1. Jack Hughes: While Kaapo Kakko has made a strong argument for being the best player in this draft Jack Hughes remains as my #1. Hughes has spent the entire season dominating at every single level. He set the NTDP all-time points record and has become arguably the best player in the history of the program. Over the course of the season, Hughes has remained at above 2.00 PPG in the USHL. He’s been the best player in all of junior hockey if you ask me. Internationally Hughes has put on a show. At one tournament Jack Hughes managed to put up 16 points in only 4 games, that a 4.00 PPG.
He’s led this NTDP team to be undefeated in international competition through their 2 seasons when he’s in the lineup. Jack Hughes is a can’t miss player. The dynamic center thrives on his unmatched skating talent. He’s one of the best skaters to ever come through the draft, he’s great on his edges and uses his agility very effectively. His size is a concern for some, but he can skate his way out of physical play with his elusive abilities. Hughes also has hands and a processor as quick as his feet. His puck skills are stellar and he thinks the game at the highest pace. He plays fearless hockey, despite his size he doesn’t hold anything back. Jack Hughes is the most skilled, dynamic, and fun player in this draft.
2. Kaapo Kakko: While Hughes shattered records for the NTDP, Kakko has done the same in the Finnish elite league. Kakko holds the all-time lead in U18 goal scoring. This while he is also in the top 5 for assists and points. Kakko also is tied for 1st in U18 playoffs points per game with Mikael Granlund and leads in playoffs goals per game. Needless to say that Kakko is no consolation to Hughes.
In terms of play style, Kaapo Kakko is an all-around offensive threat that doesn’t lack any major offensive attributes. He can do it all in the opposing zone and makes his presence know the second he steps on the ice. Kakko adapts well to any style he needs to play. He can play fast pace, smart hockey or play a little more gritty. Kakko has thrived at every level and doesn’t back down to a challenge. His size, smarts, and speed will translate well to the NHL game, and he will step in right away.
3. Alex Turcotte: Turcotte has made it very clear to me that he is the #3 prospect for this draft. At the beginning of the season, he fell out of favor with many scouts due to injury and being overshadowed by Hughes and Zegras. He fell as low as 31 on Craig Buttons’ list. Although as he returned his doubters quickly realized their massive mistake. Turcotte stormed back and dominated effortlessly. He is over 2.00 PPG in the USHL, out doing Jack Hughes. Turcotte will head to the U18s later this month and we should all expect nothing but sheer dominance from the upcoming star. Next year he will head to the University of Wisconsin, that is if he’s not in the NHL.
Turcotte is well known as an offensive threat. Like Hughes, he can beat defenders with his powerful stride and edges. Turcotte is also an exceptionally strong player on his skates. He doesn’t get checked, hit, or knocked off the puck. Overall he’s a phenomenal skater, a trend with these NTDP prospects. Additionally, despite being primarily a playmaker he’s shown high goal scoring upside in various situations with the NTDP. Turcotte is also a great two-way player for his generally offensive style.
4. Dylan Cozens: No player in this draft is feared by WHL goalies like Dylan Cozens. A double offensive threat with both a shot and pass that need to be respected by goalies. Cozens also has the best straight line speed in the draft and a nasty scoring touch. He can drive the net at full speed and wire a shot anywhere he wants. He’s got a big frame and strength to match making him hard to contain. He’s another big power forward like Kakko. I’d say Cozens is not quite as well rounded and smart but is the faster player. Cozens has consistently been one of the WHL’s best players all season, and that won’t change any time soon. With his size and fast-paced play, I don’t see why Cozens couldn’t be able to be in the NHL next season filling a middle 6 role on his NHL team.
5. Trevor Zegras: Outside of Jack Hughes no player is as fun to watch as Trevor Zegras. On a nightly basis, Zegras can pull a move to get his team on the board and drop jaws at the same size. Zegras is a very similar player to Jack Hughes in that he’s a high skill, high IQ, and elite skating center. He’s a stellar puck rusher who can create zone entries like few in this draft, very similar to Patrick Kane. Zegras can move around defenders with his puck skills and speed then create offense off a quick pass at the top of the dots. Despite being the 3rd ranked NTDPer Zegras is still an elite player. He will take time to develop, but the raw skill and smarts to his game will slot him in a top 6 role in no time.
6. Bowen Byram: Byram is the undisputed top defensemen for this draft. Not only has he been the top defensemen on his Vancouver Giants team, but a top 3 defensemen in the WHL. He’s been great in every situation for the Giants. Although I won’t go in-depth into his game here as I did a full article on him recently.
