Online Table Games

First-Round Draft Picks Who Won the Vezina Trophy

Unlike the Hart or Norris, the Vezina Trophy has historically been dominated by goalies drafted outside the first round or not drafted at all. Modern analysis shows that none of the recent Vezina finalists were first-round picks, and the last three winners were all drafted 118th overall or later. This article covers the rare first-round picks who won the Vezina, showing why teams are increasingly hesitant to use first-round picks on goaltenders.

January 25, 2026

Vezina Trophy and Draft Position

Understanding goaltender development unpredictability:

First-round picks rarely win Vezina Trophies. Only a small handful of modern Vezina winners were first-round selections, with most recent winners coming from rounds 3-7 or undrafted.

Success Patterns:

First round: 15% of Vezina Trophies
Rounds 2-3: 20% of Vezina Trophies
Rounds 4-7: 40% of Vezina Trophies
Undrafted: 25% of Vezina Trophies

This distribution shows goaltender development is highly unpredictable compared to forwards and defensemen.

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.

Pre-Modern Era Context

Early Vezina winners and draft dynamics:

Before Vezina became voted-on award (1981), winners came from variety of backgrounds. Pre-draft era winners like Terry Sawchuk, Jacques Plante, and Glenn Hall weren't subject to modern draft dynamics.

After 1981 format change, winners like Billy Smith, Grant Fuhr, Patrick Roy, and Ed Belfour tended to be mid-round or undrafted (Belfour).

This established pattern of elite goaltenders emerging from unexpected draft positions.

First-Round Vezina Winners

The rare first-round picks who won best goaltender:

Marc-Andre Fleury (1st, 2003 - Pittsburgh Penguins)

Vezina Trophy (2021), three Stanley Cups, Hall of Fame trajectory. One of only three true first overall goalies to win Vezina.

Career:

561 career wins
Three Cups (2009, 2016, 2017)
Vezina at age 36
Rare first overall success story

Fleury represents exception rather than rule for first overall goaltenders.

Carey Price (5th, 2005 - Montreal Canadiens)

Vezina Trophy (2015), Hart Trophy (2015). Archetype of top-five goalie pick that justified draft slot.

Career:

361 career wins
Hart Trophy (only modern goalie besides Hasek)
Olympic gold medal
Montreal franchise goalie

Price is strongest argument for drafting goalies in top five.

If you can rattle off draft classes and #1 picks, you're already halfway to perfect runs in Gridzy — the daily NHL grid game built for hockey nerds.

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

Four Vezina Trophies (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008), 691 wins (all-time record). Late first-rounder became greatest winner ever.

Career:

691 wins (record)
Three Cups
Four Vezinas
Hall of Fame 2018

Brodeur's 20th overall selection provided incredible value.

Andrei Vasilevskiy (19th, 2012 - Tampa Bay Lightning)

Two Vezina Trophies (2019, 2021), Conn Smythe Trophy (2021). One of few recent first-rounders to break pattern.

Career:

330+ wins already
Two Cups (2020, 2021)
Two Vezinas
Elite save percentage

Vasilevskiy validates late first-round goalie selections.

Notable Non-First-Round Vezina Winners

Elite goaltenders from later rounds:

Henrik Lundqvist (205th, 2000 - Rangers): Vezina (2012), 459 wins, seventh-round steal.

Pekka Rinne (258th, 2004 - Nashville): Vezina (2018), eighth-round selection became franchise goalie.

Connor Hellebuyck (130th, 2012 - Winnipeg): Three Vezina Trophies (2020, 2024, 2025), fifth-round pick.

Igor Shesterkin (118th, 2014 - Rangers): Vezina (2022), fourth-round selection.

Linus Ullmark (163rd, 2012 - Boston): Vezina (2023), sixth-round pick.

Want a smarter way to use draft knowledge than arguing about busts? Play Gridzy Hockey and prove you can connect draft status, teams, and achievements.

Why First-Round Goalies Rarely Win Vezina

Goaltender development unpredictability:

Late Physical Development: Goalies mature later than skaters, making draft-year evaluation difficult.
Positional Scarcity: Only one goalie plays per game, limiting development opportunities compared to skaters.
Mental Component: Goaltending requires mental fortitude difficult to evaluate at 18 years old.
Statistical Variance: Small sample sizes in junior hockey make goalie statistics less predictive.
Team Dependence: Goalie success depends heavily on team defense, complicating individual evaluation.

These factors explain why teams find elite goalies in later rounds as often as first round.

Recent Vezina Finalist Analysis

Modern pattern shows late-round dominance:

ESPN's 2024 draft analysis noted that none of recent Vezina finalists were first-round picks. Last three winners (Hellebuyck, Shesterkin, Ullmark) were drafted 118th or later.

2024 Finalists:

Connor Hellebuyck (130th)
Sergei Bobrovsky (undrafted)
Igor Shesterkin (118th)

2023 Finalists:

Linus Ullmark (163rd)
Ilya Sorokin (78th)
Connor Hellebuyck (130th)

This pattern reinforces teams' hesitance to use first-round picks on goaltenders.

First Overall Goalie Busts

Why teams avoid first overall on goalies:

Rick DiPietro (1st, 2000 - Islanders): 318 games, injuries destroyed career. Cautionary tale for first overall goalie selections.

Marc-Andre Fleury (1st, 2003): Rare success story but took years to reach elite level.

Only two first overall goalies since 2000, with one (DiPietro) being catastrophic bust. This explains teams' reluctance.

Success Rate Comparison

First-round goalies vs. other positions:

Forwards (First Round): 35% become All-Stars, 60% NHL regulars
Defensemen (First Round): 25% become All-Stars, 50% NHL regulars
Goaltenders (First Round): 15% become All-Stars, 40% NHL regulars

Goaltenders have lowest first-round success rate of any position.

The Modern Approach

How teams draft goaltenders today:

Wait Until Later Rounds: Most teams wait until rounds 3-7 to draft goaltenders, using first-round picks on skaters.
Exception for Elite Prospects: Only truly generational goalie prospects (like Askarov, Wallstedt) warrant first-round consideration.
Development Systems: Teams invest in goalie coaching and development rather than high draft picks.
Analytics Revolution: Advanced metrics help identify undervalued goalie prospects in later rounds.

The Verdict

First-round picks rarely win Vezina Trophies, with only Marc-Andre Fleury (1st), Carey Price (5th), Martin Brodeur (20th), and Andrei Vasilevskiy (19th) representing modern first-round success stories.

The pattern of late-round Vezina winners (Lundqvist 205th, Rinne 258th, Hellebuyck 130th, Shesterkin 118th, Ullmark 163rd) shows elite goaltenders can be found anywhere in draft.

This explains why teams increasingly avoid first-round picks on goaltenders, preferring to invest in skaters and find goaltending later.

Play Gridzy Hockey Free Every Day

Gridzy Hockey is Shurzy's daily NHL grid game where you pretend you're "just messing around" and then suddenly you're 15 minutes deep arguing with yourself about whether some 2009 fourth-liner qualifies as a 40-goal guy.

You get nine guesses to fill a 3×3 grid, you can't reuse players, and every pick is either a genius flex or instant regret, so yeah, it's basically hockey trivia with stakes.

New grid drops every day at 6:00am ET, which is perfect because nothing says "healthy morning routine" like panicking over who won the Lady Byng in 1998. If you think you know puck, prove it.

Go play Gridzy right now!

‍

Share this post: