Welcome to my 2019 NHL draft package!

This top 100 ranking (plus its 25 honourable mentions) follows last summer’s tentative top 31, November’s preliminary top 62 and February’s midseason top 62 as the culmination of this season’s draft evaluations (plenty more coverage to come).

To get set for this week’s content, which will include a Tuesday look at my 10 late-round sleepers and a live Q&A on Wednesday, check out my updated guide to scouting. The guide details everything from my process to how I view player evaluation in today’s game. It serves as a companion piece to the evaluations you’ll read below.

This year’s final top 100 includes 64 forwards, 30 defencmen and six goalies. For a better sense of where those 100 players come from, here’s a breakdown by nationality, including a total tally that counts each of the country’s appearances within four different tiers to give you a weighted look at the strength of each country’s class:

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/02164424/Screen-Shot-2019-05-02-at-4.16.21-PM.png

Below are my evaluations of the top 50, followed by the complete top 100 (including each player’s movement versus their midseason ranking).

Note: Though I consult scouts and coaches throughout the year on many of these players, these rankings represent my evaluations of each of the players listed.

1. Jack Hughes — C, USDP, 5-foot-10
If Hughes hadn’t solidified his spot as the top prospect in the NHL draft before the under-18 world championships (hint: he had), then his 20 points in seven games, which made him the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 32 and nearly tied Nikita Kucherov’s single-tournament record of 21, definitely helped. I was actually disappointed with how Hughes began his draft season. He was dominant but he wasn’t unstoppable. By year’s end, that had changed and he was the national development program’s all-time leading scorer (by 39 points!). Hughes is a brilliant skater who uses sharp edge work and a light stride to pull away from opposing players off the rush or break them down laterally with a quick cut. He can take over a shift with his ability to hang onto the puck and break teams down as a puck handler, or he can break open an otherwise unspectacular shift with a pass that nobody on the ice sees coming. Because of his ability to evade contact and win races, he also doesn’t get pushed around, which gives me full confidence that he’ll be an All-Star calibre centre at the next level despite lacking strength.

2. Kaapo Kakko — RW, TPS, 6-foot-2
While Hughes was playing at under-18 worlds, Kakko was playing friendlies and practicing with Finland’s national team ahead of the senior world championships after an excellent five-game, four-goal performance in Liiga’s playoffs. In the final three of those games that I tracked, he averaged 22:36 time on ice and attempted 17 shots. Kakko is that rare blend of power and creativity. He can use his strong, extended stride to build momentum and drop his shoulder to drive the net but he can also feign the net-drive play only to make a deft pass to a teammate. Kakko is also lethal from the right-wing circle (where TPS used him on the power play) and gets low to leverage his one-timer and extend through pucks, which gives him a different kind of game-breaking talent than Hughes, even when he’s not playing well. Both of his final two goals of the playoffs came from that spot.

Here’s that one-knee one-timer I was talking about.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/04/29122203/KakkoOneT.mp4?_=1

And here’s his standstill shot, which can also beat goalies cleanly, as well as a flash of his stick handling ability (and some impressive footwork) to evade the pressure.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/04/29122259/KakkoRip.mp4?_=2

Kakko needs to correct the pitch-fork he has developed in his straightaway stride but he has all of the tools needed to be one of hockey’s dominant wingers.

3. Alex Turcotte — C, USDP, 5-foot-11
When Turcotte missed much of the first half of the season due to injury, I expected it would take him some time to adjust and find his game after he returned, especially given the way Hughes and Trevor Zegras were playing down the middle for the program. That wasn’t the case … at all. Turcotte was, from the moment he returned to game action, the program’s biggest driving force behind Hughes. There were a number of games when Zegras, Cole Caufield, Matthew Boldy or Cam York would grab the attention. There were plenty of them, frankly. But Turcotte was the most consistent of the bunch. He doesn’t have the finishing ability of Caufield or the cross-ice playmaking ability of Zegras, but he’s a significantly better two-way player than both while remaining an exciting offensive threat as a passer and a shooter. Turcotte is strong on the puck, powerful when he chooses and careful when he needs to be. Add that to the way he fights to win pucks back and keep plays alive and you’ve got arguably the most complete player in the draft.

4. Dylan Cozens — C, Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-foot-3
The list of under-18 WHL players who’ve outproduced Cozens in the last four drafts is a short one. It consists of just Nolan Patrick (second overall) and Cody Glass (sixth overall). Cozens ranked third in my midseason ranking and remains one of the three players I strongly considered for that slot on the final list. Though he’s less of a scorer than Patrick was at the same age and less of a playmaker than Glass was, Cozens is an inch taller, a better skater and arguably as strong as both players (with room to get stronger and add some muscle). Though I don’t think he projects as a 1C on a contending team at the next level, Cozens has the makings of an up-tempo playmaking centre whose vision and puck protection (both in tight and out wide) can keep up with his feet and carry a top-six line offensively. He makes his wingers better and that will translate quickly to the NHL game (though he almost certainly goes back to junior for one more year).

5. Bowen Byram — LHD, Vancouver Giants, 6-foot-0
I’ve already broken down Byram’s game as the best defenceman in the draft and a frontrunner for third overall in considerably more detail here but the short of it is that while there is still work to be done on his defensive play, particularly with his effort and his spacial awareness within defensive zone schemes, Byram is one of the better goal scoring defencemen the NHL draft has seen in recent memory. Furthermore, he is an excellent three-zone passer and a strong skater who can recover from mistakes made pushing the play into the high slot if the puck goes back the other way. And he just keeps getting better, and better and better. The Byram of the last half of the season and into the playoffs was one of the best players in junior hockey.

6. Peyton Krebs — C, Kootenay Ice, 5-foot-11
Krebs is one of those kids whose production (1.06 points per game) and minus-50 rating raise questions with casual fans over his merits as a top-10 pick. But he’s also a perfect example of what I talked about in my scouting guide regarding team-to-team variance in the CHL because Krebs played on a Kootenay team that, in its final season ahead of relocation to Winnipeg, finished 21st in the 22-team WHL and was outscored by 143 goals. Krebs, meanwhile, contributed on nearly 40 percent of his team’s goals and paced to outscore his nearest teammate by 20 points over the course of a 68-game season. The WHL’s 2016 first-overall pick, Krebs led all rookies in scoring in 2017-2018 and has been dominant in all three major international tournaments he has played in, combining for 21 points in 17 games at U17s, U18s and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Krebs can score with his quick, no-drawback, low-kick release in transition (he lacks a one-timer but that’s fine in the grand scheme of things because of the way he gets open), makes plays at full speed (with an impressive top speed) and draws a lot of attention away from his linemates.

