This was the most legendary 6th round pick of all time

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Finnegan Frost
June 21, 2024 (2:45 PM)

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Its very seldom we see 6th round draft picks workout in the NHL, but Pavel Datsyuk has proven that even the latest draft selections can be legendary.

Pavel Datsyuk was originally a player that most teams didn't even bat an eye at. Selected all the back at 171st overall in 1998, most hockey enthusiasts thought Datsyuk wouldn't amount to very much. But ever since his professional debut, Pavel Datsyuk had an impact on the game of hockey and was a pioneer for modern day offence. Nicknamed "The Magic Man", his flair for high end play making capabilities and knack for scoring made him arguably one of the best players to ever play the game.

"Datsyuk started his career off strong as a depth forward on the Red Wings' 2002 Stanley Cup team. It's fitting that a future hall of famer was a disciple of that star-studded roster, because Datsyuk carried the torch throughout his 14-year NHL career. He led the Red Wings in scoring seven times, finishing with 918 points in 953 games. In the playoffs, he scored 113 in 157 games, including 23 points in 22 games during the 2008 Stanley Cup run."

Datsyuk received the distinguished honour of being part of the triple gold club in the NHL and has been rated one of the best 100 players of all time. Theres no debate that Pavel Datsyuk is easily the best player to emerge out the 6th round of the NHL draft.

Source: The Hockey Writers
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