Taylor Hall became the latest first overall pick to win a championship in June, when the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
Hall’s path to immortality was a bumpy one, seeing him go from the Edmonton Oilers via the top of the draft in 2010 to playing for seven NHL teams over a span of 16 seasons. The journeyman forward finally lifted the Cup as a second-line player for the Hurricanes, posting 19 points (7g, 12a) in 19 postseason games and finishing second in Conn Smythe Trophy voting behind team captain Jordan Staal.
Hall is one of just 20 first overall picks in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup. There have been 64 first-overall selections in the league’s history since its inaugural draft in 1963, when the Montreal Canadiens picked Garry Monahan first, meaning that nearly a third (31.25 percent) of first overall picks have gone on to win the Cup through 2026.
That number gets even smaller when narrowed down to first overall picks winning championships with the team that originally drafted them.
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals captain and first overall pick from the 2004 NHL Draft, is one of 14 players to accomplish the feat. Ovechkin has the distinction of being the player who took the longest to do so with his original team, lifting the Stanley Cup in 2018 — 14 years after being selected first by the Caps at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Years Between Drafting 1st Overall Player and Winning Cup With Him
Draft Year
Player
Team
Stanley Cup Year
Years
1969
Réjean Houle
MTL
1971
2
1971
Guy Lafleur
MTL
1973
2
2007
Patrick Kane
CHI
2010
3
2005
Sidney Crosby
PIT
2009
4
1968
Michel Plasse*
MTL
1973
5
1998
Vincent Lecavalier
TBL
2004
6
2003
Marc-André Fleury
PIT
2009
6
1973
Denis Potvin
NYI
1980
7
1984
Mario Lemieux
PIT
1991
7
2013
Nathan MacKinnon
COL
2022
9
2014
Aaron Ekblad
FLA
2024
10
1988
Mike Modano
DAL
1999
11
2008
Steven Stamkos
TBL
2020
12
2004
Alex Ovechkin
WSH
2018
14
*Michel Plasse spent time with another team before winning the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1973. He was drafted by the Habs in 1968, loaned to the Kansas City Blues — St. Louis’s CHL affiliate — in 1970 to get more playing time, had his rights sold to the St. Louis Blues in 1970, and was then sold back to the Canadiens in August 1971.
What’s most fascinating about the list is how necessary a top-end talent has been for a team to win the Stanley Cup since the league’s Salary Cap Era began during the 2005-06 season.
Thirteen of the NHL’s last 21 championship teams — 62 percent — have had at least one former first-overall pick on their roster.
NHL teams in the Salary Cap Era that have won the Stanley Cup with a first overall pick
Cup Year
Stanley Cup Champion
No. 1 Overall Pick(s)
2006
Carolina Hurricanes
—
2007
Anaheim Ducks
—
2008
Detroit Red Wings
—
2009
Pittsburgh Penguins
Marc-André Fleury (2003), Sidney Crosby (2005)
2010
Chicago Blackhawks
Patrick Kane (2007)
2011
Boston Bruins
—
2012
Los Angeles Kings
—
2013
Chicago Blackhawks
Patrick Kane (2007)
2014
Los Angeles Kings
—
2015
Chicago Blackhawks
Patrick Kane (2007)
2016
Pittsburgh Penguins
Marc-André Fleury (2003), Sidney Crosby (2005)
2017
Pittsburgh Penguins
Marc-André Fleury (2003), Sidney Crosby (2005)
2018
Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin (2004)
2019
St. Louis Blues
—
2020
Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven Stamkos (2008)
2021
Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven Stamkos (2008)
2022
Colorado Avalanche
Erik Johnson (2006), Nathan MacKinnon (2013)
2023
Vegas Golden Knights
—
2024
Florida Panthers
Aaron Ekblad (2014)
2025
Florida Panthers
Aaron Ekblad (2014)
2026
Carolina Hurricanes
Taylor Hall (2010)
The list swells even further when considering how many Stanley Cup Finals have featured a first-overall pick in the series — like Connor McDavid on the Oilers in 2024 and 2025. Eighteen of the last 21 championship series qualify — nearly 86 percent.
Stanley Cup Finals in the Salary Cap Era that have featured a first overall pick
Year
Stanley Cup Final
No. 1 Overall Pick(s)
2006
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Edmonton Oilers
—
2007
Anaheim Ducks vs. Ottawa Senators
Chris Phillips (1996)
2008
Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Marc-André Fleury (2003), Sidney Crosby (2005)
2009
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Detroit Red Wings
Marc-André Fleury (2003), Sidney Crosby (2005)
2010
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Patrick Kane (2007)
2011
Boston Bruins vs. Vancouver Canucks
—
2012
Los Angeles Kings vs. New Jersey Devils
Ilya Kovalchuk (2001)
2013
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Boston Bruins
Patrick Kane (2007)
2014
Los Angeles Kings vs. New York Rangers
Rick Nash (2002)
2015
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Patrick Kane (2007), Steven Stamkos (2008)
2016
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. San Jose Sharks
Joe Thornton (1997), Marc-André Fleury (2003), Sidney Crosby (2005)
2017
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Nashville Predators
Marc-André Fleury (2003), Sidney Crosby (2005)
2018
Washington Capitals vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Marc-André Fleury (2003), Alex Ovechkin (2004)
2019
St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins
—
2020
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Dallas Stars
Steven Stamkos (2008)
2021
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens
Steven Stamkos (2008)
2022
Colorado Avalanche vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Erik Johnson (2006), Steven Stamkos (2008), Nathan MacKinnon (2013)
2023
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Florida Panthers
Aaron Ekblad (2014)
2024
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Aaron Ekblad (2014), Connor McDavid (2015)
2025
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Aaron Ekblad (2014), Connor McDavid (2015)
2026
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Taylor Hall (2010)
So what does this all mean?
Full tear-downs and rebuilds are the way to go to reach the promised land. Winning the NHL Draft Lottery is even more crucial than many hockey analysts believe due to the salary cap.