Top 10 NHL players drafted second overall
There is always a debate about what player should have been picked first in the NHL Entry Draft. Sometimes, the best choice gets overlooked, leading to some fantastic picks second overall.
The debate heading into the NHL Entry Draft every year inevitably comes down to two players and which should be selected number one. This year Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall battled it out for the coveted No. 1 spot. Hall was selected there by the Edmonton Oilers, but Seguin – who went No. 2 to the Boston Bruins – has nothing to worry about.
In the history of the NHL Draft, many iconic players have been selected second only to go on to become some of the greatest players to ever lace up a pair of skates. Here are the players that made the most of the oft-ignored No. 2 position.
10. Daniel Sedin - Drafted in 1999 by the Vancouver Canucks
In the biggest move of then-Vancouver Canucks general manager Brian Burke's career, he selected twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin with the Nos. 2 and 3 picks of the 1999 NHL Draft. The gambit paid off, as the Sedin Twins have become two of the top players in the NHL.
The first overall pick from that same year was a bust, as Patrik Stefan only played six seasons in the NHL, none of which produced spectacular results. Daniel Sedin, on the other hand, has improved every year since. Daniel's peak season was this past year when, despite missing 19 games with an injury, he managed to set a new career high for points with 85.
9. Jason Spezza - Drafted in 2001 by the Ottawa Senators
The 2001 draft started off with two amazing picks as Ilya Kovalchuk went first overall, followed by Jason Spezza. Spezza started off slow in the NHL, but erupted in the first post-lockout season for 90 points.
As the Ottawa Senators improved, Spezza's confidence grew. Playing alongside Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley as the "CASH Line," Spezza was key in the Senators 2007 Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Spezza followed that up with the best season of his career – a 34-goal, 92-point campaign – before experiencing a decline both of the next two years. Even in decline, however, Jason Spezza remains one of the most offensively potent NHL players.
8. Brendan Shanahan - Drafted in 1987 by the New Jersey Devils
Brendan Shanahan carried big expectations heading into the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Shanahan was a star in junior hockey and was expected to be a franchise player in the NHL.
Shanahan never did become a franchise player, but he spend the better part of 15 years as one of the NHL's most talented and recognizable players. Two back-to-back 50-goal seasons stand as Shanahan's individual best, coming in 1992-93 and 1993-94. As Shanahan's game evolved, so did his effectiveness. In 1997, 1998 and 2002, Shanahan won the Stanley Cup, all as a member of the Detroit Red Wings.
No where is Brendan Shanahan's effectiveness more apparent than his playoff track record. In 21 seasons, Shanahan only missed the playoffs twice – the first in his second professional season with the Devils, and the second with the Hartford Whalers in 1995-96. Few players can boast about that kind of success.
7. Patrick Marleau - Drafted in 1997 by the San Jose Sharks
It took a few years for Patrick Marleau to hone his craft. By the time he broke out in the 2000-01 NHL season, Marleau had become one of the NHL's best defensive forwards. With his newfound ability to score, Marleau became one of the most potent double threats the NHL had ever seen.
As time has worn on, Marleau has only performed better and better, peaking with a 44-goal, 83-point season in 2009-10. Marleau also spent four seasons as captain of the San Jose Sharks, leading them to the best records in franchise history. In 12 professional seasons, Marleau has only failed to make the playoffs a single time.
6. Brian Bellows - Drafted in 1982 by the Minnesota North Stars
Another player who greatly outperformed the player taken one spot before him, that being Gord Kluzak, Bellows became the first real superstar to suit up for the Minnesota North Stars. Bellows spent 10 seasons with Minnesota, where fans took notice of a natural talent for netting pucks.
Bellows eventually helped the North Stars reach the Stanley Cup Finals, when the team battled it out with Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The North Stars failed to win the Stanley Cup but looked impressive nonetheless, save for some impressive goal scoring from Mario Lemieux.
5. Drew Doughty - Drafted in 2008 by the Los Angeles Kings
This might seem premature, but Drew Doughty showed why he was drafted so high with one of the greatest sophomore seasons ever in the NHL. Doughty scored 16 goals and 59 points, good enough for third among all defensemen, while also being named a finalist for the NHL's Norris Trophy – the annual award for the best defenseman in the NHL.
