2015 NHL Draft Preview: Top Prospects 1-10

As part of our comprehensive 2015 NHL draft coverage we’ll break down the top 30 prospects, with a brief synopsis of what the player can be expected to contribute at the NHL level. Prospects are ranked by averaging their rankings from NHL Central Scouting (broken down into North American and European skaters), International Scouting Services, ESPN and Future Considerations. It should be noted this does create a small bias towards European players. Also, ESPN’s rankings are behind a paywall but are extremely detailed and well worth the money.

#1 – Connor McDavid – Centre – Erie (OHL)
6’1″ – 195 pounds
44G – 76A – 120P in 47 GP
NHL Rank: #1 North American Skaters
ESPN Rank: #1 Overall
ISS Rank: #1 Overall
FC Rank: #1 Overall

This is a complete no brainer. McDavid is the best prospect since Sidney Crosby. After being a point per game player in the OHL at only 16 years old, McDavid has improved to the point where he is light years ahead of everybody else. His game is based on vision, puck skills, creativity and his skating. McDavid is also NHL ready and will help Edmonton next season.

#2 – Jack Eichel – Centre – Boston University (NCAA)
6’2″ – 196 pounds
26G – 45A – 71P in 40 GP
NHL Rank: #2 North American Skaters
ESPN Rank: #2 Overall
ISS Rank: #2 Overall
FC Rank: #2 Overall

A consensus number one pick in almost any other year, Eichel will immediately help contribute to the Buffalo Sabres. A number one centre in every measure, Eichel plays both special teams, is big and strong and has a superb work ethic. His hockey IQ is off the charts, and when combined with his puck skills and size he looks to be the future of the Sabres.

#3 – Dylan Strome – Centre – Erie (OHL)
6’3″ – 187 pounds
45G – 84A – 129P in 68 GP
NHL Rank: #4 North American Skaters
ESPN Rank: #4 Overall
ISS Rank: #3 Overall
FC Rank: #4 Overall

Strome led the OHL in scoring this year but only because McDavid missed time with an injury. While he answered some questions by being a strong leader and contributor with McDavid out of the lineup, his numbers did decline. That being said, Strome has good size and vision with a top level shot. If he improves defensively he can be a legit number one centre, if not he projects as a top-tier number two. He doesn’t have top-tier speed, but no prospect is perfect and other top-tier centres in the NHL don’t have elite speed either.

#4 – Noah Hanifin – Defence – Boston College (NCAA)
6’3″ – 203 pounds
5G – 18A – 23P in 37 GP
NHL Rank: #3 North American Skaters
ESPN Rank: #5 Overall
ISS Rank: #5 Overall
FC Rank: #3 Overall

The consensus number three pick for most of the year, Hanifin may fall to four or five after strong seasons from other players. Hanifin is a two-way defender with elite skating. He’s got offensive upside and the ability to be a top pairing shutdown defender. He needs to use his size better but is NHL ready now. He’s the best defencemen in the draft and will help any lower NHL team be able to break out of their zone and move the play towards the enemy net.

#5 – Mitch Marner – Centre/Right Wing – London (OHL)
5’11” – 163 pounds
44G – 82A – 126P in 63 GP
NHL Rank: #6 North American Skaters
ESPN Rank: #3 Overall
ISS Rank: #6 Overall
FC Rank: #5 Overall

Marner just missed out on the OHL scoring title but has solidified himself as a top tier offensive threat. The knock against Marner is obvious, he’s tiny, especially compared to Strome, and likely projects as a winger. Marner has put on somewhere between 10-15 pounds this season, but he’s likely a few years away from being NHL ready. He has elite offensive talent, with high-end skating, shooting, puck skills and vision. He battles hard and has a tremendous work ethic. He developed this season into an effective defensive player as well, using his speed on the forecheck and penalty kill. While overall Marner is ranked fifth, he has a tie to Arizona, having chemistry with already drafted Max Domi in London and to Toronto, where former London Knights GM Mark Hunter now in the Maple Leafs front office. While McDavid and Eichel are on a tier of their own, the secondary tier of Marner, Strome and Hanifin is also talented. However, there is a talent dropoff after the top five.

