2017 NHL draft rankings: Nico Hischier, Nolan Patrick lead solid class

There may not be a generational player in the 2017 NHL draft, but that doesn’t mean the class is any less quality. There’s a lot of talent to be had when the fun kicks off on June 23 in Chicago.

Weak: That has been the main one-word description for the 2017 NHL draft class, which does not feature the same star power as the previous two boasted.

The thing is, most drafts don’t have a Connor McDavid. They certainly don’t have a duo as dynamic as McDavid and Jack Eichel in 2015 or Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine in 2016 atop the list—and that’s okay.

Indeed, the hockey world has been spoiled in recent years. Generational players are referred to as such because they tend not to come around very often and even when they don’t, it doesn’t make or break the collective. There’s still plenty of talent to be had in prospect pools–productive forwards, defensive wizards, brick wall-like goaltenders and so on.

The 1999 draft class was weak. Only eight or nine of the 25 players selected in the first round ever made some form of impact at the NHL level. Patrik Stefan, the first overall pick, amassed a paltry 188 points in 455 games and became a YouTube sensation for all the wrong reasons.

But this year’s draft? It’s pretty solid. There are several quality building blocks for NHL scouts and front offices to browse through and select. And while centers Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier aren’t quite as good as some of the names mentioned above, they’re still really, really good.

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It’s also a strong year for goalie prospects, led by Boston University's Jake Oettinger, an NCAA starter as a true freshman this season who was not fazed in the slightest.

As is the case with most drafts, there will be future stars taken in later rounds that truly define scouting and player development staffs. Denis Smirnov, a winger at Penn State, led all NCAA rookies—including Arizona’s top pick in 2016, Clayton Keller, in scoring. Cole Guttman of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints averaged over a point-per-game and finished with just as many as Eeli Tolvanen, though the latter is ranked high-up on NHL Central Scouting’s list while the former didn’t even make the list.  

Only time will tell what actually becomes of the 217 players selected on June 23rd and 24th at Chicago’s United Center. For now, here are my rankings.

NOTE: This is not a mock draft, or in any way intended to be reflective of where players might be chosen. Prospects are listed in order based on a combination of factors that determine the likelihood of graduation to the NHL.