History has taught us that Stanley Cups are won beyond first-round draft picks.
While recent champions have been led by top selections such as Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, sleepers including Patrick Sharp, Kris Letang, and Brad Marchand (all third-round picks) also proved to be key difference makers.
This year’s Stanley Cup Final features players from all over the place. Pittsburgh is led primarily by former first-rounders whereas Nashville’s roster consists of hardly any. Below is a breakdown of each team by the round which their players were drafted in. The amount of deep/undrafted players might surprise you.
The following list is based on Game 2’s lineup and does not include injured players such as Letang, Ryan Johansen Colin Wilson or Carl Hagelin.
PITTSBURGH
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
First Round
• Ron Hainsey (13th overall, 2000)
• Marc-Andre Fleury (1st overall 2003)
• Evgeni Malkin (2nd overall, 2004)
• Sidney Crosby (1st overall, 2005)
• Phil Kessel (5th overall, 2006)
• Ian Cole (18th overall, 2007)
• Olli Maata (22nd overall, 2012)
Total= 7
Second Round
• Matt Cullen (35th overall, 1996)
• Trevor Daley (43rd overall, 2002)
• Justin Schultz (43rd overall, 2008)
• Brian Dumoulin (51st overall, 2009)
Total= 4
Third Round
• Bryan Rust (80th overall, 2010)
• Matt Murray (83rd overall, 2012)
• Jake Guentzel (77th overall, 2013)
Total= 3
Fourth Round
Total= 0
Fifth Round
Total= 0
Sixth Round
• Nick Bonino (6th round, 173rd overall, 2007)
Total = 1
Seventh Round
• Patric Hornqvist (230th overall, 2005)
• Scott Wilson (209th overall, 2011)
Total= 2
Undrafted
• Chris Kunitz (2004)
• Carter Rowney (2017)
• Conor Sheary (2015)
Total= 3
NASHVILLE
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First Round
• Ryan Ellis (11th overall, 2009)
• Austin Watson (18th overall, 2010)
• Filip Forsberg (11th overall, 2012)
Total= 3
Second Round
• Mike Fisher (44th overall, 1998)
• James Neal (33rd overall, 2005)
• P.K. Subban (43rd overall, 2007)
• Roman Josi (38th overall, 2008)
• Calle Jarnkrok (51st pick, 2010)
• Pontus Aberg (37th overall, 2012)
• Colton Sissons (50th overall, 2012)
Total= 7
Third Round
• Yannick Weber (73rd overall, 2007)
Total= 1
Fourth Round
• Craig Smith (98th overall, 2009)
• Mattias Ekholm (102nd overall, 2009)
• Juuse Saros (99th overall, 2013)
• Viktor Arvidsson (112th overall, 2014)
Total= 4
Fifth Round
Total= 0
Sixth Round
Total= 0
Seventh Round
Total= 0
Eighth Round
• Pekka Rinne (258th overall, 2004)
Total= 1
Undrafted
• Vernon Fiddler (2002)
• Cody McLeod (2007)
• Matt Irwin (2012)
• Frederick Gaudreau (2017)
Total= 4
COMBINED TOTALS
First round= 10
Second round= 11
Third round= 4
Fourth round= 4
Fifth round= 0
Sixth round= 1
Seventh round= 2
Eighth round= 1
Undrafted= 7
It’s shocking to see that the largest number of players were selected in the second round rather than the first. The Penguins’ best players clearly came from the latter, while Nashville’s were drafted in the former. It’s also worth noting that not a single player in the SCF was taken in the fifth round and seven weren’t even drafted at all. Rinne, who was the undisputed favourite to win the Conn Smythe prior to the final series, is the deepest pick.
Based on the breakdown, finding diamonds in the rough is paramount to a team’s success. While many players were not initially drafted by their respective organization, a lot of each team's talent was still home grown.
It will be interesting to see which players emerge as heroes as the series progresses.
