With the 5th overall selection in the National Hockey League Draft, Future Considerations selects…

Evander Kane.

The fourth overall selection of the Atlanta Thrashers, Kane has evolved into one of the NHL’s best young power forwards. The 21-year-old already has 80 career goals and his 159 points are the third-most of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft class.

He also hasn’t been shy to impress on the international stage. Prior to being drafted, Kane represented Canada at both the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and the World Junior Championship. He’s twice represented Canada at the World Championships as well.

Though he’s been a polarizing figure off the ice, Kane’s on-ice performance is among the best from 2009.

FC’s 5th Ranked Players By Year

2008: Luke Schenn (TOR, 5th overall)
2009: Evander Kane (ATL, 4th overall)
2010: Erik Gudbranson (FLA, 3rd overall)
2011: Sean Couturier (PHI, 8th overall)
2012: Filip Forsberg (WAS, 11th overall)

2013: Valeri Nichushkin

For six seasons, Future Considerations has been bringing you the best in NHL Draft eligible content. To celebrate the NHL Draft — our sixth, we’re going back through our previous rankings to identify who was the best of the best at each pick, starting with all our 30th overalls and working to our top picks.