When the lottery balls bounced the Toronto Maple Leafs way after a disappointing 2025-26 NHL season, they were finally rewarded with one of the rare gems in the league, which is owning the first overall pick at the NHL Entry Draft. Having the No. 1 pick can be vital to any franchise looking to fortify their contention status, or to turn around their fortunes to make them legitimate contenders once again. In the case for the Maple Leafs, they definitely hope that it will serve to push them back into the playoff mix as early as next season.
So how many times have the Leafs actually had the first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft, and did they end up helping the organization to much success? Here, we will take a look at all of the No. 1 picks by Toronto in the history of the franchise.
All of the first overall picks by the Maple Leafs in the NHL Draft history
1985 – Wendel Clark
Having missed the playoffs in three of their previous four seasons while bottoming out during their 1984-85 campaign, the Maple Leafs headed into the 1985 NHL Draft with the first overall pick for the first time in franchise history. With the pick, the Leafs selected future team captain Wendel Clark. Although Clark didn’t end up being the absolute saviour of the Maple Leafs, he sure became one of the most popular Leafs of all time due to his play on the ice. The electric winger’s gritty and aggressive style of play, hitting everything in his path while dropping the gloves to stick up for his teammates quickly made him a fan favourite in no time.
In addition, it wasn’t just his physical play that stood out as Clark also possesses a wicked wrist shot that enabled him to easily pot 30+ goals a season whenever he was healthy. However, staying healthy was the main issue with the Leafs winger as he only played more than 66 games in a season just ONCE in his career, which was during the 1986-87 season with Toronto in which he suited up for a whopping 80 games. Because of his over-aggressive style of play, Clark was often out of the lineup with ailments from time to time throughout his career.
Nevertheless, Toronto still loved him so much that he actually ended up having three stints with the team by the time he hung up his skates. Clark topped 30 goals on four occasions, while helping the Leafs reach the playoffs in another seven occasions over his 13 years with the organization. On top of that, one has to remember that he was vital in bringing future Leafs superstar Mats Sundin to Toronto when Clark was part of the huge package that was sent to the Quebec Nordiques to acquire the star Swede.
Overall, looking back at the 1985 draft class, other than Joe Nieuwendyk, the Leafs didn’t really miss out big time on any future star in the process. And if it makes fans feel better, at least Nieuwendyk did also become a Leaf for one season later in his twilight of his career. Nevertheless, Clark would finish with 330 goals, 234 assists and 564 points along with 1690 PIMs in 793 career games with the Maple Leafs and is still considered a solid pick by Toronto at the time.
2016 – Auston Matthews
Who could forget the pick by the Leafs in 2016 that changed this generation of hockey for Toronto in Auston Matthews. After missing the playoffs in 10 of their previous 11 seasons at the time, the selection of Matthews instantly transformed the Maple Leafs back into legitimate contenders in no time. Toronto would go on to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the seasons that he has played, other than of course this past year.
More importantly, Matthews had been a dominant force for the Leafs whenever he has stepped on the ice. In fact, he just might be considered the greatest Maple Leafs scorer of all time after passing Sundin to take over first place overall in franchise history with 428 goals and counting. On top of that, Matthews has produced nine seasons of 30+ goals and 60+ points while winning the Maurice Richard Trophy three times, the Calder Trophy, the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award along the way.
To date, the 28-year-old star center has produced 428 goals, 352 assists for a total of 780 points in just 689 games played with the Maple Leafs. More importantly, Matthews has been praised for his two-way game, along with playing in all situations nowadays. Especially with Mitch Marner gone, Matthews is ultimately the face of the franchise for the Leafs.
Looking back at the 2016 NHL Draft, Matthews should still be the unanimous No. 1 pick among his draft class, so Toronto did not make any mistake in selecting the superstar. The current Leafs captain should continue to smash franchise records as long as he remains a Maple Leaf. However, there is a potential level of uncertainty of his future with the club as it will now depend on the outlook of the team going forward. Nevertheless, whether Matthews ends up staying with the organization for life or eventually moves on, he has surely made his mark with the franchise, one that no one will ever forget.
2026 - ???
Yes, you read that right, the Leafs have only had the first overall pick just twice in franchise history. So it sure doesn’t come too often, so they better make this one count. But given the success that they had already from their first two instances, it should bode well for Toronto in making the right selection once again this time around. Whether it be Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, or even a surprise candidate, they should end up being a difference maker for the club going forward.
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