2022 NHL Draft Ranking: November’s Top-32

Well folks, hockey is back.

Unlike in 2020-21, every developmental hockey league has returned to action this season, and with it a number of the game’s most talented young prospects. In Canada, top prospects such as Shane Wright and Ty Nelson once again have a league to call home, while on the east and west coasts the WHL and QMJHL have returned to a full schedule — a reality which led to Matt Savoie’s return to the Winnipeg Ice.

Meanwhile, south of the border in the United States, the U.S. National Team Development Program stands poised to produce yet another wave of incredibly skilled young players. Leading the pack is Logan Cooley, a determined centreman who plays with both poise and purpose. Rounding out the latest wave of high-end American prospects are names such as Rutger McGroarty, Isaac Howard and Ryan Chesley — a trio of excellent young players destined for futures in the NHL.

David Goyette of the Sudbury Wolves will be an intriguing prospect to follow in the OHL this season. (Robert Lefebvre /OHL Images)

Across the pond, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Russia are once again producing high-end NHL prospects. From Finland, the most notable of which is Brad Lambert — a lethal forward with Canadian roots who has to be considered a top-five prospect within this draft class. From Sweden and the Czech Republic are youngsters by the names of Jonathan Lekkermaki and David Jiricek — two prospects playing in their respective countries top leagues and already finding considerable success. Ivam Mrioshnichenko is Russia’s latest gem — a hard-hitting forward with elite skating abilities and one of the classes best releases.

The Top-32 Prospects

Here are our top-32 prospects as we enter into the month of November. Keep in mind that this list is a very early projection, however, expect to see many of the players listed below to be chosen in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft next June. Feel free to comment on our first ranking of the season below!

Beneath this ranking you’ll also find our list of honourable mentions. This month’s edition features eight highly skilled prospects who fell just short of our top-32 overall.

Rank	Player	Position	2021-22 Team	Height	Weight
1	Shane Wright	C	Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)	6’1”	190lbs
2	Brad Lambert	C/W	JYP (Liiga)	6’	180lbs
3	Matthew Savoie	C	Winnipeg Ice (WHL)	5’9”	180lbs
4	Logan Cooley	C	USNTDP (USDP/USHL)	5’10”	175lbs
5	Ivan Miroshnichenko	LW	Omskie Krylia (VHL)	6’1”	185lbs
6	Joakim Kemell	RW	JYP (Liiga)	5’11”	180lbs
7	Conor Geekie	C	Winnipeg Ice (WHL)	6’4”	205lbs
8	Simon Nemec	D	HK Nitra (Slovakia)	6’1”	190lbs
9	Juraj Slafkovsky	LW	TPS (Liiga)	6’4”	225lbs
10	David Jiricek	D	HC Plzen (Czech)	6’3”	190lbs
11	Danila Yurov	RW	Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)	6’1”	180lbs
12	Ty Nelson	D	North Bay Battalion (OHL)	5’10”	195lbs
13	Jonathan Lekkerimaki	C	Djurgardens IF (SHL)	5’11”	175lbs
14	Matthew Poitras	C	Guelph Storm (OHL)	5’11”	175lbs
15	Rutger McGroarty	C	USNTDP (USDP/USHL)	6’	205lbs
16	Ryan Chesley	D	USNTDP (USDP/USHL)	6’	195lbs
17	Nathan Gaucher	C	Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)	6’3”	205lbs
18	Isaac Howard	LW	USNTDP (USDP/USHL)	5’10”	185lbs
19	Tristan Luneau	D	Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)	6’2”	175lbs
20	Kevin Korchinski	D	Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)	6’2”	185lbs
21	Elias Salomonsson	D	Skelleftea AIK (J20 Nationell)	6’1”	175lbs
22	Frank Nazar	RW	USNTDP (USDP/USHL)	5’10”	175lbs
23	Filip Mesar	C/W	HK Poprad (Slovakia)	5’10”	175lbs
24	David Goyette	C	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)	5’11”	175lbs
25	Denton Mateychuk	D	Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)	5’11”	185lbs
26	Jordan Gustafson	C	Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)	5’11”	180lbs
27	Liam Arnsby	C	North Bay Battalion (OHL)	5’11”	185lbs
28	Paul Ludwinski	C	Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)	5’11”	175lbs
29	Marco Kasper	C	Rogle BK (SHL)	6’1”	185lbs
30	Jordan Dumais	RW	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)	5’9”	165lbs
31	Bryce McConnell-Barker	C	Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’1”	190lbs
32	Cutter Gauthier	LW	USNTDP (USDP/USHL)	6’2”	190lbs

Honourable Mentions

• Seamus Casey (USNTDP)

The US National Under-18 Team is loaded with elite talent this season, as evidenced by the six players who cracked the top-32 overall in this month’s ranking. Just missing our top-32 for November was Seamus Casey — an excellent puck-moving defenceman widely known for his elite offensive skill-set. Although many pundits view Casey as under-sized, his stellar edge-work and high-end on-ice instincts allow him to play a key role at both ends of the ice. Expect this University of Michigan commit to soar up draft rankings this season.

• Pano Fimis (Niagara IceDogs)

The second-overall selection in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, Pano Fimis is a talented offensive player who can do it all on the ice. Whether he be skating on the power-play, helping to kill a penalty, winning a key face-off or delivering a timely hit, Fimis can be counted upon by his coaches and teammates to bring his best on a nightly basis.

• Jack Hughes (Northeastern University)

A late 2003-born prospect, Jack Hughes has taken his talents to Northeastern University this season following two terrific years of development with the USNTDP. Known for his playmaking abilities, Hughes is a pass-first player who makes his line-mates better on a nightly basis. Although he would do well to add strength to his frame, Hughes’ innate skill-set on the ice will make him an intriguing prospect for many NHL teams.

• Lane Hutson (USNTDP)

Yet another standout USNTDP prospect, Lane Hutson is a fleet-footed offensive defenceman who can leave opposing players disoriented and guessing. In addition to his ability to quarter-back a powerplay, Hutson fires crisp breakout passes to his forwards and helps to facilitate a smooth transition game between his defensive and offensive zones when on the ice. At 5’8″ and 150lbs, Hutson’s size is the biggest obstacle in the path of his development.

• Maveric Lamoureux (Drummondville Voltigeurs)

A first-round pick of the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the 2020 QMJHL Draft, Lamoureux is a towering defender who plays a detailed defensive game with growing offensive upside. The 6’7″, 200-pound defender recorded seven points in his 24 games as a rookie a season ago, and will surely log more significant minutes with the Voltigeurs ahead of his selection in the 2022 NHL Draft.

• Liam Ohgren (Djurgardens IF)

After shredding the Swedish Under-20 league last season as a 16-year-old, Liam Ohgren has made the impressive jump to the SHL this campaign as a member of Djurgardens IF — a reality which speaks to his maturity and lethal skill-set on the ice. Boasting great strength for his age and a lightning quick-release, Ohgren is a natural goal-scorer of significant intrigue.

• Antonin Verreault (Gatineau Olympiques)

The second-overall selection in the 2020 QMJHL Draft, Antonin Verreault is a formidable offensive player who can score goals as well as create them. Owing to his ability to bulge the twine as well as make plays, Verreault is a truly unpredictable player whose speed and creativity forces his opponents onto their heels with great regularity.

• Danny Zhilkin (Guelph Storm)

Drafted in the first-round of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection by the Guelph Storm, Dany Zhilkin is a wildly talented offensive player whose game is fuelled by his skating. Capable of blowing past opposing defenders and driving hard to the net, Zhilkin is a determined player who also boasts high-end puck-handling and shooting skills. If able to produce offence at a consistent pace this season, Zhilkin should be able to push himself up draft boards.

2020 NHL Draft Ranking: Final Top-62 Prospects

The 2020 NHL Draft will go down in history as one of the strongest prospect classes of all-time — if not the strongest when analyzed in a few years’ time.

Not only does this year’s class feature a bonafide star in the making in Alexis Lafrenière, but it also boasts a bounty of equally talented players set for NHL stardom in the very near future. In fact, an elite goaltender, two franchise defencemen and a quadruple of future first-line centres stand poised to be selected within the top-ten of the 2020 NHL Draft alone — not to mention the 21 other players poised to comprise the first round of the event. With this being said, depth is the name of the game ahead of this year’s Draft, as all 31 NHL franchises hold the ability to land a future star player — whether it come in the first round or beyond.

Marco Rossi of the Ottawa 67’s is a lock to be selected within the top-10 of the 2020 NHL Draft. (Photo Credit: OHL Images)

As a result of this impressive depth, draft picks held by NHL teams in the second and third rounds will be of immense value — and will be incredibly difficult to attain for franchises without a selection in the top-31. As you will see below, there are many players who feature first-round talent who will undoubtedly fall into the second or third-rounds of the Draft owing to the sheer depth of this year’s class. Of note are the likes of Lukas Reichel, Roni Hirovonen and Jacob Perreault — three explosive young forwards who could rather easily come to be defined as draft-day steals if selected later than 45th overall.

