60 Diamonds: Greatest picks from 60 NHL Drafts, Nos. 30-21

The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft will mark the 60th anniversary of the selection process. That's a lot of great picks, and maybe a few not-so-great ones.

Who were the greatest draft picks ever? Well, that's what NHL.com set out to find with 60 Diamonds: The Greatest Picks of the 60 NHL Drafts.

But what makes a great draft pick? Is it the first-round selection who outperforms his draft slot? Is it the mid-round find who becomes a team leader? Or the late-round gem who develops into a star?

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

NHL.com left that question to be decided by a panel of 13 writers and editors. Each member of the panel submitted his or her top 60 draft picks, with No. 1 given 60 points, No. 2 getting 59 points, all the way down to No. 60 receiving one point. Any ties were broken by the players' average place on voters' lists, the total number of ballots the players appeared on, and, if needed, the players' highest ranking on any single ballot.

The voting panel consisted of senior director of editorial Shawn P. Roarke, managing editor Brian Compton, deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman, columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika, senior writer Dan Rosen and staff writers Amalie Benjamin, William Douglas, Tom Gulitti, Mike G. Morreale, Tracey Myers, David Satriano, Paul Strizhevsky and Mike Zeisberger.

Here is the Top 60 of the Past 60, players 30-21:

30: Doug Gilmour, F (286 points)

Selected by: St. Louis Blues, seventh round (No. 134), 1982

Gilmour was passed over in the 1981 NHL Draft, but when he arrived in the NHL in 1983-84, he scored at least 20 goals in each of his first 11 seasons, including a career-best 42 in 1986-87. He was traded to the Calgary Flames in 1988 and scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in Game 6 of the 1989 Final against the Montreal Canadiens. His best season came in 1992-93 with the Toronto Maple Leafs when he won the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL, was second to Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins in voting for the Hart Trophy as the League's most valuable player and set single-season Toronto records for assists (95) and points (127). He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

"The argument for Doug Gilmour comes down to this: only 20 players in NHL history have more points than Gilmour. Think about the production he orchestrated as a seventh-round pick. His 20-season career netted 1,414 points (450 goals, 964 assists), 56 game-winning goals and an impressive career plus/minus rating of plus-129. But Gilmour's value can't be appreciated via statistics alone. The heart and guts he displayed, often at Stanley Cup Playoff time, defined his career. For example, after one of the games between his Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings during the 1993 Western Conference Final, Gilmour had lost so much weight during the action that he needed to be hooked up to intravenous fluids. No matter. He didn't miss a game in the entire seven-game series. All this from a seventh rounder? Ridiculous. Truly one of the all-time greats." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

29. Daniel Alfredsson, F (289)

Selected by:Ottawa Senators, sixth round (No. 133), 1994

With the first of their two sixth-round picks in the 1994 NHL Draft, the Senators selected Massachusetts high school defenseman Mike Gaffney (No. 131), who never played in the NHL. They had much better luck with their second selection, two slots later. Alfredsson won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1995-96, was captain from 1999-2013 and played 17 of his 18 NHL seasons with Ottawa. He's the Senators all-time leader in goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108), and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022.

28. Joe Pavelski (291)

Selected by:San Jose Sharks, seventh round (No. 205), 2003

Despite leading the United States Hockey League with 36 goals in 2002-03, Pavelski was No. 129 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters for the 2003 NHL Draft. The Sharks used the second of three seventh-round picks on Pavelski, and after two seasons at the University of Wisconsin and part of another in the American Hockey League, Pavelski scored in his first NHL game on Nov. 22, 2006. He's kept scoring since then with 13 20-goal seasons, including 28 this season with the Dallas Stars. His 27th goal was his 1,000th point in the NHL; the 38-year-old is the 10th United States-born player to reach that milestone. He's also one of five players selected in the seventh round or later with 1,000 points, along with Gilmour (1,414), Luc Robitaille (1,394), Theo Fleury (1,088), and Dave Taylor (1,069).

27. Pavel Bure, F (330)

Selected by:Vancouver Canucks, sixth round (No. 113), 1989

"The Russian Rocket" announced his NHL presence with 34 goals in 65 games in 1991-92 and won the Calder Trophy. He scored 60 goals for the second straight season in 1993-94, and his 16 goals led all players in the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Canucks reached the Cup Final. He scored at least 50 goals five times in 12 NHL seasons with the Canucks, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers. Knee injuries led to his retirement in 2003 after he scored 437 goals in 702 games, but his average of 0.62 goals per game is third all-time among players with at least 700 games, behind Mike Bossy (0.76) and Mario Lemieux (0.75). Bure was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

26. Larry Robinson, D (337)

Selected by: Montreal Canadiens, second round (No. 20), 1971

It's not often teams find two Hockey Hall of Famers in the same draft but that's what the Canadiens did in 1971, selecting Guy Lafleur with the No. 1 pick in the first round and Robinson in the second. Robinson was a physical, defensive force on six Stanley Cup championship teams during his 17 seasons with the Canadiens. He tied Lafleur for the NHL lead in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs when the Canadiens won the Cup in 1978. Robinson won the Norris Trophy as the best defensemen in the League twice, including 1976-77 when he had 85 points (19 goals, 66 assists) and was a plus-120, the second-best total by a defenseman in NHL history (Bobby Orr, plus-124, 1970-71). Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

