On June 5, 1963, the Montreal Canadiens made history when they selected Garry Monahan with the first overall pick in the first-ever NHL Draft.
Monahan spent 12 seasons in the NHL, collecting 285 points (116 goals, 169 assists) but only appearing in 14 of his 748 career games in a Canadiens uniform. After just two seasons with Montreal, Monahan played for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks.
As Monahan shows, not all No. 1 overall picks in the NHL Draft go on to have spectacular careers with the team they were drafted with. In fact, of the 61 No. 1 overall picks in the history of the NHL Draft, only 12 have won a Stanley Cup with the team they were drafted with.
Nathan MacKinnon is the last No. 1 overall pick to win a Stanley Cup with the team that drafted him. MacKinnon was the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche and led the team to a championship in 2022.
Here is a list of players who have been selected first overall in NHL draft history.
2023: Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks
2022: Juraj Slavkovskiy, Montreal Canadiens
2021: Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres
2020: Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers
2019: Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
2018: Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
2017: Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
2016: Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
2015: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2014: Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
2013: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
2012: Nail Yakupov, Edmonton Oilers
2011: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers
2010: Taylor Hall, Edmonton Oilers
2009: John Tavares, New York Islanders
2008: Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
2007: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
2006: Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues
2005: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
2004: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
2003: Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
2002: Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets
2001: Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
2000: Rick DiPietro, New York Islanders
1999: Patrick Stephens, Atlanta Thrashers
1998: Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
1997: Joe Thornton, Boston Bruins
1996: Chris Phillips, Ottawa Senators
1995: Brian Berard, Ottawa Senators
1994: Ed Jovanovski, Florida Panthers
1993: Alexandre Daigle, Ottawa Senators
1992: Roman Hamrík, Tampa Bay Lightning
1991: Eric Lindros, Quebec Nordiques
1990: Owen Nolan, Quebec Nordiques
1989: Mats Sundin, Quebec Nordiques
1988: Mike Modano, Minnesota North Stars
1987: Pierre Turgeon, Buffalo Sabres
1986: Joe Murphy, Detroit Red Wings
1985: Wendell Clark, Toronto Maple Leafs
1984: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
1983: Brian Lawton, Minnesota North Stars
1982: Gord Kurzak, Boston Bruins
1981: Dale Hawerchuk, Winnipeg Jets
1980: Doug Wickenheiser, Montreal Canadiens
1979: Rob Ramage, Colorado Rockies
1978: Bobby Smith, Minnesota North Stars
1977: Dale McCourt, Detroit Red Wings
1976: Rick Greene, Washington Capitals
1975: Mel Bridgman, Philadelphia Flyers
1974: Greg Jolly, Washington Capitals
1973: Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
1972: Billy Harris, New York Islanders
1971: Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens
1970: Gilbert Perrault, Buffalo Sabres
1969: Réjean Houle, Montreal Canadiens
1968: Michel Plasse, Montreal Canadiens
1967: Rick Pagnutti, Los Angeles Kings
1966: Barry Gibbs, Boston Bruins
1965: Andre Weill, New York Rangers
1964: Claude Gautier, Detroit Red Wings
1963: Gary Monahan, Montreal Canadiens
Check out ESPN’s NHL hub page for the latest news, in-depth player profiles, scores, stats, schedules and more.
