With only two days until the 2016 NHL Draft, it’s time for one final update of the aggregate draft rankings — this time expanded to the top 150. Best viewed on a desktop.
Outlets included in these rankings:
- Corey Pronman (ESPN Insider)
- Mark Seidel (NACS)
- Damien Cox (Sportsnet)
- Craig Button (TSN)
- Ryan Kennedy (THN)
- HockeyProspect.com
- Future Considerations
- ISS
- McKeen’s Hockey
- Bob McKenzie
The tableau tool below visualizes the top-150 aggregate 2016 NHL Draft rankings, while still providing full profile if you scroll over, or click on the the player (including statistics and a 2016 NHL draft scouting report). The visual should be read as such: the left hand side of the green bar is the highest ranking, and the right hand side of the red bar is the lowest ranking. Where the red and the green meet is the prospect’s average ranking. On the right hand side, you can filter to see only the segment of the rankings you’d like (the visual will re-format to best fit the # you choose), as well as filtering out by position and handedness. This tool contains only the top-150 prospects.
For a tableau tool containing an expanded list of 344 draft-eligible prospects, click here.
Thanks for reading and make sure to hit me with any questions or comments on Twitter: @3rdPeriodSuits.
2016 NHL Draft Player Rankings – June 21 – Top 150
(use the left and right arrows at the bottom of the table to view more players )
Rank | Prev | Player | Pos | Team | League | Height | Weight | Avg | High | Low | StdDev |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Auston Matthews | C | ZSC | NLA | 6' 2" | 194 | 1.2 | 1 | 2 | 0.4 |
2 | 2 | Patrik Laine | RW/LW | Tappara | Liiga | 6' 4" | 209 | 1.8 | 1 | 2 | 0.4 |
3 | 3 | Jesse PuljujŠrvi | RW | KŠrpŠt | Liiga | 6' 3" | 198 | 3.0 | 3 | 3 | 0.0 |
4 | 4 | Matthew Tkachuk | LW | London | OHL | 6' 1" | 194 | 4.5 | 4 | 6 | 0.7 |
5 | 5 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | C | Cape Breton | QMJHL | 6' 3" | 201 | 5.2 | 4 | 8 | 1.3 |
6 | 8 | Olli Juolevi | D | London | OHL | 6' 2" | 183 | 7.8 | 5 | 11 | 2.3 |
7 | 6 | Alexander Nylander | LW | Mississauga | OHL | 6' 0" | 172 | 8.0 | 6 | 12 | 1.9 |
8 | 9 | Clayton Keller | C | US U18 | USDP | 5' 10" | 170 | 8.6 | 4 | 13 | 3.1 |
9 | 10 | Mikhail Sergachyov | D | Windsor | OHL | 6' 2" | 205 | 9.9 | 6 | 17 | 3.2 |
10 | 14 | Logan Brown | C | Windsor | OHL | 6' 6" | 218 | 9.9 | 7 | 15 | 2.8 |
11 | 12 | Tyson Jost | RW | Penticton | BCHL | 6' 0" | 194 | 11.1 | 7 | 19 | 3.4 |
