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NHL Draft Retrospective: A Look Back At The No. 16 Overall Pick

By Nathan Smith

CALGARY, CANADA - APRIL 2: Nikita Zadorov #16 of the Calgary Flames in action against the Anaheim Ducks during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on April 2, 2023 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Flames defeated the Ducks 5-4. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)
CALGARY, CANADA - APRIL 2: Nikita Zadorov #16 of the Calgary Flames in action against the Anaheim Ducks during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on April 2, 2023 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Flames defeated the Ducks 5-4. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images) /
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HELSINKI, FINLAND – MAY 24: Matt Barzal #13 of Team Canada in action during the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Group A match between France and Canada at the Helsinki Ice Hall on May 24, 2022 in Helsinki, Finland. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
HELSINKI, FINLAND – MAY 24: Matt Barzal #13 of Team Canada in action during the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Group A match between France and Canada at the Helsinki Ice Hall on May 24, 2022 in Helsinki, Finland. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images) /

Star/Potential Star – Matt Barzal (2015), Jakob Chychrun (2016), Alex Newhook (2019)

In the NHL and all American sports, there are many avenues to finding a superstar, but the draft is the best place to find a young name that can grow with the franchise, and three times over the past 10 years, teams have been lucky enough to do just that.

Since 2013, there’s been stars come before and after the No. 16 overall pick, but in that time, the New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche have managed to draft well, landing stars Matt Barzal and Jakob Chychrun, with Alex Newhook expected to develop into that.

For Calgary in 2023, there’s names out there like Brandon Yager, Andrew Cristall, Nate Danielson and plenty of others to potentially go after, and while the hit rate at this position isn’t fantastic over the past decade, there’s no doubting that you can find a star anywhere in the draft if the evaluations are done properly.

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