The Florida Panthers originally held the first overall pick, but traded it and the 73rd pick (used to select Daniel Carcillo) to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the third pick (Horton), the 55th pick (Stefan Meyer) and Mikael Samuelsson.
Goaltender Marc-André Fleury (Pittsburgh) and centre Eric Staal (Carolina) were selected before him.
1985
Nathan Russell Horton (born May 29, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player.
During his career, Horton played for the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets.
2001
Prior to the 2001 Ontario Hockey League Draft, a 16-year-old Horton stated that if he was drafted first overall by the Mississauga Ice Dogs, he would not report to the team.
He was instead selected second overall in the draft by the Oshawa Generals.
As a rookie in the OHL, Horton totaled 31 goals and 36 assists in 64 games for the Generals.
During two seasons with Oshawa, Horton would score 64 goals and record 71 assists.
2002
To begin the 2002–03 season, Horton missed 13 games out of 22 but still ended up scoring 9 goals with 18 points during that span.
Horton was named to the Canadian national junior team's selection camp in December but was one of the first cuts.
He ended his final season in Oshawa with 33 goals and 35 assists in 54 games.
In January 2002, Horton, along with Patrick O'Sullivan and Kevin Klein, was regarded as a top prospect from the OHL for the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
Eleven months later in December, Horton was called "an almost sure-fire top-five pick" by USA Today.
Midway through the 2002–03 season, Horton was regarded as a top-five North American prospect by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.
Scouts likened Horton, who considered him a "power forward", to John LeClair, considered to be one of the best power forwards in the NHL.
However, Horton said he saw himself to be more like Jeremy Roenick or Peter Forsberg, both of whom were faster than LeClair.
2003
He was drafted third overall by the Panthers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
Horton signed with the Panthers on October 6, 2003.
After his signing, Panthers head coach Mike Keenan compared Horton to future New York Rangers Hall of Famer Mark Messier.
Against the Minnesota Wild on October 24, Horton recorded his first career point with an assist on an Ivan Novoseltsev goal.
Horton recorded his first career goal on November 1 against the San Jose Sharks.
In the next game for the Panthers, against the Los Angeles Kings, Horton scored his second goal in as many games.
2004
On January 9, 2004, Horton became the first rookie in NHL history to record a goal on a penalty shot, scoring against Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Jeff Hackett.
The 2004–05 NHL season ended up being locked out which forced Horton and other players to sign with other teams.
Horton eventually signed with the Panthers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, after a controversy ensued as to whether junior-hockey-eligible players such as Horton were obligated to return to their junior teams.
2006
Three seasons later, on October 22, 2006, Penguins rookie Jordan Staal matched the feat and surpassed Horton as the youngest player to score; Staal was 183 days younger than Horton was when he scored.
Four days after his penalty shot goal, Horton suffered a torn rotator cuff and labrum which could potentially have ended his season.
At the time, he was third on the Panthers with ten goals.
Following an examination by surgeon Tony Miniaci, Horton was told he could rehabilitate naturally and did not require surgery on his shoulder.
He returned to the Panthers in early March and scored in one of his first games back against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
However, his shoulder troubles continued and it was determined that surgery was ultimately required.
Horton ended his rookie campaign with 14 goals and 8 assists in 55 games.
2011
He won the Stanley Cup in 2011 with the Bruins.
2014
Horton's last NHL game came in April 2014 due to a back injury.
Though he did not officially retire, the surgery required to fix Horton's back would have ended his career regardless.
Horton grew up in Dunnville, Ontario, playing much of his minor hockey with the Welland Tigers of the OMHA South Central AAA League until his Minor Peewee year before making the move to play in the Greater Toronto Hockey League with the Toronto Red Wings.
Entering his peewee season, he left the Red Wings to go play for the Thorold Blackhawks Jr. B. club of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA)'s Golden Horseshoe League at age 13.
For much of his career with Welland, Horton played up on the "'84" Tigers team with future NHLers Dan Girardi, Daniel Paille (a future Bruins teammate) and Andre Deveaux.
Horton first entered junior hockey as a player for the Thorold Blackhawks.
In one season with Thorold, he scored 16 goals and registered 31 assists in 41 games.
