LIVE: 2015 NHL Entry Draft Blog

Pick-by-pick coverage of the draft in Sunrise, Fla.

  This blog will be updated live during the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Every selection, trade, or transaction of any kind will be brought up to date instantly as it is announced and posted to this page.
 Player selections will go directly underneath the team name of a given pick. Any transactions that take place during the draft will be written in italics and highlighted in yellow.
 Every draft pick will be accompanied by a brief description of each prospect for a better understanding of what a team has added to its system. Depending on what browser you are using, you may have to refresh the page to get new information. Sorry for the extra trouble.

 This year, two generational talents are expected to go No. 1 and No. 2 overall, respectively. After those first two consensus picks, though, things get much more convulted and interesting. Beyond the top 15 or so picks, everything becomes chaos, as reflected by the final cumulative draft rankings for this class.

 This is shaping up to be a very wild and unpredictable draft, so be sure to check back every time your favorite team makes a selection or follow along with every pick!

Final 2015 Cumulative Draft Rankings

 A new era of NHL is nearly upon us.

 This year's draft features two generational, franchise fortune-altering prospects that are sure to shape the scene of superstardom in the show for years to come. More than two names will be called in Sunrise, Fla. this weekend, though, and there has been much debate as to what the order of those names should be. Cue the Hart of Hockey cumulative draft rankings.

 Below is a comprehensive list of the top 75 prospects for the upcoming draft, scored accordingly based on the players' individual rankings from nine different scouting services.

 The eight draft rankings used to compute a player's "average score" are those of TSN's Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, TSN's Director of Scouting Craig Button, the International Scouting Service (ISS,) HockeyProspect.com (HP,) McKeen's Scouting, Red Line Report (RLR,) The Hockey News (THN,) and Future Consideration (FC.) Since NHL Central Scouting separates its rankings by geography and position, its rankings are used as a tiebreaker in the event of two or more players ending up with the same average score value. The player with the greater CS rank wins the tie.

 The scouts have spoken, and the Excel sheet has... excelled. These are your final 2015 cumulative rankings:

NHL Prospects in the 2015 Memorial Cup

 The 2015 MasterCard  Memorial Cup Tournament begins tonight, and features four absolutely loaded teams.
 As you will see below, every squad has its fair share of drafted NHL talent. Also included in this list are draft eligible players for any upcoming draft.
 Unlike previous years, there is no one NHL team that happens to run away with the distinction of having the most prospects in the tournament. No pro club has the rights to more than two players at this year's Memorial Cup, but there are plenty of 2015 draft eligible players to feast your eyes on.
 The OHL's Oshawa Generals have the most drafted players of the four participating Memorial Cup teams with eight prospects on their roster whose rights belong to an NHL club.

2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview

 The last week of the NHL regular season was unlike anything seen in recent history. The dust from the 82-game grind settled, and jaws dropped as a once cloudy playoff picture became clear. Seven teams from the previous year's Stanley Cup Playoffs would not be returning to the postseason.
 The unfathomable turn of events saw some of the last decade's powerhouses checking April tee times, while some of the most wildest stories the league has ever seen led certain squads to the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup. Some teams simply had incredible runs, others got off to an unexpected hot start and never looked back, and others defied the odds in the most literal sense possible to clinch a playoff spot.
 However, whatever success or misfortune experienced during the past six months is meaningless now. A whole new season begins as the NHL's 16-best squads begin the hellacious quest for ultimate glory. The field is set, and much like the season that preceded it, the first round looks tantalizingly unpredictable.

Cumulative 2015 Draft Rankings (March)

 Hello fellow draftketeers.

 First of all, this is an incredibly deep draft. The talent breeds much further down the list than the top two names everyone has been (rightfully) talking about. That is why I am so sorry that it has taken until March to post the first edition of these cumulative draft rankings. We were unable to watch these rankings change and evolve over a few months time, and that stinks. However, I'm happy to bring this Hart of Hockey tradition back.

