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Heading into the 2015 NHL Draft, there was a sense that this could be the draft class that outlined the last decade. Much like how Sidney Crosby was one of many seminal faces for hockey all through the 2000s, the 2015 Draft had gamers that would outline the game all through the 2010s and past.
Now with these gamers having just a few seasons beneath their belts to ascertain themselves within the league, have the highest 10 picks of the 2015 NHL Draft managed to stay as much as the hype?
Note: The 2015 NHL Draft was held on June 26-27 on the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.
#1: Connor McDavid
By profitable the 2015 Draft Lottery, the Edmonton Oilers got yet one more likelihood to hit the reset button after choosing first general four times in the prior six seasons. Heading into the draft, there was little question that Connor McDavid can be the primary general choose, as he had the trimmings to be a generational expertise.
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For his half, McDavid has lived as much as his prime billing. After combating harm all through his rookie season, he has posted a minimum of 100 factors in six of the previous seven seasons.
There’s little question that McDavid is an elite, famous person expertise that can bend the NHL to his will. The Oilers consider this, too, as they signed their star to an eight-year, $100-million extension in 2017 that made him the highest-paid participant within the league.
After posting 105 factors in simply 56 video games in the course of the 2020-21 season, he reaffirmed simply how particular his skills are. With him on the helm, the Oilers reached the 2022 Western Conference Final, establishing them as a Stanley Cup contender and marking McDavid as one of many defining gamers within the NHL proper now.
#2: Jack Eichel
While McDavid was seen because the cream of the crop within the 2015 Draft, Jack Eichel was nonetheless a extremely proficient ahead who may have been the highest choose in another 12 months. Even if he didn’t get chosen first general, Eichel would get to listen to his title known as immediately after by the Buffalo Sabres.
For the Sabres, Eichel represented their second-straight likelihood to draft a game-breaking ahead with the second-overall choose. With a mix of dimension, smarts, and unmatched scoring potential, the Massachusetts native seemed to be the proper participant to take over Buffalo.
Related: 2014 NHL Draft Top 10: Where Are They Now?
In the years since his draft, nonetheless, Eichel has been a persistently nice participant, however this hasn’t translated to staff success. Due to harm and a franchise struggling to search out its id throughout a long and painful rebuild, he was unable to construct upon that defining breakout season.
After one other robust finish to the 2020-21 season, the place the Sabres completed useless final within the league and Eichel missed time with a big neck harm, the scenario reached a breaking level between participant and franchise as they had been unable to succeed in an settlement about find out how to deal with his rehab or surgical procedure. This led Buffalo to trade their injured star to the Vegas Golden Knights in Nov. 2021.
Now with a brand new franchise that gained the 2023 Stanley Cup, Eichel ought to get the chance to point out the world that he nonetheless is a famous person expertise that may assist form the way forward for the NHL.
#3: Dylan Strome
After McDavid and Eichel went off the board, the Arizona Coyotes took the stage with the third-overall choice. With this choose, they chose middle Dylan Strome, a big-bodied ahead who had all the trimmings to be the top-line center Arizona desperately needed.
Despite his draft pedigree, Strome was unable to place all of it collectively for the Coyotes. Less than 4 years after he was chosen, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks together with Brendan Perlini for his or her struggling 2014-first spherical choice, Nick Schmaltz.
Once he reached Chicago, Strome endeared himself to his teammates and the fanbase and spent the 4 seasons with the franchise whereas experiencing stable success on the ice. For his half, Schmaltz has performed properly in Arizona, performing as a small however essential piece within the franchise core over the previous few seasons. So, whereas it might haven’t been excellent, the commerce changed into a win-win for each franchises.
Following this, Strome signed with the Washington Capitals on a one-year show-me deal, so he was ready to both launch his profession ahead or see it stall out. Time will inform what occurs subsequent.
#4: Mitch Marner
With the fourth-overall choice, the Toronto Maple Leafs took Mitch Marner, a highly-skilled ahead who averaged two factors a sport whereas taking part in for the London Knights all through the 2014-15 season. Marner’s uncooked offensive expertise was simple to see, as stated by Carl Maloney of THW in his draft profile:
There shouldn’t be one other participant on this 12 months’s draft that brings the kind of dynamic, game-breaking offensive skill to the desk than Marner, until his title is Connor McDavid.
