By the Numbers: When #47 Turned into a Draft-Day Steal
Every NHL draft has its stars, and every NHL draft has its footnotes. Most fans remember who went first. Fewer remember who went 47th. But that’s exactly why Draft Pick No. 47 matters.
In the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Los Angeles Kings used the 47th overall pick on Tyler Toffoli. At the time, it barely moved the needle. He wasn’t hyped as a future star. He wasn’t billed as a franchise changer. He was just another second-round pick in a deep draft. Fast forward, and that quiet moment has turned into one of the draft’s most telling storylines.
A Deep Draft, A Deeper Lesson
The 2010 class produced plenty of elite talent, especially at the top (e.g., Hall, Seguin, Niedereiter). Forty-six picks, however, came and went before Tyler Toffoli’s name was called, and many of those players never came close to matching his NHL impact. Toffoli didn’t explode onto the scene with highlight-reel speed. He earned his place the hard way—by scoring goals, understanding where to be, and doing the little things coaches notice even when fans don’t.
Longevity Isn’t an Accident
Here’s a number that matters to hockey people: 928 games played. That kind of durability doesn’t happen by luck. When you stack his career up against others drafted ahead of him in 2010, only eight have played more NHL games. That means Toffoli outlasted most of the players teams believed were safer bets. Availability is value. So is trust. Toffoli had both.
Scoring Still Separates Players
Goals are the currency of the league, and Toffoli has cashed in. With 300 NHL goals (alongside 300 NHL assists), he sits near the very top of his draft class. Even more striking: among players selected ahead of him in 2010, only four have scored more goals. That’s not a hot streak or a good season—that’s a career statement.
Winning, Adapting, Delivering
Tyler Toffoli’s career isn’t just about totals. He was part of a Stanley Cup winner in Los Angeles and later proved he could plug in anywhere and still produce. Different systems. Different roles. Same result. That’s the mark of a pro.
Why a Draft Pick No. 47 Belongs in the Conversation
This is why the 2010 NHL Draft Pick No. 47 fits perfectly in hockey conversations. It’s not abstract. It’s practical. Draft slot versus performance. Expectation versus outcome. Tyler Toffoli didn’t rewrite the rules—he exposed how unreliable they can be.
And for the teams that passed on him? The math is simple. They missed their chance.