NHL: Power Ranking the Last 10 NHL Drafts

The NHL draft is just one of the avenues a team will use to get better and more competitive. Along with free agency, trades and player development at both the minor league and NHL level, teams are going to use the draft to add talent.

While journalists like those at The Sporting News made judgements on the success or failure of the recently completed draft based on the talent level shown by young players in developmental leagues, it is fair to take a look at the last 10 drafts and judge whether they have added to a franchise's success or pointed them more in the direction of failure.

What follows is a power ranking of the last 10 NHL drafts.

We made our judgements based on two main criteria: the number of players who have played 100 or more NHL games and the number of impact players in the draft. Teams received one point for each player who had played 100 games or more and 2 points for each impact player. Other factors like playoff success and player development were also considered in the rankings.

There are a few cases in which impact players have not reached the 100-game level. A player like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers is one of those players. Nugent-Hopkins just completed his rookie year, so he could not have reached the 100-game level, and the same holdsfor Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche and Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Draft and player data referenced come from HockeyDB.com and Hockey-Reference.com.

No. 30, Calgary Flames

Players with 100 or more games: 5

Impact players: 2

The Flames have struggled to remain a factor in the NHL, having failed to make the playoffs for the past three seasons. They have not won a playoff series since they went to the Stanley Cup Finals and lost in 2003-04.

Starting with the 2003 draft, the Flames have selected five players who have participated in 100 or more NHL games, and just two of them can be considered prominent. Neither of those players—defenseman Dion Phaneuf and forward Brandon Prust—wear Calgary uniforms.

Phaneuf was a major player on the Flames after being drafted in the first round in 2003. He was with the Flames from 2005 through 2010 until he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, while Prust was an energy player for the Rangers through the 2011-12 season. He signed a free-agent contract with the Montreal Canadiens at the start of free agency this year according to the New York Daily News.

No. 29, Tampa Bay Lightning

Players with 100 or more games: 6

Impact players: 2

The Lightning surprised a lot of observers when they had a dramatic showing the 2010-11 season and got to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins. They extended the eventual Stanley Cup champions to seven games before falling short.

The Lightning have not gotten a lot of help in recent drafts, having produced just six players who participated in 100 or more NHL games; just two of those were prominent players.

Steven Stamkos is at the top of that list, having become one of the top goal scorers in the game. Stamkos has scored 179 goals in four seasons since he was the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft and has soared past the 50-goal mark twice. Stamkos scored 60 goals in 2011-12. Defenseman Victor Hedman is a solid puck mover who is one of the better young defensemen in the league since being selected in 2009.

No. 28, Columbus Blue Jackets

Players with 100 or more games: 12

Impact players: 3

The Blue Jackets hit it big when they drafted Rick Nash in 2002, but there have been a lot of dry wells since selecting that stud.

The Jackets had a decent draft in 2005 when they selected Gilbert Brule, Adam McQuaid and Kris Russell, though none of those players are with the Blue Jackets any longer. McQuaid won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011.

Goalie Steve Mason was selected in 2006 and has played in more than 200 games for the Jackets. Another top selection, Jakub Voracek, was moved to the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2011 offseason.

No. 27, Minnesota Wild

Players with 100 or more games: 9

Impact players: 2

The Wild has had a hard time finding the right players in the draft and developing them.

Their most successful player selected in the last decade was right wing Cal Clutterbuck, who was selected in the third round of the 2006 draft. Clutterbuck has a been a mainstay for the Wild with 58 goals and 42 assists in four full seasons. That makes him a decent and productive player, but he has not been a star. Clutterbuck is not just a scorer; he plays with a physical edge and is not afraid to match up with an opponent's tough guy.

The Wild has missed more often than not.

Benoit Pouliot was selected by the Wild with the fourth pick of the 2005 draft, and he has the look and shot of a star. However, the Wild and two other teams have found out that Pouliot has a hard time keeping his balance when he has to change directions quickly.

After being traded to the Canadiens, Pouliot was picked up by the Boston Bruins but was traded after the 2011-12 season to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

No. 26, Detroit Red Wings

Players with 100 or more games: 7

Impact players: 3

The Red Wings have been one of the best teams in the NHL for the last 15 years, but their draft has not yielded much fruit in the last decade.

Jimmy Howard was a second-round pick in 2003, and he has been a solid fill-in for the Red Wings. The best player the Red Wings selected is power forward Johan "The Mule" Franzen, who has posted 150 goals and 125 assists. In addition to his point total, Franzen excels at using his big body to screen goalies and obscure shots on net.

However, he has been dogged by long goal-scoring slumps according to MLive.com.

Left wing Darren Helm was a fifth-round pick in 2005 while Justin Abdelkader came in the second round that year.

No. 25, New Jersey Devils

Players with 100 or more games: 6

Impact players: 3

The Devils have only missed the playoffs once in the last decade, and a couple of their most prominent draftees have been responsible for much of their success.

Start with this season's top-rated free-agent Zach Parise. While Parise may or may not be a Devil at the start of the 2012-13 season, he has scored 30 or more goals in five of the last six seasons. He was the 17th pick in the 2003 draft, and he has paid huge dividends to New Jersey.

Add in Travis Zajac, who was the team's first-round pick in 2004. Zajac has gone on to become one of the team's most consistent and best set-up men. Aside from Parise and Zajac, the only other solid contributor selected over the last decade is defenseman Mark Fayne who was taken in the fifth round of the 2005 draft.

No. 24, Toronto Maple Leafs

Players with 100 or more games: 8

Impact players: 3

The Maple Leafs have not made the postseason since the NHL's lockout year of 2004-05. They have not been overly successful in the draft, and many of their top players have moved on to other teams.

Defenseman Anton Stralman was selected in 2005, and he was a prominent member of this year's New York Rangers team that finished first in the Eastern Conference.

Goaltender Tuukka Rask might have been the answer to the Leafs' goaltending problems after being drafted in 2005, but he was traded to the Boston Bruins. 

No. 23, Vancouver Canucks

Players with 100 or more games: 6

Impact players: 5

The Canucks have been one of the most consistent regular-season teams in recent seasons, but they have not added any significant players from the draft since 2005 when they selected winger Mason Raymond. The following year, they drafted speedy Michael Grabner, but he has come to prominence with the New York Islanders.

The Canucks added key contributors in 2003 and 2004. In '03, they drafted mainstay Ryan Kesler. They selected goalie Cory Schneider, defenseman Alexander Edler and feisty right wing Jannik Hansen in '04.

Schneider has played well as Roberto Luongo's backup in recent years, and the Canucks may anoint him as the No. 1 goalie if they can find a partner to take Luongo in a trade, according to Faceoff.com.

No. 22, Dallas Stars

Players with 100 or more games: 8

Impact players: 4

The Stars had been one of the most consistent teams in the league when they made the playoffs in 10-of-11 seasons that included the 1999 Stanley Cup. However, since that run ended, they have failed to make the postseason for four straight years.

The Stars have often been busy in free agency, adding former Boston Bruins right wing Michael Ryder last year and Ray Whitney this year at the start of this year's signing period. The Stars also signed veteran Jaromir Jagr to a one-year, $4.55 million deal July 3, according to NHL.com.

Loui Erickson was selected with the first pick in the 2003 draft, and he has become a Dallas mainstay with 138 goals and 190 assists. James Neal, a 2005 Stars' selection, has gone on to become a prominent goal scorer, and he made the All-Star team this year as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

No. 21, Colorado Avalanche

Players with 100 or more games: 13

Impact players: 5

The Avs have produced plenty of players who have managed to crack NHL lineups, but not many of them have turned out to be stars. However, they hit the jackpot in the 2011 draft with the selection of Gabriel Landeskog, who would go on to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Landeskog has excellent offensive recognition and knows how to step into the openings and fire off quick shots. The Calgary Herald also credited Landeskog as having courage on the ice. Landeskog recorded 22 goals and 30 assists last season.

Matt Duchene and Paul Stastny have both been solid contributors who are improving. Duchene struggled a bit in 2011-12 but has scored 20 or more goals in two of the last three seasons while Stastny has broken the 20-goal barrier five times in the last six seasons. 

