Worst No. 1 NHL Draft Picks of All Time

The No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft has never been a sure thing.

Worst No. 1 NHL Draft Picks of All Time

Eric Lindros did not live up to the hype.

The NHL is one of North America's four premier professional sports leagues with the NFL, NBA and MLB. And like its compatriots, the NHL has a tradition of royally screwing up the No. 1 overall pick over the years.

From freak injuries to bad attitudes to general on-ice incompetence, the worst No. 1 overall NHL draft picks of all time have been the result of a variety of misdeeds. Some were self-inflicted. A lot of them weren't.

These are the worst No. 1 overall picks in NHL draft history, dating back to the draft's first year in 1963.

30. Rick Nash

Born: June 16, 1985 (Brampton, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 2002, Columbus Blue Jackets

Position: Left wing

Career: 15 seasons (2002-04, 2005-18)

Teams: Columbus Blue Jackets (2002-04, 2005-12), New York Rangers (2012-18), Boston Bruins (2018)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Rick Nash

Rick Nash might actually still be playing in the NHL if concussions hadn't cut his career short in 2018.

He was a six-time All-Star and led the league in goals in 2004, his second season. All that being said, for some reason, Nash never could lead a team to a Stanley Cup.

And he only played for the Stanley Cup once, losing in 2014 with the New York Rangers.

29. Wendel Clark

Born: Oct. 25, 1966 (Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1985, Toronto Maple Leafs

Position: Left wing/defense

Career: 15 seasons (1985-2000)

Teams: Toronto Maple Leafs (1985-94, 1996-98, 2000), Quebec Nordiques (1994-95), New York Islanders (1995), Tampa Bay Lightning (1998-99), Detroit Red Wings (1999), Chicago Blackhawks (1999-2000)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Wendel Clark

Wendel Clark was a beloved player on the Toronto Maple Leafs, including as captain from 1991 to 1994.

Clark's standing with the team and the fans is best underlined by the fact he had three separate stints with the team, including part of his final season in 2000.

Clark's career was shaped by a severe back injury in 1987, and it's largely cited as the reason he never became an elite player.

28. Mel Bridgman

Born: April 28, 1955 (Trenton, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1975, Philadelphia Flyers

Position: Center

Career: 14 seasons (1975-89)

Teams: Philadelphia Flyers (1975-82), Calgary Flames (1982-83), New Jersey Devils (1983-87), Detroit Red Wings (1987-88), Vancouver Canucks (1988-89)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Mel Bridgman

Mel Bridgman in action — Mel Bridgman, center, scored 87 points in the 1981-82 season.

Mel Bridgman may have never won a Stanley Cup, but he had a solid, unremarkable career and was a consistent, reliable player for five different teams over 14 seasons.

Bridgman was at his best with the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils in the early 1980s, including an 87-point season in the 1981-82 season.

27. Owen Nolan

Born: Feb. 12, 1972 (Belfast, Northern Ireland)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1990, Quebec Nordiques

Position: Right wing

Career: 18 seasons (1990-2004, 2006-10)

Teams: Quebec Nordiques (1990-95), Colorado Avalanche (1995-96), San Jose Sharks (1996-2002), Toronto Maple Leafs (2002-04), Phoenix Coyotes (2006-07), Calgary Flames (2007-08), Minnesota Wild (2008-10)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Owen Nolan

Owen Nolan was the second of three consecutive No. 1 overall picks for the Quebec Nordiques following Mats Sundin in 1989, although 1991 No. 1 Eric Lindros refused to play for the team.

Nolan had a more-than-respectable career with five All-Star appearances.

However, he never won a Stanley Cup and never led the league in any category.

26. Roman Hamrlik

Born: April 12, 1974 (Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1992, Tampa Bay Lightning

Position: Defense

Career: 20 seasons (1992-2004, 2005-13)

Teams: Tampa Bay Lightning (1992-98), Edmonton Oilers (1998-2000), New York Islanders (2000-04), Calgary Flames (2005-07), Montreal Canadiens (2007-11), Washington Capitals (2011-12), New York Rangers (2012-13)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Roman Hamrlik

Roman Hamrlik played almost 1,400 career games and was a three-time All-Star, but he never played in a Stanley Cup Final series despite 20 seasons in the NHL.

Hamrlik wasn't the first person in his family to get drafted into the NHL, either. That was his older brother, Martin, who was drafted by the Whalers in 1991 and never played in the NHL.

