By NHL.com @NHLdotcom

June 24, 2023

Here are the Top 60 of the Past 60, players 20-1:

20. Connor McDavid, F (384 points)

Selected by: Edmonton Oilers, first round (No. 1), 2015

McDavid’s dazzling skill set made him an easy choice for the Oilers with the first pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, and the 26-year-old has developed into one of the most offensively gifted players in League history during his eight seasons. His 153 points (64 goals, 89 assists) this season were the most by a player since Mario Lemieux had 161 points in 1995-96. It was the third straight season and fifth time he won the Art Ross Trophy as the League’s leading scorer. He also won the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player in 2016-17 and 2020-21, and is a finalist again this season.

[RELATED: More 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft coverage | Nos. 60-51 | Nos. 50-41 | Nos. 40-31 | Nos. 30-21]

19. Sergei Fedorov, F (395)

Selected by: Detroit Red Wings, fourth round (No. 74), 1989

Fedorov was one of the most talented players outside the NHL when the Red Wings selected him, but because of the times, had no idea when or if he’d be able to play in the NHL.

Instead, Fedorov defected in 1990 and developed into one of the best two-way players in League history. In 1993-94, his fourth season, he was second in the NHL with 120 points (56 goals, 64 assists) and won the Hart Trophy and the Selke Trophy as the League’s best defensive forward.

He would win the Selke again in 1995-96, and was so good defensively he occasionally was used as a defenseman. Fedorov helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup three times (1997, 1998, 2002), and when he retired in 2009, led all Russia-born players in goals (483), assists (696), points (1,179) and games played (1,248). He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.

“The Red Wings took a risk when they selected Fedorov at the 1989 NHL Draft. There was no guarantee they’d be able to get him out of the Soviet Union. But they helped him defect, sneaking him out the back door of a hotel to a waiting car and whisking him away in a jet, and that fourth-round pick turned into a Hockey Hall of Famer, a Hart Trophy winner and a three-time Stanley Cup champion.” — Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

18. Luc Robitaille, F (427)

Selected by: Los Angeles Kings, ninth round (No. 171), 1984

How much value did the Kings see in Robitaille? They selected another left-shot forward in the fourth round (No. 69), a Massachusetts high school player named Tom Glavine, who opted for a baseball career.

It worked out OK for the Kings with Robitaille, who played 14 of his 19 NHL seasons with Los Angeles and is its all-time leader with 557 goals. He had three 50-goal seasons, including 63 in 1992-93.

When he retired in 2006, his 668 goals and 1,394 points were the most in NHL history by a left wing. Robitaille was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

17. Henrik Zetterberg, F (430)

Selected by: Detroit Red Wings, seventh round (No. 210), 1999

Red Wings scouts were focused on another player at a tournament in Finland when Zetterberg stood out, and they took a flyer on him late in the 1999 NHL Draft. That chance paid off as Zetterberg developed into an outstanding two-way center who scored at least 30 goals four times during his 15-season NHL career, all with the Red Wings. In 2007-08, he had 92 points (43 goals, 49 assists) in 75 regular-season games, then won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after scoring the Cup-clinching goal in Game 6 of the Final against the Penguins.

16. Brett Hull, F (445)

Selected by: Calgary Flames, sixth round (No. 117), 1984

Despite scoring 105 goals in 56 games with Penticton of the British Columbia Hockey League in 1983-84, few scouts had confidence Hull could be an NHL scorer.

He proved all the naysayers wrong with 741 goals, 5th-most all-time, in 19 seasons with 5 teams. That includes 13-30-goal seasons, 5 with at least 50 and 3 straight 70-goal seasons (1990-92), topped by 86 in 1990-91 with the St. Louis Blues. He won the Hart Trophy that same season and won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999 and the Red Wings in 2002. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

15. Ray Bourque, D (451)

Selected by: Boston Bruins, first round (No. 8), 1979

Bourque was the fourth defenseman chosen in the 1979 NHL Draft but you’d be hard-pressed to name the three who were selected before one of the top players at his position in NHL history (No. 1 Rob Ramage, No. 6 Craig Hartsburg, No. 7 Keith Brown).

Bourque had 65 points (17 goals, 48 assists), the most in a season by a rookie NHL defenseman at the time, and won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1979-80. He also was a First-Team NHL All-Star for the first of 13 times.

He won the Norris Trophy five times (1986-88, 1989-91, 1993-94), and is the all-time leader among NHL defensemen in goals (410), assists (1,169) and points (1,579). He capped his 22-season career by helping the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2001, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

14. Sidney Crosby, F (466)

Selected by: Pittsburgh Penguins, first round (No. 1), 2005

Crosby had huge expectations placed upon him as he entered the NHL as the League was resuming play after the canceled 2004-05 season. But through 18 NHL seasons, he’s managed to exceed them.

