Folks, we’re just under two months away from the most fun and exciting weekend of the hockey year: the annual NHL Draft. The 2021 edition goes July 23 & 24 and it’ll be another unique remote draft, with the added wrinkle of the entire scouting year being disrupted by a global pandemic
This is the first of two planned editions of my 2021 NHL Draft rankings. The next will come in mid-July before the big event, after I have more chances to delve into scouting reports and check out even more video.
My ranking philosophy is simple: who would I draft if I was running a blank slate team and was just hoping for good, long-term assets to build around.