NHL Draft: Best modern era classes
The NHL's modern era spans from 1992 to the present, and with the 2015 NHL Entry Draft rapidly approaching, here's a look at the most noteworthy draft groupings during that time.
2003
The 2003 class produced the highest number of elite players still lacing them up, and, as such, could go down as one of the all-time great drafts. In Round 1 alone, nine players chosen have already won a Stanley Cup, and 26 have been named All-Stars at least once. Some of the significant skaters who had their names called include Marc-Andre Fleury, Eric Staal, Brent Seabrook, Ryan Suter, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Jeff Carter, Zach Parise, and Shea Weber.
2005
The 2005 draft featured the best draft-eligible prospect of his generation: Sidney Crosby. Crosby was the story of the cohort - the chance to select him was known as the "Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes" - and rightfully so, but there were a number of great players chosen. Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, Carey Price, Bobby Ryan, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Marc Staal were also drafted. Already featuring 11 All-Stars, many players from the class currently dominate the league, while others are just budding now.
1993
The 1993 draft gave us some of the most prominent leaders the game has seen. Chris Pronger, Saku Koivu, Paul Kariya, and Jamie Langenbrunner all became distinguished captains. Fifteen draftees surpassed the 1,000-game mark, and 16 have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. Among the 286 prospects selected, 18 became All-Stars, and Kimmo Timonen just finished his career by winning the Stanley Cup. Surely, a few will be in the discussion for Hall of Fame induction as well.
1994
With a decent Round 1 featuring the likes of Ryan Smyth, Jeff Friesen, Ed Jovanovski, and longtime grinder Ethan Moreau, what's remarkable about 1994 was the talent picked in the later stages. Patrik Elias was plucked in Round 2, 51st overall, but the biggest talent, Daniel Alfredsson, was uncovered in Round 6, 133rd overall. It's also worth mentioning the goalies selected: Dan Cloutier, Jose Theodore, Marty Turco, Tim Thomas, Evgeni Nabokov, and Tomas Vokoun.
1997
Eleven players from the 1997 group have been All-Stars and seven have reached the 1,000-game plateau. Brenden Morrow, Daniel Cleary, and Brian Campbell also have the opportunity to do so should they play one more season. The two top scorers, Joe Thornton and Marian Hossa, are most likely to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, as they both have more than 1,000 points, and possess some noteworthy hardware. "Jumbo Joe" has a Hart Trophy and an Art Ross, while "Hoss" owns three Stanley Cup rings.