25. Chris Phillips

Born: March 9, 1978 (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1996, Ottawa Senators

Position: Defense

Career: 17 seasons (1997-2004, 2005-15)

Teams: Ottawa Senators

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Chris Phillips

Chris Phillips played his entire career with the Ottawa Senators and was a traditional, stay-at-home defenseman.

The franchise thought enough of him and his service to the team that they're going to retire his number, but Phillips never made an All-Star team and never scored a point in the playoffs.

In his only Stanley Cup Final, in 2007, he scored an own goal that was the game-winner in Game 5 against the Anaheim Ducks.

24. Billy Harris

Born: Jan. 29, 1952 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1972, New York Islanders

Position: Right wing

Career: 12 seasons (1972-84)

Teams: New York Islanders (1972-80), Los Angeles Kings (1980-82, 1983-84), Toronto Maple Leafs (1981-83)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Billy Harris

Billy Harris, the No. 1 overall pick, became one of the more hard-luck players of all time.

He was the first player drafted in the history of the expansion New York Islanders and helped build the foundation of the team.

Then, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings before the 1980-81 season, the first of four Stanley Cup titles in a row for the Islanders.

23. Rob Ramage

Born: Jan. 11, 1959 (Byron, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1979, Colorado Rockies

Position: Defense

Career: 15 seasons (1979-94)

Teams: Colorado Rockies (1979-82), St. Louis Blues (1982-88), Calgary Flames (1987-89), Toronto Maple Leafs (1989-91), Minnesota North Stars (1991-92), Tampa Bay Lightning (1992-93), Montreal Canadiens (1992-94), Philadelphia Flyers (1993-94)

Stanley Cup championships: 2 (1989, 1993)

Bottom Line: Rob Ramage

The 1979 NHL draft is considered one of the greatest of all time. Seven Hall of Famers were selected, with four in the first round alone.

The Colorado Rockies missed on all of them with the No. 1 overall pick, taking defenseman Rob Ramage. His career wasn't bad, and he made four All-Star teams and won two Stanley Cup titles.

But Ramage didn't win them in Colorado, and he was traded to St. Louis after the franchise moved to New Jersey in 1982 and became the Devils.

22. Ed Jovanovski

Born: June 26, 1975 (Windsor, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1994, Florida Panthers

Position: Defense

Career: 18 seasons (1995-2004, 2005-14)

Teams: Florida Panthers (1995-99, 2011-14), Vancouver Canucks (1999-2004, 2005-06), Phoenix Coyotes (2006-11)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Ed Jovanovski

It's tough to put a five-time All-Star on a list of all-time NHL busts, but here we are.

Ed Jovanovski was a perfectly built hockey player at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, but if we are looking at things objectively, he was also a defenseman who played out of position way too much.

Jovanovski tried to push the envelope too much to get points or a big hit and was often caught out of position.

21. Erik Johnson

Born: March 21, 1988 (Bloomington, Minnesota)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 2006, St. Louis Blues

Position: Defense

Career: 12 seasons (2007-08, 2009-present)

Teams: St. Louis Blues (2007-08, 2009-11), Colorado Avalanche (2011-present)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Erik Johnson

Minnesota native Erik Johnson played one season for the University of Minnesota before he went pro and had some great timing when it came to making his first and only All-Star team in 2015.

The Colorado Avalanche signed him to a seven-year, $42 million extension before the next season.

Five years later, he's still never won a Stanley Cup.

20. Eric Lindros

Born: Feb. 28, 1973 (London, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1991, Quebec Nordiques

Position: Center

Career: 13 seasons (1992-2004, 2005-07)

Teams: Philadelphia Flyers (1992-2000), New York Rangers (2001-04), Toronto Maple Leafs (2005-06), Dallas Stars (2006-07)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Eric Lindros

You might think it was tough to put a Hall of Famer, Hart Trophy winner and seven-time All-Star on this list. It really wasn't.

For all of Eric Lindros' individual accolades, he played in just one Stanley Cup Final and lost, in 1997, and beefed with teammates and management at every stop in his career.

Not to mention, he never even played for the Quebec Nordiques, the team that picked him No. 1 overall.

19. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Born: April 12, 1993 (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 2011, Edmonton Oilers

Position: Center

Career: 9 seasons (2011-present)

Teams: Edmonton Oilers

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

It might be a little early to put Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on this list, but the proof is in the fact that his career seemed to plateau after making his only All-Star team in 2015.

After Nugent-Hopkins finished playing out a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Oilers in 2020, he signed an eight-year, $41 million deal to stay in Edmonton.

18. Rick Green

Born: Feb. 20, 1956 (Belleville, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1976, Washington Capitals

Position: Defense

Career: 15 seasons (1976-89, 1990-92)

Teams: Washington Capitals (1976-82), Montreal Canadiens (1982-89), Detroit Red Wings (1990-91), New York Islanders (1991-92)

Stanley Cup championships: 1 (1986)

Bottom Line: Rick Green

Rick Green was the second No. 1 overall pick by the Washington Capitals in three years following Greg Joly in 1974, and it's pretty telling what the Capitals thought of Joly when they drafted Green, another defenseman.

Green wasn't much better than Joly, though, and the second half of his career was a wasteland except for winning a Stanley Cup title as a reserve with the Canadiens in 1986.

17. Michel Plasse

Born: June 1, 1948 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Died: Dec. 30, 2006 (age 58, La Visitation-de-I'lle-Dupas, Quebec, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1968, Montreal Canadiens

Position: Goaltender

Career: 11 seasons (1970-71, 1972-82)

Teams: St. Louis Blues (1970-71), Montreal Canadiens (1972-74), Kansas City Scouts (1974-75), Pittsburgh Penguins (1975-76), Colorado Rockies (1976-80), Quebec Nordiques (1980-82)

Stanley Cup championships: 1 (1973)

Bottom Line: Michel Plasse

The 1968 NHL draft was another wasteland — just two All-Star players and no Hall of Famers in 24 picks.

Goaltender Michel Plasse never became a star but did have a pair of remarkable career highlights when he became the first goalie to score a goal in a professional game in 1971, his rookie year, and when he won a Stanley Cup as the Canadiens' backup goalie in 1973.

16. Garry Monahan

Born: Oct. 20, 1946 (Barrie, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1963, Montreal Canadiens

Position: Center

Career: 12 seasons (1967-79)

Teams: Montreal Canadiens (1967-69), Detroit Red Wings (1969-70), Los Angeles Kings (1970), Toronto Maple Leafs (1970-75, 1978-79), Vancouver Canucks (1975-78)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Garry Monahan

The NHL draft really didn't have a good understanding of what it should be in the first decade of its existence, and that was never more on display than in the first draft in 1963.

Players were limited to 16-year-old players in the minor leagues, and the Canadiens took Garry Monahan, who played just parts of two seasons in Montreal.

15. Doug Wickenheiser

Born: March 30, 1961 (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada)

Died: Jan. 12, 1999 (age 37, St. Louis, Missouri)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1980, Montreal Canadiens

Position: Center

Career: 10 seasons (1980-90)

Teams: Montreal Canadiens (1980-84), St. Louis Blues (1984-87), Vancouver Canucks (1987-88), New York Rangers (1988-89), Washington Capitals (1989-90)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Doug Wickenheiser

The Montreal Canadiens struck out with Doug Wickeheiser at No. 1 overall in 1980.

Three Hall of Famers were taken in the next five picks, including two who played the same position as Wickenheiser in Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy.

Wickenheiser died of cancer in 1999 at just 37 years old.

14. Barry Gibbs

Born: Sept. 28, 1948 (Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1966, Boston Bruins

Position: Defense

Career: 13 seasons (1967-80)

Teams: Boston Bruins (1967-69), Minnesota North Stars (1969-75), Atlanta Flames (1974-78), St. Louis Blues (1978-79), Los Angeles Kings (1979-80)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Barry Gibbs

The NHL draft started to turn around as a whole in 1966, with a Hall of Famer taken in the first round for the first time.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, they picked defenseman Barry Gibbs at No. 1 overall and defenseman Brad Park, the future Hall of Famer, went No. 2 overall to the New York Rangers.

Gibbs never made an All-Star team.

13. Bryan Berard

Born: March 5, 1977 (Woonsocket, Rhode Island)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1995, Ottawa Senators

Position: Defense

Career: 10 seasons (1996-2000, 2001-04, 2005-08)

Teams: New York Islanders (1996-99, 2007-08), Toronto Maple Leafs (1999-2000), New York Rangers (2001-02), Boston Bruins (2002-03), Chicago Blackhawks (2003-04), Columbus Blue Jackets (2005-07)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Bryan Berard

Bryan Berard was hit in the eye with a stick during a game in 1999, almost had the eye removed and was out of hockey for almost two years.

