Best Draft Picks by Position (Centers, Wingers, Defensemen, Goalies)

Evaluating Best Picks by Position

How positional rankings work:

Best picks combine career greatness with draft position value. A player taken 15th who produces 1,600 points is more impressive than first overall with same totals. Each position has unique evaluation criteria.

Ranking Factors:

• Career totals (points, goals, wins)
• Major awards (Hart, Norris, Vezina, Selke, Art Ross)
• Stanley Cup championships
• Draft position value
• Longevity and consistency

First-round picks show up all the time in Gridzy categories. Try Gridzy Hockey and see if you can solve today's grid without reaching for the obvious names.

Best Center Draft Picks

Elite centers who justified or exceeded draft position:

Mario Lemieux (1st, 1984 - Pittsburgh Penguins)

1,723 points, six Art Ross Trophies, three Hart Trophies, two Cups. Justified first overall pick and saved Pittsburgh franchise financially and competitively.

Career:

• 1,723 points in 915 games (1.88 PPG)
• Six Art Ross, three Hart Trophies
• Two Cups as player, three as owner
• Saved franchise from bankruptcy

Lemieux represents perfect first overall pick: generational talent who transformed franchise.

Joe Sakic (15th, 1987 - Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche)

1,641 points, two Cups, Hart Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy. Incredible value at mid-first round.

Value:

• 1,641 career points
• Two Cups, Conn Smythe (1996)
• Hart Trophy (2001)
• Franchise captain for 20 years

Sakic at 15th overall represents one of best value picks in NHL history.

Steve Yzerman (4th, 1983 - Detroit Red Wings)

1,755 points, three Cups, 19-year captain. Prototypical "ideal center pick."

Career:

• 1,755 career points
• Three Cups (1997, 1998, 2002)
• Selke Trophy (2000)
• Longest-serving captain in NHL history

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Sidney Crosby (1st, 2005 - Pittsburgh Penguins)

1,736+ points, three Cups, two Conn Smythes, two Hart Trophies. Generational talent living up to maximum hype.

Modern Greatness:

• 1,736+ points and counting
• Three Cups, two Conn Smythes
• Two Hart Trophies
• Complete two-way dominance

Connor McDavid (1st, 2015 - Edmonton Oilers)

1,159+ points already, three Hart Trophies, fastest to 1,000 points. Modern generational pick justifying hype.

Early Dominance:

• 1,159+ points in limited games
• Three Hart Trophies before age 28
• Fastest to 1,000 points (756 games)
• Multiple Art Ross Trophies

Best Winger Draft Picks

Elite wingers who provided maximum value:

Alex Ovechkin (1st, 2004 - Washington Capitals)

916+ goals (all-time leader), three Hart Trophies, 2018 Cup. Greatest goal-scorer ever, perfect use of first overall on winger.

Career:

• 916+ goals (all-time record)
• Three Hart Trophies
• Nine Rocket Richard Trophies
• 2018 Cup, Conn Smythe

Ovechkin represents ideal offensive winger from first overall: pure goal-scoring dominance.

Jaromir Jagr (5th, 1990 - Pittsburgh Penguins)

1,921 points, multiple scoring titles. Unmatched value at fifth overall, second all-time in points.

Value:

• 1,921 career points (second all-time)
• Five Art Ross Trophies
• Two Cups with Pittsburgh
• Played until age 45

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Teemu Selanne (10th, 1988 - Winnipeg Jets)

684 goals, 1,457 points. Top-10 pick that outperformed Hall of Fame expectations.

Production:

• 684 career goals
• 76-goal rookie record
• 1,457 career points
• Cup champion (2007)

Mike Bossy (15th, 1978 - New York Islanders)

573 goals in 752 games. Arguably best pure goal-scorer drafted outside top 10.

Elite Efficiency:

• 573 goals in 752 games (0.76 GPG)
• Four Cups with Islanders
• Nine consecutive 50-goal seasons
• 1.50 career PPG

Luc Robitaille (171st, 1984 - Los Angeles Kings)

1,394 points, 668 goals from 171st overall. Greatest late-pick winger ever.

Ninth-Round Steal:

• 1,394 career points
• 668 goals
• Eight 40+ goal seasons
• Hall of Fame 2009

Best Defenseman Draft Picks

Elite blue-liners who justified draft position:

Bobby Orr (1st, 1966 - Boston Bruins)

915 points in 657 games, eight Norris Trophies, three Hart Trophies. Changed the defenseman position.

