Ranking Every No. 1 NHL Draft Pick of the Last 10 Years
One of the cool things about this year's Stanley Cup Final is seeing some of the top players drafted in 2014 and 2015 getting a shot to win it all. But they each had to get drafted before that could happen, and both the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers have No. 1 picks high atop the reasons they're here now.
That got us thinking about the No. 1 picks we've seen hit the NHL over the past decade. Many have had personal success, some have had team success and some have had both.
A few haven't had either just yet.
That's fertile ground for debates to be had, and that's why we're going to rank out the past 10 No. 1 picks. You can probably guess who will be the No. 1 of all the No. 1s, maybe even the No. 2 guy, but do you know for sure?
We're taking into account what the players have done in the NHL, how well their teams have done with them there, and how much of their own success they've had (or not!). Join us on this journey to the past and let us know in the comments how much you think we blew it (or didn't!).
10. Juraj Slafkovský, Montréal Canadiens
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Some Montréal Canadiens fans are probably going to take this personally and, listen, it's not an attack on you or on Juraj Slafkovský, the No. 1 pick in 2022. He just needs more time and opportunity and continued team improvement in Montréal to help him evolve.
Slafkovský is a power forward who had to deal with injury a year ago that ended his season prematurely with only 39 games played. This season, however, we got to see more of what to expect as time carries on from him. He had 20 goals and 50 points and played in all 82 games.
Getting another year older and stronger and confident went a long way for him and the kind of offense he provides helps give the Canadiens a change-up compared to Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Slafkovský has all the components to become a dynamite power forward with his skill and hands along with his strength.
We can see what's coming for him, we just need to see more of it to move him up the ladder in the years to come.
9. Alexis Lafrenière, New York Rangers
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Alexis Lafrenière was slated to be the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft well before the world shut down, and when the New York Rangers won the draft lottery, there was zero doubt they were going to take him. He was the CHL's rookie of the year in 2018 and was the QMJHL's player of the year in 2019 and 2020.
Since he jumped right into the NHL in 2020-2021, he hasn't had the immediate super impact many other No. 1 picks have had. It wasn't really until this season that we saw Lafrenière evolve into a consistent scoring threat when he posted 28 goals with 57 total points. He added another eight goals and six assists in the Rangers run to the Eastern Conference Final as well.
Are we at last seeing the Lafrenière we've always expected? The Rangers sure hope so, but it's another shining example of what confidence and patience can do for players of any pedigree.
Sure, New York would've loved to see him hit these strides when he was 18 but doing it at 22 and being mature and wise enough to know how to handle it better now will go a long way.
8. Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres
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When it comes to 2021 No. 1 pick Owen Power, his case is fascinating for whether or not you think he's been successful.
Playing on the Buffalo Sabres behind fellow No. 1 pick Rasmus Dahlin means he's not being tasked with the lead role on the team's blue line. He's on the Sabres' second pair on defense and their second power-play unit, and he's not their primary penalty killer either. Although he plays a ton of minutes, his point totals don't compare to Dahlin's, even though that's a bit of an unfair measuring stick.
Power has 71 points in 163 games and while those raw numbers don't stand out, a peek at the advanced stats tell the story of a player that's shining brightly doing the little things at 5-on-5 like driving possession and helping his teammates score more goals than opponents even if he's not getting points out of it.
Still, the 6'6" blue liner hasn't had enough "wow" moments and hasn't piled up points like many of his contemporaries as of yet and even though that might be made more difficult by playing on the same team as Dahlin, Power mostly needs to feel more comfortable in his own skin play with more confidence with the puck.
There's an elite-level defenseman there, it's just a matter of time until he seizes the day.
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7. Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
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Aaron Ekblad was the top player headed into the 2014 NHL draft, and when the Florida Panthers won the lottery, it was destiny that he was going to be taken first—even though that particular draft was littered with high-end talent throughout it.
To be fair, a lot of the best players didn't emerge until they matured, but when they did...well, you've seen what David Pastrnak, Leon Draisaitl, Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart have done (among others).
But we're not comparing Ekblad to his draft year cohorts, we're comparing him to other No. 1 picks and while the others to come have been among the best in the NHL, he's been as steady as they come on defense.
Ekblad has averaged 0.51 points per game throughout his career and while his career-high of 57 points in 2021-2022 seems tame when compared to what Roman Josi, Quinn Hughes, Erik Karlsson or Rasmus Dahlin have done, points-wise he's been as consistent as they get since he entered the NHL at 18 years old. Only twice has he averaged fewer than 0.45 points per game in a season (2016-17 and 2023-24).
Ekblad is a very good player, and any team would benefit from having him, but with the elite players who are yet to come on this list and the players who are young enough to still have a lot more time to improve, he's kind of the ideal of what anyone picking in the first round of a draft would love to draft.
6. Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks
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Players who are selected with the kind of hype Connor Bedard came with ahead of the 2023 draft are rare. When someone is already being put in the same echelon with Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, it puts a world of pressure on a player. But Bedard justified the hype.
In a season that was interrupted by a broken jaw, he had 61 points in 68 games and was the NHLs leading rookie scorer. He played nearly 20 minutes a game on an extremely poor Blackhawks team. His offensive brilliance was on display as he showed an elite shot, tremendous hands and skill beyond his years.
Among rookies who played 41 or more games in a season since 2005-2006, Bedard's 0.90 points per game was 10th best. He's the odds-on favorite to win the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year which, if he wins, would give him something neither Crosby nor McDavid won. Crosby lost out to Alexander Ovechkin and McDavid, thanks to an injury-affected season, lost to Artemi Panarin.
