The Ontario Hockey League season is officially over. That means it\u2019s on to the NHL Draft!<\/p>\n
With the Hamilton Bulldogs bowing out of the Memorial Cup in the semifinals, the attention across the OHL will turn to Dallas. Who will be the first OHLer off the board? Is there even a chance Andrei Svechnikov squeaks into consideration at first overall if it somehow isn\u2019t Rasmus Dahlin? How many from Ontario will hear their names called in round one and beyond at the NHL Draft?<\/p>\n
The NHL Scouting Combine goes from May 27 to June 2 in Buffalo. It offers an off-ice look at the top draft eligibles for this year. 24 OHLers were invited<\/a>, including every name mentioned on this list. And the name atop the list?<\/p>\n Needless to say, it\u2019s familiar.<\/p>\n Evan Bouchard led all OHL defencemen in scoring with 87 points, nine better than Mississauga\u2019s Nic Hague. Bouchard finished second to Hague in goals with 25, with ten of those coming on the power play. They were the only two defencemen in the league to lead their teams in scoring. Bouchard\u2019s season really took off in November, and he never looked back, leading the NHL Draft rankings in every month but October. The third-year defender doubled his point total from last year (44 in 68 games in 16\/17) and brings plenty of size. Whether he makes the jump will depend on where he goes in the draft.<\/p>\n Where Last Word has him going:<\/strong> LWOH has him landing at eighth overall <\/a>to Chicago<\/a>. He\u2019d be an excellent piece for the Blackhawks to rebuild their D around. He could fit with the New York Rangers (9) or Edmonton Oilers (10) too.<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/TSN1040\/status\/1001557291827593217<\/p>\n Svechnikov played a lot of hockey in 2017\/18. And we mean a lot. A hand injury limited him to 44 OHL games but he still managed 72 points. He added four games at the Under-18 and five games at the World Juniors for Russia. Svechnikov dominated the U-18s with four goals and four assists in eight games\u00a0and added five assists in five games at the WJC. He was also four goals shy of being a goal-a-game player in the OHL (40 in 44). While he\u2019s undoubtedly a one-and-done in the CHL, he was definitely worth the first overall pick in the Import Draft.<\/p>\n Where Last Word has him going:<\/strong> Rasmus Dahlin<\/a> is on another level and is going first overall to the Buffalo Sabres<\/a>. But Svechnikov and Filip Zadina<\/a> are as close as you can get to a\u00a0competition for first overall. We have him going to Carolina<\/a>, but the Montreal Canadiens<\/a> (3) and Ottawa Senators<\/a> (4) make sense too. The Sens could have a big hole on the blueline in the future and defence makes sense. Then again, it\u2019d be fun to see them make a move up to two to grab a franchise-defining scorer.<\/p>\n #ISSMockDraft<\/a> Canes have a strong stockpile of young D, will add to a promising F core with a dynamic goal scoring threat in Svechnikov. Has the ability to push the pace on both sides of the puck, will fit into the Canes system well<\/p>\n — ISS Hockey (@ISShockey) May 24, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nOHL Prospect Power Rankings for the 2018 NHL Draft: Final Rankings<\/strong><\/h1>\n
1. Evan Bouchard<\/a>, D, London Knights; TI Score: 123<\/h2>\n
2. Andrei Svechnikov<\/a>, RW, Barrie Colts; TI Score: 103.5<\/h2>\n
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2.Carolina Hurricanes – Andrei Svechnikov<\/p>\n