 To reiterate the rules, the cumulative rankings system takes an individual player's rankings in various pundits'/scouting services' publications and then finds the average score from combining all the rankings. In this addition, the lists used were TSN's Bob McKenzie and Craig Button, NHL Central Scouting (CS,) International Scouting Services (ISS,) McKeen's Hockey, and HockeyProspect.com (HP). Since Central Scouting separates its rankings by European/North American and Skaters/Goalies, its numbers are only used as a tiebreaker if the values of two players' or more average score is the same.
 Lastly, this is the time where I remind you that these rankings are not to be interpreted as a mock draft, but rather a different way to value the prospects heading into the draft and potentially project when their names will be called on draft day.
 The first name on this edition of the 2015 draft cumulative rankings comes as no surprise.

All-Star Solution to the All-Star Problem

photo credit:  Justin Sabau/Getty Images

 The NHL had gone so long without an All-Star Game that people apparently forgot how terrible they are. Yes, this most recent edition in Columbus was particularly bad, setting the record for the most goals scored, but the minimal effort exerted is nothing new. Still, people clamored in the press box and all over social media to voice their displeasure.

 Nowadays, the NHL All-Star Game is more about a weekend of thoroughly entertaining festivities than one meaningless game. It's a great concept. It works, for the most part. The only (and biggest) problem with this model is that the weekend is climaxed with its undoubtedly least entertaining event.

 To reiterate: THE ALL-STAR GAME SUCKS, but it's not completely beyond repair.
 If the All-Star Weekend is all about entertainment, the NHL can turn to the simplest form of entertainment North American television has ever seen: the game show.
 If you take away the different bells and whistles that set one game show apart from another, their general concept is to take an ordinary person and give him/her an opportunity to win a ton of money. The NHL can easily adopt this and implement it as a way to get more eyeballs on the game.
 This solution scenario would require a lot of moving parts to work together in order to be successful, but I don't think there's any doubt that it will at least make the game more interesting.

2015 World Junior Championship Ultimate Guide

ROSTERS, SCHEDULES, PREVIEWS, AND PREDICTIONS

 Montréal and Toronto are the two cities with the greatest amount of hockey history. Countless legends have played for the people of those fine cities, and a pantheon of storied contests were played on their ice. This year, the hockey world will converge on both of these puck-head havens for the annual gut-wrenching, heart-racing, awe-inspiring tournament that is the IIHF World Junior Championship.
 With games split between Montréal's Bell Centre and Toronro's Air Canada Centre, 10 countries' finest young men will compete for national pride, glory, and hockey immortality. Every team will have its fair share of obstacles if it wants to reach its ultimate goal, but no matter how much they all want it, no matter how hard they work, only one team will have gold draped around their necks after the final game.
 In this, your Ultimate Guide to the 2015 World Juniors, fans can find complete rosters of every team and its corresponding group stage schedule, a preview of all 10 teams, and predictions as to who will end up with individual honors and what country will be the one singing its anthem at center ice with new hardware.
 The tournament runs from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. Games will air on TSN and its affiliates for Canadian audiences and on NHL Network for those watching in the United States.

LIVE 2014 NHL Entry Draft Blog

 This blog will be updated live during the 2014 NHL Entry Draft in Philadelphia, Pa. Every selection, trade, or transaction of any kind will be updated instantly as it is announced and posted to this page.
 Any transactions that take place during the draft will be written in italics and highlighted in yellow.
 Every draft pick will also be accompanied by a brief description of each prospect for a better understanding of what any team has added to its system.

The Inimitable HARTY Awards

 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2014 Annual HARTY Awards, where the NHL's finest are honored with prestigious accolades that every young child with a hockey stick in his hands has dreamed of winning since two years ago.
 Now, this is the internet's premier red carpet awards event, and while there is no invitation necessary to attend, this is still a black tie event. The Hart of Hockey would appreciate it if you dressed appropriately for such an occasion, and show some respect to the players we all tore apart on Twitter the past season and look your finest. If you have to alter your attire for the event, now's your chance.

