Early in his career, it could be argued that Ab McDonald was in the right place at the right time.  McDonald’s first two games in the NHL were in the 1958 Playoffs, where, with the Montreal Canadiens, he would win a Stanley Cup.  McDonald would see his name etched into the Cup the following year in a more active role, and in 1961, after being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, he would win his third Stanley Cup, a great honor for someone who was not even 25 yet.

Mike Ridley had a pretty good career for someone who went undrafted. 

The Kansas City Scouts selected Wilf Paiement second overall in the Amateur Draft in 1974, and he was able to crack the roster instantly of this expansion team.  As the Scouts relocated to Denver to become the Colorado Rockies, Paiement would see his scoring improve, posting a pair of 80 Point seasons, and he would make three straight trips to the All-Star Game (1976 to 1978).  Paiement would was regarded as a good two-way player who was not afraid to get dirty and throw down when needed.  A great example of this was in the 1977 World Hockey Championship, where Paiement and the other Canadians (who were making their first appearance in the tournament after sitting out for eight years) were ruthless with dirty tactics.  He would be suspended 15 Games in the following season for slashing Detroit’s Dennis Polonich in the face, rendering the latter with a concussion and the need for extensive reconstructive facial surgery.