Craig's List - October Ranking: McDavid leads the pack

TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button produces monthly rankings (October-June) of the top players eligible for the NHL Draft. Craig's rankings represent his own individual assessment of where players are slotted in the NHL draft.

Leading up to the 2013 NHL Draft, scouts were flocking to watch the Halifax Mooseheads. Rightfully so, as two of the very best players available for that draft, Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin, were tearing it up and making every scout’s trek a worthwhile one. The lead up to the 2015 draft will see scouts making treks to two places to watch very different players, which will be essential for gauging how the draft will ultimately unfold. 

Erie, Pennsylvania has a long hockey history but one thing is certain, there has never been a star of the magnitude of Connor McDavid lacing them up for the hometown team. A trip to Erie will also afford the opportunity to watch another top prospect for the draft in Dylan Strome. Brother Ryan was the fifth overall selection to the New York Islanders in 2011 and Dylan could do one maybe two better than that.

Approximately 550 miles to the East of Erie is Boston, Massachusetts. It’s a direct route on US Interstate I-90 with many service areas to fuel up along the way.

Two Massachusetts natives will be the focal point of attention when scouts visit Boston. Jack Eichel, a native of North Chelmsford, may be the new ‘Can’t miss kid’ at Boston University, while Bobby Carpenter is the ‘old’ one. While Jack is taking on Connor for the honor of being selected first overall, defenceman Noah Hanifin at Boston College will be closely watched. A native of Norwood, he fast tracked his high school requirements to enroll at Boston College as a seventeen year old. A smooth, make-it-look-easy defenceman with high end skills, there is some thought that he deserves discussion, even token, about being in the class of McDavid and Eichel. 

One thing is certain during the coming season. Every trip to Erie or to Boston, will afford scouts the opportunity to see two excellent prospects and create ‘economies of scale’ in the scouting fraternity.