Berard, the 1997 NHL Rookie of the Year, collected a $6.5 million insurance policy after the injury and tried to return to the ice but became famous again for another reason.

He was the first NHL player to test positive for anabolic steroids in 2006.

12. Greg Joly

Born: May 30, 1954 (Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1974, Washington Capitals

Position: Defense

Career: 9 seasons (1974-83)

Teams: Washington Capitals (1974-76), Detroit Red Wings (1976-83)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Greg Joly

Washington Capitals general manager Milt Schmidt put an undue amount of pressure on Greg Joly when he drafted him No. 1 overall in 1974 and called him "the next Bobby Orr."

Joly was hardly that, lasting only nine seasons in the NHL and was out of the league by the time he was 28 years old.

11. Patrik Stefan

Born: Sept. 16, 1980 (Pribram, Czechoslovakia)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1999, Atlanta Thrashers

Position: Center

Career: 7 seasons (1999-2004, 2005-07)

Teams: Atlanta Thrashers (1999-2004, 2005-06), Dallas Stars (2006-07)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Patrik Stefan

Injuries plagued Patrik Stefan's brief NHL career — he only lasted seven seasons — but he's best known for another moment.

Leading 5-4 in a game against the Oilers in 2007, Stefan missed a breakaway goal on an open net, then cleared the puck to the other end and allowed the Oilers to tie the score with two seconds left.

10. Dale McCourt

Born: Jan. 26, 1957 (Falconbridge, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1977, Detroit Red Wings

Position: Center

Career: 7 seasons (1977-84)

Teams: Detroit Red Wings (1977-82), Buffalo Sabres (1982-84), Toronto Maple Leafs (1984)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Dale McCourt

The Detroit Red Wings embarked on one of the more bizarre sagas with a No. 1 pick in Dale McCourt.

After one season, the Red Wings traded McCourt to the Los Angeles Kings. Then, McCourt sued both the Kings, Red Wings and the NHL.

He won, but the relationship was ruined, and he was traded to the Sabres in 1981.

9. Gord Kluzak

Born: March 4, 1964 (Climax, Saskatchewan, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1982, Boston Bruins

Position: Defense

Career: 7 seasons (1982-84, 1985-86, 1987-91)

Teams: Boston Bruins

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Gord Kluzak

The Bruins were desperate to find a replacement for Bobby Orr and tabbed Gord Kluzak as the player who might fill that role.

But they missed on two Hall of Fame defensemen with Scott Stevens and Phil Housley, who went fifth and sixth, respectively.

Kluzak's career lasted just nine seasons, including two full seasons missed because of major knee surgeries.

8. Brian Lawton

Born: June 29, 1965 (New Brunswick, New Jersey)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1983, Minnesota North Stars

Position: Center

Career: 9 seasons (1983-90, 1991-93)

Teams: Minnesota North Stars (1983-88), New York Rangers (1988-89), Hartford Whalers (1989-90), Quebec Nordiques (1990), Boston Bruins (1990), San Jose Sharks (1991-93)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Brian Lawton

Brian Lawton was the first U.S.-born player selected No. 1 overall in the NHL draft and the only U.S.-born high school player taken No. 1 overall.

Lawton was one of three centers taken in the first four picks but the only one who didn't make the Hall of Fame — Pat LaFontaine and Steve Yzerman were the other two centers.

7. Rick DiPietro

Born: Sept. 19, 1981 (Lewiston, Maine)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 2000, New York Islanders

Position: Goaltender

Career: 11 seasons (2000-04, 2005-13)

Teams: New York Islanders

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Rick DiPietro

Rick DiPietro's 15-year, $65.75 million, fully guaranteed contract signed with the New York Islanders in 2006 is the stuff of legend.

Injuries limited DiPietro to just 50 more regular-season games after he signed the deal, and he accepted a contract buyout in 2013 that pays him $1.5 million per year through the end of the 2028-29 season — hockey's version of the Bobby Bonilla deal.

6. Andre Veilleux

Born: Unknown

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1965, New York Rangers

Position: Right wing

Career: N/A

Teams: N/A

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Andre Veilleux

New York Rangers coach Red Sullivan picked Andre Veilleux No. 1 overall.

