In the 2020 NHL Draft, Alexis Lafreniere went #1. The round featured Tim Stützle (#3), Lucas Raymond (#4), and Jake Sanderson (#5). It was a strong year for international talent, with Seth Jarvis (#13) and Anton Lundell (#12) emerging as stars. Dawson Mercer (#18) and Braden Schneider (#19) added depth. Later, Brock Faber (45th) was found in the second round. Overall, 2020 was a draft defined by adaptability in scouting. Despite the pandemic, teams found high-skill players who transitioned remarkably well to the professional ranks within just a few seasons.
Career earnings of players picked in the first round of the 2020 NHL entry draft.
| Player | Pos. | Pick # | Drafted by | Career Earnings |
Rank | Career Earnings In today's $ |
Rank |
| Alexis Lafreniere | LW | 1 | New York Rangers | $25,975,000 | 701 | $28,185,778 | 880 |
| Quinton Byfield | C | 2 | Los Angeles Kings | $19,532,500 | 872 | $20,516,207 | 1110 |
| Tim Stutzle | LW | 3 | Ottawa Senators | $23,275,000 | 769 | $24,237,610 | 990 |
| Lucas Raymond | LW | 4 | Detroit Red Wings | $18,925,000 | 896 | $19,468,448 | 1141 |
| Jake Sanderson | D | 5 | Ottawa Senators | $18,875,000 | 898 | $19,417,763 | 1142 |
| Jamie Drysdale | D | 6 | Anaheim Ducks | $8,518,684 | 1499 | $9,048,357 | 1825 |
| Alexander Holtz | RW | 7 | New Jersey Devils | $2,675,000 | 2627 | $2,821,972 | 3184 |
| Jack Quinn | RW | 8 | Buffalo Sabres | $5,840,000 | 1814 | $6,004,452 | 2249 |
| Marco Rossi | C | 9 | Minnesota Wild | $10,990,000 | 1286 | $12,011,936 | 1548 |
| Cole Perfetti | C | 10 | Winnipeg Jets | $8,007,071 | 1546 | $8,262,529 | 1909 |
| Iaroslav Askarov | G | 11 | Nashville Predators | $2,544,922 | 2692 | $2,575,231 | 3315 |
| Anton Lundell | C | 12 | Florida Panthers | $14,575,000 | 1077 | $15,058,821 | 1355 |
| Seth Jarvis | C | 13 | Carolina Hurricanes | $22,250,948 | 799 | $23,047,769 | 1030 |
| Dylan Holloway | C | 14 | Edmonton Oilers | $6,430,457 | 1734 | $6,640,209 | 2137 |
| Rodion Amirov | LW | 15 | Toronto Maple Leafs | $0 | 6793 | $0 | 6801 |
| Kaiden Guhle | D | 16 | Montreal Canadiens | $9,815,000 | 1380 | $10,029,473 | 1717 |
| Lukas Reichel | LW | 17 | Chicago Blackhawks | $4,250,000 | 2136 | $4,548,801 | 2560 |
| Dawson Mercer | C | 18 | New Jersey Devils | $10,432,500 | 1346 | $10,831,475 | 1637 |
| Braden Schneider | D | 19 | New York Rangers | $7,175,000 | 1638 | $7,545,324 | 1993 |
| Shakir Mukhamadullin | D | 20 | New Jersey Devils | $1,832,500 | 3093 | $1,855,323 | 3714 |
| Yegor Chinakhov | RW | 21 | Columbus Blue Jackets | $7,775,000 | 1577 | $8,374,386 | 1899 |
| Hendrix Lapierre | C | 22 | Washington Capitals | $2,901,087 | 2523 | $3,042,112 | 3078 |
| Tyson Foerster | RW | 23 | Philadelphia Flyers | $7,940,000 | 1553 | $8,506,515 | 1883 |
| Connor Zary | C | 24 | Calgary Flames | $5,440,000 | 1889 | $5,510,909 | 2327 |
| Justin Barron | D | 25 | Colorado Avalanche | $5,075,000 | 1955 | $5,427,230 | 2359 |
| Jake Neighbours | LW | 26 | St. Louis Blues | $7,857,500 | 1558 | $8,415,672 | 1895 |
| Jacob Perreault | RW | 27 | Anaheim Ducks | $530,938 | 4606 | $625,905 | 5240 |
| Ridly Greig | C | 28 | Ottawa Senators | $5,340,000 | 1910 | $5,504,452 | 2330 |
| Brendan Brisson | C | 29 | Vegas Golden Knights | $0 | 6877 | $0 | 6922 |
| Mavrik Bourque | C | 30 | Dallas Stars | $1,782,500 | 3124 | $1,805,323 | 3754 |
| Ozzy Wiesblatt | C | 31 | San Jose Sharks | $3,550,000 | 2317 | $4,045,605 | 2698 |