The 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus is notable for a number of reasons. It was
 an American-heavy draft, the first-ever in which U.S. born players went first
and second overall - Patrick Kane to the Chicago Blackhawks and James Van
Riemsdyk to the Philadelphia Flyers, respectively - and second-ever in which 10
 Americans were drafted in the first round.The 2007 NHL Entry Draft produced a
number of big stars such as Patrick Kane. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

It was also notable for a whopping 10 first round picks changing hands in
trades the day before the draft. It produced a number of players still making
big-time impacts in the NHL, such as Jakub Voracek, Logan Couture, Kevin
Shattenkirk, David Perron, P.K. Subban, and Jamie Benn.Related: Five Forgotten
Picks of the 2005 NHL Entry DraftHowever, like any draft, it had its fair share
 of players who didn';t pan out. You may not have thought about the following
five for many years, but when they were chosen, someone (perhaps even you) had
high expectations for them that they never reached.Zach Hamill: Boston Bruins,
Eighth Overall

With the seven players ahead of him all having played 400 or more NHL games,
Hamill, with just 20 played, is 2007';s first big bust.Zach Hamill played just
20 NHL games, registering four assists and zero big-league goals. (Bob
DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE)

The centre seemed like a good pick - he';d come off two 75-plus point seasons
with the Everett Silvertips and held, at the time, nine records for the WHL
squad, including most points in a season (93), most career goals (87), and most
 career assists (175).

Hamill';s juniors success never translated into professional triumphs - he
spent most of his five seasons in the Bruins organization playing for their AHL
 affiliate in Providence. He put up decent numbers there but was never good
enough to make the permanent jump to the big club.

Hamill';s longest NHL stint came in 2011-12, where he played 16 games and
tallied two assists. After being traded to the Capitals organization, Hamill
became a perpetual wanderer, playing in the Panthers, Predators, and Canucks
systems. However, NHL ice time - and therefore an NHL goal - eluded him in all
three places.

Since 2013, Hamill has played overseas and bounced around more than Tigger in a
 Winnie the Pooh book. He';s since suited up for seven teams in six
leagues, including the KHL';s Astana Barys, the SM-liiga';s HPK Hameenlinna,
and most recently, the Czech Republic League';s Dukla Jihlava.Related: 5
Biggest Busts in NHL Draft History, 2000-2010Keaton Ellerby: Florida Panthers,
10th Overall

Keaton Ellerby was not a bust to the extent of Hamill, but was definitely
disappointing for a 10th overall pick. He pales in comparison to Kevin
McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Ian Cole, three defensemen drafted after him
the first round.

The native of Strathmore, Alberta possessed a monster 6-foot-5, 220-pound
frame, dished out a big hit from time to time, and was decent in his own zone,
but wasn';t particularly physical given his size and had little offensive
ability. The majority of his 212 NHL games came over four seasons with poor
Panthers teams that only finished above .500 once.

The Panthers washed their hands of Ellerby in 2013 when they dealt him for a
fifth-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings. That summer, the Winnipeg Jets
claimed him off waivers and he had a brief career resurgence in 2013-14,
playing 51 games for a team whose back end was both ravaged by injuries and
thin outside their top four.

Ellerby quickly became expendable, though. In 2014-15, as the Jets improved, he
 was relegated to the AHL';s St. John';s IceCaps, appearing in just one NHL
game.

Bereft of NHL suitors after the season, Ellerby made tracks to Europe and has
remained there ever since. He';s played for four teams over the past four
years, most recently with Mora IK of the Swedish Hockey League, where he
amassed six assists in 52 games.Alex Plante: Edmonton Oilers, 15th Overall

As disappointing as Ellerby was, he was a sight better than the defenseman
taken five picks after him.Plante was drafted higher than most expected after a
 good year for the Calgary Hitmen, but never developed into the expected
offensive defenseman. He';s been out of the NHL since 2013. (Resolute:
Wikipedia Commons)

When the Edmonton Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe drafted Brandon, Manitoba
born Alex Plante, he knew he was making a risky pick on a project who was at
least a few years from being NHL-ready. Most scouts considered his selection at
 15th overall to be a reach, much higher than projected. However, Plante was
touted for his skating and puck-moving skills and had just come off a 38-point
campaign with the WHL';s Calgary Hitmen. He was considered someone who, with a
little seasoning, could blossom into an excellent offensive D-man.

