Being a No. 1 overall pick in the NHL comes with a lot of pressure. The team picking at No. 1 overall is looking for a game-changing player and the pressure to perform at a high level afterwards is incredibly intense for the player in question.
More often than not, players taken No. 1 overall in the NHL become the star players worthy of their draft status. With the generational talent on display each year at the draft, it makes sense the No. 1 overall pick is worthy of remembrance — with some few exceptions.
With the NHL Draft on the horizon, let’s look back at every No. 1 overall pick since 2000.
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Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
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Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports
Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE
Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports ORG
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Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images