The Most Successful Drafting Teams (Last 20 Years)

Measuring Draft Success

How draft performance is evaluated:

Draft success requires depth beyond first-round hits. The best teams produce 10+ players per era who reach 200 NHL games, convert mid-round picks into All-Stars, and build Cup contenders through the draft.

Key Metrics:

• Percentage reaching 200 games (league average 20%)
• All-Star appearances per draft class
• Major awards won (Hart, Norris, Vezina, Selke)
• Stanley Cup contributions
• Late-round steals (picks 100+)

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.

Tier 1: Elite Drafters

The absolute best drafting organizations:

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes turned mid-round picks into franchise cornerstones with exceptional scouting.

Elite Picks:

• Jeff Skinner (7th, 2010): 350+ goals
• Jaccob Slavin (4th, 2012): Elite defenseman
• Sebastian Aho (5th, 2015): 600+ points
• Noah Hanifin (5th, 2015): Top-pair defenseman
• Andrei Svechnikov (2nd, 2018): 200+ goals already
• Seth Jarvis (13th, 2020): Rising star

Success Rate: 26.9% of drafted skaters hit 200 games (well above 20% league average). Strong Finnish scouting (Aho) and NCAA connections (Slavin) drive success.

Philosophy: Prioritize skating and hockey IQ over size, yielding late-round steals like Pyotr Kochetkov (2nd, 2019).

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa's Cup dynasty was built entirely through the draft.

Elite Picks:

• Nikita Kucherov (58th, 2011): Hart Trophy, 1,059+ points
• Brayden Point (79th, 2014): Elite two-way center
• Victor Hedman (2nd, 2009): Norris Trophy, Conn Smythe
• Andrei Vasilevskiy (19th, 2012): Two Vezinas, Conn Smythe
• Anthony Cirelli (3rd, 2015): Elite defensive center

Success Rate: 25% reach 200 games, boosted by skill-first philosophy ignoring size bias.

Perfect Record: Every first-round pick from 2009-2017 became roster regular.

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Colorado Avalanche

Joe Sakic's scouting staff has elite hit rate on skill players.

Elite Picks:

• Nathan MacKinnon (1st, 2013): Three Hart finalists, Cup champion
• Cale Makar (4th, 2017): Norris Trophy, Conn Smythe
• Mikko Rantanen (10th, 2015): 650+ points, multiple 100-point seasons
• Samuel Girard (47th, 2016): Top-four defenseman
• Alex Newhook (16th, 2019): Rising center

Success Rate: 25% reach 200 games, targeting mobile defensemen (Makar, Girard) and high-IQ Europeans.

Championship: 2022 Cup featured 11 drafted players as core.

Tier 2: Strong But Inconsistent

Successful teams with occasional misses:

Dallas Stars

Strong late-round success but early-round inconsistency.

Hits:

• Jamie Benn (129th, 2007): 934+ points, Art Ross
• John Klingberg (131st, 2010): Top-pair offensive defenseman
• Miro Heiskanen (3rd, 2017): Elite young defenseman
• Roope Hintz (49th, 2015): 200+ points
• Jason Robertson (39th, 2017): 300+ points, elite winger

Misses: Valeri Nichushkin (10th, 2013) and Julius Honka (14th, 2014) prevent elite status.

Success Rate: 22% reach 200 games, solid but not elite tier.

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Pittsburgh Penguins

Limited volume but elite hit rate on top picks.

Elite Picks:

• Sidney Crosby (1st, 2005): Three Cups, two Hart Trophies
• Evgeni Malkin (2nd, 2004): Hart Trophy, three Cups
• Kris Letang (62nd, 2005): Three Cups, elite defenseman
• Jake Guentzel (77th, 2013): 600+ points, clutch performer

Challenge: Fewest picks of any team 2015-2025 due to Cup success, limiting overall numbers.

Success Rate: Near-perfect on top-10 picks but lack of depth drags down percentage.

Tier 3: Rebuilders and Up-and-Comers

Teams building through draft recently:

Florida Panthers

Recent Cup success built on draft foundation.

Key Picks:

• Aleksander Barkov (2nd, 2013): Two Selke Trophies, Cup champion
• Aaron Ekblad (1st, 2014): Calder Trophy, franchise defenseman
• MacKenzie Weegar (206th, 2013): Late-round steal
• Spencer Knight (13th, 2019): Goalie prospect

Success Rate: 20% reach 200 games, climbing with 2020s picks showing promise.

Ottawa Senators

Strong recent drafting rebuilding franchise.

Key Picks:

• Brady Tkachuk (4th, 2018): 400+ points, franchise captain
• Tim Stutzle (3rd, 2020): Elite young center
• Jake Sanderson (5th, 2020): Top-pair defenseman
• Josh Norris (19th, 2017): 100+ goals

Success Rate: 21% reach 200 games, improving with strong 2018-2020 classes.

Read more: Best Draft Classes of All Time (Ranked)

Success Metrics Breakdown

Statistical comparison across tiers:

200-Game Rate:

• Tier 1 teams: 25%+ (Carolina 26.9%, Tampa 25%, Colorado 25%)
• Tier 2 teams: 20-24% (Dallas 22%, Pittsburgh 23%)
• League average: 20%

All-Star Appearances:

• Tier 1: 4+ per draft class
• Tier 2: 2-3 per draft class
• Tier 3: 1-2 per draft class

Awards Per Class:

• Tier 1: 1+ major award (Hart, Norris, Vezina, Selke) per draft year
• Tier 2: 0.5+ awards per year
• Tier 3: Occasional awards

Cup Contributions: Tampa's 2020-21 Cups featured 12 drafted players, Carolina's 2023 run had 9, Colorado's 2022 had 11.

Why These Teams Succeed

Common factors among elite drafters:

Scouting Focus: Carolina and Tampa ignore size bias, prioritizing skill and skating. Colorado targets mobile defensemen and high-IQ forwards.

Development Systems: All three have elite AHL affiliates and player development programs.

International Networks: Strong European scouting (Tampa's Russians, Carolina's Finns, Colorado's Swedes).

Analytics Use: Advanced metrics help identify undervalued players in later rounds.

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

The Verdict

Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Colorado Avalanche are the NHL's elite drafting organizations of the last 20 years. All three exceed 25% success rate reaching 200 games while finding late-round steals who become All-Stars.

Tampa's Nikita Kucherov (58th), Carolina's Sebastian Aho (5th), and Colorado's Cale Makar (4th) show that elite talent exists beyond top-three picks with proper scouting.

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

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