No. 20, Florida Panthers

Players with 100 or more games: 9

Impact players: 4

The Panthers shocked the hockey world when they returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1999-2000, winning the Southeast Division title this season. General manager Dale Tallon was successful during his run with the Chicago Blackhawks, drafting talented players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and he will try to repeat that type of success with the Panthers.

During the past decade, the Panthers' most successful draft picks have been Nathan Horton and David Booth. The Panthers traded Horton to the Boston Bruins along with Gregory Campbell for defenseman Dennis Wideman prior to the 2010-11 season.

Horton has proven to be a solid goal scorer throughout his career, but his greatest success came with the Bruins during the Stanley Cup run in 2011 when he scored two overtime goals in their first-round victory over the Montreal Canadiens, including the series winner in the seventh game. He also scored the series-winning goal in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa Bay.

Booth has reached the 31-goal mark in his career, but he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks last season.

No. 19, New York Islanders

Players with 100 or more games: 12

Impact players: 3

The Islanders have made the postseason once since the lockout season of 2004-05, and they can't seem to get out of the rebuilding stage.

The Islanders' top draft pick in the last decade is 2009 No. 1 overall selection John Tavares who has scored 202 points in 243 games and is getting better with each season, according to Hockey's Future.com. Tavares has a quick release and excels at positioning himself in a spot where he can tip the puck expertly and also jump score on tip-ins and rebounds.

The Islanders are also counting on 2006 first-round pick Kyle Okposo to follow up on his 24-goal season in 2011-12 with another big year.

No. 18, Carolina Panthers

Players with 100 or more games: 6

Impact players: 5

The Hurricanes have not had a lot of dominant draft picks, but the ones that have had success have hit it big.

Nobody has hit it bigger than 2003 first-round pick Eric Staal who is the Canes' best all-around player and will be joined by brother Jordan Staal this season. Eric Staal goes hard to the net, has top defensive skills and the Hockey News says he has the hands to be a top scorer. He has scored 574 points and has 477 penalty minutes since becoming a regular in the Carolina lineup in 2003.

Other top draftees include left wing Andrew Ladd, defenseman Jack Johnson, defenseman Jamie McBain and center Jeff Skinner.

No. 17, Anaheim Ducks

Players with 100 or more games: 10

Impact players: 4

While the Ducks had a poor season in 2011-12 and did not make the playoffs, they were postseason participants in five of the previous six season. Included in that span was the 2007 Stanley Cup championship.

The key offensive members of the Ducks were selected in the draft during the last decade. Anaheim picked Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry with their first two picks in the 2003 draft, and they selected Bobby Ryan with the first pick in the 2005 draft. Ryan has scored 30 or more goals in four straight seasons.

In addition to those key offensive components, the Ducks selected defenseman Ladislav Smid in the first round of the 2004 draft. Smid is not a big-time offensive contributor, but he doesn't make many mistakes on defense and has been fairly good for the Edmonton Oilers.

No. 16, Phoenix Coyotes

Players with 100 or more games: 10

Impact players: 4

It had been the longest of dry spells for the Phoenix Coyotes when they won two playoff series this year, the first time the franchise has ever been successful in the NHL in the postseason.

Defenseman Keith Yandle, a fourth-round selection in 2005, has been a staple on the blue line for years. Left wing Mikkel Boedker, a 2008 first-round selection, had not done much prior to the postseason, but he scored overtime winners in back-to-back first-round road games against the Blackhawks.

According to NHL.com, Boedker is one of only eight players in NHL history to score playoff overtime goals in back-to-back games.

No. 15, New York Rangers

Players with 100 or more games: 9

Impact players: 5

The Rangers had a big regular season in 2011-12 when they became the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference. Free-agent signees Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik were two of the most significant reasons, but the Rangers have gotten some mileage from their past drafts.

The 2004 draft saw them select left wing Lauri Korpikoski, center Brandon Dubinsky and right wing Ryan Callahan. Korpikoski has become a solid player with the Phoenix Coyotes while Dubinsky and Callahan are Rangers mainstays. Dubinsky struggled to put the puck in the net last year, but team captain Callahan provides much of the team's heartbeat with his consistent effort.

Defenseman Marc Staal was selected with the team's first-round pick in the 2005 draft while center Artem Anisimov came with the second-round pick in 2006.