With this being said, let’s jump into our final 2020 NHL Draft ranking of what has been an extremely prolonged 2019-20 NHL season. One benefit of COVID-19, however, is the fact that never has more time or attention been paid to an incoming class of prospects — as each NHL franchise is put on the clock on draft night, odds are every organization will know exactly who they want to select.

The First Round

Rank	Player	Position	2019-20 Team	Height	Weight
1	Alexis Lafrenière	LW	Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)	6’1”	192lbs
2	Quinton Byfield	C	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)	6’4”	215lbs
3	Tim Stutzle	C	Adler Mannheim (DEL)	5’11”	165lbs
4	Jamie Drysdale	D	Erie Otters (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
5	Alexander Holtz	RW/LW	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)	6’	183lbs
6	Marco Rossi	C	Ottawa 67’s (OHL)	5’9”	179lbs
7	Cole Perfetti	C	Saginaw Spirit (OHL)	5’10”	185lbs
8	Lucas Raymond	RW	Frolunda HC J20 (SuperElit)	5’10”	165lbs
9	Jake Sanderson	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	170lbs
10	Yaroslav Askarov	G	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	6’3”	163lbs
11	Jack Quinn	RW	Ottawa 67’s (OHL)	5’11”	176lbs
12	Anton Lundell	C/LW	HIFK (Liiga)	6’1”	183lbs
13	Justin Barron	D	Halifax Mooseheads	6’2”	187lbs
14	Dawson Mercer	RW	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)	6’	172lbs
15	Kaiden Guhle	D	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	6’3”	187lbs
16	Connor Zary	C	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)	6’	174lbs
17	Noel Gunler	RW/LW	Lulea HF (SHL)	6’1”	176lbs
18	Mavrik Bourque	C	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)	5’10”	165lbs
19	Dylan Holloway	C	University of Wisconsin (NCAA)	6’	192lbs
20	Helge Grans	D	Malmo Redhawks J20 (SuperElit)	6’3”	192lbs
21	John-Jason Peterka	RW	EHC Munchen (DEL)	5’11”	192lbs
22	Seth Jarvis	RW	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)	5’10”	172lbs
23	Jeremie Poirier	D	Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)	6’	195lbs
24	Tyson Foerster	C	Barrie Colts (OHL)	5’11”	175lbs
25	Ryan O’Rourke	D	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’2”	180lbs
26	Hendrix Lapierre	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	5’11”	175lbs
27	Jan Mysak	LW	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)	6’	176lbs
28	Brendan Brisson	C	Chicago Steel (USHL)	5’11”	180lbs
29	Jake Neighbours	LW	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)	5’11”	201lbs
30	Martin Chromiak	LW	Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)	6’	179lbs
31	Braden Schneider	D	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)	6’2”	210lbs

The Second Round

As mentioned above, the 31 players projected to be chosen within the second-round of the 2020 NHL Draft are of incredible talent and potential. In a normal year, many if not most of these players would have been selected in the opening round of the event — however, this year’s prospect class is a strong as ever before. With this in mind, don’t be surprised if a number of these prospects rise and are selected within the top-31 of the event come draft night.

Rank	Player	Position	2019-20 Team	Height	Weight
32	Lukas Reichel	F	Eisbaren Berlin (DEL)	6’0”	170lbs
33	Lukas Cormier	D	Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)	5’10”	175lbs
34	Roni Hirvoven	C	Assat (Liiga)	5’9”	165lbs
35	Emil Andrae	D	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’9”	183lbs
36	Jacob Perreault	C	Sarnia Sting (OHL)	5’11”	198lbs
37	Rodion Amirov	LW	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	6’	170lbs
38	Michael Benning	D	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)	5’9”	170lbs
39	Veeti Miettinen	RW	Kiekko-Espoo U20 (Jr. A SM-Liiga)	5’9”	160lbs
40	Ridly Greig	LW	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)	5’11”	160lbs
41	Justin Sourdif	C	Vancouver Giants (WHL)	5’11”	165lbs
42	Ozzy Wiesblatt	RW	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	5’10”	195lbs
43	Thomas Bordeleau	C	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	5’9”	179lbs
44	Kasper Simontaival	RW	Tappara (Liiga)	5’9”	172lbs
45	William Wallinder	D	MODO J20 (SuperElit)	6’4”	192bs
46	Daniil Gushchin	RW	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)	5’8”	161lbs
47	Carter Savoie	LW	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)	5’9”	170lbs
48	Luke Evangelista	RW	London Knights (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
49	Zion Nybeck	RW	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’8”	176lbs
50	Tyler Tullio	C	Oshawa Generals (OHL)	5’9”	165lbs
51	Ty Smilanic	LW	U.S U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	178lbs
52	Topi Niemela	D	Karpat (Liiga)	6’	165lbs
53	Shakir Mukhamadullin	D	Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)	6’4”	180lbs
54	Jaromir Pytlik	C	Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’3”	196lbs
55	Will Cuylle	LW	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	6’2”	201lbs
56	Luke Tuch	LW	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’2”	205lbs
57	Dylan Peterson	C	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	185lbs
58	Tyler Kleven	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	201lbs
59	Hayden Fowler	C	Erie Otters (OHL)	5’10”	180lbs
60	Daniel Torgersson	LW	Frolunda HC (SHL)	6’3”	205lbs
61	James Hardie	LW	Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
62	Rory Kerins	C	Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	5’11”	172lbs

Ten Honourable Mentions

No NHL Draft Ranking would be complete without an additional list of honourable mentions. These ten players listed below just failed to crack the top-62 overall — however, don’t be surprised if a number of these youngsters rise significantly on draft day. While opinions of these prospects varied wildly over the course of the 2019-20 campaign, the fact remains that are boast immense skill and potential.

• Brock Faber — D, U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)
• Jean-Luc Foudy — C, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
• Ryan Francis — RW, Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL)
• Daemon Hunt — D, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
• Marat Khusnutdinov — C, SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)
• Logan Morrison – C, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
• Theodor Niederbach — C, Frolunda HC J20 (SuperElit)
• Alexander Pashin — W, Toplar Ufa (MHL)
• Vasili Ponomaryov — C, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
• Antonio Stranges — C/LW, London Knights (OHL)

2020 NHL Draft Ranking: March’s Top-62

With regular season action coming to a close and the postseason glistening on the horizon, the time has come to unveil our latest NHL Draft ranking of the 2019-20 season. Although the 2020 NHL Draft remains more than three months away, each and every prospect eligible for selection has continued to work tirelessly in order to bolster their respective stocks. And, while some players have stumbled of late, others have risen dramatically owing to their productive and — most importantly — consistent play throughout one of the most exhausting stretches of the season.

Top scoring #NHLDraft prospects:

Marco Rossi leads the way for #CHL players from across @OHLHockey, @QMJHL, and @TheWHL who will hear their names called in June.

MORE 📈: https://t.co/Z4SG8rZWL9 pic.twitter.com/hX2svLYEKl

— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) February 26, 2020

With this being said, there is a great deal of change within our 2020 NHL Draft ranking for the month of March. Three players — all of which competing within the OHL — have been ranked for the first time this season in this issue, while a handful of others saw their standings shift as a direct result of their high-end play throughout the past two months. Of note were European imports Jan Mysak and Martin Chromiak — two players who arrived in North America mid-way through the current campaign and have made an immediate impact at the OHL-level. Further, there has been the stellar play of Kaiden Guhle — a strong and steady defender who has continued to make waves for the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL.

Now, let’s dive into our 2020 NHL Draft ranking for the month of March. As mentioned earlier, there has been a great deal of change within our standings since we last convened in January, so be sure to pull up our New Year’s ranking in order to determine which players have progressed and which have stumbled.