Since incomes a beginning position for Toronto in 2016-17, Marner has been one of many franchise’s greatest gamers. He has persistently scored 20-plus objectives every season whereas racking up a career-high 99 factors within the 2022-23 season.
The solely actual controversy surrounding Marner was an extended restricted-free agent contract negotiation that lasted till the tip of the 2019 offseason. While there was a lot speak about a possible holdout, he would go on to signal a six-year, $65-million extension that cemented him as one of many Maple Leafs’ core gamers.
For Toronto, Marner has been every little thing that they might have hoped for from a top-five choose. He is a famous person offensive expertise who brings out the very best in his linemates whereas racking up unbelievable level totals in his personal proper. However, on account of a scarcity of success within the postseason, there are lingering questions on whether or not or not he can elevate his sport and if he ought to nonetheless be a part of the franchise’s core for the longer term.
#5: Noah Hanifin
With their fifth-overall choose, the Carolina Hurricanes took Noah Hanifin, making him the primary defenseman chosen in 2015. With this choice, the Hurricanes added defensemen utilizing a top-10 choose in back-to-back drafts, seemingly setting their blue line for the longer term.
It didn’t take lengthy for Hanifin to make his NHL debut, as he started taking part in for Carolina at first of the 2015-16 season. That 12 months, he posted a promising 4 objectives and 22 factors, displaying that he had top-end offensive potential.
The subject, although, was his defensive play. While he reached the 2018 All-Star sport on the again of his offensive sport, his protection remained suspect, leading to some poor statistics. For instance, regardless of scoring 33 factors, he additionally went minus-20 all through the 2017-18 season.
So, whereas his worth was excessive on account of his scoring prowess, the Hurricanes traded Hanifin and Elias Lindholm to the Calgary Flames in 2018 for defenseman Dougie Hamilton, ahead Micheal Ferland, and prospect Adam Fox.
By the tip of the 2018-19 season, Hamilton had established himself as a top-pairing defenseman with the Hurricanes, the place Hanifin was taking part in top-four minutes for Calgary. So, with this variation of surroundings, each gamers had been capable of take the following step of their careers.
#6: Pavel Zacha
Heading into the draft, no first-round prospect’s potential touchdown spot was extra unsure than Pavel Zacha. While he was anticipated to be a top-10 choose at first of the season, harm slowed his play, inflicting his draft inventory to fall into extra of a mid-first-round choice.
However, the brand new Jersey Devils defied this expectation, deciding to take the big-bodied center with the sixth-overall pick. While this may increasingly have been seen as a slight attain in the intervening time, New Jersey was rolling the cube on what may have been the most important steal of the draft.
After taking part in seven seasons with the Devils, nonetheless, it seems that Zacha could have been a bit overvalued on the draft. In his time with New Jersey, he averaged about 35 factors a season, whereas struggling to take that subsequent step in his profession.
Related: 2013 NHL Entry Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
Eventually, this led the Devils to commerce Zacha to the Boston Bruins for Erik Haula in the course of the 2022 offseason. Now in Boston, he has taken off with 57 factors in 82 video games his first season.
#7: Ivan Provorov
As one of many top-rated defensemen on the 2015 Draft, Ivan Provorov put collectively some gaudy scoring numbers whereas taking part in for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. After he was chosen seventh general by the Philadelphia Flyers, he would go on to steer the Wheat Kings to the 2016 Memorial Cup en path to incomes the glory of CHL defenseman of the year.
With such a formidable ultimate season within the WHL, it appeared that the Flyers made among the finest picks of the Draft with Provorov. By the beginning of the 2016-17 season, the Russian defender was greater than able to tackle NHL ice time.
After making the transition to the NHL, Provorov turned a key defenseman for the Flyers. As a 20-year-old, he averaged practically 22 minutes an evening, whereas scoring 30 factors. The following season, he upped these totals to 24 minutes an evening and 41 factors.
Even although his scoring totals have been down barely after that career-high in 2017-18, Provorov was, inarguably, a cornerstone of Philadelphia’s blue line. After locking up their younger defender to a six-year, $40.5-million extension, the Flyers can solely be pleased with their prime choice on the 2015 draft. The Flyers dealt him to the Columbus Blue Jackets over the 2023 offseason.