12 | 7 | Jacob Chychrun | D | Sarnia | OHL | 6' 2" | 194 | 11.2 | 6 | 17 | 3.3 |
13 | 13 | Jake Bean | D | Calgary | WHL | 6' 1" | 172 | 14.8 | 10 | 19 | 3.1 |
14 | 11 | Michael McLeod | C | Mississauga | OHL | 6' 1" | 184 | 14.9 | 7 | 20 | 4.0 |
15 | 16 | Dante Fabbro | D | Penticton | BCHL | 6' 1" | 185 | 15.2 | 10 | 24 | 4.0 |
16 | 17 | Charles McAvoy | D | Boston U | NCAA | 6' 0" | 205 | 17.1 | 11 | 26 | 5.4 |
17 | 20 | Kieffer Bellows | C | US U18 | USDP | 6' 1" | 194 | 17.8 | 13 | 27 | 3.9 |
18 | 19 | Luke Kunin | C | Univ. of Wisconsin | NCAA | 6' 0" | 196 | 18.2 | 16 | 21 | 1.8 |
19 | 18 | German Rubtsov | C | Russia U18 | MHL | 6' 1" | 174 | 18.7 | 13 | 23 | 4.1 |
20 | 21 | Max Jones | LW | London | OHL | 6' 3" | 201 | 20.7 | 13 | 42 | 9.0 |
21 | 15 | Julien Gauthier | RW | Val-d'Or | QMJHL | 6' 4" | 225 | 22.8 | 16 | 43 | 7.6 |
22 | 22 | Riley Tufte | LW | Fargo | USHL | 6' 5" | 190 | 26.9 | 21 | 45 | 8.8 |
23 | 23 | Alex DeBrincat | RW | Erie | OHL | 5' 7" | 161 | 27.0 | 15 | 37 | 6.7 |
24 | Brett Howden | LW | Moose Jaw | WHL | 6' 3" | 190 | 27.8 | 18 | 42 | 6.9 | |
25 | 24 | Logan Stanley | D | Windsor | OHL | 6' 6" | 216 | 29.1 | 14 | 55 | 12.2 |
26 | 25 | Rasmus Asplund | C/LW | FŠrjestad BK | SHL | 5' 11" | 176 | 31.2 | 21 | 54 | 9.6 |
27 | 27 | Pascal Laberge | C/LW | Victoriaville | QMJHL | 6' 1" | 172 | 34.5 | 23 | 58 | 10.9 |
28 | Boris Katchouk | LW | Sault Ste Marie | OHL | 6' 1" | 183 | 34.6 | 22 | 69 | 14.2 | |
29 | Tage Thompson | C | Univ. of Connecticut | NCAA | 6' 5" | 185 | 36.2 | 24 | 93 | 21.3 | |
30 | Vitali Abramov | LW/RW | Gatineau | QMJHL | 5' 9" | 170 | 36.4 | 21 | 71 | 16.2 | |
31 | Kale Clague | D | Brandon | WHL | 6' 0" | 179 | 37.1 | 22 | 55 | 9.4 | |
32 | Jordan Kyrou | RW | Sarnia | OHL | 6' 0" | 179 | 38.6 | 28 | 69 | 13.4 | |
33 | Dennis Cholowski | D | Chilliwack | BCHL | 6' 1" | 165 | 38.8 | 18 | 80 | 19.1 | |
34 | 28 | Tyler Benson | LW | Vancouver | WHL | 6' 0" | 201 | 39.1 | 18 | 55 | 11.5 |
35 | Libor H‡jek | D | Saskatoon | WHL | 6' 2" | 196 | 39.7 | 26 | 84 | 17.6 | |
36 | Will Bitten | C/RW | Flint | OHL | 5' 10" | 168 | 40.8 | 25 | 73 | 15.2 | |
37 | 30 | Taylor Raddysh | RW | Erie | OHL | 6' 2" | 198 | 41.4 | 28 | 58 | 9.3 |
38 | Carl Grundstršm | LW | MODO Hockey | SHL | 6' 0" | 194 | 42.6 | 26 | 67 | 12.4 | |
39 | Carter Hart | G | Everett | WHL | 6' 1" | 170 | 43.0 | 24 | 59 | 12.7 | |
40 | 26 | Dillon Dube | LW | Kelowna | WHL | 5' 10" | 181 | 43.0 | 28 | 60 | 11.0 |
41 | Sam Steel | C | Regina | WHL | 5' 11" | 176 | 43.7 | 29 | 73 | 13.8 | |
