The first round of the NHL draft begins Friday night, and only one prospect will be selected first overall. Across decades, that slot has produced Hall of Famers, multiple Stanley Cup winners and a range of career outcomes, from players who never reached the NHL to long-tenured stars, according to the provided list.
Early first-overall picks included Garry Monahan (1963), who played 748 games with 116 goals and 169 assists, and several selections who never played in the NHL, such as Claude Gauthier (1964), Andre Veilleux (1965) and Rick Pagnutti (1967). Goalkeeper Michel Plasse (1968) logged 298 games with 92 wins, two shutouts, a 3.79 goals-against average and a .881 save percentage and is credited with a Stanley Cup on the list.
Hall of Famers taken No. 1 include Gilbert Perreault (1970), who played 1,191 games with 512 goals and 814 assists and won the Calder Trophy; Guy Lafleur (1971), who totaled 1,126 games, 560 goals and 793 assists and claimed five Stanley Cups plus multiple scoring and MVP awards; and Denis Potvin (1973), whose 1,060 games, 310 goals and 742 assists are paired with four Stanley Cups and three Norris Trophies, according to the provided list.
The list also highlights Mario Lemieux (1984), who compiled 915 games, 690 goals and 1,033 assists along with two Stanley Cups and a collection of scoring and MVP honors; Dale Hawerchuk (1981), a Calder Trophy winner with 1,188 games, 518 goals and 891 assists; and late-era marquee names such as Mike Modano (1988) with 1,499 games, 561 goals and 813 assists, Mats Sundin (1989) with 1,346 games, 564 goals and 785 assists, and Joe Thornton (1997) with 1,714 games, 430 goals and 1,109 assists and both an Art Ross and Hart Trophy.
Several No. 1 picks from the 1990s produced lengthy NHL careers: Roman Hamrlik played 1,395 games; Owen Nolan reached 1,200 games with 422 goals; Ed Jovanovski totaled 1,128 games; Alexandre Daigle finished with 616 games; and Bryan Berard logged 619 games and earned the Bill Masterton and Calder trophies, according to the provided list. As draft night approaches, the history of first-overall selections underscores a wide variance in outcomes and achievements.
