This text was initially written in March 2015.
Bear in mind Rob Schremp?
He was as soon as touted as one of many NHL’s most promising younger gamers. He was a gifted playmaker and objective scorer who was well-known for his magical fingers.
Nonetheless, he didn’t translate his large play within the junior ranks into an extended and profitable NHL profession.
Let’s take a fast have a look at the participant he was, and the participant he turned.
Rob Schremp’s OHL Profession
It was within the Ontario Hockey League the place Schremp turned referred to as one of the vital expert and promising younger hockey gamers on this planet.
His junior profession started in Mississauga, Ontario with the Icedogs. In his first OHL season, 2002-03, he received rookie of the yr honours on the age of 16. He led all rookies in scoring with 74 factors, together with 26 objectives in 65 video games.
Enjoyable truth: Different members of the OHL First All Rookie Crew in 2002-03 had been Wojtek Wolski, Brent Burns and Mark Giordano.
In his second season within the OHL, Schremp was traded after the Icedogs’ first three video games to the powerhouse London Knights. The Knights’ roster was already stacked with NHL expertise, together with Corey Perry, Dave Bolland, Brandon Prust and Dennis Wideman. Though the Knights secured the very best document within the OHL, London would lose to the Guelph Storm within the Convention Finals, the eventual OHL Champion.
Nonetheless, he had a median season in comparison with his requirements, as he managed 75 factors, together with 30 objectives in 63 video games, barely managing to surpass his rookie season factors whole.
Rob Schremp within the NHL Draft
Within the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Schremp was chosen within the first spherical, twenty fifth total by the Edmonton Oilers.
But, it was in his third OHL season, 2004-05, when he started to really set up himself as of the hockey’s premier prospects. After yet one more unsurprisingly profitable season in London, he had considerably improved his factors totals, scoring 41 objectives and 90 factors in 62 video games. On prime of this, he scored 13 objectives and 29 factors in 18 playoff video games to assist lead the Knights to each OHL and Memorial Cup Championship.
Through the 2004-05 season, Schremp was additionally chosen to symbolize the USA on the World Junior Hockey Championship, the place he scored 4 objectives and 5 factors in seven video games.
In his last OHL season, he was downright unstoppable.
In 57 video games, he scoring a tremendous 57 objectives and 88 assists for a complete of 145 factors. Consequently, he was awarded the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy because the league’s main scorer. When the playoffs got here round, he was once more large, scoring 10 objectives and 47 factors in solely 19 video games!
Though the Knights would go on to lose within the OHL Ultimate, Schremp had efficiently established himself as one of the vital thrilling and proficient younger gamers certain for the NHL.
Check out these highlights from his profession with London. As you may see, not solely was an important playmaker, however he additionally had an incredible shot. He liked to combine in some emphatic objective celebrations as properly.
Rob Schremp’s NHL Profession
Sadly, the success Schremp loved all through his junior profession by no means efficiently translated into his NHL sport, as Rob struggled to not solely produce offensively, however earn a full time roster spot.
In his first skilled season, he spent the complete yr with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who had been the Oilers AHL affiliate on the time. Regardless of a profitable season which noticed him rating 17 objectives and 53 factors in 69 video games, he solely performed in a single NHL sport with the Oilers.
His second skilled season was spent once more within the AHL, this time with the Springfield Falcons. After one other nice season through which he scored 23 objectives and 76 factors in 78 video games, he was known as up by the Oilers as soon as once more, but didn’t register a degree in two video games.
In his third season? You guessed it; he performed one other 69 video games with the Falcons, scoring a mere seven objectives whereas including 35 assists for 42 factors. In yet one more stint with the Oilers, he recorded thee assists in 4 video games.
But, in his transient time in Edmonton, he displayed his unimaginable abilities with the puck, pulling off strikes that had by no means been seen earlier than:
Previous to the start of the 2009 season, Schremp was claimed off of waivers by the New York Islanders. In New York, he was given a daily roster spot and started to contribute offensively, scoring 7 objectives and 25 factors over 44 video games in 2009-10, in addition to 10 objectives and 22 factors in 45 video games with the Islanders in 2010-11.
Throughout 2010-11, he was claimed off of waivers by the Atlanta Thrashers. After an extra 18 video games in Atlanta, his skilled hockey profession in North America had come to an uneventful shut.
Rob Schremp’s European Profession
After leaving the NHL, Schremp performed in varied leagues all through Europe. Specifically, the Swedish Elite League, Kontinental Hockey League, Austrian League and the Switzerland Nationwide League.
Not like different gamers who’ve gone on to have profitable European careers after taking part in within the NHL, his profession continued to spiral downward since his glory days with the London Knights, and he retired after the 2017-18 season.
He had all the talents a participant might ever want: pace, an important shot, wonderful fingers and an incredible hockey I.Q. Though he was a bit undersized at 5-foot-10, he all the time performed a sport greater than his dimension and looking back, it didn’t seem like an element detrimental to his profession.
So this begs the query: what went incorrect?
What Went Unsuitable with Rob Schremp?
Many (together with this text) have cited Schremp’s incapability to adapt his junior sport to the NHL. In accordance with Todd Richards who coached him in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he was centered on taking part in a junior sort of sport towards greater, stronger and sooner AHL gamers and he was failing to understand what had labored previously wouldn’t essentially achieve success within the skilled ranks.
When fascinated by Schremp, North American hockey followers will seemingly recall what he might have been, somewhat than what he was.
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