7. Matthew Boldy — RW/LW, USDP, 6-foot-2
Boldy’s biggest skill has quickly become being whatever the national program needs him to be. Last year, that meant being the U17 team’s go-to offensive winger when Caufield played for the U18 team. This year, it meant being a jack-of-all-trades. On some lines he became a slot-option scorer, on others he became a forechecking passer. By year’s end, on a new line with Turcotte and Bobby Brink, he was exposing teams as the third-leading scorer at U18 Worlds. Boldy’s versatility is a tremendous asset. He put up big numbers without getting the offensive opportunities afforded to a player like Caufield. Though Boldy lacks the high-end speed of many of the players near the top of this draft, I wouldn’t say his skating holds him back because he does such a good job finding space and getting open (he doesn’t need to blow by a defender for a breakaway in order to generate). Boldy and Alex Newhook are going to complement each other extremely well at Boston College next season and I wouldn’t be surprised if either of them are one-and-done.

8. Kirby Dach — C, Saskatoon, 6-foot-4
A 6-foot-4 playmaking centre whose stride isn’t awkward and heavy? GASP. There are good odds Dach goes higher than his ranking here (as high as the top five) on the basis of those tools — and it would be hard to blame the team that takes him. He’s huge, he’s strong on the puck, he handles it well in tight (rare for a player his size), he’s a better skater than he gets credit and his length makes him a lot to handle when he drives the net (which he needs to do more often) or controls the puck on the cycle. He’s also a player coaches lean on defensively because he uses his stick effectively to disrupt plays and win battles. Dach has also begun to play more physically and use his frame more effectively along the wall, which was one of the things I’d have liked to see more of last season. My biggest concern with his game is one of upside. Dach’s going to be an NHL centre. A good one. But his growth hasn’t been pronounced enough for me to be confident that he has the dynamic ability needed to be a 1C at the next level. It’s easy to imagine him as a productive 2C, though, and given all of the other elements he offers, that makes him an extremely valuable prospect nonetheless. The Blades are going to lose standout overagers Dawson Davidson and Max Gerlach next season and the team will be handed over to Dach, so I’m intrigued to see just how dominant he can become in that role.

9. Cam York — LHD, USDP, 5-foot-11
It’s hard to believe, given just how great York’s season was, that I still think he has flown under the radar in scouting circles in terms of just how talented he is. Part of that is probably driven by the strength of this national development program forward crop but York is a star in his own right and is clearly the second-best defencemen in this draft for me. While Hughes and Caufield were making headlines for their record-breaking seasons, York was putting together a campaign (1.03 points per game) that surpassed Erik Johnson (0.94) and Adam Fox (0.92) to set the national program’s record for points by a defenceman with 65. He should have been named the top defenceman at U18 Worlds over Philip Broberg, too. York doesn’t have the flash, the speed, or the lateral quickness of program alum Quinn Hughes but he plays one of the most efficient games you’ll see out of an 18-year-old defenceman, he picks his spots to activate as a shooter, he find forwards in transition or across the zone without hesitating and he’s an excellent man-on-man defender despite lacking strength. He’s going to be really, really good in today’s NHL.

10. Cole Caufield — RW, USDP, 5-foot-7
Cole Caufield is to comparable shooters in this draft to what Jango Fett was to stormtroopers. The gap has become so pronounced that they’d be prudent to just clone him. Also, he’s short.

Seriously, though: Caufield is brilliant and his size doesn’t concern me. He had no trouble keeping up with the best skater in the draft and though his numbers are certainly inflated by playing most of the season with the best passer in the draft (Hughes is the best at a lot of things, you’re probably noticing), Caufield’s ability to release with speed, release from a standstill, score with his one-timer and go to his backhand is crazy-impressive. Couple those things with his knack for finding space, getting to rebounds and sliding in and out of traffic and you’ve got a player who will be a dominant scoring threat at the University of Wisconsin next season — and someday in the NHL. Caufield’s biggest challenge will be driving a line on his own and involving his teammates a little more when he doesn’t have a player as talented as Hughes doing that for him.

11. Alex Newhook — C, Victoria Grizzlies, 5-foot-11
The thing about a lot of players who can burn defenders wide with explosive speed is that that speed can often work against them. They begin to rely on it and their instinct is to just turn on the jets whenever the puck hits their stick. For many players, that speed forces them wide into areas of the ice where offence is hard to come by. It was my biggest criticism of Devils draftee Michael McLeod. A skill only takes you as far as your know-how. You need to be able to use it. Newhook has that speed but his brilliance is that he seldom wastes it. He knows when to pull up and find the trailer. He knows when to cut under the defender and drive the net. And he knows when to slow things down. But when the opportunity is there to burn wide or use his release at top speed (which he does effortlessly), Newhook will take it. He’s electric and fearless.

12. Trevor Zegras — C, USDP, 6-foot-0
If Hughes is the best passer in the draft, Zegras is the clear No. 2 (which isn’t a knock on Ryan Suzuki, Dach or Krebs). I have two complaints with Zegras’ game (otherwise there’s a lot to like, from his ability to hang onto the puck to the job he does supporting the puck and winning back possession). The first is that he passes a little too much. Zegras has this uncanny ability to find small seams in the offensive zone with precision and pace and it means that everyone who plays with him (forwards and defencemen) have to be ready to receive a pass or moving to get open. But there are also times (not infrequently) when he ought to drive the net or use what is actually a pretty dangerous, quick release. The second concern is one of discipline. Zegras’ physicality makes him the defensive presence that he is and enables him to come out of 50/50 battles more often than not but he can let it get the best of him and his talents are better utilized through his playmaking abilities rather than in the penalty box.