Three years into its existence, the NHL draft really still didn't have a clue. Andre Veilleux was the second straight pick to never play an NHL game.

It wasn't just the top of the draft that was striking out. There were only three All-Star and one Hall of Famer taken in the first three years of the draft.

5. Joe Murphy

Born: Oct. 16, 1967 (London, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1986, Detroit Red Wings

Position: Right wing

Career: 15 seasons (1986-2001)

Teams: Detroit Red Wings (1986-90), Edmonton Oilers (1990-92), Chicago Blackhawks (1992-96), St. Louis Blues (1996-98), San Jose Sharks (1998-99), Boston Bruins (1999-2000), Washington Capitals (2000-01)

Stanley Cup championships: 1 (1990)

Bottom Line: Joe Murphy

The early part of Joe Murphy's career was defined by an NCAA championship with Michigan State in 1986 and Stanley Cup title in 1990 with the Edmonton Oilers.

His later career and life has been a much sadder story as he flamed out of the NHL after multiple beefs with teammates and coaches.

In recent years, he's been living on the streets in Kenora, Ontario, despite making $15 million during his NHL career.

4. Rick Pagnutti

Born: Nov. 14, 1946 (Sudbury, Ontario, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1967, Los Angeles Kings

Position: Defense

Career: N/A

Teams: N/A

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Rick Pagnutti

The 1967 NHL draft occurred one day after the talent-filled expansion draft. Three Hall of Famers went in the first three picks of the expansion draft with Terry Sawchuck, Bernie Parent and Glenn Hall.

Rick Pagnutti, who went No. 1 overall in the actual draft, was the last No. 1 pick to never play a game in the NHL, but had a 10-year career in the minor leagues.

He scored a team-record 18 goals for the Rochester Americans during the 1972-73 season, a record that stood for 46 years until it was broken in 2019.

3. Nail Yakupov

Born: Oct. 6, 1993 (Nizhnekamsk, Russia)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 2012, Edmonton Oilers

Position: Right wing

Career: 6 seasons (2012-18)

Teams: Edmonton Oilers (2012-16), St. Louis Blues (2016-17), Colorado Avalanche (2017-18)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Nail Yakupov

The signs were there that Nail Yakupov was going to be a terrible pro.

He was described as "sulky and uncooperative" by several teams in the interview process leading up to the draft, and allegedly offended teams who didn't have the No. 1 pick and wanted to talk to him.

Yakupov's NHL career lasted just six seasons, including the last three with three different teams.

2. Claude Gauthier

Detroit Red Wings head coach Sid Abel, pictured, selected Claude Gauthier No. 1 overall in 1964.

Born: Sept. 12, 1947 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1964, Detroit Red Wings

Position: Forward

Career: N/A

Teams: N/A

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Claude Gauthier

One of three players taken No. 1 overall who never played in the NHL, Claude Gauthier was picked by the Red Wings off a midget league team in Quebec.

Of 24 total picks in the 1964 draft, Gauthier was one of nine who never played in the NHL. His career was so unmemorable that the internet doesn't even a photo of him playing anywhere. Blame Detroit Red Wings head coach Sid Abel (pictured), who took Gauthier.

One Hall of Famer was picked in 1964. Goaltender Ken Dryden was taken by Montreal in the third round.

1. Alexandre Daigle

Born: Feb. 7, 1975 (Laval, Quebec, Canada)

Drafted No. 1 overall: 1993, Ottawa Senators

Position: Center

Career: 10 seasons (1993-2000, 2002-2004, 2005-06)

Teams: Ottawa Senators (1993-98), Philadelphia Flyers (1998-99), Tampa Bay Lightning (1999), New York Rangers (1999-2000), Pittsburgh Penguins (2002-03), Minnesota Wild (2003-04, 2005-06)

Stanley Cup championships: None

Bottom Line: Alexandre Daigle

Alexandre Daigle's famous quote on draft day — "I'm glad I was picked No. 1 because nobody remembers No. 2" — still resonates to this day.

Mainly because the No. 2 pick in 1993, Chris Pronger, went on to a Hall of Fame career, and Daigle is widely regarded as one of the worst draft busts in NHL history.

Daigle briefly retired in 2000, at 25 years old, but returned in 2002 and played three more seasons.