The NHL Draft is finally here, which means that the futures of hundreds of young men are about to be decided.
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Fans in North America will be able to watch the first round of the draft on there TVs via NBCSN or TSN, as well as online via NBC Sports Live Extra. However, not everyone will be able to watch the draft as it unfolds.
Luckily for you, though, we here at FanSided have got you covered with our handy dandy live draft tracker.
[Related: Top 100 NHL prospects]
As players are selected, our tracker will update in near live time with the team, player and a quick comment about the selection. Full reactions to each pick will follow in separate posts throughout the night.
Some notes regarding the first round draft order:
- Florida picks first after winning the NHL Draft Lottery back in April
- Vancouver gets Anaheim’s 24th pick as part of the Ryan Kesler trade
- New Jersey picks 30th due to the sanctions placed on the club for the Ilya Kovalchuk contract.
- Anaheim gets the 10th overall pick from Ottawa as part of the Bobby Ryan trade
- Tampa Bay gets the New York Rangers’ first-round pick as part of the Ryan Callahan/Martin St. Louis trade
And, as always, be sure to stay with FanSided.com all weekend long for full NHL Draft coverage.
| NHL Draft Tracker | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Team | Player | Comment |
| 1 |  | Aaron Ekblad | The best defenseman available. He will be a cornerstone piece for the next decade in Florida |
| 2 |  | Sam Reinhart | Reinhart is the safest bet to be a superstar in this draft. The Buffalo Sabres got a great one here. |
| 3 |  | Leon Draisaitl | Draisaitl rose up draft boards over the past few weeks. It’s not surprising Edmonton take the risk with the potential scoring star |
| 4 |  | Sam Bennett | He was ranked three on my list, and will become a star for the Flames. He will be a centerpiece for the re-emergence of a great franchise. |
| 5 |  | Michael Dal Colle | The 7th ranked player in my big board, Dal Colle should become a major presence for the Islanders in a couple of years |
| 6 |  | Jake Virtanen | This is a little high for my liking for Virtanen. I feel the Canucks could’ve traded back, added picks and still grabbed him. |
| 7 |  | Haydn Fleury | He went around where I expected. Fleury will be a solid offensive blueliner for the Hurricanes. He just needs to become more complete |
| 8 |  | William Nylander | He was ranked 8th, and was picked 8th. He won’t make the team this year, but will be a high offensive talent in the near future |
| 9 |  | Nikolaj Ehlers | The Jets got a player who I had in my top 5 with the ninth pick. I’d say that was pretty good value |
| 10 |  | Nick Ritchie | The team has to groom scoring for the future with their top players starting to get older. Ritchie is a player who will be a force in the future. |
| 11 |  | Kevin Fiala | I don’t like this pick at all. I had him ranked in the top 20, but I feel they could’ve, and should’ve, traded back before taking him. |
| 12 |  | Brendan Perlini | Another instance of a player going exactly where I expected him to go. He’s got a number of great intangibles, he just needs to put it all together |
| 13 |  | Jakub Vrana | Vrana fell in my final draft rankings due to my concerns of his ability to transition his skill from European hockey to the NHL game. |
| 14 |  | Julius Honka | He’s a bit of a liability in his own zone, but if he can improve in his own end, Honka could be a very good player in the league. I’m just not sure he can make major defensive improvements |
| 15 |  | Dylan Larkin | If there was ever a case of perfect player/perfect team, this is it. Larkin is the prototypical Red Wings player, and will be a good one for a long time. |
| 16 |  | Sonny Milano | Milano has very good hands in the offensive zone. He needs quite a bit of polishing, but going to Boston College should take care of that. |
| 17 |  | Travis Sanheim | Sanheim barely made it into my top 30 rankings. I feel Anthony DeAngelo would’ve been a better choice here |
| 18 |  | Alex Tuch | I really like this pick for the Wild. Tuch is a player that should have no finding is groove in Minnesota in the next couple of years |
| 19 |  | Anthony DeAngelo | This is such a high risk, high reward pick. DeAngelo has a lot of character issues, but his talent makes him a good player to take a chance on at 19 |
| 20 |  | Nick Schmaltz | Schmaltz is a player that reminds me so much of Jason Spezza. He’s got a noise for making big plays, and should make Chicago much better in the near future |
| 21 |  | Robert Fabbri | Fabbri is a player who fell in my list due to is small size. However, his determination to be great should make him a good pick. |
| 22 |  | Kasperi Kapanen | Kapanen falling this far will become a great value pick for the Penguins. I had Kapenen in my top 10, at 22 this pick is a typical Penguins steal. |
| 23 |  | Connor Bleackley | Bleackley is a solid two-way centerman. He won’t ever be a top-line player, but he has potential to break the top six |
| 24 | | Jared McCann | This is another pick that should prove to be good value. I had McCann in my top 20, him falling to 24 is only good news for Vancouver |
| 25 |  | David Pastrnak | Pastrnak hovered around the 20 mark in my ranks all year long. He’s got offensive talent that should help the Bruins stay as the class of the Eastern conference |
| 26 |  | Nikita Scherbak | He’s a very raw forward prospect. With the puck on his stick, he’s a very good play. Without it, he has a habit of getting lost in the action. |
| 27 |  | Nikolay Goldobin | This is a man who has incredible decision making ability. He’s not one to turnover the puck. |
| 28 | | Josh Ho-Sang | This is a player who has so much offensive potential, but likes to do everything himself. He’s a stubborn kid, that could be great if he learns to listen |
| 29 |  | Adrian Kempe | I had Adrian Kempe ranked 13th in my big board. I guess I was a lot higher on him than most. |
| 30 |  | John Quennville | The Devils close out the first round of the NHL draft with the cousin of Blackhawks coach Joe Quenneville |