2016 NHL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Order and Final Landing Spots for Top Prospects

The NHL draft has considerably less buzz this year than it had last year when much-ballyhooed phenom Connor McDavid entered the league after a storied junior career in Canada. No. 2 pick Jack Eichel was nearly as celebrated as McDavid and would have been the No. 1 pick in just about any year in the previous five drafts.

Auston Matthews may not have quite the reputation of those two, but he appears to be the best player in this draft, and the Arizona native seems likely to go to the Toronto Maple Leafs with the No. 1 pick.

Matthews, 18, is a center from Scottsdale. He scored 55 goals and totaled 117 points with USA Hockey’s under-18 squad, exceeding Patrick Kane’s records for goals and points in a season. 

Matthews is considered an "old" 18-year-old, because his birthday was Sept. 17, 1997. Had he been born two days earlier, he would have been eligible for the 2015 draft and would have almost certainly been coming off his rookie season in the NHL.

“Auston Matthews is pretty much the complete package,” NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr told Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe. “He can play in any situation. He’s got all the intangibles, all the skills and assets.”

Matthews said the prospect of being drafted by the Maple Leafs is exciting to him because he believes the team is moving in the right direction. 

“They’re obviously going through a rebuild,” Matthews said. “But with the key pieces they have, with the coach, GM and the prospects they have, they’re definitely going to be a very exciting team.”

Pick	Player	Position	Team
1	Auston Matthews	Center	Toronto Maple Leafs
2	Patrik Laine	Right Wing	Winnipeg Jets
3	Matthew Tkachuk	Left Wing	Columbus Blue Jackets
5	Jesse Puljujarvi	Right Wing	Edmonton Oiler
4	Pierre Luc-Dubois	Left Wing	Vancouver Canucks
6	Olli Julolevi	Defenseman	Calgary Flames
7	Mikhail Sergachev	Defenseman	Arizona Coyotes
8	Logan Browns	Center	Buffalo Sabres
9	Jakob Chychrun	Defenseman	Montreal Canadiens
10	Alexander Nylander	Left Wing	Colorado Avalanche
11	Clayton Keller	Center	New Jersey Devils
12	Kieffer Bellows	Left Wing	Ottawa Senators
13	German Rustov	Center	Carolina Hurricanes
14	Michael McLeod	Center	Boston Bruins
15	Jake Bean	Defenseman	Minnesota Wild
16	Tyson Jost	Center	Detroit Red Wings
17	Carl Grundstrom	Right Wing	Nashville Predators
18	Charlie McAvoy	Defenseman	Philadelphia Flyers
19	Dante Fabbro	Defenseman	New York Islanders
20	Julien Gauthier	Right Wing	Arizona Coyotes
21	Rasmus Asplund	Center	Carolina Hurricanes
22	Max Jones	Left Wing	Winnipeg Jets
23	Alex DeBrincat	Right Wing	Florida Panthers
24	Yegor Korshkov	Right Wing	Anaheim Ducks
25	Dennis Cholowski	Defenseman	Dallas Stars
26	Luke Kunin	Center	Washington Capitals
27	Linus Lindstrom	Center	Tampa Bay Lightning
28	Libor Hajek	Defenseman	St. Louis Blues
29	Logan Stanley	Defenseman	Boston Bruins
30	Riley Tufte	Left Wing	Anaheim Ducks

Finnish prospect Patrik Laine appears to have an excellent chance of getting drafted by the Winnipeg Jets with the second pick.

Laine is a 6'4", 206-pound skilled and strong right wing who could become an impact player early in his NHL career.

The most obvious characteristic is his size, which allows Laine to go into the corner and assert himself. He will come out with the puck more often than not, which means he can create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Matias Strozyk of Elite Prospects believes that Laine is a gifted scorer.

"A natural scorer, Laine's greatest asset is his intimidating shot," Strozyk wrote in his scouting report. "He's not a speedy skater, but possesses power and a long stride, and protects the puck well with his large frame and longer stick. Overall, skating has been a minor issue through Laine's development but has improved with some help from his ability to read the game."

Left wing Matthew Tkachuk played for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League last season, recording 30 goals and 77 assists.

Tkachuk has a strong shot, but it is his ability to set up his teammates with crisp and accurate passes that helped raise his draft status this year.

Tkachuk is the son of former NHL star Keith Tkachuk, and he appears to play with the same tough and hard-nosed style of his father.

"A multi-dimensional energy winger who plays a pro-style, adaptive game," wrote Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects. "Well-versed as a guy who can consistently put up points, but also as an agitator who plays with a little bit of bite and nastiness. Skates with excellent balance and speed, outclassing many in his age range. No lack of offensive instincts and knows how to score in many different ways.

Tkachuk could go third to the Columbus Blue Jackets or fourth to the Edmonton Oilers.

The other player who could go to either of those teams is right wing Jesse Puljujarvi of Finland. While his compatriot is huge at 6'4", Puljujarvi is also big at 6'3" and 203 pounds.

While he needs quite a bit of development, Puljujarvi has an aggressive nature and is not afraid to go into the high-traffic areas and absorb an elbow or two if it means he is going to come away with the puck.

Future Considerations, a hockey scouting website, was impressed with his makeup.

"Skates really well with a strong top-end speed and excellent quickness," the scouting report detailed. "Blessed with a massive frame, there is lots he can do with his long reach and enviable strength that are just dominant at this level. Plays in traffic, goes to the net and has an eye toward his own ends as well as being a top-end offensive guy."