NHL Draft 2015: TV, Live Stream Schedule and 1st-Round Mock Draft Predictions

The biggest hockey intrigue of the summer didn't end with the Chicago Blackhawks' Stanley Cup win, as the weekend's 2015 NHL draft will decide where some of the best talent to surface in years will land.

Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel headline the class, both becoming the rare gems that constitute can't-miss generational talents before they're even draft-eligible. While those two can expect to hear their names called quite early, they aren't alone among the impact-makers to be selected Friday and Saturday.

Here's a look at everything to know for this weekend's action in Sunrise, Florida.

2015 NHL Draft TV Schedule

Day	Time (ET)	Watch
Friday, June 26	7 p.m.	NBCSN
Saturday, June 27	10 a.m.	NHL Network

Live Stream

NBC Sports Live Extra

First-Round Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Player
1	Edmonton Oilers	Connor McDavid, C, Erie (OHL)
2	Buffalo Sabres	Jack Eichel, C, Boston University
3	Arizona Coyotes	Dylan Strome, C, Erie (OHL)
4	Toronto Maple Leafs	Noah Hanifin, D, Boston College
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Mitch Marner, RW, Erie (OHL)
6	New Jersey Devils	Mikko Rantanen, RW, TPS (FIN)
7	Philadelphia Flyers	Ivan Provorov, D, Brandon (WHL)
8	Columbus Blue Jackets	Zachary Werenski, D, Michigan
9	San Jose Sharks	Lawson Crouse, LW, Kingston (OHL)
10	Colorado Avalanche	Mathew Barzal, C, Seattle (WHL)
11	Florida Panthers	Pavel Zacha, C/LW, Sarnia (OHL)
12	Dallas Stars	Travis Konecny, C, Ottawa (OHL)
13	Los Angeles Kings	Thomas Chabot, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
14	Boston Bruins	Jakub Zboril, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
15	Calgary Flames	Nick Merkley, C/RW, Kelowna (WHL)
16	Edmonton Oilers (Pittsburgh)	Jeremy Roy, D, Phoenix (QMJHL)
17	Winnipeg Jets	Denis Guryanov, RW, Russia
18	Ottawa Senators	Evgeny Svechnikov, LW, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
19	Detroit Red Wings	Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Farjestad
20	Minnesota Wild	Timo Meier, LW, Halifax (QMJHL)
21	Buffalo Sabres (Islanders)	Brock Boeser, RW, Waterloo Blackhawks
22	Washington Capitals	Paul Bittner, LW, Portland (WHL)
23	Vancouver Canucks	Colin White, C/RW, USA U-18 (USHL)
24	Toronto Maple Leafs (Nashville)	Jake Debrusk, LW, Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
25	Winnipeg Jets (St. Louis via Buffalo)	Jansen Harkins, C, Prince George Cougars
26	Montreal Canadiens	Nicolas Roy, C/RW, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
27	Anaheim Ducks	Brandon Carlo, D, Tri-City (WHL)
28	Tampa Bay Lightning (Rangers)	Jeremy Bracco, C/RW, USA U-18 (USHL)
29	Philadelphia Flyers (Tampa Bay)	Oliver Kylington, D, AIK (SWE)
30	Arizona Coyotes (Chicago)	Sebastian Aho, D, Skelleftea (Elitserien)

Analysis

It's not often that a player comes along in the NHL draft that has the chance to become one of the best of his generation. But as rare as that can be, there's arguably never been a scenario quite like this year's.

In virtually any other draft, Eichel would be the hands-down top overall pick. But of course, that's not the case this year—not with McDavid also ripe for the picking.

The Edmonton Oilers won the rights to select McDavid in the draft lottery and got the best endorsement for their future player that you can ask for in the game of hockey. The great Wayne Gretzky lauded McDavid as the best prospect he's seen in 30 years, per Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson:

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

"He's as good as I've seen in the last 30 years, the best player to come into the league in the last 30 years, the best to come along since [Mario] Lemieux and [Sidney] Crosby. He can definitely change a franchise's fortunes."

Of course, one player not big on buying into the McDavid hype is Eichel—a rising star in his own right who has to feel hard done by. It's not surprising to hear that a personal rivalry with McDavid is fueling the likely No. 2 overall pick and future Buffalo Sabre, as ESPN The Magazine's Craig Custance showed:

"

As the draft closes in, nine things to know about Jack Eichel: http://t.co/jh4M41x7Mr [In] pic.twitter.com/HavK6K6kKf

— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 23, 2015"

Although McDavid and Eichel are in a class of their own, things don't get any less predictable after the first two picks. 

Dylan Strome can also expect his name to fly off the board, completing the top three, as the Arizona Coyotes look like a shoo-in to draft the big-bodied center. The Coyotes have a wealth of winger talent, but Strome could be the franchise center to anchor the offense.

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

After that is where things begin to open up and where the best value picks of the draft may take place. The hype surrounding McDavid, Eichel and even Strome has overshadowed a couple of blueliners who promise to develop into game-changers.

Noah Hanifin heads the list, as the 6'2" defenseman out of Boston College has the two-way ability and maturity to make the quick transition. Also look for Ivan Provorov, another D-man out of the WHL who could crack the top five.

The top of the board may dominate things as usual in this year's NHL draft. But as we've seen from undrafted prospects breaking out in the postseason, there's no shortage of talent and potential later on.