42 | Nathan Bastian | RW | Mississauga | OHL | 6' 4" | 207 | 45.6 | 22 | 82 | 20.7 | |
43 | Lucas Johansen | D | Kelowna | WHL | 6' 1" | 176 | 45.6 | 28 | 72 | 14.6 | |
44 | Filip Gustavsson | G | Lulea J20 | SuperElit | 6' 2" | 184 | 46.1 | 29 | 68 | 16.7 | |
45 | Adam Fox | D | US U18 | USDP | 5' 10" | 183 | 46.8 | 27 | 83 | 18.3 | |
46 | 29 | Samuel Girard | D | Shawinigan | QMJHL | 5' 10" | 161 | 48.2 | 23 | 78 | 19.8 |
47 | Ryan Lindgren | D | US U18 | USDP | 6' 0" | 196 | 50.2 | 36 | 80 | 16.5 | |
48 | Cliff Pu | C/RW | London | OHL | 6' 1" | 187 | 51.1 | 18 | 84 | 23.5 | |
49 | Markus Niemelainen | D | Saginaw | OHL | 6' 6" | 205 | 51.9 | 28 | 68 | 13.5 | |
50 | Jonathan Dahlen | C | Timra IK | Allsvenskan | 5' 11" | 176 | 52.4 | 24 | 79 | 14.5 | |
51 | Adam Mascherin | C/LW | Kitchener | OHL | 5' 10" | 205 | 53.1 | 34 | 78 | 13.3 | |
52 | Tyler Parsons | G | London | OHL | 6' 1" | 185 | 55.6 | 31 | 84 | 18.3 | |
53 | Janne Kuokkanen | LW | Karpat U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 6' 1" | 175 | 57.3 | 31 | 82 | 18.6 | |
54 | Cameron Morrison | C/LW | Youngstown | USHL | 6' 3" | 201 | 58.4 | 33 | 90 | 16.7 | |
55 | Evan Fitzpatrick | G | Sherbrooke Phoenix | QMJHL | 6' 2" | 223 | 60.3 | 50 | 80 | 10.3 | |
56 | Cam Dineen | D | North Bay | OHL | 5' 11" | 183 | 62.3 | 22 | 88 | 24.5 | |
57 | Trent Frederic | C | USNTDP | USDP | 6' 2" | 203 | 63.2 | 38 | 85 | 15.9 | |
58 | Noah Gregor | C | Moose Jaw | WHL | 5' 11" | 180 | 64.3 | 48 | 77 | 10.5 | |
59 | Luke Green | D | Saint John | QMJHL | 6' 1" | 185 | 65.2 | 47 | 88 | 13.7 | |
60 | Victor Mete | D | London | OHL | 5' 10" | 165 | 68.0 | 42 | 108 | 21.3 | |
61 | Chad Krys | D | USNTDP | USDP | 5' 11" | 183 | 70.8 | 39 | 126 | 28.3 | |
62 | Tim Gettinger | LW | Sault Ste Marie | OHL | 6' 5" | 206 | 71.7 | 51 | 101 | 18.2 | |
63 | Jacob Moverare | D | HV 71 J20 | SuperElit | 6' 2" | 198 | 72.2 | 29 | 135 | 29.8 | |
64 | Givani Smith | RW | Guelph | OHL | 6' 1" | 197 | 73.3 | 41 | 106 | 22.4 | |
65 | Henrik Borgstrom | F | HIFK U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 6' 3" | 170 | 73.7 | 34 | 137 | 32.6 | |
66 | Joey Anderson | RW | US U18 | USDP | 5' 11" | 190 | 73.9 | 33 | 102 | 23.0 | |
67 | Wade Allison | RW | Tri-City | USHL | 6' 2" | 205 | 73.9 | 36 | 178 | 42.9 | |
68 | Sean Day | D | Mississauga | OHL | 6' 3" | 229 | 74.3 | 47 | 103 | 20.7 | |
69 | Filip Hronek | D | HK Hradec Kralove | Czech | 6' 0" | 163 | 74.6 | 38 | 156 | 34.7 | |
70 | Jacob Cederholm | D | HV 71 J20 | SuperElit | 6' 3" | 187 | 78.2 | 41 | 103 | 22.8 | |
