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Top 10 players chosen 12th overall this century ahead of Rangers pick in 2025 NHL Draft
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- Top 10 players chosen 12th overall this century ahead of Rangers pick in 2025 NHL Draft
Jim Cerny
The No. 12 overall pick in the NHL Draft belongs to the New York Rangers this year, and although it may not carry the same hype as a top-three selection, history shows players selected at that slot often have productive careers.
Still, the pick hasn't always brought glory. For New York Ranger fans, the name Hugh Jessiman may ring a bell. Drafted 12th overall in 2003, Jessiman never played a single game for the Blueshirts and is often labeled as one of the biggest first-round busts in franchise history.
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That unpredictability is what makes picks in this range so interesting. A selection just outside the top 10 can bring just as much reward or regret, depending on scouting, development, and maybe just a little bit of luck.
Now, with the Rangers once again holding the No. 12 pick in this year's draft, it's the perfect time to look back at some of the biggest hits taken 12th overall since 2000.
Related: Why Rangers have love/hate relationship with No. 12 pick ahead of 2025 NHL Draft
*This list is not ranked by best to worst. Players are listed in chronological order based on their draft year.
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Marc Staal — New York Rangers — 2005
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Marc Staal was selected 12th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2005 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut October 4, 2007 against the Florida Panthers and stayed in the NHL for the remained of his 17 year career.
Staal played 13 seasons with the Rangers, appearing in 892 regular-season games and totaling 188 points. He reached a career-high 29 points in 2010-11 and played in a top-four defensive role throughout his tenure in New York. Staal played over 23 minutes per game during multiple seasons and appeared in 72 or more games seven times for the Rangers. He ranks fourth all-time in games played by a Rangers defensemen.
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Staal was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 2020 and spent two seasons with the organization. He reached a career milestone, his 1,000th NHL game on March 12, 2022. Staal signed with the Florida Panthers in 2022 and played all 82 games during their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2023. His final season was spent in Philadelphia with the Flyers. He officially retired in September 2024 and joined the Rangers as a player development assistant.
Over his career, Staal played in 1,136 regular-season games, racking up 53 goals, 181 assists, and 234 points, with a +52 plus-minus rating. Staal added 107 postseason games to his resume, helping the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 and the Panthers in 2023.
Bryan Little — Atlanta Thrashers — 2006
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Bryan Little was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2006 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in October 5, 2007, and scored in his first game — becoming the first Thrashers player to do so. In his second season, Little broke out with 31 goals and 51 points, earning a spot in the 2009 NHL YoungStars Game.
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Following the team's relocation to Winnipeg in 2011, Little remained a key piece of the Jets organization. He reached the 20-goal mark five times and recorded a career-high 64 points in 2013-14. Little averaged over 17 minutes of ice time per game and was a regular on both the power play and penalty kill units.
Little finished his career in 2020 ranked second in Thrashers/Jets history in games played (834), third in assists (304), and fourth in points (521). He also played in every single one of the Jets' first 27 playoff games, tallying 12 points. He was a two-time Dan Snyder Memorial Award recipient, which recognizes a Winnipeg Jet who "best embodies perseverance, dedication and hard work without reward or recognition, so that his team and teammates might succeed."
Ryan McDonough — Montreal Canadiens — 2007
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Ryan McDonagh was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2007 NHL Draft and was traded to the Rangers in 2009 before making his NHL debut in 2011. He suited up for 40 games as a rookie, scoring one goal and eight points with a plus-16 rating.
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Over the next seven seasons, McDonagh became a staple on New York's blue line. He notched a career-high 43 points in 2013-14 and was Rangers captain from 2014 to 2018. "Mac Truck" played in 516 regular-season games for New York, typically in a top-pair role. He recorded 238 points and a +146 rating during his Rangers tenure and played in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
McDonagh was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning ahead of the 2018 deadline and instantly became part of their core. He helped the Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021. McDonagh has appeared in a total of 196 playoff games, recording 68 points and averaging over 24 minutes per game.
