Late-Round NHL Draft Value Picks for Every NHL Team in the Last 15 Years
"Value" is a subjective word, and when it comes to the NHL Draft, it's one that people have wildly varying opinions on. But the NHL Draft is a game of chance. And if you're drafting outside the first couple of rounds, it's like throwing a dart at a board. It's why the best philosophy at the end of the day is to have as many picks as possible and to bring the best player available at each of those picks.
Our criteria for this exercise is players taken third round or later, even if they never played for the team they were drafted for.
Disagree with our selections? Sound off now in the comments section of the app!
Anaheim Ducks: Troy Terry (5th Round, 2015)
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At the time of writing, Troy Terry has played 368 NHL games and nabbed 242 points in roughly seven seasons, including two COVID-shortened years. All of those seasons have been on a Ducks team that, on a scale of better to worse, has mostly ended up on the 'worse' side of things. Yet Terry keeps showing up consistently, including a 16-game point streak during the 21-22 season.
Terry also represented the United States at the Pyeongchang Olympics, when NHL players weren't allowed to participate (though Terry would join the Ducks for two games that season after his college season with the University of Denver ended). All of that out of a 5th-round pick, and Terry is still going? That's what you want when you look for value in later rounds.
Boston Bruins: Jeremy Swayman (4th Round, 2017)
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After the debacle that was the beginning of the season, Jeremy Swayman being the Bruins' steal here feels a bit ironic. But for a fourth-round pick, what Swayman has accomplished in his career is quite notable. (It would, frankly, be notable for a first-round pick goalie.)
Coming into the league from the University of Maine, where he won both the Hockey East Player of the Year award and the Mike Richter Award, Swayman faced a delayed start to his career thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. None of that stopped him from establishing himself as a smart starting option, though, and his .915% career save percentage speaks for itself. His play, along with that of former teammate Linus Ullmark, can reasonably be credited with covering up the warts on the Bruins' roster these last couple of seasons that are being exposed now.
Buffalo Sabres: Linus Ullmark (6th Round, 2012)
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Fitting to have these two in a row, huh? All goalie hugs aside, Linus Ullmark being selected in the 6th round and going on to win the Vezina Trophy in 2023 is not a story that you see every day.
Goalies are going to be a common answer on this list. You rarely see them taken in the earlier rounds, and teams tend to select them later on if they're not some big name or a guy that stacks up flashy performances. But selecting a goalie late-round doesn't always mean that goalie is going to pan out. Even with some recent struggles, Ullmark's Vezina win, All-Star Game appearance and .917% career save percentage put him in a tier many players won't reach during their NHL careers—especially those selected this late in the draft.
Calgary Flames: Johnny Gaudreau (4th Round, 2011)
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Who else could the answer to this question possibly be? Finding a player like Johnny Gaudreau in the fourth round is something that NHL teams dream about. If we had to pick one player on this list to highlight above the others, it would be Gaudreau.
His speed, offensive instincts, and incredible puck skills on the ice were only outstripped by the kind of leader he was off the ice. Gaudreau ended his career with 763 NHL games and 743 points in 11 seasons—cut far too short, but what a gift that we got to watch it, and that the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets got to have him on their rosters.
Carolina Hurricanes: Jaccob Slavin (4th Round, 2012
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Watching Jaccob Slavin play these days you'd think certainly he was a first-round pick.
The Carolina Hurricanes mainstay was actually selected in the 4th round in 2012. He's at 684 NHL games at the time of writing—not a common occurrence for a later-round pick—and though I hate to cite plus-minus most of the time, he's at a whopping career +158. He's also won one Lady Byng trophy, though it could be argued that he's deserved more than one.
Slavin, who is 30, signed an 8-year extension with the Hurricanes this summer. With the steady way he plays, it's not out of the question that he finishes out that contract and his career with the Hurricanes.
Chicago Blackhawks: Andrew Shaw (5th Round, 2011)
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Yes, he's retired. No, he's definitely not everyone's cup of tea or favorite player. But you cannot deny that the Blackhawks grabbing Andrew Shaw in the 5th round in 2011 brought results that they couldn't have anticipated at the time. Shaw was a key cog in both the 2013 and 2015 Stanley Cup wins, and that was just the beginning of his career.