71 | James Greenway | D | USNTDP | USHL | 6' 4" | 205 | 78.7 | 37 | 139 | 33.2 | |
72 | Andrew Peeke | D | Green Bay | USHL | 6' 3" | 205 | 80.8 | 61 | 123 | 18.8 | |
73 | Yegor Korshkov | RW | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | KHL | 6' 3" | 179 | 81.1 | 43 | 121 | 30.1 | |
74 | Joseph Woll | G | US U18 | USDP | 6' 3" | 196 | 81.7 | 37 | 138 | 32.1 | |
75 | Frederic Allard | D | Chicoutimi | QMJHL | 6' 1" | 179 | 82.0 | 49 | 158 | 37.2 | |
76 | Linus Lindstrom | C | SkellefteŒ AIK J20 | SuperElit | 5' 11" | 168 | 83.0 | 43 | 134 | 27.5 | |
77 | Matt Filipe | C/LW | Cedar Rapids | USHL | 6' 2" | 203 | 83.6 | 53 | 128 | 24.3 | |
78 | Max Lajoie | D | Swift Current | WHL | 6' 1" | 172 | 87.8 | 52 | 115 | 20.5 | |
79 | Artur Kayumov | LW | Russia U18 | MHL | 5' 10" | 154 | 87.9 | 48 | 201 | 47.5 | |
80 | Otto Somppi | C | Halifax | QMJHL | 6' 1" | 181 | 88.0 | 46 | 112 | 23.2 | |
81 | Jack Kopacka | LW | Sault Ste Marie | OHL | 6' 2" | 179 | 89.0 | 45 | 150 | 31.9 | |
82 | Joshua Mahura | D | Red Deer | WHL | 6' 0" | 179 | 89.9 | 62 | 201 | 43.3 | |
83 | Zach Sawchenko | G | Moose Jaw | WHL | 6' 1" | 182 | 90.5 | 63 | 130 | 24.6 | |
84 | Aapeli Rasanen | C | Tappara U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 6' 0" | 183 | 91.1 | 52 | 157 | 39.3 | |
85 | Jesper Bratt | RW | AIK | Allsvenskan | 5' 10" | 174 | 93.1 | 49 | 130 | 28.4 | |
86 | Mitchell Mattson | C | Bloomington | USHL | 6' 4" | 186 | 93.4 | 37 | 147 | 37.8 | |
87 | Eetu Tuulola | RW | HPK U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 6' 3" | 225 | 93.4 | 54 | 146 | 26.3 | |
88 | Jordan Sambrook | D | Erie | OHL | 6' 2" | 185 | 93.5 | 48 | 137 | 31.7 | |
89 | Simon Stransky | LW | Prince Albert | WHL | 6' 0" | 170 | 93.8 | 60 | 170 | 36.9 | |
90 | Beck Malenstyn | C | Calgary | WHL | 6' 2" | 192 | 95.3 | 56 | 136 | 23.7 | |
91 | Dmitri Sokolov | C/W | Sudbury | OHL | 6' 1" | 205 | 95.6 | 27 | 150 | 34.5 | |
92 | Vojtech Budik | D | Prince Albert | WHL | 6' 1" | 185 | 97.4 | 43 | 142 | 28.5 | |
93 | Connor Hall | D | Kitchener | OHL | 6' 2" | 192 | 98.1 | 40 | 141 | 33.4 | |
94 | Carsen Twarynski | LW/D | Calgary | WHL | 6' 2" | 201 | 99.0 | 62 | 133 | 23.7 | |
95 | Tanner Kaspick | C/LW | Brandon | WHL | 6' 1" | 201 | 101.6 | 70 | 165 | 27.6 | |
96 | Vladimir Kuznetsov | LW | Acadie-Bathurst | QMJHL | 6' 1" | 214 | 101.8 | 86 | 127 | 11.9 | |
97 | Connor Bunnaman | C | Kitchener | OHL | 6' 0" | 183 | 102.0 | 74 | 132 | 18.0 | |
98 | Max Zimmer | F | Chicago | USHL | 5' 11" | 185 | 103.9 | 92 | 121 | 9.0 | |
99 | Benjamin Gleason | D | Hamilton | OHL | 6' 0" | 165 | 104.4 | 64 | 130 | 21.3 | |
100 | David Bernhardt | D | Djurgardens IF J20 | SuperElit | 6' 3" | 203 | 104.6 | 49 | 151 | 28.9 | |
101 | Dylan Wells | G | Peterborough | OHL | 6' 2" | 183 | 106.3 | 72 | 149 | 27.1 | |
102 | Colton Point | G | Carleton Pl. | CCHL | 6' 4" | 220 | 109.0 | 82 | 167 | 34.4 | |
103 | Josh Anderson | D | Prince George | WHL | 6' 2" | 220 | 110.1 | 61 | 186 | 37.7 | |
104 | Hudson Elynuik | LW/C | Spokane | WHL | 6' 5" | 201 | 111.2 | 57 | 161 | 41.1 | |
105 | Oskar Steen | C/RW | FŠrjestad BK J20 | SuperElit | 5' 9" | 187 | 113.0 | 62 | 152 | 33.6 | |
106 | David Quenneville | D | Medicine Hat | WHL | 5' 8" | 183 | 113.3 | 57 | 151 | 37.0 | |
107 | Ty Ronning | RW | Vancouver | WHL | 5' 9" | 165 | 113.5 | 83 | 159 | 26.6 | |
108 | William Knierim | RW | Dubuque | USHL | 6' 3" | 212 | 115.0 | 53 | 201 | 52.8 | |
109 | Jonathan Ang | C/RW | Peterborough | OHL | 5' 11" | 163 | 115.6 | 65 | 167 | 40.6 | |
110 | Will Lockwood | RW | US U18 | USDP | 5' 10" | 172 | 116.2 | 71 | 197 | 49.3 | |
111 | Mikhail Berdin | G | Russia U18 | MHL | 6' 2" | 163 | 116.4 | 79 | 143 | 23.8 | |
112 | Lucas Carlsson | D | BrynŠs IF | SHL | 6' 0" | 190 | 116.6 | 65 | 201 | 49.1 | |
113 | Brandon Gignac | C | Shawinigan | QMJHL | 5' 11" | 173 | 116.9 | 83 | 201 | 45.9 | |
114 | Mikhail Maltsev | D | Russia U18 | MHL | 6' 3" | 198 | 117.4 | 80 | 151 | 28.8 | |
115 | Travis Barron | LW | Ottawa | OHL | 6' 1" | 187 | 119.0 | 79 | 147 | 27.1 | |
116 | Markus Nurmi | RW/LW | TPS U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 6' 3" | 168 | 119.2 | 67 | 185 | 46.0 | |
117 | Rem Pitlick | C | Muskegon | USHL | 5' 9" | 194 | 120.6 | 69 | 193 | 34.8 | |
118 | Maxime Fortier | RW | Halifax | QMJHL | 5' 10" | 177 | 121.0 | 70 | 201 | 47.6 | |
119 | Otto Makinen | F | Tappara U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 6' 1" | 179 | 121.0 | 70 | 196 | 43.8 | |
120 | Mathias From | RW/LW | Rogle BK J20 | SuperElit | 6' 1" | 187 | 121.5 | 74 | 212 | 48.5 | |
121 | Keaton Middleton | D | Saginaw | OHL | 6' 5" | 234 | 121.5 | 81 | 212 | 51.4 | |
122 | Graham McPhee | LW | US U18 | USDP | 5' 11" | 172 | 123.2 | 77 | 165 | 36.0 | |
123 | Evan Cormier | G | Saginaw | OHL | 6' 3" | 201 | 123.5 | 107 | 140 | 15.2 | |
124 | Cole Candella | D | Hamilton | OHL | 6' 1" | 185 | 124.4 | 99 | 157 | 24.1 | |
125 | Brett Murray | LW | Carleton Pl. | CCHL | 6' 5" | 212 | 124.7 | 74 | 199 | 43.0 | |
