2015 NHL Mock Draft: Final 1st-Round Predictions Before Lottery Drawing

Hockey enthusiasts have had their eyes on the 2015 NHL draft for more than a year due to the incredible talent the class features, and that excitement level hasn't waned.

With the NHL draft lottery set for Saturday night, 14 teams are hopeful that they will be lucky enough to nab the No. 1 overall pick and Erie Otters forward Connor McDavid. For those who don't win the lottery, though, plenty of other potentially great players will still be available.

They include collegiate players like Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin, and so many others as well. As the draft lottery approaches, here is a full, first-round mock draft along with a closer look at some of the top unheralded stars to watch for.

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	San Jose Sharks	Ivan Provorov, D, Brandon (WHL)
10	Colorado Avalanche	Zach Werenski, D, Michigan (NCAA)
11	Florida Panthers	Mathew Barzal, C, Seattle (WHL)
12	Dallas Stars	Timo Meier, RW, Halifax (QMJHL)
13	Los Angeles Kings	Travis Konecny, C, Ottawa (OHL)
14	Boston Bruins	Kyle Connor, C, Youngstown (USHL)
15	Calgary Flames	Jakub Zboril, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
16	Edmonton Oilers (from PIT)	Jansen Harkins, C, Prince George (WHL)
17	Winnipeg Jets	Jake DeBrusk, LW, Swift Current (WHL)
18	Ottawa Senators	Evgeny Svechnikov, LW, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
19	Detroit Red Wings	Gabriel Carlsson, D, Linkopings HC (SHL)
20	Minnesota Wild	Thomas Chabot, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
21	Buffalo Sabres (from NYI)	Daniel Sprong, RW, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
22	Washington Capitals	Filip Chlapik, C, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
23	Vancouver Canucks	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	Anaheim Ducks	Brock Boeser, RW, Waterloo (USHL)
29	Montreal Canadiens	Ryan Pilon, D, Brandon (WHL)
30	Tampa Bay Lightning (from NYR)	Brandon Carlo, D, Tri-City (WHL)

Analyzing Under-the-Radar Stars

Dylan Strome

While forward Dylan Strome would likely be in the conversation as a potential No. 1 overall pick in most other drafts, the fact that he isn't even considered to be the best player on his team has caused him to be overshadowed.

Strome has had the somewhat unenviable task of trying to live up to McDavid, and the 6'3" center has actually done a fine job of it. He won the OHL scoring title during the regular season with 129 points, and although he was aided by his teammate missing some time due to injury, it was still no small feat.

The Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, native is a legitimate top NHL prospect with or without McDavid, and the fact that he could go anywhere from No. 3 to No. 5 speaks to the depth of the 2015 draft class.

Even though most teams would prefer to land McDavid or Eichel, Strome would be a major acquisition for any franchise as well, according to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald:

One team that could be in position to select Strome is the Toronto Maple Leafs. They desperately need a No. 1 center in the near future, and Strome has all the makings of developing into precisely that.

Some young players might shy away from an insane media market like Toronto, but Strome revealed on TSN 1050's Macko and Cauz that he would embrace it, per James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail:

The organizations that miss out on McDavid and Eichel will probably be temporarily disappointed, but it won't last since Strome could potentially become a perennial All-Star in his own right.

Although there are probably more question marks surrounding him than the other top guys since he only has one great season under his belt, Strome is an elite prospect in every sense of the term.

Mitch Marner

While Strome beat out McDavid to win the regular-season scoring title in the OHL, his closest competition actually came from the London Knights, as center Mitch Marner put up an incredible 44 goals and 126 points in just 63 games.

Although he is smaller than Strome at 5'11", Marner is equally dangerous from an offensive perspective and seemingly on level footing entering the draft. Where he especially stood out was under the bright lights of the playoffs.

The Knights fell short of their ultimate goal, but Marner put up 16 points in seven games and looked unstoppable at times. He was especially dominant in London's first three playoff contests, as he scored 12 of his points during that span, according to Brendan Ross of McKeen's Hockey:

Unfortunately, his postseason run was interrupted after getting elbowed in the head by Erie defenseman Mason Marchment.

It was merely a temporary stumbling block, though. Marner has no doubt he will be ready for the predraft process, per Ryan Pyette of LFPress.com:

Like Strome, Marner isn't considered to be on the same level as McDavid or Eichel, so his draft range is likely anywhere from No. 3 to No. 5 depending upon how teams feel about him in relation to the likes of Strome and Hanifin.

Marner is one of the most dynamic offensive stars in the class, and while his size means he may have a more difficult transition to the NHL than others will, his long-term potential is through the roof.

The Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Arizona Coyotes and New Jersey Devils are all teams that look to be in the hunt for Marner, and whoever ends up with him will be getting a blue-chipper.

Zach Werenski 

Hanifin has attracted much of the attention as far as collegiate defensemen are concerned since he has been considered the cream of the crop for quite some time, but Michigan's Zach Werenski may have closed the gap a bit during the 2014-15 season.

The Grosse Point, Michigan, native was fantastic during his freshman campaign for the Wolverines. He put up nine goals and 25 points in 35 games, which is big-time production from a debutant blueliner.

Werenski excels on both ends of the ice as he also posted a solid plus-nine rating, but ISS Hockey believes his offensive ability sets him apart from the rest:

Perhaps the one drawback regarding Werenski is the fact that he could use a bit more seasoning in the NCAA. Per Jason Rubinstein of The Michigan Daily, Wolverines head coach Red Berenson believes the talented rearguard should and will return for his sophomore campaign:

Since Werenski is a borderline top-10 pick, though, the team that ultimately selects probably doesn't expect to have him in the fold right away.

One team to monitor is the Colorado Avalanche, who will pick 10th or 11th unless they win the lottery. They passed on defenseman Seth Jones two drafts ago in favor of forward Nathan MacKinnon, and while they likely don't regret that decision, they still have a need on defense.

Werenski could be a great addition to go along with the Avs' group of fine, young forwards, and it will be tough for Colorado to pass on him if he is still on the board.

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