2016 NHL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Order and Final Landing Spots for Top Prospects

June 24th, 2016 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »

The NHL draft has considerably less buzz this year than it had last year when much-ballyhooed phenom Connor McDavid entered the league after a storied junior career in Canada. No. 2 pick Jack Eichel was nearly as celebrated as McDavid and would have been the No. 1 pick in just about any year in the previous five drafts.

Auston Matthews may not have quite the reputation of those two, but he appears to be the best player in this draft, and the Arizona native seems likely to go to the Toronto Maple Leafs with the No. 1 pick.

Matthews, 18, is a center from Scottsdale. He scored 55 goals and totaled 117 points with USA Hockey’s under-18 squad, exceeding Patrick Kane’s records for goals and points in a season. 

Matthews is considered an "old" 18-year-old, because his birthday was Sept. 17, 1997. Had he been born two days earlier, he would have been eligible for the 2015 draft and would have almost certainly been coming off his rookie season in the NHL.

“Auston Matthews is pretty much the complete package,” NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr told Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
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