25. Patrice Bergeron, F (338)

Selected by:Boston Bruins, second round (No. 45), 2003

Twenty years later, it's pretty unimaginable that Bergeron lasted until the second round, even in a draft filled with as much star power as the 2003 NHL Draft. The 37-year-old is considered one of the best leaders and two-way forwards of his generation. Bergeron won the Selke Trophy for the fifth time in 2021-22, more than any other NHL player, and he's scored at least 30 goals six times. He scored two goals, including the game-winner, in the Bruins' 4-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, and helped Boston reach the Cup Final in 2013 and 2019. In 19 NHL seasons, he's third all-time for the Bruins in goals (427), points (1,020) and games (1,294).

"If they were to create the perfect hockey player in a lab it probably would look something like Patrice Bergeron. Great in all areas. The ultimate center. The most difficult opponent. Bergeron is the player the Bruins have for years relied on to shut down the opposition's best players while the opposition has to worry about shutting him down. He scores. He wins face-offs. He defends. They could rename the Selke Trophy after him, he's won it so many times. He was the 45th pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, arguably the best draft ever. And Bergeron is the best player to come out of it. His raw numbers don't do enough justice to describe the player he is." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

24. Joe Sakic, F (348)

Selected by:Quebec Nordiques, first round (No. 15), 1987

Sakic was the best player on Nordiques teams that struggled early in his career and was the unquestioned leader on two Stanley Cup championship teams after the franchise relocated to Colorado in 1995. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy when the Avalanche won the Cup in 1996 with an NHL-high 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists) in 24 games, and set an NHL record with six game-winning goals. He won the Hart Trophy in 2000-01 and again led the playoffs with 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 21 games en route to a second Cup championship. He's the Avalanche/Nordiques all-time leader in games (1,378), goals (625), assists (1,016) and points (1,641). He was captain for 17 of his 20 seasons and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

23. Bobby Clarke, F (365)

Selected by: Philadelphia Flyers, second round (No. 17), 1969

Clarke lasted until the second round of the 1969 NHL Draft because of his diabetes, but in 15 seasons he led the Flyers to Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975, and won the Hart Trophy three times (1972-73, 1974-75, 1975-76). He's the Flyers all-time leader in games (1,144), assists (852) and points (1,210), and his gap-toothed smile remains one of the franchise's most enduring images. Clarke was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.
"Clarke had been diagnosed with diabetes, and even though doctors from the Mayo Clinic said the disease wouldn't prevent him from

playing pro hockey, the forward was passed over 16 times -- coincidentally, Clarke wore No. 16 -- before he was selected at the 1969 NHL Draft. He went on to become a Flyers legend, the unquestioned leader of the 'Broad Street Bullies' teams that won the Stanley Cup twice, and he established the blueprint for what Philadelphia hockey fans expect from their top players, a mix of high-end skill and nastiness." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

22. Guy Lafleur, F (369)

Selected by:Montreal Canadiens, first round (No. 1), 1971

After starting his NHL career with three solid seasons, Lafleur had six straight seasons with at least 50 goals and 100 points from 1974-75 to 1979-80. During that stretch, he won the Art Ross Trophy as the League's leading scorer three times (1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78), the Hart Trophy twice (1976-77, 1977-78), helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup four times (1976-79) and was named winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1977. Those six seasons also represent the six highest point totals in Canadiens history. His 1,246 points (518 goals, 728 assists) in 14 seasons are first all-time for Montreal. He retired for the first time in 1985 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, but returned to play three more seasons, for the Rangers and Nordiques, before retiring for good in 1991.

21. Alex Ovechkin, F (376)

Selected by: Washington Capitals, first round (No. 1), 2004

Ovechkin scored two goals in his first NHL game, Oct. 5, 2005, and hasn't slowed much since then. He began his career with 15 consecutive 30-goal seasons, tied with Mike Gartner and Jaromir Jagr for the most in NHL history, and his total of 17 30-goal seasons are tied with Gartner for the most ever. The 37-year-old scored 42 goals this season, the 13th time he's hit that milestone, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most, and his nine 50-goal seasons are tied for the most with Gretzky and Mike Bossy. On Dec. 13 he became the third NHL player to score 800 goals, and his 822 are 72 behind Gretzky's all-time record of 894. Beyond the goals, Ovechkin has won the Hart Trophy three times (2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13), and was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy after helping the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018.

"This was a tough group to get together, especially the top 10, but there's no doubt Ovechkin had to be one of the higher ranked in here. What he's done during his career, which isn't over, speaks for itself: 1,485 points (822 goals, 663 assists) in 1,347 games, all with the Capitals. The goals are what loom largest, as Ovechkin passed the great Gordie Howe last season to move into second all-time in that category and he's easily the most prolific scorer among active players (Sidney Crosby is next, with 550 goals). Can he catch Gretzky at 894? I wouldn't doubt it at this point. Even at 37 years old, Ovechkin still has plenty of game left and every season is a reminder as to why the Capitals selected him No. 1 in the 2004 NHL Draft. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

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