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The pre-season lists have been released but we wait on word for the Maharaja of draft prognostication, Bob McKenzie. There are a couple of interesting aspects to the Top 30, but change is the watchword for this list. The final June list won't look anything like this one.
The sources for the consensus list are Future Considerations, ISS, Red Line Report, Corey Pronman of Hockey Prospectus. Their rankings are weight by their accuracy in ranking previous drafts: Future Considerations' rankings carry the most weight as they were the most accurate prognosticator in the group.
| # |
Pos |
Name |
DOB |
Ht - Wt | L/R |
Team |
| 1 | C | Sam Reinhart | 11/6/1995 | 6'1, 186 | R | Kootenay |
| 2 | F | Willie Nylander | 5/1/1996 | 5'10, 163 | R | Sodertalje |
| 3 | D | Aaron Ekblad | 2/7/1996 | 6'4, 213 | R | Barrie |
| 4 | C | Leon Draisaitl | 10/27/1995 | 6'0, 199 | L | Prince Albert |
| 5 | F | Nicholas Ritchie | 12/5/1995 | 6'3, 218 | L | Peterborough |
| 6 | F | Blake Clarke | 1/24/1996 | 6'1, 190 | L | Brampton |
| 7 | F | Michael Dal Colle | 6/20/1996 | 6'2, 172 | L | Oshawa |
| 8 | D | Roland McKeown | 1/20/1996 | 6'0, 186 | R | Kingston |
| 9 | F | Jakub Vrana | 2/28/1996 | 6'0, 183 | L | Linkoping |
| 10 | C | Jared McCann | 5/31/1996 | 6'0, 175 | L | S.S. Marie |
| 11 | F | Sam Bennett | 6/20/1996 | 6'0, 165 | L | Kingston |
| 12 | F | Ivan Barbashev | 12/14/1995 | 6'0, 181 | L | Moncton |
| 13 | F | Jake Virtanen | 8/17/1996 | 6'0, 199 | R | Calgary |
| 14 | F | Anton Karlsson | 9/3/1996 | 6'0, 170 | L | Frolunda |
| 15 | F | Kaspar Kapanen | 7/23/1996 | 5'11, 165 | R | Kuopio |
| 16 | F | Joshua Ho-Sang | 1/22/1996 | 5'11, 160 | R | Windsor |
| 17 | D | Haydn Fleury | 7/8/1996 | 6'3, 202 | L | Red Deer |
| 18 | F | Nikolai Goldobin | 10/7/1995 | 5'11, 165 | L | Sarnia |
| 19 | D | Jack Glover | 5/17/1996 | 6'3, 173 | R | USNT |
| 20 | C | Conner Bleackley | 7/2/1996 | 6'0, 197 | R | Red Deer |
| 21 | F | Matthew Mistele | 10/17/1995 | 6'2, 183 | L | Plymouth |
| 22 | F | David Pastrnak | 5/25/1996 | 5'11, 165 | L | Sodertalje |
| 23 | D | Brycen Martin | 5/9/1996 | 6'1, 178 | L | Swift Current |
| 24 | D | Jacob Middleton | 1/2/1996 | 6'3, 194 | L | Ottawa |
| 25 | F | Oskar Lindblom | 8/15/1996 | 6'2, 187 | L | Brynas |
| 26 | C | Adrian Kempe | 9/13/1996 | 6'2, 178 | L | Modo |
| 27 | F | Spencer Watson | 4/25/1996 | 5'10, 165 | L | Kingston |
| 28 | F | Tyson Baillie | 11/16/1995 | 5'10, 195 | R | Kelowna |
| 29 | F | Brandon Robinson | 10/13/1995 | 6'3, 200 | L | Brampton |
| 30 | D | Adam Ollas Mattsson | 7/30/1996 | 6'3, 194 | L | Djurgardens |
The big trend that jumps off of the page is the lack of defensemen in the first round. Just 7 blueliners broke into the preseason rankings, and while defensemen will move into the first round, 7 is the lowest number in the first round since I began building this list.
Sam Reinhart is at the top of the list and according to one scout, fans will find his play very familiar because he's got a game reminiscent of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, plus some.
Aaron Ekblad has been a popular name in draft circles for what seems like a decade and though he's ranked 3rd here, I've talked to two people familiar with the OHL who think he may slip.
Leon Draisaitl may become the highest-drafted German-born player (Dany Heatley's extra-national birth notwithstanding) by 15 spots. He drew comparisons to Patrice Bergeron from one scout.
Jordan Eberle fans should keep an eye on Nikolay Goldobin. He's ranked 18th, but plays a very similar game and should have an enormous year in Sarnia.