The 2006 NHL Entry Draft gave the league many of their current day stars.
Players like Phil Kessel, Claude Giroux, Brad Marchand, Jonathan Toews, and
more came from this one draft, giving the league talent to draw from for
seasons to come.

But, as with all drafts, there was a fair share of players who only ever saw a
glimpse of the NHL during their careers. Players that experienced a certain
amount of hype behind them at one point of their career, only to fall behind
from their peers. Whether it be from an inability to transfer their skills from
 juniors or an unfortunate injury, these five went from promising draft picks
to out of the NHL before they hit 27-years-old.Peter Mueller: Arizona Coyotes,
8th Overall

Hype for Mueller was strong going into the 2006 draft, particularly due to his
perceived offensive ability while still having a strong defensive side. During
the season in which he was drafted, Mueller posted 58 points in 52 games with
the Everett Silvertips.

During his rookie season in 2007-08 with Arizona, Mueller performed above
expectations with 22 goals and 54 points in 81 games. His sophomore year
included a dip in production, with only 36 points, but significantly reduced
minutes caused Mueller to put in a trade request during the 2009-10 season. The
 Coyotes traded the forward to the Avalanche, where he recorded 20 points in 15
 games before suffering a concussion at the hands of Rob Blake late in the
season.Mueller was on fire after being traded to Colorado but a concussion
derailed his season and, eventually, lead to the end of his NHL career.
(LindseyAAkiyama)

Just after recovering from his first concussion, Mueller was again concussed in
 the preseason, causing him to miss out on the entire 2010-11 season and most
of the 2011-12 season. He signed a one-year deal with the Panthers for the 2013
 season, but failed to impress with only 17 points in 43 games.Related: 5
Forgotten Picks of the 2005 NHL Draft

Mueller then spent two seasons in the Swiss-A league and one in Sweden before
attempting an NHL comeback by signing a professional tryout with the Boston
Bruins. Although he didn't make the NHL, he did manage to get a deal done with
the Providence Bruins of the AHL, where he spent the 2016-17 season. Last
season Mueller had a dominating season in the Austrian league, posting 42
points in 38 games, but is currently without a contract.James Sheppard:
Minnesota Wild, 9th Overall

A former first overall selection in the QMJHL draft, Sheppard is a classic
example of a player that used his size to dominate at the junior level, but
could not translate his play into success in the NHL. It is not a surprise that
 he was taken by the Wild in the top ten after scoring 84 points in 66 games
during his draft season, and Minnesota certainly did not expect a bust after he
 followed that season up with 96 points in 56 games.

However, Sheppard was never able to capture the offense he had in juniors. In
his sophomore year, he began to show his ability by putting up 24 points, but
his ice time was decreased significantly in 2009-10 after a bad start to the
season. What definitely did not help Sheppard develop was a fractured patella
injury, suffered from an offseason ATV accident while on a guided tour in
Colorado. He was suspended by the team and missed two full NHL seasons, being
traded to the Sharks in the midst of his recovery.In Sheppard';s last NHL game
he recorded a game-winning-goal with the Rangers in their Game 6 victory over
the Lightning in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. (John E. Sokolowski/USA
TODAY Sports)

During his time with the Sharks, he had one memorable playoff run where he
collected six points in seven games during the 2014 playoffs, but was moved to
the Rangers at the following trade deadline. After failing to get an NHL
contract out of preseason in 2015, Sheppard signed with Kloten HC of the Swiss
League where he stayed for two seasons. Last season he recorded 33 points in 52
 games with the Berlin Polar Bears of the DEL in Germany and is currently a
free agent.Bobby Sanguinetti: New York Rangers, 21st Overall

Projected as the second-best defenseman of the 2006 draft by many, Sanguinetti
would actually go later in the first round as the fourth blueliner. However, of
 the nine defenders taken in the first round, only Erik Johnson, selected first
 overall by the Blues, would go on to play more than Sanguinetti';s 45 career
games in the NHL.

