McDavid still in a class of his own
DRAFT: Central Scouting puts Erie centre first and Eichel second; question is who goes third through sixth
TORONTO — When Dan Marr and his colleagues at NHL Central Scouting sat down recently to determine the final 2015 draft rankings, the Connor McDavid versus Jack Eichel debate was revisited one last time — albeit with a twist.
“The longest part of the conversation was: Is there any way we can move Connor McDavid higher on our list?” Marr, the director of the bureau, said laughing.
“You know, Jack Eichel is a tremendous prospect. He is a difference maker. Ten years from now, their numbers might be close. But there was no talk of making Jack No. 1 and Connor No. 2.”
Instead, the talk was about who should go No. 3.
With as many as four legitimate candidates — Noah Hanifin, Dylan Strome, Lawson Crouse and Mitch Marner — this could be the most intriguing part of the draft.
That is, aside from next week’s draft lottery that will decide who is picking first.
Hanifin is an offensive defenceman who scored 23 points in 37 games as a freshman for Boston College; Strome is a prototypical No. 1 centre who led the Ontario Hockey League in scoring with 129 points in 68 games for the Erie Otters; the Kingston Frontenacs’ Crouse is a 6-foot-3, 212-pound power forward who helped Canada win a gold at the world junior championship, while the London Knights’ Marner is a 5-foot-10, 164-pound winger who finished second in OHL scoring with 126 points in 63 games.
According to scouts, there might not be a bad pick.
But what is right for one team might not be right for another.
“Any one of them can go to the No. 3 spot,” Marr said.
“You can toss the three through six spots in the air.”
NHL Central Scouting has Hanifin ranked third overall among North American skaters.
But TSN director of scouting Craig Button has Strome as the No. 3 overall prospect — “I see him in the Anze Kopitar or Jonathan Toews vein,” Button said — and Hanifin ranked 12th.
“I think Noah Hanifin is going to be a good, solid defenceman, but I don’t think of him as an elite defenceman,” said Button, who had Hanifin ranked eighth in his previous ratings. “Ryan Murray went second overall (in 2012, to the Columbus Blue Jackets). And he’s a good, solid NHL defenceman. But he’s not better than Morgan Rielly, Hampus Lindholm or Jacob Trouba.”
Marr said he was “pleasantly surprised” that Hanifin, who was also No. 3 in the NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings, remained the next best prospect after McDavid and Eichel because others have raised their games to another level since then.
“Lawson Crouse, Dylan Strome, Mitchell Marner, they’ve all had strong second halves and continued to develop and display the attributes of future NHL stars,” Marr said. “I was expecting there to be more argument and discussion that another player should be regarded for the No. 3 spot. But it was almost unanimous that Noah Hanifin was the third-best prospect. The team that takes Hanifin is taking someone that they know will be a cornerstone of their defence for a long time.”
If the Edmonton Oilers, who have the third-worst record in the NHL, end up with the third pick, they continue to need talent on defence.
Hanifin seems like a perfect fit. But if the Arizona Coyotes move up to No. 3 in the draft lottery, it might make more sense to add Strome to pair with one or more of their talented prospects on the wing, such as Max Domi and Anthony Duclair.