13. Arthur Kaliyev — LW, Hamilton Bulldogs, 6-foot-2
Here’s the full list of under-18 CHL forwards who’ve scored 50 goals in the last decade: Jeff Skinner, Alex DeBrincat, Arthur Kaliyev. Nobody in the QMJHL (though Nik Ehlers came close with 49 goals in 2014) or the WHL has done it. It’s been a long time since Patrick Marleau did it in 1997, or even since Sidney Crosby did it in 2004. That’s some kind of company. Skinner went seventh overall and posted 63 points as a rookie with the Carolina Hurricanes the following season. DeBrincat fell to 39th overall due, returned to junior and eventually emerged with a 52-point rookie season of his own. Now he’s a 40-goal scorer in the NHL and the teams that passed on him regret it. Though Kaliyev’s skill set places him as the least talented of those three players, concerns about his skating and spotty defensive play shouldn’t be enough to push him much lower than the late teens in this draft. His one-timer will make him a threat at any level and he’s not a one-trick pony, either (I actually really liked the way he opened up his game as a passer this season, something I was worried he wouldn’t be able to do after watching him as a rookie). He’s going to prove some doubters wrong. The late birthday (June 26, 2001) doesn’t hurt either

14. Bobby Brink — RW, Sioux City Musketeers, 5-foot-10
Speaking of overstated concerns about skating! Believe in Bobby Brink, people. Allow yourself to believe in him. The astronomical numbers he put up in the USHL this year were his own doing and once he adds a little more strength the foot speed will catch up to the skill level that made him the USHL’s Forward of the Year. Brink will take a little longer than some of the other top prospects in this draft to get to his ceiling but that ceiling is exciting. Centres are more often the driving forces on their lines at the next level but Brink’s ability to win back pucks with his stick, get open and break teams down tactically once he has it is a joy to watch. There’s a risk in everyone outside the top-12 in this year’s draft but the reward on a player like Brink is a dynamic puck-handling winger who can involve his teammates when the player is there or do it himself when they are not. Sometimes you have to swing for the fences. I’d take that chance on Brink, who also has a late birthday (July 8, 2001).

15. Pavel Dorofeyev — RW/LW, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 6-foot-0
Dorofeyev, one of the older players in this draft (October 26, 2000), is a stunningly patient player who excels with linemates who can play off him. Though he lacks strength (even 10 pounds would do wonders), Dorofeyev also rarely gets pushed around because that patience allows him to release a seam pass or a cut to the slot for a shot before he can get hit. That was particularly true at the MHL level in both of the last seasons (Dorofeyev’s play two seasons would have also been impressive in his draft year, which has me less concerned about his age), whereas he tended to play a little too much on the perimeter in the KHL. His puck skills (in tight, out wide, on his forehand and on his backhand) are all high end, which allows him to turn in traffic and escape with possession on the heel or toe of his blade. Like Brink, he’s going to take some time and the payoff has a chance of being an exciting, line-driving winger who can control a power play.

16. Ryan Suzuki — C, Barrie Colts, 6-foot-0
There was a time, not that long ago, when Suzuki projected as a top-10 pick in this class. Given that the Colts selected him first overall in the OHL draft, that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Suzuki hasn’t quite reached take-over-a-game levels though. Part of that is driven by the fact that he’s a playmaker first and the Colts didn’t have anyone for him to play with this season after they traded Lucas Chiodo to the 67’s (the injury he dealt with at U18s didn’t help him showcase his talent after an excellent Hlinka Gretzky Cup showing either) but part of it is a matter of over-handling and trying to do too much to create the perfect play. Still, Suzuki was far-and-away the best player on a bad team and the 25-point gap between him and the nearest Colts forward (who also happened to be the coach’s son and 21 years old) speaks to that. Suzuki is a pinpoint passer who uses delays and a surprisingly-effective toe drag to pull defenders in before finding a teammate (something that will be harder to do at the NHL level unless he learns to take those chances a little less often).

17. Vasili Podkolzin — RW, SKA St. Petersburg, 6-foot-1
Podkolzin has age on his side (June 24, 2001) but his play has continued to leave me wanting more. The skill set is there. He gets to his top speed quickly and his top speed is a lot to handle in transition (more north-south than east-west), he’s physical, has excellent hands and he can really — and I mean really — shoot it (though his drawback is a little too long for my liking). It all goes back to knowing how to use the skill that I touched on above. Podkolzin is an instinctual player who makes plays for himself but struggles to involve his teammates and the end result is a contrast between what your eyes tell you (they notice him a lot) and how effective he actually is. He has time to figure the rest of it out but it’s extremely hard to be a dominant NHL player on skill and skill alone. Teams don’t want to use a top-10 pick on a player who may become a checking third-liner who can play with pace and irritate teams but doesn’t actually produce all that much. There’s room for him to be a lot more than that but he needs to put all of the pieces together and I’m more certain today than I was in my midseason ranking that his top-five buzz is unwarranted.

18. Nils Hoglander — LW, Rogle, 5-foot-9
Even as Hoglander’s impressive early-season SHL production faded late in the year, I rarely left a viewing of him disappointed in how he looked. Hoglander, despite his size disadvantage, has already played 94 games of professional hockey, accumulating 22 points along the way. His skills are obvious when you watch him. He’s got a bit of a shuffle to his stride but his feet are light and that allows him to propel around the ice and accelerates out of his turns. He’s got excellent stop-and-start puck control, which he uses to spin off checks or when coming out of puck battles. And most of all, considering he’s 5-foot-9, he always goes to the middle of the ice.

That’s true without the puck in the way he jumps to the inside lane to get open for redirects.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/04/30194028/HoglanderNet.mp4?_=3

And it’s true when he has the puck and he willingly attacks bigger players and stays on the puck when he loses it.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/04/30194113/HoglanderDrive.mp4?_=4

Hoglander isn’t going to be a star at the next level but he projects as a productive, high-tempo, come-at-you-in-waves winger.

