The NHL Entry Draft, originally known as the NHL Amateur Draft, is a collective meeting in which the franchises of the National Hockey League (NHL) systematically select the exclusive rights to available amateur players who meet the eligibility requirements to play professional hockey in the NHL. First held in 1963, the draft prior to 1969 was a shorter affair. Any amateur player who was aged 17 years and older and was not already sponsored by an NHL club was eligible to be drafted. In 1969 the rules were changed so that any amateur player between the ages of 17 and 20 was eligible to be drafted. [1] The draft has grown, and in 2021, 223 players were selected over seven rounds. [2]
A total of 60 different players have been selected first. Of those, 43 have been Canadian, eight American, three Russian, two Czech, two Swedish, one Slovak and one Swiss. Every first overall pick taken between 1968 and 2016 has played in at least 299 NHL games. [3] Three players retired without having played an NHL game.
The Montreal Canadiens have had the most first overall picks of any other team, selecting six players first overall since 1963. The Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Seattle Kraken, Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights have never selected first overall. Five players have come from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, more than any other team. Eleven players have won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year: Gilbert Perreault, Denis Potvin, Bobby Smith, Dale Hawerchuk, Mario Lemieux, Bryan Berard, Alexander Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Nathan MacKinnon, Aaron Ekblad and Auston Matthews. Eight have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame: Perreault, Potvin, Guy Lafleur, Eric Lindros, Hawerchuk, Lemieux, Mats Sundin and Mike Modano.
bold | Active in the NHL |
‡ | Expansion team |
^ | Calder Memorial Trophy winner |
* | Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame |
# | Calder Memorial Trophy winner and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame |
¤ | No games played in the NHL [4] |
Team | Last #1 overall pick | Total picks awarded/made | Trades/Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Montreal Canadiens | 2022 | 4(6) | Acquired pick from Devils (Rockies) in 1980 Acquired pick from the Golden Seals in 1971 |
New Jersey Devils (formerly Kansas City Scouts/Colorado Rockies) | 2019 | 5(3) | Traded pick to Bruins in 1982 Traded pick to Canadiens in 1980 |
Florida Panthers | 2014 | 5(2) | Traded pick to Blue Jackets in 2002 Traded pick to Penguins in 2003 Traded pick to Lightning in 1998 |
Washington Capitals | 2004 | 4(3) | Traded pick to Flyers in 1975 |
Tampa Bay Lightning | 2008 | 4(3) | Traded pick to Jets (Thrashers) in 1999 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 2005 | 3(3) | Acquired pick from Panthers in 2003 Traded pick to Stars (North Stars) in 1983 |
Boston Bruins | 1997 | 2(3) | Acquired pick from Devils (Rockies) in 1982 |
Winnipeg Jets (formerly Atlanta Thrashers) | 2001 | 1(2) | Acquired pick from Lightning in 1999 |
California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons (defunct) | 1971 | 1(0) | Traded pick to Canadiens in 1971 |
Columbus Blue Jackets | 2002 | 0(1) | Acquired pick from Panthers in 2002 |
Philadelphia Flyers | 1975 | 0(1) | Acquired pick from Capitals in 1975 |
Colorado Avalanche (formerly Quebec Nordiques) | 2013 | 4 | |
New York Islanders | 2009 | 4 | |
Edmonton Oilers | 2015 | 4 | 4 picks were awarded between the years 2010 and 2015; 3 of them awarded in consecutive years (2010, 2011, 2012) |
Buffalo Sabres | 2021 | 4 | |
Detroit Red Wings | 1986 | 3 | |
Ottawa Senators | 1996 | 3 | |
Dallas Stars (formerly Minnesota North Stars) | 1988 | 3 | |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 2016 | 2 | |
New York Rangers | 2020 | 2 | Held first overall pick in the 2020 draft despite taking part in the playoffs, whose format was changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Chicago Blackhawks | 2023 | 2 | |
Blues | 2006 | 1 | |
Arizona Coyotes (inactive) (formerly Winnipeg Jets) | 1981 | 1 | |
Los Angeles Kings | 1967 | 1 | |
Vancouver Canucks | N/A | 0 | |
Anaheim Ducks | N/A | 0 | |
Calgary Flames (formerly Atlanta Flames) | N/A | 0 | |
Vegas Golden Knights | N/A | 0 | |
Carolina Hurricanes | N/A | 0 | |
Seattle Kraken | N/A | 0 | |
Nashville Predators | N/A | 0 | |
San Jose Sharks | N/A | 0 | |
Minnesota Wild | N/A | 0 | |
Utah NHL team | N/A | 0 |
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have played their home games at PPG Paints Arena, originally known as Consol Energy Center, since 2010. The team previously played at the Civic Arena, which was also known as Mellon Arena from 1999 to 2010, and by its nickname "the Igloo". The Penguins are affiliated with two minor league teams – the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general manager, and head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 54 times to 47 players since the 1964–65 NHL season. Each year, at the conclusion of the final game of the Stanley Cup Finals, members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote to elect the player deserving of the trophy. The trophy is handed out by the NHL Commissioner before the presentation of the Stanley Cup and only the winner is announced, in contrast to most of the other NHL awards which name three finalists and are presented at a ceremony. Vote tallies for the Conn Smythe Trophy were released starting in 2017.
