In the 2014 NHL Draft, Aaron Ekblad went #1, but Leon Draisaitl (#3) became the class’s most productive player. The first round featured Sam Reinhart (#2), Sam Bennett (#4), and William Nylander (#8). Nikolaj Ehlers (#9) and David Pastrnak (#25) brought elite European skill. Later, Brayden Point was stolen at 79th, and Igor Shesterkin went 118th. Overall, 2014 was a draft that prioritized speed and transitional play. It produced one of the greatest German players in history and several of the league's most dangerous wingers, while also finding an elite franchise goaltender.
Career earnings of players picked in the first round of the 2014 NHL entry draft.
| Player | Pos. | Pick # | Drafted by | Career Earnings |
Rank | Career Earnings In today's $ |
Rank |
| Aaron Ekblad | D | 1 | Florida Panthers | $70,675,000 | 123 | $83,202,367 | 188 |
| Sam Reinhart | C | 2 | Buffalo Sabres | $55,682,500 | 231 | $62,286,904 | 333 |
| Leon Draisaitl | C | 3 | Edmonton Oilers | $87,275,000 | 62 | $101,203,592 | 113 |
| Sam Bennett | C | 4 | Calgary Flames | $39,675,000 | 430 | $44,520,359 | 560 |
| Michael Dal Colle | LW | 5 | New York Islanders | $2,232,500 | 2858 | $2,822,730 | 3182 |
| Jake Virtanen | RW | 6 | Vancouver Canucks | $9,357,500 | 1415 | $11,687,665 | 1577 |
| Haydn Fleury | D | 7 | Carolina Hurricanes | $8,415,000 | 1507 | $9,827,603 | 1738 |
| William Nylander | C/RW | 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | $70,557,500 | 124 | $79,908,918 | 203 |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | LW | 9 | Winnipeg Jets | $54,682,500 | 241 | $62,497,526 | 331 |
| Nick Ritchie | LW | 10 | Anaheim Ducks | $11,357,500 | 1259 | $13,788,151 | 1429 |
| Kevin Fiala | LW | 11 | Nashville Predators | $44,890,000 | 346 | $49,230,504 | 483 |
| Brendan Perlini | LW | 12 | Arizona Coyotes | $3,140,162 | 2438 | $4,017,437 | 2708 |
| Jakub Vrana | LW/RW | 13 | Washington Capitals | $24,890,000 | 721 | $28,872,133 | 864 |
| Julius Honka | D | 14 | Dallas Stars | $3,290,000 | 2396 | $4,277,041 | 2635 |
| Dylan Larkin | C | 15 | Detroit Red Wings | $64,275,000 | 163 | $72,807,799 | 252 |
| Sonny Milano | LW | 16 | Columbus Blue Jackets | $12,389,125 | 1198 | $14,112,107 | 1406 |
| Travis Sanheim | D | 17 | Philadelphia Flyers | $41,890,000 | 394 | $46,022,998 | 528 |
| Alex Tuch | RW | 18 | Minnesota Wild | $36,025,000 | 494 | $41,083,353 | 619 |
| Tony DeAngelo | D | 19 | Tampa Bay Lightning | $21,537,428 | 820 | $24,513,507 | 980 |
| Nick Schmaltz | C | 20 | Chicago Blackhawks | $43,725,000 | 369 | $48,369,436 | 493 |
| Robby Fabbri | C | 21 | St. Louis Blues | $22,407,500 | 794 | $25,806,209 | 950 |
| Kasperi Kapanen | RW | 22 | Pittsburgh Penguins | $19,965,000 | 855 | $23,290,597 | 1021 |
| Jared McCann | C | 24 | Vancouver Canucks | $30,887,500 | 584 | $34,418,869 | 733 |
| David Pastrnak | RW | 25 | Boston Bruins | $80,350,000 | 85 | $91,582,575 | 150 |
| Nikita Scherbak | RW | 26 | Montreal Canadiens | $1,665,000 | 3216 | $2,163,141 | 3531 |
| Nikolay Goldobin | RW | 27 | San Jose Sharks | $5,208,915 | 1928 | $6,244,542 | 2205 |
| Josh Ho-Sang | C/RW | 28 | New York Islanders | $1,602,500 | 3259 | $2,054,626 | 3574 |
| Adrian Kempe | LW | 29 | Los Angeles Kings | $29,757,500 | 601 | $32,649,734 | 775 |
| John Quenneville | C | 30 | New Jersey Devils | $800,000 | 4101 | $996,291 | 4426 |