Every season, NHL fans across the world look ahead towards the upcoming June for the NHL Draft and who their team(s) may select. With the upcoming 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the prospects in this class appear to be some of the most talented we've seen in a long time.
At the top of the board is Canadian left winger Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL. Lafreniere is the consensus number one prospect and very likely to be selected first in the 2020 Draft. Lafreniere is a great skater and a world class passer for his age, similar to Connor McDavid during his draft year. Lafreniere has put up 59 points in 28 games so far this season, 17 being goals and 42 being assists. Whoever wins the entire draft lottery will be getting a potential franchise if not generational star. The ceiling is that high on this kid.
In the next tier are Canadian center Quinton Byfield of the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL and Swedish right winger Lucas Raymond of Frolunda in the SHL. Byfield projects as a franchise center comparable to Evgeni Malkin. He has 50 points in 28 games so far this season. Raymond has an incredible shot and has performed at an elite level in international tournaments in the past. His point total is just five in 16 games so far, but he is playing in a pro league with players far older than him.
Another Swedish right winger Alexander Holtz of Djurgardens in the SHL and Finnish center Anton Lundell of HIFK in LIIGA are also potential top five picks. Holtz is comparable to Raymond, just a notch below at this point. Lundell is a sturdy, strong on the puck center with explosive potential. Both of these guys should have long productive NHL careers if developed well.
Canadian center Cole Perfetti of the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL, defenseman Jamie Drysdale of the Erie Otters in the OHL, Austrian center Marco Rossi of the OHL's Ottawa 67s, and German center Tim Stutzle of Mannheim in the DEL are that next tier with the potential to be higher. Perfetti is a solid presence down the middle who continues to produce in his draft year. Drysdale has a rocket shot and will be a great quarterback of an NHL power play. Rossi is a smooth skater with great setup ability and continues to rise draft boards despite his lack of size. Stutzle has incredible vision and skating ability, and should be a versatile option for any NHL club.
These nine skaters are all incredible in their own rights, but there's potential for others to be great NHLers. Yarsolav Askarov is a Russian goalie already playing in the professional KHL, and some believe he could be selected in the top 10 if not top 5. Canadian center Dylan Holloway has gone the NCAA route at Wisconsin and is performing fairly well considering the stacked team he is on, plus the lack of scoring in most of the NCAA games. Swede Noel Gunler and Canadian Hendrix Lapierre are two players who have been high on some boards and could rise back up before the draft.
Overall, this draft is going to be one to remember for years to come with the elite level talent that will be available.
