We didn't have much superstar power coming out of the 2001 NHL Draft, over two decades ago in the league. This draft wasn't the worst draft class to come out of the 1990s or the 2000s decades in the NHL Entry Draft, but it did have a lot of forward depth up front.
Ilya Kovalchuk and Jason Spezza bring the star power at the forward position in the 2001 NHL Draft class from almost 25 years ago
Only four forwards from this draft class in 2001 played over 1,000 career games. There was also only one defensemen from this class in the 2001 entry draft who played over 900 regular season games in the NHL in his career.
The depth in this draft class wasn't too bad, with Ilya Kovalchuk highlighting this class in terms of superstar power with the forward group up front.
The Los Angeles Kings didn't have a lottery pick in this draft class, despite having two picks in the first round in the 2000 entry draft.
Here's a look at our re-draft of the 2001 NHL Draft lottery nearly two and a half decades later in the league.
There's no doubt that the Atlanta Thrashers were correct in picking Kovalchuk first overall in the 2001 draft lottery in the early 2000s decade. Kovalchuk gets to stay at the top of the board in this draft class, with how much of a playmaker and natural goal scorer he was for the Thrashers at forward.
Kovalchuk led this draft class in goals scored (443) and ranked second in total points (876). Even though he didn't spend his entire career playing in Atlanta with the Thrashers, or in the NHL in the league, Kovalchuk is still the top pick at the top of the board from this draft class in the first round.
Center Jason Spezza stays in the second spot in this hypothetical redraft of the 2001 draft lottery, sticking with the Ottawa Senators at No. 2 overall in the first round. Spezza was the only player from this draft class who played over 1,000 career regular season games and scored over 950 career points.
While Spezza did have more longevity playing games in the regular season in his career than Kovalchuk in the 2000s and 2010s decades, he still holds at the second spot in this hypothetical redraft.
Instead of picking Russian forward Alexander Svitov third overall in the first round of the 2001 draft lottery, the Lightning pick a goalie instead, with Craig Anderson for a long time of the Senators and Chicago Blackhawks in the West. Anderson was a goalie who broke out later in his career with the Colorado Avalanche, registering a .917 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average in the 2009-10 season.
Anderson was the only goalie picked in this draft class who had over 300 career wins in the regular season and over 40 career shutouts.