7. Peyton Krebs: Dubbed the next Johnny Gaudreau, Krebs has been quite the player on the awful Kootenay (soon to be Winnipeg) Ice. His team has given him zero support, yet he has found success. As a playmaker, he needs someone to make plays for, but he simply doesn’t have that. Despite that, he still has torn up the WHL at 17. The crafty both wing and center always has the puck on his stick and is determined to make something happen no matter the situation. He plays with a fire and tenacity that makes up for his size disadvantage. Because of this Krebs currently serves as the CHL’s youngest captain.
8. Kirby Dach: After a sizzling start to this season Kirby Dach rocketed up draft rankings as he put on a show with the Saskatoon Blades. Dach showed off his ridiculous passing ability combined with one of the best shots in junior hockey. For a while, he was unstoppable and looked like he was running away with the #3 spot in this draft. This was until he hit a double-digit game cold streak. Dach went from a WHL leader in points to nit being able to find the net or his teammates for well over a month. This was a sign of Dach’s general inconsistency that some had marked as a problem long before his cold streak. This has been a red flag for many, but Dach remains high on my list. He still has all the tools plus a lot of smarts and two-way skill. If the right team to develop Dach gets their hands on him he could be a steal at any later than 3/4.
9. Alex Newhook: Newhook has spent this season putting on a show in the BCHL. He’s used his speed, skill, and shot to be the most impactful player on the ice day in and day out. Doubts have been raised over the lack of competition put up by his league, but over the past two season its been very clear to me that Newhook would exhibit similar dominance in any other junior league. This will surely be proven as Newhook makes his way to the U18 world championship in just weeks. Newhook will overpower defenders with sheer speed combined with lateral, and do the same to goalies with his wicked shot.
10. Cole Caufield: There is now no doubt who the best goal scorer is this draft is. Cole Caufield now leads the NTDP in all-time goals with 108 goals in 114 games. He may be small, but he’s got a nose for the net. Not only does he have a shot like few in this draft, but he uses his IQ to read the play and put himself in the right areas to do damage. Every time you see Caufield left unguarded in the offensive zone he makes something happen. Some say he relies too much on Hughes or Zegras to set him up, but often he doesn’t need someone to get him the puck. Despite his size, he’s tenacious and can take the puck from any player, size regardless. While calling him the next Alex Debrincat is a little much considering his massive success, Debrincat has shown what players like Caufield can do when given the opportunity.
11. Bobby Brink: With the likes of Brock Boeser and Kyle Connor finding NHL success after big draft years in the USHL I would expect nothing less from Bobby Brink. Brink has put on a show in the USHL similarly to Newhook in the BCHL. He’s been the best player in the USHL, outside of the NTDP, by far. Not even close. Brink is a high skill forward with both quick footwork and hands. He’s a nightmare to defend one on one for a goalie or defensemen. He regularly puts opposing teams on a highlight reel. He’s one of the flashier players in this draft while maintaining well rounded and smart play.
12. Matthew Boldy: Boldy is the new style power winger that will be more common in the NHL soon. He’s big and fast but thrives mostly from smart play. He doesn’t power through the neutral zone, but he can move the puck very well and create zone entries with his smarts. A hit on him for a while was his skating, but his stride and overall skating skill has improved a lot. He still doesn’t have a high-tier top speed, but his edges are phenomenal and he still is a great skater. While he hasn’t been the most statistically outstanding player on the NTDP he is a favorite of “eye test” scouts. Boldy will likely slide well into a 2nd line winger role at the NHL level.
13. Ryan Suzuki: On eye test alone I’d consider Ryan Suzuki a top 5 prospect in this draft. Suzuki is the best passed not names Jack Hughes in this draft. He’s got eyes on the front, back, and both sides of his head. Suzuki sees everything that happens on the ice and makes a pass nobody sees coming. He out thinks everybody on the ice, even the best overagers in the OHL. He’s such a good passer that few other qualities really matter for him, but outside of his passing, he has a lot of other great attributes. Ryan Suzuki, like his brother Nick, is an extremely underrated shooter. If they gain space at the dots they have great, accurate, NHL level wrist shots that can score on any goalie. With the threats of both passing and shooting, Suzuki is a dangerous player every time he’s on the ice.
