History of the 27th Overall Pick

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For the second time in three years, the Carolina Hurricanes' first selection in the NHL Draft will be made late in the first round.
The Canes own the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, though it will be the 26th name off the board due to Arizona having to forfeit the 11th overall selection. With the 28th overall pick in 2019, the Canes called Ryan Suzuki's name.
This year, the Canes be digging for the next impact player in a draft that, due to pandemic-affected seasons, might have a higher degree of variability to it.

"We've done a great job over the years getting some elite players later in the draft - Aho, Slavin, Pesce. We've been able to identify some high-end players, who, if you go back and re-draft, these guys are going to be at the top of the draft," Assistant General Manager Darren Yorke said. "I know our group has worked extremely hard. We're excited for players who may be around when we may be picking in the first round, guys we'll be able to select that we're excited about."
The Canes have made the 27th overall selection once in franchise history.
Philippe Paradis (2009)
This pick didn't exactly pan out, as Paradis never cracked an NHL roster. He totaled 69 points (26g, 43a) in 249 American Hockey League games from 2010-16. The Canes, however, still managed to find value in the pick when they traded Paradis' rights to Toronto in exchange for Jiri Tlusty in 2009, a one-for-one swap of former first-round selections. Featured on the Canes' top line alongside Eric Staal and Alexnader Semin, Tlusty set career highs in goals (23) and points (38) in the 48-game 2012-13 season. Tlusty retired after totaling 177 points (89g, 88a) in 446 NHL games.
Back when the 27th overall pick landed in the second round, four of those selections each logged more than 1,000 games played in the NHL.
Scott Mellanby (PHI, 1984)
Mellanby is perhaps most famously known as the player who scored a "rat trick" in Florida, when he killed a rat with his stick in the locker room prior to the Panthers' home opener and then scored two goals that night. That sparked the tradition of fans littering the ice with plastic rats, as the Panthers made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals in just their third season in the league. Mellanby also played for the Flyers, Oilers, Blues and Thrashers in a career than began in 1985-86 and ended after the 2006-07 season. In total, Mellanby played 1,431 career NHL games and recorded 840 points (364g, 476a). He added another 53 points (24g, 29a) in 136 career playoff games.
Joe Nieuwendyk (CGY, 1985)
Nieuwendyk's illustrious career began in the late 1980s with the Calgary Flames and ended in the back half of the 2000s with the Florida Panthers. In the 20 years in between, Nieuwendyk captured three Stanley Cup championships with three different teams in three different decades: Calgary in 1989, Dallas in 1999 and New Jersey in 2003. Nieuwendyk recorded 92 points and 51 goals in 75 games as a rookie, becoming just the second player in NHL history to net at least 50 goals in his first season, and was awarded the Calder Trophy. Nieuwendyk totaled 1,126 points (564g, 562a) in 1,257 career NHL games with five teams. He also logged 116 points (66g, 50a) in 158 career Stanley Cup Playoff games and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1999 after recording 21 points (11g, 10a) in 23 games with the Stars en route to his second championship. Nieuwendyk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.
Tie Domi (TOR, 1988)
Domi was one of the NHL's most prolific fighters and a classic enforcer. He is third all-time in penalty minutes with 3,515, and he also leads the NHL in most career fights with 333, according to his website. Domi, who had some of his most offensively productive seasons late in his career, totaled 245 points (104g, 141a) in 1,020 career games with the Rangers, Jets and Maple Leafs.
Steve Staios (STL, 1991)
A 27th overall selection of the St. Louis Blues in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, Staios went on to compile an NHL career that spanned six teams over 16 seasons. In total, Staios logged 1,001 games and 220 points (56g, 164a). He played 33 career games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs; 24 of those came in 2006 alone, when the Hurricanes defeated Staios and the Edmonton Oilers in seven games in the Final.
As the NHL expanded, so did the draft, and the 27th overall pick moved into the first round.
Scott Gomez (NJD, 1998)
An Alaskan native with a Mexican-American father and a Columbian Mother, Gomez was one of the NHL's first Hispanic stars. His career spanned 16 seasons and 1,079 games with seven teams, though he spent the most time and had the most success with the team that drafted him - the New Jersey Devils. Gomez is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, winning with the Devils in 2000 and 2003, and he totaled 101 points (29g, 72a) in 149 playoff games. Gomez, who won the Calder Trophy in 2000 after posting 70 points (19g, 51a) in 82 games in his rookie season, finished his career with 756 points (181g, 575a).
A 27th overall draft pick from the modern era is marching his way to 1,000 games, as well.
John Carlson (WSH, 2008)
Carlson has been a staple on the Capitals' blue line for years. The 31-year-old defenseman is set to enter his 13th NHL season and has totaled 522 points (115g, 407a) in 809 career games. Carlson put up career highs in goals (15), assists (53) and points (68) in the 2017-18 season and led all defensemen in playoff scoring with 20 points (5g, 15a), helping the Capitals win the Stanley Cup. Carlson's regular-season point totals continued to rise in the following two seasons, and he recorded a career-best 75 points (15g, 60a) in just 69 games in 2019-20.
… And more: Rhett Warrener (FLA, 1994), Cory Sarich (BUF, 1996), Brendan Smith (DET, 2007), Vladislav Namestnikov (TBL, 2011)