126 | Michael Pezzetta | C | Sudbury | OHL | 6' 1" | 192 | 125.8 | 66 | 182 | 45.4 | |
127 | Adam Brooks | C | Regina | WHL | 5' 10" | 174 | 126.2 | 53 | 201 | 64.2 | |
128 | Jack LaFontaine | G | Janesville | NAHL | 6' 2" | 185 | 126.2 | 67 | 162 | 42.3 | |
129 | Riley Stillman | D | Oshawa | OHL | 6' 0" | 181 | 126.6 | 81 | 192 | 43.7 | |
130 | Griffin Luce | D | US U18 | USDP | 6' 3" | 214 | 129.0 | 56 | 210 | 58.4 | |
131 | Jordan Stallard | C | Calgary | WHL | 6' 2" | 187 | 129.2 | 80 | 201 | 56.8 | |
132 | Matthew Cairns | D | Georgetown | OJHL | 6' 2" | 190 | 129.3 | 77 | 201 | 56.2 | |
133 | Matthew Phillips | C | Victoria | WHL | 5' 7" | 161 | 131.3 | 33 | 204 | 63.1 | |
134 | Brayden Burke | LW | Lethbridge | WHL | 5' 10" | 163 | 133.0 | 46 | 203 | 53.4 | |
135 | Dylan Gambrell | D | Univ. of Denver | NCAA | 6' 0" | 183 | 134.0 | 85 | 201 | 55.4 | |
136 | Nick Pastujov | LW | US U18 | USDP | 6' 0" | 196 | 134.8 | 96 | 189 | 39.0 | |
137 | Ondrej Vala | D | Kamloops | WHL | 6' 4" | 216 | 139.7 | 100 | 189 | 37.3 | |
138 | Dmitri Alexeyev | D | Russia U18 | MHL | 5' 11" | 179 | 140.4 | 64 | 212 | 64.1 | |
139 | Nicholas Caamano | RW | Flint | OHL | 6' 1" | 183 | 141.6 | 67 | 201 | 53.7 | |
140 | Yegor Rykov | D | SKA-1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | 6' 2" | 205 | 141.8 | 59 | 201 | 50.5 | |
141 | Ilya Karpukhin | D | Russia U18 | MHL | 6' 1" | 192 | 142.0 | 60 | 212 | 67.7 | |
142 | Jacob Neveu | D | Rouyn-Noranda | QMJHL | 6' 2" | 205 | 144.0 | 69 | 212 | 46.8 | |
143 | Kyle Maksimovich | LW | Erie | OHL | 5' 9" | 170 | 145.4 | 81 | 201 | 45.8 | |
144 | Tim Wahlgren | C | MODO Hockey J20 | SuperElit | 6' 0" | 181 | 145.8 | 87 | 212 | 52.6 | |
145 | Ondrej Najman | C | HC Dukla Jihlava U20 | Czech U20 | 6' 1" | 187 | 145.8 | 120 | 201 | 29.3 | |
146 | Tarmo Reunanen | D | TPS U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 5' 11" | 163 | 146.0 | 79 | 212 | 46.7 | |
147 | Jamie Armstrong | LW | Avon Old Farms School | USHS | 6' 2" | 190 | 148.7 | 93 | 191 | 38.1 | |
148 | Erich Fear | D | Springfield | NAHL | 6' 5" | 220 | 149.2 | 82 | 212 | 63.3 | |
149 | Hayden Verbeek | C | Sault Ste Marie | OHL | 5' 10" | 172 | 149.4 | 104 | 201 | 36.0 | |
150 | Jeff de Wit | C | Red Deer | WHL | 6' 2" | 174 | 149.6 | 71 | 212 | 55.3 |
2016 NHL Draft Average Player Rankings — October 19 to June 21
(Click on the player’s name at the bottom of the chart to turn their data on and off)
[wpdatachart id=47]
Bob McKenzie 2016 NHL Draft Profiles
Courtesy of his final draft rankings show.