14. Arthur Kaliyev: After outscoring Andrei Svechnikov at the same age it’s hard to see why Kaliyev is still in the teens for many. The Hamilton Bulldogs Star pounds puck in the net on a nightly basis as he eclipsed 50 goals this season. Kaliyev has run away in terms of the statistical lead of draft prospects outside of the top 2. Despite these concerns have been raised over his one-dimensional, all offensive, play. He’s a complimentary player that won’t be a play driver at the NHL level. This trait often comes with a lot of the highly touted busts like Nail Yakupov in the past. Although with that being said he may be one-dimensionally offensive, but he has mastered that dimension entirely.
15. Vasili Podkolzin: Even with the hype Podkolzin remains as a mid 1st range player for me. He’s dominated U18 competition at every stage this season. Although playing older, tougher competition at the MHL, VHL, KHL, and WJC level he has struggled. In the MHL, the Russian U20 league, he has been unable to score at a solid rate. Only one active NHL player has ever had a PPG lower than 1.00 in their draft year in the MHL, but it was still higher than Podkolzin’s. In the playoffs, he was straight up bad in general. He had 3 points in 8 VHL games. This compared to Kravtsov’s 11 in 16 in the KHL playoffs (the KHL is a tier above the VHL). While his MHL playoffs totals weren’t bad at 1 PPG they still aren’t great.
Although just looking at stats with Podkolzin is lazy. Podkolzin is defined as a power winger with a high skill set and tenacity. My problem with this is that Podkolzin doesn’t play smart hockey. He might have some killer hands, but he often plays with his head down. This allows him to power through U18 competition, but he can’t do that against older completion. At the WJC we saw him get lit up multiple times as he had his head down looking at the puck. Some will say that coaching should help that, but playing heads up hockey should be something that you should learn as a kid, not a transitioning NHLer. He is also a pure scorer. He hasn’t shown playmaking prowess yet in his game. If you’re looking for a guy to take the puck to the net and use his hard shot to score, he’s your guy. But other than that I don’t see much that he does. I’d argue he’s as one dimensional as Kaliyev.
16. Connor McMichael: McMichael is one of the underrated players in this draft class. At 17 McMichael made himself known as he became the best forward on a stacked London Knights team early in the season. His success was so surprising and went so unnoticed I detailed it in a past article. To sum it up McMichael is a high speed, high skill, 200ft center. His style is a prized asset for many teams as we saw in the Barrett Hayton pick at last year’s draft.
17. Ville Heinola: In the same article I detailed how underrated McMichael could be I also touched on Ville Heinola. Heinola is my #2 ranked defensemen for this draft and earned that in his amazing play in the Finnish Liiga. Heinola is a puck moving defensemen that skates like the wind and winds around the offensive zone with the puck on his stick. He can skate into the offensive zone without being so much as touched and make a pass to a dangerous area. This allowed Heinola to put up big totals as a U18 player in the top league in Finland.
18. Jakob Pelletier: Pelletier has led the QMJHL in 2019 draft eligible scoring all season long. He’s been putting up big points on a solid Moncton Wildcats team. Pelletier is a crafty player that projects out as a middle 6 NHL winger. Pelletier, on top of skill and speed, is a smart player that sees the ice very well. It’s hard to beat Pelletier’s mind for the game.
19. Antonni Honka: Honka has had an… interesting season. Last year he put up a Miro Heiskanen-like season where he put up massive point totals in a big role for JYP Jyväskylä in the Finnish Liiga. Although in a diminished role this season he fell out of favor with the team and was demoted to the Finnish 2nd league. Although before long Honka was back up in the Liiga, but with a different club, Jukurit. He’s rekindled some of his d -1 success, but he’s not the player we thought he was. The problem is that Honka plays a high-risk offensive game with little defensive responsibility. In a larger role with a good defensive d-partner this works, but in a diminished role, a player like Honka has struggled.
20. Victor Soderstrom: The big name out of Sweden this year will be Victor Soderstrom. The right handed, puck moving, smooth skating, high IQ, two-way, reliable defensemen is everything a team wants in today’s NHL. Soderstrom has been a staple of his SHL team in just his draft year. His offensive abilities, outside of his passing ability, hasn’t been as high as we’d hoped, but he’s still got a lot of potential to become a top 4 NHL defensemen.
21. Cam York: The clear top defensemen of the best NTDP team of all time is obviously a player that will get a lot of attention on draft day. He’s quarterbacked every powerplay and ran every penalty kill. He’s been the go to guy game after game for the team. He’s best described as a skilled puck distributor. He gives the puck to the right guy, not always to create a direct chance, but to open lanes that may open opportunities later. I wouldn’t be surprised if York led the NTDP in all time tertiary assists.
