With two Stanley Cup championships in the past five seasons, the Chicago Blackhawks are an excellent illustration of the value of solid drafting. The Blackhawks went from a down-and-out team to an elite franchise in large part because of their success at the draft table.

Every team has had its ups and downs since the NHL Draft began in 1963. Here's a look at the hits (and some of the misses) for the seven teams in the Central Division.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Best first-round pick: Jonathan Toews (2006) -- There is no area of the game in which Toews does not excel. He was 20 when he was named captain of the Blackhawks; at 26 he has seven 20-goal seasons, 440 points in 484 games, two Stanley Cup rings (and two Olympic gold medals), the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2010 and the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward last season. He's a terror on faceoffs (57.2 percent this season), among the NHL's best at the shootout (34-for-68 in his career) and is in the mix when discussion turns to the best player in the game today.

Their birth certificates and last names obviously say otherwise, but defenseman Luc Snuggerud and right wing Steven Spinner of Eden Prairie (Minn.) High School practically are brothers.

So much so that it wouldn't shock anyone if both were selected by the same team at the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on June 27-28.

Snuggerud and Spinner, who live 10 minutes apart in Eden Prairie, not only attended the same high school and were finalists for the state's prestigious Mr. Hockey Award, but each will attend the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the fall. They were drafted by the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League in 2012 and their rights were packaged to the Omaha Lancers in a trade Feb. 3.

They were roommates at the 2014 NHL Scouting Combine in Toronto in May, but assured NHL.com they wouldn't be sharing a room when they get to college.

Right wing Alex Tuch of the United States National Team Development Program Under-18 team was in high demand at the 2014 NHL Scouting Combine.

Tuch is the top-rated American-born skater on NHL Central Scouting's final list of the top North American skaters for the 2014 NHL Draft, and No. 12 among all skaters.

The 6-foot-3, 213-pound right-handed shot had interviews with all 30 NHL teams at the Combine. He comes off a season that saw him round out his game over the second half.

A projected two-way center with high-end offensive capability, center Dylan Larkin of the United States National Team Development Program Under-18 team is a prime candidate to be an early-round choice in the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, June 27-28.

"He's probably one of the best skaters we've had come through the program in a long time," U-18 coach Danton Cole said. "But he's also diligent; he's interested in his defensive zone. He wants to be a Steve Yzerman-type player."

Larkin, No. 17 on NHL Central Scouting's final list of the top draft-eligible skaters in North America, had 31 goals, six power-play goals and 56 points in 60 games. In 28 games against teams in the United States Hockey League, he had 17 goals and 28 points.

Six of the eight teams in the Metropolitan Division have won the Stanley Cup at least once, and the New York Rangers came close to adding a fifth championship this spring. All of the championship teams during the past 40 years have been built on a base of solid work at the NHL Draft.

Every team has had its ups and downs since the draft began in 1963. Here's a look at the draft-day hits (and some of the misses) for the eight teams in the Metropolitan Division.

If there's one lesson recent Stanley Cup winners have taught the teams trying to dethrone them, it's the value of building from within.

The core of championship teams continues to be players who are drafted and developed by that franchise.

But finding the right talent isn't easy. Every team has had its ups and downs since the draft began in 1963. Here's a look at the hits (and some of the misses) for the eight teams in the Atlantic Division on draft day:

In a country flooded with top prospects at virtually every position, make sure to remember Swedish right wing Anton Karlsson heading into the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on June 27-28.

Why?

In addition to being ranked No. 11 on NHL Central Scouting's final list of the top European skaters eligible for the 2014 draft, there's this:

"I think the scouts see a warrior in my game," Karlsson said. "I'm a big player, big size (6-foot-1, 187 pounds). I like to hit bodies and just be a pain in the [neck] for the other team."

Goran Stubb, the NHL Director of European Scouting, said he can see the warrior-type mentality that Karlsson speaks of in his game.

The bond between William Nylander and Nick Schmaltz that started taking shape eight years ago as youth hockey standouts in Chicago has led them on a similar path to the 2014 NHL Draft in Philadelphia.

In their early teens each excelled for the Chicago Mission bantam major team as linemates and continued their progression with various summer teams, including the Bauer Selects in Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana. It was a match made in hockey heaven, particularly for then-Chicago Mission coach Anders Sorenson.

"You could tell at a young age that William and Nick were special players in terms of their hockey sense, skill level and how they carried themselves," Sorenson said. "William, Nick and [Christian] Dvorak played on the same line, and there were times when they were on the ice when I found myself more of a spectator than a coach."

Not a day goes by that Michael Dal Colle doesn't consider himself fortunate to have an opportunity to do what he enjoys most: play forward for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League.

It's something he understood early in life and won't ever take for granted.

His role model is his older brother, Jonluca Dal Colle, who is autistic. His hero is his mother, Wendy Dal Colle, who seven years ago was diagnosed with breast cancer but fought the fight and has been cleared since 2009.

"My mom is a huge role model for me in my life after all she's been through, in raising her kids, a special-needs son; it's pretty powerful," Michael Dal Colle told NHL.com. "Obviously, in the back of my mind, everything I do is for her. I hope I can help her even more in the future."

Dal Colle has two siblings, Jonluca and a sister, Daniela, who played NCAA Division I hockey at Niagara University.

"Jonluca is a great guy and the other role model in my life," Dal Colle said. "He's had it hard, growing up. It's tough, but it has made us a stronger family. It makes me a better person. It's different, but I'm so used to it now and he's someone special in my life for sure; an important addition to the family."

Goalie Ville Husso of HIFK in Finland considered it a pretty humbling experience when he wasn't one of the 211 players chosen at the 2013 NHL Draft.

He only dwelled on it for about a millisecond, however. He thought the best tonic was to focus on doing whatever he could to re-establish himself as a legitimate top prospect for the 2014 draft, to be held June 27-28 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

"Not being drafted gave me so much motivation; I practiced harder and gained more speed," Husso said. "I thought I played well and took some big steps."