Previous 2020 NHL Draft Rankings:

• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: The Off-Season’s Top-31
• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: September’s Top-31
• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: October’s Top-62
• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: November’s Top-62
• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: January’s Top-62

The First Round:

Rank	Player	Position	2019-20 Team	Height	Weight
1	Alexis Lafreniere	LW	Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)	6’1”	192lbs
2	Quinton Byfield	C	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)	6’4”	215lbs
3	Alexander Holtz	RW/LW	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)	6’0”	183lbs
4	Tim Stutzle	C	Adler Mannheim (DEL)	5’11”	165lbs
5	Jamie Drysdale	D	Erie Otters (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
6	Anton Lundell	C/LW	HIFK (Liiga)	6’1”	183lbs
7	Cole Perfetti	C	Saginaw Spirit (OHL)	5’10”	185lbs
8	Marco Rossi	C	Ottawa 67’s (OHL)	5’9”	179lbs
9	Lucas Raymond	RW	Frolunda HC J20 (SuperElit)	5’10”	165lbs
10	Yaroslav Askarov	G	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	6’3”	163lbs
11	Justin Barron	D	Halifax Mooseheads	6’2”	187lbs
12	Noel Gunler	RW/LW	Lulea HF (SHL)	6’1”	176lbs
13	Dawson Mercer	RW	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)	6’0”	172lbs
14	Kaiden Guhle	D	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	6’3”	187lbs
15	Emil Andrae	D	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’9”	183lbs
16	Zion Nybeck	RW	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’8”	176lbs
17	Mavrik Bourque	C	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)	5’10”	165lbs
18	Helge Grans	D	Malmo Redhawks J20 (SuperElit)	6’3”	192lbs
19	Connor Zary	C	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)	6’0”	174lbs
20	Jeremie Poirier	D	Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)	6’0”	195lbs
21	Ryan O’Rourke	D	Sault Ste.Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’2”	180lbs
22	Jan Mysak	LW	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)	6’0”	176lbs
23	Jack Quinn	RW	Ottawa 67’s (OHL)	5’11”	176lbs
24	Martin Chromiak	LW	Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)	6’0”	179lbs
25	Dylan Holloway	C	University of Wisconsin (NCAA)	6’0”	192lbs
26	John-Jason Peterka	RW	EHC Munchen (DEL)	5’11”	192lbs
27	Seth Jarvis	RW	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)	5’10”	172lbs
28	Roni Hirvoven	C	Assat (Liiga)	5’9”	165lbs
29	Tyson Foerster	C	Barrie Colts (OHL)	5’11”	175lbs
30	Hendrix Lapierre	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	5’11”	175lbs
31	Jake Sanderson	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	170lbs

The Second Round:

Rank	Player	Position	2019-20 Team	Height	Weight
32	Jacob Perreault	C	Sarnia Sting (OHL)	5’11”	198lbs
33	Jake Neighbours	LW	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)	5’11”	201lbs
34	Lukas Cormier	D	Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)	5’8”	170lbs
35	Kasper Simontaival	RW	Tappara (Liiga)	5’9”	172lbs
36	Ozzy Wiesblatt	RW	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	5’10”	195lbs
37	Justin Sourdif	C	Vancouver Giants (WHL)	5’11	165lbs
38	Lukas Reichel	F	Eisbaren Berlin (DEL)	6’0”	170lbs
39	Alexander Pashin	F	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	5’7”	155lbs
40	Yevgeni Oksentyuk	LW	Flint Firebirds (OHL)	5’7”	180lbs
41	Braden Schneider	D	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)	6’2”	210lbs
42	Tyler Tullio	C	Oshawa Generals (OHL)	5’9”	165lbs
43	Theo Rochette	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	5’10”	160lbs
44	Rodion Amirov	LW	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	6’0”	170lbs
45	Veeti Miettinen	RW	Kiekko-Espoo U20 (Jr. A SM-Liiga)	5’9”	160lbs
46	Logan Morrison	C	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)	5’11”	170lbs
47	Daniil Gushchin	RW	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)	5’8”	161lbs
48	Jean-Luc Foudy	C	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	5’11”	170lbs
49	Carter Savoie	LW	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)	5’9”	170lbs
50	Ty Smilanic	LW	U.S U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	178lbs
51	Michael Benning	D	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)	5’9”	170lbs
52	Luke Evangelista	RW	London Knights (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
53	Jaromir Pytlik	C	Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’3”	196lbs
54	Will Cuylle	LW	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	6’2”	201lbs
55	Luke Tuch	LW	U.S.U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’2”	205lbs
56	Daniel Ljungman	C	Linkoping JC H20 (SuperElit)	6’0”	161lbs
57	Topi Niemela	D	Karpat (Liiga)	6’0”	165lbs
58	Dylan Peterson	C	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	185lbs
59	Tyler Kleven	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	201lbs
60	Hayden Fowler	C	Erie Otters (OHL)	5’10”	180lbs
61	Antonio Stranges	C/LW	London Knights (OHL)	5’10”	170lbs
62	James Hardie	LW	Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs

2020 NHL Draft Ranking: January’s Top-62

It’s 2020 — a fact which means that the upcoming NHL Entry Draft is now less than six months away. Truthfully, it’s hard to believe that we’re more than half way through the 2019-20 season, as a number of the campaign’s major international tournaments and prospect games have been completed. With this being said, however, we’ve begun to reach the point where prospects and their respective stocks are becoming increasingly set in stone. Sure, plenty of time remains for each and every young player eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft to influence the perception of scouts and management alike, yet, many of which have already developed a strong sense of the players which these prospects may one day become at the NHL-level.

Top scoring #NHLDraft prospects:

Rossi leads the 2020 #CHL class across @OHLHockey, @QMJHL, and @TheWHL as of #CHLKTP competition.

MORE 📈: https://t.co/dfEsQ8JR2E pic.twitter.com/SomViBLkzh

— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) January 18, 2020 

With this in mind, we’ve assembled our latest ranking ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft. In this month’s edition, there was a great deal of change throughout our top-62 board, as a number of players have continued to impress while others seem to have become stagnant within what is an incredibly stressful season of hockey. Of note within this month’s ranking is the ascension of Germany’s trio of elite young prospects — Tim Stutzle has climbed to fourth-overall, while John-Jason Paterka and Lukas Reichel have both risen dramatically owing to their impressive play of late. And, speaking of high-flying international prospects, Jan Mysak has burst into the late first-round of our January NHL Draft Ranking — his play at the recent 2020 World Junior Championship and impending move to the OHL will have scouts drooling.

Now, without further ado, let’s dive into January’s 2020 NHL Draft ranking. As always, be sure to follow the links below if you’d like to view our past NHL Draft rankings!

• NHL Draft Rankings – Home Page
• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: September’s Top-31
• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: October’s Top-62
• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: November’s Top-62

Round One

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight
1	Alexis Lafreniere	LW	Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)	6’1”	192lbs
2	Alexander Holtz	RW/LW	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)	6’0”	183lbs
3	Quinton Byfield	C	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)	6’4”	215lbs
4	Tim Stutzle	C	Adler Mannheim (DEL)	5’11”	165lbs
5	Jamie Drysdale	D	Erie Otters (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
6	Anton Lundell	C/LW	HIFK (Liiga)	6’1”	183lbs
7	Marco Rossi	C	Ottawa 67’s (OHL)	5’9”	179lbs
8	Lucas Raymond	RW	Frolunda HC J20 (SuperElit)	5’10”	165lbs
9	Cole Perfetti	C	Saginaw Spirit (OHL)	5’10”	185lbs
10	Justin Barron	D	Halifax Mooseheads	6’2”	187lbs
11	Yaroslav Askarov	G	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	6’3”	163lbs
12	Noel Gunler	RW/LW	Lulea HF (SHL)	6’1”	176lbs
13	Dawson Mercer	RW	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)	6’0”	172lbs
14	Emil Andrae	D	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’9”	183lbs
15	Zion Nybeck	RW	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’8”	176lbs
16	Kaiden Guhle	D	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	6’3”	187lbs
17	Justin Sourdif	C	Vancouver Giants (WHL)	5’11	165lbs
18	Helge Grans	D	Malmo Redhawks J20 (SuperElit)	6’3”	192lbs
19	Ryan O’Rourke	D	Sault Ste.Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’2”	180lbs
20	Mavrik Bourque	C	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)	5’10”	165lbs
21	Dylan Holloway	C	University of Wisconsin (NCAA)	6’0”	192lbs
22	Jeremie Poirier	D	Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)	6’0”	195lbs
23	Kasper Simontaival	RW	Tappara (Liiga)	5’9”	172lbs
24	Jan Mysak	LW	HC Litvinov (Tipsport Extraliga)	6’0”	176lbs
25	Jack Quinn	RW	Ottawa 67’s (OHL)	5’11”	176lbs
26	Connor Zary	C	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)	6’0”	174lbs
27	Roni Hirvoven	C	Assat (Liiga)	5’9”	165lbs
28	Hendrix Lapierre	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	5’11”	175lbs
29	Jake Sanderson	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	170lbs
30	John-Jason Peterka	RW	EHC Munchen (DEL)	5’11”	192lbs
31	Martin Chromiak	LW	HK Dunkla Trencin (Tipsport Liga)	6’0”	179lbs

Round Two

 

