History of the Second Overall Pick

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When the Carolina Hurricanes approach the NHL Draft stage at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday, June 22, they'll be prepared to make the second overall pick for the first time since 2003.
The Hurricanes have made three previous second overall selections in franchise history.

Sylvain Turgeon (1983)
Following their fourth season in the NHL, the Hartford Whalers owned the second overall pick in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft and with it they selected Turgeon. The Canadian winger scored 40 goals in his rookie season, 31 in his sophomore campaign and a career-high 45 in his third season for a total of 116 in his first 216 NHL games. He was very nearly a point-per-game producer in that stretch, too, with 213 points in his first three seasons.
Chris Pronger (1993)
Though he only played in two seasons with the Whalers, Pronger established himself as one of the most dominant blue-liners of his generation. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015 following a storied, 18-season career. In 1,167 regular-season games with five teams, Pronger totaled 698 points (157g, 541a), a plus-183 rating and 1,590 penalty minutes. He also played in 173 playoffs games - appearing in the postseason for 15 consecutive seasons - and recorded 121 points (26g, 95a). He finally captured the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, and he appeared in the Final on two other occasions, including 2006 with the Edmonton Oilers. In 1999-2000, Pronger won the Hart and Norris trophies. In addition to being the most recent defenseman to win the Hart Trophy, he's also one of only two defensemen (Bobby Orr is the other) to win both the Hart and Norris in the same season.
Eric Staal (2003)
After finishing 30th in the league in the 2002-03 season, the Hurricanes had best odds to win the first overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Unlike this year, the draft lottery didn't favor the Canes in 2003, as the Florida Panthers jumped up from four to one (and then traded the pick to Pittsburgh).
Despite that, the Hurricanes still got the player they wanted, selecting Staal second overall.
"We liked Eric Staal because he was a big play guy. He continued to do that in the pros," recalled Canes Director of Amateur Scouting Tony MacDonald. "Eric turned out to be an impact guy for the Hurricanes, winning a Stanley Cup at a young age."

What Staal did over the next 12 seasons was establish himself as one of the best players in Hurricanes franchise history. Staal is the team's all-time leader during its North Carolina history (since 1997) in games played (909), goals (322), assists (453), points (775), hat tricks (13), penalty minutes (674), power-play goals (105), shorthanded goals (16) and game-winning goals (47). In franchise history, Staal ranks second only to Ron Francis in goals, assists, points and power-play goals, and he holds franchise records for shorthanded goals and hat tricks. He is the franchise's all-time leader in playoff scoring (43 points), and he paced the team with 28 points (9g, 19a) during the 2006 playoffs, which resulted in the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship.
"Eric was a character guy and a captain for us. It was the same in Peterborough. It wasn't a real tough decision for us. We kicked it around for a long time and looked at other alternatives, but in the end, it was the character and the fact that he was a player who came through in the clutch," MacDonald said. "I think he's proven to continue to do that to this day."
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It's not hyperbole to say that a second overall draft pick could change the course of a team. Take the last two years, for instance.
Nolan Patrick (2017)
Patrick recorded 13 goals and 17 assists (30 points) in his rookie season with the Philadelphia Flyers, helping the team return to the playoffs after it failed to do so the season prior.
Patrik Laine (2016)
Laine was one of three Calder Trophy finalists in the 2016-17 season after he scored 36 goals and totaled 64 points in his rookie season with the Winnipeg Jets. In the 2017-18 season, he recorded 44 goals and 26 assists (70 points) and helped lead the Winnipeg Jets to the playoffs. In the postseason, he notched 12 points (5g, 7a) in 17 games, as the Jets fell in the Western Conference Final.
Let's go back further to the last 10 years.
Jack Eichel (2015)
In his three seasons in the league, Eichel has totaled 73 goals and 104 assists (177 points) in 209 games with the Buffalo Sabres.
Aleksander Barkov (2013)
Barkov has played five seasons with the Florida Panthers and has amassed 100 goals and 149 assists (249 points) in 331 games.
Gabriel Landeskog (2011)
Landeskog won the Calder Trophy after his rookie season in 2011-12, in which he netted 22 goals and registered 30 assists (52 points). Landeskog, who has served the captain of the Colorado Avalanche since the 2012-13 season, has added 11 points (7g, 4a) in 13 career postseason games with the Avs.
Tyler Seguin (2010)
Seguin played three seasons with the Boston Bruins before being traded to the Dallas Stars, where he has thrived in his last five seasons. He breached the 30-goal mark in three consecutive seasons from 2013-16, and he tallied a career-high 40 goals in the 2017-18 campaign. Seguin has amassed 229 goals and 276 assists (505 points) in 590 games.
Victor Hedman (2009)
Over the course of his nine seasons in the NHL, Hedman has established himself as one of the game's premier defensemen. He has been named a Norris Trophy finalist for two straight seasons. In 626 games, Hedman has tallied 364 points (82g, 282a) and a plus-65 rating.
Drew Doughty (2008)
Of his 10 seasons in the league, Doughty has played in all 82 games (or 48 in 2012-13) six times. He's also played over a season's worth of games in the postseason (84) and is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion. In 770 regular-season games, Doughty has totaled 422 points (102g, 320a). He's been nominated for the Norris Trophy four times and won it once (2015-16).
The list goes on.
Jordan Staal (2006), Bobby Ryan (2005), Evgeni Malkin (2004), Jason Spezza (2001), Daniel Sedin (1999), Patrick Marleau (1997) and
more
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"You can't do much better than two," MacDonald said. "One would've been great, but I think two puts us in a great spot. We're very excited about it."