2015 NHL Draft Grades: Full Results and Letter Scores for Each Team

The two days of the 2015 NHL draft drastically shifted the league's balance of power as many teams improved their immediate and long-term future through their selections and trades.

Two organizations near the top of that list are the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres, who each snagged potential franchise-changing players in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, respectively. They scored high marks for those picks despite their obviousness, but they weren't alone as big winners in Sunrise, Florida.

Here is a full rundown of grades for all 30 NHL teams, along with a closer look at the draft's top picks and the impact they will ultimately have.

NHL Draft First- and Second-Round Results

Pick	Team	Player	Position	Amateur Team
Pick	Team	Player	Position	Amateur Team
1.	Edmonton Oilers	Connor McDavid	C	Erie
2.	Buffalo Sabres	Jack Eichel	C	Boston University
3.	Arizona Coyotes	Dylan Strome	C	Erie
4.	Toronto Maple Leafs	Mitchell Marner	C	London
5.	Carolina Hurricanes	Noah Hanifin	D	Boston College
6.	New Jersey Devils	Pavel Zacha	C	Sarnia
7.	Philadelphia Flyers	Ivan Provorov	D	Brandon
8.	Columbus Blue Jackets	Zachary Werenski	D	Michigan
9.	San Jose Sharks	Timo Meier	RW	Halifax
10.	Colorado Avalanche	Mikko Rantanen	RW	TPS
11.	Florida Panthers	Lawson Crouse	LW	Kingston
12.	Dallas Stars	Denis Gurianov	RW	Togliatti 2
13.	Boston Bruins	Jakub Zboril	D	Saint John
14.	Boston Bruins	Jake DeBrusk	LW	Swift Current
15.	Boston Bruins	Zachary Senyshyn	RW	Sault Ste. Marie
16.	New York Islanders	Mathew Barzal	C	Seattle
17.	Winnipeg Jets	Kyle Connor	LW	Youngstown
18.	Ottawa Senators	Thomas Chabot	D	Saint John
19.	Detroit Red Wings	Evgeny Svechnikov	LW	Cape Breton
20.	Minnesota Wild	Joel Eriksson Ek	C	Farjestad
21.	Ottawa Senators	Colin White	C	USA U-18
22.	Washington Capitals	Ilya Samsonov	G	Magnitogorsk 2
23.	Vancouver Canucks	Brock Boeser	RW	Waterloo
24.	Philadelphia Flyers	Travis Konecny	C	Ottawa
25.	Winnipeg Jets	John (Jack) Roslovic	C	USA U-18
26.	Montreal Canadiens	Noah Juulsen	D	Everett
27.	Anaheim Ducks	Jacob Larsson	D	Frolunda Jr.
28.	New York Islanders	Anthony Beauvillier	LW	Shawinigan
29.	Colombus Blue Jackets	Gabriel Carlsson	D	Linkoping Jr.
30.	Arizona Coyotes	Nicholas Merkley	RW	Kelowna
31.	San Jose Sharks	Jeremy Roy	D	Sherbrooke
32.	Arizona Coyotes	Christian Fischer	RW	USA U-18
33.	Tampa Bay Lightning	Mitchell Stephens	C	Saginaw
34.	Toronto Maple Leafs	Travis Dermott	D	Erie
35.	Carolina Hurricanes	Sebastian Aho	RW	Karpat
36.	Ottawa Senators	Gabriel Gagne	RW	Victoriaville
37.	Boston Bruins	Brandon Carlo	D	Tri-City
38.	Columbus Blue Jackets	Paul Bittner	LW	Portland
39.	Colorado Avalanche	AJ Greer	LW	Boston University
40.	Colorado Avalanche	Nicolas Meloche	D	Baie-Comeau
41.	New York Rangers	Ryan Gropp	LW	Seattle
42.	New Jersey Devils	Mackenzie Blackwood	G	Barrie
43.	Los Angeles Kings	Erik Cernak	D	Kosice
44.	Tampa Bay Lightning	Matthew Spencer	D	Peterborough
45.	Boston Bruins	Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson	C	Omaha
46.	Pittsburgh Penguins	Daniel Sprong	RW	Charlottetown
47.	Winnipeg Jets	Jansen Harkins	C	Prince George
48.	Ottawa Senators	Filip Chlapik	C	Charlottetown
49.	Dallas Stars	Roope Hintz	LW	Ilves
50.	Minnesota Wild	Jordan Greenway	LW	USA U-18
51.	Buffalo Sabres	Brendan Guhle	D	Prince Albert
52.	Boston Bruins	Jeremy Lauzon	D	Rouyn-Noranda
53.	Calgary Flames	Rasmus Andersson	D	Barrie
54.	Chicago Blackhawks	Graham Knott	LW	Niagara
55.	Nashville Predators	Iakov Trenin	C	Gatineau
56.	St. Louis Blues	Vince Dunn	D	Niagara
57.	Washington Capitals	Jonas Siegenthaler	D	Zurich
58.	Columbus Blue Jackets	Kevin Stenlund	C	HV 71 Jr.
59.	Anaheim Ducks	Julius Nattinen	C	JYP 2
60.	Calgary Flames	Oliver Kylington	D	Farjestad
61.	Toronto Maple Leafs	Jeremy Bracco	RW	USA U-18

