No. 7, Vladimir Konstantinov, 221st overall by Detroit in 1989

By 1989, Konstantinov was hardly an unknown in hockey circles, but the political climate of the time made it impossible for the burly defenseman to ply his trade in the NHL.

Many NHL teams had used late draft picks on Soviet stars during this era, hoping a thaw in the Cold War would result in those players being able to come to North America. In this case, the timing was near perfect for Detroit and Konstantinov debuted in 1991-92. Konstantinov appeared in a total of 446 regular-season games through six seasons, scoring 47 goals and 128 assists. But he was better known as an intimidating, physical presence in front of the Detroit net.

Konstantinov helped anchor the Wings' 1997 Stanley Cup championship team, but his career was tragically ended when he was paralyzed in an automobile accident shortly after the Cup was won. Today, he remains an inspiration to the Red Wings.

No. 6, Dave Taylor, 210th overall by Los Angeles in 1975

If you had told the Los Angeles Kings they would get 17 excellent seasons out of Taylor prior to the 1975 Draft, they would have used their first selection, not the 210th, on the sturdy winger.

A fixture on the "Triple Crown" line with Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer, Taylor scored 431 goals and 638 assists in 1,111 regular-season games and added an additional 26 goals and 33 assists in 92 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

A late-round selection by the Ottawa Senators in 1993, Pavol Demitra didn't give too many indications he would emerge as one of the NHL's top forwards, but the Blues are glad he turned into a legitimate scoring threat.

Denied a Stanley Cup as a player, today Taylor is trying to make that dream a reality as the general manager of the Kings.

No. 5, Pavol Demitra, 227th overall by Ottawa in 1993

It took some time, but Demitra has made his late-round selection by the Senators look really good --- for the St. Louis Blues.

In Czech league play, Demitra didn't give too many indications he would emerge as one of the NHL's top forwards, and he didn't during his early tenure in Ottawa. He scored 12 goals in 59 games with the Senators during a three-season span before being traded to St. Louis early in the 1996-97 season.

In St. Louis, Demitra blossomed. He posted career highs in assists (57) and points (93) last season and has reached or topped the 35-goal mark three times in six full seasons with the Blues.

No. 4, Brett Hull, 117th overall by Calgary in 1984

Not too many predicted Hull would be a chip off the old block back in 1984 when he became one of the draft's great bargains at 117th overall.

Brett Hull trails only Gordie Howe (801) for most career goals by a right wing. Not bad for a player chosen 117th overall by Calgary in 1984.

Today, Hull is every bit as formidable a scorer as Bobby Hull, his Hall of Fame father. Brett Hull, in fact, trails only Gordie Howe (801) for most career goals by a right wing. Hull entered the 2003-04 season with 716 goals and 606 assists in 1,183 regular-season games.

Hull has reached 70-or-more goals three times in his career, including a mind-boggling 86 goals in 1990-91 with the St. Louis Blues. He has five career seasons with 50-or-more goals and 13 seasons with 30-or-more goals.

And although he will be loathe to admit it, Hull has become a very solid two-way player in recent seasons and has been credited with helping Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg with making rapid adjustments to NHL play.