How Good is George Richmond Compared to Past 2nd Overall Picks?

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How Good is George Richmond Compared to Past 2nd Overall Picks?

 

 

 

The Field

 

In this article, we'll be looking at the past 10 second overall picks (including Richmond is 11) and seeing how he compares to the field. For simplicity sake, we'll be taking a look at the first three seasons of the player's career, as that's how many seasons George Richmond has currently played. The past 10 second overall picks, there has been 5 forwards, 3 defenseman, and 2 goalies. Obviously, we aren't really going to try to compare a goalie to skater stats wise, so they'll be taken out of the rankings. Every other 2nd overall pick (9 remaining) will be ranked 1-9, starting with 9 and making it to the best 2nd overall pick in the last ~10 drafts. Lets start the ranking!

 

REMINDER THIS IS ONLY FIRST 3 SEASONS OF PLAY

 

#9 - Napoleon Dynamite - C - HC Davos Dynamo/New York Americans

 

Goals: 45 (6th)

Assists: 68 (Last)

Points: 113 (7th)

Plus/Minus: -26 (8th)

 

Description: Napoleon Dynamite was the 2nd overall pick in S84, heading to play for Davos in his first two seasons. Napoleon had a pretty bad first season, dropping 22 points in his rookie campaign with a -28 and clearly, things right from the get go wasn't working out for Dynamite. Eventually, he would end up moving to the New York Americans where he would have 45 points in his third season, one short of his sophomore season. Dynamite would then go on an have a pretty solid career, reaching the 40 goal mark once and all-around being a very solid player. However, this list only focuses on his first three seasons and he for sure was one of the worst on this list. He didn't produce much offensively and wasn't surrounded by much talent, leading him to the 9th spot on this list.

 

#8 - FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist - RW - Vancouver Wolves

 

Goals: 56 (5th)

Assists: 79 (8th)

Points: 135 (6th)

Plus/Minus: +43 (3rd)

 

Description: Up next at 8th, we have FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist, the second overall pick in S88 and still an active player in the league. Analfist starting off did not impress, only having 21 points in his rookie season with 8 goals to his name. The second season though, he was able to make a massive improvement, dropping 53 points and breaking the 20 goal mark. His third season was his best, where he was able to have 61 points with 28 goals. Analfist would then go on to eventually leave Vancouver and head to New York, and finish it off on Moscow. Although playing for multiple teams, he's been able to be a solid consistent contributor for all the teams he was on, especially New York where he had his best season in S94. He was able to put up 50 goals for the first time in his career and a huge milestone for such a player. He's had 4 30+ goal seasons and 2 40+ goal seasons. Regardless, his first three seasons weren't anything to be impressed about, besides the fact he can put the puck in the back of the net here and there.

 

#7 - Eric Queefson - D - D.C. Dragons/Moscow Menace

 

Goals: 27 (8th)

Assists: 83 (7th)

Points: 110 (Last)

Plus/Minus: -31 (Last)

 

Description: The lowest ranked defenseman on the list and the S89 second overall pick is Eric Queefson. Queefson started with DC in his first two seasons, where he actually had a fairly decent rookie campaign putting up 37 points. However, his second season was less than impressive, as he regressed only dropping 17 points. His third season would see him moving to Moscow as he'd have his best season yet, putting up 55 points and his best season to date as he is no longer playing. After that, he'd go on and play for multiple teams, but never could replicate the success on Moscow. Probably career wise the worst player on this list, but we aren't necessarily looking at that, we're looking at the first three seasons. Queefson didn't necessarily have the best first three seasons, but as a defenseman he was still able to put up some decent numbers early on. Regardless, Queefson is a big "what if" of what could have been an amazing career cut short.

 

#6 - Yaroslav Bogatyrev - RW - Seattle Bears

 

Goals: 63 (4th)

Assists: 89 (T-5th)

Points: 152 (5th)

Plus/Minus: -20 (7th)

 

Description: Slotting in at sixth on the list is Yaroslav Bogatyrev, the second overall pick in S86. Bogatyrev would make his debut immediately, but it wasn't what most Seattle fans expected, as he would only drop 16 goals and put up 31 points in his rookie campaign. His second season wasn't much better either, but he still broke the 20 goal mark and had 44 points. However, just like a lot of players on this list, his 3rd season is when he finally broke out, dropping 77 points and 26 goals. Bogatyrev would then go on to continue a fair amount of his career with Seattle, eventually leaving and retiring with Malmo. Bogatyrev wasn't necessarily an amazing player, but he was a very solid player who broke the 40 goal mark twice in his career. On top of that, he was basically a + player almost every season except the first two, so he was responsible on both sides of the ice. Not necessarily the flashiest player, but a solid scorer and someone who you'd for sure want to have on your team.

 

#5 - Walter Fitzroy Jr - D - Toronto Legion

 

Goals: 22 (Last)

Assists: 89 (T-5th)

Points: 111 (8th)

Plus/Minus: +46 (2nd)

 

Description: We're now at the top five, with Walter Fitzroy Jr who was the fifth overall pick in S90. Walter Fitzroy Jr. was a hype pick at the time with a ton of promise, and he actually didn't have too bad of a start early on. His rookie campaign consisted of 30 points, with 5 goals, but mainly was shown as a pure passer. His second season though, questions started to rise as he only improved by a single point. However, the third season he finally showed what he could be capable of, putting up 50 points with 40+ assists. Walter Fitzroy Jr is still playing for the Toronto Legion and is entering his 6th season in the league, but has been a bit of a let down career wise. He's been able to break the 50 point mark multiple times, but for a 2nd overall pick, you're probably wanting more. Regardless, Walter Fitzroy Jr has been an important piece to multiple Toronto Cup runs and at the end of the day, his name is on the trophy more than most.

