2016 NHL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions for Top Prospects After Stanley Cup

With the Pittsburgh Penguins crowned the Stanley Cup winners, the league's attention now turns to the future and the upcoming NHL draft. 

And that means my attention turns to projecting that draft. Here's a look at my latest mock draft:

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Toronto Maple Leafs	Auston Matthews, C, Zurich (SUI)
2	Winnipeg Jets	Patrik Laine, LW/RW, Tappara (FIN)
3	Columbus Blue Jackets	Jesse Puljujarvi, RW, Karpat (FIN)
4	Edmonton Oilers	Matthew Tkachuk, LW, London (OHL)
5	Vancouver Canucks	Pierre-Luc Dubois, C/LW, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Logan Brown, C, Windsor (OHL)
7	Arizona Coyotes	Olli Juolevi, D, London (OHL)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Alexander Nylander, LW/RW, Mississauga (OHL)
9	Montreal Canadiens	Mikhail Sergachyov, D, Windsor (OHL)
10	Colorado Avalanche	Mike McLeod, C, Mississauga (OHL)
11	New Jersey Devils	Jakob Chychrun, D, Sarnia (OHL)
12	Ottawa Senators	Jake Bean, D, Calgary (WHL)
13	Carolina Hurricanes	Clayton Keller, C, USA U-18 (USHL)
14	Boston Bruins	Julien Gauthier, RW, Val-d’Or (QMJHL)
15	Minnesota Wild	Tyson Jost, C, Penticton (BCHL)
16	Detroit Red Wings	Kieffer Bellows, C/LW, USA U-18 (USHL)
17	Nashville Predators	Dante Fabbro, D, Penticton (BCHL)
18	Philadelphia Flyers	Riley Tufte, LW, Fargo (USHL)
19	New York Islanders	Max Jones, LW, London (OHL)
20	Arizona Coyotes (from NYR)	German Rubtsov, C, Team Russia U18 (MHL)
21	Carolina Hurricanes (from LA)	Rasmus Asplund, C, Farjestad BK (SHL)
22	Winnipeg Jets (from CHI)	Luke Kunin, C, University of Wisconsin
23	Florida Panthers	Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston University (H-EAST)
24	Anaheim Ducks	Samuel Girard, D, Shawinigan (QMJHL)
25	Dallas Stars	Tage Thompson, C/RW, Univ. of Connecticut (NCAA)
26	Washington Capitals	Nathan Bastian, RW, Mississauga (OHL)
27	Tampa Bay Lightning	Logan Stanley, D, Windsor (OHL)
28	St. Louis Blues	Vitali Abramov, LW, Gatineau (QMJHL)
29	Boston Bruins (from SJ)	Alex DeBrincat, RW, Erie (OHL)
30	Toronto Maple Leafs (from PIT)	Pascal Laberge, C/RW, Victoriaville (QMJHL)

And in this year's NHL draft, it sure feels like it's all about the forwards.

Center Auston Matthews appears to be the draft's prized jewel, though it's not as cut and dry as selecting Connor McDavid was for the Edmonton Oilers a season ago. But he might just be the next best thing, as Red Line Report's Kyle Woodlief wrote for USA Today:

"

He's the rarest of commodities in today's NHL: A big, skilled, and offensively dominant true No. 1 center. He's aggressive and assertive, has outstanding hockey sense, and has the type of playmaking skills that make linemates around him better. Matthews plays an advanced, mature game and is pro-ready. In short, he's an instant franchise cornerstone.

"

Matthews, meanwhile, is confident in his abilities to make an impact.

“I think I’m extremely competitive,” he told Matt Higgins of the New York Times. “I compete hard. I elevate guys around me. I think I have an inner drive that separates me from the rest.”

He seems like the logical top overall pick. But there are other contenders. 

Patrik Laine, for instance, is a fantastic prospect. He might ultimately end up being the most dangerous scorer in this draft, though he's not quite the well-rounded player Matthews appears to be. Jesse Puljujarvi, meanwhile, is an intriguing blend of size and skill.

Those two round out what appears to be the elite tier of prospects in this draft. Even Toronto general manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed as much when talking about Matthews.

"It’s a consensus of how talented he is, very similarly to Laine and Puljujarvi," he told Higgins. "Those three players have pulled themselves somewhat away from the pack.”

But the deep pool of forwards doesn't end there.

Matthew Tkachuk is a powerful, aggressive power forward who is a dominant presence on the boards. Pierre-Luc Dubois is a crafty, creative playmaker with both a scoring and nasty streak. Logan Brown is an intimidating physical presence who also happens to move fluidly, set up his teammates and possess a powerful shot. 

Add in Alex Nylander, a speedy and skilled winger, and you have the potential for seven forwards in the first eight picks.

Projecting the NHL draft is hardly an exact science, of course. Teams could fall in love with one of the available defenseman and shake up the board, or a few more forwards could shoot up the board and some could fall. Trades could drastically alter the makeup of the first round as well, and the emphasis a team places on selecting the best overall player versus drafting for need or the best fit always plays a factor.

But for the moment, it looks like a strong pool of talented forwards will dominate the draft, namely in the first 10 picks. Matthews should be the top overall pick, but teams will likely snatch up a large group of centers and wingers right behind him.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.