NHL Draft 2015: Start Time, Order, Prospects Guide and Mock Draft Predictions

Draft classes have up and down years in every sport, but there is little doubt that the 2015 NHL draft is among the most highly anticipated in recent memory due to the presence of two potential franchise-changing players.

Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are both viewed as perennial All-Stars and possible Hall of Famers, which is why the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres will be selecting them at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. This is far from a two-player draft, though, as there is depth throughout the first round and beyond.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2015 NHL draft, complete with a first-round mock draft and a closer look at some of the under-the-radar players worth watching in the opening round.

Where: BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida

When: Friday, June 26, at 7 p.m. ET and Saturday, June 27, at 10 a.m. ET

Watch: NBCSN (Friday) and NHL Network (Saturday)

First-Round 2015 NHL Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Player
1	Edmonton Oilers	Connor McDavid, C, Erie (OHL)
2	Buffalo Sabres	Jack Eichel, C, Boston Univ. (NCAA)
3	Arizona Coyotes	Mitch Marner, RW, London (OHL)
4	Toronto Maple Leafs	Noah Hanifin, D, Boston College (NCAA)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Dylan Strome, C, Erie (OHL)
6	New Jersey Devils	Mikko Rantanen, C, TPS Turku (SM-liiga)
7	Philadelphia Flyers	Lawson Crouse, LW, Kingston (OHL)
8	Columbus Blue Jackets	Ivan Provorov, D, Brandon (WHL)
9	San Jose Sharks	Pavel Zacha, C, Sarnia (OHL)
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	Kyle Connor, C, Youngstown (USHL)
14	Boston Bruins	Travis Konecny, C, Ottawa (OHL)
15	Calgary Flames	Jakub Zboril, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
16	Edmonton Oilers (from PIT)	Thomas Chabot, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
17	Winnipeg Jets	Nick Merkley, RW, Kelowna (WHL)
18	Ottawa Senators	Evgeny Svechnikov, LW, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
19	Detroit Red Wings	Oliver Kylington, D, Farjestad (SHL)
20	Minnesota Wild	Jeremy Roy, D, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
21	Ottawa Senators (from BUF via NYI)	Colin White, C, USA U18 NTDP
22	Washington Capitals	Brandon Carlo, D, Tri-City (WHL)
23	Vancouver Canucks	Ilya Samsonov, G, Magnitorgorsk (MHL)
24	Toronto Maple Leafs (from NSH)	Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Farjestad (SHL)
25	Winnipeg Jets (from BUF via STL)	Gabriel Carlsson, D, Linkopings HC (SHL)
26	Montreal Canadiens	Daniel Sprong, RW, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
27	Anaheim Ducks	Paul Bittner, LW, Portland (WHL)
28	Tampa Bay Lightning (from NYR)	Denis Gurianov, RW, Togilatti 2 (MHL)
29	Philadelphia Flyers (from TB)	Mackenzie Blackwood, G, Barrie (OHL)
30	Arizona Coyotes (from CHI)	Jacob Larsson, D, Frolunda (SHL)

Underrated Prospects to Watch

Pavel Zacha

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Much of the focus will understandably be on McDavid and Eichel when the NHL draft commences, but several other forwards have a chance to be great at the next level. Mitch Marner, Dylan Strome, Mikko Rantanen and Lawson Crouse are all possibilities, but Pavel Zacha could turn out to be the best overall player from that second tier.

Zacha is a big, talented center from the Czech Republic who had a strong debut campaign for the OHL's Sarnia Sting this past season. He was limited to just 37 games due to injury, but he posted 34 points and added three more in five playoff games.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Zacha's game, though, is his defensive capability. He can overpower most other players physically at 6'3" and over 200 pounds, which gives him ideal size for the NHL already.

According to Craig Custance of ESPN The Magazine, there is no shortage of organizations showing a substantial amount of interest in the 18-year-old forward:

Another thing working in Zacha's favor is the notion that he seems to have solid character, per Damien Cox of Sportsnet:

It is easy to overlook Zacha since there are so many other excellent forwards available and due to the fact that he missed a good chunk of the season, but his skill level can measure up to anyone outside of McDavid and Eichel.

While it remains to be seen if he will fall this far, the San Jose Sharks would be a great fit at No. 9 since they already have a strong group of forwards, including Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Tomas Hertl.

Zacha wouldn't be expected to step in and be a star right away, but the Sharks will give him plenty of support if they end up landing him.

Ivan Provorov

Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

While the forward position is the main focus of the 2015 NHL draft, there is some intriguing talent on defense as well. American Noah Hanifin has long been considered the No. 1 blueliner available, but Russia's Ivan Provorov has been giving him a run for his money during the lead-up to the draft.

Provorov was arguably the best rearguard in junior hockey this past season, as he put up an impressive 61 points in 60 games for the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings along with a fantastic plus-36 rating. The 18-year-old defenseman is an extremely dangerous player offensively due to his excellent skating ability, but he doesn't sacrifice much on the defensive end.

He is so talented, in fact, that Sportsnet analyst Sam Cosentino rates Provorov ahead of Hanifin and every other defenseman in the 2015 class, according to Brady and Walker on Sportsnet 590:

Cosentino isn't alone in his assessment, as there are NHL teams that favor Provorov over the player who was once considered to be the consensus top defenseman available, per Michael Traikos of the National Post:

Provorov certainly seems to be a surefire top-10 pick, but his ceiling could potentially go as high as the Arizona Coyotes at No. 3 if they lock in on defense and prefer him over Hanifin. Most of the teams selecting inside the lottery have multiple needs, so he is a possibility at any spot aside from No. 1 or No. 2.

Provided Provorov is still on the board when the Columbus Blue Jackets pick at No. 8, they figure to give plenty of consideration to taking him. Columbus boasts a strong corps of forwards, and adding an elite puck-moving defenseman like Provorov to the fold would make it even more effective.

Offensive defenseman like P.K. Subban and Erik Karlsson are all the rage in the NHL, and while it remains to be seen if Provorov can reach their level, he definitely has that type of talent.

Ilya Samsonov 

NHL teams need strong goaltending in order to succeed, but teams have seemingly gotten away from taking goalies in the first round recently. That could change this year, though, as Russian netminder Ilya Samsonov is shooting up draft boards.

The 6'3" goalie may not make the leap to the NHL from Russia for a few more years, but his potential is off the charts based on his performance in the U18 World Championships. He posted a 1.87 goals-against average and .945 save percentage against elite-level competition, which is something no other goaltender in this class can say.

Samsonov showed an ability to get the job done on the big stage, and NHL European Director of Central Scouting Goran Stubb believes that is among his greatest strengths, according to NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale.

"He can make the big game-winning saves," Stubb said. "He has a good glove, quick feet and plays a very mature and cool game."

The argument against Samsonov is that many teams have been having success without top-flight goalies. It seems easier than ever to find quality players at that position in the later rounds, which has made it difficult for goalies to crack the first round.

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal believes Samsonov is deserving of bucking that trend due to his similarities to Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy:

The Oilers could potentially go after Samsonov with their second first-rounder at No. 16, but if they decide to pass him up, then the Vancouver Canucks are an option at No. 23.

The Canucks don't have much in terms of goaltending prospects, while starter Ryan Miller is getting up there in age. Also, it remains to be seen if Eddie Lack is a long-term answer after Miller, so Vancouver would be wise to load up at the position.

There is inherent risk involved with taking a goalie early, but Samsonov has shown that he can perform against the very best, and that makes him worth the gamble.

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