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as the NHL's Rookie of the Year award, this version of the trophy has been awarded since its creation for the 1936–37 NHL season. The voting is conducted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the conclusion of each regular season to determine the winner.
The Ted Lindsay Award, formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players' Association. First awarded in 1971, it is a companion to the Hart Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the League's Most Valuable Player, as judged by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The award was renamed in 2010 after Ted Lindsay of the Detroit Red Wings.
Mats Johan Sundin is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL), retiring in 2009. Originally drafted first overall in 1989, Sundin played his first four seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques. He was then traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1994, where he played the majority of his career, serving 11 seasons as team captain. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Sundin was the longest-serving non-North American-born captain in NHL history. Sundin last played for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2008–09 season before announcing his retirement on 30 September 2009. He appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 10 of his 18 seasons.
Dale Martin Hawerchuk was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Drafted first overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, Hawerchuk played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 16 seasons as a member of the Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers. He won the NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in 1982 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility in 2001. Hawerchuk served as the head coach of the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League from 2010 to 2019.
Pierre Julien Turgeon is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Turgeon played in the NHL for the Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. He is the younger brother of former NHL player Sylvain Turgeon. He is one of 46 players to have scored 500 goals. Turgeon was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 13, 2023.
The NHL entry draft is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL) systematically select the rights to available ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirements. The NHL entry draft is held once every year, generally within two to three months after the conclusion of the previous regular season. During the draft, teams take turns selecting amateur players from junior or collegiate leagues and professional players from European leagues.
Gilbert Perreault is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for 17 seasons with the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. He was the first draft pick of the Sabres in their inaugural season in the NHL. He is well known as the centre man for the prolific trio of Sabres forwards known as The French Connection. The trio helped the Sabres reach the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals.
The 1970–1971 Buffalo Sabres season was the Sabres' 1st season in the National Hockey League.
The National Hockey League (NHL) endured a tumultuous period of history between 1992 and 2017. It grew from 22 teams at the start of this period to 30 at the end, as the league expanded across the United States. Repeated labour conflicts interrupted play in 1992, 1994–95, 2004–05 and 2012–13; the second lockout caused the entire 2004–05 NHL season to be canceled, the first time in North American history that a sports league has canceled an entire season in a labour dispute. Nine franchises were added between 1991 and 2000, comprising the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild. In addition to expansion teams, five franchises have relocated during this time: the Minnesota North Stars became the Dallas Stars (1993), the Quebec Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche (1995), the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes (1996), the Hartford Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes (1997), and the Atlanta Thrashers became the second franchise known as the Winnipeg Jets (2011).
Mathieu Perreault is a Canadian former ice hockey winger. He played for the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL), and for HIFK of the SM-liiga (SM-l).
The following is a chronicle of events during the year 1973 in ice hockey.
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