NHL Draft 2015: Official Selection Order, Mock Draft Following Stanley Cup Final

Now that another NHL season is in the books and the Chicago Blackhawks are officially the champions, the focus immediately shifts to the offseason. The first major stop on that journey is the 2015 draft, which is set for June 26 and 27 in Florida and features an outstanding group of prospects.

It's a rare class that features both high-end talent (Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel) as well as second-wave depth that should last deep into Round 1. So most teams should certainly emerge from the opening round with a valuable asset for the future.

With that in mind, let's check out a complete look at the order and potential selections for the first round with a mock draft.

1st-Round Mock Draft

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

The top two picks should go by without much drama. McDavid and Eichel emerged as the clear favorites to come off the board first more than a year ago—and nothing has changed. If they don't go first and second, respectively, it will be a major shock.

Things get more intriguing starting a No. 3 because, while there are plenty of solid options, nobody else has stood out quite like the top two. So let's take a closer look at that pair of franchise talents and then dive into who may follow them in the draft.

Top Selections

1. Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid, C, Erie (OHL)

Quite simply, it's hard to find any flaws in McDavid's game. He scored 120 points in 47 games for Erie before adding 49 more points in 20 playoff games. His offensive talent, whether it be scoring or distribution, is off the charts—and he also has a strong understanding of defensive assignments.

He should have little trouble making the jump to the NHL. While there may be a brief transition period, his talent should be on full display at some point during the middle stages of his rookie season. TSN Hockey noted the high praise from Wayne Gretzky to give an idea of the expectations:

The hallmark of any superstar is being able to read the play before it happens. He did that consistently at the junior level, using his effortless stride to get into scoring areas. And there was always a feeling he's going to make something special happen when he touched the puck.

In turn, this selection is a no-brainer for the Oilers. Even though the team's biggest needs remain defense and goaltending, a player like McDavid can help hide those weaknesses as Edmonton continues its rebuild. He's a truly special talent with an incredibly bright future.

2. Buffalo Sabres: Jack Eichel, C, Boston U. (NCAA)

The Sabres made the decision to go through an extended rebuild, which has led to two straight seasons in the NHL basement. Now the waiting will pay off in the form of a new franchise cornerstone in Eichel, an outstanding two-way player only a tick below McDavid overall.

He had 71 points in 40 games at the college level, where the level of competition is higher than the junior ranks. The next highest NCAA scorer was his linemate Evan Rodrigues at 61. The center also doesn't lack confidence, as evident in comments passed along by John Vogl of the Buffalo News:

Another thing that stands out when watching Eichel is his skating. He owns a long, powerful stride that allows him to accelerate past other players with ease. And once he gets the puck, he's extremely difficult to knock off it, an important trait with clutching and grabbing making a noticeable return to the NHL.

The Sabres have an impressive stable of prospects on the way with Sam Reinhart, Justin Bailey and Nick Baptiste among the most promising. That said, Eichel is the star they have been waiting for to push the rebuilding effort into the next phase. Expect Buffalo to take a few steps forward next season.

3. Arizona Coyotes: Dylan Strome, C, Erie (OHL)

The Coyotes have several different options with this selection. They could grab Noah Hanifin, the draft's top defenseman, to eventually pair with Oliver Ekman-Larsson. There are also some solid forward options in Mitch Marner or Mikko Rantanen.

Strome seems like the most probable choice, though. McDavid's teammate was able to emerge from the shadow of the top prospect with 129 points in 68 games. Brendan Ross of McKeen's Hockey explained the type of player Arizona would be getting:

Make no mistake, there's a definite drop-off between the top two and Strome. McDavid and Eichel are players you can plug into the No. 1 center role immediately, and they will probably stay there for the next decade. Strome is more of a No. 2 center who may become a top-line player in his prime.

That said, the Coyotes have improved their group of prospects over the past year, and Strome would be another nice chip to hold. Even if he ends up playing another year of junior hockey, the long-term impact will prove worth the early-pick investment.