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight
32	Tyson Foerster	C	Barrie Colts (OHL)	5’11”	175lbs
33	Jacob Perreault	C	Sarnia Sting (OHL)	5’11”	198lbs
34	Seth Jarvis	RW	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)	5’9”	165lbs
35	Jake Neighbours	LW	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)	5’11”	201lbs
36	Ty Smilanic	LW	U.S U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	178lbs
37	Lukas Cormier	D	Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)	5’8”	170lbs
38	Antonio Stranges	C/LW	London Knights (OHL)	5’10”	170lbs
39	Ozzy Wiesblatt	RW	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	5’10”	195lbs
40	Dylan Peterson	C	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	185lbs
41	Lukas Reichel	F	Eisbaren Berlin (DEL)	6’0”	170lbs
42	Alexander Pashin	F	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	5’7”	155lbs
43	Tyler Tullio	C	Oshawa Generals (OHL)	5’9”	165lbs
44	Jean-Luc Foudy	C	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	5’11”	170lbs
45	Theo Rochette	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	5’10”	160lbs
46	Rodion Amirov	LW	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	6’0”	170lbs
47	Luke Evangelista	RW	London Knights (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
48	Jaromir Pytlik	C	Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’3”	196lbs
49	Will Cuylle	LW	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	6’2”	201lbs
50	Veeti Miettinen	RW	Kiekko-Espoo U20 (Jr. A SM-Liiga)	5’9”	160lbs
51	Luke Tuch	LW	U.S.U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’2”	205lbs
52	Logan Morrison	C	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)	5’11”	170lbs
53	Daniil Gushchin	RW	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)	5’8”	161lbs
54	Carter Savoie	LW	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)	5’9”	170lbs
55	Michael Benning	D	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)	5’9”	170lbs
56	Braden Schneider	D	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)	6’2”	210lbs
57	Daniel Ljungman	C	Linkoping JC H20 (SuperElit)	6’0”	161lbs
58	Topi Niemela	D	Karpat (Liiga)	6’0”	165lbs
59	Tyler Kleven	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	201lbs
60	Vasili Ponomaryov	C	Shawinigan Catarctes (QMJHL)	6’0”	176lbs
61	Rory Kerins	C	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	5’11”	172lbs
62	Ryan Francis	RW	Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL)	5’9”	170lbs

2020 NHL Draft Ranking: November’s Top-62

Yes, the month of November is quickly dwindling, however, we’re attempting to inject life into the stanza by releasing our fourth 2020 NHL Draft Ranking of the 2019-20 season. In our latest ranking, we’ve once again rated 62 prospects to provide you with more information as well as a greater understanding of this campaign’s incredibly deep and talented crop of young players.

One aspect which you will surely identify within this month’s ranking is that fact that there was a great deal of change since our October ranking was released. Now, this change isn’t found deep in the second round or even the first round alone, but as high as the top-10 overall. With more than a month’s time having passed since our October 2020 NHL Draft Ranking was released, we were afforded with ample time to evaluate and rank each and every prospect prior to publishing this month’s edition.

Rory Kerins, ranked 60th overall in November, has impressed time and time again for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds this season. (Photo Credit: Terry Wilson/OHL Images.)

For example, two stunning Swedish defenders in Emil Andrae and Helge Grans jumped considerably within our November ranking, and so too did a trio of OHLers by the names of Ryan O’Rourke, Tyson Foerster, and Rory Kerins. On the other hand, a number of prospects whose stocks were soaring early on during the 2019-20 season have begun to fall back to Earth. Namely there are Antonio Stranges, Will Cuylle and Daniel Ljungman — three excellent young players who have been somewhat slow out of the gate yet boast the abilities necessary to be selected in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft come draft day.

In addition to these notable ascensions and dips were a plethora of other movements, all of which you will find in our top-62 ranking for the month of November below. As always, be sure to cross-reference this month’s ranking with those released in the past to see how your favourite prospect’s status has changed over time.

• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: Pre-Season Top-31
• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: September’s Top-31
• 2020 NHL Draft Ranking: October’s Top-31

With this being said, check out out top-62 players for the month. As always, feel free to comment on this ranking in the field below the post!

First Round

Rank	Player	Position	2018-19 Team	Height	Weight
1	Alexis Lafreniere	LW	Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)	6’1”	192lbs
2	Quinton Byfield	C	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)	6’4”	215lbs
3	Alexander Holtz	RW/LW	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)	6’0”	183lbs
4	Anton Lundell	C/LW	HIFK (Liiga)	6’1”	183lbs
5	Jamie Drysdale	D	Erie Otters (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
6	Lucas Raymond	RW	Frolunda HC J20 (SuperElit)	5’10”	165lbs
7	Marco Rossi	C	Ottawa 67’s (OHL)	5’9”	179lbs
8	Cole Perfetti	C	Saginaw Spirit (OHL)	5’10”	185lbs
9	Tim Stutzle	C	Jungadler Mannheim (DNL U20)	5’11”	165lbs
10	Justin Barron	D	Halifax Mooseheads	6’2”	187lbs
11	Yaroslav Askarov	G	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	6’3”	163lbs
12	Noel Gunler	RW/LW	Lulea HF (SHL)	6’1”	176lbs
13	Hendrix Lapierre	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	5’11”	175lbs
14	Dawson Mercer	RW	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)	6’0”	172lbs
15	Emil Andrae	D	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’9”	183lbs
16	Justin Sourdif	C	Vancouver Giants (WHL)	5’11	165lbs
17	Helge Grans	D	Malmo Redhawks J20 (SuperElit)	6’3”	192lbs
18	Zion Nybeck	RW	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’8”	176lbs
19	Ty Smilanic	LW	U.S U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	178lbs
20	Dylan Holloway	C	Okotoks Oilers (AJHL)	6’0”	192lbs
21	Kaiden Guhle	D	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	6’3”	187lbs
22	Ryan O’Rourke	D	Sault Ste.Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’2”	180lbs
23	Kasper Simontaival	RW	Tappara (Liiga)	5’9”	172lbs
24	Mavrik Bourque	C	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)	5’10”	165lbs
25	Connor Zary	C	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)	6’0”	174lbs
26	Jake Sanderson	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	170lbs
27	Roni Hirvoven	C	Assat (Liiga)	5’9”	165lbs
28	Martin Chromiak	LW	HK Dunkla Trencin (Tipsport Liga)	6’0”	179lbs
29	Antonio Stranges	C/LW	London Knights (OHL)	5’10”	170lbs
30	Jeremie Poirier	D	Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)	6’0”	195lbs
31	Seth Jarvis	RW	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)	5’9”	165lbs

Round Two

Rank	Player	Position	2018-19 Team	Height	Weight
32	Dylan Peterson	C	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	185lbs
33	Tyson Foerster	C	Barrie Colts (OHL)	5’11”	175lbs
34	Jake Neighbours	LW	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)	5’11”	201lbs
35	Logan Morrison	C	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)	5’11”	170lbs
36	Alexander Pashin	F	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	5’7”	155lbs
37	Jaromir Pytlik	C	Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’3”	196lbs
38	Tyler Tullio	C	Oshawa Generals (OHL)	5’9”	165lbs
39	Jacob Perreault	C	Sarnia Sting (OHL)	5’11”	198lbs
40	Luke Tuch	LW	U.S.U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’2”	205lbs
41	Jean-Luc Foudy	C	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	5’11”	170lbs
42	Lukas Cormier	D	Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)	5’8”	170lbs
43	Theo Rochette	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	5’10”	160lbs
44	Lleyton Moore	D	Oshawa Generals (OHL)	5’9”	165lbs
45	Jan Mysak	LW	HC Litvinov (Tipsport Extraliga)	6’0”	176lbs
46	Luke Evangelista	RW	London Knights (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
47	Ozzy Wiesblatt	RW	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	5’10”	195lbs
48	Daniel Ljungman	C	Linkoping JC H20 (SuperElit)	6’0”	161lbs
49	Will Cuylle	LW	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	6’2”	201lbs
50	Daniil Gushchin	RW	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)	5’8”	161lbs
51	Lukas Reichel	F	Eisbaren Berlin (DEL)	6’0”	170lbs
52	Rodion Amirov	LW	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	6’0”	170lbs
53	Michael Benning	D	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)	5’9”	170lbs
54	Braden Schneider	D	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)	6’2”	210lbs
55	Veeti Miettinen	RW	Kiekko-Espoo U20 (Jr. A SM-Liiga)	5’9”	160lbs
56	Topi Niemela	D	Karpat (Liiga)	6’0”	165lbs
57	Tyler Kleven	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	201lbs
58	Vasili Ponomaryov	C	Shawinigan Catarctes (QMJHL)	6’0”	176lbs
59	Carter Savoie	LW	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)	5’9”	170lbs
60	Rory Kerins	C	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	5’11”	172lbs
61	Hayden Fowler	C	Erie Otters (OHL)	5’10”	185lbs
62	Ryan Francis	RW	Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL)	5’9”	172lbs

2020 NHL Draft Ranking: October’s Top-62

The 2019-20 hockey season is in full swing, which means that the time has come to reveal our second 2020 NHL Draft Ranking of the campaign. Although it’s been a mere month since we last convened, there has been a great deal of change within our ranking — particularly in the 11-25th overall range. While some prospects have slipped slightly, others have risen owing to their red-hot starts or consistency at both ends of the ice.

