60 Diamonds: Greatest picks from 60 NHL Drafts, Nos. 40-31

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?

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.

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

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 40-31:

40. Ron Francis, F (193 points)

Selected by:Hartford Whalers, first round (No. 4), 1981

Francis was the best player in Whalers history during his 10 seasons in Hartford, but earned wider acclaim when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 1990-91 season. As the second-line center behind Mario Lemieux, he helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992; he had 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) and six game-winning goals in those championship runs. When he retired after the 2003-04 season, his 1,249 assists were second in NHL history to Wayne Gretzky (1,963) and he was fourth with 1,798 points. Francis was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.

39. Teemu Selanne, F (237)

Selected by: Winnipeg Jets, first round (No. 10), 1988

Five years after he was drafted, Selanne arrived with a record-breaking 76 goals in 1992-93, blowing away Mike Bossy's previous rookie high of 53. But Selanne made his greatest impact during his two stints with the Anaheim Ducks. Teaming with Paul Kariya, he had back-to-back 50-goal seasons in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Then after time with the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche, he returned to Anaheim in 2005. Showing he was fully recovered from a serious knee injury, he had back-to-back 40-goal seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07, and helped the Ducks win the Stanley Cup in 2007. Selanne retired in 2014 and was honored by becoming the first Ducks player to have his number retired, on Jan. 11, 2015. Selanne's 684 goals are 12th in NHL history, and most ever by a Finland-born player. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.

38. Bryan Trottier, F (248)

Selected by:New York Islanders, second round (No. 22), 1974

The Islanders selected two-thirds of their top line for four straight Stanley Cup championships with their first two picks in the 1974 NHL Draft, selecting Clark Gillies in the first round (No. 4) and then Trottier. Trottier won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year as a 19-year-old in 1975-76, then had the first of five straight 100-point season in 1977-78, including an NHL-best 134 points (47 goals, 87 assists) 1978-79. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1980 when the Islanders won the Cup for the first time and was an integral piece for 15 seasons. He remains the Islanders all-time leader with 1,353 points, and his 500 goals are second to Bossy (573), the third member of the championship-era top line. After helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992, Trottier retired in 1994 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.

"Hindsight is 50/50 of course, but when you look back at the 1974 NHL Draft, five of the players selected ahead of Trottier at No. 22 played fewer than 100 games; three of them played 11 or fewer. When Trottier landed in the Islanders' lap, they got one of the greatest two-way centers ever to play the game. Trottier was a two-time First Team NHL All-Star, a six-time Stanley Cup champion, a Calder Trophy winner, Art Ross Trophy winner, Hart Trophy winner as regular-season most valuable player (1978-79) and Conn Smythe Trophy winner. He finished with 1,425 points (524 goals, 901 assists) in 1,279 regular-season games and 182 points (71 goals, 111 assists) in 221 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Unquestionably one of the best draft picks of all time."-- Brian Compton, managing editor

37. Zdeno Chara, D (249)

Selected by: New York Islanders, third round (No. 56), 1996

The tallest player in NHL history at 6-foot-9, Chara stood out for more than just his size during his 24 NHL seasons. His 1,680 games played are the most by a defenseman, and he won the Norris Trophy in 2008-09. He's best remembered for his 14 seasons with the Boston Bruins (2006-20), where he established a culture that led to the Bruins winning the Stanley Cup in 2011 and reaching the Final in 2013 and 2019.

"Even if we forget his three Stanley Cup Final appearances, his 14-season captaincy of the Bruins and the championship that he won with them in 2011, we leave the Norris Trophy he won (the first for a player born in Slovakia) out of the equation, everything that would remain in Chara's track record still overwhelmingly would land him in this exclusive list. At No. 56 in the draft, you simply don't find players that last in this League until the mind-boggling age of 45 and average 23:30 of ice time during a 24-season NHL career. The dedication, commitment and undying love for the game that it took for 'Big Z' to push himself to stay in top shape for so long are almost impossible to fathom. If the 1996 NHL Draft could be re-done today, grabbing the tallest player in League history with the hardest slap shot any of us has ever seen at No. 1 would be a no-brainer." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer;

36. Paul Coffey, D (249)

Selected by: Edmonton Oilers, first round (No. 6), 1980

One of the most dynamic offensive defensemen in NHL history, Coffey was the engine from the back end for three Stanley Cup championships with the Oilers (1984, 1985, 1987) and one with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991). He holds the single-season NHL record for defensemen with 48 goals in 1985-86, and his 138 points that season are second all-time to Bobby Orr (139, 1970-71). Coffey had five 100-point seasons, second among defensemen to Orr's six, and he's the only defenseman in NHL history with multiple 40-goal seasons (40, 1983-84). Coffey's 396 goals and 1,531 points are second to Ray Bourque all-time among defensemen (410 goals, 1,579 points), and he is one of two defensemen to play at least 500 games and average more than 1.00 points per game (1.09), along with Orr (1.39). He won the Norris Trophy three times (1984-85, 1985-86, 1994-95) and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