 

#4 - George Richmond - C - Moscow Menace

 

Goals: 96 (3rd)

Assists: 117 (4th)

Points: 213 (3rd)

Plus/Minus: +31 (4th)

 

Description: Continuing on, we have George Richmond in the fourth place spot, taken with the second overall pick in S92. Richmond had a lot of hype around him and coming into the league, easily delivered. He has one of the best rookie seasons on this list, if not the best rookie season, where he was able to put up 62 points and nearly cracking 30 goals as a rookie. The next season, he would continue to improve putting up 71 points and 35 goals, already breaking the 30+ goal mark for the first time in his career. His third season, he would show improvement still, but he would drop off a bit in scoring, favoring more passing instead dropping 80 points. Richmond has shown a slow and steady growth, unlike a lot of players on this list who have the same first/second season, and then burst onto the scene in their third season. Regardless, it's very early in Richmond's career, but he could be a 40+ goal scorer potentially at his peak and a very solid player overall.

 

#3 - Skor McFleury - D - Riga Reign/HC Davos Dynamo

 

Goals: 42 (7th)

Assists: 138 (2nd)

Points: 180 (4th)

Plus/Minus: +20 (5th)

 

Description: Up at third on this list is Skor McFleury, the 3rd overall pick in S87. McFleury made his debut in his rookie season and actually had a fairly decent season for a defenseman, putting up 42 points in 72 games played. His second season saw little improvement, where he was able to secure 55 points, but his big break came in his third season (shocker). He was able to drop 83 points as a defenseman with 22 goals and 61 assists, which was extremely solid at the time. He ended up leaving Riga for Davos in his third season, so possibly a change of teams was the reason for his success. Nevertheless, he would go on to play for a multitude of teams, eventually retiring with Riga. His best season would be with Prague, where he would have 102 points, finally breaking the 100 point mark which is extremely impressive. He was able to break the 20 goal mark 4 times in his career, and had a 30+ goal season in S94. I think it's fair to say he is by far the best defenseman on the list and potentially could be one of the best players on this list. I could easily see him contesting #2 or even #1.

 

#2 - John Jameson - C - Prague Phantoms

 

Goals: 98 (2nd)

Assists: 127 (3rd)

Points: 225 (2nd)

Plus/Minus: +58 (1st)

 

Description: The second player on this list, is John Jameson, the second overall pick in S85. Jameson would go on to have an amazing first three seasons with Prague, including his rookie campaign where he had 67 points and a solid 28 goals. The next season he would slightly improve, but his third season would be when he would finally break out, having 44 goals and dropping an impressive 89 points. Jameson would go on to play the rest of his career with the Prague Phantoms and would put up 40+ goal seasons in 6 straight, with one 50 goal season. Jameson had an exceptional career and is one of the best players on this list career wise. His first three seasons were very good too, where he would put an impressive 225 points. On top of that, he was loyal from his team to the get go and I respect that, so he lands second on this list.

 

#1 - Thor Reingaard - RW - Warsaw Predators

 

Goals: 106 (1st)

Assists: 143 (1st)

Points: 249 (1st)

Plus/Minus: +5 (6th)

 

Description: The best player on this list and securing first place is Thor Reingaard, the second overall pick in S91. Reingaard burst onto the scene as one of the most hyped prospects in a long time, putting up 58 points in his rookie season, pretty impressive for a young player. However, after that he showed he's already ready to compete with the best in the league, dropping an impressive 100 points and easily the best sophomore season on the list. Reingaard would then go on in his third season to have 91 points, but regardless, he was already the face of the franchise for the Warsaw Predators. Reingaard still is with Warsaw and it's very easy he could go down as one of the best players in Warsaw history at this point, should he stay with the team. Reingaard has had pure domination since the beginning and it's very obvious he's deserving of the first spot on this list, without a doubt.

 

Conclusion

 

What did we learn after looking at the past second overall picks with George Richmond and also their careers? Most of them in their third season showed what they were truly capable of, with huge improvements coming from the second to the third season. It also seems a lot of these players go on to play for multiple teams in their careers and eventually leave the team that drafted them at some point, with only a couple truly staying with a single team throughout their career. As for Richmond, he finds himself in a pretty good spot for his career trajectory and could be a franchise player for Moscow one day. A lot of Moscow fans want to see huge improvement with Richmond, but sometimes, it takes a bit longer for players to develop. As for expectations next season, Richmond should be able to break the point-per-game mark for the first time in his career and potentially have 40 goals. However, it isn't just Richmond who will need to take a step forward, it'll also depend on his teammates for the next season. Regardless, I wouldn't be surprised if Richmond is finally able to cross the 90 point mark, but we'll have to see how things pan out!

 

 

2000+ words

Edited September 30 by badcolethetitan

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[Alex 3,246]

McFleury #1!