Bedard is going to be incredible, and he already is in many ways. We've gotten a real good look at him already and there will be even more to come in the years ahead...but we can't fully crown him yet. But just understand that this ranking is a snapshot in time, not a condemnation.
5. Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
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Looking back on the 2017 NHL draft and seeing the players who have ascended to stardom from it (Cale Makar, Miro Heiskanen, Elias Pettersson) is thrilling, but looking past No. 1 pick Nico Hischier would be a mistake.
Hischier was in a battle with Nolan Patrick for who would go first in the draft. When the New Jersey Devils won the lottery and got to pick first, they selected Hischier and walked away with, arguably, the best two-way forward in the draft.
Hischier's prowess defensively has been on display for the past few seasons and even netted him a second-place finish in the voting for the Selke Trophy a year ago. His ability to handle the toughest defensive assignments while still being able to be an effective point producer, particularly over the past three years where he's produced nearly at a point per game pace.
Two-way forwards generally don't get a lot of love unless they lead their team to a Stanley Cup or two and the Devils haven't gotten there yet. But watching Hischier play and how he's such a strong and complete player, particularly playing in the shadow of a more offensively gifted teammate, he's one of the league's more underappreciated players.
4. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
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With the assortment of highs and lows Rasmus Dahlin has experienced in Buffalo since he was taken No. 1 in 2018, it'd be enough to give anyone motion sickness.
As an 18-year-old defenseman in the NHL, playing one of the hardest positions in the game at that age can create a massive mental burden. Instead, Dahlin scored from the blue line at a rate that surpassed every other 18-year-old blue liner in NHL history except his head coach at the time, Phil Housley. More points than Bobby Orr had at that age, even.
But points aren't everything when playing defense and his second coach, Ralph Krueger, attempted to correct that at the expense of his offense. That did not work well for anyone involved, but when Don Granato took over as his third head coach in three years, he encouraged Dahlin to do what he does best and what we've seen of him the past few seasons showed why he was the consensus choice to be the No. 1 pick in 2018.
His offensive abilities and skills are elite, his attention to detail in the defensive zone has grown tremendously and he's developed the ability to deeply upset opponents with his physical play and nastiness.
He's the Sabres' top defenseman and for good reason because he's evolving into one of the best in the NHL before our eyes. It seems like he's been around forever at this point, but when you start playing at 18, being 24 and heading into your seventh season all without seeing a playoff game yet, it could seem like a lifetime.
3. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
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When the New Jersey Devils had luck on their side once again in the 2019 NHL draft lottery and came away with the No. 1 pick, there was a little less debate about who they'd pick than when they picked first in 2017. Jack Hughes was tops on everyone's list
Sure, there was Kaapo Kakko, Bowen Byram and Kirby Dach, but it was Hughes who proved to be the star player everyone would want, and for good reason. Hughes has been an electrifying scorer for the Devils.
Over his five years in the league, Hughes scored 0.92 points per game and in each of the past three seasons he's scored at better than a point per game (1.21 PPG). That rate is 12th best in the NHL over the past three seasons for players with 175 games played or more. Whether he's scoring goals or setting them up, he's the player driving New Jersey's offense.
If there's a knock to be had on Hughes it's that injuries have been an issue so far in his NHL career. Whether it's bad luck or bad breaks, in two of the past three seasons he's missed significant time because of injury. But one thing is clear, when he's on the ice the Devils stand a much greater chance to win because of him.
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
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What's more remarkable about Auston Matthews being the No. 1 pick in 2016 is the fact that had he been born a few weeks sooner, we'd be discussing how bonkers the 2015 draft class would've been with him as part of it.
Instead, he was far and away the No. 1 choice in 2016, and the Toronto Maple Leafs lost a whole mess of games to ensure they'd have the best shot to win the lottery. Lucky for them, they did because, boy, has Matthews lived up to the hype.
He's arguably the best goal scorer in the NHL right now and after making a run at 70 goals this season and falling one goal shy of the mark, who's to say he won't hit it next season or any of the next few seasons after that? Power play, 5-on-5, whenever he's on the ice, Matthews is a threat to turn a game on its head for Toronto.
Among No. 1 picks the past 10 years, there's only one player better than him and he's in his own stratosphere of comparison. The more interesting question would be if we extended this ranking out a little beyond 10 years to include Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon. But make no mistake, Matthews is incredible and it's a good thing the Maple Leafs got him locked up for the time being because he will be the one to take them where they want to go: Beyond the second round of the playoffs.
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
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It's almost unfair to do any kind of ranking in which Connor McDavid is eligible to be a part of because unless it's something brutally negative, he's more than likely going to come away as the No. 1 guy. In McDavid's case, he's the top No. 1 draft pick over the past 10 years in a competition that's sort of similar to how it broke down in the 2015 NHL draft in which he was picked.
That year, McDavid was the absolute top prize but with Jack Eichel also eligible that year, whoever picked second was going to get a franchise star as well. While Buffalo and Arizona competed hard (?) to get to the bottom of the standings and assure themselves of landing either the No. 1 or No. 2 pick (as per the lottery rules of the time), it turned out neither one would come away with McDavid while the old guard of winning lotteries, the Edmonton Oilers, had luck on their side one more time.
It made most everyone around the league say, "Not these guys again" but the Oilers savored the flavor of those tears as their franchise was graced with the best player in the game once again just like they had 30-some years before with Wayne Gretzky.
Night in and night out we witness McDavid's brilliance and wonder when, not if, he'll win a Stanley Cup. We might be a week or two away from seeing that for the first time.
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