As the NHL draft gets closers, it’s always interesting to look back and see where some of the top players were picked. Most of the time it gives fans and GM’s hope they can find a late round sleeper.

If we look back at past drafts, were all the best defenceman high picks?

These were the parameters I used for the sample, looking back as far as the 1999-2000 season.

• Nominated for the Norris trophy
• Conn Smythe winner
• Finished among the top five in scoring for defenceman in a season
• Finished among the top five in TOI for defenceman in a season

Obviously there are a lot of other ways to determine a defencemans worth, but if I’m drafting a defenceman with a high pick, I’m expecting someone who will eat a ton of minutes, produces offence or even better, both.

If a player showed up more than once in any category, their draft results were only used once, so repeat appearances lowered the sample size, but didn’t saturate it. If a player was undrafted, I gave them a dummy “200th overall” pick.

Here’s how it shook out.

Out of the 45 players in this sample, the average pick was 74th overall, so 3rd or 4th round depending on the draft year. (37% 1st rounders)

If we only look at the top 19 and eliminate the players who only showed up two times or less, the average pick was 46th overall, so a 2nd rounder today. (47%1st rounders)

I’m not sure I would put too much stock into these numbers, but at the very least, it displays how unbelievable Niklas Lidstrom was.

Rankings

Here is how the players ranked based how many times they show up in the sample and when they were drafted.

1. Lidstrom (26 times)- 3rd Round, 53rd Overall- 1989

2. Pronger (12 times)- 1st Round, 2nd Overall- 1993

3. Niedermayer (11 times )- 1st Round, 3rd Overall- 1991

4. Chara (9 times)- 3rd Round, 56th Overall- 1996

5. Gonchar (8 times)- 1^st Round, 14^th Overall- 1992

6. Zubov (6 times)- 5th Round, 85th Overall- 1990

6. Blake (6 times)- 4th Round, 70th Overall- 1988

8. Keith (5 times)- 2nd Round, 54th Overall- 2002

8. Bouwmeester (5 times)- 1^st Round, 3^rd Overall- 2002

8. Phaneuf (5 times)- 1st Round, 9th Overall- 2003

8. Campbell (5 times)- 6^th Round, 156^th Overall- 1997

12. Boyle (4 times)- Undrafted

12. Weber (4 times )- 2nd Round, 49th Overall- 2003

12. Green (4 times)- 1st Round, 29th Overall- 2004

15. Leetch (3 times)- 1^st Round, 9^th Overall- 1986

15. McCabe (3 times)- 2^nd Round, 40^th Overall- 1993

15. Desjardins (3 times)- 2^nd Round, 38^nd Overall- 1987

15. Ryan Suter (3 times)-1^st Round, 7^th Overall- 2003

15. Doughty (3 times)- 1^st Round, 2^nd Overall- 2008

20. Ozolinsh (2 times)- 2^nd Round, 30^th Overall- 1991

20. Rafalski (2 times)- Undrafted

20. Streit (2 times)- 9^th Round, 262^nd Overall- 2004

20. Kaberle (2 times)- 8^th Round, 204^th Overall- 1996

20. Subban (2 times)- 2nd Round, 43rd Overall- 2007

20. D. Hatcher (2 times)- 1^st Round, 8^th Overall- 1990

20. MacInnis (2 times)- 1^st Round, 15^th Overall- 1981

20. Markov (2 times)- 6^th Round, 162^nd Overall- 1998

20. Kris Letang (2 times)- 3^rd Round, 62^nd Overall- 2005

20. Yandle (2 times)- 4^th Round, 105^th Overall- 2005

20. Aucoin (2 times)- 5^th Round, 117^th Overall-1992

20. Stevens (2 times)- 1st Round, 5th Overall- 1982

20. Byfuglien (2 times)- 8^th Round, 245^th Overall- 2003

20. Beauchemin (2 times)- 3^rd Round, 75^th -1998

20. Visnovskly (2 times)- 4th Round, 118th- 2000

35. Souray (1 time)- 3rd Round, 71st Overall- 1994

35. Zidlicky (1 time)- 6th Round, 176th Overall- 2001

35. Pietrangelo (1 time)- 1st Round, 4th Overall-2008

35. Wisniewski (1 time)- 5th Round, 156th Overall- 2002

35. Housley (1 time)- 1st Round, 6th Overall- 1982

35. Girardi (1 time)- Undrafted

35. Corvo (1 time)- 4th Round, 83rd Overall- 1997

35. Ohlund (1 time)- 1st Round, 13th Overall- 1994

35. Svehla (1 time)- 4th Round, 78th Overall- 1992

35. Bourque (1 time)- 1st Round, 8th Overall- 1979

35. Karlsson (1 time)- 1st Round, 15th Overall- 2008

Sample

Conn Smythe Winner

2006-07        Scott Niedermayer

2001-02         Nicklas Lidstrom

1999-00         Scott Stevens

Norris Trophy Finalists

2013

Subban- *winner

Kris Letting

Ryan Suter

2012

Chara

Karlsson- *winner

Weber

2011

Lidstrom- *winner

Chara

Weber

2010

Doughty

Green

Keith- *winner

2009

Chara- *winner

Green

Lidstrom

2008

Chara

Lidstrom- *winner

Phaneuf

2007

Pronger

Neidermyer

Lidstrom – *winner

2006

Lidstrom- *winner

Neidermyer

Zubov

2005

Lockout

2004

Chara

Neidermyer- *winner

Pronger

2003

Lidstrom- *winner

Macinnis

Hatcher

2002

Lidstrom- *winner

Chelios

Blake

2001

Lidstrom- *winner

Bourque

Stevens

2000

Pronger- *winner

Lidstrom

Blake

Top Five Scoring