At the top of the board, however, there was no change since our September Ranking was released. For the time being, Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic holds down the top spot — although Quinton Byfield of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves doesn’t trail far behind. Following Lafreniere and Byfield are a pair of lethal Swedish forwards in Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz — one a playmaker and the other a pure sniper who can both change the course of any given game. Seizing the fifth-overall spot in the month’s ranking is Anton Lundell, a fiery Finnish forward whose strength lies in his on-ice versatility.

Quinton Byfield exploded out of the gate to begin his 2019-20 OHL season, a major reason why he’s going to challenge Alexis Lafreniere for first overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. (Photo Credit: CHL Images)

New to October’s Ranking is the introduction of an additionally ranked 32 prospects — each of which coming together to form our projected second-round of the 2020 NHL Draft at this point of the season. Continuing on with the trend set by those ranked in the top-31, you’ll find that a large number of prospects ranked in the 31-62nd overall range compete in the CHL’s Quebec Major Junior League. With this being said, the 2020 NHL Draft could come to be regarded as one of the QMJHL’s strongest prospect classes in recent history, as the league will put forth a deep arsenal of players home to different positions and potentials on the ice.

In all, the 2020 NHL Draft remains poised to present one of the deepest and most highly skilled classes of prospects that we have seen in quite some time. With players of first-round talent surely to be selected in the second-round and beyond, each and every NHL organization will truly hold the ability to acquire a game-changing player when they take to the stage on draft night in Montreal, Quebec.

The Top-62 Prospects

As mentioned above, we’ve expanded our top-31 ranking into a top-62 version, as we are now incorporating the players we’re projecting to be chosen in the second-round of the 2020 NHL Draft. For ease of reading, we’ve separated the first and second rounds into two separate tables. If you’d like to cross-reference October’s Draft Ranking with our initial top-32 ranking released in September, be sure to follow the link below.

• 2020 NHL Draft: September’s Top-31

And now, without any further ado, here is our 2020 NHL Draft Ranking for the month of October. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

Round One

Rank	Player	Position	2018-19 Team	Height	Weight
1	Alexis Lafreniere	LW	Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)	6’1”	192lbs
2	Quinton Byfield	C	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)	6’4”	215lbs
3	Lucas Raymond	RW	Frolunda HC J20 (SuperElit)	5’10”	165lbs
4	Alexander Holtz	RW/LW	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)	6’0”	183lbs
5	Anton Lundell	C/LW	HIFK (Liiga)	6’1”	183lbs
6	Jamie Drysdale	D	Erie Otters (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
7	Tim Stutzle	C	Jungadler Mannheim (DNL U20)	5’11”	165lbs
8	Cole Perfetti	C	Saginaw Spirit (OHL)	5’10”	185lbs
9	Marco Rossi	C	Ottawa 67’s (OHL)	5’9”	179lbs
10	Hendrix Lapierre	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	5’11”	175lbs
11	Yaroslav Askarov	G	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	6’3”	163lbs
12	Noel Gunler	RW/LW	Lulea HF J20 (SuperElit)	6’1”	176lbs
13	Justin Barron	D	Halifax Mooseheads	6’2”	187lbs
14	Antonio Stranges	C/LW	London Knights (OHL)	5’10”	170lbs
15	Dylan Holloway	C	Okotoks Oilers (AJHL)	6’0”	192lbs
16	Justin Sourdif	C	Vancouver Giants (WHL)	5’11	165lbs
17	Zion Nybeck	RW	HV71 (SuperElit)	5’8″	176lbs
18	Kaiden Guhle	D	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	6’3”	187lbs
19	Emil Andrae	D	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’9”	183lbs
20	Helge Grans	D	Malmo Redhawks J20 (SuperElit)	6’3”	192lbs
21	Jacob Perreault	C	Sarnia Sting (OHL)	5’11”	198lbs
22	Dawson Mercer	RW	Drummondville Voltiguers (QMJHL)	6’0″	172lbs
23	Ty Smilanic	LW	U.S U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	178lbs
24	Kasper Simontaival	RW	Tappara (Liiga)	5’9”	172lbs
25	Jake Sanderson	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	170lbs
26	Martin Chromiak	LW	HK Dunkla Trencin (Tipsport Liga)	6’0”	179lbs
27	Connor Zary	C	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)	6’0”	174lbs
28	Luke Tuch	LW	U.S.U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’2”	205lbs
29	Dylan Peterson	C	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	185lbs
30	Lleyton Moore	D	Oshawa Generals (OHL)	5’9”	165lbs
31	Will Cuylle	LW	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	6’2”	201lbs

Round Two

Rank	Player	Position	2018-19 Team	Height	Weight
32	Seth Jarvis	RW	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)	5’9”	165lbs
33	Mavrik Bourque	C	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)	5’10”	165lbs
34	Jaromir Pytlik	C	Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’3”	196lbs
35	Roni Hirvoven	C	Assat (Liiga)	5’9”	165lbs
36	Daniel Ljungman	C	Linkoping JC H20 (SuperElit)	6’0”	161lbs
37	Logan Morrison	C	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)	5’11”	170lbs
38	Alexander Pashin	F	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	5’7”	155lbs
39	Tyler Tullio	C	Oshawa Generals (OHL)	5’9”	165lbs
40	Jean-Luc Foudy	C	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	5’11”	170lbs
41	Ryan O’Rourke	D	Sault Ste.Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	6’2”	180lbs
42	Jeremie Poirier	D	Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)	6’0”	195lbs
43	Jake Neighbours	LW	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)	5’11”	201lbs
44	Jan Mysak	LW	HC Litvinov (Tipsport Extraliga)	6’0”	176lbs
45	Rodion Amirov	LW	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	6’0”	170lbs
46	Luke Evangelista	RW	London Knights (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
47	Lukas Cormier	D	Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)	5’8”	170lbs
48	Ozzy Wiesblatt	RW	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	5’10”	195lbs
49	Michael Benning	D	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)	5’9”	170lbs
50	Theo Rochette	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	5’10”	160lbs
51	Braden Schneider	D	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)	6’2”	210lbs
52	Topi Niemala	D	Karpat (Liiga)	6’0”	165lbs
53	Tyler Kleven	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	201lbs
54	Veeti Miettinen	RW	Kiekko-Espoo U20 (Jr. A SM-Liiga)	5’9”	160lbs
55	Tyson Foerster	C	Barrie Colts (OHL)	5’11”	175lbs
56	Vasili Ponomaryov	C	Shawinigan Catarctes (QMJHL)	6’0”	176lbs
57	Carter Savoie	LW	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)	5’9”	170lbs
58	Daniil Gushchin	RW	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)	5’8”	161lbs
59	Oliver Suni	RW	Oshawa Generals (OHL)	6’2”	187lbs
60	Alexander Nikishin	D	MHK Krylia Sovetov Moskva (MHL)	6’3”	196lbs
61	Reid Valade	RW	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)	5’10”	165lbs
62	Noah Delemont	D	Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL)	5’9”	165lbs

2020 NHL Draft Ranking: September’s Top-31

With pre-season hockey well underway and the 2019-20 regular season upon us, the time has come to unveil our 2020 NHL Draft Ranking for the month of September.

Since publishing our off-season 2020 NHL Draft Ranking in June, a great deal of change has taken place. Although the NHL Draft itself remains a whopping ten months away, prospects eligible for the upcoming Entry Draft have already begun to battle for seeding as they enter into what will be arguably the most important campaign of their respective playing careers… to date.

Related: All NHL Draft Rankings

For most, the first opportunity to impress during the 2019-20 campaign came during the annual Hlinka Gretzky Cup — a tournament held in early August which saw Team Russia claim the Gold Medal over Team Canada in a hard-fought championship game. All throughout the event, players from eight powerhouse hockey nations strove to showcase their unique abilities while establishing themselves as high-end NHL prospects. For some players, excellent showings in the event allowed them to vault up various draft rankings, while others stumbled in the spotlight and have slipped slightly as a result.

Cole Perfetti wasted little time before establishing himself as a premier talent eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft. (Photo Credit: Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

However, it is important to remember that players are evaluated over the course of the entire season rather than during strictly one tournament alone. This reality will allow a vast numbers of prospects to dramatically improve their skills and abilities ahead of the the 2020 NHL Draft — after all, everyone develops at a different pace both physically an technically.

With this being said, let’s dive into September’s Draft Ranking to attain a greater understanding of this year’s draft class — after all, it is absolutely loaded with high end talent.

The Top-31 Prospects

Well, here it is — our second NHL Draft Ranking of the 2019-20 season. As mentioned above, be sure to check out our off-season Draft Ranking to gain a greater understanding of how each and every prospect has either progressed or regressed to kick-off the current campaign. There’s a whack of elite talent eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft, so be sure to take a moment and familiarize yourself with the names below.

As we progress through the campaign, we’ll also begin to include in-depth prospect profiles for the majority of the players which you see below.