Revolutionary:

• Eight consecutive Norris Trophies
• Three Hart Trophies
• First defenseman to lead league in scoring
• Two Cups

Orr represents perfect first overall on defenseman: generational talent who changed how position is played.

Ray Bourque (8th, 1979 - Boston Bruins/Colorado)

1,579 points, five Norris Trophies. Immense value at eighth overall, played 22 seasons.

Career:

• 1,579 career points
• Five Norris Trophies
• Cup champion (2001)
• Played until age 40

Read more: Best First-Round Picks of All Time

Nicklas Lidstrom (53rd, 1989 - Detroit Red Wings)

1,142 points, seven Norris Trophies, four Cups. One of greatest value picks in history despite being second-rounder.

Second-Round Perfection:

• Seven Norris Trophies
• Four Cups with Detroit
• 1,142 career points
• Mistake-free hockey

Cale Makar (4th, 2017 - Colorado Avalanche)

400+ points already, Norris Trophy, Conn Smythe, Cup by age 24. Model blueprint for using top-five pick on defenseman.

Modern Elite:

• Norris Trophy (2022)
• Conn Smythe Trophy (2022)
• 80+ point seasons
• Elite two-way play

Best Goaltender Draft Picks

Elite netminders who provided franchise value:

Martin Brodeur (20th, 1990 - New Jersey Devils)

691 wins (all-time record), four Vezina Trophies, three Cups. Best blend of draft position and career output.

All-Time Wins:

• 691 career wins (record)
• Four Vezina Trophies
• Three Cups with Devils
• Hall of Fame 2018

Brodeur at 20th overall represents ideal goalie draft pick: late first-rounder who became all-time great.

Dominik Hasek (199th, 1983 - Buffalo Sabres)

Six Vezina Trophies, two Hart Trophies. Late-round outlier who became arguably best pure goalie ever.

Elite Peak:

• Six Vezina Trophies
• Two Hart Trophies (only modern goalie)
• .922 career save percentage
• Cup champion (2002)

Patrick Roy (51st, 1984 - Montreal Canadiens)

551 wins, four Cups, three Conn Smythe Trophies. Second-round pick who set clutch standard.

Playoff Dominance:

• Three Conn Smythe Trophies
• Four Cups (two Montreal, two Colorado)
• 551 career wins
• .910 playoff save percentage

Read more: First-Round Picks Who Won Vezina Trophy

Henrik Lundqvist (205th, 2000 - New York Rangers)

459 wins, Vezina Trophy, Rangers franchise icon from seventh round.

Late-Round Success:

• 459 career wins
• Vezina Trophy (2012)
• .918 career save percentage
• Hall of Fame 2023

Pekka Rinne (258th, 2004 - Nashville Predators)

369 wins, Vezina Trophy from eighth round. Modern late-round home run.

Eighth-Round Steal:

• 369 career wins
• Vezina Trophy (2018)
• Four-time All-Star
• Nashville franchise leader

Positional Value Comparison

Draft success rates by position:

Centers: 35% of first-round centers become All-Stars, highest success rate of any position.

Wingers: 30% become All-Stars, strong success rate but slightly lower than centers.

Defensemen: 25% become All-Stars, take longer to develop than forwards.

Goalies: 15% become All-Stars, most unpredictable position by far.

This explains why teams prioritize centers and wingers in top 10, save defensemen for picks 5-15, and rarely use first-rounders on goalies.

Read more: Biggest NHL Draft Steals (Late Picks Who Became Stars)

The Verdict

Mario Lemieux (center), Alex Ovechkin (winger), Bobby Orr (defenseman), and Martin Brodeur (goaltender) represent positional perfection: players who justified first or late-first selections while becoming all-time greats.

Joe Sakic (15th), Jaromir Jagr (5th), and Ray Bourque (8th) show that mid-first-round picks can provide Hall of Fame value when teams identify elite talent others missed.

Goaltending remains most unpredictable position, with best picks (Brodeur 20th, Hasek 199th, Roy 51st) typically coming from late first round or beyond.

Read more: NHL Betting: The Ultimate Guide for the 2025/2026 Hockey Season

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