Brett Hull Was Taken in Sixth Round of 1984 NHL Draft

Published on August 25th, 2024 3:05 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel



Why was Brett Hull - a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest pure goal scorers of all time - skipped over in not one but TWO straight NHL drafts?

Why was Brett Hull finally taken in the 1984 NHL Draft, but only in the sixth round?

Brett Hull seemingly had a golden ticket into the NHL - after all, his father was Bobby Hull, one of the greatest NHL players of all time.

Even if Brett Hull wasn't all that good, he likely would have been given a shot to play in the NHL, based purely on his pedigree.

Instead, Hull was skipped over in TWO straight drafts.

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There was no disrespect of Brett Hull - even he admits that he initially didn't deserve to be drafted into the NHL.

You see, Brett Hull was undisciplined as a youth hockey player. He was "pudgy" and enjoyed listening to music more than he enjoyed working out and playing hockey.

The 1982 NHL Draft came and went, and Brett Hull was completely skipped over. Nobody even gave him a chance - not that he deserved one.

After the 1982 NHL Draft came and went, Hull joined the Penticton Knights of the BCJHL. Hull was impressive, scoring 48 goals in 50 games, though NHL scouts still felt as though he was unmotivated and ultimately a waste of a pick.

The 1983 NHL Draft came and went, and Brett Hull went undrafted yet again.

At this point, Hull reached a fork in the road. Either he could become serious about the game of hockey and train properly, or he could go and do something else.

Hull decided to get serious about his training in hopes of making the NHL, and it definitely paid off.

In his next season in the BCJHL, Hull set all sorts of records, including scoring 105 goals in just 56 games.

Now Hull was on the radar of NHL teams, and he was chosen in the sixth round of the 1984 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames.

After choosing to attend college in the United States for a couple of years, Hull eventually made his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Hull would play for a few years with the Flames before being traded to the St. Louis Blues, where he would blossom into a superstar.

Hull's breakout year would come in 1989-90, when he would score 72 goals in 80 games.

Hull would follow this with seasons of 86 goals and 70 goals, cementing himself as one of the greatest snipers of all time.