Shaw would go on to play for the Montreal Canadiens before briefly returning to the Blackhawks where two concussions (amidst two COVID-19-shortened seasons) would bring an early end to his career. 544 career games, 247 points, two Stanley Cups, and a permanent place in the hearts of many Blackhawks fans is far beyond what most 5th-round picks get.
Colorado Avalanche: Tyson Barrie (3rd Round, 2009)
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The 3rd round isn't exactly late in the draft—it's more middle of the road—but it's when picks start to get hit-or-miss. The Colorado Avalanche hit when they drafted Tyson Barrie, and fans from several teams across the league will no doubt agree.
Currently a member of the Calgary Flames, Barrie has also made stops with the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Nashville Predators, but it's Colorado that most people think of when they first think of the defenseman. 818 career games at the time of writing, 507 points, and still averaging over 15 minutes per game despite getting beat up throughout his career? If Barrie were to be done today that would be impressive enough—and he's not stopping.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Vladislav Gavrikov (6th Round, 2015)
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When you're picking in the later rounds, you're hoping for diamond-in-the-rough type players—guys who maybe aren't ready yet but will go on to be useful on an NHL roster for as long as possible. Over seven NHL seasons (the last few with the Los Angeles Kings), Vladislav Gavrikov has shown he is that guy. He doesn't rack up the points like offensive defensemen might, but he eats up key minutes and blocks shots. Almost 400 career games in, that's some very real value for a 6th-round pick.
Honorable mention to goalie Anton Forsberg, who was selected in the 7th round in 2011.
Dallas Stars: John Klingberg (5th Round, 2010)
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Before you talk about how John Klingberg has fallen off, I want you to think back to the John Klingberg of his heyday. Injuries can do a lot to slow a player down, particularly defensemen. But you cannot look me in the eye and tell me that Klingberg wasn't incredible value for the Stars in general, much less when you take into account that he was a 5th-round pick.
He may not ever regain his prime form, but prime Klingberg was out there running the show and racking up points with the best of them for several seasons. He's currently an unrestricted free agent, and if this is it for Klingberg in the NHL, 633 games and 412 points is a pretty solid way to go out.
Detroit Red Wings: Mattias Janmark (3rd Round, 2013)
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Here's another third-rounder for you, because I discovered in the process of writing this piece that the Red Wings have almost no one after the third round who has had success in the NHL. Except for this one guy they found in the 6th round in 1998—some guy named Pavel Datsyuk? Maybe you've heard of him.
Mattias Janmark might be with the Edmonton Oilers currently, but I imagine many of you will still think of the Dallas Stars when you hear his name. Which makes it extra funny that he was drafted by the Red Wings. He's carved out a pretty solid career for himself, and he's going to hit 600 NHL games soon with no real signs of stopping despite missing a full season (2016-17) due to a genetic bone condition in his knee.
Honorable mention to Andreas Athanasiou, who was drafted in the 4th round in 2012. He fell off for a bit there, but he's been working his way back with the Rockford IceHogs recently (though he just got injured). Athanasiou's speed was something to behold.
Edmonton Oilers: John Marino (6th Round, 2015)
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It feels funny to include John Marino on this list for the Oilers because I'd completely forgotten that he was drafted by the Oilers until I sat down to write this piece. In my mind, Marino was a Pittsburgh Penguin (and then a New Jersey Devil, and now part of the Utah Hockey Club—but he was a Penguin for a good while).
Injury has sidelined Marino currently, but if he can get back to his earlier form, Utah will be one lucky team. Dependable defensemen who can move the puck aren't easy to find in general, much less in the 6th round.
Florida Panthers: Mackenzie Weegar (7th Round, 2013)
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Good old Halifax Mooseheads boy selected in the 7th round of a draft where two of his Mooseheads teammates were taken in the 1st? Normally it would be a footnote in that draft's writeup. MacKenzie Weegar is anything but a footnote. He will hit 500 NHL games this season (hockey gods willing) and was a strong part of the Panthers' roster for several years until he went to Calgary in the Matthew Tkachuk trade.
He also represented Team Canada on their gold-medal winning team at the 2023 IIHF World Championships where he was named Best Defenseman.
Los Angeles Kings: Matt Roy (7th Round, 2015)
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There is almost no guarantee that a 7th-round pick will see an NHL game, much less build an NHL career—especially for defensemen. Matt Roy is one of the exceptions. Coming up through the AHL from Michigan Tech, Roy played his entire career in the Kings' system until this season, when he signed with the Washington Capitals for six years and $34.5 million.
