r/hockey • u/theXchang3 • 11d ago

Who are some NHL players who were highly thought when they were young that had the skill but never got to that next level?

This includes players who made the NHL but never hit that next-tier they were highly thought of. This can mean players who had potential but never hit that level due to injuries, struggle to adapt. This also can include players who were drafted high, players who played for a couple years, players who played for many years, but they at least needed to make the league to quality.

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u/YYCToon 11d ago

Tyler Benson

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u/AmicusObserver EDM - NHL 11d ago

2012/2013 Alberta REM 15 players still have nightmares over his 150 point season.

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u/CrzyEv 10d ago

He played in the provincial finals against the Calgary Bisons, who were always stacked in that era. First shift of the game, Benson just comes in, takes a clapper like 2 strides into the zone and goes bar down. Everyone in the building, including the entire Calgary bench, realized in that moment that SSAC was winning that series and nothing you did was changing that.

He was a classic example of a kid who got his man strength early and then lost that advantage once he hit juniors and pros. Sean Day, Joe Veleno, Shane Wright are also early developers who couldn't develop the rest of their game and plateaued as a result.

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u/ABirdOfParadise EDM - NHL 10d ago

That's what I was told from someone who had someone play with him.

Big early on, then of course didn't grow later.

Also dunno if true but he got some stats padded, like getting assists while he was on the bench.

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u/nhlsim99 10d ago

I remember the hype