Final 2014 Cumulative Draft Rankings

 The draft is upon us, and 210 young men's lives will be changed forever on Friday and Saturday in Philadelphia.
 As always, The Hart of Hockey will be live blogging the event, but no draft coverage would be complete without a final edition of the blog's signature cumulative draft rankings.
 If you are unfamiliar with The Hart of Hockey's rankings, I'll be happy to give you a quick rundown of the system. If you are already familiar, just skip to the table below, but I'm sure you've already done that.
 The cumulative rankings take an individual player's rankings in various pundits/scouting services publications and then finds the average score from combining all the rankings. In this addition, the outside ranking lists used were TSN's Bob MacKenzie and Craig Button, NHL Central Scouting (CS,) The Hockey News (THN,) International Scouting Services (ISS,) Red Line Report (RLR,) McKeen's Hockey, and HockeyProspect.com (HP). Since Central Scouting separates its rankings by European/North American and Skaters/Goalies, its numbers are only used as a tiebreaker if the values of two players' or more average score is the same.
 Lastly, this is the time where I remind you that these rankings are not to be interpreted as a mock draft, but rather a different way to value the prospects heading into the draft and potentially project when their names will be called on draft day.
 Things get progressively crazier outside of the top five, but The Hart of Hockey is very proud to have collected enough data to present you with 60 players ranked with the cumulative system, starting with Kootenay's Sam Reinhart.

NHL Prospects in the 2014 Memorial Cup

 The Memorial Cup tournament always boasts some of the best talent in junior hockey. Naturally, the annual competition has plenty of NHL prospects, whether they be drafted, signed as undrafted free agents, or even big names in an upcoming draft.
 The 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup begins tonight with the QMJHL Champion Val-d'Or Foreurs taking on the host team, the London Knights at 7:00 p.m. Here you can find all of the NHL prospects participating in this year's tournament for all four teams.

EDMONTON OIL KINGS

No.	Position	Player	NHL Club
2	D	Cody Corbett	Colorado Avalanche*
8	D	Griffin Reinhart	New York Islanders
10	F	Henrik Samuelsson	Phoenix Coyotes
24	D	Aaron Irving	2014 Draft
25	F	Lane Bauer	2014 Draft
27	F	Curtis Lazar	Ottawa Senators
29	F	Mitch Moroz	Edmonton Oilers
30	G	Tristan Jarry	Pittsburgh Penguins
36	D	Dysin Mayo	2014 Draft
39	F	Brett Pollock	2014 Draft

GUELPH STORM

No.	Position	Player	NHL Club
4	D	Matt Finn	Toronto Maple Leafs
6	D	Phil Baltisberger	2014 Draft
7	D	Ben Harpur	Ottawa Senators
8	D	Zac Leslie	Los Angeles Kings
9	F	Robby Fabbri	2014 Draft
10	D	Nick Ebert	Los Angeles Kings
11	F	Jason Dickinson	Dallas Stars
16	F	Kerby Rychel	Columbus Blue Jackets
17	F	Tyler Bertuzzi	Detroit Red Wings
20	F	Justin Auger	Los Angeles Kings
21	F	Brock McGinn	Carolina Hurricanes
22	F	Pius Suter	2014 Draft
23	F	Zack Mitchell	Minnesota Wild*
24	F	Scott Kosmachuk	Winnipeg Jets

LONDON KNIGHTS

No.	Position	Player	NHL Club
10	F	Christian Dvorak	2014 Draft
11	F	Owen MacDonald	2014 Draft
14	F	Gemel Smith	Dallas Stars
16	F	Max Domi	Phoenix Coyotes
21	F	Chandler Yakimowicz	2014 Draft
24	F	Michael McCarron	Montréal Canadiens
43	G	Anthony Stolarz	Philadelphia Flyers
53	F	Bo Horvat	Vancouver Canucks
64	F	Ryan Rupert	Toronto Maple Leafs
65	D	Nikita Zadorov	Buffalo Sabres
71	F	Chris Tierney	San Jose Sharks
74	D	Aiden Jamieson	2014 Draft
77	F	Josh Anderson	Columbus Blue Jackets

VAL-d'OR FOREURS

No.	Position	Player	NHL Club
8	F	Anthony Mantha	Detroit Red Wings
14	F	Samuel Henley	Colorado Avalanche*
16	F	Nicolas Aubé-Kubel	2014 Draft
18	D	Keven Larouche	2014 Draft
20	D	Ryan Graves	New York Rangers
21	F	Anthony Beauregard	2014 Draft
30	G	Antoine Bibeau	Toronto Maple Leafs