The best of the first round, from No. 1 to No. 14
(complete list at NHL.com)
If you're a hockey fan, undoubtedly you have felt at one time or another that you could do a better job drafting than an NHL general manager. But drafting is an inexact science -- for every late-round gem (Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk), there's a high pick who didn't turn out to be the star the team that picked him thought he would be (Patrick Stefan, Greg Joly).
Here's a look at some of the best choices in the history of the NHL Draft, as determined by where they were selected among the top 30 picks. (Up and coming includes players taken from 2007-10; don't forget that some players, including Wayne Gretzky, never were drafted.)
No. 1: Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh, 1984) -- It's likely no player in NHL history has been more important to the existence of his team than Lemieux. Had the Penguins not drafted him in 1984, there likely would be no franchise in Pittsburgh today -- and later, as an owner, he was vital to keeping the Penguins in the Steel City, where today they are one of the NHL's most dynamic franchises. As a player, Lemieux was brilliant from the day he arrived (he scored on his first shot, on his first shift, by picking the pocket of future Hall of Famer Ray Bourque), and the Penguins eventually built the supporting cast that helped him lead the franchise to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991-92. Had he stayed healthy, it would have been interesting to see whether he could have broken some of Wayne Gretzky's scoring records.
Runners-up: Guy Lafleur (1971), Denis Potvin (1973), Alex Ovechkin (2004), Sidney Crosby (2005)
Up and coming: Patrick Kane (2007), Steven Stamkos (2008), John Tavares (2009)
Disappointment: Patrik Stefan (1999)
No. 2: Brendan Shanahan (New Jersey, 1987) -- Shanahan, now an NHL vice president and the League's chief disciplinarian, is one of the great power forwards of any era. He started and ended his career with the Devils, making stops along the way in St. Louis, Hartford, Detroit and New York, finishing with 656 goals, 1,354 points, 2,489 penalty minutes and three Stanley Cups -- and a sure Hall of Fame berth in the not-too-distant future.
Runners-up: Marcel Dionne (1971), Chris Pronger (1993)
Up and coming: Drew Doughty (2008), Victor Hedman (2009)
Disappointment: Dave Chyzowski (1989)
No. 3: Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey, 1991) -- Niedermayer's offensive numbers were held down somewhat because he played most of his career with the defense-first Devils. But there were benefits -- he earned three Stanley Cup rings in New Jersey, and then captained Anaheim to another Cup in 2007 while playing alongside his brother Rob. Niedermayer became a Devil in one of GM Lou Lamoriello's greatest trades -- he dealt journeyman defenseman Tom Kurvers to Toronto in 1989 for the pick that turned into Niedermayer.
Runners-up: Denis Savard (1980), Pat LaFontaine (1983)
Up and coming: Zach Bogosian (2008), Matt Duchene (2009)
Disappointment: Neil Brady (1986)
No. 4: Steve Yzerman (Detroit, 1983) -- Had Detroit GM Jim Devellano had his way, Yzerman never would have been a Red Wing. Not that Devellano wasn't impressed with Yzerman; he hoped to get Pat LaFontaine with the fourth pick in 1983 because LaFontaine had played locally and might help the struggling franchise sell tickets. Instead, the New York Islanders took LaFontaine at No. 3 and the Wings had to "settle" for Yzerman, who came into the NHL as a high scorer but later showed he was willing to trade individual points for team success. The result was a run of three Stanley Cups in six seasons, all of them with Yzerman as captain.
Runners-up: Mike Gartner (1979), Ron Francis (1981)
Up and coming: Alex Pietrangelo (2008), Evander Kane (2009)
Disappointment: Alexandre Volchkov (1996)
No. 5: Jaromir Jagr (Pittsburgh, 1990) -- Talk about short-term pain producing long-term gain: The Penguins missed the playoffs in 1990 by losing in overtime on the final night of the season. Little did they know it might have been the best thing that could have happened, because their "reward" was Jagr. The Czech teenager turned into the perfect sidekick for Mario Lemieux and was a key to the Penguins' back-to-back Cup wins in 1991 and '92. Jagr owns five NHL scoring titles, a Hart Trophy and seven First-Team All-Star berths, as well as five 100-point seasons. His combination of speed, skill and power is matched by very few players in NHL history.
Runners-up: Scott Stevens (1982), Tom Barrasso (1983)
Up and coming: Karl Alzner (2007), Luke Schenn (2008)
Disappointment: Daniel Dore (1988)
No. 6: Paul Coffey (Edmonton, 1980) -- Coffey and the Oilers were a marriage made in hockey heaven. Coffey was the fastest defenseman of his (and maybe any) generation, and he was taken by a team that had an unparalleled collection of offensive talent. He set single-season offensive records for defensemen during the Oilers' dynasty years, is second among blueliners all-time in goals (396) and points (1,531), and owns five Stanley Cup rings.
Runners-up: Phil Housley (1982), Peter Forsberg (1991)
Up and coming: Sam Gagner (2007), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (2009)
Disappointment: Daniel Tkaczuk (1997)
No. 7: Bernie Federko (St. Louis, 1976) -- Federko generously was listed at 6 feet and about 175 pounds, but he more than made up for any lack of size with his hockey skills, which helped him pile up 369 goals and 1,130 points in exactly 1,000 games (mostly with St. Louis) on the way to the Hall of Fame. Federko was the first player in NHL history to put up at least 50 assists in 10 consecutive seasons (1978-79 to 1987-88).
