Plentiful storylines exist as 2018 NHL Draft approaches

TORONTO -- Expect the unexpected as the 2018 NHL Draft reaches the middle of the first round.
After several consensus elite players at the top, there is much debate about which players belong in the second tier of the draft, which will be held at American Airlines Center on June 22-23.

The varying opinions will add to the suspense in the early stages of the event, according to evaluators at NHL Central Scouting, who are holding their end-of-season meeting to determine the final rankings of North American skaters and goaltenders here this week.
"This year there are a lot of players who elevated their play and upgraded their status in the second half of the season which is reflected in some significant jumps in the overall rankings," said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting, a League-run scouting clearinghouse.
The final rankings of the top 217 skaters and 31 goaltenders in North America, as well as list of the top skaters and goaltenders in Europe, will be released later this month.
Here are five questions that were answered during NHL Central Scouting's final meetings:
How are forwards Andrei Svechnikov of Barrie, Filip Zadina of Halifax and Brady Tkachuk of Boston University different from each other?
"All three of these prospects are unique in their own way as the top forwards in this draft class," Marr said. "Svechnikov has the offensive skills to raise you out of your seat and he competes smartly with his assets. Tkachuk is a complete package with the speed, skills and smarts to go along with compete and physical assets to be a difference-maker. Zadina is a natural scorer and skilled offensive threat every time he's on the ice."
Svechnikov (6-foot-3, 187) had 40 goals and 32 assists in 44 games with Barrie (Ontario Hockey League). Tkachuk (6-3, 196) scored 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists) for Boston University (NCAA). He had nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven games with the United States at the 2018 World junior Championship. Zadina (6-foot-1, 192) had 82 points (44 goals, 38 assists) in 57 games with Halifax (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League).

Could a great performance in the Canadian Hockey League playoffs elevate a player in the draft?
Right wing Jeff Skinner was No. 34 in NHL Central Scouting's final list of North American skaters for the 2010 NHL Draft and was selected No. 7 by the Carolina Hurricanes after scoring 33 points (20 goals, 13 assists) in 20 OHL playoff games for Kitchener.
"Playoff performances do factor in the evaluation of players much like international play factors into the equation," Marr said. "It's a weighted factor in the draft process though as not all players have an opportunity to participate in playoffs and, depending on a prospect's ice time, it may or may not be influential. A positive playoff performance is a positive factor for that prospect."
Are there more skilled wingers than centers in this year's draft?
In the 2017 NHL Draft, 10 of the first 13 players selected were listed as a center for their junior hockey team, including Nico Hischier (No. 1, New Jersey Devils) of Halifax and Nolan Patrick (No. 2, Philadelphia Flyers) of Brandon.
In NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings of North American skaters for the 2018 draft, six of the first 11 players projected as first-round picks are playing on the wing for their respective junior teams.
"Teams look for the skilled defensemen and the big center, but at the end of the day, they're going to draft the best players available," said Troy Dumville of NHL Central Scouting. "It's going to come down to preference on draft day, who wins the NHL Draft Lottery, and what teams are looking for, and that's a fun thing."
Are there many top-tier draft-eligible skaters with fathers who played in the NHL?
At the top of the list are left wing Tkachuk, the son of U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame forward Keith Tkachuk, and USA Hockey's National Team Development Program defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (6-4, 215), the son of former NHL defenseman Kjell Samuelsson,
Center Jack Drury (5-11, 175) of Waterloo in the United States Hockey League is the son of former NHL forward Ted Drury and nephew of current New York Rangers assistant general manager Chris Drury.
Jack Drury set a USHL record with a 23-game point streak (14 goals, 18 assists) this season. He has 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) in 52 games.

How strong is the class for the 2019 NHL Draft?
The 2019 NHL Draft is shaping up to be one for the ages at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, June 21-22.
Center Jack Hughes of the USNTDP will likely be atop the draft board. Hughes, the younger brother of defenseman Quintin Hughes, No. 4 in Central Scouting's midterm list of North American skaters eligible for the 2018 draft, set a record with 99 points (34 goals, 65 assists) for the U-17/U-18 NTDP. He had 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) in 28 games for the U-18 team.
Others on the radar are center Raphael Lavoie, who scored 63 points (30 goals, 33 assists) in 68 games for Halifax (QMJHL), and left wing Arthur Kaliyev, who had 48 points (31 goals, 17 assists) for Hamilton (OHL). Goaltender Spencer Knight of the U-17 NTDP is 17-3-0 with a 2.55 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 25 games, and 7-1-0 with a 2.82 GAA and .902 save percentage in eight games for the U-18.
Right wing Kaapo Kakko of TPS is one of the elite international prospects. He averaged 14:12 in ice time in six games in Finland's top division, and had 55 points (25 goals, 30 assists) in 38 games for the under-20 team at TPS.