No. 14, Winnipeg Jets

Players with 100 or more games: 7

Impact players: 6

The Jets, who were the Atlanta Thrashers prior to the start of the 2011-12 season, have had reasonable success in the draft over the last decade. They selected defenseman Tobias Enstrom in the 2003 draft, goalie Ondrej Pavelec in the 2005 draft and center Bryan Little the following year before bringing in powerful Evander Kane in 2009.

Kane was the fourth overall selection that seasonb and he is coming off his first 30-goal season. Kane is a strong skater, plays with a physical edge and has the skills that can be used to build a team around. Winnipeg Sun columnist Kirk Penton believes it's time for the Jets to pay him like a superstar.

No. 13, Buffalo Sabres

Players with 100 or more games: 12

Impact players: 4

Sabres general manager Darcy Regier has been fairly consistent when it comes to finding talent in the draft. He has found 12 players over the last decade who have played 100 or more games, and that ranks with the top teams in the league. However, the Sabres have had a hard time finding players who could help them turn close defeats into victories.

Defenseman Tyler Myers has been among the Sabres' most effective selections.

Myers was the 12th pick in the first round of the 2005 draft, and he is one of the most important players on the Sabres' roster because he is big and strong at 6'8 and 227 pounds. The Sabres are not a physical team and tend to be undersized with players like Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe, so Myers has helped make them a much tougher team to play against.

Thomas Vanek has been an explosive scorer since he was selected in 2003 while Drew Stafford and Clarke MacArthur have been solid players as well. Vanek has scored 230 goals and added 217 assists in his seven seasons with the Sabres.

Vanek has never scored fewer than 25 goals in a season.

MacArthur signed as a free agent with Toronto in 2010.

No. 12, Nashville Predators

Players with 100 or more games: 12

Impact players: 5

The Predators hit it big during the 2003 draft, getting two of the best defensemen in the NHL. The Preds selected Ryan Suter with their first-round pick and hard-shooting Shea Weber with one of their three second-round picks. They also selected solid defenseman Kevin Klein in the second round, and he has taken a regular shift with Nashville for the last four seasons. Hockey'sFuture.com said that the Preds wanted to build a solid defense in that '03 draft, and they clearly accomplished their goal..

Alexander Radulov has spent much of his time playing in Russia since being selected in the first round of the 2004 draft, but he is still looked at as a potential scorer. The Preds hit it huge later in that draft when they picked goalie Pekka Rinne in the eighth round. Rinne was a Vezina Trophy finalist this year and is one of the most respected goaltenders in the league.

Hard-shooting right wing Patric Hornqvist has scored 78 goals in the last three seasons. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2005 draft.

No. 11, Ottawa Senators

Players with 100 or more games: 10

Impact players: 5

The Senators have been among the most consistent teams in the NHL, having made the playoffs in 13 of the last 15 seasons.

The Senators rebounded from a disastrous showing in 2010-11 to make the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. While they had a bit of a downturn at the end of the regular-season schedule, they forced the Rangers to play seven games against them, and the Sens actually had a 3 to 2 lead in the series before succumbing.

The Senators improved largely on the play of 2008 first-round draft choice Erik Karlsson, who proved to be the top scorer among NHL defenseman last season with 78 points and who eventually went on to win the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman. The Ottawa Sun credited his improved shot and aggressiveness as a big reason for his improvement.

Some of the other top picks the Senators have had in the last 10 years include goalie Brian Elliott, Andrej Meszaros and Colin Greening.

No. 10, Philadelphia Flyers

Players with 100 or more games: 10

Impact players: 6

The Flyers have had some dramatic success in the draft, and few teams can match what they did in 2003. During the first round of that selection meeting, the Flyers picked high-scoring forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Those two did what the Flyers expected when they led their team to the 2012 Stanley Cup.

Unfortunately for general manager Paul Holmgren and owner Ed Snider, the team they led to the cup was the Los Angeles Kings. The Flyers traded both players in the 2011 offseason, with Richards going to the Kings in exchange for Wayne Simmonds and Carter going to Columbus. The Blue Jackets eventually traded Carter to Los Angeles at the trade deadline.