After a trade to the Nashville Predators in 2022, McDonagh was reacquired by Tampa Bay in 2024. He reached the 1,000-game milestone on March 27, 2025. Through the 2024-25 season, McDonagh has played in 1,010 regular-season games, with 80 goals, 340 assists, and 420 points. He has appeared in two NHL All-Star Games (2016, 2017).
Tyler Myers — Buffalo Sabres — 2008
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Tyler Myers was chosen by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Draft. He made his debut in 2009-10 and won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, when he scored 11 goals, had 48 points and played all 82 games. He led all rookies in TOI (23:44 per game) and assist (37)s, and led Sabres defensemen in goals, assists, points, and blocked shots.
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Myers led Buffalo defensemen in scoring again in 2010-11 with 37 points, and tied for the team lead in game-winning goals with five. Injuries limited his availability the next season, but he stayed prominent on the Sabres' blue line through the 2014-15 season. He was traded to the Jets on February 11, 2015, in a multi-player deal that included Evander Kane .
Myers tallied 15 points in 24 games, helping the Jets reach the postseason after getting traded. He led the team in ice time during their 2015 series against the Anaheim Ducks , averaging 24:23 per game. Myers played five seasons with the Jets and recorded a 36-point season in 2017-18, once again playing in all 82 games.
On July 1, 2019, Myers agreed to a five-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks . He played 82 games in his inaugural season with the team, and was a regular contributorat both ends od the rink. In 2023-24, he helped Vancouver return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After the conclusion of the season, Myers signed a three-year extension with the Canucks in June 2023 and played in his 1,000th NHL game on October 19, 2024.
So far, Myers has played 1,066 regular-season games in the NHL, recording 99 goals, 296 assists, and 395 points. he also played in 61 playoff games, adding 16 points.
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Calvin de Haan — New York Islanders — 2009
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Calvin de Haan was selected 12th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2009 NHL Draft after they traded up twice to acquire him. He made his NHL debut Dec. 15, 2011, but it wasn't until the 2013-14 season that he became a regular in the Islanders lineup. That season, he appeared in 51 games and recorded 16 points, averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per game. Over five seasons with the Islanders, de Haan established himself as a solid defensive defenseman.
In 2018, he signed a four-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes as a free agent. De Haan played just one season in Carolina before he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in June 2019. In three years with Chichago, de Haan played 142 games.
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He returned to the Hurricanes for the 2022-23 season, then signed one-year deals with Tampa Bay (2023-24) and Colorado (2024-25). On March 1, 2025, de Haan was traded to the Rangers . He played only three games and was a healthy scratch the rest of the season.
The 34-year-old has played 679 regular-season games, with 24 goals and 149 points, along with 39 playoff appearances.
Cam Fowler — Anaheim Ducks — 2010
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Cam Fowler became the fourth straight quality defenseman selected 12th overall when the Anaheim Ducks snagged him in the 2010 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut at age 18 on Oct. 8, 2010, and scored his first NHL goal the following night. Fowler played 76 games as a rookie and led all defensemen in his draft class in games played, and finished second among rookie defensemen with 40 points. He's the youngest defensemen in NHL history to score a power-play goal in three consecutive games and remains the only Ducks rookie defensemen to record 10 goals and 40 points in a season.
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Fowler reached a career high with 48 points in 2021-22 and posted double-digit goals in three separate seasons. On Nov. 4, 2018, he recorded his first NHL hat trick in an overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets . Fowler played in his 1,000th NHL game on Dec. 31, 2024, becoming the first player in NHL history to do so during an outdoor game — which was played at Wrigley Field.
He was traded to the St. Louis Blues just weeks earlier, ending a 15-season tenure with the Ducks during which he became the franchise's longest -tenured player and ranked second all-time in games played behind Ryan Getzlaf .
