NHL Draft 2015: TV Schedule, Order and Mock Draft Predictions for Top Prospects

Once in a while, a special draft class comes along that changes everything. This year, the NHL will welcome a pair of future stars with the potential to alter the league's landscape.

The Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres won't have to deliberate much before making the opening two picks Friday night. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, transcendent talents with superstar ceilings, are widely expected to respectively go No. 1 and No. 2.  

Those choices are no secrets. After that, there are no longer any certainties. While hardly a two-man draft, that pairing hovers over the pack, leaving a hodgepodge of consolation prizes for the other squads rounding out the top five.

With the selection process set to begin in hours, let's look at the most notable top prospects after McDavid and Eichel.

2015 NHL Draft

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

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

Round 1 Order/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	Mitchell Marner, C, London (OHL)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Noah Hanifin, D, Boston College (NCAA)
6	New Jersey Devils	Ivan Provorov, D, Brandon (WHL)
7	Philadelphia Flyers	Lawson Crouse, LW, Kingston (OHL)
8	Columbus Blue Jackets	Pavel Zacha, C, Sarnia (OHL)
9	San Jose Sharks	Zach Werenski, D, Michigan (NCAA)
10	Colorado Avalanche	Travis Konecny, C, Ottawa (OHL)
11	Florida Panthers	Mikko Rantanen, C, TPS Turku (SM-liiga)
12	Dallas Stars	Kyle Connor, C, Youngstown (USHL)
13	Los Angeles Kings	Mathew Barzal, C, Seattle (WHL)
14	Boston Bruins	Timo Meier, RW, Halifax (QMJHL)
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	Colin White, C, USA under-18 (USHL)
19	Detroit Red Wings	Evgeny Svechnikov, LW, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
20	Minnesota Wild	Jansen Harkins, C, Prince George (WHL)
21	Buffalo Sabres (from NYI)	Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Farjestad (SHL)
22	Washington Capitals	Paul Bittner, LW, Portland (WHL)
23	Vancouver Canucks	Jeremy Roy, D, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
24	Toronto Maple Leafs (from NSH)	Daniel Sprong, RW, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
25	Winnipeg Jets (from STL via BUF)	Jacob Larsson, D, Frolunda HC (SHL)
26	Montreal Canadiens	Jake DeBrusk, LW, Swift Current (WHL)
27	Anaheim Ducks	Oliver Kylington, D, AIK (SHL)
28	Tampa Bay Lightning (from NYR)	Brock Boeser, RW, Waterloo (USHL)
29	Philadelphia Flyers (from TB)	Ilya Samsonov, G, Magnitogorsk (KHL)
30	Arizona Coyotes (from CHI)	Gabriel Carlsson, D, Linkopings HC (SHL)

Top No. 3 Pick Candidates

Dylan Strome, C, Erie (OHL)

Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Overshadowed by teammate McDavid, Erie's Dylan Strome led the team and the OHL with 84 assists and 129 points. The 6'3" center makes a great fit for the offensively starved Arizona Coyotes, who ranked second to last with 2.0 goals per game last season.

In Strome, Arizona would snag a terrific playmaker who generated 29 points during 20 games without McDavid while he was sidelined with a hand injury. The probable No. 1 pick praised his former teammate to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman: "He's unbelievable. His hockey IQ is off the charts. What he's able to do in terms of finding people with the puck and making great passes, it's so fun to watch. I oftentimes find myself just kind of watching him when I'm on the bench. A guy like that you can always learn some stuff off of."

The 18-year-old is no mere byproduct of playing with McDavid. Strome led his own line and dominated the puck. He brandishes the size and the strong skating necessary to become an NHL mainstay.

Mitchell Marner, C, London (OHL)

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Not lagging far behind Strome, Mitchell Marner ranked second with 126 points in the OHL last season. The 18-year-old Canadian will make a run for No. 3 consideration, but he shouldn't fall outside of the top five.

There's one area in which Strome has Marner significantly beat: size. Marner measures at 5'11" and 160 pounds, leading skeptics to question the center's ability to hold up against NHL counterparts. Yet, Marner doesn't see his size as a hindrance in a league continually upping the tempo. Per ProHockeyTalk's Mike Halford:

"

The NHL has changed. It’s not about height. It’s not about cross-checking as hard as you can. It’s not about hooking. All those get you a penalty nowadays. It’s a speed game now. It’s about thinking. If you have the brain to play in the NHL, no matter how tall you are, you can play. If you can dodge hits, you can play.

"

Marner certainly has the speed and the skills to play in the NHL. The prolific skater, passer and scorer has plenty of time to build more muscle. Ranked No. 24 in scoring offense last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs could use a creative playmaker.

Noah Hanifin, D, Boston College

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The draft's most tantalizing defenseman, Noah Hanifin will intrigue clubs as a potential two-way star capable of doing it all. Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects lauded the Boston College standout's all-around game:

"

The skilled defenseman's undeniably high level of hockey sense is showcased whenever he touches the puck in the offensive zone. Defensively, he is aggressive, constantly pushing for puck possession and a quick transition to offense, but at the same time steadfast, reliable, and patient. He is poised beyond his years and mature in his decision making. All-in-all, Noah Hanifin is the ideal all-around defenseman that leaves no area of his game untended.

"

With Arizona exploring offers for the No. 3 pick, per TSN's Bob McKenzie, some teams are gunning for the selection to snag Hanifin. Scouts have spoken highly of him to the Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline, who believes the Columbus Blue Jackets are interested:

However, the 18-year-old may stay another year at Boston College, as he acknowledged to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe: “I want to play in the NHL for a long time and I don’t want to rush anything, so I’m going to take my time making the right decision. I believe that I could step into the NHL and play next year, but what I got at BC this year helped me so much. So maybe going back to BC another year may help me even more.”

He would reside in the No. 4 slot if not for Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino saying he believes the Maple Leafs are deciding between Marner and Ivan Provorov.