To some, the NHL draft is just another hockey sideshow. To everyone else who loves the game, it’s a plateau in which we witness the next great players step into our league. Throughout its 54 year existence, 10,934 players have been selected. Some of these guys have gone on to do amazing and outstanding things, while others don’t achieve very much at all. Majority of this reasoning is due to improper scouting, or too much hype that goes unmatched by said player.
Out of all the 54 first overall selections, only a hand full lived up to their part of why they were selected first overall. Most could have been taken later in that round, and some could have been taken later in the draft. But that’s the joy of the NHL draft, we live in the moment, we don’t really know how amazing that player really is until their career is finally over. However, some have shown us how amazing they are already and what we can expect from them going forward.
It’s all a gamble that sometimes pays off, and sometimes doesn’t. This is our list of the top 10 first overall selections of all-time, enjoy!