2013 NHL Entry Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks

From feted to forgotten, in just over five years.

The 2013 NHL Entry Draft in Newark, New Jersey is notable for producing plenty of players who either just becoming or are firmly entrenched as impact players in their primes, and for being the first draft in which all non-playoff qualifying teams had a chance of snagging the overall selection.

However, for every household name, such as Nathan MacKinnon, Alexsander Barkov, Seth Jones, Bo Horvat, or Josh Morrissey, there are also names which are only recognized as high-round selections by draft enthusiasts and hardcore NHL fans.

Samuel Morin: Philadelphia Flyers, 11th Overall

Morin is not totally forgotten yet, but with only eight NHL games played, the 24-year-old is in danger of becoming irrelevant.

Chosen 11th overall, the towering 6-foot-7 defenseman played four seasons — two prior and two after being drafted — for the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic. He won a gold medal with Canada at the 2015 World Juniors and hoisted the President’s Cup with the Oceanic, too.

“He’s probably not going to impress with his offensive output but he gets the puck up ice efficiently and he also has a huge slap shot from the point,” Dobber Prospects’ Nathan Martin wrote after the draft.”Morin is going to get every opportunity with the Flyers to become a top four defenseman. He would benefit greatly from a few years in the AHL as it would be unwise for the Flyers to rush this player because they desperately need him to pan out.”

Dobber Prospects’ Nathan Martin

Morin, indeed, spent the entirety of the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and made his NHL debut on Apr. 4, 2017. He looked poised to become a full-time Flyer in 2017-18.

However, Morin’s past two seasons have been completely derailed by injuries; the Quebecer has played just 24 games since 2016-17. He had two wrist surgeries and suffered from other undisclosed injuries throughout 2017-18 that limited him to 15 AHL and 2 NHL games; his woes continued as he sustained an ACL tear during the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs that required surgery.

As a result, 2018-19 was another lost season and Morin played just seven games between the AHL and NHL. The blue-liner THW’s own Kurtis Wells called a reincarnation of Chris Pronger and a “towering force who no one wants to mess with” in a 2018 piece needs to prove he can be more durable, and fast, if he wants to remain in discussions when it comes to the Flyers’ future.

THW’s Ryan Black feels Morin still has a chance, and he does have two years left on his contract. He’s currently in Flyers training camp.

Kerby Rychel: Columbus Blue Jackets, 19th Overall

We see them in every draft: sons of former NHLers who are picked up perhaps too early due to name recognition. The draft the year prior was particularly full of such choices.

Kerby Rychel, son of former NHL tough guy and current Windsor Spitfires co-owner Warren Rychel, was touted as a player who could use his hands for more than fisticuffs.

“Rychel is a natural scorer with a fantastic shooting arsenal and is extremely opportunistic,” Dobber Prospects’ Brendan Ross wrote in the February prior to his selection, as the winger was in the midst of a 40-goal, 87-point season for the Windsor Spitfires.

“He’s the type of guy who, when competing really hard, is very effective,” Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards said. “When he’s banging around and separating guys from the puck, that’s when he’s really on his game. He has a good shot and the ability to pass the puck in traffic.”

After being drafted, Rychel returned to juniors, but over his next two seasons, played just 58 combined games and didn’t come close to matching his electric 2012-13 campaign.

After turning pro, Rychel showed his offensive skills at the AHL level. He had his longest NHL stint in 2015-16 — 32 games with the Blue Jackets — but only produced nine points.

The Blue Jackets traded Rychel to the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. THW’s own Ryan Lawson opined that it was a “monumental deal which flew quietly under the radar” and that “Rychel has all the makings of an excellent NHL player and should become a mainstay in the Leafs’ top-six in the near future.”

Want to read about forgotten picks from other years? Check out THW’s 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005 entries.