2015 NHL Draft Prospects Most Likely to Put Up Big Scoring Numbers in the Majors

The official midterm rankings for the 2015 draft from the NHL's Central Scouting Service came out on Tuesday, with Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel leading the way.

Any ranking of draft-eligible prospects requires some projection given how young they are, but the scoring numbers posted by those players can be surprisingly predictive of future results. Last summer, for example, a study by the website Canucks Army found that by using Central's rankings and some simple math, even a hugely limited algorithm could draft competitively with an average NHL team. 

So which of Central's top prospects are scoring at a rate that projects especially well to the major leagues? The following slideshow ranks each player in the top 30 among North American or international skaters whose current seasons project to at least 25 points in the NHL.

Statistics taken from HockeyDB.com. NHL translations used are a 50/50 blend between those done by Gabriel Desjardins and Rob Vollman, which appeared in Hockey Abstract. This ranking isn't intended to reflect draft position (among other things, it excludes goalies and heavily penalizes defencemen) but rather to reflect which skaters have the most impressive scoring numbers. 

8. Filip Chlapik

Martti Kainulainen/Associated Press

Central Scouting Rank: 17th among North American skaters

82-game NHL Equivalency: 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points

In Brief: International Scouting Services projected Chlapik as a first-round draft pick back in October, citing his intelligence and offensive acumen. According to ISS, he's more than just a scorer; it also praised his 200-foot game and work ethic. 

7. Evgeny Svechnikov

Martin Rose/Getty Images

Central Scouting Rank: 21st among North American skaters

82-game NHL Equivalency: 11 goals, 19 assists, 30 points

In Brief: Listed by Central Scouting at 6'2", 200 pounds, Svechnikov doesn't just bring scoring ability to an NHL organization, but he also brings size. That's an awfully intriguing combination, and most independent lists have him higher than Central Scouting.

6. Nick Merkley

Marissa Baecker/Getty Images

Central Scouting Rank: 13th among North American skaters

82-game NHL Equivalency: Seven goals, 24 assists, 31 points

In Brief: Undersized at 5'11" and 191 pounds, Merkley is quick, dynamic and plays the game with an edge. 

"Being a smaller guy means you have to play with the biggest heart out there," he told Yahoo's Sunaya Sapurji. "You have to compete the hardest. It doesn’t matter how big you are, if you’re the hardest working and you use that to your advantage. You want to prove everyone wrong."

5. Timo Meier

Francois Laplante/FreestylePhoto/Getty Images

Central Scouting Rank: 12th among North American skaters

82-game NHL Equivalency: 14 goals, 18 assists, 32 points

In Brief: Already 6'1" and 208 pounds, Meier is another big forward with scoring touch. He's improved markedly year after year, and Chris Cochrane of The Chronicle Herald notes that he isn't just large—he also plays the game with a physical edge. 

4. Dylan Strome

Dennis Pajot/Getty Images

Central Scouting Rank: Fifth among North American skaters

82-game NHL Equivalency: 15 goals, 28 assists, 43 points

In Brief: Central Scouting director Dan Marr told Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com that the player he'd compare the 6'3" Strome to is Keith Primeau. 

"He's a strong skater and has got the agility and reach that scouts love," Marr said. "Strome and Jack Eichel are probably the two best puck-protection players in this draft class. Strome is really strong on his feet, protects the puck from any checking pressure and can circle it out from down low."

3. Jack Eichel

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Central Scouting Rank: Second among North American skaters

82-game NHL Equivalency: 14 goals, 30 assists, 44 points

In Brief: Widely expected to be the second overall pick at this summer's draft, Eichel combines size with speed and hockey sense; there isn't a team in the NHL that wouldn't love to land a prospect with those three items as calling cards. He plays a north-south game and would be a perfectly serviceable No. 1 overall pick in a year that didn't include Connor McDavid. 

2. Mitchell Marner

Claus Andersen/Getty Images

Central Scouting Rank: Seventh among North American skaters

82-game NHL Equivalency: 19 goals, 31 assists, 50 points

In Brief: The 155-pound Marner has been posting ridiculous numbers in the OHL this season. Brock Otten, who writes about OHL prospects, noted that he would draft Marner ahead of the higher-ranked Lawson Crouse (Crouse's offence wasn't good enough for this list) and suggested that Marner's ranking had more to do with Central's inclination "to value size more than anything."

1. Connor McDavid

Claus Andersen/Getty Images

Central Scouting Rank: First among North American skaters

82-game NHL Equivalency: 21 goals, 39 assists, 60 points

In Brief: No surprise here. All season (and, actually, going back a year or two) we've heard scouts suggest that McDavid is the next big thing, a player with the potential to match Sidney Crosby in the NHL and perhaps even exceed him. The numbers agree with the scouts; McDavid's offence is off the charts for an 18-year-old.