Not only that, Doughty was also a key force behind the Los Angeles Kings breaking a long playoff drought. In the postseason, Doughty proved invaluable as he led the Kings in scoring with 7 points in six games. If his worth was not apparent yet, Doughty also won a Gold Medal at the Olympics, playing big minutes with Canada in 2010.
4. Eric Staal - Drafted in 2003 by the Carolina Hurricanes
Like Doughty, Eric Staal's position on this list is almost entirely decided by his second NHL season. Staal had debuted in 2003, but was a decidedly average player as he tried to keep up in the big leagues. Following the 2004-05 lockout, Eric Staal returned to silence any critics with an unbelievable 45-goal, 100-point season.
Staal had arrived, and none too soon. The Carolina Hurricanes went on to win the Stanley Cup that season, with Staal leading the way in scoring. Since then, Staal has quietly remained an excellent player while Carolina has struggled to find the right combination for another Stanley Cup run.
In 2009, Staal again helped Carolina make an unexpected playoff push. The Hurricanes made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before being eliminated from play by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Management took notice of Staal's play, which included 10 goals in 18 games, and named Staal team captain later in the year.
3. Dany Heatley - Drafted in 2000 by the Atlanta Thrashers
The No. 1 pick from 2000, goaltender Rick DiPietro, has become an epic bust thanks to a string of injuries that have robbed an unthinkable amount of playing time from the would-be star. No. 2 that same year has been considerably more successful, as Dany Heatley has become one of the most visible stars currently playing in the NHL.
Heatley started his NHL career with a 67-point rookie campaign for which he was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. Heatley built on that success, improving to 41 goals and 89 points in his second season.
It was not until Heatley was traded to the Ottawa Senators that his career really took off. Paired with captain Daniel Alfredsson and fellow No. 2 draft pick Jason Spezza, Heatley contributed to one of the more productive lines in the NHL at the time. The success of this line led to the most successful years in Ottawa Senators history, including a 2007 Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
Heatley's first season in Ottawa saw him cross two career milestones. With 50 goals, Heatley became one of the few players able to pass that threshold, and his 103 points was easily among the best in the NHL. Heatley's second season in Ottawa built on that, matching the 50-goal finish but improving to 105 points. Those marks have eluded Heatley ever since, though he has shown more defensively responsible play at the same time.
2. Evgeni Malkin - Drafted in 2004 by the Pittsburgh Penguins
Forcing your name into discussions with Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin is not an easy thing to do. For the past five years, those two have pretty much run the NHL as they see fit. One of the only players to throw a wrench into the discussion has been Evgeni Malkin.
Malkin, who won the Calder Trophy for his 85-point rookie season, developed into a peer with those two elite players on the strength of a 47-goal, 106-point campaign in 2007-08. The next season, Malkin improved again, falling in the goal column but taking home the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer with 113 points. The playoffs were even better for Malkin, where he not only led all scorers, but won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP as well. Malkin was officially a marquee name.
1. Chris Pronger - Drafted in 1993 by the Hartford Whalers
Alexandre Daigle, drafted first overall in 1993, famously stated, "I'm glad I got drafted first, because no one remembers No. 2." What a horrible year it was to make such a declaration.
For those unfamiliar with Alexandre Daigle, and there are likely quite a few, he was one of the most famous busts in NHL Draft history. Daigle was meant to be the Ottawa Senators' franchise player, but instead played only five seasons with the team.
Making Daigle's statement all the more wrong was the No. 2 pick that year: enormous defenseman Chris Pronger. Where Daigle went on to obscurity, except for those who enjoy hearing about bad decisions, Pronger went on to become one of the most talented and feared defensemen of an era. A combination of the best breakout pass in the game, natural leadership skills and a bad attitude have made Pronger notorious with anyone who watches hockey.
For every suspension Pronger has received, he has created thousands of game-defining moments. Highlighting his resume are a Norris Trophy, a Hart Memorial Trophy (both in 2000), two NHL Plus/Minus Awards (1998, 2000), two Olympic Gold Medals (2002, 2010), IIHF World Championship Gold (1997), three trips to the Stanley Cup Finals (with Edmonton in 2006, Anaheim in 2007 and Philadelphia in 2010) and a Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks.
You would be hard-pressed to find another player in the NHL with a resumé that reads like Chris Pronger's, among any position or draft number. Being the only No. 2 two that rates in the all-time greats makes Chris Pronger easily the best player ever to be passed over as a No. 1 draft pick.