#8: Zach Werenski
While there are few certainties on the draft, Zach Werenski was thought of to be one of many surefire hits in 2015. As stated by THW in his draft profile:
This isn’t the opinion of the bulk, however I really feel that Zach Werenski is the very best defensemen out there within the draft. That’s not a shot at Noah Hanifin, nonetheless, from what I’ve seen from Zach Werenski within the NCAA and on the World Juniors, for my cash he’s your greatest guess in bolstering your blueline.
After displaying some dominant play all through his rookie season for the University of Michigan in 2014-15, Werenski was chosen eighth general by the Colombus Blue Jackets. He would return to Michigan for his sophomore season, the place he would earn the Big Ten Defensive Player of the year.
With his dominant play in faculty, Werenski joined the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate for a playoff stint in 2015-16 earlier than beginning 78 video games with Columbus all through the 2016-17 season. Since becoming a member of Columbus, Werenski has been one of many NHL’s prime younger defensemen. He eats up 22-plus minutes of ice time alongside Seth Jones on the Blue Jackets’ top-pair, all whereas persistently scoring 40-plus factors every season.
Not solely is he a franchise participant, however the Blue Jackets locked Werenski as much as a six-year, $57.5 million extension in 2021, making him one of many highest-paid gamers within the NHL. This contract brings with it new expectations, and now he might want to showcase why he earned that deal within the coming years.
#9: Timo Meier
Sometimes, a participant simply manages to impress from the minute he reaches the ice for the primary time. This was the case for Timo Meier, who scored a purpose in his first NHL sport in opposition to the Montreal Canadiens.
As the ninth general choose by the San Jose Sharks, Timo Meier was chosen to be an all-around offensive expertise who may finally substitute an aging star like Joe Pavelski. While it took till 2017-18 for Meier to play an entire season with San Jose, he shortly proved that he might be the actual deal, scoring 21 objectives and posting 36 factors.
He adopted that up with a 30-goal, 66-point marketing campaign in 2018-19 that established him as one of many prime younger scorers within the NHL. After that season, the Sharks labored shortly to lock down Meier, signing him to a four-year, $24-million contract in 2019. At the 2023 Trade Deadline, the Sharks dealt him to the New Jersey Devils.
#10: Mikko Rantanen
Few gamers on the 2015 Draft had the natural build of Mikko Rantanen. At 6-foot-4, 209 kilos, he was an imposing pressure who had performed hockey in opposition to grown males in Finland since he was 16 years previous. While there have been some questions on if he may translate his dimension to the ice, the uncooked expertise was greater than sufficient for the Colorado Avalanche to take a shot on him with the tenth general choose.
Needless to say, this choose has been a pure win for Colorado. After posting 38 factors in his rookie season, Rantanen scored 80-plus factors in each 2017-18 and 2018-19 earlier than taking off with 92 factors in 2021-22 and 105 factors in 2022-23.
His play alongside Nate MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog resurrected the Avalanche, who went from a pitiful 48 factors in 2016-17 to the postseason only one 12 months later. (from ‘Avalanche 2016-17 Season in Review: Colorado sinks to new low,’ Denver Post, 04/06/2017) While Rantanen has been bitten by the injury bug all through his profession, he’ll proceed to be one of many dominant forwards within the NHL so long as he can keep wholesome.
Most importantly, he scored 25 factors in 20 video games performed all through the 2022 postseason, as he helped the Avalanche safe the Stanley Cup. With his title already etched in historical past, Rantanen will look to proceed this success and add much more {hardware} to his cabinet.
Impressions of the 2015 Draft Top 10
To put it merely, the 2015 draft will go down in historical past as among the finest ever. Out of the highest 10 picks alone, seven have established themselves as real stars with the groups that drafted them. The three gamers that had been traded introduced wanted returns that helped their franchise in an instantaneous manner.
Once you get by the highest 10 picks, the checklist of famous person expertise continues, with names like Mathew Barzal, Thomas Chabot, and Brock Boeser representing three all-star players chosen within the first spherical alone. So, whereas there could also be some purchaser’s regret for just a few franchises, the highest 10 picks of the 2015 Draft may be seen as successful for nearly all groups concerned.
*All stats taken from Hockey-Reference.com
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