Who were the greatest draft picks ever? Well, that’s what NHL.com set out to find with 60 Diamonds: The Greatest Picks of the 60 NHL Drafts.
But what makes a great draft pick? Is it the first-round selection who outperforms his draft slot? Is it the mid-round find who becomes a team leader? Or the late-round gem who develops into a star?
[RELATED: More 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft coverage]
NHL.com left that question to be decided by a panel of 13 writers and editors. Each member of the panel submitted his or her top 60 draft picks, with No. 1 given 60 points, No. 2 getting 59 points, all the way down to No. 60 receiving one point. Any ties were broken by the players’ average place on voters’ lists, the total number of ballots the players appeared on, and, if needed, the players’ highest ranking on any single ballot.
The voting panel consisted of senior director of editorial Shawn P. Roarke, managing editor Brian Compton, deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman, columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika, senior writer Dan Rosen and staff writers Amalie Benjamin, William Douglas, Tom Gulitti, Mike G. Morreale, Tracey Myers, David Satriano, Paul Strizhevsky and Mike Zeisberger.
Here is the Top 60 of the Past 60, players 60-51:
60. Kirill Kaprizov, F (112 points)
Selected by: Minnesota Wild, fifth round (No. 135), 2015
Kaprizov finally pulled on a Wild jersey five years after he was drafted. He didn’t need much time to show he was worth the wait, scoring in overtime in his first game, Jan. 14, 2021. He set Wild rookie records for goals (27) and points (51) en route to winning the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2020-21, and the next season he set single-season team records with 47 goals and 108 points. This season the 26-year-old left wing became the first two-time 40-goal scorer for the Wild.
“There’s a lot to like about Kaprizov, who to me, was an absolute steal in the talented 2015 NHL Draft. Since his first NHL season, his average of 1.15 points per game is fourth among players chosen in 2015, behind Connor McDavid (1.75), Mitchell Marner (1.27) and Mikko Rantanen (1.26). Kaprizov is second with 39 power-play goals and six overtime goals, trailing McDavid in each (40 goals, eight game-winners). He’s also seventh in takeaways (134), showing his defensive ability. He is one of four players from the 2015 draft to score at least 100 goals since 2020-21 (114 in 203 games), along with McDavid (141 in 218), Rantanen (121 in 209) and Kyle Connor (104 in 217).” — Mike Morreale, staff writer
59. Theo Fleury, F (112)
Selected by: Calgary Flames, eighth round (No. 166), 1987
Fleury was able to flourish at 5-foot-6 because of his ferocity all over the ice. As a rookie during the 1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he had 11 points (five goals, six assists), including the game-winning goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens, to help the Flames win the Cup. The right wing scored at least 30 goals eight times in his 15 NHL seasons and had more than 100 points twice. He’s one of three players selected in the eighth round of the draft or later to play 1,000 games (1,084) and score 1,000 points (1,088), along with Luc Robitaille (1,431 games, 1,394 points) and Dave Taylor (1,111 games, 1,069 points).
58. Evgeni Malkin, F (113)
Selected by: Pittsburgh Penguins, first round (No. 2), 2004
Malkin’s arrival in Pittsburgh in 2006-07, one season after Sidney Crosby, heralded an era of success that led to three Stanley Cup championships for the Penguins. Malkin had 85 points (33 goals, 52 assists) in 78 games and won the Calder Trophy that season, then followed with the first of his three 100-point seasons. In 2008-09, he led the NHL with 113 points (35 goals, 78 assists) and was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as most valuable player of the playoffs after he led the League with 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 24 games and helped the Penguins win the Cup. In 2011-12 he again led the NHL in scoring (109 points; 50 goals, 59 assists) and won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. The 36-year-old center is third in Penguins history in goals (471), assists (758) and points (1,229). He’s also one of 13 players in NHL history to average at least a point per game in at least 1,000 regular-season games and 100 playoff games; 11 of the 13 are in the Hall of Fame, and the other is Crosby.
“Malkin has given the Pittsburgh Penguins immense value for the No. 2 pick of the 2004 NHL Draft. The center has won the Stanley Cup three times. He has won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champion twice. He has won the Calder Trophy, the Hart Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy. Only 18 players in NHL history have averaged more points per game in the regular season than Malkin has at 1.16 (minimum 50 games), and he has averaged 1.02 points per…
Read More: 60 Diamonds: Greatest picks from 60 NHL Drafts, Nos. 60-51