Auston Matthews: The year started as the Auston Matthews draft, if you will, and it certainly ends that way. Auston Matthews, the big American from Arizona, did absolutely nothing to dispel the notion that is the wire-to-wire leader. He started the season as the number one prospect and he ends the season as the number one prospect. Eight of the ten scouts surveyed by TSN had the big American as number one. He is a franchise, number-one, elite-level center. Everybody believes the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to take this guy. He’s a tremendous shooter, he has the ability to score goals, he’s a playmaker, and he has competitive instincts that are off the charts. There is no aspect of his game that anybody could find holes with. When you get a chance to get a number-one franchise center into your lineup, you don’t pass that up.
Patrik Laine: Laine is the best pure goalscoring shooter coming out of the draft since Alexander Ovechkin. Nobody doubts that. He has the ability to score goals and score goals from a distance – the top of the circle with a one-timer – with his right hand shot, and to do it over the course of the season with regularity — at the World Junior Championship, the Finnish playoffs where he was MVP, and at the World Championships. The only two scouts who didn’t vote for Auston Matthews at number one had Patrik Laine. There are teams out there that Laine has the chance to be the best player coming out of this draft. If you don’t believe them, just ask him. He’s confident, he’s cocky, and he’s got a tremendous personality to go with that great shot.
Jesse Puljujärvi: Big, strong, fast, the ability to make plays, score goals – Jesse Puljujarvi can do all of those things. No lower than number three on anybody’s ballot of the ten scouts I talked to. When I first saw him at the World Junior Championships two years ago in Montreal, he looked to me like a pure shooter; a guy that liked to shoot the puck. Then, over the course of the last couple of seasons, he’s really emerged as an elite-level playmaker. His speed is amongst the very fastest in the draft, and with the big body that he’s got, there’s not a single scout that I talked to that has him lower than number three in terms of their rankings. This is the third of the big three; a guy that can make a big difference physically but also has the speed and skill to be elite.
Matthew Tkachuk: Matthew Tkachuk is indeed a chip off the old block. He plays very similar to the way his dad Keith played, especially in the ability to protect the puck down low. He is as good of a player there is from the top of the circles down to the goal line. Matthew Tkachuk is a dominant player. His puck protection is unparalleled. His ability to go to the front of the net, to the dirty areas and score goals — nobody does it better than Matthew Tkachuk. He slowed down a little bit down the stretch into the Memorial Cup with a bad ankle. He’s not the fastest skater in the world, but he has that gritty factor and the ability to score goals from close-in that will make him a top five pick in this year’s draft.
Pierre-Luc Dubois: Pierre-Luc Dubois is a little bit bigger, and a lot faster, than Matthew Tkachuk. He plays more of a 200-foot game and scores more of his goals off the rush or from high in the slot. He has a tremendous shot and shoots the puck extremely well. He can also go to the dirty areas to score goals. There are some who thinks he is as good, if not better, than Tkachuk. Others like Tkachuk just as much. In the case of Dubois, he has tremendous skating ability and he’s the number-one Canadian born-and-bred talent in this year’s draft. He will be interesting for teams that want goal scoring presence. He plays that power game, but a little bit different than Matthew Tkachuk.
