NHL Draft: Ranking the 25 Greatest Steals of the Last 25 Years

The 2013 NHL draft will feature top-end talents like Jonathan Drouin, Nathan MacKinnon and Seth Jones, but there have been times in which players have been stolen at the draft.

At the 1987 draft, a youngster by the name of Theo Fleury was drafted in the eighth round, and he went on to have an amazing career.

If you look at the last 25 drafts, there are numerous cases in which this has occurred, and here are the 25 greatest steals from the last 25 years.

When evaluating steals, everyone has different elements to consider. Draft status, production and notoriety all were considered while compiling this list. While some may be a spot or two off, these are 25 of the best steals in the last quarter of the century.

No. 25 Lubomir Visnovsky

Lubomir Visnovsky was the 118th selection of the 2000 draft, and he has performed very well up to this point in his career. He has been a very decent puck mover and offensive blueliner, and he has a pair of 60-point seasons to his name.

Visnovsky hasn't dazzled and amazed during his whole career, but he has performed better than an average fourth-round pick.

No. 24 Mark Streit

The Montreal Canadiens selected Mark Streit during the ninth round of the 2004 NHL draft. Since being drafted, Streit has tallied 223 points in only 491 games.

Streit entered the NHL late because he spent some time playing in Switzerland, but he has been a solid player despite being chosen in the draft's final round.

No. 23 Jere Lehtinen

Jere Lehtinen is one of the NHL's most underrated players of all time, and the Dallas Stars found a diamond in the rough when they selected him 88th overall in 1992.

During his career, Lehtinen won the Selke Trophy three times for his stellar defensive play, and he was an integral part of the Stars' 1999 Stanley Cup team. He was known for his defensive prowess, but he still averaged 0.65 points per game.

No. 22 Dustin Byfuglien

Dustin Byfuglien is one of the NHL's most intimidating defenders, and he is also a solid offensive defenseman. "Big Buff" is a terrorizing force on the ice at 300 pounds, and he has a booming slap shot.

He was a key part of the Chicago Blackhawks' Cup-winning team in 2009, and he has exceeded all expectations as an eighth-round pick.

No. 21 Andrei Markov

Andrei Markov has battled injuries throughout his career, but he still has given the Montreal Canadiens a ton of value as a sixth-round pick. Markov was selected 162nd overall in 1998, and he has been a fixture on the team for a number of years.

After missing significant time in two consecutive years, Markov had a nice rebound for the Habs in 2013. At age 34, his best days are likely behind him, but he has been a great bargain for the Canadiens as a later-round pick.

No. 20 Matt Moulson

Matt Moulson was selected in the ninth round of the 2003 draft, and he has blossomed into a skilled two-way forward. Moulson is a three-time 30-goal scorer as a member of the New York Islanders, and he has 224 points in 332 games to date.

As his career has progressed, Moulson has drastically improved, and he is arguably one of the best draft steals from the 2000s.

No. 19 Brad Richards

Brad Richards wasn't selected until the third round of the 1998 draft. The Tampa Bay Lightning struck gold when they selected Richards and Vincent Lecavalier in the same draft, but Richards wasn't expected to be as good as he was.

In his first 408 games with the Lightning, Richards scored 368 points and was the team's best player during its Stanley Cup run in 2004. Richards scored 26 points in 23 games, and he won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his efforts.

No. 18 Patrick Sharp

Patrick Sharp is a skilled offensive player who can play on the wing or at center, and he's had a decent career despite being drafted 95th overall.

Sharp has tallied 405 points in 595 career games, and he has been a versatile player for the Blackhawks since being acquired in 2005. While Sharp wasn't an uber-late pick, he still deserves consideration for performing as a later-round pick.

No. 17 Pekka Rinne

Pekka Rinne is one of the top goaltenders in the Western Conference, and he had a humble beginning. This elite netminder was drafted 258th overall in the ninth round, and he has turned into a legitimate star.

He is one of the Predators' top players, and he will only get better as his career continues.

No. 16 Ryan Miller

Ryan Miller has been one of the NHL's best goaltenders since the 2005-06 lockout, and he wasn't drafted until the fifth round in 1999. Since making his debut, Miller has won a Vezina Trophy, and he has also won 269 of his 500 games played.

Miller is still relatively young, and he has the potential to be one of the NHL's top goaltenders of all time if he can play at an elite level.

No. 15 Mark Recchi

Mark Recchi is one of the greatest wingers in NHL history, and no one expected this fourth-round pick to win multiple Stanley Cups and various NHL trophies.

In modern NHL history, Recchi is one of 10 NHL players to have won the Stanley Cup with three different teams. He also is a seven-time All-Star who tallied over 500 goals and 1,500 points. 

No. 14 Peter Bondra

Peter Bondra is one of the Washington Capitals' best players of all time, and no one expected this eighth-rounder to dazzle and amaze. Bondra was a stealthy and elusive sniper who scored 503 goals during his career, and he could have been better if not for injuries.

