NHL's Top 10 First Overall Draft Picks of All Time
With the start of the new NHL season among us many are excited to see how 1st overall draft pick Taylor Hall will do. The legacy of being taken at the top of a draft class can be a blessing or a burden and teams better be sure they get it right because it could set the franchise back many years if they miss.
It seems that finding the cream of the crop is becoming less of a mystery for scouts and general managers as recent picks seem to be living up to the hype. Stamkos and Tavares are newcomers to the long list of golden boys and both are on their way to successful careers.
However, some teams have hit the jackpot with their top overall choices and despite being heralded as the top player of a draft class, they lived up to expectations and went onto Hall of Fame careers.
Here I count down the top 10 players in NHL history taken 1st overall.
10: Patrick Kane
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Despite being ranked 2nd overall by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau the Chicago Blackhawks went ahead and drafted Patrick Kane with their top pick in 2007. It didn't take long before Kane proved his worth as he lead all rookies in points and went home with the Calder Trophy. Three years later Kane is now a Stanley Cup champion and his young career is still in its infancy. It would be a shock if he isn't an eventual Hall of Famer and should challenge for the top American scorer in NHL history.
9: Mike Modano
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Speaking of Americans, Mike Modano makes the list at the number 9 spot. In 1988 the Minnesota North Stars which would mark the beginning the start of a long and storied NHL career. He might have never been the best player in the league or maybe not even in the top 5, but what he brought to the ice was leadership and consistent production at a high level. It took him over a decade to get his named engraved on Lord Stanley, but after many strong runs at the cup his Stars finally broke through and achieved the holy grail. He currently holds the record for most regular season goals, points, and games played by a US born player, as well as the most playoff points by an American.
8: Dale Hawerchuk
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The Jets were a pathetic excuse of a team in 1980, but selected this gem with the first overall selection in the 1981 entry draft. Worries about a bust were quickly dispelled as he immediately took the NHL by storm.
He became the youngest player in NHL history to reach the 100 point mark and led the Jets to their very 1st playoff appearance. With 45 goals and 103 points, Hawerchuk easily won the Calder Memorial Trophy on route to a stellar NHL career.
In the mid-1980s general managers voted him 3rd behind Gretzky and Coffey for who they would most like to start their franchise with. It's hard to argue with them because he racked up over 1400 points in 1188 games.
Hawerchuk was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2001.
7: Alexander Ovechkin
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Unlike Patrick Kane, Alexander Ovechkin was pegged as the top overall draft pick a full two years before he was drafted in 2004 by the Washington Capitals. He was so heavily sought after that the Florida Panthers attempted to draft him in the 9th round of the 2003 draft despite his birthday coming two days after the eligibility cut-off. The reason? The Panthers claimed he was eligible if you took leap years into account. Only in the whacky world of the NHL.
The good news for Washington fans is this never came to pass and the rest is history. The bad news is that he was drafted during the dark days of the NHL lockout period. He did not see his first NHL action until the 2005 season, but the wait was worth it as he dominated the league like few others before him.
Many compared him to Mario Lemieux, but clearly he has brought his own dynamic playing style to the NHL. He is on pace for an incredible career, but he is still searching for his first Stanley Cup appearance.
6: Sydney Crosby
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Many people will debate whether Crosby is better than Ovechkin and vice versa. The deciding factor for this list is the fact that Crosby has his name on the cup and Ovie doesn't.
With the first overall pick in the 2005 NHL entry draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins changed their future forever by selecting "The Next One". The Penguins were extremely fortunate to win the first pick in a lottery due to the NHL lockout. It was no secret who the top overall pick would be and whoever won the sweepstakes would be receiving the current Golden Child of the league.
In his first season, the torch was passed from Mario Lemieux and Crosby has never looked back. He became the youngest player in NHL history to score 100 points surpassing Dale Hawerchuk in the process. A sure bet for the Hall of Fame, Sydney Crosby is well on his way to a storied career.
5: Eric Lindros
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Eric Lindros comes in on the list as the 5th best 1st overall draft pick in NHL history. This might be a controversial choice, but Lindros was a polarizing figure from the very first day of his professional career. In 1991, the Quebec Nordiques drafted this monster of a player and it immediately sparked a controversial story that would follow Lindros throughout his career.
Lindros has already made it clear that he would not play for the Nordiques, but they drafted him anyways. In fact, he wouldn't even wear the jersey on draft day. Regardless of his reasons, he would have to live up to the hype to justify the decision and when he finally saw the ice he did just that.
