NHL Draft 2020: Latest Expert Analysis on Alexis Lafreniere and Cole Perfetti

The NFL's mock draft season may officially be over with the real selection process underway, but NHL mock draft season is still in full swing.

It's unclear when the NHL draft, which is typically scheduled for June, will take place this year with the league suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we can still make valiant attempts to predict the future in the meantime.

Here's a look at a mock as well as what some analysts are saying on two top prospects: Rimouski Oceanic's Alexis Lafreniere and the Saginaw Spirit's Cole Perfetti.

Mock Draft

1. Detroit Red Wings: LW Alexis Lafreniere, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)

2. Ottawa Senators: C Quinton Byfield, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

3. Ottawa Senators (from San Jose Sharks): C Tim Stutzle, Adler Mannheim (DEL)

4. Los Angeles Kings: C Cole Perfetti, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

5. Anaheim Ducks: D Jamie Drysdale, Erie Otters (OHL)

6. New Jersey Devils: C Marco Rossi, Ottawa 67's (OHL)

7. Buffalo Sabres: RW Alexander Holtz, Djurgardens IF Hockey (SHL)

8. Montreal Canadiens: LW Lucas Raymond, Frolunda HC (SHL)

9. Chicago Blackhawks: C Anton Lundell, HIFK (Liiga)

10. New Jersey Devils (from Arizona Coyotes): G Yaroslav Askarov, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)

11. Minnesota Wild: D Jake Sanderson, United States Under-18 National Team

12. Winnipeg Jets: RW Noel Gunler, Lulea HF (SHL)

13. New York Rangers: RW Jack Quinn, Ottawa 67's (OHL)

14. Florida Panthers: F Dylan Holloway, Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA)

15. Columbus Blue Jackets: LW Rodion Amirov, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)

16. Calgary Flames: D Kaiden Guhle, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

17. New Jersey Devils (from Vancouver Canucks): RW Dawson Mercer, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)

18. Nashville Predators: C Connor Zary, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)

19. Carolina Hurricanes (from Toronto Maple Leafs): D Braden Schneider, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

20. Edmonton Oilers: C Mavrik Bourque, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

21. Ottawa Senators (from New York Islanders): RW Seth Jarvis, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

22. Dallas Stars: LW Jan Mysak, HC Litvinov (Czech)

23. New York Rangers (from Carolina Hurricanes): C Hendrix Lapierre, Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)

24. Minnesota Wild (from Pittsburgh Penguins): D William Wallinder, MODO Hockey J20 (Allsvenskan)

25. Philadelphia Flyers: D Justin Barron, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

26. San Jose Sharks (from Tampa Bay Lightning): C Jacob Perreault, Sarnia Sting (OHL)

27. Colorado Avalanche: D Jeremie Poirier, Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

28. Vegas Golden Knights: F John-Jason Peterka, EHC Munchen (DEL)

29. Washington Capitals: F Lukas Reichel, Eisbaren Berlin (DEL)

30. St. Louis Blues: C Thomas Bordeleau, United States Under-18 National Team

31. Anaheim Ducks (from Boston Bruins): F Ridly Greig, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

Draft order via Tankathon.

Alexis Lafreniere

Corey Pronman wrote a detailed scouting report on Lafreniere for The Athletic on April 8, and the vast majority of it contains glowing remarks for "the odds-on favorite to be the first overall pick."

Lafreniere was graded on a 20-80-point scale, with 80 representing a skill "among the very best." A 50 score is considered average. Lafreniere received above-average to great scores in all categories, including puck skills (70), hockey sense (65), competitiveness (60), shot (60) and skating (55).

Pronman also looked into the future and offered a projection: "I wouldn't call his statistical production otherworldly. It's the track record of a projected NHL star, but not one of a projected top-five-10 player in the league. Comparatively, he's somewhere in between Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Huberdeau by their box car numbers—worse places to be."

Elsewhere, NHL Central Scouting is a huge fan, ranking him first on its list of the top North American skaters in the 2020 draft class. That was helped by Lafreniere's performance at the 2020 World Junior Hockey Championship, where his four goals and six assists buoyed Team Canada to the title. 

"The natural competitive instincts and skills he displayed to take charge and lead Canada to victory put on display the determination, perseverance and passion that is part of his hockey DNA, which is truly exceptional and impressive," NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr said (h/t Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com).

He also received praise after NHL Central Scouting released its final ranking April 8, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

"He makes plays that you don't even think those plays are possible, and he still makes them," bureau regional scout J.F. Damphousse said. "What separates him from the pack is his compete level. He's willing to play physical. He battles very game, and any time the game is on the line, you want him on the ice."

The bottom line is that it doesn't matter which team wins the NHL draft lottery; it's a virtual lock that the No. 1 pick will be Lafreniere.

Cole Perfetti

The Athletic held an NHL mock draft among its beat writers April 9, and Perfetti slipped to eighth to the Montreal Canadiens.

If Perfetti falls to No. 8, the team that lands there post-lottery will be getting a huge steal.

Pronman wrote the following of him: "Adding Perfetti is bringing in an exceptionally skilled and intelligent player and one of the best passers in junior who had full-season 40-goal paces the past two seasons."

And Habs beat writer Marc Antoine Godina added: "Perfetti was once considered one of the better goal scorers in this class; his significant increase in assists this season is a testament to his playmaking ability."

Perfetti has a smaller frame at 5'10" and 185 pounds, but that didn't stop him from tearing up the OHL with 37 goals and 74 assists. He finished second in scoring in the league to the Ottawa 67's' Marco Rossi, another surefire top-10 pick.

There seems to be some disagreement on Perfetti's status among the top 10. NHL Central Scouting dropped him from fourth to fifth among North American skaters in its final rankings, but HockeyProspect.com has him fourth overall.

Morreale had him sixth on his March 20 list overall: "A skilled left-handed shot with high hockey IQ, compete and a great shot. Perfetti was second in the OHL with 111 points (37 goals, 74 assists) in 61 games. He ended the regular season with 26 points during a 12-game point streak (eight goals, 18 assists)."

Regarding the last point, Perfetti could be considered higher on more prospect lists if he were able to finish the season (the OHL campaign was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

He was on fire during that 12-game stretch, and so was his team, going 10-1-1. The Spirit vaulted to second in the Western Conference, and it's possible they could have ridden that hot streak into the playoffs and steamrolled everyone.

Still, it's worth looking closer at Perfetti's final stretch and wondering whether he should be a top-five prospect. The guess here is that he's worthy of that distinction.