2019 NHL Draft Rankings

For the Colorado Avalanche, the 2019 NHL Entry Draft means two things - they will finally be able to close the door on the 2017 Matt Duchene trade and with an abundance of picks in the top-65, the team will be able to stock the prospect pool with more high-end talent.

In Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, this year’s draft has two players that are head an shoulders above the rest. Those two players are going to be stars in the NHL. There's no if, ands or buts about it. Hughes is the most naturally talented player since Connor McDavid, while Kakko is an NHL ready kid who could lead the New York Rangers to great things.

One step bow the big-2, you have Alex Turcotte in a tier by himself. After struggling through early season injuries, Turcotte took off at the start of 2019. Playing in the shadow of Hughes - and to some extend Cole Caufield - Turcotte is a player that is going to make a major impact in the NHL for a long time. Patrice Bergeron and Ryan O'Reilly have shown how important smart all-around players can be. Turcotte is in the mold.

After those three there is a large group of players that are all muddled together.

For me, once you get past the first three three, there is a group of 15-20 prospects that would have a first round grade in any draft. Bowen Byram is the best defender in the draft - by a wide margin - but does that automatically make him the fourth best prospect to some teams? We'll have to see.

Moreso that any other year, the first round this year will be completely unpredictable.

Every summer, we see the draft turn into a total crap shoot by the middle of the second round - this year that’s going to happen a lot earlier.

With that said, here is a list of my top-63 prospects for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft: