60 Diamonds: Greatest picks from 60 NHL Drafts, Nos. 60-51

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]

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 60-51:

60. Kirill Kaprizov, F (112 points)

Selected by:Minnesota Wild, fifth round (No. 135), 2015

Kaprizov finally pulled on a Wild jersey five years after he was drafted. He didn't need much time to show he was worth the wait, scoring in overtime in his first game, Jan. 14, 2021. He set Wild rookie records for goals (27) and points (51) en route to winning the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2020-21, and the next season he set single-season team records with 47 goals and 108 points. This season the 26-year-old left wing became the first two-time 40-goal scorer for the Wild.

"There's a lot to like about Kaprizov, who to me, was an absolute steal in the talented 2015 NHL Draft. Since his first NHL season, his average of 1.15 points per game is fourth among players chosen in 2015, behind Connor McDavid (1.75), Mitchell Marner (1.27) and Mikko Rantanen (1.26). Kaprizov is second with 39 power-play goals and six overtime goals, trailing McDavid in each (40 goals, eight game-winners). He's also seventh in takeaways (134), showing his defensive ability. He is one of four players from the 2015 draft to score at least 100 goals since 2020-21 (114 in 203 games), along with McDavid (141 in 218), Rantanen (121 in 209) and Kyle Connor (104 in 217)." -- Mike Morreale, staff writer

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59. Theo Fleury, F (112)

Selected by:Calgary Flames, eighth round (No. 166), 1987

Fleury was able to flourish at 5-foot-6 because of his ferocity all over the ice. As a rookie during the 1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he had 11 points (five goals, six assists), including the game-winning goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens, to help the Flames win the Cup. The right wing scored at least 30 goals eight times in his 15 NHL seasons and had more than 100 points twice. He's one of three players selected in the eighth round of the draft or later to play 1,000 games (1,084) and score 1,000 points (1,088), along with Luc Robitaille (1,431 games, 1,394 points) and Dave Taylor (1,111 games, 1,069 points).

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58. Evgeni Malkin, F (113)

Selected by: Pittsburgh Penguins, first round (No. 2), 2004

Malkin's arrival in Pittsburgh in 2006-07, one season after Sidney Crosby, heralded an era of success that led to three Stanley Cup championships for the Penguins. Malkin had 85 points (33 goals, 52 assists) in 78 games and won the Calder Trophy that season, then followed with the first of his three 100-point seasons. In 2008-09, he led the NHL with 113 points (35 goals, 78 assists) and was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as most valuable player of the playoffs after he led the League with 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 24 games and helped the Penguins win the Cup. In 2011-12 he again led the NHL in scoring (109 points; 50 goals, 59 assists) and won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. The 36-year-old center is third in Penguins history in goals (471), assists (758) and points (1,229). He's also one of 13 players in NHL history to average at least a point per game in at least 1,000 regular-season games and 100 playoff games; 11 of the 13 are in the Hall of Fame, and the other is Crosby.

"Malkin has given the Pittsburgh Penguins immense value for the No. 2 pick of the 2004 NHL Draft. The center has won the Stanley Cup three times. He has won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champion twice. He has won the Calder Trophy, the Hart Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy. Only 18 players in NHL history have averaged more points per game in the regular season than Malkin has at 1.16 (minimum 50 games), and he has averaged 1.02 points per game in the playoffs." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

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57. Glenn Anderson, F (114)

Selected by: Edmonton Oilers, fourth round (No. 69), 1979

The Oilers had one of their greatest days at the 1979 NHL Draft, selecting Hockey Hall of Famers with their first three selections. After choosing Kevin Lowe in the first round (No. 21) and Mark Messier in the third (No. 48), Edmonton opted for Anderson, who was playing at the University of Denver. He joined the Oilers in 1980-81 and had the first of his nine 30-goal seasons, topped by scoring 54 goals in 1983-84 and 1985-86. The right wing won the Stanley Cup five times with Edmonton, then won it a sixth time with the New York Rangers in 1994, scoring the game-winning goals in Games 2 and 3 of the Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.