The Flyers have also selected Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk and Sean Coutourier. Giroux is one of the most explosive scorers in the league, and the 24-year-old is coming into the prime of his career after scoring 93 points last season. Van Riemsdyk was traded to Toronto on draft weekend.

No. 9, San Jose Sharks

Players with 100 or more games: 11

Impact players: 6

The biggest personnel move the Sharks made over the last decade was the trade they made with the Boston Bruins to acquire center Joe Thornton in 2005. While Thornton has been the team's top offensive player since coming to San Jose, the Sharks have also had decent success in the draft and turned homegrown players into solid contributors.

The Sharks hit it fairly big in the 2003 draft when they selected Milan Michalek in the first round and Joe Pavelski in the seventh round. Pavelski has been an unselfish, do-it-all player who has notched 134 goals and 171 assists during his six years in a San Jose uniform.

Devin Setoguchi was a first-round choice in 2005 and spent four years with the Sharks before he was traded to Minnesota last season. Logan Couture has proved to be an excellent offensive player since being taken with the Sharks' first-round pick in 2007.

No. 8, Edmonton Oilers

Players with 100 or more games: 15

Impact players: 5

The Oilers have been stockpiling talent, and it seems like it should be just a matter of time before the young stars mature and Edmonton's long-suffering fans have a team that can dominate the Western Conference once again.

It's been a long time since the days of Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, but the Oilers have added Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov in the last four drafts. Eberle's talent and finesse came to the forefront last season when he scored 34 goals and 42 assists, but the others have just shown flashes. Yakupov, who was drafted this year, believes that the Oilers will soon be a great team.

The situation could pay dividends as soon as the 2012-13 season.

No. 7, Boston Bruins

Players with 100 or more games: 11

Impact players: 7

The Bruins have had a decade of strong drafting, and general manager Peter Chiarelli is hoping that this year's top draft pick Malcolm Subban will eventually develop into an NHL-caliber goaltender.

Two years ago, the Bruins had the No. 2 pick in the draft, and they used it to select Tyler Seguin. He has turned into one of the NHL's rising stars. Seguin won Game 6 of the Bruins' playoff series with Washington this year with a spectacular one-on-one move in overtime, and they hope that is an indication of what he can do on a regular basis.

Seguin's career is in full flight, and he told WEEI.com that he is thrilled that the draft is behind him. He doesn't have to go through that process any more.

The Bruins are going to give 2011 first-round draft pick Dougie Hamilton a chance to make the roster this season after a dominant year in junior hockey. If he can make the jump, he will join Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Milan Lucic and Phil Kessel as Bruins draft picks over the past decade who have had been successful in the NHL.

No. 6, St. Louis Blues

Players with 100 or more games: 10

Impact players: 8

The St. Louis Blues struggled quite a bit before the 2011-12 season, but when they added coach Ken Hitchcock to the mix, it all seemed to come together.

The Blues used a slew of young and talented players who had been drafted over the last decade to finish second to the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference. They beat the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the playoffs and appear poised to become one of the more consistent teams in the Western Conference.

David Backes, a second-round choice taken in the 2003 draft, has been one of the team's core players. He has scored 272 points and 601 penalty minutes with the Blues. Hard-working center T.J. Oshie was selected with the first pick in the 2005 draft. Oshie will always drive to the corners and work hard to win the battle. His challenging offseason workouts were profiled by St. Louis Today.com prior to the start of last season

Other top draft picks include goalie Ben Bishop (now with Ottawa), defenseman Erik Johnson (Colorado), forward Lars Eller (Montreal) and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo

No. 5, Los Angeles Kings

Players with 100 or more games: 10

Impact players: 8

It was a spectacular run to the Stanley Cup this spring, and Dean Lombardi made several moves along the way to help the Kings improve, including trade for Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. However, the Kings have had a remarkable decade of adding winning players.

In the 2003 draft, they selected power forward Dustin Brown with the first-round pick. Brown has scored 359 points and 430 penalty minutes for the Kings. The Kings then added high-scoring Anze Kopitar and goalie Jonathan Quick in the 2005 draft as well as Wayne Simmonds (since traded to Philadelphia) and defenseman Alec Martinez in 2007. They added defenseman Drew Doughty with their first pick in the 2008 draft.

