In the 1995 NHL Draft, Bryan Berard was the top pick, but the class’s identity was forged by Jarome Iginla (#11) and Shane Doan (#7). Both became the ultimate "heart and soul" captains for their franchises. The round also featured Radek Bonk (#3) and Wade Redden (#2), while Petr Sykora (#18) brought scoring touch. Later rounds produced elite goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff (116th) and Marc Savard (91st). Overall, 1995 was the "Character Class." It populated the league with gritty, high-compete leaders who defined the physical nature of hockey in the late 90s and early 2000s, producing several Hall of Famers.
Career earnings of players picked in the first round of the 1995 NHL entry draft:
| Player | Pos. | Pick # | Drafted by | Career Earnings |
Rank | Career Earnings In today's $ |
Rank |
| Bryan Berard | D | 1 | Ottawa Senators | $14,635,000 | 1072 | $26,021,677 | 942 |
| Wade Redden | D | 2 | New York Islanders | $69,077,456 | 129 | $109,529,752 | 86 |
| Aki-Petteri Berg | D | 3 | Los Angeles Kings | $8,291,391 | 1521 | $15,412,214 | 1343 |
| Chad Kilger | LW | 4 | Anaheim Ducks | $9,675,930 | 1393 | $17,682,522 | 1230 |
| Daymond Langkow | C | 5 | Tampa Bay Lightning | $36,726,000 | 477 | $59,598,844 | 351 |
| Steve Kelly | C | 6 | Edmonton Oilers | $3,318,077 | 2389 | $6,304,466 | 2192 |
| Shane Doan | RW | 7 | Winnipeg Jets | $64,985,463 | 159 | $99,451,833 | 120 |
| Terry Ryan | LW | 8 | Montreal Canadiens | $499,436 | 4706 | $991,156 | 4435 |
| Kyle McLaren | D | 9 | Boston Bruins | $17,720,000 | 942 | $31,501,383 | 802 |
| Radek Dvorak | RW | 10 | Florida Panthers | $21,716,122 | 812 | $36,632,059 | 702 |
| Jarome Iginla | RW | 11 | Dallas Stars | $95,122,561 | 44 | $147,189,998 | 28 |
| Jean-Sebastien Giguere | G | 13 | Hartford Whalers | $42,433,929 | 386 | $66,480,161 | 301 |
| Jay McKee | D | 14 | Buffalo Sabres | $17,271,187 | 953 | $29,787,771 | 843 |
| Jeff Ware | D | 15 | Toronto Maple Leafs | $700,000 | 4291 | $1,438,381 | 4060 |
| Martin Biron | G | 16 | Buffalo Sabres | $21,123,700 | 831 | $34,049,988 | 741 |
| Brad Church | LW | 17 | Washington Capitals | $600,000 | 4458 | $1,232,898 | 4196 |
| Denis Gauthier | D | 20 | Calgary Flames | $10,406,427 | 1349 | $17,599,123 | 1239 |
| Sean Brown | D | 21 | Boston Bruins | $3,483,017 | 2343 | $6,344,745 | 2183 |
| Brian Boucher | G | 22 | Philadelphia Flyers | $12,910,366 | 1165 | $21,763,842 | 1066 |
| Miika Elomo | C | 23 | Washington Capitals | $600,000 | 4458 | $1,232,898 | 4196 |
| Alexei Morozov | RW | 24 | Pittsburgh Penguins | $27,336,000 | 659 | $42,570,595 | 594 |
| Marc Denis | G | 25 | Colorado Avalanche | $11,586,286 | 1252 | $19,408,001 | 1144 |
| Maxim Kuznetsov | D | 26 | Detroit Red Wings | $1,575,000 | 3282 | $2,812,663 | 3190 |