*Full results available at NHL.com.

NHL Draft Grades

Team	Key Picks (Pick No.)	Grade
Anaheim Ducks	D Jacob Larsson (27), C Julius Nattinen (59)	B
Arizona Coyotes	C Dylan Strome (3), RW Nick Merkley (30), RW Christian Fischer (32)	A-
Boston Bruins	D Jakub Zboril (13), LW Jake DeBrusk (14), RW Zach Senyshyn (15), D Brandon Carlo (37)	B-
Buffalo Sabres	C Jack Eichel (2), D Brendan Guhle (51)	A-
Calgary Flames	D Rasmus Andersson (53), D Oliver Kylington (60)	B
Carolina Hurricanes	D Noah Hanifin (5), RW Sebastian Aho (35)	B+
Chicago Blackhawks	LW Graham Knott (54)	C
Colorado Avalanche	RW Mikko Rantanen (10), LW AJ Greer (39), D Nicolas Meloche (40)	B+
Columbus Blue Jackets	D Zach Werenski (8), D Gabriel Carlsson (29), LW Paul Bittner (38)	A
Dallas Stars	RW Denis Gurianov (12), LW Roope Hintz (49)	C+
Detroit Red Wings	LW Evgeny Svechnikov (19)	C+
Edmonton Oilers	C Connor McDavid (1), D Caleb Jones (117)	A-
Florida Panthers	LW Lawson Crouse (11)	B-
Los Angeles Kings	D Erik Cernak (43)	C
Minnesota Wild	C Joel Eriksson Ek (20), LW Jordan Greenway (50)	B
Montreal Canadiens	D Noah Juulsen (26)	B-
Nashville Predators	C Iakov Trenin (55), C Thomas Novak (85)	C
New Jersey Devils	C Pavel Zacha (6), G Mackenzie Blackwood (42)	B+
New York Islanders	C Mathew Barzal (16), LW Anthony Beauvillier (28), D Mitchell Vande Sompel (82), D Ryan Pilon (147)	A
New York Rangers	LW Ryan Gropp (41)	C
Ottawa Senators	D Thomas Chabot (18), C Colin White (21), C Filip Chlapik (48)	A-
Philadelphia Flyers	D Ivan Provorov (7), C Travis Konecny (24)	A-
Pittsburgh Penguins	RW Daniel Sprong (46)	B
San Jose Sharks	RW Timo Meier (9), D Jeremy Roy (31)	B
St. Louis Blues	D Vince Dunn (56)	C
Tampa Bay Lightning	C Mitchell Stephens (33), LW Dennis Yan (64)	B-
Toronto Maple Leafs	C Mitch Marner (4), D Travis Dermott (34), RW Jeremy Bracco (61)	B+
Vancouver Canucks	RW Brock Boeser (23)	B
Washington Capitals	G Ilya Samsonov (22), D Jonas Siegenthaler (57)	B-
Winnipeg Jets	LW Kyle Connor (17), C Jack Roslovic (25), C Jansen Harkins (47)	A

Analyzing Top Picks

Connor McDavid

It has been known ever since the Oilers won the draft lottery that they would select McDavid with the No. 1 overall selection, but they made it official on draft night, which means the wheels are now in motion for Edmonton to become a true threat in the Western Conference.

