NHL: The 30 best draft picks in NHL history (Updated 2023)

16. Best NHL draft picks in history: Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

Center Auston Matthews is another first-overall pick that broke many records from the moment he arrived. Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Matthew has quickly become a household name as even before he was drafted, many NHL analysts and pundits considered him the best player in the 2016 NHL Draft.

In his first official game for the Maple Leafs, Matthews lived up to the hype and scored not one, not two, but four goals in his NHL debut. That was enough to land in the NHL history books as he was the first to do so and it has yet to be broken. He showed off his great speed, puck handling, and ability to capitalize in the heat of the moment.

After such a huge debut and incredible rookie season, needless to say, Matthews won the Calder Memorial Trophy. Since then, he’s been a ton of fun to watch and making the case of already being the best draft pick ever by the Maple Leafs.

The future for the Maple Leafs is bright with Matthews looking like he’s the real deal and a cornerstone player that a contending team can be built around him. As it’s been a very long time since the Maple Leafs tasted a Stanley Cup victory, it looks like they struck gold with Matthews.