Backdraft 2006: Ranking the forwards, defensemen & goalies from the 2006 NHL draft

Take a look back at the 2006 NHL draft: We've ranked the top 10 forwards and top 10 defensemen by career NHL points and goalies by career NHL wins.

FORWARDS: Here are the top 10 highest-scoring forwards selected in the 2006 NHL draft, with draft position and NHL games played:

NOTES:

--The oft-overlooked Nicklas Backstrom leads the scoring race among forwards drafted in 2006. The Washington Capitals center, who has spent most of his NHL career on a line with Alex Ovechkin, has amassed 477 assists in 652 games -- over 100 helpers more than the second-best playmaker (Claude Giroux, 351 assists).

--Phil Kessel, with 273 goals in 750 NHL games, leads all 2006-drafted players in both categories.

--Milan Lucic, selected in the second round (50th overall) by the Boston Bruins, is the only non-first-round pick to crack the top 10 in scoring among 2006-drafted forwards. It was a good draft for the Bruins: they took Kessel fifth overall, Lucic 50th and Brad Marchand 71st (Marchand sits 11th in scoring among forwards drafted in 2006, with 288 points in 454 games).

DEFENSEMEN: Here are the top 10 highest-scoring defensemen selected in the 2006 NHL draft, with draft position and NHL games played: 

 NOTES:

--Erik Johnson was the No. 1 overall pick in 2006, but it wasn't much of a draft for defensemen. If the draft was held all over again, Johnson might not crack the top 10 -- and it's doubtful any other defensemen would be taken in the first round at all.

--The second defenseman drafted was Ty Wishart, selected 16th overall by the San Jose Sharks. He played a total of 26 NHL games and spent the past three seasons in Europe. A total of nine defensemen were taken in the first round in 2006, but only Johnson turned into an NHL regular.

--Twelve more defensemen were picked in Round 2, with only three making their mark in the NHL: Jeff Petry (45th overall pick, 365 NHL games), Mike Weber (57th overall, 351 NHL games) and Jamie McBain (63rd overall, 345 NHL games).

GOALIES: A total of 13 goalies selected in the 2006 NHL draft have appeared in at least one NHL game. Here they are ranked by NHL wins, with draft position and NHL games played:

NOTES:

--Four goalies were picked in the first round in 2006. Two of them made it as NHL stoppers (Semyon Varlamov, Jonathan Bernier) and two of them didn't (Leland Irving, Riku Helenius).

--Steve Mason, the seventh goalie selected and 69th overall pick, leads all 2006-drafted netminders with 174 NHL wins.

--No goalie has been drafted higher than Bernier (11th overall) since 2006.

More in the 'Backdraft' series:

Backdraft 2005: Crosby, Yandle and Quick headline the 2005 draft derby

Backdraft 2004: Ovechkin, Streit and Rinne lead the way

Backdraft 2003: Staal, Weber and Fleury rank No. 1 by position

Backdraft 2002: Nash, Keith and Lehtonen at head of class

Backdraft 2001: Kovalchuk, Zidlicky and Anderson on top

Backdraft 2000: Heatley, Visnovsky and Lundqvist lead the rankings

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