And, as always, feel free to drop a comment on our ranking below the article to kick-start the conversation surrounding this year’s crop of talented youngsters.

Rank	Player	Position	2018-19 Team	Height	Weight
1	Alexis Lafreniere	LW	Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)	6’1”	192lbs
2	Quinton Byfield	C	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)	6’4”	215lbs
3	Lucas Raymond	RW	Frolunda HC J20 (SuperElit)	5’10”	165lbs
4	Alexander Holtz	RW/LW	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)	6’0”	183lbs
5	Anton Lundell	C/LW	HIFK (Liiga)	6’1”	183lbs
6	Tim Stutzle	C	Jungadler Mannheim (DNL U20)	5’11”	165lbs
7	Cole Perfetti	C	Saginaw Spirit (OHL)	5’10”	185lbs
8	Jamie Drysdale	D	Erie Otters (OHL)	5’11”	165lbs
9	Hendrix Lapierre	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)	5’11”	175lbs
10	Marco Rossi	C	Ottawa 67’s (OHL)	5’9”	179lbs
11	Justin Barron	D	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)	6’2”	187lbs
12	Dylan Holloway	C	Okotoks Oilers (AJHL)	6’0”	192lbs
13	Yaroslav Askarov	G	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	6’3”	163lbs
14	Noel Gunler	RW/LW	Lulea HF J20 (SuperElit)	6’1”	176lbs
15	Kaiden Guhle	D	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	6’3”	187lbs
16	Justin Sourdif	C	Vancouver Giants (WHL)	5’11	165lbs
17	Dawson Mercer	RW	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)	6’0”	172lbs
18	Ty Smilanic	LW	U.S U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	178lbs
19	Jacob Perreault	C	Sarnia Sting (OHL)	5’11”	198lbs
20	Zion Nybeck	RW	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’8”	176lbs
21	Emil Andrae	D	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)	5’9”	183lbs
22	Helge Grans	D	Malmo Redhawks J20 (SuperElit)	6’3”	192lbs
23	Kasper Simontaival	RW	Tappara (Liiga)	5’9”	172lbs
24	Antonio Stranges	C/LW	London Knights (OHL)	5’10”	170lbs
25	Jake Sanderson	D	U.S. U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’1”	170lbs
26	Will Cuylle	LW	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	6’2”	201lbs
27	Martin Chromiak	LW	HK Dunkla Trencin (Tipsport Liga)	6’0”	179lbs
28	Connor Zary	C	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)	6’0”	174lbs
29	Dylan Peterson	C	U.S U18 Team (US NTDP)	6’4”	185lbs
30	Lleyton Moore	D	Oshawa Generals (OHL)	5’9”	165lbs
31	Seth Jarvis	RW	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)	5’9”	165lbs

20 Honourable Mentions

Although they weren’t able to crack the top-31 in this month’s edition, keep a close eye on these 20 honourable mentions — all of which have the talent and potential to develop into first round selections come June of 2020.

HM	Rodion Amirov	LW	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)
HM	Michael Benning	D	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)
HM	Mavrik Bourque	C	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
HM	Lukas Cormier	D	Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)
HM	Noah Delemont	D	Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL)
HM	Jean-Luc Foudy	C	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
HM	Daniil Gushchin	RW	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
HM	Roni Hiroven	C	Assat (Liiga)
HM	Tyler Kleven	D	U.S U18 Team (US NTDP)
HM	Logan Morrison	C	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
HM	Jan Mysek	LW	HC Litvinov (Tipsport Extraliga)
HM	Alexander Nikishin	D	MHK Krylia Sovetov Moskva (MHL)
HM	Jake Neighbours	LW	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
HM	Jaromir Pytlik	C	Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
HM	Jeremie Poirier	D	Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
HM	Vasili Ponomaryov	C	Shawinigan Catarctes (QMJHL)
HM	Theo Rochette	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
HM	Braden Schneider	D	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
HM	Ty Tullio	C	Oshawa Generals (OHL)
HM	Ozzy Wiesblatt	RW	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

2020 NHL Draft Ranking: The Off-Season’s Top-31

Although the 2020 NHL Draft will not take place for another year, the arrival of the 2019 NHL Draft marks the ideal moment for us to preview the upcoming 2019-20 class of prospects.

At first glance, the 2020 NHL Draft could very well go down in history as one of the deepest and greatest of all time. Led by Alexis Lafreniere, the 2020 class is riddled with elite prospects of varying position — all of which holding the potential to develop into impact players at the NHL level. Essentially, there are ten prospects who could be selected within the top-five overall, and twenty who could be chosen within the initial ten selections of the Draft.

Congratulations to @oceanicrimouski star Alexis Lafreniere, who has been awarded the 2018-19 Michel-Briere Trophy as the @QMJHL's Most Valuable Player!

In his second season of major-junior play, Lafreniere notched 37 goals and added 68 assists for an 105-point total in 61 GP. pic.twitter.com/5slQdABaho

— Prospect Pipeline (@NHLProspectLine) April 4, 2019

What’s more is that virtually every developmental path within the hockey world will be well represented, as the CHL, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Switzerland will all present a handful of wildly talented prospects eager to establish themselves at the NHL-level. One nation whose contribution will be dwarfed come the 2020 NHL Draft is the United States, as the exploding hockey nation will provide far less prospects in a year’s time than it did during its historic 2019 NHL Draft in which the opening round was dominated by Americans.

Sweden’s Lucas Raymond records incredible hat trick, including OT winner, to win gold at #U18Worlds. MORE @ https://t.co/tMYbg3Wo2W pic.twitter.com/ty7KA0c0w9

— BarDown (@BarDown) April 28, 2019

One league in particular that stands poised to enjoy a tremendous showing at the 2020 NHL Draft is the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Although the ‘Q’ featured a handful of quality prospects in the 2019 event, the league could provide as many as eight first round selections to the 2020 NHL Draft, including the aforementioned Lafreniere who is widely expected to be chosen first-overall on Draft Day. Following Lafreniere outside of the QMJHL will surely be power-forward Quinton Byfield, a duo of tantalizing ‘Swedes in Lucas Raymond and Noel Gunler, and a fantastic ‘Fin by the name of Anton Lundell.

In addition to this wealth of talent will be Justin Barron, Jamie Drysdale, Cole Perfetti and Marco Rossi — four dynamite youngsters who also hold top-five potential.

In short, the 2020 NHL Draft will likely be remembered as one of the strongest Draft’s of all-time. With such great talent available, NHL franchises will want to hold at least one first-round selection in-hand once the 2020 NHL Draft kicks off — the event holds the potential to alter the course of numerous organizations overnight.

Three OHL Prospects To Follow

Logan Morrison

2018-19 Team: Hamilton Bulldogs

2018-19 Statistics: 47GP: 14G, 34PTS

Chosen by the Hamilton Bulldogs with the 18th overall selection in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection, Logan Morrison is a steady two-way centre and player to watch ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft. Despite missing a significant portion of his rookie OHL season due to injury, Morrison was impressive down the stretch for the mediocre Hamilton Bulldogs — providing offence in the attacking zone while playing a responsible defensive style in his own end.

Logan Morrison could explode offensively in 2019-20 if healthy and provided with greater playing time. (Photo Credit: Brandon Taylor/OHL Images)

In the upcoming 2019-20 season, expect Morrison to develop into a young yet reliable leader for the Bulldogs, and one who will have the potential to impact any given game for his team at both ends of the ice. Sure to take to the ice stronger and faster than in his rookie season, Morrison will be afforded and earn substantial playing time in his sophomore campaign — playing time which should lead directly to a dramatic increase in his offensive output.

Antonio Stranges

2018-19 Team: London Knights

2018-19 Statistics: 66GP: 13G, 34PTS

The London Knights downright stole Antonio Stranges in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection, as the youngster was widely expected to play for the U.S. National Development Team before being nabbed by the Knights in the second round. A slick skater with seemingly endless puck skills, Stranges plays a style of hockey incredibly similar to Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and one which will undoubtedly pay significant dividends in the offensive zone this upcoming season.

As one of the most highly skilled players eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft, don’t be surprised if Antonio Stranges sky-rockets up rankings throughout the upcoming campaign. (Photo Credit: Luke Durda/OHL Images)

Although widely projected to be a chosen in the second-round of the 2020 NHL Draft, it is abundantly clear that Stranges boasts the skill-set of a first-round talent. Set to play alongside a young yet equally talented class of players with the Knights this coming season, Stranges should flourish owing to additional playing time while his responsibilities at both ends of the ice will surely be boosted as a second-year player.

Ty Tullio

2018-19 Team: Oshawa Generals

2018-19 Statistics: 60GP: 15G, 42PTS

Although his father Rocco Tullio is the President and Governor of the Oshawa Generals, his role with the team had little to do with the Generals’ selection of son Ty Tullio with the 11th overall choice in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection. An accomplished goal-scorer and teammate of Saginaw Spirit star Cole Perfetti as a member of the GTHL’s Vaughan Kings, Perfetti quickly made a name for himself as a consistent two-way player and lethal offensive threat.