The 33-year-old has 105 goals, 388 assists , and 493 pints in 1,042 NHL games. He also was selected to the NHL All-Star Game in 2017 and represented the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Max Domi — Phoenix Coyotes — 2013
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Max Domi was selected 12th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2013 NHL Draft and made his debut on Oct. 9, 2015. He finished third among rookies in scoring during the 2015-16 season with 52 points in 81 games. Domi played three seasons in Phoenix before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2018.
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In his first season with Montreal, the son of popular Rangers alum Tie Domi tallied career highs in goals (28), assists (44), and points (72), leading the Canadiens in scoring and finishing with a plus-20 rating. He totaled 153 games over two seasons with the Canadiens before he was traded to the Blue Jackets in 2020. Domi played two seasons there, generating 56 points across 107 games.
In March 2022, Domi was traded to the Hurricanes as part of a three-team deal. He later signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2022-23 season, where he tallied 49 points in 60 games. Domi was traded to the Dallas Stars before the 2023 trade deadline and recorded 13 points in the 19 regular-season games with them. Domi added another 13 points in the Stars' run to the Western Conference Final that year.
On July 3, 2023, Domi signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs and ended with 47 points over the 80 games he played. He then signed a four-year extension with Toronto in June 2024 and followed it up with a 33-point season, Through 735 regular-season games in the NHL, Domi has 450 points and 706 penalty minutes as an agitating two-way forward.
Martin Necas — Carolina Hurricanes — 2017
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Martin Necas was selected No. 12 by the Hurricanes in the 2017 NHL Draft and became a full-time player in the League during the 2019-20 season. In his first full year, Necas recorded 36 points in 64 games. He set a career high in 2022-23 with 71 points, but dropped to 53 points in 2023-24. He added nine points in the Hurricanes' playoff run that spring which was halted by the Rangers in the second round.
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Necas signed a two-year, $13 million contract extension with Carolina on July 29, 2024. In the first half of the 2024-25 season, Necas led the NHL with 22 points in November and was named the League's First Star of the Month . However, the 26-year-old was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on January 24, 2025, in a three-team deal that included the Blackhawks and sent forwards Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall to Carolina. He scored 27 goals this past season and has 20 or more in each of the past three seasons.
About to enter his seventh full NHL season, Necas has 124 goals, 202 assists and 326 points in 442 games. He's also played 66 playoff games, totaling 35 points on 12 goals and 23 assists.
Noah Dobson — New York Islanders — 2018
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Noah Dobson was picked by the Islanders in the 2018 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 2019. The skilled defenseman scored his first NHL goal Jan. 14, 2020, and assumed a full-time role on the Islanders in 2020-21.
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Dobson broke out with 51 points in 80 games during the 2021-22 season and exploded into stardom with 60 assists and 70 points two years later. However, he dipped badly this past season with a disappointing 39 points in 71 games.
The 25-year-old has 230 points in 388 regular-season games with the Islanders, including 83 on the power play. In postseason play, Dobson has appeared in 31 games across four seasons, contributing 10 assists.
Matthew Boldy — Minnesota Wild — 2019
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Matthew Boldy was selected 12th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2019 NHL Draft. After recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the 2021 preseason, he made his NHL debut on Jan. 6, 2022, scoring a goal in a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins . The skilled forward finished his rookie season with 39 points in 47 games and a plus-17 rating.
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In 2022-23, Boldy scored 31 goals and signed a seven-year, $49 million contract extension midseason. He followed with back-to-back strong seasons, posting 69 and 73 points over the next two years. Through four NHL seasons, Boldy has appeared in 285 regular-season games, notching 102 goals and 142 assists, with 82 power-play points and 24 game-winning goals.
Boldy's 2025 playoff performance marked a turning point in his career. He scored five goals and added two assists in the Wild's six-game series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights . Boldy found himself playing over 25 minutes per night, assuming a larger role, and delivering. With a growing role and elevated expectations, the 24-year-old has emerged as a young star in the NHL.
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