Plante returned to the Hitmen for 2007-08 and had a nightmarish season,
regressing from 38 points to two. As each season passed, it became
crystal-clear drafting Plante was a fool';s errand - the quickness and
offensive flair that caused the Oilers to go off the board was largely missing
in action.Related: 10 Biggest Oilers Draft Busts Since 2000

Plants was more prone to drop the gloves than light the lamp in his time in the
 Oilers organization. Over four AHL seasons with the Falcons and Oklahoma City
Barons, he had 35 fighting majors and only 43 points. Four concussions also
hampered his development.

Overall, Plante played only 10 NHL games before the Oilers finally gave up on
him in 2013. Since 2015, he';s played in Asia, and in 2017, he became a South
Korean citizen. As such, he was able to represent South Korea at the 2018
Winter Olympics in PyeongChang on a team stocked with a half-dozen
Canadians.Plante (left) represented South Korea in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
(Oleg Bkhambri, Voltmetro, Wikipedia Commons)Colton Gilles: Minnesota Wild,
16th Overall

The next pick didn';t turn out much better. The Wild actually traded up to
draft 6-foot-4 Colton Gilles at 16th overall, probably unnecessary considering
he was marked 30th by Central Scouting.

It';s clear the Wild saw something in the big Saskatoon Blade. He';d
represented Canada at the IIHF World U18 Championships in Finland a few months
earlier, tallying three points in six games there. Hockey';s Future wrote
Gilles "certainly has the potential to be a power forward in the NHL" and
touted him as a "hard hitter with a definite mean streak" that needed to
improve his defensive play and scoring instincts to become NHL-calibre.Related:
 Wild';s 5 Worst Draft PicksGilles would return to Saskatoon for 2007-08, win a
 gold medal with Canada at the 2008 World Juniors in the Czech Republic, and
play 11 games in the AHL to end the season. The Wild then ushered him directly
into the NHL spotlight to begin 2008-09 - the wrong move, considering how raw
he was. It was a rush job that hampered his development.

Observers have criticized the Wild for what happened next: bringing Gillies up
for the entirety of the 2008-09 season," Peter Prohaska of Hockey';s Future
wrote in 2012. "He managed just seven points in the 45 games he played. A
season of healthy scratches seemed to sap Gillies';s confidence, but his lack
of puck skills and intuition also meant his game was not quite up to NHL
standards.

Gilles struggled to establish himself on the Wild, who placed him on waivers in
 early 2012. He was picked up by the Columbus Blue Jackets and spent parts of
the next two seasons there before kicking around in the AHL between 2013-15.
Since 2015, he';s played overseas, most recently suiting up for six games last
year for Dinamo Riga.Aaron Palushaj: St. Louis Blues, 44th Overall

The Blues drafted Palushaj when he was just 17 years old after two standout
seasons with the USHL';s Des Moines Buccaneers.Aaron Palushaj, seen here with
the Charlotte Checkers, was an adept scorer at the AHL level but could never
stick with any NHL team for any significant amount of time. (Ross Bonander/THW)

He would go on to have two productive seasons with the University of Michigan
Wolverines before being assigned to the Peoria Rivermen to begin the 2009-10
season. Dobber Prospects had high praise for the winger, writing:

"A pro-ready player in skill, heart and now size the 6'0, 185 lbs forward could
 be a contributor in St. Louis next season. While likely not skilled enough to
be a PPG player, Palushaj is the type of glue winger who does the little things
 required to win. He should be full time by 2010-11."

He did not become full time with the Blues like Dobber predicted. In fact, he
never played a game there as he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens before the
 end of his first professional season. He became a key member of the
Canadiens'; AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, posting 112 points in 142
regular season games over parts of four seasons and 31 more in two deep playoff
 runs.

A shot of @AaronPalushaj at the @WayneGretzkySC last night for the
#BrantfordAHL game: pic.twitter.com/s3bvI6ul

- Brant News (@brantnews) October 9, 2012

His longest NHL stint with the Canadiens came in 2011-12, where he did not
enjoy the same scoring success, tallying just five points in 38 games. The Habs
 placed him on waivers in 2013 and he was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche,
where he tallied a career-high nine points in 25 games down the stretch,
including his first-ever three-point night.

Palushaj joined the Carolina Hurricanes organization to begin the 2013-14
season, but spent the majority of his time with Charlotte Checkers, where he
again showed the ability to put up points at that level, notching 22 goals and
adding 36 assists in 68 games.

Since then, Palushaj bounced between the KHL, AHL, and Europe. In 2017-18, he
led Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League with 45 points in 51 games.

Honourable Mentions: T.J. Galiardi, Drayson Bowman, Linus Omark

The post 2007 NHL Entry Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks appeared first on The Hockey
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