A pint-sized scorer, Ty Tullio has produced offensively at every level in which he has competed. (Photo Credit: Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

This deadly skill-set made the Generals’ decision to draft Tullio an easy one, and the choice paid immediate dividends in Tullio’s rookie campaign in Oshawa. Despite playing sheltered minutes as an incoming player, Tullio came to play an influential offensive role for the Generals — providing timely scoring while standing as a capable playmaker to boot. Sure to return to Oshawa in 2019-20 as a stronger and faster player, Tullio’s offensive game stands poised to explode as he darts towards the 2020 NHL Draft and a potential first-round selection.

The Top-31 Prospects

It might be extremely early, but here is our initial ranking ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft slated to take place next June.

In this off-season ranking, we’ve outlined our top-31 prospects and highlighted another ten honourable mentions who could very easily move into the main ranking based on their potential and expected play this coming season. As far as specifics go, there are a great deal of centres present within our ranking — 14 to be exact — while just one goaltender stands in the top-31 thus far.

Rank	Player	Position	2018-19 Team
1	Alexis Lafreniere	LW	Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
2	Quinton Byfield	C	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
3	Lucas Raymond	RW	Frolunda HC J20 (SuperElit)
4	Noel Gunler	RW/LW	Lulea HF J20 (SuperElit)
5	Anton Lundell	C/LW	HIFK (Liiga)
6	Justin Barron	D	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
7	Jamie Drysdale	D	Erie Otters (OHL)
8	Alexander Holtz	RW/LW	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)
9	Cole Perfetti	C	Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
10	Marco Rossi	C	Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
11	Tim Stutzle	C	Jungadler Mannheim (DNL U20)
12	Dylan Holloway	C	Okotoks Oilers (AJHL)
13	Dawson Mercer	RW	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
14	Hendrix Lapierre	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
15	Kaiden Guhle	D	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
16	Ty Smilanic	LW	U.S U17 Team (US NTDP)
17	Jacob Perreault	C	Sarnia Sting (OHL)
18	Dylan Peterson	C	U.S U17 Team (US NTDP)
19	Zion Nybeck	RW	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)
20	Emil Andrae	D	HV71 J20 (SuperElit)
21	Antonio Stranges	C/LW	London Knights (OHL)
22	Connor Zary	C	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
23	Helge Grans	D	Malmo Redhawks J20 (SuperElit)
24	Kasper Simontaival	RW	Tappara (Liiga)
25	Theo Rochette	C	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
26	Will Cuylle	LW	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
27	Lleyton Moore	D	Oshawa Generals (OHL)
28	Yaroslav Askarov	G	SKA-Varyagi im. Morozova (MHL)
29	Jean-Luc Foudy	C	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
30	Logan Morrison	C	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
31	Mavrik Bourque	C	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

Ten Honourable Mentions

As noted above, here are our ten honourable mentions who — to date — sit just outside of the top-31. As we move deeper into the 2019-20 season, we will expand this section of honourable mentions dramatically to include a number of other top-notch prospects who are without a doubt worth mentioning. Lastly, it is worth noting that these players are not ranked 1-10 but, instead, are listed alphabetically.

HM	Lukas Cormier	D	Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)
HM	Daniil Gushchin	RW	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
HM	Seth Jarvis	RW	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
HM	Tyler Kleven	D	U.S U17 Team (US NTDP)
HM	Alexander Nikishin	D	MHK Krylia Sovetov Moskva (MHL)
HM	Jake Neighbours	LW	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
HM	Jeremie Poirier	D	Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
HM	Braden Schneider	D	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
HM	Ty Tullio	C	Oshawa Generals (OHL)
HM	Ozzy Wiesblatt	RW	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

2019 NHL Draft Ranking: The Final Top-31

With the 2019 NHL Draft set to take place on Jun. 21, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, the time has come to unveil our final prospect ranking of the 2018-19 season.

The 2018-19 campaign has been a long and winding one, as players from numerous continents, countries and leagues have battled tirelessly to impress NHL scouts and management alike. Along the way a wealth of prospects impressed on a consistent basis, while, on the other hand, other players fought hard through what was undoubtedly a trying and stressful stretch of hockey.

According to #NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr, there are plenty of players in the #NHLDraft class who could make the jump to the #NHL in short order. https://t.co/7IcL5uaOiT

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) June 2, 2019

However, the stress of an NHL Draft season has led to the emergence of the latest crop of elite young prospects. Sure, both Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko stand high above their counterparts, but there is a bounty of incredibly talented prospects eligible for selection who will surely come to play impactful roles at the NHL-level in the not-so-distant future.

With this being said, let’s dive into our final top-31 ranking of the season. There has been a great deal of change since we last convened a month ago, as a number of players excelled on the global stage at the Men’s World Championship while others put forth terrific performances in their respective postseason campaigns.

Three Players to Watch on Draft Day

Jakob Pelletier

2018-19 Team: Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)

Future Projection: Top-6 NHL Forward

A former third-overall selection in the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft, Jakob Pelletier quietly put forth an explosive campaign in his second season of CHL action. After producing at a point-per-game pace as a rookie, Pelletier blasted home 39 goals and 89 points in his sophomore season — a total which stood as the greatest of any first-year eligible QMJHL player.

Jakob Pelletier gets a gift from Sasha Mutala and he makes it 3-0 for Team Canada. #HlinkaGretzkyCup pic.twitter.com/bCcS4EpJWx

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 7, 2018

The one factor within Pelletier’s game which has long impacted his perception in the eyes of scouts is his size. Standing 5-foot-9 and 165-pounds, Pelletier isn’t the biggest player on the ice. However, much like Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lighting, Pelletier can irritate his opposition owing to his speed, skill, and creativity when in possession of the puck. Boasting a tireless engine, Pelletier could be the steal of the draft given his surprisingly low projection ahead of the Draft — based on his abilities, Pelletier should be made a top-15 selection.

Vasili Podkolzin

2018-19 Team: SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)

Future Projection: Top-6 Forward

Vasili Podkolzin exploded onto the scene early in the 2018-19 season, firing home a whopping eight goals and 11 points in his five games played at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. However, since wowing fans and scouts alike to kick-off the campaign, Podkolzin has endured a relatively average stretch of hockey in his draft-eligible season. In the U-18 WJC Podkolzin recorded four points in seven games played before tallying just three assists in the U-20 WJC.

Russia's Vasili Podkolzin leads the #HlinkaGretzkyCup in goals and is considered a top prospect for the #2019NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/aLNSoGJJL3

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 11, 2018

Now, this is by no means meant to say that Podkolzin isn’t an elite player, but rather that he may not be as good as his showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup would indicate. Consistency over the course of an NHL Draft -eligible season carries immense weight in the eyes of scouts, as this trait is one of the most crucial aspects of a player once they ascend to the North American professional ranks. In short, there a varying opinions regarding Podkolzin, his future, and exactly when he will be selected on draft day. While he is sure to become an impact player, exactly how productive he can become at the NHL-level remains quite unclear.

Moritz Seider

2018-19 Team: Adler Mannheim (DEL)

Future Projection: Top-4 Defenceman

One of the best German-born prospects poised to enter the NHL since Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers, Moritz Seider is a composed two-way defender who brings size, skill, and an offensive edge to the ice on a nightly basis. During the 2018-19 campaign Seider played for Adler Mannheim at the DEL-level — the top professional league in Germany. Despite competing against stern competition, Seider held his own at both ends of the ice and came to play a surprisingly valuable role for his team despite his young age.

1-0 Germany. Moritz Seider has his first goal with Germany's #IIHFWorlds team. Great shift for the #NHLDraft prospect. pic.twitter.com/grX0rqGqd2

— Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisTHN) May 11, 2019

Seider’s true coming out party came at the recent Men’s World Hockey Championship, where the youngster was a poised and capable force for his nation. Although forced out of the tournament early due to an injury suffered against Team Finland, Seider’s play left a lasting impression upon scouts who had already been drooling over his NHL-ready size and ability to process the game at a high-level. Essentially, don’t be surprised to see Seider make a big jump on draft day, as his skill-set could push him into the top-15 overall should an NHL franchise be searching for a quality defender.

The Top-31 Prospects

With the 2019 NHL Draft mere days away, here are our final top-31 prospects eligible for selection.

Of varying position, potential, and nationality, the names you see below will come together to comprise the next wave of elite young talent in the NHL. And, although some may be closer to NHL action than others, it goes without saying that all of which hold the skill-set necessary to thrive at hockey’s highest level.

As always, be sure to reference the “+/-” column to understand how a particular player’s ranking as fluctuated since our May Draft Ranking.

Lastly, if you’d like to navigate quickly to any of our previous rankings, be sure to follow these links!