19. Philip Broberg — LHD, AIK, 6-foot-3
Is Broberg a player whose post-Hlinka hype surpassed the reality of his game? Yes. That has always been my view. Does Broberg still have a lot to offer? Absolutely. When you have the length that he does and you can still skate as he can, you’ve got a lot to work with. The raw talent is exciting because it shows up in flashes in games when he joins the rush and carries the puck through the neutral zone. But I still have concerns about his decision-making as well as his puck handling (there are way too many bobbles at the offensive zone blueline that go the other way). He also struggles to make high-end plays with the puck once his speed has pushed him over the offensive zone blueline. In the right program, there’s no question that there’s a lot to tap into. But there’s definitely a lot of risk associated with taking him in the first half of the first round.

20. Anttoni Honka — RHD, JYP/Jukurit, 5-foot-10
Every year, hyperbole and exaggeration creep into the discussion around a handful of players and the polarity in how different evaluators view their games quickly turns into a contest of ego rather than a grounded evaluation of their skill set. This year, that has happened in some circles with Honka. He’s an October 2000 birthday, he was excellent in Liiga a year ago and expectations were sky-high for him to take a step and become a truly dominant prospect. When that didn’t happen, I think many scouts’ over-exposure to his game resulted in nit-picks about his flaws (which is the same thing that has happened for many talented players who’d spent years on the hockey world’s radar ahead of disappointing draft years, including Timothy Liljegren and Jakob Chychrun). Honka struggles in his own zone in a lot of the same ways Adam Boqvist did in his draft year but if that can become even average (if he can play a little more physically, give a little less off the rush and track his man in the defensive zone better than he does), the offensive tools are all there. Honka was outstanding in the Mestis playoffs and can take over games with his ability to exit the zone, control the play through the middle of the ice and quarterback offensive zone sequences with quick, aggressive movement. The right leap of faith may result in a steal.

21. Ville Heinola — LHD, Lukko, 5-foot-11
Heinola’s growth this year has been incredible. It really has. Every time I watched him play I came away more impressed than the last and that has made him one of the consistent risers on my list this season. And though he’s a more complete player than Honka, I don’t see the same offensive level at his ceiling. Heinola is who is he because he’s efficient (by that I mean that he makes plays quickly, he doesn’t hesitate, but he does both of those things while still having surveyed the ice ahead of the decision), he quickly earns the trust of his coaches, he’s precise in his execution offensively and he’s compact and careful defensively. But he doesn’t take over games and he’s not going to be a dynamic offensive threat at the next level (though he showed signs that there may be more flair below the surface in the Liiga playoffs). He’s really, really good. I just don’t think he’s going to be an outright star. He’s probably going to be picked in the mid-to-late first round, that’s fine.

22. Patrik Puistola — LW, Tappara/Leki, 6-foot-0
If you’ve followed my work this season you probably already know that Puistola is the player my ranking/evaluation probably differs from the most (at least among the rankings you’re likely to have read in the public sphere). That may begin to change after the under-18 worlds he just had (his five goals led the disappointing Finns) but Puistola is a blow-you-away-in-a-split second kind of talent. He can flat out break teams down and when it happens it can blow you away (and blow a puck past a goalie). His biggest challenge is that he’s only ever going to be exactly that kind of player and those kinds of players require two things:

Coaches who believe in them and are willing to trust them in offensive roles rather than force them to work off the fourth line.
The right kind of linemates who can just get them the puck and get out of their way.
Inherently, that means there’s risk involved. Puistola’s not going to be a checker. Still, if he can continue to develop within the right organization, there’s serious upside to his game.

23. Mikko Kokkonen — LHD, Jukurit, 5-foot-11
Kokkonen is a smooth, cerebral-under-pressure defenceman who has been overshadowed by countryman Ville Heinola this season despite putting together an excellent year of his own. His 19 points and 56 games played are both modern-day Liiga records for an under-18 defenceman and he did it while playing on a team that won just 13 of 60 games this season. Kokkonen’s defensive play is mature for his age. He closes out well on forwards of the rush, his stick is disruptive, he reads the play well and gets ahead of it in the defensive zone. He’s strong for his height and he separates bigger players along the wall by stepping up through the neutral zone. I’d like to see Kokkonen play that assertive offensively, though I really like the way he moves across the top of the offensive zone to open up both shooting and passing lanes. Kokkonen has the tools to join the rush more than he does but he prefers the outlet play to the carry. Kokkonen disappointed at under-18 worlds but he closed out his Liiga season with two points in his final three games alongside five shots and 11 shot attempts while averaging more than 20 minutes a night. I came away impressed by some of his offensive flashes (and surprised he wasn’t Team Finland’s go-to option on PP2 in the tournament). Look for that movement I talked about below, as Kokkonen (No. 8) slides down the left-wing wall, into the slot, back to the right-wing point and across the offensive zone blueline before finding his man for the primary assist.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/01110255/KokkonenA.mp4?_=5

And watch the way not only that he uses his feet to create a lane for a shot on his goal, but that he also has the presence of mind to take the slap shot instead of a wrister (while in motion) here.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/01110420/KokkonenG.mp4?_=6

24. Raphael Lavoie — C/RW, Halifax Mooseheads, 6-foot-4
I spent most of this draft year admittedly sour on Lavoie’s game. He’s one of the oldest players in the draft, he’s one of the biggest players in the draft, he has the talent needed to be an unstoppable force at the junior level and yet that just never materialized … until the QMJHL playoffs. Lavoie threw the Mooseheads over his shoulders and dragged them into their final against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies by racking up a QMJHL-leading 17 goals and 27 points through 17 games in the first three rounds. His nearest Halifax teammate, Ducks second-round pick Antoine Morand, had 12 fewer points during that 17-game stretch. That’s insane. The biggest challenge with Lavoie is differentiating between how much of it is skill and how much of it is a combination of the fact that he’s nearly a year older than some of the other players on this list (he’ll be 19 during his first NHL training camp) and boasts an overwhelming physical dominance. Increasingly, though, his skill has begun to shine through. He gets to the net at will and he has the ability to finish plays in tight by pounding home rebounds or using some impressive stick handling to beat goalies with a deke.

