NHL Draft 2017: TV Schedule, Live Stream and Latest Mock Draft Predictions

A furiously busy time in the offseason will undergo another prime event for player movement and news, as the league welcomes in its next batch of stars in the 2017 NHL draft.

Several teams made moves before Saturday's trade freeze went into effect, which now squarely puts the Vegas Golden Knights at the center of the NHL universe while the team mulls over its expansion draft decisions, which will be revealed Wednesday night during the NHL Awards. Meanwhile, league general managers must simultaneously finalize their draft boards and plans.

Although this class looks to be missing a generational talent like Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews, there are still multiple high-end prospects that will have teams jockeying for position to add them to their franchise. With that in mind, let us take a look at the television and live-stream schedules for the event as well as our latest mock draft.

Note that with expansion draft side deals and trades on draft day, the current order is very likely to change.

NHL Draft 2017 Information

When: Friday, June 23, at 7 p.m. ET (Day 1); Saturday, June 24, at 10 a.m. ET (Day 2)

Viewing Guide: NBCSN with live stream at NBC Sports Live (Day 1); NHL Network (Day 2)

Latest First-Round Mock Draft

1. New Jersey Devils: Nolan Patrick, center, Brandon (OHL)

2. Philadelphia Flyers: Nico Hischier, center, Halifax (QMJHL)

3. Dallas Stars: Cale Makar, defenseman, Brooks (AJHL)

4. Colorado Avalanche: Miro Heiskanen, defenseman, HIFK (SM Liiga)

5. Vancouver Canucks: Casey Mittelstadt, center, Green Bay (USHL)

6. Vegas Golden Knights: Gabriel Vilardi, center, Windsor (OHL)

7. Arizona Coyotes: Owen Tippett, right wing, Mississauga (OHL)

8. Buffalo Sabres: Timothy Liljegren, defenseman, Rogle (SWE)

9. Detroit Red Wings: Cody Glass, center, Portland (WHL)

10: Florida Panthers: Eeli Tolvanen, right wing, Sioux City (USHL)

11. Los Angeles Kings: Nick Suzuki, center, Owen Sound (OHL)

12. Carolina Hurricanes: Martin Necas, center, Brno (CZE)

13. Winnipeg Jets: Elias Pettersson, center, Timra (SWE)

14. Tampa Bay Lightning: Callan Foote, defenseman, Kelowna (WHL)

15. New York Islanders: Lias Andersson, center, HV71 (SHL)

16. Calgary Flames: Kailer Yamamoto, right wing, Spokane (WHL)

17. Toronto Maple Leafs: Michael Rasmussen, center, Tri-City (WHL)

18. Boston Bruins: Robert Thomas, center, London (OHL)

19. San Jose Sharks: Juuso Valimaki, defenseman, Tri-City (WHL)

20. St. Louis Blues: Nicholas Hague, defenseman, Mississauga (OHL)

21. New York Rangers: Urho Vaakanainen, defenseman, Jyvaskala (SM Liiga)

22. Edmonton Oilers: Klim Kostin, right wing, Moscow (KHL)

23. Arizona Coyotes (from Minnesota Wild): Conor Timmins, defenseman, Sault St. Marie (OHL) 

24. Columbus Blue Jackets: Ryan Poehling, center, St. Cloud State (NCAA)

25. Montreal Canadiens: Jason Robertson, left wing, Kingston (OHL)

26. Chicago Blackhawks: Jake Oettinger, goalie, Boston University (NCAA)

27. St. Louis Blues (from Washington Capitals): Kole Lind, left wing, Kelowna (WHL)

28. Ottawa Senators: Maxime Comtois, left wing, Victoriaville (QMJHL)

29. Dallas Stars (from Anaheim Ducks): Shane Bowers, center, Waterloo (USHL)

30. Nashville Predators: Josh Norris, center, USNTDP (USHL)

31. Pittsburgh Penguins: Erik Brannstrom, defenseman, HV71 (SWE J20)

Watch for Rising Defensemen

Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick are the consensus top prospects and should hear their names called in the first two picks, but two defensemen seem to rocketing up draft boards in recent weeks.

Cale Makar emerged as an elite prospect this season despite not playing in the CHL, which is the most scouted amateur league in the world for NHL clubs. He tore up the AJHL, controlling play at both ends of the ice with 75 points in 54 games.

TSN's Bob McKenzie surveyed 10 NHL scouts before unveiling his final draft rankings, and Makar was the only player besides Hischier or Patrick to receive a vote as the draft's top prospect. This is a far cry from what appeared to be the prevailing thought from draft experts of Hischier or Patrick clearly being the best two prospects.

Makar is a tremendous skater with excellent hands. As a result, McKenzie also cited one scout comparing his style of play to two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators. NHL Network's Brian Lawton echoed that comparison when describing Makar's possible impact, saying he will still bring offensive firepower to a team despite his small stature.

On the flip side, Miro Heiskanen is another name to watch.

The Finnish blueliner dominated the U18 World Championships with 12 points in seven games. He also played all season in Finland's top professional league, SM Liiga, where he held his own with 10 points in 37 games playing with men as a 17-year-old. 

Heiskanen plays more of a two-way game, which makes him even more attractive as a potential impact player in all situations. One anonymous NHL scout praised Heiskanen for his hockey smarts and ability to make plays all over the ice, per NHL.com's Mike Morreale:

"At 17 years old he's playing against guys who are 35 and who have been around for 20 years so that gives him an extra advantage. You don't play in Liiga if you're not good enough to do that and he was unbelievable there. He's a very good skater, both forward and backward. His hockey sense is really good. He's not a big, strong guy but always in the right position at the right time. He can shoot and is an excellent playmaker. He loves to join the offensive rush."

If what these scouts are saying represents conventional thinking around the league, then both Heiskanen and Makar should not last longer than the first five selections. 

Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill has said early on that he very much would consider trading his No. 3 pick for a more immediate return to get back to the playoffs. He reiterated that sentiment a month ago to NHL Network radio on SiriusXM, via NHL.com's Sean Shapiro. With top-four defensemen being such a commodity in the NHL, expect either Heiskanen or Makar to be the pick at No. 3 if a team is willing to move up and switch with Dallas.   

Goaltender of Future Makes Sense for Chicago

Sitting with the least amount of remaining cap space in hockey after several seasons of loading up on veteran talent in pursuit of championships, the Chicago Blackhawks need to start building for the future.

The team needs to develop more young talent that can be relied upon to contribute on cheaper contracts. While it has done a decent job of that up front with recent draftees Alex DeBrincat and Nick Schmaltz, goaltending is a position that has not been adequately addressed.

While the Blackhawks drafted Wouter Peeters in the third round last year, he is still a great unknown having yet to come over from Austria. Corey Crawford is only 32 years old with three years left on his contract, but his successor is nowhere in sight. 

With the team still being in contention in the Western Conference and its skaters pool being decent, Chicago can take a chance in the first round on a goaltender, and one sticks out among the rest.

Jake Oettinger was outstanding in his freshman season at Boston University, and the big 18-year-old has the measurables to go along with his talent, which Sportsnet provided:

In addition to his 2.11 goals-against average, Oettinger posted a 21-11-3 mark to go with a sparkling .927 save percentage as he emphatically snatched the starting job away from 23-year-old junior Connor LaCouvee. 

Especially with Scott Darling now off to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Blackhawks need a plan with Crawford entering the latter part of his prime. Oettinger already proved he can step into higher levels of hockey and excel. In three or four years, Crawford could be done in Chicago, and Oettinger could be ready to man the pipes.

Statistics are courtesy of hockeydb.com. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.com.