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

By Luis Tirado Jr.

NHL, Brian Leetch (Mandatory Credit: Kent Smith /Allsport)
NHL, Brian Leetch (Mandatory Credit: Kent Smith /Allsport) /
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NHL, Cam Ward
NHL, Cam Ward (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

11. Best NHL draft picks in history: Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes

Can you imagine what it would feel like to win a Stanley Cup championship in your rookie season? Or being MVP in the postseason in that first year on the job? This is what happened to goaltender Cam Ward and his dream rookie season with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Selected 25th overall in the 2002 NHL Draft, Ward was projected to be their next anchor at goalie. One that can stop anything coming his way from the bests corers the NHL had to offer and put the Hurricanes in a position to win many hockey games.

Once Ward debuted in 2005, the rest was NHL history as Ward stepped right in and immediately took care of business. Not only was he unstoppable that season but he led the way for the Hurricanes to win their first and only Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

That year, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy for being the MVP of that year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. He joins another legendary goalie, Patrick Roy, for winning it all as a rookie goaltender which is just so rare for someone that young. The Hurricanes did a great job scouting Ward beforehand as selecting him changed their franchise forever in ways other teams can only dream of.

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