Welcome to RANKED. Every week during the NHL season, we will be ranking players, moments, and anything else we can think of throughout hockey history.
When a first-overall pick makes their NHL debut, there is nothing but fanfare and electricity in the air. High expectations are inevitable, as fans try — and often fail — to keep tempered and avoid disappointment if their new favorite player doesn’t produce immediately.
Connor Bedard, the latest young gun to make a highly anticipated debut, stepped foot on NHL ice for the first time on Tuesday night, with excitement from around the league palpable.
In light of Bedard’s hotly anticipated opening act, we thought there was no better time to look back at some other hyped-up debuts from first-overall picks over the past few decades and see how they all stack up.
There is no possible way that Auston Matthews and his debut wouldn’t sit atop this list. As rookies come and go and new first-overall selections join the NHL each year, it seems highly unlikely that any player will ever duplicate the Arizona native’s historic first game.
Seven years later, every search engine autocompletes “four goals” as soon as you finish typing Matthews’ name. Every Leafs fan knows where they were that night — a visceral memory branded into their brain of watching a rookie that was supposed to be good, but not exceptional, unleash terror and score four goals in his first-ever NHL game, a sign of the goal-scoring prowess to come in the years ahead.
Like an old folk legend told by nomads, Ovechkin’s debut nearly two decades ago was electric as soon as he stepped onto NHL ice. With an extra season of development due to the 2004-05 lockout, the sniper had the advantage over some of his rookie peers, and it showed.
To start what would be a Calder-winning season, Ovechkin scored two goals and unleashed five shots on goal for a trademark stat line that fans quickly grew accustomed to. He would go on to score 50 more that season to finish with 52 — the third most ever by a rookie — and was downright unstoppable.
After being projected as the presumptive first overall pick since about 15 years old, John Tavares made his much anticipated debut opposite prime Sidney Crosby and a Penguins team that had just lifted the Stanley Cup.
Tavares held his own in the eventual 4-3 shootout loss, scoring a goal and earning an assist to start a solid-but-not-outstanding rookie campaign that saw him finish with 24 goals and 54 points. He still made it count during his debut, though.
4. Eric Lindros – Oct. 6, 1992
After controversially forcing his way out of Quebec and to Philadelphia, Eric Lindros’ debut was more than just a good player facing NHL competition for the first time. It must have drawn outrageous attention from all over as the new-style forward bet on himself before ever playing a game.
Luckily, Lindros made a good impression right away to the Flyers faithful. He scored an unassisted goal – possibly the ugliest debut goal from a top pick — in the first minute of the third period to start the miniature comeback for Philadelphia in an eventual 3-3 tie.
Not many first-overall picks walk onto a team as strong as the one the Colorado Avalanche boasted during the 2013-14 season. After bottoming out to get MacKinnon, the Avalanche turned things around extremely fast and wound up at the top of the Central division.
That all started with MacKinnon’s debut against the Anaheim Ducks, as the talented teenager earned two assists – both on Jamie McGinn goals – to help Colorado walk away with a dominant 6-1 win to begin their turnaround campaign.
6. Mats Sundin – Oct 4, 1990
In a game played between two now-defunct NHL teams, Mats Sundin made his way over from Sweden to the smaller North American ice.
Facing the Hartford Whalers, the Quebec Nordiques’ top pick ended up scoring on a goal that featured two of hockey’s eventual cornerstone players for the era; A Sundin goal assisted by Joe Sakic. It was his only point in the debut, but it was a good one.
7. Mario Lemieux – Oct. 11, 1984
The legendary career of Mario Lemieux all started with a visit to Boston. The Penguins opened up their 1984-85 season with their franchise-altering player in the lineup and he took charge almost immediately.
Just two minutes and 59 seconds into the game, the teenaged Lemieux scored an unassisted goal on his first shot to kick off his NHL career, during his first shift too no less. He’d also later add an assist in the second period.
8. Sidney Crosby – Oct. 5, 2005
While the hype around McDavid and Bedard’s debuts felt uniquely strong, the excitement surrounding the debut of “Sid the Kid” was electric. Coming out of a lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season, Crosby’s debut felt like the beginning of a new era for the sport.
That eventual storybook career began with the highly touted youngster earning the primary assist on a Mark Recchi goal against the New Jersey Devils, the Penguins’ only tally of the game in a 5-1 loss. Crosby, meanwhile, went on to finish with a historic 102 points in his rookie season. Not bad.
9. Connor Bedard – Oct. 10, 2023
The son of Vancouver finally made his debut for the Chicago Blackhawks after showing what he could do throughout the preseason, making his mark in his first official NHL game. Opposite his idol Sidney Crosby, Bedard stood tall and tried to show that he was the real deal.
While he finished with just a lone assist, Bedard did not look out of place by any stretch, as he unleashed 11 total shot attempts – tying the record mark for a rookie in their debut – and helped push a lackluster Chicago roster to a season-opening comeback win over an emboldened Penguins team. It won’t go down in the history books, but it also wasn’t the worst first impression.
10. Mike Modano – April 6, 1989
Fresh off of scoring 105 points in just 41 games for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, an 18-year-old Mike Modano immediately jumped into NHL action by making his debut during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, suiting up for Game 2 of Minnesota North Stars’ first-round series against the St. Louis Blues.
Unfortunately, Modano finished with zero points and didn’t prevent Minnesota from losing in five games, but we can get pedantic. Modano’s regular season debut a few months later on Oct. 5, 1989, was much more memorable, as he managed to score a goal and earn an assist. That’s why he’s above the other goose-egged debuts from top draft picks.
The prospect projected to lead the next generation of great American hockey players began his career in the State of Hockey for a debut showdown against the Minnesota Wild. While Kane finished with zero points, so did a whole lot of other players, as the Wild beat the Blackhawks 1-0. Kane did muster two shots on goal though, if that counts towards anything.
12. Connor McDavid – Oct. 8, 2015
Given the player he is today, it’s certainly surprising that the almighty Connor McDavid had the worst debut out of the bunch. The superstar who is now breaking legend’s records and carving out his own legacy among the best players to ever lace up the skates began his career with somewhat of a whimper.
On an autumn night in St. Louis in front of over 19,000 fans, patrons witnessed history as the heralded teenager left the ice with zero points, two shots on goal, and a minus-1 rating in just over 18 minutes of action. Thankfully, that lack of success didn’t last long.