Roy is a steady defenseman who regularly sees time against top opponents, and while he isn't a flashy scorer, he blocks a lot of shots and plays a significant amount of time on the penalty kill. He will hit 400 games this year, in his 7th NHL season. Not half bad for a 7th-round pick whose career is still going steady.
Minnesota Wild: Kirill Kaprizov (5th Round, 2015)
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How can you not love watching this kid? Kirill Kaprizov would be incredible value at any pick, and the Wild managed to get him in the 5th round. That's the kind of pick that has opposing teams' scouting staffs banging their head against the wall.
And yes, of course, there was a concern about whether Kaprizov would come over to the NHL from Russia. But he's currently sitting at 364 points in 297 career games, and he is already in Hart Trophy conversation for this season. He was the first person in NHL history with three points (including an overtime game-winner) in his NHL debut. You might call it hindsight, but Kaprizov is probably one of the rare players on this list that wasn't a hindsight pick.
Montreal Canadiens: Brendan Gallagher (5th Round, 2010)
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Fifth-round pick going on 800 NHL games and he's just as annoying as when he started? Can't be anyone but Brendan Gallagher. It's funny—you watch him play and see how hard he goes every shift and you can't help but wonder how he's still intact, much less how he's still playing hockey.
Gallagher is one of those players who combines pestering the other team with the ability to score; he's at 436 career points at the time of writing. He's also long been considered a leader in the room.
Nashville Predators: Juuse Saros (4th Round, 2013)
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This one was such a "duh" choice, although Nashville did have a few contenders (did you know Craig Smith was taken in the 4th round? That guy is gonna hit 1000 games before too long). Juuse Saros was Pekka Rinne's heir apparent from the moment he came on the scene, and though the team in front of him is struggling right now, Saros and his career .917% save percentage are as important to the franchise as ever.
It's an interesting concept, that goalies are most often taken in later rounds unless you find a real brick wall of a guy. There are fewer goalies than at other positions; you'd think competition for them would be more fierce. The fact of the matter is that goalies are more difficult to project for a lot of scouting staffs, and it appears they'd rather take more flyers later than bet a high-value pick on a guy who might not pan out.
New Jersey Devils: Jesper Bratt (6th Round, 2016)
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Forward Jesper Bratt was selected in the 6th round by the Devils in 2016 and is swiftly approaching 500 NHL games. When he made his debut with the Devils, in 2017, Bratt was officially the lowest-drafted teenager to play in the NHL since 1995-96. He's currently sitting at 386 NHL points at the time of writing—the way he's been scoring the last several seasons, expect to see him pass the 400-point mark this season barring any sort of major injury or total collapse by the Devils.
Last season saw Bratt play in his first NHL All-Star Game. We have to imagine there will be more appearances in his future.
New York Islanders: Anders Lee (6th Round, 2009)
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NCAA hockey product and New York Islanders captain Anders Lee was a 6th-round pick in 2009. Since he made his NHL debut with two games during the lockout-shortened 2013 season, he's been a foundational part of the Islanders' roster. Lee is one of those guys you get so used to seeing in the NHL that he becomes background noise; it feels like he's always been there, and probably always will be. He's at 779 games and 466 points at the time of writing, but those numbers don't feel like they encompass his impact on the team.
He's been a finalist for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy six times, and he finally won last season. The King Clancy is awarded annually to the "NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice"—six finalist appearances for it is probably the best way, to sum up Lee's contribution to his team and the league.
New York Rangers: Jesper Fast (6th Round, 2010)
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Sure, Jesper Fast is missing the entire 2024-25 Carolina Hurricanes season after neck surgery. But he's still the guy for the Rangers on this list (though if we'd gone back further, it would have of course been Henrik Lundqvist, who was somehow a 7th-round pick). Frankly, any time you can get more than 700 NHL games out of a 6th-round pick, you can consider that a steal on its own, and after the end of the last regular season, Fast sits at 703.
Between his quick skating (his name is all too appropriate) and hockey sense, Fast is the platonic ideal of a third-liner. He can eat up key minutes, shutting down opponents while adding offense. Here's hoping we see him back on NHL ice next season.