25. Jakob Pelletier — LW, Moncton Wildcats, 5-foot-9
Pelletier isn’t all that dissimilar to Puistola in that he lacks the versatility required to project lower in an NHL lineup so you’re basically banking on his talent to continue to blossom and carry him into an offensive role. The good news is that I think there’s a real chance that happens for him. He definitely has the creativity and on many nights this season, he looked like the best player on the ice for Moncton (a team that boasted standout 20-year-old Jeremy McKenna, who may get drafted this year, as well as Minnesota Wild third-round pick Alexander Khovanov). Pelletier finished second to Alexis Lafreniere in under-18 QMJHL scoring a year after he finished second to Lafreniere in under-17 scoring. Late in the first round, I’d bet on a higher-risk player with real offensive potential than a safer NHL option with limited upside, which is what picking Pelletier comes down to. I love his creativity (he rarely makes the play you expect him to make and the one he does is normally the better, smarter play in retrospect anyway).

26. Maxim Cajkovic — RW, Saint John Sea Dogs, 5-foot-11
Cajkovic is one of those players whose game is more than the sum of his production (46 points in 60 games). There have been few CHL teams in recent memory with as little a supporting cast as this year’s Sea Dogs had for Cajkovic. And still, on one of the worst teams in junior hockey, he found ways to make things happen and produce on a large percentage of his team’s goals (more than 30 percent when he was in the lineup, a number that is higher than some of his point per game draft counterparts). That, side-by-side three standout tournaments for Slovakia internationally and the second-best under-17 production in SuperElit a year ago (0.75 points per game) is impressive. And it lines up with my evaluation of his skill set, which has him as a flatfooted winger who is aggressive on the forecheck, attacks in waves with decent top speed, handles the puck deftly in traffic and can release his shot from a variety of stances and angles while under pressure in tight areas. Cajkovic has steal written all over him if he falls out of the second round.

27. Nathan Légaré — RW, Baie-Comeau Drakkar, 6-foot-0
Légaré could probably stand to lose 5-10 pounds in an effort to get lighter and improve his foot speed but he is otherwise a complete package as a goal scorer (though he needs to involve his teammates a little more and open up his line of sight as a passer) in today’s pro game, blending a powerful net-driven mentality with a strong one-touch shot. That shot (which he can also use from high in the zone and still cleanly beat goalies), in combination with his strength along the boards, allows him to play the give and go game effectively. Which is good because he’s not going to be the primary carrier on his line but he’s also hard to knock off the puck. Though he benefitted from playing on a really talented team, Légaré, a sixth-overall pick in the QMJHL draft, never looked out of place alongside Ivan Chekhovich (San Jose Sharks) and Gabriel Fortier (Tampa Bay Lightning). Légaré’s 45 goals tied him for second in the QMJHL (first in his age group), while his 271 shots on goal finished third. If he continues to progress, there’s middle-six goal-scoring upside in his game at the next level. He’s not the most talented player in the draft but he’s a volume shooter with one of the faster releases in the class and he already has pro size.

28. Victor Söderström — RHD, Brynäs, 5-foot-11
Söderström is one of those players who will surely go higher than my ranking but whom I’ve watched a lot of in order to make sure my differing view of his game is grounded, hopefully, in reality. His stride is nearly flawless. His blades hardly touch the ice when he’s extending through his body in straight lines, they’re feathery on his crossovers laterally and he’s nearly as fast skating backward as he is forward. Because he’s also really physical for his size, that skating ability allows him to play a tight gap defensively and close on forwards to lay hits along the boards in the neutral zone, forcing dump-ins as a result. Though his shot isn’t hard, he does a good job using his feet to get his wristers through and he isn’t afraid to open up for the one-timer (something I would argue he uses too much on D-to-D plays at the point when a more effective pass is available). You can see both that shot and that neutral zone aggression at play here.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/01114620/Soderstrom.mp4?_=7

My only major concern with Soderstrom’s game is one of upside. There’s no question he’s ahead of his peers but two major issues persist:

He loses a lot of board battles due to strength and he doesn’t mitigate against that effectively with his stick (though that can be taught, which is good).
I don’t see enough high-end playmaking ability to his game to view him as more than a second-pairing defenceman at the NHL level and I’m not sure his power play use in the SHL will translate to the NHL.
29. Thomas Harley — LHD, Mississauga Steelheads, 6-foot-3
In isolation, Harley’s production this season (58 points in 68 games) put him in some pretty impressive under-18 OHL company over the last decade as its sixth-highest total behind names like Ryan Murphy, Ryan Merkley, Mitch Vande Sompel, Cam Dineen and Dougie Hamilton — and ahead of names like Mikhail Sergachev, Jakob Chychrun and Rasmus Sandin. Harley’s offensive talent is obvious. He’s really mobile for his size, light on his edges and his shot has to be respected (and has room to improve even more in terms of his delivery and follow-through) by opposing teams, which opens up his decent cross-ice vision as an option. But I have concerns about other areas of his game that have mitigated him from consideration in my top-24 tier. The biggest is his play in his own zone (though some of that was a byproduct of workload, the tough competition he was tasked with and the fact that he was playing nearly 30 minutes a night for stretches this season). Harley does a decent job defending the rush with his reach but he lacks physicality in puck battles and plays too passively within D-zone schemes, which can result in some ugly shifts. Still, Harley’s August birthday, coupled with a strong follow-up performance at U18s after an excellent regular season bodes well for the growth that he needs to happen. Once he gets stronger, which could and should happen this summer, that will make a big difference.

30. Nicholas Robertson — LW, Peterborough Petes, 5-foot-9
If you read my scouting guide you already know that I strongly dislike terms that are used to describe the emotion a player plays with. It’s nearly impossible to spot intensity or truly know whether a player is working hard. Some players just make getting from A to B look easier than others. Some players finish checks in ways that create the same outcome as others without looking nearly as violent. Every so often, though, you get a player who never stops moving, hunting, driving and hitting and you can’t help but notice just how hard they really are working. Robertson, the youngest player in my top 31, is that player. You can literally see it in the way his eyes bulge as he chases down a bigger player and knocks them over. You can see it in the way his body shakes and his shoulder bobble when he cuts to the inside lane to explode towards a loose puck. There are times when it works to his detriment, he’s expending too much energy when he should just be trying to slow things down. But that’s just who he is. Luckily for Roberston, there’s skill there too. Not only does he have one the better curl-and-drag releases in the draft (he’ll go straight at defencemen and then plainly try to rip one through them) but he’s also an explosive stop-and-start skater from a standstill. Robertson makes himself a factor in games and plays with a reckless abandonment that quickly endears itself to coaches and fans — while also serving as a style of play that can fit up and down a lineup.

