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Thursday, April 25, 2024
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Blackhawks' 2008 draft pick known as one of the biggest busts ever

By  Blair Sheade
   
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Kyle Beach puts a Chicago Blackhawks jersey after being chosen as their first round draft pick at the NHL draft, in Ottawa Friday June 20, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese, Ottawa Sun)

Not every draft pick by the Blackhawks turned out to be a high-caliber player like Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane. In 2008, the Blackhawks selected one of the biggest NHL busts of all time.

The Blackhawks drafted left wing Kyle Beach with the 11th overall pick, and he never entered the NHL. He played six seasons in the Blackhawks’ minor league system but never made the jump to the NHL.

Bleacher Report NHL national columnist Jonathan Willis said Beach is the fifth biggest bust in NHL Draft history.

According to Willis:

Beach was a big man with skill and a nasty disposition, and that always gets the attention of scouts. This guy could be the best player in the draft, one scout told The Hockey News in 2008. He’s Owen Nolan. Not so much, as it turned out. Beach recorded 200 penalty minutes in the AHL but topped out as 36-point player. He never played an NHL game; these days he’s plying his trade in Austria.

The Blackhawks finally let Beach go in 2013, and the former 11th overall pick joined the Swedish Hockey League. Beach currently plays in Austria.

Beach doesn’t get mentioned much around Blackhawks fans because they just won their third Stanley Cup in six seasons.

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