Who was Rocky Trottier? He was the first pick for the New Jersey Devils at the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.
The New Jersey Devils came into existence in 1982. Historically, the franchise was born as the Kansas City Scouts (1974-1976) before relocating to Denver and becoming the Colorado Rockies (1976-1982).
Wilf Paiement was officially the organization's first-ever draft pick (second overall) at the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft. He played six seasons with the organization before departing in 1980, two years before relocation to East Rutherford.
New Jersey's first draft as the Devils occurred on Jun. 9, 1982, at the Montreal Forum. The team held the eighth overall pick thanks to the Rob Ramage trade with the St. Louis Blues on Mar. 10, 1980.
With that first selection, General Manager Bill MacMillan selected Rocky Trottier, brother of Hockey Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier.
As we prepare for the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft, let's revisit the career of the Devils' first draft pick after relocation to New Jersey in 1982.
Trottier Was Drafted 8th Overall in 1982
The top picks in the 1982 Entry Draft included Gord Kluzak (Boston), Brian Bellows (Minnesota), Gary Nylund (Toronto), Ron Sutter (Philadelphia), Scott Stevens (Washington), Phil Housely (Buffalo), and Ken Yaremchuk (Chicago).
When it was the Devils' turn to pick, they selected Trottier from the Billings Bighorns (WHL). He recorded 34 points in 28 games with 13 goals in the season leading up to the draft.
Trottier debuted in the WHL in 1980 with the Saskatoon Blades before moving to the Bighorns. Once the Devils drafted him, he stayed in juniors, playing with the Nanaimo Islanders and Medicine Hat Tigers.
Trottier collected 76 goals and 204 points in 208 games in the WHL before making his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 1983.
Trottier's Brief NHL Career
Trottier's first stint with the Devils lasted four games, during which he scored no points and had a minus-3 rating. He was demoted back to Medicine Hat and skated one more time in the NHL on Mar. 10, 1984, when he scored his first goal and picked up two points in a 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Unfortunately, Trottier didn't make the Devils lineup for opening night in 1984 and began the season with the Maine Mariners, where he collected 33 points in 34 games.
He returned to the NHL on Dec. 7, 1984, playing out the remainder of the season with the Devils, skating in his last game on Mar. 7, 1985.
Interestingly, Trottier scored the first penalty shot goal in Devils' history, converting on an attempt against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 17, 1984.
In 38 career games, the right-winger scored six goals and 10 points, finishing with a minus-3 rating and 32 shots.
Trottier returned to the Mariners for the 1985-86 season, playing in New England until the end of the 1987 campaign before moving to Rögle BK in the Sweden Hockey League.
He lasted just one year in Sweden before moving on to EV Füssen in the German Elite League. He returned to North America for the 1989-90 season to skate with the Hershey Bears in the AHL.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-FW9fQkvI8[/embed]
Out of the 44 prospects drafted by New Jersey since 1982, Trottier ranks at or near the bottom in every statistical category among first-round selections.
Not every top-10 pick can turn into Scott Niedermayer (third), John MacLean (sixth), or Jack Hughes (first). However, New Jersey's first draft pick as the Devils in 1982 was one of the biggest busts in franchise history.