31. Samuel Poulin — LW, Sherbrooke Phoenix, 6-foot-2
Poulin, taken second-overall in the 2017 QMJHL draft, has progressed well ever since without really taking huge leaps. Given the talent level that was already there, though, that has produced a darn good player. He’s a lot to handle along the wall, is willing to go to the net with that power by dropping his shoulder and using one hand on his stick to force his way to the crease (or the slot) and has what has always been some sneaky-good passing skills that can surprise defenders who expect him to drive the net for a scoring chance, only to find the trailer. That versatility will translate well to the pro game. He also tracks the play back to stay above pucks and in responsible positions within Sherbrooke’s structure, making him a positive presence in all three zones. Poulin was the best player on an otherwise mediocre team and played his best hockey late in the season (he finished the year on a seven-game point streak) and into the playoffs, where he posted eight goals and 14 points in 10 games. A good summer should make him one of the QMJHL’s tougher players to contain next season.

32. Nikita Alexandrov — C, Charlottetown Islanders, 6-foot-0
Alexandrov, like Cajkovic, is another high-skill QMJHL forward who hasn’t been given enough credit in draft circles this year (he was, to my eye, the best player on the ice at this year’s top prospects game). Two years ago, as a 16-year-old, he was producing at the same rate as a then 17-year-old Dominik Bokk in Germany’s top junior league. A year later he was an effective rookie on a low-end Charlottetown team and his breakout playoff performance pushed the mediocre Islanders (who finished the season with a minus-10 goal differential) against all odds into Game 7 of the third round. This season, on an improved though still not all that talented Islanders team, he continued to take steps. Alexandrov is a dynamic, primary carrier who is at his best with the puck on his stick, rather than playing off it. He can break defenders down one-on-one with lateral agility or fade to the slot and use his release to create a scoring chance. Surround him with a better team and he’s got the potential to be scary-good at the junior level.

33. Robert Mastrosimone — C, Chicago Steel, 5-foot-10
Mastrosimone is in one sense a project (I suspect he spends three or four years at Boston University before turning pro) and in another an exhilarating talent. He became more of a goal scorer this season by virtue of his role as the triggerman for standout USHL passer Nick Abruzzese but there is talent of all kinds below the surface. Mastrosimone makes quick, aggressive plays with the puck, can hang onto it and drive through the middle on exits and entries, is only going to get stronger (which should benefit an already excellent, silent release) and does a wonderful job avoiding contact by sliding off checks or around defenders. He and Trevor Zegras will give BU some much-needed depth down the middle.

34. Philip Tomasino — C/RW, Niagara IceDogs, 6-foot-0
Tomasino’s game is built for today’s NHL in that he plays with pace, he’s a threat in transition, he handles the puck lightly but not too long, he drives the slot, he finds pockets off the puck and he makes tough plays look easy. A little more upper body strength will go a long way to making him a more complete player as well. Though Tomasino is a natural centre, he spent a good chunk of the post-trade deadline season playing right wing with Akil Thomas due to the IceDogs’ overwhelming talent down the middle. Now that a decent chunk of the IceDogs core is poised to move on, Tomasino will become more of a go-to threat next year and I think he will handle it really well. The talent is there for him to become a productive, borderline line-driving top-nine forward at the next level.

35. Moritz Seider — RHD, Adler Manheim, 6-foot-4
Playing as a 17-year-old for most of the year, Seider was a third-pairing defenceman on the DEL champs, alongside former Stanley Cup champions and a number of players who fashioned out impressive careers in the AHL and NHL. He’s one of those players who isn’t going to wow you with his offensive upside but has proven he has the skill needed to be more than a tough-minutes option who goes off the glass and out. His size (which still has room to become even stronger, believe it or not) and length define him but he also possesses OK puck handling ability, a wrist shot that has some whip and bend to it (he doesn’t use his slapshot all that often but his wrister comes in hard) and rapidly-improving skating to his game too. You can see that skating at play below (you’ll notice his legs splay from the knees, creating an awkward extension, but that there’s still a lot of power being generated to allow him to pull away).

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/02164315/SeiderSkatingStyle.mp4?_=8

And watch the way he closes out on a loose puck, uses his size to gain body position, powers up the right-wing boards and exits the zone with a cross-ice pass for a primary assist.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/02131250/SeiderAssist.mp4?_=9

Or the way he again uses that size along the boards, this time in the offensive zone to protect the puck and send the shot on net for another playoff assist.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/02131420/SeiderBoardsShot.mp4?_=10

He’s reliable in his own zone, rubs carriers out along the wall and has the skill needed to escape and exit the zone with an outlet pass. Though I wouldn’t take him in the first round, I’m not going to be surprised when a team does.

36 Brett Leason — RW, Prince Albert Raiders, 6-foot-4
Sometimes, players just hit their growth curve at different times and their talent has to play catch-up to their body. Once Leason’s skating improved this season, his game took off because he does such a good job recognizing his teammates and he has the puck protection skill to hang onto the puck in all three zones until the right play opens up. He’s still not the fastest player on the ice but Leason’s skating no longer holds back the rest of his skill set. Had he played a full 68-game season (Leason missed a portion of the year due to the world juniors and another due to injury), Leason paced for 110 points. The scary part: He could still add some muscle without sacrificing that newly developed foot speed. Leason’s not going to leap directly into the NHL but I suspect that in time he’ll get there after a stint in the AHL. Powerful wingers with size and enough skill don’t come around all that often.

37. Yegor Afanasyev — LW, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 6-foot-4
Speaking of big, strong wingers with enough talent to match their size advantage! Afanasyev is one of those kids who can just will himself to the front of the net by dropping his lead shoulder, protecting the puck out wide to his body and shuffling his way there. He also just happened to grow an inch and a half this season, which complemented his style of play better than he probably could have hoped for. Afanasyev is a beast whose progression in the last year has been as pronounced as any other player in the draft. Afanasyev’s future remains in doubt though. He committed to Michigan State University in 2017 but the Windsor Spitfires traded for his rights this winter, so he has options. His play tailed off late in the year a little but the sky’s the limit if the right team is willing to be patient.

