Well, that was a surprise: the St. Louis Blues added a fourth first-round selection yesterday--16th-overall--in what looks like a very good trade that sent Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals. Earlier this month, we broke down the histories of 11th-overall, 15th-overall, and 29th-overall (though the Blues should probably trade back from that one), so now it's time to reflect on how 16th-overall picks have turned out since the first draft of the cap era in 2005.
2005: Alex Bourret (RW), Atlanta Thrashers
We start with an absolute dud: Bourret never played an NHL game.
2006: Ty Wishart (D), San Jose Sharks
Things don't improve much a year later, as Wishart only played a measly 26 NHL games, tallying a goal and six points. One pick later, the Los Angeles Kings took Trevor Lewis, who played over a thousand NHL games and was a key depth contributor to their two Stanley Cup wins.
2007: Colton Gillies (LW) , Minnesota Wild
Gillies played in 154 NHL games, though only tallied six goals and 18 points in that time. Not great so far!
2008: Joe Colborne (C), Boston Bruins
Scoring 114 points in 295 NHL games is a respectable, though unflashy, career.
2009: Nick Leddy (D), Minnesota Wild
At last, we have a player who turned into an impactful NHLer--and one Blues fans should be quite familiar with! Leddy's scored 423 points in over a thousand NHL games, and won a Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013. He's easily the best pick we've seen at 16th-overall so far.
2010: Vladimir Tarasenko (RW), St. Louis Blues
Speaking of former Blues, how about one of the most pivotal members of the Cup-winning team in 2019? Tarasenko was a homerun selection--and Jaden Schwartz going two picks earlier made this one of the best drafts in Blues history.
2011: Joel Armia (RW), Buffalo Sabres
Another respectable veteran, Armia has suited up for 653 NHL games and scored 232 points. Not too bad of a result for a pick in this range.
2012: Tom Wilson (RW), Washington Capitals
The 2012 draft is widely regarded as one of the worst in recent memory (at least at the top), but getting Wilson at 16th-overall was a coup for the Caps. He's one of the most intimidating forwards in the game for his physicality, but also his scoring--he's going through a bit of a late-career renaissance, too, with back-to-back 30-goal seasons in his 30s. The late-teens picks that year have aged quite well: after Wilson, we saw Tomas Hertl, Teuvo Teravainen, and Andrei Vasilevsky go 17, 18 and 19, and they all likely go much higher in a re-draft.
2013: Nikita Zadorov (D), Buffalo Sabres
The hits keep coming--literally. Zadorov, at 6-foot-7, is one of the most punishing defensemen in the league. It's probably no coincidence that the dawn of the analytics era coincides with more successful picks at 16th-overall.
2014: Sonny Milano (LW), Columbus Blue Jackets
While Milano is probably best known for this goal, he's had an up and down NHL career, playing 344 games for a number of teams. Travis Sanheim and Alex Tuch, going 17 and 18, may've been the better selections.
2015: Mathew Barzal (C), New York Islanders
The 2015 draft is the stuff of legends, loaded with talent from top to bottom, and the 16th-overall pick was no different: Barzal's an outstanding top-line player in today's NHL.
2016: Jakob Chychrun (D), Arizona Coyotes
Chychrun was in trade rumors on the Coyotes for years before ending up on the Ottawa Senators. Things didn't work out there, though, so he was traded to the Capitals--and caught fire. Back-to-back 20-goal seasons and career highs in points, Chychrun's turned into an exceptional defenseman.
2017: Juuso Valimaki (D), Calgary Flames
Despite 271 games under his belt, Valimaki hasn't really established himself as an everyday NHL player.
2018: Martin Kaut (RW), Colorado Avalanche
Ah, back to the actual busts. Kaut only played 56 NHL games, registering six goals and 11 points.
2019: Alex Newhook (C), Colorado Avalanche
The Avs picked 16th in back-to-back years, and Newhook is certainly the better of the two players. He's settled into a middle-six role with the Montreal Canadiens and has played 338 games.
2020: Kaiden Guhle (D), Montreal Canadiens
Sticking with the Habs, Guhle has turned into a solid, physical second-pair defenseman for them.
2021: Brennan Othman (LW), New York Rangers
We're now getting into "still developing" territory, where you may still consider a player a prospect and not at their ceiling. Othman falls in that category, traded to the Flames last season and with only 44 NHL games under his belt.
2022: Noah Ostlund (C), Buffalo Sabres
Ostlund had something of a breakout season in 2025-26, scoring 27 points in 60 games as a 21-year old. He's on an excellent development path to becoming a middle-six center.
2023: Samuel Honzek (LW), Calgary Flames
Honzek's only played 23 games in parts of two seasons with Calgary, so it's far too soon to say what direction his career's headed. At 6-foot-4, he brings size on the wings.
2024: Adam Jiricek (D), St. Louis Blues
Jiricek's set to turn pro next year and, if his development continues on track, looks like a solid bet to becoming a reliable top-four defenseman in the league for years to come. Good news for the Blues!
2025: Victor Eklund (RW), New York Islanders
His brother may've just been traded to the Ottawa Senators, but Victor's a promising young winger in a similar mold to William. The Islanders have a solid pool of prospects as they retool/rebuild around young phenom Matthew Schaefer.
It's still up in the air who the Blues will take with 16th-overall, if they even make the pick themselves, but there ought to be plenty of intriguing prospects available.
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