Ottawa Senators: Mark Stone (6th Round, 2010)
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Mark Stone, man of steel. The guy who never fails to come back from some wild injury just in time to be exceedingly useful to his team in the playoffs. Or at least, that's what it felt like for a good long while. Stone is another 6th round pick, currently with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he was traded in 2019. He was made the franchise's first captain in 2021.
This season Stone is playing at a better than point-per-game pace, and overall he's currently at 653 career NHL games, and 588 points. He made his first NHL All-Star Game appearance in 2022. It's early days yet, but we just might see him make another one this season.
Philadelphia Flyers: Shayne Gostisbehere (3rd Round, 2012)
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Notable achievements include: being the first NHL player born and raised in South Florida. Shayne Gostisbehre didn't seem like the type to be an NHL mainstay, but the Flyers took a flyer on him (apologies for the pun) in the third round in 2012, and it paid off for them and him. He was a key member of Team USA's gold-medal-winning World Junior Championships team in 2013 (a tournament that saw much more attention, and high-level talent, due to the NHL lockout) and he made his NHL debut at the end of the 2014-15 season. He was also a member of the fan-favorite Team North America during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Gostisbehere, currently a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, has played 638 NHL games at the time of writing.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Jake Guentzel (3rd Round, 2013)
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Were there other options for this selection? Not really, no—you can't think of "value" and "Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick" in the same sentence without Jake Guentzel's face dancing around in your mind. Sidney Crosby's longtime winger, currently a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, is one of the best value-for-pick players the Penguins have seen in a hot minute and was crucial to their 2017 Stanley Cup win. Trading him was, in fact, one of the first harbingers that things were going south in Pittsburgh. Guentzel currently sits at 538 NHL games and 509 points, and he's got a good bit of career ahead of him.
Honorable mention: Bryan Rust, who was a 3rd round pick in 2010 and has played 582 NHL games, all with the Penguins.
San Jose Sharks: Kevin Labanc (6th Round, 2014)
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Coming up on 500 games! For a guy picked in the 6th round, that's always a great marker. Some players don't even reach 500 NHL games in their career, and Kevin Labanc is going to pass it fairly soon. Though he plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets now, Labanc was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 2014 and spent his entire career with them until this season. For a bottom-six forward type, that's a pretty solid run.
Honorable mentions that didn't fit our timeframe but nonetheless have to be noted: defenseman Jason Demers, drafted in the 7th round in 2008 and forward Nick Bonino, drafted in the 6th round in 2007.
Seattle Kraken: Too Soon to Call
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Seattle started drafting in 2021. There's no real way to tell yet whether they've gotten a late-round steal. And unlike their new-team counterpart in Utah, they didn't inherit the system of a prior franchise. They were truly starting from scratch.
They do have some guys on their roster who were drafted by other teams who could be considered late-round steals, though. Will Borgen was a 4th round pick by the Buffalo Sabres. Chandler Stephenson was a 3rd round pick by the Washington Capitals and Josh Mahura was a 3rd round pick by the Anaheim Ducks. Philipp Grubauer, a 4th round pick, will (spoiler alert) show up later on this list. Yanni Gourde was undrafted, which feels silly today.
Seattle will, no doubt, have some players of their own on this list down the road.
St. Louis Blues: Colton Parayko (3rd Round, 2012)
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Again, while we've been trying to stick to 4th round and below, sometimes a 3rd-round player sneaks in who is so good that you simply have to call him out. Colton Parayko went undrafted in his first year of eligibility, and the Blues somehow snagged him in the third round. He's been a key part of their roster since his NHL debut after spending three seasons with the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Parayko is already at 680 NHL games played, and was part of the Blues' Cup-winning roster in 2019. He adds scoring and shuts down opponents. It's no surprise that in 2021 the Blues signed him to a max eight-year extension.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Ondrej Palat (7th Round, 2011)
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Although it feels like it would be easier to list which late-round picks were not steals for the Tampa Bay Lightning, this honor had to go to none other than Ondrej Palat, 7th round pick in 2011 who has gone on to be an NHL mainstay. At the time of writing, Palat sits at 769 NHL games and currently plays for the New Jersey Devils.
