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.