Crosby helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017) and joined Mario Lemieux (1991, 1992) and Bernie Parent (1974, 1975) as the only players to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in back-to-back seasons (2016, 2017). Crosby has won the Hart Trophy twice (2006-07, 2013-14), led the NHL in scoring twice (2006-07, 2013-14), and the 35-year-old became the 15th player in NHL history to reach 1,500 points on April 8.

“Go through NHL draft history and find a player who has lived up to the incredible amount of hype that preceded him into the NHL better than Crosby. Nobody had more and nobody has done it better. He was the next one before he was able to drive.

The Penguins won the 2005 draft lottery to get him, and all of a sudden, Crosby had to follow in the footsteps of Mario Lemieux, who is on the NHL version of Mount Rushmore. And, Crosby had to do it with the League coming out of a work stoppage that forced the cancelation of the 2004-05 season. Crosby was the new face of the NHL at 18 years old. The weight of it all could have crushed him; instead, it motivated him. Now, they have to carve a spot for Crosby on the NHL Mount Rushmore.

He arguably is one of the five greatest players in the history of the game, along with Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, and Lemieux.

There’s little to debate, really. He has done everything multiple times, winning the Stanley Cup three times, the Conn Smythe Trophy, Hart Trophy, Rocket Richard Trophy as the League’s leading goal scorer and the Art Ross Trophy twice each. He has 1,502 points (550 goals, 952 assists) in 1,190 regular-season games and 201 points (71 goals, 130 assists) in 180 playoff games. He turns 36 on Aug. 7, and he’s still one of the best players in the world.” —Dan Rosen, senior writer

13. Pavel Datsyuk, F (468)

Selected by: Detroit Red Wings, sixth round (No. 171), 1998

Datsyuk was passed over twice in the NHL draft (1996, 1997) before the Red Wings selected him. The Red Wings almost found Datsyuk accidentally, as their scouts attended one of his games in Russia to scout another player. Instead, they were impressed by Datsyuk’s work ethic in all areas. The late-round choice worked out exceptionally well as Datsyuk dazzled fans with puck-handling skills that turned his last name into an adjective.

During his 14 NHL seasons, all with the Red Wings, he won the Stanley Cup twice (2002, 2008), the Selke Trophy three straight seasons (2007-10) and the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play four straight (2005-09).

12. Henrik Lundqvist, G (480)

Selected by: New York Rangers, seventh round (No. 205), 2000

The Rangers let Lundqvist develop for five seasons in Sweden before bringing him to North America in 2005, where he was expected to back up veteran Kevin Weekes.

Instead, Lundqvist dominated the Rangers crease for 15 seasons. He won the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the NHL in 2011-12, one of five times he was a finalist for the award, and helped the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 11 of his first 12 seasons after they had missed the playoffs the previous seven. His 459 wins are sixth in NHL history, and he has the most wins and shutouts (64) all-time among Rangers goalies.

11. Dominik Hasek, G (489)

Selected by: Chicago Blackhawks, 10th round (No. 199), 1983

The Blackhawks waited seven years for Hasek to come to North America from his native Czechoslovakia in 1990 at age 26. While he had the look of a promising prospect, Chicago also had Ed Belfour on the roster, so Hasek was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 1992.

Taking over as Sabres starter in 1993-94, Hasek won the Vezina Trophy for the first of six times (1993-95, 1996-99, 2000-01), the most since NHL general managers began voting on the award in 1982.

Hasek also is the only goalie in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy in back-to-back seasons (1996-98), and helped the Sabres reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1999, where they lost, ironically, to Belfour and the Dallas Stars.

Hasek would win the Stanley Cup twice with the Red Wings (2002, 2008). His 389 wins in 16 NHL seasons are 15th, and his .922 save percentage is tied with Ken Dryden for the best in NHL history among goalies to play at least 200 games. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.

“You want to talk about a diamond? How about taking one of the top three goalies in the history of the NHL in the 10th round? Hasek lasted that long largely because his native Czechoslovakia still was under Communist rule and it was unclear when or if Hasek might make the NHL. He did and he dominated.

Though Hasek would start 20 games for the Blackhawks in parts of two seasons (1990-92), he would go on to a Hall of Fame career, largely with the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings, finishing with 735 games played (714 starts), 389 wins, a 2.20 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage.

He won the Hart Trophy twice (1996-97, 1997-98) and the Vezina Trophy six times in eight seasons between 1993 and 2001. Add in winning the Stanley Cup twice with the Red Wings and a gold medal with the Czech Republic at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, and that’s not bad for seeing nearly 200 players taken before him, even though Hasek himself didn’t actually see anything. The goalie didn’t even know he’d been drafted for months.” — Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Source: nhl.com