NHL.com's Corey Masiak credited Lombardi's draft results as being a key part in the team's rise to winning the Stanley Cup.

No. 4, Washington Capitals

Players with 100 or more games: 13

Impact players: 7

The Capitals have been largely a disappointing franchise over the past decade because the talent level has been so high, and they have never gotten out of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

One of the reasons they have a high talent level is that they have drafted extremely well. Nobody hits every year, but the Capitals produced at least one productive player every year from from 2003 through 2009, with the exception of 2005.

In 2003, right wing Eric Fehr was selected and made a solid contribution to the Caps until he was traded to Winnipeg prior to last season. The 2004 draft brought the Capitals Alex Ovechkin and defensemen Mike Green, Sami Lepisto and Jeff Schultz. In 2006, they added another four-pack in goalies Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth along with centers Nicklas Backstorm and Mathieu Perreault.

Underrated defenseman Karl Alzner was selected in 2007, and last season's playoff hero Braden Holtby came in 2008. Center Marcus Johansson was selected in 2009.

With their strong track record, the drafting of center Filip Forsberg and winger Tom Wilson in the first round seem like strong picks this year. Capitals general manager George McPhee told the Washington Post's Katie Carrera that the scouts' support of Forsberg was "unanimous."

No. 3, Chicago Blackhawks

Players with 100 or more games: 13

Impact players: 7

Former Chicago Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon may have had some issues with the NHL's salary-cap constraints, but he he was able to procure talent that helped bring about the team's first Stanley Cup in 49 years.

It was Tallon's 2007 draft choice Patrick Kane who scored the decisive Stanley Cup-winning goal in overtime against Philadelphia, a moment that rocked the Windy City.

The year before he selected Kane, he drafted Jonathan Toews in the first round. Toews is the Blackhawks' captain and is the team's best all-around player.

The Blackhawks drafted defensemen Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Seabrook in 2003 along with goalie Corey Crawford. Seventh-round draft pick Troy Brouwer was one of five players from the class of 2004 to make a significant contribution. Center Andrew Shaw from the 2011 draft class is on track to have a more prominent role in the 2012-13 season after scoring 12 goals and 11 assists last season in limited action.

Tallon gave way to current Hawks' general manager Stan Bowman, and the pressure is on to find talent the way Tallon did when he was in Chicago.

No. 2, Montreal Canadiens

Players with 100 or more games: 14

Impact players: 10

The Canadiens have not won the Stanley Cup since 1993 and have generally fallen on hard times. They finished 15th and dead last in the Eastern Conference last season.

However, productive drafts have been the rule for the Canadiens since 2003.

Andrei Kostitsyn, Ryan O'Byrne, Maxim Lapierre and Jaroslav Halak were all drafted in 2003.

The following year, Montreal drafted Mark Streit and Mikhail Grabovski. The bounty continued in 2005 with the selections of goalie Carey Price, winger Guillaume Latendresse and Sergei Kostitsyn.

While the 2006 draft was not fruitful, the Canadiens selected Max Pacioretty, P.K. Subban, Ryan McDonagh and Yannick Weber in 2007.

Pacioretty won the Bill Masterton Trophy and scored 33 goals last season.

No. 1, Pittsburgh Penguins

Players with 100 or more games: 10

Impact players: 9

No team has drafted the kind of impact players like the Penguins have selected over the last decade. How's this for a trifecta? The Penguins selected Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby with three consecutive first round picks from 2003-2005.

After the selection of Crosby, a downturn seemed likely. However, the Penguins took Jordan Staal with their 2006 first-round pick.

In addition to the stars they drafted from 2003 through 2006, the Penguins selected supporting players like winger Matt Moulson, defenseman Paul Bisonette, winger Dan Carcilo, center Tyler Kennedy, defenseman Alex Goligoski and star defenseman Kris Letang.

The Crosby selection in 2005 came after the 2004-05 season was canceled by a labor dispute. The Penguins were awarded the first pick when they won a league-wide draft lottery. The Penguins had missed the playoffs in the prior three seasons before drafting Crosby. They have made the playoffs every season since 2006-07 and won the 2009 Stanley Cup.