After hearing his name called, it was clear that the former Erie Otters superstar was excited to begin his NHL journey:

McDavid has garnered comparisons to the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby. While those are huge skates to fill, his talent level suggests that he can ascend to the same heights they reached.

While the Oilers have struggled to become competitive despite an array of high draft picks, McDavid may be the missing piece. He will join a bevy of skilled forwards including Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Leon Draisaitl.

According to the Oilers' official Twitter account, McDavid seems to feel as though the pieces are in place for Edmonton to take some major steps as a franchise:

The Oilers need to make strides defensively and in terms of goaltending in order to make true progress, and they took steps toward improving those areas. Edmonton acquired blueliners Griffin Reinhart and Eric Gryba as well as goalie Cam Talbot, so things are certainly coming together for new general manager Peter Chiarelli.

There is no question that the supporting cast is important, but McDavid will be the guy who leads the Oilers to the NHL's elite ranks provided he is as good as advertised.

Every indication is that McDavid will soon be among the league's best players, and that solidifies Edmonton's draft as a great one regardless of what else it accomplished.

Jack Eichel

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Some might refer to Eichel as a consolation prize since he has been viewed as the No. 2 prospect behind McDavid throughout the draft process, but Sabres fans are more likely to look at the American superstar as a savior capable of taking Buffalo from worst to first in the near future.

Eichel undoubtedly would have been the top pick in most drafts, but it just so happens that he had to share the spotlight with another potential legend in the making. The Boston University standout is a stud in his own right, as he is coming off one of the best freshman seasons in the history of college hockey.

The Hobey Baker Award winner has the tools to perhaps become the greatest American player of all time, and he is thrilled to pursue that accolade as a member of the Sabres:

While Eichel is clearly excited, those involved with making the pick may be even happier. That involves normally stoic general manager Tim Murray, according to John Vogl of the Buffalo News:

Murray has reason to be pumped up, as he made his team significantly better through the draft and trades. Like the Oilers, the Sabres made a number of moves that figure to lead to significant improvements immediately.

Aside from Eichel, Buffalo also secured forwards Ryan O'Reilly, Jamie McGinn and David Legwand as well as goalie Robin Lehner in a pair of trades.

The Sabres now have a group of forwards that rivals some of the best in the league. Eichel leads the way in that regard, and, although it may be too much to expect him to be a star right off the bat, there is little doubt he has that type of ability.

Things are finally looking up for Buffalo, and the first Stanley Cup in team history could be within reach a few years down the line thanks largely to the addition of Eichel.

Dylan Strome

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The 2015 NHL draft contained only two relatively sure things in McDavid and Eichel, but the talent didn't stop there. Despite the disappointment of not landing a top-two pick, the Arizona Coyotes came away with a great prospect in their own right by selecting center Dylan Strome.

The big, skilled forward was a teammate of McDavid's with Erie of the OHL. Strome was often overshadowed, but he proved his worth by excelling when McDavid was out injured, and he ultimately won the league's scoring title this past season with 129 points.

Arizona thought so highly of him that it decided to keep the No. 3 overall selection despite trade offers that likely would have brought back a pretty strong return, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman:

While the Coyotes are seemingly much further away from contending than the Oilers and Sabres, their future suddenly looks very bright as well. With Strome now in the fold, Arizona boasts a ton of talented forward prospects including Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and Brendan Perlini.

Arizona doesn't exactly scream hockey hotbed, but heading to the desert hasn't tempered Strome's enthusiasm, per Dave Vest of the Coyotes' official website:

The future of NHL hockey in Arizona is somewhat uncertain, but the organization is on the upswing regardless of where the Coyotes end up down the line.

Strome has all the tools talent evaluators look for in potential superstars, and if his level of play during McDavid's absence is any indication of what type of performer he'll be in the NHL, Coyotes fans have every reason to be excited.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter