The 2019 NHL Draft was headlined by Jack Hughes at #1, followed by Kaapo Kakko (#2). The first round was deep with mobile, high-IQ players like Bowen Byram (#4) and Moritz Seider (#6). Trevor Zegras (#9) and Cole Caufield (#15) brought highlight-reel flash, while Matt Boldy (#12) provided size and skill. Second-rounders like Shane Pinto (32nd) also made an impact. Overall, 2019 was a draft of "dynamic" talents. It focused on players with elite processing speed and puck skills, reflecting a league where smaller, faster players can dominate if they have the necessary vision.
Career earnings of players picked in the first round of the 2019 NHL entry draft.
| Player | Pos. | Pick # | Drafted by | Career Earnings |
Rank | Career Earnings In today's $ |
Rank |
| Jack Hughes | C | 1 | New Jersey Devils | $37,275,000 | 464 | $39,552,319 | 646 |
| Kaapo Kakko | RW | 2 | New York Rangers | $13,900,000 | 1108 | $14,929,625 | 1366 |
| Kirby Dach | C | 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | $16,225,000 | 1001 | $17,435,945 | 1247 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 4 | Colorado Avalanche | $16,632,500 | 977 | $17,423,313 | 1248 |
| Alex Turcotte | C | 5 | Los Angeles Kings | $1,550,000 | 3301 | $1,571,246 | 3962 |
| Moritz Seider | D | 6 | Detroit Red Wings | $19,690,000 | 865 | $20,231,773 | 1118 |
| Dylan Cozens | C | 7 | Buffalo Sabres | $23,982,500 | 742 | $25,073,504 | 967 |
| Philip Broberg | D | 8 | Edmonton Oilers | $11,751,834 | 1239 | $12,184,795 | 1528 |
| Trevor Zegras | C | 9 | Anaheim Ducks | $20,025,000 | 853 | $21,010,370 | 1089 |
| Vasily Podkolzin | RW | 10 | Vancouver Canucks | $4,775,000 | 2025 | $5,124,489 | 2421 |
| Victor Soderstrom | D | 11 | Arizona Coyotes | $2,440,000 | 2748 | $2,572,275 | 3316 |
| Matthew Boldy | LW | 12 | Minnesota Wild | $27,250,000 | 662 | $28,246,661 | 879 |
| Spencer Knight | G | 13 | Florida Panthers | $15,183,953 | 1047 | $15,806,982 | 1315 |
| Cam York | D | 14 | Philadelphia Flyers | $10,200,000 | 1357 | $10,604,927 | 1665 |
| Cole Caufield | RW | 15 | Montreal Canadiens | $32,567,500 | 558 | $32,078,478 | 790 |
| Alex Newhook | C | 16 | Colorado Avalanche | $11,248,148 | 1269 | $11,790,147 | 1570 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 17 | Vegas Golden Knights | $6,415,000 | 1738 | $6,989,089 | 2069 |
| Thomas Harley | D | 18 | Dallas Stars | $10,590,000 | 1332 | $10,993,328 | 1628 |
| Lassi Thomson | D | 19 | Ottawa Senators | $300,000 | 5150 | $300,000 | 5875 |
| Ville Heinola | D | 20 | Winnipeg Jets | $4,190,000 | 2155 | $4,687,535 | 2530 |
| Samuel Poulin | RW | 21 | Pittsburgh Penguins | $2,382,500 | 2778 | $2,487,935 | 3358 |
| Tobias Bjornfot | D | 22 | Los Angeles Kings | $4,232,500 | 2146 | $4,784,763 | 2509 |
| Simon Holmstrom | RW | 23 | New York Islanders | $6,940,000 | 1671 | $7,270,679 | 2026 |
| Philip Tomasino | C | 24 | Nashville Predators | $5,165,000 | 1936 | $5,494,994 | 2336 |
| Connor McMichael | C | 25 | Washington Capitals | $6,790,000 | 1690 | $7,154,948 | 2043 |
| Jakob Pelletier | LW | 26 | Calgary Flames | $800,000 | 4100 | $821,932 | 4822 |
| Nolan Foote | LW | 27 | Tampa Bay Lightning | $1,893,750 | 3049 | $2,032,296 | 3590 |
| Ryan Suzuki | C | 28 | Carolina Hurricanes | $2,772,500 | 2585 | $3,425,701 | 2909 |
| John Beecher | C | 30 | Boston Bruins | $2,571,377 | 2678 | $2,639,848 | 3268 |
| Ryan Johnson | D | 31 | Buffalo Sabres | $1,411,333 | 3436 | $1,444,163 | 4057 |