When the San Jose Sharks sent the 20th overall pick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the 27th overall selection and Michael Kesselring, a question immediately popped in my mind: just how different are the players often available at 20th overall and 27th overall?

Of course, the obvious fact of the matter is that the Sharks will have seven less players to choose from when they take the stage, but is there a major difference in the caliber of player at each draft choice? Let’s take a look.

The most obvious place to start: how many players from each draft position have found themselves enshrined at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto?

Three players drafted 20th overall have been inducted to the Hall of Fame at this point, but more could follow in the near future.

The first 20th overall pick inducted into the Hall was Larry Robinson in 1995. The legendary defenseman was drafted 20th by the Montreal Canadiens during the 1971 NHL Draft. He went on to play 1,384 games in the NHL, the majority of which came in Montreal, although he finished his career with the Los Angeles Kings. He’s the NHL’s all-time leader in plus/minus, finishing his career with a +722, and won six Stanley Cups as a player.

Michel Goulet was the next 20th overall selection inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame, earning that honor in 1998 after 15 seasons and 1,089 games in the NHL. He was selected 20th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in 1979.

Most recently, legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur, who was selected 20th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 1990, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 after setting numerous records throughout his career.  

27th overall is a bit tricky in regards to the Hockey Hall of Fame, as technically two players drafted with that pick have gone on to be enshrined at the Hall of Fame, but only one was inducted as a player. Joe Nieuwendyk is the sole 27th overall pick to be inducted into the Hall for his playing career.

The Calgary Flames selected Nieuwendyk in the 1985 NHL Draft, and at the time, the 27th overall pick was in the second round. He went on to play 1,257 career games in the NHL for a number of different teams, and he was a three-time Stanley Cup Champion. 

Colin Campbell was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a builder, but he was also selected 27th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 1973 NHL Draft. 

For the sake of the on-ice argument, we won’t count Campbell toward the total of 27th overall picks to make it to the Hockey Hall of Fame since it wasn't based on his playing performance. As a result, there were three Hall of Famers drafted 20th overall and only one Hall of Fame player drafted 27th overall.

While the Hall of Fame is a nice accomplishment, quite a few great players never get that honor and it's far from the only milestone worth looking at.

Longevity is key to a successful NHL career. If a player makes it past the 1,000-game plateau, it means they were an impact player in some regard, even if they weren’t necessarily a superstar. With a late first-round pick, general managers aren’t looking for the next Macklin Celebrini or Sidney Crosby; typically, they’re looking for their long-term third-line center or second-pairing defenseman. While they certainly won’t be disappointed if they strike gold, it’s not the expectation. 

Five players drafted 20th overall have played 1,000 or more games in the NHL: Brent Burns, Robinson, Brodeur, Goulet, and Travis Zajac.

At 27th overall, there have been six players to pass the 1,000-game threshold. Scott Mellanby, Nieuwendyk, John Carlson, Tie Domi, Scott Gomez, and Steve Staios all were able to hit that milestone before retiring, and Carlson is still going.

Now that we’ve gone over impact players, the next question becomes, how many legitimate NHL players have been picked with each selection? Although calling someone an NHLer is often subjective, the threshold we’ll use for this is 200 games played, as it’s very difficult for a player to hang in the league for that long if they’re playing above their skill level. 

There have been 32 players selected 20th overall who have gone on to play in 200 or more NHL games during their career. California native Beau Bennett was the last player to meet the criteria, as he finished his playing career with exactly 200 games played. 

That number drops slightly with the 27th overall selection, as only 28 players drafted 27th overall have appeared in 200 or more NHL games. With that being said, it’s not a substantial difference. 

Overall, it appears that, as expected, the 20th overall pick does have a higher chance at producing a superstar player and an NHLer in general. With that being said, the 27th overall pick has historically had quite a few effective role players with lengthy careers.

While the 20th overall selection gives the Buffalo Sabres a wider prospect pool to choose from, the 27th overall pick produces effective players at a similar rate, meaning the Sharks didn’t give up much value at all to add a useful defenseman, Michael Kesselring, to their blue line.

All-in-all, it appears both teams got exactly what they needed from the trade. The Sabres get a slightly higher chance of getting a player that will eventually crack the NHL, while the Sharks kept their lottery ticket and added the exact type of player they’d hope to get with the 20th overall selection in Kesselring.