Runners-up: Bill Barber (1972), Jason Arnott (1993)
Up and coming: Colin Wilson (2008), Jeff Skinner (2010)
Disappointment: Ryan Sittler (1992)
No. 8: Ray Bourque (Boston, 1979) -- The hardest thing to believe about Bourque's career is that seven players actually were picked ahead of him in his draft year. Bourque stepped right into the NHL from the Verdun Eperviers of the QMJHL in 1979 and didn't step out until he skated away as a Stanley Cup champion with Colorado in 2001. He still owns all the NHL career scoring marks for defensemen (410 goals, 1,169 assists, 1,579 points). Bourque was a First-Team All-Star 13 times -- including 2000-01, when he turned 41 -- and won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman five times. Perhaps no player in NHL history has been as consistently brilliant for so long.
Runners-up: Grant Fuhr (1981), Jeremy Roenick (1988)
Up and coming: Mikkel Boedker (2008), Alexander Burmistrov (2010)
Disappointment: Rocky Trottier (1982)
No. 9: Brian Leetch (N.Y. Rangers, 1986) -- If Leetch isn't the greatest U.S.-born player in NHL history, he's certainly in the discussion. The Hockey Hall of Famer joined the Rangers after one season at Boston College and a stint with the 1988 U.S. Olympic team and never stopped putting up points. Leetch won the 1989 Calder Trophy, took home the Norris Trophy twice and led the Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup (their only one since 1940), while becoming the first American to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Runners-up: Cam Neely (1983), Rod Brind'Amour (1988)
Up and coming: Logan Couture (2007); Josh Bailey (2008)
Disappointment: Brett Lindros (1994)
No. 10: Teemu Selanne (Winnipeg, 1988) -- Selanne arrived in the NHL in 1992 and promptly shattered the records for first-year players with 76 goals and 132 points -- totals that don't figure to be surpassed for a long time, if ever. The Finnish Flash led the NHL in goals three times and was good enough to score 48 goals at age 36, helping the Anaheim Ducks to their first Stanley Cup. He had 31 goals and 80 points in 2010-11, becoming only the third player to average a point a game over a full season after turning 40. If he decides to retire this summer, it certainly won't be because he can't play anymore.
Runners-up: Steve Vickers (1971), Bobby Holik (1989)
Up and coming: Cody Hodgson (2008), Magnus Paajarvi (2009)
Disappointment: Mikhail Yakubov (2000)
No. 11: Jarome Iginla (Dallas, 1995) -- Here's an interesting question for Stars fans: If you had it to do over again, would you have traded Iginla for Joe Nieuwendyk, a player who was instrumental in winning the only Stanley Cup in franchise history? Landing Nieuwendyk was key to the Stars' 1999 Cup win, but the Flames are more than happy with their end of the deal as Iginla has become one of the NHL's top stars for more than a decade. He's won the Art Ross, Rocket Richard and Lester B. Pearson (now the Ted Lindsay) trophies, and was a Hart Trophy finalist in 2007-08 after reaching the 50-goal mark for the second time. Iginla owns Flames franchise records for career goals and points, has been the face of hockey in Calgary for much of his career and still is going strong -- he was third in the League with 43 goals this past season.
Runners-up: Mike Sillinger (1989), Brian Rolston (1991)
Up and coming: Brandon Sutter (2007)
Disappointment: David Cooper (1992)
No. 12: Gary Roberts (Calgary, 1984) -- Roberts won a Stanley Cup with Calgary at age 23, scored 53 goals three seasons later, missed most of three seasons recovering from a serious neck injury, and still managed to score 438 goals and 910 points in 1,224 games. At age 42 he was a key locker-room presence in Pittsburgh's run to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, and he played briefly with Tampa Bay in 2008-09 before finally hanging up his skates.
Runners-up: Kenny Jonsson (1993), Marian Hossa (1997)
Up and coming: Ryan McDonagh (2007), Tyler Myers (2008), Cam Fowler (2010)
Disappointment: Josh Holden (1996)
No. 13: Jean-Sebastien Giguere (Hartford, 1995) -- The last first-round draft selection in Whalers history had a few detours on his way to a successful career, but Giguere was one of the keys to the emergence of the Anaheim Ducks. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2003 when Anaheim lost the Stanley Cup Final to New Jersey, and could have won again in 2007 after the Ducks topped Ottawa for their first Stanley Cup.
Runners-up: Danny Cleary (1997), Alexander Semin (2002)
Up and coming: Lars Eller (2007),
Disappointment: Michael Stewart (1990)
No. 14: Rick Middleton (N.Y. Rangers, 1973) -- Talk about a one-sided trade: The Rangers dealt Middleton, who had shown flashes of brilliance, to Boston in a deal that brought Phil Esposito's long-time sidekick, Ken Hodge, to the Big Apple in 1976. The Rangers wound up trading Middleton's future for Hodge's past -- Middleton had seven consecutive 30-goal seasons and went on to score more than 400 goals with the Bruins, while Hodge was gone 18 games into his second season in New York.
Runners-up: Brian Propp (1979), Sergei Gonchar (1992)
Up and coming: Kevin Shattenkirk (2007), Dmitry Kulikov (2009)
Disappointment: Jim Malone (1980)
Click here to see the complete list of the first round
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=566269&navid=mod-features
By John Kreiser - NHL.com Columnist
