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The past two #1 overall picks in the NHL Draft have been all but foregone conclusions, including one of the most highly-touted prospects in league history with Connor Bedard in 2023. However, top picks haven’t always worked out. We’ve seen several lottery picks end up what most would consider busts, and we’ve shared our top five worst NHL Draft picks ever.
One of the #1 overall picks that most certainly didn’t pan out was Patrick Stefan, who was taken with the top pick in 1999. While he wasn’t the sole reason Atlanta no longer has an NHL team, it certainly didn’t help their track record. As with any #1 overall pick, he was expected to become the face of the franchise, but he recorded just 188 points through 455 games.
In his rookie season with the Thrashers, Stefan recorded a plus-minus of -20, ultimately ending his shorter-than-expected seven-year career with a plus-minus of -36. His final season was with the Dallas Stars, where he played in 41 games yet recorded just 11 points.
Another #1 overall selection in our list of the worst NHL Draft picks ever is Brian Lawton, which was back in 1983. The Minnesota franchise was known as the North Stars back then, and his career didn’t last much longer than Stefan’s. Lawton played in just 483 games, recording only 266 points.
That ratio isn’t nearly as poor, but given the players drafted behind him, it was quite disappointing. For perspective, the #4 overall pick was Steve Yzerman, a Hall-of-Famer who played for 22 years and recorded 1,755 points. It’s often speculated that this bust led to several franchises and their respective cities changing.
The first goaltender among the worst NHL Draft picks ever is Rick DiPietro, who fans could argue should take the top spot. The fact that a goaltender went #1 overall is reason enough, as we often don’t even see netminders taken in the first round nowadays. Similarly, there wasn’t another goalie taken for another 43 selections in the 2000 NHL Draft.
The New York Islanders have an elite goaltender these days with Ilya Sorokin, but DiPietro was far from a gamble that paid off, like taking a goaltender in the first round with Martin Brodeur. DiPietro’s career save percentage of .902% is far from terrible, but he played in 318 games and posted just 16 shutouts.
The first of our worst NHL Draft picks ever who wasn’t the top overall selection is Jason Bonsignore, but going #4 is still a lottery pick that is one of the biggest busts in history. You’ve seen some of the numbers linked to the #1 overall busts, and this #4 overall pick played in just 79 career NHL games.
Remember, a single current NHL season has 82 games, and Bonsignore recorded just 16 points in his 79 games. After three points in 21 games in his first two seasons with the Oilers, he was shipped down south to the Tampa Bay Lighting, where he’d record just 13 points in 58 games.
We’ve mentioned both the Islanders and Martin Brodeur in our list of the worst NHL Draft picks ever, and they’re linked to #5 as well. In 1990, the Islanders had the #6 overall pick, and while Jaromir Jagr was selected #5, they had plenty of other incredible options, including Keith Tkachuk and Brodeur.
However, the Islanders selected Scott Scissons from the WHL, and to label his career as a flop would be an understatement. The Canadian played in just two total NHL games, one in his rookie season and one two years later in 1993; he didn’t record a point in either game. It was a far cry from their dynasty 10 years prior, and it feels as though they haven’t had a dynamic offense since the Scott Scissons pick.
Mark has been a lifelong fan of all sports, and five years ago turned it into a profession, specializing in the NFL, NHL and MLB. He is a diehard Baltimore Ravens fan and has had his work published in sites such as Sports Illustrated, Pickswise and other top outlets.