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56. Jarome Iginla, F (122)

Selected by: Dallas Stars, first round (No. 11), 1995

After draft day, Iginla never again had the chance to pull on a Stars jersey. Five months after Dallas selected him, the right wing was traded to the Calgary Flames and became arguably the best player in their history during his 16 seasons with them. He is the Flames leader in goals (525), points (1,095) and games played (1,219). Iginla scored 50 goals twice, including a League-leading 52 in 2001-02, when he also led the NHL with 96 points. He's tied with Joe Sakic for 16th in NHL history with 625 goals and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.

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55. Mike Richter, G (124)

Selected by:New York Rangers, second round (No. 28), 1985

Richter shared time with John Vanbiesbrouck in New York during his first four NHL seasons, but the goalie's career took off when Vanbiesbrouck departed in 1993. Richter led the NHL with 42 wins in 1993-94, then had four shutouts in 23 playoff games to help the Rangers win the Stanley Cup. He also was the most valuable player in helping the United States win the World Cup of Hockey in 1996. When he retired from the NHL in 2003, Richter led the Rangers and was third among United States-born goalies with 301 wins.

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54. Billy Smith, G (125)

Selected by: Los Angeles Kings, fifth round (No. 59), 1970

After playing five games for the Kings in 1971-72, Smith was selected by the New York Islanders in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft and emerged as the backbone of four straight Stanley Cup championship teams (1980-83). During those championship runs, the goalie was 57-13 in the playoffs, and the Islanders never lost more than two games in winning 16 straight playoff series. Smith won the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL in 1982 and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1983. When he retired in 1989, his 88 playoff wins were the most in NHL history, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.

"Smith went from fifth-round pick to the feisty last line of defense for the dynastic Islanders in the early 1980s. With 'Battling Billy' as their goalie, the Islanders won the Stanley Cup four consecutive seasons and reached the Cup Final again in 1984 before losing to the Edmonton Oilers. New York's remarkable run of 19 consecutive series wins in the playoffs remains a record. Smith is in the Hockey Hall of Fame and was selected as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. Pretty good value for a fifth-round pick." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

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53. Dave Taylor, F (131)

Selected by:Los Angeles Kings, 15th round (No. 210), 1975

Never has a player selected so late in the draft accomplished so much. Taylor broke out in 1978-79, his second NHL season, when he joined Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer on the "Triple Crown Line" and reached the 40-goal mark for the first of three times. When the right wing retired in 1994, he was the Kings leader with 1,111 games played and his 431 goals and 1,069 points were second to Dionne (550 goals, 1,307 points). He is the only player in NHL history picked after the 10th round to play in 1,000 games and to have 1,000 points.

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52. Nikita Kucherov, F (145)

Selected by: Tampa Bay Lightning, second round (No. 58), 2011

Kucherov has developed into one of the most impactful offensive players in the NHL during his nine seasons, all with the Lightning. The right wing won the Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy in 2018-19 after he had 128 points (41 goals, 87 assists), at the time the most in the NHL since 1995-96. He led the NHL with 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 25 playoff games in 2020 to help Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup, and after missing the 2020-21 regular season recovering from hip surgery, he led the League again with 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) in 23 playoff games as the Lightning repeated as Cup champions. The 29-year-old has scored at least 30 goals six times and has three 100-point seasons.

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51. Grant Fuhr, G (147)

Selected by:Edmonton Oilers, first round (No. 8), 1981

A goalie hadn't been taken in the first round since the 1975 NHL Draft, but the Oilers found a Hall of Famer with their first pick in the 1981 NHL Draft when they selected Fuhr, who was in goal for all five of their Stanley Cup championships. His 3.69 goals-against average in 10 seasons with Edmonton (1981-91) might not stand out, but he led the NHL in wins twice during that span and won the Vezina Trophy in 1987-88. One of 13 goalies with 400 wins, in 2003 he became the first Black player inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"This stat really stands out about Fuhr: During his 10 seasons with the Oilers, he played 111 playoff games; he faced 3,161 shots, over 1,000 more than any other goalie in that span (Patrick Roy was next at 2,105). Fuhr didn't have to make every save, but he made the important ones, and that's why he has his name on the Stanley Cup five times. Fuhr's greatness was in the confidence he gave his teammates, that they could be as creative and daring as they wanted in the offensive zone, knowing they had an elite goalie to cover for them." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

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