As an offensive defenseman in the OHL, Sanguinetti stockpiled points, including
 a 29 goal season in his fourth year, but struggled showing that ability in the
 major leagues. Although he consistently put up points in the AHL, at a tune to
 half a point per game, he rarely got a shot in the NHL. The Rangers only gave
him five games in 2009 before trading him to the Hurricanes, even after setting
 the record for the fastest skater at the AHL all-star game.When Sanguinetti
was traded to the Hurricanes, the Rangers got back a sixth-round pick that
would eventually become Jesper Fast, a player still on the team';s roster to
this season. (Andy Martin Jr)

Unfortunately, his first season with the Hurricanes saw him miss most of the
year to a hip surgery, delaying a call-up until late 2012. He would earn a
full-time roster spot with the Hurricanes in the lockout-shortened 2012-13
season, scoring his only two NHL goals. He then signed in the KHL, made a brief
 two-season AHL comeback, and then signed with the Swiss-A league where he
remains for this upcoming season.Related: 2000 NHL Draft - 21 Goalies Selected
 Before Henrik Lundqvist

Luckily for Sanguinetti, his impressive skating ability adds to his skill on
international ice as he has put up 57 points in 84 games with the Swiss league,
 capturing the attention of USA Hockey. He was named to the 2018 Olympic
roster, where he logged the third most ice time on the team through the
tournament.Leland Irving: Calgary Flames, 26th Overall

Irving was the fourth goalie taken in the first round in 2006, something that
hasn't been done in a draft since. He had a fantastic draft year with the
Everett Silvertips of the WHL, leading the league in games played with 67 and
posting a .938 save percentage through 12 playoff games.

In the AHL, Irving had a tendency to have bad streaks, causing him to go four
seasons before earning his first NHL time in December of 2011. Heading into the
 2012-13 season he was slated to be the team's option at backup, but the
lockout forced him back into the minors. When the season started up, Irving
faltered with a .833 save percentage through six games and was sent back down
to the AHL. That would end up being his last shot in the NHL.In his only two
playoff appearances in the AHL Irving let in seven goals and a save percentage
of .788. (Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports)

Instead of continuing in the AHL, Irving left for Europe in the summer of 2013,
 landing in the Finnish SM-liiga before bouncing around the world to the KHL,
back to the AHL, and then back to SM-liiga. Last season, Irving signed with the
 Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, who then traded the goaltender before he
played a single game to the San Diego Gulls, where he only saw six games in the
 net. Seemingly done with North American leagues, Irving inked a deal with a
team in the Austrian league EBEL this offseason.Blake Geoffrion: Nashville
Predators, 56th Overall

A great story in hockey when he was drafted, Geoffrion was the first
fourth-generation player in NHL history, being the descendant of Hall of Famers
 Howie Morenz and Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion. Not only that, but Blake grew
up with his family in Nashville, becoming the first player raised in Tennessee
drafted into the NHL. The Predators drafted Blake before he made his college
debut, but he stayed all four seasons with the University of Wisconsin Badgers,
 winning the Hobey Baker Award during his senior year.Related: Hockey Royalty
- Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion

Geoffrion debuted in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2010-11 and had a
fantastic rookie season with 37 points in 45 games. He was called up to the
Predators in late February of the same season, and tallied his first goal as
well as his first hattrick in the final 20 games of the season. He started the
2011-12 season with the Predators before finding himself back in the AHL before
 December's end.

In a classic feel-good hockey story, Geoffrion was traded to the Canadiens
where his dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather all played during their
careers. However, the move proved dark when Geoffrion was given a depressed
skull fracture on a hip check while he was with the Canadiens' AHL affiliate
early on in the 2012-13 season. The fracture would ultimately lead to Geoffrion
 retiring at 25, although he would immediately take a job as a scout with the
Columbus Blue Jackets. Since then, he has advanced to become the assistant
general manager of the Blue Jackets' AHL team.

Honorable Mentions: Andreas Nodl, Jamie McBain, Theo Peckham

The post 2006 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks appeared first on The Hockey
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