

[frontsfan67]

I lived in Kingston while Crouse was playing there- I think you need to re-read what I wrote and work on your reading comprehension because I didn't say he was "hyped up" or "over hyped" but I said he was a damn good prospect and in the top 10 on several pre-season rankings (this is a fact, go look at some archived lists).

Nobody outside of McDavid/Eichel got much spotlight in that draft year but the overreaction to Crouse going at 11 was funny as shit because he dragged that Fronts team on a nightly basis.

This list is for over hyped prospects so mentioning crouse would put him on the list, would it not?

Wasn’t much of an overreaction from what I can recall. He was a ppg 6’4 220 player who had an nhl ready shot and played in all situations and was nicknamed the “sheriff”

I think personally his career started off rocky because he was rushed in, he should’ve had an extra year in junior to develop his skill set but because of his size they felt he was ready. but he turned out good in the end.

I assume Shane Wright has been mentioned.

Solid contributer in the ahl as a guy who just turned 20. He will be fine lol. Gotta remember he lost a year to Covid and got injured in his dy+1 more than once

 

[lawrence]

The following is a great player, and probably a future hall of a famer and future Canuck.
he was compared to Sidney Crosby, "Americas answer to Sidney Crosby" I knew we knew, Crosby was the next great thing since Mario, but suddenly some American writers wanted to have their share of the attention and compared Phil the Thrill Kessel to Sidney Crosby. I got heat for it here. I wasn't attacking Phil. I was just making a point he's no Sidney Crosby. Well well, anyway. Phil the Thrill Kessel being America's answer to Sidney Crosby got some hype. Heck Mckenzie surveyed all 30 gms, and 12 of them went with Phil Kessel. It's safe to say, those 12 gms probably didn't last too long if they were gonna choose Phil Kessel over Crosby. That's some over-hype.


in 2009 a Swedish player by the name of Magnus Paajarvi was massively overhyped by their countrymen. I was fighting with their entire fan base over who was better, Evander Kane or Magnus Paajarvi. Heck, the consensus on hfboards was Magnus Paajarvi was better than Evander Kane. Even got violations for the arguments.

he was ranked as a top 4 prospect. Outside of Hedman and Tavares, it was than Magnus Paajarvi. Electrifying players all the 9 yards.

Nikita Filatov from the 2008 draft was also very very hyped. some had him in the same sentence as Stamkos but for Russia. His comparison was Pavel Datsyuk.

Jay Bouwmeester. played for team Canada's main squad at least 6 times, won a World Cup, won a gold medal, and won a Stanley Cup, great player, but overhyped. He was ranked the best defenceman since Chris Pronger. Got comparisons to Paul Coffeey with the way he skates the puck up the ice and all of that. Great player but also overhyped.

David Legwand was compared as the next Mike Modanno as I recall.

JP Barry is notorious for selling is players like a used Car. First it was Kabanov is another Kovalchuk.

Previously he sold his client, Fabbin Brunstrom as the best player outside the NHL. compared him to Daniel Alfredson. I searched him up, he wasn't even a top 10 player in his league. Heck he wasn't even a point-per-game guy in the Swedish league. (point per game is the bench mark for the Swedish league at the time) anyways well he wasn't a point per game, and he wasn't even a top 5 scorer on his team!!!!! sold him like a legit NHLer, teams got suckered in, Dave Nonis sold the fact he will get to play with the Sedins about to sign him, Gillis comes in, and changes the offer to a 2way contract instead of a one-way contract. The deal falls through, and Brunstrom signs with Dallas. an anonymous scout or GM said that he doesn't think Brunstrom will crack any of the 30 teams' top 6 forwards. Brunstrom scored 3 goals in his first game but has since trailed off. outright overhype.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Aki Petteri Berg

 

[Mitch nylander]

Nick Robertson, but through no fault of his own. If he was the property of teams other than the Leafs (or Habs), he wouldn't have gotten nearly the hype. He may turn into a decent player long term, but the hype he was receiving on the boards was over the top.

To be fair, he had 55 goals in 46 games.

That season is the 7th best gpg season of all time in OHL history. No player was even close to a goal per game, outside of Patty Kane for the last 15 years. That hype is warranted.

 

[Brodeur]

Previously he sold his client, Fabbin Brunstrom as the best player outside the NHL. compared him to Daniel Alfredson. I searched him up, he wasn't even a top 10 player in his league. Heck he wasn't even a point-per-game guy in the Swedish league. (point per game is the bench mark for the Swedish league at the time) anyways well he wasn't a point per game, and he wasn't even a top 5 scorer on his team!!!!! sold him like a legit NHLer, teams got suckered in, Dave Nonis sold the fact he will get to play with the Sedins about to sign him, Gillis comes in, and changes the offer to a 2way contract instead of a one-way contract. The deal falls through, and Brunstrom signs with Dallas. an anonymous scout or GM said that he doesn't think Brunstrom will crack any of the 30 teams' top 6 forwards. Brunstrom scored 3 goals in his first game but has since trailed off. outright overhype.

One factor was that the CBA changed in 2005 and Europeans over 21 years old could be signed without being drafted. Previously teams would have to draft them even if they were over 30 years old. In 2004, Detroit drafted a 24 year old Johan Franzen who had a jump in his SEL numbers (12 goals - 18 assists in 49 games). Brunnstrom had a similar breakout season.

When Brunnstrom signed in 2008, this was still a relatively new path for free agency. By 2008, Franzen just completed a 27 goal season.

https://thehockeynews.com/news/swede-standout-fabian-brunnstrom-signs-two-year-deal-with-dallas-stars

And just a small correction, Brunnstrom was required to sign a two year, two way contract as defined by the CBA since he was 23. He couldn't be offered a one way deal. Teams could make promises in terms of usage in order to lure him.

The hype was partly a function that this sort of free agency was new. Older guys from the previous CBA like Franzen, Pekka Rinne, Lubomir Visnovsky, Marek Zidlicky, etc would have been UFAs with the post-lockout rule change.

Anaheim had won a Cup in 2007 with contributions from three undrafted NCAA guys in Andy McDonald, Chris Kunitz, and Dustin Penner. With the cap in place, teams were more incentivized to find a contributor on an entry level deal. There wasn't much downside to signing a guy like Brunnstrom.

I'd have to remember if there was some overhype of NCAA free agents after the 1995 CBA when the supplemental draft was removed. Albeit NCAA hockey wasn't quite as deep as it is today.