38. Henry Thrun — LHD, USDP, 6-foot-2
Thrun is a well-rounded, all-encompassing defenceman who played big minutes for the national program this year and produced effectively despite not usually factored as an option on the power play. As the game trends towards defencemen who can play a possession driven game and create positive outcomes (the actual points a defenceman puts up are proving to be less of a concern now than ever before as we learn more about what makes them effective), Thrun fits the mould.

That isn’t to say Thrun (No. 3) won’t push the envelope and slide to the net when an opportunity is there to finish off a play. He will:

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/01165901/ThrunBadAngle.mp4?_=11

And he has the one-timer to be able to a) hit the net and b) extend through his shot to score:

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/01165857/YorkToThrun.mp4?_=12

But Thrun’s strength isn’t his offensive game (which is strong on its own merits) but rather his ability to be a lockdown option defensively thanks to the athleticism that keeps forwards wide and the decision-making that helps him close on players at exactly the right time. Thrun’s a zone prevention machine with enough talent offensively to translate into a reliable NHL option.

39. Lassi Thomson — RHD, Kelowna Rockets, 6-foot-0
One of the oldest first-year draft-eligible players in the draft, alongside Lavoie, Thomson is an aggressive, heavy-shooting defenceman (note: heavy denotes the spin the shot creates, rather than velocity, making it tough for goalies to control the rebound) who can score in transition, offset plays to his one-timer, or through timely attacks to the slot or the backdoor play. Defensively, Thomson plays a physical, glued-to-you-off-the-rush brand that can be really effective at holding the neutral zone and forcing turnovers but can also occasionally get him exposed. Thomson is a bit too much of a one-trick pony as a shooter offensively but he can still move the puck well enough and if that skill can be groomed there’s significant room for growth in how he’s used.

40. Albin Grewe — C/RW, Djurgardens, 6-foot-0
Grewe is what he is and that’s an often mean, sometimes powerful (he needs to use it more) forward who can play with a variety of linemates and in a variety of roles but doesn’t have any real standout, wow-you-level offensive skills (though he does have borderline high-end foot speed) that are capable of taking over a game. He projects safely as a useful pro forward (more likely as a winger, where his physicality can be more of a factor on the forecheck). The aggression and confidence he displayed in SuperElit didn’t regularly translate in the SHL this season — and that’s normal — but there were flashes of it and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a breakout year in an increased role next year. Give him two or three years and there might be something really interesting there.

41. Matthew Robertson — LHD, Edmonton Oil Kings, 6-foot-4
Robertson doesn’t quite have the mobility of, say, a Philip Broberg, but his skating is a major strength and that makes his length hard to pass up on. I’m a little lower on the rest of his skill set than most but he can make the outlet necessary pass and use feet to escape trouble when he’s under pressure in the defensive zone. Any deficiency in his puck handling is offset by his stout defensive play too. Robertson recognizes all three forwards ahead of the play, anticipates passes effectively, disrupts attempts to drive the net with his long stick, and makes the quick play in transition to capitalize. There are some kinks to iron out and I wouldn’t say he’s smooth with the puck as a carrier but if he can develop that part of his game he’s going to become a very good NHLer.

42. Samuel Fagemo — LW/RW, Frölunda HC, 5-foot-11
It took Fagemo some time to figure out exactly how he was most useful. There was a decent stretch of his young career where he tried to do too much and make things happen on his own and it meant that the skills he had weren’t being used to the best of his ability. Then, at the beginning of this year in SuperElit, he flipped a switch and basically decided he was going to be a pure scorer — but an unselfish one. That’s not always easy to do. Players who can blow pucks past goaltenders with a release like Fagemo’s (the puck curls off his blade without it even looking like he was shooting it) want to be volume shooters who use their skill to get to the slot and score. The inherent problem with that mentality is that it’s often counterproductive because it puts pressure on them to make individual plays and shoot through traffic. Now, Fagemo has dedicated himself to getting open and sliding into soft pockets in the offensive zone. In doing so, he gets more time to pick his spot and score. It takes the right kind of linemates but it’s eminently more dangerous. His 14 goals and 25 points in 42 games ranked first among under-19 SHL players, ahead of Blues first-round pick Dominik Bokk (who is actually a month older than Fagemo). He’s legit, overage status be damned, and will be a power play threat at any level. His skating has vastly improved too, which makes him a puck carrying threat that defencemen have to be cognizant of, especially now that he has begun to learn to go wide instead of trying to do too much. This assist in Frolunda’s playoff run really leaped out at me because the play started and ended with No. 11 in red:

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/02105349/Fagemo.mp4?_=13

43. Vladislav Kolyachonok — LHD, Flint Firebirds, 6-foot-2
Kolyachonok should have been in the conversation for the first all-star team at April’s under-18 world championships for the way he performed, helping Belarus avoid relegation while playing big, big minutes. Before that, he was also a late-birthday, high-impact player on a Flint team that sorely needed a player like him to step up and lead their core moving forward as they attempt (again) to escape the OHL’s basement. Kolyachonok doesn’t really lack any of the skills needed to be good in today’s NHL and I got the sense watching him play throughout the year that this was just the beginning for him because there are so many flashes of ‘OK, where did that come from?’ to his game. Surround him with a little more talent and watch out. He can really skate (in all four directions), he’s fluid with the puck, and he makes the plays you’d hope he makes with it.

44. Jamieson Rees — C, Sarnia Sting, 5-foot-10
Rees, one of the slickest players in the draft, has stick handling talent that can pull you out of your seat and make a goalie look silly on a breakaway. It’s almost as though his stick floats across the ice. He’ll pull a puck past a defender or stop up at full speed to make someone bite. It really is a pleasure to watch. Rees didn’t help himself when he blindsided Cole Coskey for an eight-game suspension this season and he missed another portion due to injury but he still finished strong with an excellent showing as one of Canada’s most dangerous players at U18s. Rees has NHL top speed, a deceptive shot that he releases from his front foot effortlessly, the ability to make passes that are one step ahead of the play, and agile though not explosive footwork.

45. Spencer Knight — G, USDP, 6-foot-3
I’m of the opinion that Spencer Knight’s reputation precedes him at this point but that doesn’t mean he’s not an excellent, high-end goalie prospect. He is. When Knight’s on, like he was at U18s, he can steal games. He’s explosive post-to-post, he’s big, he uses that size to challenge shooters, and — probably most importantly for goalies his age — he rarely gets caught swimming in his net because he has trained himself to be compact. Though I wouldn’t take him in the first round (something that, in my opinion, should only happen with truly transformational goalies), Knight remains the best goalie prospect in this draft class and the table is set for him to take Joseph Woll’s place at Boston College and play a lot of games, which should help him reach his potential as an NHL starter.

46. Connor McMichael — C/RW, London Knights, 5-foot-11
McMichael’s playoff performance was disappointing by most measures. His play on the team’s third line at even-strength didn’t have enough of an impact to tilt games London’s way when they needed him. Throughout, he was also used on the wing in spurts instead of at centre, which is a little odd given he was 55 percent on nearly 600 faceoffs in the regular season. McMichael is a player who does a lot of different things really well at the junior level but (outside of maybe his release) doesn’t have any standout skill that really leaves you thinking “that will translate to the NHL.” As a result, he projects as a third-line forward more than a high-end scorer, even though his 36 goals ranked third among under-18 forwards this season to Kaliyev and 2020 prospect Cole Perfetti. He needs to get stronger if his development is going to take off.

47. Jordan Spence — RHD, Moncton Wildcats, 5-foot-10
A late bloomer with just one year in the QMJHL under his belt, Spence made a name for himself this season as a rookie, leading all under-18 defencemen in scoring by eight points before basically walking his way onto Team Canada for the first time at the worlds. Spence, the QMJHL’s 2019 rookie of the year, also led all rookies in assists (regardless of position) with 43. He’s a smooth-skating, light-footed, advance-the-play defenceman who was taken 20th overall by the Wildcats as an average on the back of a Maritimes Jr. A Hockey League (MJAHL) rookie of the year nod last season. His strongest attribute is his ability to hit forwards in transition with long outlet passes and slice pucks through traffic for tape-to-tape plays across the offensive zone but he’s also silky through the neutral zone, weaving away from danger as a carrier. Spence, the first player to appear on this list who didn’t appear in my midseason top-62 (largely so I could continue to get a feel for the newcomer), is an effortless zone-exit and zone-entry machine who is prone to a few brain cramps in the defensive zone but should be able to iron out some of those kinks with a little more polish in the Q. It’s hard to be an effective defender at the NHL level at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds but the right amount of patience and two more years in junior could do the trick for a player who has all of the other tools required to make the jump.

48. Vladislav Firstov — LW, Waterloo Blackhawks, 6-foot-0
The baby-faced Firstov, who doesn’t turn 18 until days before the draft, stepped into the USHL this season and was named to its all-rookie team as one of its three-best first-year forwards. Firstov is a skinny, puck-on-a-string winger who is committed to the University of Connecticut who is more of a long-term project and should likely spend a full four years in college as he matures and adds strength to an impressive skill set that already includes tough-to-track lateral cuts and a quick, accurate release. After an excellent start to the season, Firstov’s play plateaued a little at the midway point. Still, he can make plays and a little more lower-body strength should go a long way to making an elusive player into an explosive one. Patience will be key in his developmental curve though.

49. Nolan Foote — LW, Kelowna Rockets, 6-foot-3
Foote uses his weight and his balance to receive passes on his backhand and pivot to his forehand for a one-motion release as well as anyone and that’s a skill that makes him lethal in any league because it’s a split second movement across his body that disguises his release point and forces goalies to catch up to him. And though that skill is absolutely transferable, there are hitches in Foote’s game which haven’t yet disappeared (something that is particularly concerning given his three years in the WHL due to his age). I worry, too, given the way his brother Cal has struggled to increase his foot speed as he has gotten heavier, that Foote will have to settle for average acceleration, something that could limit him from becoming the power forward so many believed he could be.

50. Shane Pinto — C/RW, Tri-City Storm, 6-foot-2
I was slow to trust Pinto’s skill set this season but he just kept looking better with each viewing and his play with the Storm post-trade was electric in spurts and peaked at the right time, with points in 10 of his final 11 regular season games before opening the playoffs with eight points in the Storm’s three-game sweep of Des Moines in the first round of the Clark Cup playoffs. Pinto, who went from a 330th overall pick in the 21st round of the USHL draft to one of its all-rookie team members, does an excellent job staying ahead of the play without cheating (which takes a fine balance) and releasing from defenders to get open for a give-and-go play. He also tracks pucks at an extremely high level, which enables him to take efficient routes and control possession when he’s on the ice. Pinto doesn’t need time or space to finish off plays either. He’s decisive with the puck and often knows where he wants to put it before he even receives it. Some players can just anticipate the play one or two steps ahead of others and Pinto is one of them.

The top 100
In order to give you a better understanding of how closely-ranked many of these players are I have broken down the ranking into tiers. They are as follow: 1, 2, 3-5, 6-12, 13-25, 26-50, 51-77, 78-100. Eight players who were ranked in my midseason top 62 fell below that threshold here, including two who fell out of the top 100 and into the honourable mentions:


https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/05/06104320/wheeler-2.png


Honourable mentions (25): Michael Gildon, Matvei Guskov, Dylan Jackson, Josh Williams, Patrick Moynihan, Danil Antropov, Anthony Romano, Judd Caulfield, Luke Toporowski, Ryder Donovan, Daniil Misyul, Jake Lee, Yegor Serdyuk, Alexander Campbell, Alexander Popovic, Keean Washkurak, Grant Silianoff, Vladimir Alistrov, Kyen Sopa, Semyon Chistyakov, Simon Lundmark, Jackson LaCombe, Valentin Nussbaumer, Sasha Mutala, Yegor Chinakhov.