SUNRISE, Fla. -- Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said he embraces his reputation as someone not afraid to make bold moves. As he said Thursday, "I like to think outside the box."

Although Tallon said he's excited that the Panthers are hosting the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center, he said it doesn't mean he'll be looking to make a headline-grabbing move at the draft.

The first round of the draft is June 26 (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports); rounds 2-7 are June 27 (10 a.m. ET; NHLN, TVA Sports).

Boston University center Jack Eichel, who is expected to be a top-two pick at the 2015 NHL Draft, highlights the list of 39 invites to the United States National Junior Evaluation Camp to be held Aug. 1-8 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

USA Hockey made the announcement Thursday.

The camp will help determine parts of the final U.S. roster for the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be played in Helsinki, Finland, from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.

Eichel, who served as captain for the 2015 U.S. National Junior Team, is one of 18 invited players eligible for the 2015 draft at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., on June 26-27.

For the first time in 24 years, two college defensemen could be drafted among the top 10 picks of the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft on June 26 at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.

The probable candidates are Noah Hanifin of Boston College and Zachary Werenski of the University of Michigan. The previous time it happened was 1991, when Boston University's Scott Lachance went No. 4 to the New York Islanders and the University of Michigan's Aaron Ward went one pick later to the Winnipeg Jets.

The last time as many as two college defensemen were selected at any point in the first round was 2002, when Boston University's Ryan Whitney went No. 5 to the Pittsburgh Penguins and the University of Minnesota's Keith Ballard went No. 11 to the Buffalo Sabres.

Hanifin (6-foot-3, 203 pounds), No. 3 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of the top North American skaters eligible for the 2015 draft, has been projected as the best defenseman on the board since the start of the season. Werenski (6-2, 206), No. 9 on Central Scouting's final ranking, was named to the All-Big Ten Hockey First Team, and the All-Big Ten Freshman Team.

There are differences between the two college standouts.

Thanks in part to strong late-season play, defenseman Noah Juulsen of the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League could be a first-round pick at the 2015 NHL Draft, which will be held June 26-27 at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.

In the NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings Juulsen was No. 38 among North American skaters. In the final rankings he jumped 16 spots to No. 22. That climb up the charts was an attention-grabber, as was the strong late-season play that got him that recognition.

"He had a year where he creeped up and got better as the year went on and made us put him in our first round with the second half that he had," NHL Central Scouting's David Gregory said. "That kind of trending is a nice thing as well. You want someone that has games that were important, and these were important games for draft-eligible kids all year-round. He didn't let that put pressure on him and affect his game the wrong way; it actually helped his game and made him a better player."

There is no shortage of power forwards available in the 2015 NHL Draft, to be held June 26-27 at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.

At the top of the list is left wing Lawson Crouse of the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League.

Crouse had an impressive season, which included helping Canada win a gold medal at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. But uncertainty looms on where he might be selected.

In NHL.com's post-NHL Draft Lottery mock drafts, one writer had him going as high as No. 5 and the other at No. 10. The 6-foot-4, 211-pound left-shot forward is No. 5 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of the top draft-eligible North American skaters.

BUFFALO -- For a player to make their mark as a defenseman in the 2015 NHL Draft, they have to have a special set of skills to help them stand out from the crowd.

For Jeremy Roy of the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, it's his offensive game that will ensure his name is called early.

The 6-foot, 188-pound right-shot defender is No. 21 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters for the 2015 NHL Draft.

Mikko Rantanen, who plays for TPS in Finland's top professional league, could turn out to be the next star Finnish forward to enter the NHL.

The last Finnish-born forward to be selected among the top 10 at an NHL draft was center Aleksander Barkov by the Florida Panthers at No. 2 at the 2013 draft. The 6-foot-3, 211-pound Rantanen won't go that high at the 2015 NHL Draft, which will be held June 26-27 at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., but it won't take much longer for his name to be called.

Rantanen, an alternate captain for TPS, had nine goals and 28 points in 56 games; he led all under-20 players in Liiga, Finland's top league, in points. He also had four goals in five games for Finland at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship.

He's No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of European skaters for the 2015 draft, but NHL Director of European Scouting Goran Stubb said Rantanen is in a "class of his own at present in Europe."

At a time when goaltenders are more athletic and better coached than ever, don't be surprised if a run on top prospects at the position ensues after the early rounds of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., June 26-27.

"If this year has proven anything when it comes to goalies it's that having the ability to stick with it and work hard can lead to good things," said Al Jensen, NHL Central Scouting's top evaluator at the position. "There were so many goalies out there this year [in the NHL] who didn't make it at first. But when given an opportunity proved they could thrive."

Among the goalies who excelled this season after bumpy paths included Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild, Cam Talbot of the New York Rangers, Scott Darling of the Chicago Blackhawks and Andrew Hammond of the Ottawa Senators.

"Goalie is also a position where when you get on a roll, your confidence rolls and the puck begins to look like a beach ball," Jensen said. "There isn't a whole lot of difference between stopping pucks in the American Hockey League and the National Hockey League."

Oshawa Generals forward Anthony Cirelli couldn't believe where he was or what he had done.

There he was, inches in front of Kelowna Rockets goaltender Jackson Whistle in overtime of the championship game of the Memorial Cup. Then a loose puck popped onto his stick with an empty net to shoot it into.

"It was kind of a blur," Cirelli said. "I remember it going in. Then we were hoisting the cup."

Cirelli scored both goals in a 2-1 win that clinched Oshawa its first Memorial Cup title since 1990.

Oshawa's lineup for the championship game featured seven players who had been drafted by NHL teams, two in the first round, and another who could go late in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft.

But it was Cirelli, passed over twice in the Ontario Hockey League draft, who made it to the Generals after surviving two training camps, that had the biggest moment of the season.

Early last season former Saint John Sea Dogs coach Ross Yates wanted to get the message across to one of his top defensemen, Thomas Chabot, that his game wasn't where it needed to be for him or the team to be successful.

So when he filled out the lineup card for the Sea Dogs' home opener against the Halifax Mooseheads, he left Chabot's name out.

"You always run a chance when you do something like that," Yates said.

Yates was as curious as anyone how Chabot would take the slight. But the chance paid off, as Chabot took the benching as a challenge. By the end of the season it was clear Chabot met that challenge by developing into one of the top defensemen eligible for the 2015 NHL Draft.