#6 – Lawson Crouse – Left Wing – Kingston (OHL)
6’4″ – 215 pounds
29G – 22A – 51P in 56 GP
NHL Rank: #5 North American Skaters
ESPN Rank: #10 Overall
ISS Rank: #4 Overall
FC Rank: #10 Overall

Where Lawson Crouse lands will be one of the most interesting aspects of the draft. He’s the best defensive forward in the draft but his offensive numbers are much lower than other to tier prospects. Considering he’s bigger and stronger than other players he’s playing, his numbers are likely to be even lower in the NHL, where that won’t be the case. Despite his low scoring totals he does have a good shot, good puck skills and the overall ability to match up well on a line with a high offensive player. His defensive instincts are debatable though. With all that said, how high a pick can an NHL team spend on an elite defensive forward who may or may not be effective offensively? His status has generally fallen from the midterm in most, but not all, rankings.

#7 – Mikko Rantanen – Right Wing – TPS (Liiga)
6’4″ – 211 pounds
9G – 19A – 28P in 56 GP
NHL Rank: #1 European Skaters
ESPN Rank: #12 Overall
ISS Rank: #9 Overall
FC Rank: #8 Overall

Rantanen, like Crouse, has mixed reviews from scouts. He was one of Finland’s best players in the World Juniors and uses his size well. He’s got very good offensive instincts, but could use work in his skating and defensive play. His shot also needs some work, but his intelligence and frame leads to a player with very high potential. If he can put it all together. Rantanen is the number one ranked European skater, which impacts his ranking, giving him a boost. It’s worth noting the number one ranked European skater by the NHL last year fell to No. 22 (William Nylander was the #2 European Skater). While Rantanen won’t fall that far, he’s far more likely to go between 10-15.

#8 – Mathew Barzal – Centre – Seattle (WHL)
6’0″ – 180 pounds
12G – 45A – 57P in 44 GP
NHL Rank: #11 North American Skaters
ESPN Rank: #6 Overall
ISS Rank: #8 Overall
FC Rank: #9 Overall

Barzal missed a lot of time this season with a shoulder injury, but when healthy looks to be comparable talent wise to those at the top of the draft. He’s a dynamic passer with vision, and elite skating ability. Barzal is very shifty, making defenders chase him and miss and then being able to find open teammates. The consensus between scouts is that he’ll land in the top ten, with a chance of moving up, perhaps to Philadelphia who needs centre depth, or to New Jersey, who needs high-end talent for their top six.

#9 Ivan Provorov – Defence – Brandon (WHL)
6’0″ – 200 pounds
15G – 46A – 61P in 60 GP
NHL Rank: #7 North American Skaters
ESPN Rank: #14 Overall
ISS Rank: #7 Overall
FC Rank: #6 Overall

Outside of McDavid and Eichel, there may not be a more obvious matchup than Ivan Provorov or Zach Werenski and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus desperately needs defensive prospects in their system. Barring a trade, look for Werenski or Provorov to land in Columbus with the No. 8 pick. A point per game defender in the WHL, Provorov represents a more offensive style than Werenski does. The trade-off is Provorov is worse defensively and not as fluid a skater. Provorov is the prototypical powerplay quarterback but also excels with crisp passes for breaking out of his zone. He’s got okay size, but will need to improve on his positional game defensively to become a better defenceman.

#10 – Zach Werenski – Defence – University of Michigan (NCAA)
6’2″ – 208 pounds
9G – 16A – 25P in 35 GP
NHL Rank: #9 North American Skaters
ESPN Rank: #8 Overall
ISS Rank: #11 Overall
FC Rank: #7 Overall

The other options for the Blue Jackets, Werenski is a smooth-skating puck-moving defender, with offensive ability and above average defence. He’s been described as the kind of player who makes everything look easy, doesn’t panic under pressure and makes crisp passes. He’s got good size but isn’t overly physical, something he needs to improve on. Werenski would be the safer pick with the better chance to becoming a very good defenceman, while Provorov may have a higher ceiling if he can put his defensive game together.

What do you think of the top ten? Prospects 11-20 will be posted tomorrow so be sure to take a look.

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2015 NHL Draft Preview: Top Prospects 1-10

By Andrew Millichamp | Jun 15, 2015