NHL Draft 2015: Predicting Where Elite Talent Will Land in 1st-Round Mock Draft

As exciting as the NHL's playoff race has been this season, it can be argued that the race for last place has been even more compelling due to the prizes at stake.

Both Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are viewed as generational talents who can change the fortunes of franchises for many years to come. With 30th place assuring one of them, the league's worst teams have been in a race to the bottom for much of the campaign.

With the end of the regular season and the 2015 NHL draft lottery on the horizon, here is a full first-round mock draft based on the current standings as well as further analysis regarding the top players available.

Pick	Team	Player
1	Buffalo Sabres	Connor McDavid, C, Erie (OHL)
2	Arizona Coyotes	Jack Eichel, C, Boston Univ. (NCAA)
3	Edmonton Oilers	Noah Hanifin, D, Boston College (NCAA)
4	Toronto Maple Leafs	Dylan Strome, C, Erie (OHL)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Mitch Marner, C, London (OHL)
6	New Jersey Devils	Mikko Rantanen, C, TPS Turku (SM-liiga)
7	Philadelphia Flyers	Lawson Crouse, LW, Kingston (OHL)
8	Columbus Blue Jackets	Pavel Zacha, C, Sarnia (OHL)
9	Colorado Avalanche	Ivan Provorov, D, Brandon (WHL)
10	Florida Panthers	Mathew Barzal, C, Seattle (WHL)
11	San Jose Sharks	Timo Meier, RW, Halifax (QMJHL)
12	Dallas Stars	Zach Werenski, D, Michigan (NCAA)
13	Los Angeles Kings	Travis Konecny, C, Ottawa (OHL)
14	Ottawa Senators	Kyle Connor, C, Youngstown (USHL)
15	Boston Bruins	Jakub Zboril, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
16	Calgary Flames	Jansen Harkins, C, Prince George (WHL)
17	Winnipeg Jets	Jake DeBrusk, LW, Swift Current (WHL)
18	Edmonton Oilers (from PIT)	Evgeny Svechnikov, LW, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
19	Detroit Red Wings	Gabriel Carlsson, D, Linkopings HC (SHL)
20	Vancouver Canucks	Thomas Chabot, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
21	Buffalo Sabres (from NYI)	Daniel Sprong, RW, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
22	Minnesota Wild	Filip Chlapik, C, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
23	Washington Capitals	Nick Merkley, RW, Kelowna (WHL)
24	Arizona Coyotes (from CHI)	Jacob Larsson, D, Frolunda HC (SHL)
25	Nashville Predators	Paul Bittner, LW, Portland (WHL)
26	Philadelphia Flyers (from TB)	Jeremy Roy, D, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
27	Winnipeg Jets (from BUF via STL)	Noah Juulsen, D, Everett (WHL)
28	Montreal Canadiens	Colin White, C, USA U18 NTDP
29	Anaheim Ducks	Ryan Pilon, D, Brandon (WHL)
30	Tampa Bay Lightning (from NYR)	Brandon Carlo, D, Tri-City (WHL)

Breaking Down Top Selections

Connor McDavid

Not since the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Sidney Crosby has a prospect generated as much buzz as McDavid. The Erie Otters superstar is in the midst of another incredible season and has established himself as the likely No. 1 overall pick.

According to the Canadian Hockey League on Twitter, NHL Central Scouting agrees that he is the cream of the crop in the 2015 draft:

McDavid put up 120 points in just 47 games played after registering 99 in 56 games last year. He is only 18 years old, but all signs point to him being an elite player from the moment he steps onto the ice in the NHL.

Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray, who has positioned himself well to nab McDavid, has been extremely complimentary of the Richmond Hill, Ontario native as well, per WGR 550:

There are seemingly a million other opinions that match Murray's, though, which means every team in the lottery will have their fingers crossed in hopes of landing the top pick.

Assuming a team like Buffalo, the Arizona Coyotes or Edmonton Oilers win the lottery, it will take more than just McDavid to become contenders. With that said, he would accelerate the process and make it far easier.

Much like Crosby, McDavid is the type of player who makes everyone around him better. That is a key attribute and likely the main thing that puts him above the rest of the available prospects.

Jack Eichel

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

While there will certainly be some degree of disappointment for the teams that don't win the lottery, the one that ultimately picks second will have the best possible consolation prize in the form of Eichel.

Eichel may not be quite as big of a phenom as McDavid, but it is tough not to marvel at what he has accomplished. Despite playing against much older players in college at Boston University, the 18-year-old star has been the NCAA's best skater.

As pointed out by ESPN's John Buccigross, Eichel leads the nation in several of the main statistical categories as a freshman:

To put his production into perspective, Eichel has nearly as many assists as a freshman as star Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews had points during his sophomore campaign in college, per WGR 550's Jeremy White:

Toews is easily among the best players in the NHL and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010, and if Eichel's talent level is that much higher, then it says a lot about how good he could ultimately become in the NHL.

It is tough to envision anyone selecting Eichel ahead of McDavid, but Murray has at least outwardly expressed that there isn't much separating them, according to NHL.com's Joe Yerdon:

McDavid may prove to be the better player over time, but Eichel may be better built for immediate success since he has played against older, bigger, stronger and more mature players at the collegiate level.

Eichel has all the makings of a stud and could go on to be recognized as one of the best No. 2 overall draft picks in recent memory.

Noah Hanifin

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

There is no question that McDavid and Eichel are the top two prospects available, but things get a bit murkier after that. Although the third pick could depend largely upon team needs, defenseman Noah Hanifin is undoubtedly in the running.

The Boston College freshman enjoyed a strong debut season with 23 points in 37 games, but he is more than simply an offensive threat. The Norwood, Massachusetts native is the best two-way defenseman in the draft and has only scratched the surface of his potential.

Because of that, the team that selects him may not get instant gratification. In fact, Buccigross believes he is a prime candidate to return for his sophomore campaign:

That isn't uncommon, but teams selecting in the top five would probably prefer to have an immediate contributor if possible.

One team in desperate need of a big-time defenseman is the Edmonton Oilers. Despite picking high in the draft on several occasions, the Oilers can't seem to make any progress. They have netted some highly talented offensive players such as Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Jordan Eberle, but their defense has been largely neglected.

If they end up selecting third and have their pick of the litter aside from McDavid and Eichel, Hanifin figures to be quite appealing.

Craig Custance of ESPN The Magazine is of the mind that the Oil would jump at the chance to take him:

Based on Edmonton's obvious needs, landing a defenseman of Hanifin's caliber would be a dream come true for the organization's fans.

The Oilers certainly wouldn't scoff at winning the lottery and selecting McDavid, but they need defensive help so badly that missing out on the top pick wouldn't be a tragedy.

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