Olli Juolevi: The best all-around defenceman available in this draft. Some guys are bigger, faster, stronger. Some guys are better offensively. Some guys are better defensively. But nobody has the complete package of Juolevi.
Alex Nylander: Brother of William Nylander, the Toronto Maple Leaf prospect. He has elite-level skill. Whether it’s scoring goals or making plays, Nylander is almost second to none in this draft in those areas.
Mikhail Sergachev: 6’2, can skate like the wind, elite-level skating ability, a bomb from the point. A tremendous shot and tremendous offensive ability. He plays a calm, cool, composed game, although sometimes people take that for a little bit of nonchalance.
Clayton Keller: Next to Auston Matthews, if you’re looking to draft positionally in the top 10 for a center, Logan Brown and Clayton Keller are your best bet. Keller is very Patrick Kane-like. Similar physical dimensions, and he also broke a lot of Patrick Kane’s records with the USNDTP. Elite level skill, elite level smarts. Only 5’9, but, in today’s NHL when you look at the speed and skill aspect of it, people are going to look right by that.
Logan Brown: At the other end of the spectrum, from St. Louis as well, is Logan Brown. He’s six foot six. He started slowly over the course of the season. As one scout said, there is good Logan Brown and there’s bad Logan Brown. Bad Logan Brown, in the first half of the season, didn’t move his feet and wasn’t always as involved. As the season wore on, he became more and more of an offensive force. He started showing much better speed for his large frame. He played extremely well in the first round of the OHL playoffs. Then he went and played along with Keller on Team USA at the U18 World Championships in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He and Keller were off the charts. Logan Brown is a guy who has rocketed up those charts to be a potential top ten pick in this year’s draft.
Tyson Jost: Jost and Bean are the two Canadian talents that are the best bet to jump in and knock someone out of the top ten. When you look at Tyson Jost, his initials are TJ; transpose those and you get JT. Why do I mention that? Because some scouts have dared to compare Tyson Jost to a young Jonathan Toews. That’s not fair on one level – he’s not as big as Jonathan Toews – but his leadership, the character, the talent to go with it, the fact that he went to the U18 World Championships and broke Connor McDavid’s point record – all of those things work in his favour. The leadership is off the charts, but so too is the ability to play a complete game.
Jake Bean: Probably the best offensive defenceman available in this draft. 24 goals in the regular season with the Calgary Hitmen. He can really walk the line. He has a tremendous shot from the point. He’s a defenceman who could sneak into that top 10 because of his offensive ability. He still needs to put on some weight and physically mature, but in terms of offensive skills from the blueline, he’s as good as it gets.
Dante Fabbro: Another one of those Canadian defencemen. He reads and reacts extremely well both with and without the puck. He put up huge points in the BC league, leading the league in scoring and breaking Duncan Keith’s scoring mark. He’s a real smart defenceman and the number-six ranked defenceman on our list.
Kiefer Bellows: He played on a line with Clayton Keller for the US program. He is a pure shooter. He loves to shoot the puck, and is as good as it gets in terms of an NHL shot and an NHL release in this entire draft.
Jakob Chychrun: Chychrun started the year as number two on our rankings, a guy we thought was going to be a stud defenceman and could well turn out to be that. Seven of the ten scouts we surveyed by TSN for the final rankings actually had him outside the top 10. He went from #2 to #5 to now #13 in the final rankings. He has all the physical tools to be a stud defenceman in the NHL, but he sometimes skates himself into trouble. He’s one of seven defencemen we have ranked in our top 15 and they’re all ranked in a bit of a jumble. It will be interesting to see if he can crack the top 10 or not.
Logan Stanley: A bit of a wildcard. He’s 6’7, but his north-south skating ability is really good. He needs to continue to work on his agility. His 83-inch wingspan at the combine was the longest reach of any player in this draft.
Boris Katchouk: A gritty, in-your-face, two-way winger who went from #44 in our midterm rankings to #29 in our final rankings.