2020 NHL Draft Top 10: Where Are They Now? – Hockey Writers – NHL Entry Draft

The 2020 NHL Entry Draft was the first of two drafts held during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, five years later, we can examine the top ten picks in that draft and see how they’ve improved.

Alexis Lafrenière: New York Rangers

Due to the chaos of a shortened COVID-19 season, the New York Rangers won the draft lottery despite nearly making the playoffs. With the first overall pick, they selected Alexis Lafrenière, a 6-foot-2 winger who had amassed an incredible 112 points in 52 games in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). With numbers like that, expectations were very high.

But over the next five years, Lafrenière’s NHL career was more difficult. After a slow rookie campaign of 21 points in 56 games, he finally broke out in 2023-24, posting 28 goals and 57 points in a full slate of 82 games. He excelled in the playoffs, adding 14 points in 16 games as the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference finals before being eliminated. That performance earned him a hefty $7.45 million contract, which runs through the 2031-32 season. While 2024-25 was a down year – not just for Lafrenière, but for the team – he bounced back with 24 goals and 57 points in 82 games in 2025-26.

Quinton Byfield: Kings of Los Angeles

A few years ago, many were calling Quinton Byfield a bust. But standing at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds at the time of writing, Byfield was a force in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), putting up 82 points in 45 games with the Sudbury Wolves. He followed that up with a strong season in the minors after being selected second overall.

However, his first NHL career was rocky, with five goals and five assists in 45 games during the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Kings. His struggles continued the following year, as he was able to score only three goals and 21 points in 53 games, as his injury again hampered him. But like Lafrenière, Byfield finally broke through in 2023-24, scoring 20 goals and 55 points in 80 games, establishing himself as a legitimate force up front. He followed that up with another solid campaign in 2024-25 of 23 goals and 54 points, cementing his place as one of the NHL’s top players, poised to thrive in the next decade.

Tim Stutzle: Ottawa Senators

In September 2018, everyone was laughing about the return of the Ottawa Senators in the Erik Karlsson trade. Now, the joke is on the San Jose Sharks, who gave up a 2020 first-round pick for Tim Stützle. The Viersen, Germany native impressed in the Deutsche Eishockey League (DEL) with 34 points in 41 games for the Mannheim Eagles, showing his ability to play at an elite level, though scouts wondered if his skills would translate from the slow-moving DEL to the NHL.

It turns out that Stützle, the third overall pick, not only made it but also made it to the NHL. With a career-high 90 points in 78 games in the 2022-23 season, he has become the face of the Senators franchise and is being paid accordingly, although his $8.35 million hit through the 2030-31 season already looks like a lot of money. Stützle is a powerful passer, carries a lethal image, and is not afraid to be physical when needed. He’s the top player coming out of the 2020 class, and he’s still improving.

Lucas Raymond: Detroit Red Wings

Lucas Raymond is currently the best player on the Detroit Red Wings, which is saying a lot. He scored a career-high 80 points in 82 games in 2024-25, and is only 24 years old. The ceiling is very high for the fourth overall pick, who continues to turn into a dynamic offensive force for general manager Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings. With his skill, vision, and high hockey IQ, this was a great pick. Raymond is well on his way to being part of the chamber in rebuilding Detroit.

Jake Sanderson: Ottawa Senators

With their second pick in the top five, the Senators focused on defense and nailed it with Jake Sanderson. One of the few NHL players to come out of Montana, Sanderson honed his game for two seasons at the University of North Dakota before making the jump to the NHL. After a couple of solid 30-point campaigns, he broke through in 2024-25 with 57 points in 80 games from the blue line. A strong physical presence who plays with discipline, Sanderson also earned a spot on Team USA in the Four Nations Face-Off as an extra defender. Now a legitimate contender for the Norris Trophy, he is poised to be one of the league’s top defensemen for years to come.

Jamie Drysdale: Anaheim Ducks

I had high expectations for Jamie Drysdale when he was with the Erie Otters of the OHL. He was a smooth defenseman who moved the puck well and played solid defense, which is why he was selected sixth overall. With the Ducks, he impressed early with a strong 32-point season in 2021-22 before injuries began to derail his development.

Midway through the 2023-24 season, Drysdale was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Cutter Gauthier. Despite the change in position, he has yet to match the numbers of his rookie campaign. Now under contract with the Flyers, Drysdale is looking to get his career back on track and live up to the potential he once displayed.

Alexander Holtz: New Jersey Devils

Unfortunately, Alexander Holtz is a perfect example of the poor treatment of players by the Devils organization. Under head coach Lindy Ruff, Holtz was never used properly and was constantly torn between the NHL and the American Hockey League. While he has consistently performed well in the minors, he has never been given a stable role in the NHL.

Rookie mistakes often led to immediate dismissals, highlighting how mismanagement can stunt a young player’s development. Holtz ended up recording a career high 16 goals and 28 points but was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for a modest return in time for the 2024 season. He’s now a top-six power hitter, but that’s a far cry from what you hope to get with the seventh overall pick.

Jack Quinn: Buffalo Sabres

Jack Quinn isn’t the flashiest or most talented player, but he plays a reliable, unprecedented middle-six role for the Buffalo Sabres, and he does it well. With a career high of 20 goals and 51 points this season, Quinn has the potential to reach the 25 goal and 60 point mark in his debut.

While that may fall short of expectations for the eighth overall pick, the Ottawa native has still carved out a solid role for himself and continues to be a reliable presence on Buffalo’s roster.

Marco Rossi: Minnesota Wild

A rare Austrian presence in the NHL, Marco Rossi broke out in 2024-25 with 24 goals and 60 points in 82 games for the Minnesota Wild. Although he is undersized, he does it with great skill and creativity. Rossi has proven himself to be a legitimate NHL talent and looks poised to continue developing into the perfect complement to Kirill Kaprizov on Minnesota’s top line. It’s obvious why the Wild selected him with the ninth overall pick.

Cole Perfetti: Winnipeg Jets

Cole Perfetti is like Quinn, but he’s more annoying. With a career high of 50 points in 2024-25, he has established himself as a reliable second-line center who consistently gets the job done. While he may never surpass the 60-point mark, Perfetti remains a solid and respectable pick at 10th overall, bringing steady production and reliability to the Jets system.

2020 NHL Draft Class Still Producing Stars

The 2020 draft class was full of future stars selected in the top ten. Most of these players remain in their first teams, few are transferred. First-round standouts beyond the top 10 include Seth Jarvis (13th overall), Dawson Mercer (18th), and Braeden Schneider (19th). The second round also produced key contributors like JJ Peterka, Brock Faber, and Will Cuylle.

While the third and fourth rounds didn’t produce many NHL regulars, players like Alexis Lafreniere (not to be confused with Alexis Lafreniere), Wyatt Kaiser, and Mikael Pyyhtia made their mark. The later rounds saw players like Devon Levi, Nils Aman, and Matt Kessel, all of whom logged solid NHL minutes early in their careers. This was a deep draft, especially in the first round, and promises to continue producing NHL stars for years to come.