Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel lead what should be a talented draft in 2015. They have been the top two players on NHL Central Scouting’s rankings throughout the draft process, including the final ranking on NHL.com. They are almost unanimously picked by hockey experts to go one and two. So what is the cause of all the hype?
Connor McDavid
The Canadian from Richard Hill, Ontario was one of only three players in OHL history to be allowed into the league a year younger than normal. Those other players are John Tavares and Aaron Ekblad, both first overall picks. Before he got to the OHL, he scored 33 goals and 72 points in only 33 games in the GTHL. He won the Jack Ferguson Award for top pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection Draft. In 133 games in the OHL he scored 64 goals and 213 points. He won both CHL and OHL’s Player of the Year Awards in 2015 with 44 goals and 120 points, while only playing in 47 games due to a hand injury.
McDavid has been called the best prospect of his generation. He has an elite level skillset that is rarely seen in players his age. He takes pride in the fact that he considers himself a strong two way center, saying "I'd compare myself to someone who is very reliable in his own zone and can be put out there in the last two minutes of a game to either score a goal or to defend the goal."
He possesses the ability to make his teammates around him better. Teammate Dylan Strome was able to net 45 goals and 129 points last year playing with McDavid. He compares himself to Claude Giroux, a playmaker who can play strong at both ends of the ice. He also won the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year Award the last two years due to his success in the classroom, showing that he also has character.
To summarize, McDavid has been the best in whatever league he has played on and that will continue in the NHL. No reason why the Edmonton Oilers would not choose to draft him first overall.
Jack Eichel
Born in North Chelmsford Massachusetts, Eichel decided to play at hockey crazed Boston University. In his only season there, he dominated players that were in some cases four years older than him at 18. He scored 26 goals and 71 points during his freshman year at Boston before declaring for the draft. He also showed that he was strong at both ends of the ice, finishing the season with a 51+/-.
He won the Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the best hockey player in the NCAA. He also played on the USA national team this year at the 2015 World Championships. There, he proved he was NHL caliber. He scored two goals to go along with his seven points, as the USA team was able to win the bronze medal.
The one word that always comes up when talking about Eichel’s game is his pace. He thinks fast, skates fast, and plays fast. If you cannot keep up, he will make you pay. He brings up a lot of comparisons to Paul Kariya, former Mighty Ducks of Anaheim great. Also a Hobey Baker Award winner, Kariya finished his NHL career 989 points in as many games, and had 402 goals. While it would be unfair to expect the same thing out of 18 year Eichel, he has a very similar game that could result in similar success in the NHL.
To summarize, Eichel will be a tough to play against due to how hardworking he is and has success written all over him. The only reason why he isn’t the top prospect is because of McDavid, and if anyone would possibly get picked over McDavid, it would be Eichel.