22. Raphael Lavoie: Lavoie is a player that has fallen out of favor over the course of the season. He hasn’t had the success we expected after his d -1 success. Although he still has put out quite the offensive output. My problem with Lavoie is that I see limited offensive upside in his game. He plays a style reliant on his natural size and power. Often this will translate to the NHL game, but it won’t lead to him having a very high ceiling. He’s a safe pick to be a 3rd line player, but he’s not a guy you have super high hopes of 1st line potential with.
23. Nils Hoglander: In my opinion, Nils Hoglander plays the style that many interpretate Podkolzin too. He’s a hard nosed, ultra skilled, powerful winger with a lot of tenacity. Despite small stature, he plays big. He’s not afraid of physical contact, even playing against men in the SHL. Not only is he playing the prized style of Podkolzin, but he’s also producing at the pro level.
24. Philip Tomasino: If you’re looking for a highlight reel player then Tomasino could be your guy. Tomasino has some of the best puck skills in the draft that when combined with speed allows him to do some ridiculous things. He’s great at cutting through the neutral zone by splitting defenders and breaking ankles. Do not take your eyes off the puck when you are trying to guard him. Tomasino has found success on a very good Niagara Ice Dogs team. With support in Akil Thomas, he has found a way to make an impact with not only his puck skills and speed, but passing ability too.
25. Nick Robertson: Robertson put himself on the map after a big CHL Top Prospects game, although his great play started about a month earlier. The Peterborough Petes struggled a lot, but Nick Robertson was a bright spot on the team. He drove the offense over more experienced veterans on the team. His brother Jason has been gaining massive success after his 2nd round selection in 2017, and I would expect similar success from Nick
26. Thomas Harley: Harley is a player that does everything right. Makes the right decisions without being super flashy. This isn’t to say he’s not a skilled player, or has the ability to wow people. The thing about Harley is that you might watch him and not think he had the best game until you look at the score sheet and see he had 3 points. Just looking at stats sells him as an offensive dynamo, but it undersells how well he plays a complete game in general.
27. Spencer Knight: Knight has been on the receiving end of some massive hype this season. I remain skeptical of some of his play, but he is no doubt a star goaltender at this point in his career. He’s a great eye test goaltender who plays the game right. He’s technically sound, but shows his unorthodox skill and power in his stance. The problem is that even behind the best NTDP team of all time he hasn’t put of fantastic stats. He’s lower than a .910 at the conclusion of the season. Right now the stats aren’t there, but he still looks like a really solid goaltender.
28. Philip Broberg: The Philip Broberg hype seems very unwarranted to me. His success at the Hlinka is the only thing carrying him to his top 10 hype. He hasn’t found success in his league play that is anything resembling what he did at the Hlinka. He’s shown his elite speed, but doesn’t have the lateral agility to be the elite puck carrier he was thought to be at the Hlinka. Against U18 competition he can power through with his speed, but it just doesn’t work at the pro level. Broberg simply isn’t the player he was thought to be.
29. Moritz Seider: Seider has been a key piece of his German pro team’s blueline since he entered the league at the beginning of the season. He’s not an offensive star at that level, but he’s a reliable two-way threat that can lay down the line with his physicality. His offensive qualities may take a while to develop, but he could step into an NHL, two-way defensemen role pretty early.
30. Pavel Dorofeyev: All season long Dorofeyev has been the most dangerous U18 player in the MHL. At that level, he’s shot the lights out of the best goalies in the league. He’s a guy that not only has a wicked shot, but knows how to beat a goalie. He can get the goalie off angle and snipe the open spot. He also does a good job of running the play in the offensive zone. Although in the MHL the slow pace makes this slightly less interesting.
31. Dustin Wolf: Dustin Wolf is having a phenomenal season in the WHL. He leads all CHL goaltenders in Sv% (min 20GP) at 17 with a .936. He’s having a Carter Hart-esque season with their Everett Silvertips. As a draft eligible, there is a legitimate chance he could win CHL Goaltender of the Year over prospects like Ian Scott and Mikey DiPietro. From pre-season to now Wolf has been in my 1st round and that is not about to change. Size is the only thing that people have a problem with in Dustin Wolf’s game. NHL Central Scouting has him ranked in approximately the 7th round all predicated on size. Size regardless Dustin Wolf has a masterful technical game with composure unmatched by any other goalie in the draft since Carter Hart.
