Before the Buffalo Sabres selected Owen Power with the first overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, there were only 7 defencemen taken first overall in the NHL Draft over the past 30 years. Power now becomes the 8th defencemen taken first overall since 1991, and the second defencemen selected first overall by the Sabres since 2018.
 

Each and every one of them went on to have different careers, and some of them on the list are still in the league and just getting started, and here’s an idea of the type of players they were and are.

 

Roman Hamrlik

Roman Hamrlik was the first ever draft pick in Tampa Bay Lightning history when he was selected first overall in the 1992 NHL Draft. Hamrlik played the first six seasons of his 20-year NHL career with the Lightning and registered 52 goals, 133 assists and 185 points in 377 games with the Lightning, all career-highs, and finished his career with 155 goals, 483 assists and 638 points in 1,395 games.
 

Defencemen going first overall was a pretty big trend in the 90’s as four defencemen went first overall and it all happened within a five-year span.

Ed Jovanovski
 

Ed Jovanovski was selected first overall by the Florida Panthers in 1994 and went on to play seven years with the Panthers over two different stints, with the second coming in his final three years in the NHL. Jovanovski scored 33 goals and 102 points in 363 games in a Panthers uniform, and 137 goals and 500 career points in 1,128 career games over 18 years.
 

Bryan Berard
 

Bryan Berard was the first of two defencemen that the Ottawa Senators took first overall in the 1990’s, except Berard never actually played a game for the Senators during his 10-year career. Berard was traded to the New York Islanders in 1996 in a three-team deal including the Toronto Maple Leafs that also saw the rights of Wade Redden, Martin Straka, Ken Belanger, Kirk Muller, Don Beaupre and Damian Rhodes move between the three teams.
 

Chris Phillips
 

Chris Phillips was taken first overall by the Senators the following year and he went on to play every single game of his 17-year career in a Senators jersey. Phillips became a fan favourite over his career and remains a fan favourite to this day. During his career he tallied 71 goals and 288 points in 1,179 games and picked up 756 penalty minutes over that span.
 

Erik Johnson


Erik Johnson was taken first overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft but he only played two and a half years in a Blues uniform. Johnson was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche in 2010-11 and has been there ever since. Johnson tallied 20 goals and 91 points in 203 games with the Blues, and has scored 60 goals and 213 points in 577 games with the Avs.
 

Aaron Ekblad
 

The Florida Panthers also land on this list twice as they selected Aaron Ekblad first overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Ekblad was on pace for a career-year last year before his injury after setting a career-high in points in 2019-20. In 493 games Ekblad has scored 82 goals and 234 points, and has quickly become a key piece of the Panthers’ recent success.
 

Rasmus Dahlin
 

The Buffalo Sabres were the last team to take a defencemen first overall with their selection of Rasmus Dahlin in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, and they did it again on Friday with their selection of Owen Power. Dahlin has played 197 games over three seasons and has scored 18 goals and 107 points in that span.