• 2019 NHL Draft Ranking: September’s Top-31
• 2019 NHL Draft Ranking: October’s Top-31
• 2019 NHL Draft Ranking: November’s Top-31
• 2019 NHL Draft Ranking: December’s Top-31
• 2019 NHL Draft Ranking: January’s Top-31
• 2019 NHL Draft Ranking: February’s Top-31
• 2019 NHL Draft Ranking: March’s Top-31
• 2019 NHL Draft Ranking: April’s Top-31
• 2019 NHL Draft Ranking: May’s Top-31

The Final Ranking

Rank	+/-	Player	Position	2018-19 Team
1	–	Jack Hughes	C	USA U18 (NTDP)
2	–	Kaapo Kakko	C/RW	Turku (SM-liiga)
3	–	Bowen Byram	D	Vancouver Giants (WHL)
4	–	Dylan Cozens	C	Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
5	–	Kirby Dach	C	Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
6	–	Alex Turcotte	C	USA U18 (NTDP)
7	+5	Trevor Zegras	C	USA U18 (NTDP)
8	+5	Peyton Krebs	C	Kootenay Ice (WHL)
9	-2	Alex Newhook	C	VIctoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
10	-2	Philip Broberg	D	AIK J20 (SuperElit)
11	+5	Matthew Boldy	LW	USA U18 (NTDP)
12	+2	Victor Soderstrom	D	Brynas IF J20 (SuperElit)
13	+5	Cole Caufield	RW	USA U18 (NTDP)
14	-3	Jakob Pelletier	C/LW	Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
15	–	Thomas Harley	D	Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
16	-7	Arthur Kaliyev	RW	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
17	–	Cam York	D	USA U18 (NTDP)
18	-8	Vasili Podkolzin	RW	SKA 1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)
19	+10	Ville Heinola	D	Lukko (Liiga)
20	–	Ryan Suzuki	C	Barrie Colts (OHL)
21	+2	Raphael Lavoie	LW	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
22	–	Tobias Bjornfot	D	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)
23	+8	Moritz Seider	D	Adler Mannheim (DEL)
24	-3	Bobby Brink	RW	Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
25	+1	Connor McMichael	C	London Knights (OHL)
26	-7	Nils Hoglander	LW	Rogle BK J20 (SuperElit)
27	+1	Yegor Afanasyev	F	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
28	+4	Samuel Poulin	LW	Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
29	NR	Spencer Knight	G	USA U18 (NTDP)
30	NR	Nicholas Robertson	C/LW	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
31	-6	Anttoni Honka	D	JYP (SM-liiga)

Honourable Mentions

As always, here are 20 honourable mentions to keep an eye on come draft day. Although widely projected to be selected outside of the first round, any of these 20 players listed below could rise into the top-31 owing to their personal performances on the ice throughout the 2018-19 campaign.

HM		Bryce Brodzinski	RW	Omaha Lancers (USHL)
HM		Alexander Campbell	C	Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
HM		Pavel Dorofeyev	LW/RW	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)
HM		Nolan Foote	LW	Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
HM		Albin Grewe	RW	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)
HM		Hunter Jones	G	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
HM		Ethan Keppan	LW	Flint Firebirds (OHL)
HM		Vladislav Kolyachonok	D	Flint Firebirds (OHL)
HM		Kaeden Korczak	D	Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
HM		Brett Leason	RW	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
HM		Nathan Legare	RW	Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
HM		Ilya Nikolayev	F	Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)
HM		Jamieson Rees	C	Sarnia Sting (OHL)
HM		Matthew Robertson	D	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
HM		Dmitri Sheshin	LW/RW	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)
HM		Lassi Thomson	D	Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
HM		Phillip Tomasino	C	Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
HM		Alex Vlasic	D	USA U18 (NTDP)
HM		Marshall Warren	D	USA U18 (NTDP)
HM		Max Wahlgren	C/LW	MODO J20 (SuperElit)

2019 NHL Draft Ranking: May’s Top-31

It’s hard to believe that the 2019 NHL Draft is now less than two months away — the 2018-19 season seems to have flown by.

However, despite the vicinity of this year’s Draft, a great deal of time remains for each and every prospect to establish himself as a can’t miss talent in the eyes of prospective NHL organizations. With virtually every league in the midst of their post-season, opportunities to shine are seemingly limitless and endlessly abundant.

#U18Worlds | The all-time leading scorer at the IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship.

Take a bow, @jackhughes43. pic.twitter.com/h67BAwJBQl

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) April 28, 2019

For those who found themselves on the outside looking in, however, the 2019 U18 World Championship afforded numerous prospects with yet another chance to shine. Come to the end of this year’s event it was Team Sweden who took home gold, although the likes of Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Cam York, and Peyton Krebs all put forth absolutely tremendous performances.

These international efforts alongside recent playoff results have had a dramatic impact on this month’s 2019 NHL Draft ranking. While just two new prospects have cracked the top-31 this month, 24 of the other 29 youngsters listed have seen their position altered since we last convened at the beginning of April.

Who are these prospects whose value has fluctuated over the past month?

The Top-31 Prospects

Here are our top-31 NHL Draft eligible prospects as of May 1st, 2019.

Perhaps the most notable movement within this month’s ranking is Bowen Byram’s ascension to the third-overall slot. In the midst of a stellar post-season run with the Vancouver Giants, Byram has continued to establish himself as a premier two-way defender. Elsewhere, the massive crop of U.S. NTDP prospects continue to improve, as Alex Turcotte and Cole Caufield also enjoyed substantial bumps in this month’s edition.

So, without further ado, here are our top-31 prospects for the month of May.

Rank	+/-	Player	Position	2018-19 Team
1	–	Jack Hughes	C	USA U18 (NTDP)
2	–	Kaapo Kakko	C/RW	Turku (SM-liiga)
3	+1	Bowen Byram	D	Vancouver Giants (WHL)
4	-1	Dylan Cozens	C	Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
5	–	Kirby Dach	C	Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
6	+3	Alex Turcotte	C	USA U18 (NTDP)
7	+3	Alex Newhook	C	VIctoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
8	–	Philip Broberg	D	AIK J20 (SuperElit)
9	-3	Arthur Kaliyev	RW	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
10	+1	Vasili Podkolzin	RW	SKA 1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)
11	-4	Jakob Pelletier	C/LW	Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
12	+2	Trevor Zegras	C	USA U18 (NTDP)
13	–	Peyton Krebs	C	Kootenay Ice (WHL)
14	-2	Victor Soderstrom	D	Brynas IF J20 (SuperElit)
15	+3	Thomas Harley	D	Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
16	+1	Matthew Boldy	LW	USA U18 (NTDP)
17	-2	Cam York	D	USA U18 (NTDP)
18	+3	Cole Caufield	RW	USA U18 (NTDP)
19	-3	Nils Hoglander	LW	Rogle BK J20 (SuperElit)
20	+2	Ryan Suzuki	C	Barrie Colts (OHL)
21	-2	Bobby Brink	RW	Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
22	-2	Tobias Bjornfot	D	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)
23	+4	Raphael Lavoie	LW	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
24	+2	Samuel Poulin	LW	Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
25	-2	Anttoni Honka	D	JYP (SM-liiga)
26	-2	Connor McMichael	C	London Knights (OHL)
27	-2	Albin Grewe	RW	Djurgardens IF J20 (SuperElit)
28	NR	Yegor Afanasyev	F	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
29	NR	Ville Heinola	D	Luuko (Liiga)
30	–	Nathan Legare	RW	Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
31	-2	Moritz Seider	D	Adler Mannheim (DEL)

20 Honourable Mentions

As always, here are 20 honourable mentions to keep an eye on throughout May and into the month of June.

This month, this list stands relatively unchanged — outside of the addition of Vladislav Kolyachonok and subtraction of BCHL star Alexander Campbell.

HM		Bryce Brodzinski	RW	Omaha Lancers (USHL)
HM		Pavel Dorofeyev	LW/RW	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)
HM		Nolan Foote	LW	Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
HM		Ville Heinola	D	Luuko (Liiga)
HM		Hunter Jones	G	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
HM		Ethan Keppan	LW	Flint Firebirds (OHL)
HM		Vladislav Kolyachonok	D	Flint Firebirds (OHL)
HM		Kaeden Korczak	D	Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
HM		Spencer Knight	G	USA U18 (NTDP)
HM		Brett Leason	RW	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
HM		Ilya Nikolayev	F	Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)
HM		Jamieson Rees	C	Sarnia Sting (OHL)
HM		Matthew Robertson	D	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
HM		Nicholas Robertson	C/LW	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
HM		Dmitri Sheshin	LW/RW	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)
HM		Lassi Thomson	D	Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
HM		Phillip Tomasino	C	Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
HM		Alex Vlasic	D	USA U18 (NTDP)
HM		Marshall Warren	D	USA U18 (NTDP)
HM		Max Wahlgren	C/LW	MODO J20 (SuperElit)