NHL Draft 2018: Start Time, Order, Prospects Guide and Mock Draft Predictions

The Washington Capitals earned their first Stanley Cup, and the awards for outstanding play in the 2017-18 season have been handed out. Now, the 2018-19 season is officially on the clock.

The complete schedule for the new season will be announced Thursday, and the two-day NHL Draft commences Friday night in Dallas.

Rasmus Dahlin of Frolunda from the Swedish Hockey League is a spectacular talent on the blue line, and the defenseman appears to be a generational talent who can provide a major upgrade to the team that drafts him.

That team is almost certain to be the Buffalo Sabres because they have the No. 1 pick in the draft. Dahlin is a skilled defender who has shown he can stop older and more experienced opponents while playing against talented veterans in Sweden's top league.

However, the reason he will be the top choice is his ability to take over a game with his skating and offensive ability. Like many great talents, Dahlin has shown the ability to hold on to the puck for an extra split second. That gives him more time before he makes a pass or takes his shot, which often pays off with goals and scoring opportunities.

The Sabres have been out of the playoffs since the 2011 season, and Dahlin's addition could give them a much better opportunity to make the postseason or at least contend and help deliver a bolt of enthusiasm to long-suffering Buffalo fans.

The draft will be televised by NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be live-streamed via the NBC Sports App.

Round 1

1. Buffalo Sabres: D Rasmus Dahlin, Frolunda (Sweden)

2. Carolina Hurricanes: RW Andrei Svechnikov, Barrie (OHL)

3. Montreal Canadiens: RW Filip Zadina, Halifax (QMJHL)

4. Ottawa Senators (optional to COL): D Noah Dobson, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)

5. Arizona Coyotes: LW Brady Tkachuk, Boston University (NCAA)

6. Detroit Red Wings: D Quinn Hughes, Michigan (NCAA)

7. Vancouver Canucks: C Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Assat, Liiga (Finland)

8. Chicago Blackhawks: D Evan Bouchard, London (OHL)

9. NY Rangers: RW Oliver Wahlstrom, U.S. National Development Team

10. Edmonton Oilers: D Adam Boqvist, SuperElit (Sweden)

11. NY Islanders: RW Vitaly Kravtsov, Chelyabinsk (KHL)

12. NY Islanders (from CGY): C Barrett Hayton, Soo Greyhounds (OHL)

13. Dallas Stars: LW Joel Farabee, U.S. National Development Team

14. Philadelphia Flyers (from STL): LW Grigori Denisenko, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)

15. Florida Panthers: RW Martin Kaut, HC Dynamo Pardubice (Czech)

16. Colorado Avalanche: D Ty Smith, Spokane (WHL)

17. New Jersey Devils: C Joseph Veleno, Drummondville (QMJHL)

18. Columbus Blue Jackets: LW K'Andre Miller, U.S. National Development Team

19. Philadelphia Flyers: C Rasmus Kupari, Karpat (Finland)

20. Los Angeles Kings: D Rasmus Sandin, Soo Greyhounds (OHL)

21. San Jose Sharks: C-LW Liam Foudy, London, (OHL)

22. Ottawa Senators (from PIT): RW Serron Noel, Oshawa (OHL)

23. Anaheim Ducks: C-RW Akil Thomas, Niagara (OHL)

24. Minnesota Wild: C Jacob Olofsson, Timra IK (Sweden)

25. Toronto Maple Leafs: D Mattias Samuelsson, U.S. National Development Team

26. NY Rangers (from BOS): C Ryan McLeod, Mississauga (OHL)

27. Chicago Blackhawks (from NSH): RW Dominik Bokk, Vaxjo (Sweden, Junior)

28. NY Rangers (from TBL): D Alexander Alexeyev, Red Deer (WHL)

29. St. Louis Blues (from WPG): C Isac Lundestrom, Drummondville (QMJHL)

30. Detroit Red Wings (from VGK): D Jared McIsaac, Halifax (QMJHL)

31. Washington Capitals: D Bode Wilde, U.S. National Team Development Program

D Noah Dobson, Acadie-Bathurst

Noah Dobson is not getting the acclaim he might get in other draft years because of Dahlin's presence. However, Dobson has great range at 6'3" and 179 pounds and should be relentless in his own zone from the time he starts playing in the NHL. He is an excellent skater because he is smooth in his movements, but he will need to add speed as he gets stronger.

Offensively, he has excellent instincts, and he knows what to do when he gets the puck at the point. He keeps his head up and sees all his teammates and can deliver the pass to the open man without looking. This bodes well when it comes to setting up his teammates for one-timers.

He also has a deadly shot he can deliver in an instant with excellent velocity and in difficult spots for opposing goaltenders to stop.

RW Oliver Wahlstrom, US National Development Team

The 6'1", 207-pound Oliver Wahlstrom is a solid offensive threat who is not going to be knocked off his position in front of the net by opposing defensemen.

Wahlstrom excels at finding the soft spots in the defense and attacking with speed and power. He also has an excellent shot he can get away in a heartbeat.

The 18-year-old has the ability to accelerate and create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects said that one of Wahlstrom's greatest strengths is his "high level of thinking," which should allow him to have success at the next level.

Wahlstrom is big, strong, fast and instinctive, and he appears to have the tools to become a dominant player.

LW Grigori Denisenko, Loko Yaroslavl

Grigori Denisenko has plenty of speed and quickness, and while he is a bit undersized at 5'10" and 165 pounds, he knows how to create chances for himself and his teammates.

His greatest strength is his agility, which allows him to string moves together and evade opponents.

While he has the speed to beat opposing defensemen by going to the outside and turning on his jets, he is at his best when he has the puck on his stick, making makes opponents look overmatched with his stick-handling maneuvers.

All stats, heights and weights courtesy of Elite Prospects.