When the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup this year, Sidney Crosby - the first overall pick in the 2005 Draft - was there to take it. When the Conn Smythe Trophy was awarded, Evgeni Malkin - the second overall pick in the 2004 Draft - picked it up.
Suffice to say, the draft is a key to success in the NHL.
The New York Islanders hope to follow in the footsteps of other teams that have used the draft to turn their franchise around as they own the first overall pick in Friday's NHL Entry Draft, which can be seen LIVE on TSN and TSN HD at 7pm et/4pm pt.
The Penguins are just one of many examples of NHL teams that have used the draft to propel themselves up the standings with slow but steady improvement. And they've done it more than once. The Penguins selected Mario Lemieux with the first overall pick in the 1984 Entry Draft and seven years later, won their first of back-to-back championships.
In 1989, the Quebec Nordiques were wallowing at the bottom of the league when they had the good fortune (or misfortune) of owning the first overall pick for three straight years. They selected Mats Sundin, Owen Nolan and Eric Lindros and started up the road to their first Stanley Cup title in 1996 as the Colorado Avalanche. While these three players were no longer on the team by then, they were peddled into other assets to form a winning team.
The Tampa Bay Lightning selected the face of the franchise in Vincent Lecavalier with the first overall pick in the 1998 Draft. Six years later, the Lightning won their first Stanley Cup.
In 2003, the Penguins picked Marc-Andre Fleury first overall and also won the Stanley Cup six years later, albeit with the help of Crosby, Malkin and another second overall pick in Jordan Staal.
The Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils have been consistent Stanley Cup contenders in the last 15 years with the Red Wings winning four Cups and the Devils capturing three. And the draft has been front and centre in the success of both organizations.
While most teams build around early first round picks, the Red Wings have been so good for so long that they haven't had the luxury of picking from a small crop of blue-chippers. Nonetheless, the roster that won last year's Stanley Cup was filled with players picked in later rounds that have been developed in the system.
Defenceman Niklas Kronwall is the only Red Wings' first round pick on the current roster but players drafted later on have played integral roles in their run of success. Nicklas Lidstrom, Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula were picked in the third round, two-time Selke Trophy winner Pavel Datsyuk in the sixth and last year's Conn Smythe Trophy winner Henrik Zetterberg in the seventh round.
For the Devils, former first round picks Martin Brodeur and Scott Niedermayer formed the nucleus of success to which Scott Gomez, Zach Parise and Travis Zajac were added in subsequent first rounds. Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello, who was announced as a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee this week, has been one of the most successful NHL executives throughout his career thanks in large part to his selections on draft day.
Among current teams, the Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks are on the upswing as they ride the coattails of some solid building blocks acquired through the draft.
Patrick Kane has had an immediate impact with the Blackahwks since being picked first overall in 2007. Fresh off their first playoff appearance since 2002, the future seems bright with the likes of former first rounders Jonathan Toews, Cam Barker and Brent Seabrook.
Alexander Ovechkin is a big part of the Capitals but he's not the only part. In the same 2004 draft that netted Ovechkin first overall, the Capitals picked up Norris Trophy finalist Mike Green late in the first round. When you add other first round picks like Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Simeon Varlamov to the mix, the Capitals appear on the right track.
In Anaheim, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Teemu Selanne were brought in to help win a Stanley Cup in 2007 but former first rounders Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry led the team in scoring during their long playoff run. The future of the organization falls squarely on their shoulders, along with Calder Trophy finalist Bobby Ryan.