Lafreniere, Byfield lead NHL's final 2020 draft rankings
NHL Central Scouting released its final rankings for the 2020 draft Wednesday. Here's a look at the top 10 North American and international players.
North American
| Rank | Player (nationality) | Position | Team (league) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexis Lafreniere (CAN) | LW | Rimouski (QMJHL) |
| 2 | Quinton Byfield (CAN) | C | Sudbury (OHL) |
| 3 | Jamie Drysdale (CAN) | D | Erie (OHL) |
| 4 | Jake Sanderson (USA) | D | U-18 (NTDP) |
| 5 | Cole Perfetti (CAN) | C | Saginaw (OHL) |
| 6 | Marco Rossi (AUT) | C | Ottawa (OHL) |
| 7 | Jack Quinn (CAN) | RW | Ottawa (OHL) |
| 8 | Kaiden Guhle (CAN) | D | Prince Albert (WHL) |
| 9 | Braden Schneider (CAN) | D | Brandon (WHL) |
| 10 | Dawson Mercer (CAN) | C | Chicoutimi (QMJHL) |
The full rankings for North American skaters can be found here.
Leading the way in the North American group is consensus No. 1 overall pick Lafreniere, who had a gigantic draft year that included 112 points in 52 QMJHL games as well as a gold medal and tournament MVP honors at the world juniors.
Byfield, another gold medalist with Canada, maintained his No. 2 spot after 82 points in 42 games with the Sudbury Wolves. Younger and bigger than Lafreniere, he's an enticing prospect who projects to be a strong two-way center in the pros.
International
| Rank | Player (nationality) | Position | Team (league) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Stuetzle (GER) | LW | Mannheim (DEL) |
| 2 | Alexander Holtz (SWE) | RW | Djurgarden (SHL) |
| 3 | Anton Lundell (FIN) | C | HIFK (Liiga) |
| 4 | Lucas Raymond (SWE) | LW | Frolunda (SHL) |
| 5 | Rodion Amirov (RUS) | LW | UFA (KHL) |
| 6 | Helge Grans (SWE) | D | Malmo Jr. (Swedish Jr.) |
| 7 | John-Jason Peterka (GER) | RW | Munchen (DEL) |
| 8 | Topi Niemela (FIN) | D | Karpat (Liiga) |
| 9 | Noel Gunler (SWE) | RW | Lulea (SHL) |
| 10 | Roni Hirvonen (FIN) | C | Assat (Liiga) |
The full rankings for international skaters can be found here.
Stuetzle maintains his No. 1 status atop the international board from the midseason rankings after posting 34 points in 41 games in Germany's top professional league as a 17- and 18-year-old.
Swedish winger Holtz also held his spot at No. 2, but Lundell jumped up one position from the previous rankings and into the top three after registering 10 goals and 18 assists in 44 games with HIFK.
The 2020 NHL Draft was scheduled to take place June 26-27 in Montreal but has been postponed due to coronavirus concerns. A new date hasn't been determined. The draft lottery to determine the order of picks is also up in the air as the league deals with the pandemic.