Thirteen seasons, two Stanley Cup wins, and an Olympic appearance for the Czech Republic in 2014 is practically unheard of for a 7th round pick. Did we mention it was his second year of draft eligibility, and he'd gone undrafted the year before? Not sure there are many better examples of a steal in the 7th round in terms of longevity and productivity among forwards.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Connor Brown (6th Round, 2012)
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Selected in the 6th round in 2012, Connor Brown has gone on to carve out a longer and more consistent NHL career than many of those taken before him. In his junior career, Brown played with another guy named Connor—you might've heard of him, last name McDavid—and was reunited with him when he signed with the Edmonton Oilers in the summer of 2023.
Originally drafted by the Leafs, Brown has also spent time with the Ottawa Senators and the Washington Capitals, and he's at 540 NHL games. He was part of the Oilers' roster that lost to the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, and though he was an unrestricted free agent, chose to stick around to try again this season.
Utah Hockey Club: Conor Garland (5th Round, 2015)
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We know they're in Utah now, but we're using the Arizona Coyotes picks here. Utah is new, and they inherited the Coyotes' entire system, and Conor Garland is still in the NHL. That 5th round in 2015 had some juice, huh? In his draft year, Garland led the QMJHL with 129 points in 67 games. Now, you have to remember that the QMJHL is a high-octane offense league anyway, but that's pretty solid.
Garland is at 422 career games, and has been playing his best hockey since his RFA rights were traded to the Canucks in the 2021-22 season. He's represented the United States at two separate IIHF World Championships. For a 5th round pick, anything that comes after this is gravy.
Vancouver Canucks: Gustav Forsling (5th Round, 2014)
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Defenseman Gustav Forsling is another who is on this list under a team he never actually played for. He's at 417 NHL games, and they've all been played with either the Chicago Blackhawks or the Florida Panthers. (While Forsling was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019, he never played for them, spending his entire 2019-2020 season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers.)
Forsling was a key piece of the Panthers' Stanley Cup-winning roster in 2024, racking up an impressive 13-point run in the playoffs. Pretty solid for a guy picked up off of waivers who was originally drafted in the 5th round.
Vegas Golden Knights: Paul Cotter (4th Round, 2018)
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Much like Seattle, the Vegas Golden Knights are pretty early in their existence to have anyone that can be called a late-round value pick. I did want to point out, though, that Paul Cotter, who they drafted in 2018, is coming up on 200 NHL games. For a guy whose development path looks something like NAHL-USHL-NCAA-OHL with some AHL stops over the last few years, that's not bad at all. Cotter isn't a big-name scorer, but he's a utility guy who seems to have found his home on the New Jersey Devils' third line.
Also like Seattle, the Golden Knights have some guys drafted by other teams on their current roster who might fit the late-round steal bill: alongside a slew of 3rd-round picks, the most notable is our Ottawa Senators entry, former 6th-round pick Mark Stone.
Washington Capitals: Philipp Grubauer (4th Round, 2010)
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As promised under Seattle, here we have goaltender Philipp Grubauer, a 4th round pick by the Capitals in 2010. He's one of only three German-born and developed goaltenders to pass 100 NHL games (the other two are Olie Kolzig and Thomas Greiss), and he sits at 351 at the time of writing. Currently a member of the Seattle Kraken, Grubauer has also played for the Washington Capitals and the Colorado Avalanche.
His best seasons save percentage-wise were in his early years with the Capitals, but he's snagged some impressive records along the way, including becoming the 10th goaltender in NHL history to net 10 or more consecutive wins in the postseason and breaking Patrick Roy's record with the Avalanche for a postseason win streak, both in 2021.
Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck (5th Round, 2012)
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We're ending with yet another goalie, because making this list and not having Connor Hellebuyck on it would've been a grave error. Hellebuyck, who has spent his entire NHL career with the team that drafted him (not always common) has won the Vezina Trophy twice, as well as the William M. Jennings trophy for fewest goals against. The Jennings trophy is most often, but not always, awarded to both of a team's goaltenders at the end of the regular season—Hellebuyck was last season's sole recipient with a league-low 199 goals against. He's pretty decent.
Hellebuyck started in the NAHL, and he wasn't even on Central Scouting's goaltender list in his draft year. He's now played in four NHL All-Star Games, and he's signed with the Jets through the 2030-31 season. Don't be surprised to see him pull a Henrik Lundqvist and stay there until he retires.
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