Who was the first player ever drafted first overall in the NHL?

Garry Monahan was the first player ever selected first overall in an NHL draft.

The Montreal Canadiens chose Monahan with the first pick of the 1963 NHL Amateur Draft, held on June 5 in Montreal. That event was the NHL's first draft, making Monahan both the league's first-ever draft selection and its first first-overall pick.

The draft was created to reduce the advantage NHL clubs gained by sponsoring junior teams and informally claiming promising young players. Its aim was to give every club a more uniform opportunity to acquire emerging talent. Eligibility was limited to amateur players who would turn 17 during the relevant eligibility year.

Monahan later played 12 NHL seasons, appearing for Montreal, Detroit, Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver. He is sometimes confused with later famous first-overall selections such as Denis Potvin, Guy Lafleur or Bobby Orr, but those players were chosen in later drafts. The 1963 draft produced only 21 selections across four rounds, and just five of those players eventually played in the NHL.