Gavin McKenna’s first NHL shift put another No. 1 overall pick on the board. The Toronto Maple Leafs rookie made his debut Tuesday, logging 15:19 and putting one shot on net in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Selected first in the 2026 NHL Draft, McKenna is the 64th player to go first overall since the draft began in 1963.
The standard set by the first overall greats
Ten first-overall selections are already in the Hockey Hall of Fame, with several active stars building cases that should carry them there once their careers are complete. At the top of the all-time pecking order sits Mario Lemieux, whose production and lasting importance to the Pittsburgh Penguins remain hard to match.
- Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1984: Lemieux finished with 1,723 points, including 690 goals and 1,033 assists, over 915 games. His 1.88 points per game trails only Wayne Gretzky among NHL players. Despite seasons shortened by injuries and illness, he reached 100 points 10 times in 17 seasons and added 172 playoff points in 107 games. He won Cups in 1991 and 1992, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy both times. His award haul also included three Hart Trophies, four Ted Lindsay Awards, six Art Ross Trophies, the Calder Trophy and the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Lemieux initially retired after 1996-97 with 1,494 points in 745 games, entered the Hall of Fame in 1997, became Penguins owner and helped keep the club in Pittsburgh before returning to play in 2000. His final retirement came after 2005-06.
- Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins, 2005: Crosby enters his 22nd season as the face of the Penguins and the franchise’s career scoring leader, having moved past Lemieux last season. He owns 1,761 points on 654 goals and 1,107 assists in 1,420 games. Since arriving in 2005, his 206 playoff points in 186 games lead all NHL players. Pittsburgh has won three Cups with Crosby — 2009, 2016 and 2017 — and reached the postseason 17 times during his tenure. He has two Conn Smythes, two Hart Trophies, two Rocket Richard Trophies, two Art Ross Trophies and three Ted Lindsay Awards. After recording 74 points last season and 91 in 2024-25, he is seventh on the all-time points list. He needs 10 points to catch Marcel Dionne, 37 for Ron Francis and 90 to move past Gordie Howe into fourth. Mark Messier is 126 points ahead in third, while Jaromir Jagr is 160 ahead in second. Crosby and Pittsburgh open Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 7:30 p.m. ET.
- Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, 2004: Ovechkin is the NHL’s career regular-season goal leader with 929 in 1,573 games. He has another 77 in 161 playoff appearances, giving him 1,006 combined regular-season and postseason goals — 10 shy of Gretzky’s all-time total. His 758 assists give him 1,687 points, good for 10th in League history. He is 36 points behind Lemieux for ninth, 68 back of Steve Yzerman for eighth and trails Crosby by 74. Ovechkin has matched Gretzky and Mike Bossy with nine 50-goal seasons, won the 2018 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy, captured nine Rocket Richard Trophies, three Harts, three Ted Lindsay Awards, an Art Ross and the Calder. The 41-year-old begins his 22nd all-Capitals campaign Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center at 7 p.m. ET.
McDavid leads the active chase
Connor McDavid has already piled up numbers that place him in rare company, although the missing piece remains a Stanley Cup. The Edmonton Oilers captain reached the Final in both 2024 and 2025, losing each time to the Florida Panthers. He still won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2024, becoming the standout player of the playoffs without lifting the Cup.
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers, 2015: At 29, McDavid has 1,220 points — 409 goals and 811 assists — in 794 games, ranking 47th in NHL history entering Tuesday. His 1.54 points-per-game rate is third among players with at least 100 games, behind Gretzky and Lemieux. He has 156 playoff points in 102 outings. McDavid has collected three Hart Trophies, five Ted Lindsay Awards, six Art Ross Trophies and the 2022-23 Rocket Richard Trophy. His nine 100-point seasons rank third all-time behind Gretzky’s 15 and Lemieux’s 10.
- Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche, 2013: MacKinnon has the Cup that McDavid is still pursuing, having helped Colorado beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2022 Final. The Avalanche have not returned to the Final since, while Edmonton has made two trips. MacKinnon entered Wednesday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena with 1,142 points, made up of 420 goals and 722 assists, in 950 regular-season games. He has posted four straight 100-point seasons and his 494 points since 2022-23 rank third in the League over that span, behind McDavid’s 523 and Nikita Kucherov’s 508.
- Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks, 2024: Celebrini is the projection selection in the top 10 after only two NHL seasons. He produced 115 points, with 45 goals and 70 assists, in 82 games as a 19-year-old last season. San Jose improved by 19 victories and 34 points from 2024-25, when Celebrini had 63 points in 70 games at age 18. He has 178 points in 152 NHL games, made an impact for Canada at the 2026 Olympics and turned 20 in June.
Blue-line royalty and championship pillars
Denis Potvin stands as the premier defenseman ever chosen first overall. The New York Islanders used the top pick in 1973 and quickly found the foundation of a dynasty.
- Denis Potvin, New York Islanders, 1973: Potvin won the Calder Trophy in 1973-74, then captured three Norris Trophies in 1976, 1978 and 1979. He was central to the Islanders’ four consecutive championships from 1980 through 1983. In 15 seasons, all with New York, he posted 310 goals, 742 assists and 1,052 points. At retirement in 1988, those were NHL records for a defenseman, as were his 56 playoff goals, 109 postseason assists, 165 playoff points and 185 playoff games. He remains seventh among defensemen in regular-season points, 10th in assists and fifth in goals, while his playoff rankings include second in goals, fourth in points, eighth in assists and 12th in games. Potvin entered the Hall of Fame in 1991.
- Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks, 2007: Kane became the first U.S.-born forward taken first overall since Mike Modano in 1988. On Jan. 29, he registered an assist for his 1,375th point and passed Modano as the leading scorer among American-born NHL players. Back in Chicago after starring there from 2007 through 2023, Kane had 1,400 points — 508 goals and 892 assists — in 1,369 games before Tuesday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Alongside Jonathan Toews, Kane helped restore the Blackhawks and win Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015. His overtime goal in Game 6 at Philadelphia on June 9, 2010 sealed the first of those titles. He won the 2013 Conn Smythe after recording 19 points in 23 playoff games, and has 138 career postseason points in 143 games. In 2015-16, his 106-point season earned him the Hart, Ted Lindsay and Art Ross awards. He also won the Calder in 2007-08.
- Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens, 1971: Lafleur drove a Canadiens era that produced five championships, including four straight from 1976 to 1979. He won the 1977 Conn Smythe and consecutive Hart Trophies in 1976-77 and 1977-78, while exceeding 100 points in six straight seasons from 1974 through 1980. His 1,246 points in 961 games remain Montreal’s regular-season franchise record. Lafleur retired in 1985, returned for one season with the New York Rangers and then spent two seasons with the Quebec Nordiques. He ended with 1,353 points, including 560 goals and 793 assists, in 1,126 games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.
American benchmark and the names just outside
Mike Modano held the U.S.-born scoring record until Kane surpassed him this year, but his place in American hockey history extends far beyond one statistical line.
- Mike Modano, Minnesota North Stars, 1988: Modano retired in 2011 with 1,374 points in 1,499 games, then the most by a U.S.-born player. His 561 goals still lead American-born skaters. He won the 1999 Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars, producing 23 points in 23 playoff games, and helped them return to the Final in 2000, where they lost to the New Jersey Devils. His 146 postseason points in 176 games were also the U.S.-born record. Modano played a major role in hockey’s growth in Dallas and across the United States, won the 1996 World Cup of Hockey with Team USA and earned Olympic silver in 2002. He joined the Hall of Fame in 2014.
- Celebrini’s early placement comes ahead of several established Hall of Famers and former top picks: Gilbert Perreault, Dale Hawerchuk, Mats Sundin, Eric Lindros and Joe Thornton. Steven Stamkos is also outside the top 10 despite a longer body of work than Celebrini’s. The case for the Sharks center rests on his trajectory after two rapid-fire seasons rather than longevity.
McKenna now steps into that long line of No. 1 selections, with one NHL game on his ledger and a much larger runway ahead. Toronto will hope the first shot on goal Tuesday was the opening entry in a career worthy of the pick.