35. Scott Niedermayer, D (249)

Selected by:New Jersey Devils, first round (No. 3), 1991

Tom Kurvers was a defenseman coming off his best offensive season in 1988-89 when the Devils traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs early in the 1989-90 season for a first-round pick in the 1991 NHL Draft. That trade paid off better than imagined when the Devils ended up with the No. 3 selection and chose Niedermayer, who ranks among the smoothest-skating defensemen ever to play in the NHL. Niedermayer was the offensive element that ignited the Devils offense en route to Stanley Cup championships in 1995, 2000 and 2003. He won the Norris Trophy in 2003-04, and the Conn Smythe Trophy when he helped the Anaheim Ducks win the Cup in 2007. His 11th season with double-digit goals came in 2009-10, his final season, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

"Niedermayer impacted the Devils in so many ways. Before the arrival of Jack Hughes in 2019, Niedermayer was the most skilled player the organization had. His ability to skate the puck into the attacking zone was part of what powered the Devils throughout their run of excellence between 1994 and 2004. He could do it all, score highlight-reel goals, play a shut-down role against the opposition's top forwards, skate all day, exude quiet confidence. He had it all and he gave the maturing Devils the final piece to their championship puzzle -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

34. Chris Chelios, D (268)

Selected by: Montreal Canadiens, second round (No. 40), 1981

Chelios' dedication to the game lasted 26 seasons, tied with Gordie Howe for the most in NHL history, and his 1,651 games are second to Chara for most by a defenseman. Chelios played so long that by the time he retired in 2010, four players selected with him in the 1981 NHL Draft had completed their careers and been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (Dale Hawerchuk, 2001; Grant Fuhr, 2003; Ron Francis, 2007; Al MacInnis, 2007). Chelios won the Norris Trophy three times (1988-89, 1992-93, 1995-96), and at age 40 in 2001-02, was a First-Team NHL All-Star for the fifth time. A three-time Cup winner (1986, Montreal Canadiens; 2002, 2008 Detroit Red Wings), Chelios took his place in the Hall of Fame in 2013.

33. Brian Leetch, D (270)

Selected by:New York Rangers, first round (No. 9), 1986

With their first pick in the 1986 NHL Draft, the Rangers looked about two hours north to Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut for a high-scoring defenseman. Leetch developed into arguably the best United States-born defenseman to play in the League. He won the Norris Trophy twice, including in 1991-92 when he became the fifth different defenseman with 100 points in a season (102). He helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1994 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the playoffs with 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 23 games. Leetch's 1,205 points are second to Phil Housley (1,232) among U.S.-born defensemen, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

32. Denis Potvin, D (273)

Selected by:New York Islanders, first round (No. 1), 1973

In their second draft, the Islanders picked the player who would be the foundation of their Stanley Cup dynasty. In his first six seasons, Potvin won the Calder Trophy (1973-74), the Norris Trophy three times (1975-76, 1977-78, 1978-79) and was a First Team NHL All-Star four times. He was named captain for the 1979-80 season, and the Islanders won the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. On April 4, 1987, he became the first defenseman with 1,000 points, and when he retired in 1988 his 310 goals, 742 assists and 1,052 points led all NHL defensemen. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.

31. Alexander Mogilny, F (278)

Selected by:Buffalo Sabres, fifth round (No. 89), 1988

Mogilny's arrival in the NHL in 1989 was right out of a spy novel, including Sabres officials hiding Mogilny in a car in Stockholm while work was done to help him become the first Soviet Union player to defect. His breakout came in 1992-93, with the arrival Pat LaFontaine, when Mogilny scored a Sabres-record 76 goals. He scored at least 30 goals eight times and had 100 points twice during his 16 NHL seasons. He helped the New Jersey Devils win the Stanley Cup in 2000, along the way scoring the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final as the Devils rallied from a 3-1 series deficit. When he retired in 2006, his 473 goals were the most by a Russia-born player.

"As great a player as Mogilny was, his courage to defect from the Soviet Union at a time when it could have cost him more than just his hockey career was just as important. His willingness to take that chance opened the door for several top-end players to follow him out of the USSR to the NHL, raising the skill level of the League. His world-class ability on the ice was obvious to anyone that watched, but Mogilny should just as much be recognized for his pioneering bravery." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

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