Bondra is one of the NHL's greatest goal scorers from the 1990s, and he made the Capitals a dangerous team during his heyday. 

No 13 Pavol Demitra

In 1993, the Ottawa Senators struck gold when they drafted the late great Pavol Demitra. He was the 227th overall pick, and he had a dazzling career. In 847 games, he had 768 points, and he played for multiple teams, including the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks.

Demitra's life and career ended way too soon, and he was one of the NHL's most underrated players during his career.

No. 12 Alex Mogilny

Alex Mogilny was the New Jersey Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk of the 1990s. The skilled Russian sniper was a strong yet sleek goal scorer with an amazing stride. Mogilny is a future Hall of Famer because of his contributions at the NHL level and at the international level, and he was very fun to watch. 

During his career, he tallied 1,032 points in 990 games, and he was quite impressive for a fifth-round pick.

No. 11 Miikka Kiprusoff

Miikka Kiprusoff was selected 116th overall by the San Jose Sharks during the 1995 draft, and he had a career for the ages in such a short span of time. In 599 career games, Kiprusoff won 311 games, and he would have had a better career had he been given a larger role when he entered the league.

He performed pretty spectacularly for a fifth-round pick, and it would have been interesting to see what he would have done if he had a longer career.

No. 10 Joe Pavelski

Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks has been impressive thus far, and he is only going to get better with an increased role in the top six. Pavelski has scored 336 points in 449 games to date, and he has established himself as one of the league's top two-way players.

Scouting is a lot more accurate than it used to be, so it is interesting that Pavelski wasn't selected until the seventh round. Pavelski is emerging as one of the NHL's top superstars, and he is going to go down as one of the best draft steals of all time.

No. 9 Daniel Alfredsson

Daniel Alfredsson is the leader and captain of the Ottawa Senators, and he has had an amazing career. He was drafted 133rd overall in 1994, and to date, he has registered 1,108 points in 1,178 games. He won the Calder Trophy during his rookie season, and he was a six-time All-Star.

Alfredsson's career may be over soon, and he truly is one of the NHL's most respected players of all time.

No. 8 Nicklas Lidstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom, arguably the greatest defenseman of his era, was a paltry third-round pick. The Red Wings took a chance on him in 1989 after Neil Smith went to Sweden to watch him play, and he is one of the greatest players in league history.

He won four Stanley Cups, seven Norris Trophies and was nominated for countless All-Star games. He isn't as big of a steal because he was selected in the third round as opposed to the eighth or ninth, but he still exceeded all expectations ever placed on him.

No. 7 Sergei Fedorov

Sergei Fedorov was a key part of a Detroit Red Wings team that dominated during the 1990s, and he was one of its best players. He was the perfect foil to Steve Yzerman as the team's No. 2 center, and he racked up 1,179 points in 1,248 career games. 

Fedorov won countless awards during his career and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1989 draft.

No. 6 Evgeni Nabokov

Evgeni Nabokov was selected 219th overall by the San Jose Sharks back in 1994, and he was the best goaltender to ever sport a black and teal sweater. Nabokov won 293 games with the Sharks, and he was named Rookie of the Year in 2001. 

If he had debuted earlier, he would have picked up more wins, but nonetheless, he had an impressive career with San Jose.

No. 5 Henrik Zetterberg

Henrik Zetterberg is the captain of the Detroit Red Wings, and he is another player the franchise stole during the draft.

The Red Wings captain was selected 210th overall during the 1999 draft, and he has been one of the best players from that draft.

Zetterberg is almost averaging a point per game, and he is also one of the NHL's top defensive forwards. 

No. 4 Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL today, and he wasn't selected until 200 other players' names were called at the 2000 draft.

Lundqvist was selected 201st overall, but he would probably be a lottery pick if there ever was an NHL fantasy draft for goaltenders.

Lundqvist has had a ton of success with the New York Rangers thus far, and he still has a number of years of his prime left. 

No. 3 Pavel Bure

Pavel Bure was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame because of his excellence as a player, and he exceeded any and all expectations placed on him as a sixth-round pick in 1989. Bure was an electrifying player who had great hands, speed and an amazing shot.

His career was marred by injuries, but it was a privilege for all those who got to watch him play.

No. 2 Theo Fleury

Theo Fleury had his share of off-ice issues, but he was a tremendous hockey player. He averaged over a point per game over 1,084 games, and he won the Stanley Cup in 1989 with the Calgary Flames.

Throughout his Junior career, Fleury was an explosive player, but his size—or lack thereof— discouraged teams from drafting him. He eventually was selected during the ninth round of the 1987 draft, and the rest is history.

No. 1 Pavel Datsyuk

Pavel Datsyuk is the ultimate draft steal for numerous reasons. He wasn't drafted until his third year of eligibility, and the Detroit Red Wings eventually picked him 178th overall. It is mind-boggling that he was not selected for two consecutive years, but conversely, it is mind-boggling for defenders who are tasked with guarding "The Magic Man."

Datsyuk has averaged close to a point per game thus far, and he is a two-time Stanley Cup champion.