It turned out great for the Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers, but Quebec eventually lost their team and never saw the gold at the end of the rainbow. The Nordiques defiantly wanted to keep the London, Ontario native and threatened to hold his rights for as long as he held out. They eventually came to their sense and worked out deals with two teams, but the Flyers were the ones who finally landed the big center.
On the ice, Lindros quickly established himself as one of the most dominant players to ever lace up skates. His rare combination of scoring ability, playmaking, and physicality struck fear in opposing defenders night after night. In the end, injuries and controversy would end his career prematurely, but he had already made his mark on the game.
4: Gilbert Perreault
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In 1970, the Buffalo Sabres entered the league along with the Vancouver Canucks as new expansion teams. In this draft, an important change was made that would change the course of NHL history forever. For the first time the Montreal Canadiens would no longer have the priority right to draft Quebecois junior players. Due to this change, the Sabres landed what would become a future Hall of Famer with their first overall selection.
Gilbert Perreault scored in his very 1st game and led the team in scoring. This would lead to a Calder Cup trophy and mark the start of an exciting career. Within a few years he would center what would become known as the "French Connection" line with fellow linemates Rick Martin and Rene Robert. All three would soon become among the top 10 in scoring and lead the Sabres to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1975. Few Sabres fans who were lucky enough to watch him during this time will ever forget Gilbert Perreault and he is great enough to land at the number four spot on this list.
3: Denis Potvin
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In 1973, the Montreal Canadiens made a pitch for the 1st overall draft pick to the New York Islanders in hopes of acquiring Denis Potvin. The Islanders were a floundering franchise at the time so a package of experienced players might have been enticing, but they eventually turned down the offer and draft Potvin anyways.
Smart move.
There was a reason Montreal wanted this kid. He was touted as the next Bobby Orr and many within the New York organization looked at him as their savior. That is heavy expecations for a youngster, but he didn't disappoint. He went on to win the Calder Trophy in his rookie year and won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defensemen three times.
In 1979 he scored a whopping 30 goals and 100 points and averaged just under a point a game in his illustrious career. He developed into a dynamic leader and captained the Islanders to four Stanley Cups. When he retired he held the records for most goals and assists by a defenseman in NHL history. Potvin was an easy choice for the Hall of Fame and remains one of the greatest players in league history.
2: Guy Lafleur
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Guy Lafleur has certainly had his fair share of controversies off the ice, but on the ice no one will question the impact he left on the game of hockey. In 1971 the Montreal Canadiens drafted what would turn out to be a pivotal players in their franchise's history. However, Guy Lafleur did not live up to expectations right away. It wasn't until 1974 that his smooth playing style would come to full fruition.
He would eventually go down as the legendary "Flower" and lands in the runner-up spot on the all-time great players to be drafted 1st overall list.
Lafleur would go on to become a key cog in five Stanley Cup championships for Montreal and remains the all-time leading scorer for Montreal with 1246 points. He also led the NHL in scoring three times and was named league MVP twice. Guy was inducted in the NHL Hall of Fame in 1988.
1: Mario Lemieux
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Before Sydney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins had another 1st overall draft pick. In one simple sentence, the entire face and future of the Penguins would change forever. These words were, "With the 1st overall selection of the 1984 draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins select .. Mario Lemieux.
Very few franchises in the NHL were in as desperate need of a superstar as the Pittsburgh Penguins were in 1984. Thankfully for them, they hit the motherload with Mario Lemieux. At the time, the Penguins were having a financial crisis and it was Mario who would save the organization from relocation. This would not be the only time he saved the team from off-ice turmoil, but it was his play in a Pittsburgh jersey that would transform the organization permanently.
In his first NHL game, he infamously stole the puck from Raymond Bourque and scored on his first shot. In his rookie season, Super Mario missed 7 games but still managed an incredible 100 points on a listless team. Lemieux looked like a men among boys with his long reach, soft hands, and on-ice vision. Defenders didn't know if they should play the pass or the shot because he could kill you with either one.
Lemieux would go on to win the Calder Trophy, league MVP three times, Art Ross Trophy six times, Conne Smythe Trophy twice, and Stanley Cup champion twice. These are only the most heralded honors, but there isn't enough space in this article to include all of his awards, accomplishments, and records.
Mario would eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997 and rivaled Wayne Gretzky as the game's greatest player in history. For some, the case can be made that if it wasn't for his bout of cancer and numerous injuries, he would have easily surpassed the Great One. For the rest of us, we are just lucky enough to have had him in the league for as long as we did and he easily goes down as the top 1st overall draft pick in NHL history.
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