PHILADELPHIA -- The conclusion of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center signals the official opening of the Connor McDavid-Jack Eichel sweepstakes for the 2015 event at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.

In a draft that looks to be loaded with talent across the board, McDavid of the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League and Eichel, who will be a freshman at Boston University in Hockey East, will be the headliners.

Each is a center who possesses two qualities that are tough to teach: work ethic and big-game ability. Each represented his country at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden; McDavid played for Canada and Eichel for the United States. They'll likely be going head-to-head at the 2015 World Juniors in Montreal and Toronto beginning Dec. 26.

"To get on the team again would be so exciting in Montreal and Toronto around Christmastime," Eichel told NHL.com Saturday. "There are a great group of guys who could potentially make the team, and there's a great coaching staff, so it should be another great tournament."

PHILADELPHIA -- The "Russian factor" wasn't much of a distraction for a dozen teams this weekend at the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center.

It refers to the consideration made by teams, when drafting a player of Russian decent, of the risk associated with that player deciding to sign and play in the Kontinental Hockey League instead of North America. A team drafting a Russian player who then decides to stay in the KHL effectively has wasted a pick.

But 12 NHL teams drafted a total of 13 Russian-born players in 2014, the most in eight years. The Montreal Canadiens kicked off the Russian resurgence with the selection of right wing Nikita Scherbak of the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League at No. 26 on Friday.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup twice in the past three seasons with the help of a couple of former Philadelphia Flyers. They started the process of winning the Cup again this weekend at the Flyers' home, Wells Fargo Center.

The Kings picked 10 players at the 2014 NHL Draft over two days, including nine Saturday, with the goal of having those players become part of the foundation that keeps the Kings among the leading contenders to win the Cup again.

"I saw Jonathan Toews interviewed the other day and ... you see Toews lamenting about watching us celebrating on the ice and how close they were," Kings vice president of hockey operations and director of player personnel Michael Futa said. "These are the days that stuff gets sorted out. This is the next wave of Kings."

PHILADELPHIA -- Tim Murray didn't get everything he wanted in his first draft as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. But he left Wells Fargo Center on Saturday feeling pretty good about the nine players the Sabres selected.

"I think the original plan was to get an extra pick in the first round and we weren't able to do it," he said. "Other than that, it went pretty well."

They started Friday by selecting Kootenay Ice center Sam Reinhart with the second pick and continued with eight picks Saturday.

Those eight players included six forwards, starting with Barrie Colts left wing Brendan Lemieux, the first pick of the second round (No. 31). Lemieux (6-foot, 206 pounds) had 27 goals, 53 points and 145 penalty minutes in 65 regular-season games. The son of four-time Stanley Cup champion Claude Lemieux plays a game reminiscent of his father, which was a big selling point to Murray.

PHILADELPHIA -- Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving was more than willing to begin the run on goaltenders early in the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

The newly appointed GM and his scouting staff proved it with the selection of goalie Mason McDonald of the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League at No. 34.

McDonald (6-foot-4, 178 pounds) was the first goalie taken at the draft and the first of five selected in the second round. There were 21 goalies selected during the final six rounds of the draft. No goalies were selected in the first round Friday night.

"I talked to [Calgary] at the combine and I talked to a guy in Calgary last week," McDonald said. "They were one of the teams that showed a little more interest than others. It was between them and two others that I kind of had in the back of my mind and I’m glad to be selected by them."

PHILADELPHIA – A total of 210 players from 12 countries were selected at the 2014 NHL Draft, which concluded today at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. That includes 67 U.S.-born players, representing the country's highest percentage (32%) of selections.

Following is a breakdown of draft selections by birthplace:

PHILADELPHIA -- Brendan Lemieux was forced to sit through the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center on Friday without hearing his name called. It wasn't easy.

After the Buffalo Sabres selected him Saturday morning with the first pick of the second round (No. 31), Lemieux vowed to make the rest of the NHL regret making him wait, particularly some of the teams his father, Claude Lemieux, played for during his 20-plus year career, including the Colorado Avalanche.

"There are a few teams there -- Colorado -- that really stung, but like I said, I'm definitely going to love going in their arenas and making it hard on their guys because they decided to pass me over," said Lemieux, who was born in Denver while his father was playing for the Avalanche. "I'm going to use this as fuel. They gave one of the more fiery guys in the draft, I'd like to say, a lot more fire."

PHILADELPHIA -- Dylan Larkin is going home.

A product of the United States National Team Development Program Under-18 in the United States Hockey League was born in Waterford, Mich., less than an hour away from Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound center was as surprised as anyone when the Red Wings opted to select him No. 15 in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center on Friday.

Larkin was one of several top prospects to be selected by a team with some sort of local tie.

"It's awesome to be picked by Detroit," Larkin said. "I grew up just north of Detroit and all my friends and family were Wings' fans. It's a great organization and I'm excited to now be a part of the team."

PHILADELPHIA -- The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup playing an attacking offensive style, and that came after a regular season when the top seven teams in the NHL standings finished in the top seven in scoring.

The rest of the League appears to be playing catch-up. Friday, in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft, 11 of the first 13 players picked were highly skilled forwards.

Twenty-five forwards were taken in the 30-pick first round, the most in League history, surpassing the 23 drafted in 2003.

The forwards ranged from big and strong to small and skilled, but all are offensive-minded players who look to score goals and create offensive chances.

"I think it's where it's going," Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray said. "The day they took the red line out it was inevitable it has to go that way. ... I think you've seen it the last couple years, high-scoring forwards or offensive forwards have been a priority early in the draft."

Here is a look at the first-round selections in the 2014 NHL Draft, picked Friday at Wells Fargo Center.

1.   Aaron Ekblad, D, Barrie Colts (OHL)

The defenseman of the year in the OHL finished with 36 goals, 91 points and 118 penalty minutes in his third season with the Colts. The 6-foot-3, 216-pound right shot will join a strong young group of blueliners, including Mike Matheson, Ian McCoshen and Alex Petrovic. Ekblad was the first defenseman drafted No. 1 in eight years.

2.   Sam Reinhart, C, Kootenay Ice (WHL)

From a family of a hockey-playing father and three brothers, the youngest finished fourth in the Western Hockey League with 105 points (36 goals, 69 assists) in 60 regular-season games. He has 101 goals, 254 points and a plus-52 rating in 203 regular-season games spanning three seasons.

3.   Leon Draisaitl, C, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

Projected as a Jaromir Jagr-type performer, the 6-foot-1, 204 pound left shot had 38 goals, 105 points in 64 games. The Oilers needed to add a workhorse forward to skate alongside Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov.