NHL Draft Watch: The Connor McDavid show

NHL Draft Watch is your guide for eligible players worth keeping an eye on leading up to June's draft.

Rising/Falling

Rising: Connor McDavid, C, Erie (OHL)

It's nearly impossible for a player to raise his draft stock after beginning the season at the top of the rankings, but so far, Erie Otters center Connor McDavid is surpassing even the loftiest expectations.

McDavid has recorded seven four-point games already and is miles ahead of anyone else with 42 points in 14 contests, putting him in some very impressive company. His production is outpacing all recent first-overall picks from the OHL after 14 games of their draft-eligible seasons - a list that includes some of the NHL's top talents:

McDavid's scoring rate puts him on pace to break the OHL record for points in a season, set in 1977-78 by Bobby Smith. Smith finished with 192 points that year before being drafted first overall by the Minnesota North Stars. He went on to record 1,036 points in 1,077 career NHL games, winning the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986.

Smith's record-setting performance was overshadowed by a 16-year-old named Wayne Gretzky, who finished 10 points behind Smith in his only OHL season before turning pro and eventually rewriting NHL record books. McDavid is showing a little more Gretzky than Smith in his game with moves like these against the Ottawa 67's:

Rising: Mitchell Marner, C, London (OHL)

Mitchell Marner carved out a spot on an experienced London Knights team as a 16-year-old rookie last season, recording 59 points - a mark he should easily eclipse after back-to-back hat tricks in the first weekend of November earned him CHL Player of the Week honors.

The diminutive center recorded his first hat trick in Saturday's victory over the Windsor Spitfires and added another three goals when London routed the Sudbury Wolves at home on Sunday, extending his scoring streak 17 points in six games.

Marner uses his speed and awareness to find open ice in the offensive end and is elusive with the puck. His sluggish start to the season - one goal and four assists in his first 10 games - raised a few concerns, but he now looks a lot more like the top-10 pick some scouts thought he could be.

Falling: Paul Bittner, LW, Portland (WHL)

It's easy to be deceived by size in junior hockey. Paul Bittner's 6-foot-4 frame was too much for scouts to overlook and his 22 goals with the Portland Winterhawks last season hinted at some untapped offensive potential, leading to a few suggestions he would be first-round material in 2015.

Bittner has yet to live up to that billing in an increased role with the Winterhawks this year. He has 10 points in 17 games and is on pace for 28 goals despite playing with gifted playmakers like Nicolas Petan and Oliver Bjorkstrand, which is not a good sign.

NHL teams should be cautious about overvaluing Bittner's size, which makes him appear a man among boys in the junior ranks. His potential is very limited without an increase in offensive production.

Spotlight

Pilon and Provorov propelling Wheat Kings

The Brandon Wheat Kings haven't finished higher than third in the East Division since 2010, but they're back on top of the WHL this season, scoring a league-leading 92 goals and holding a comfortable division lead.

One reason for Brandon's surprising turnaround? A pair of draft-eligible defensemen: Ryan Pilon and Ivan Provorov.

Provorov has eight goals and 19 points in his first 18 WHL games, while Pilon has 18 points in 16 contests. Together, the two blue-liners are turning the Wheat Kings into one of the league's top possession teams.

Pilon and Provorov took very different paths to Brandon. Pilon, from Prince Albert, Sask., landed with the team last season after demanding a trade from the struggling Lethbridge Hurricanes and benefited from playing alongside New York Islanders 2013 first-rounder Ryan Pulock. He models his game after Brent Seabrook.

Provorov, from the Russian city of Yaroslavl, was playing in the USHL when the Wheat Kings selected him 30th overall in the 2014 import draft. He moved to the United States with his father four years ago to learn the North American game - a decision that continues to pay dividends.

"Real good players are poised beyond their years sometimes. That's what he's shown so far," Provorov's USHL coach Mark Carlson​ told Jeff Johnson of the Cedar Rapids Gazette last year. Carlson also praised Provorov's character and hockey sense.

If Provorov and Pilon continue to develop their game at both ends of the ice and help the Wheat Kings earn home ice in the playoffs, they will make for enticing first-round prospects in June 2015.