If you have a top-two pick in the 2020 NHL draft, you can likely land yourself a franchise cornerstone piece. After that? Expect a wide range of opinions and very little consensus.
Canadian forwards Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield are certainly the top tier in this class, followed by a smattering of five-to-seven prospects who will be in or around most teams' top 10. Then there seems to be a fairly precipitous drop. The class has a lot of talent here, but there's also a lot of rawness. I find myself looking to take bigger swings on some players with upside right now, allowing criteria that I typically value most -- hockey sense and skating ability -- to be overtaken by things such as athleticism and hand skills.
There's a long, long way to go in this draft season, but here is how I rank the top 50 prospects for 2020 right now, updated and expanded from my Oct. 22 edition. Heights and weights are from Central Scouting.
1. Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 196
The most NHL-ready player in the draft, Lafreniere has a chance to be one of the better wings of the past few years. He plays a complete game and has few if any weaknesses in his game. With his ability to create separation with his hands, vision to spot plays on the ice and frame to challenge opposing defenders with or without the puck, Lafreniere is a handful. On top of that, he has put up monster production in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he posted an MVP performance at the World Juniors, and he seems to get better as the year progresses, putting him in the driver's seat to go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 prospect.
2. Quinton Byfield, C, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 215
Despite being one of the younger players in this draft class, 17-year-old Byfield is one of the most physically advanced. He has a massive frame, skates with power and speed, and has exceptional hands for a player his size. The fact that he's a center has some teams wondering if he can challenge Lafreniere for the top spot, but Byfield needs to become a little more consistent and maybe even a little meaner. However, when he is playing at his best, he's dominant, and it's hard not to look at those performances and wonder how much he can change the fortunes of a franchise if he can bring that same level night in, night out.
3. Lucas Raymond, LW, Frolunda (SHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 170
With good mobility and high skill level, Raymond has the ability to wow you on a shift-by-shift basis. But that hasn't always been the case this season, as his role on the pro team has been limited. He has a slighter build, and if he were with a shallower club team, he might play more. When you see Raymond in the international setting with Sweden, he makes plays and drives offense. Looking at the totality of his body of work, he's a major difference-maker.
4. Tim Stutzle, C/W, Mannheim (DEL)
Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 187
With excellent vision and distribution skills, Stutzle is already an exceptional playmaker. He has good hands, moves well and has a quick release on his shot. He's setting a new standard for what a teenager can do at the pro level in Germany. Stutzle was the straw that stirred the drink offensively for Germany at the World Juniors. Despite a slighter build, he doesn't hang on the perimeter too much and uses his creativity and skating to take pucks to the middle. He'll likely finish with the most points by a U20 player in DEL history while playing a key role on one of the top teams in the league.
5. Alexander Holtz, RW, Djugardens (SHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 192
After tacking on more weight and strength over the summer, Holtz has managed to be a stronger contributor at the professional level. When the team sent him down to junior this season, he scored seven goals and had two assists in two games before being recalled. Like Raymond, Holtz can do only so much with the role, but he was a standout for Sweden at the World Juniors. He has a killer release on his shot and gets himself to dangerous areas on the ice. Holtz also has a powerful stride that nicely matches his quicker hands.
6. Marco Rossi, C, Ottawa 67's (OHL)
Height: 5-foot-9 | Weight: 183
Absurd production aside, I enjoy the way Rossi plays the game. He's on the shorter side but has a strong lower half and does such a good job of using his body and taking the right angle to get pucks off of opposing players. He is committed in all zones but thrives offensively with excellent vision and good skill. Rossi's skating is probably just above average, but there's some quickness in there if not explosiveness. He makes everyone on the ice better and is currently putting together one of the most productive seasons in the OHL's recent history. The only two players with higher rates of production in their U19 seasons in the OHL in the past 15 seasons were Patrick Kane and Connor McDavid.
7. Jamie Drysdale, D, Erie (OHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 175
It has been a pretty remarkable year for Drysdale. He's a top performer among defensemen in the OHL and impacts the game in much the same way we're seeing Quinn Hughes do for the Vancouver Canucks. Drysdale is an exceptional skater with tremendous edge work that allows him to overcome his lack of an explosive stride. He sees the ice well and does a great job of getting pucks out of his zone with good hands and awareness. Drysdale's passing skills are very strong, too. Defensively, there's work to be done, but he has good effort in his zone, and despite a lighter frame, he does not get pushed around. Consider that Canada has brought only three U18 defensemen to the World Juniors in the past 15 years: Drysdale, Ryan Ellis and Aaron Ekblad.
8. Cole Perfetti, C/W, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 177
Highly skilled with high-end hockey sense, Perfetti has been an incredible producer in the OHL this year. Some moderate concerns about his skating remain the reason he isn't higher on this list. But Perfetti has a lot of other necessary tools to allow him to produce at the next level.
9. Yaroslav Askarov, G, SKA-Neva St. Petersburg (VHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 176
There was a time not long ago when two scouts wondered aloud to me if Askarov wouldn't be the best player in this draft. He's an exceptional talent, but being Russian and playing within the SKA St. Petersburg system adds even more risk to the already high risk factor of being a goalie. Still, there's so much to like about Askarov, even after his subpar showing at the WJC. He's explosive post-to-post and battles, he rarely gets rattled, and he has carried teams to wins. It's always a good idea to hedge on goalies, but Askarov is special.
10. Anton Lundell, C, HIFK (Liiga)
Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 185
An injury kept him out of the World Juniors, but Lundell has been a solid producer for HIFK since he returned. He doesn't do any one thing that jumps out at you, but he thinks the game at a high level and plays well in all zones. His vision and passing abilities are good traits for him, but it comes back to that high-end hockey sense when ranking Lundell in this range.
11. Dylan Holloway, C, Wisconsin (Big Ten)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 203
In a shallow year for centers at the top of the draft, Holloway is looking like a solid option in the Nos. 10-15 range. He is a very good skater with speed and good transitional skills, commits to playing in the defensive end and has a good on-ice work ethic. The points haven't been there in his first season with Wisconsin, but he's only a season removed from being a dominant Junior A player in Canada.
12. Jake Sanderson, D, U.S. National Under-18 Team (NTDP)
Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 186
It might not be a great year for Americans in the draft, but Sanderson has been a riser all season. The son of former NHL forward Geoff Sanderson, Jake has great north-south speed and good awareness. His ability to close gaps and cut off opposing forwards is among the best in this draft, thanks to his feet. The big question is whether there is more offense for him to tap into.
13. Connor Zary, C, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 177
Born 10 days too late to be selected in the previous draft, Zary has had ample time to build a strong case for himself -- and he just keeps getting better. Zary is a strong shot-pass threat and has been among the WHL's top scorers all season. He's average-sized with a good motor and showcases above-average skills.
14. Dawson Mercer, C, Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 181
With an unrelenting motor, Mercer hunts pucks with the best of them and can be a thorn in the side of the opposition. Once he has the puck, he can make some special things happen. He processes the game at a very high speed.
15. Jack Quinn, LW, Ottawa 67's (OHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 179
The kid can score, that's for sure. Quinn has talent surrounding him in Ottawa, but there's something to be said for his being the go-to scoring threat. He has a great release and shoots well off the pass. Although I think his skating is closer to average, he can score off the rush, too. Quinn, 18, is one of the older players in this draft, but this is only his second full season in the OHL, and he has shown remarkable year-to-year progress.
16. Braden Schneider, D, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 202
A physical presence with good two-way skills, Schneider is one of the better all-around defensemen in this class. He has the size and strength to make things difficult for forwards along the walls, and he defends well in open ice with solid mobility. There always seems to be a premium on right-shot D, and he's a good one.
17. William Wallinder, D, MODO (Allsvenskan)
Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 191
There's a rawness to Wallinder that is intriguing. He has good puck skills and can get pucks up ice quickly. The skating is fair, and as he tacks more muscle onto his 6-foot-4 frame, he should be able to defend better down low. He was highly productive in the U20 ranks but has found the offense harder to come by in Sweden's second division. This is a riskier range for a raw player such as Wallinder, but I think there are some unique tools here in a relatively weak defense draft.
18. Hendrix Lapierre, C, Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 179
Injuries have really hampered Lapierre this season after he started so strongly at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup with Canada. A high-end playmaker, Lapierre has the tools to be a producer in the NHL, but I still want to see some more tape on him.
19. Rodion Amirov, LW, Ufa (KHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 167
A higher-end skill player with the ability to make plays down low and off the rush, Amirov has spent a lot of time in the KHL this season. He has mastered the junior level, but the faster, tougher games have made it harder for him to produce, a reason I've come down on him just a bit this season.
20. Jacob Perreault, C, Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 200
The son of former NHLer Yanic Perreault, Jacob is going to have a chance to best his dad's draft status by a significant margin. Perreault is a scorer, having produced 30 goals as a 16-year-old last year in the OHL. This season, he's doing a little bit of everything with higher-end puck skills and an excellent nose for the net. He already beat his rookie point total in 20 fewer games.
21. Noel Gunler, LW, Lulea (SHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 176
Having spent most of the season in pro hockey, Gunler's numbers don't exactly pop off the page -- but his skill does. He has a tremendous release and was one of the top players in Swedish junior hockey last season. Gunler has been left out of Swedish national teams, however, despite his skill set.
22. Ozzy Wiesblatt, C/W, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 183
Wiesblatt represents a trend in this draft: There are a lot of sub-6-foot skill players who are going to get longer looks because there aren't many more talented big guys. Wiesblatt has some excellent puck skills and plays the game at a quick pace.
23. Jeremie Poirier, D, Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 199
Among defensemen, Poirier has the best hands in this draft and shows some creativity. His defending needs a lot of work, but in a shallower draft class, I wouldn't mind taking a chance on his skill set, as I think it can be beneficial at both ends of the ice.
24. Brendan Brisson, LW, Chicago Steel (USHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 177
With a dominant performance at the World Junior A Challenge and an exceptional season as a USHL rookie, Brisson has been trending up rapidly this season. The son of super-agent Pat Brisson has more than made a name for himself in the USHL this season, keying the offense for the league's best team.
25. Kaiden Guhle, D, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 188
An exceptional skater with the ability to close down opposing forwards, Guhle has some intriguing athleticism. Offensive upside is the concern at this point, but his skating, defending and physicality are all on track for him to be an NHL-level defender.
26. Jean-Luc Foudy, LW, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 174
One of the best skaters in the draft, if not the best, Foudy has incredible speed and can challenge teams off the rush. He has good but not great puck skills, and his OHL numbers are only OK, but he's on an upward trajectory with a chance to be a handful over the course of his career with his elite speed.
27. Ty Smilanic, RW, U.S. National Under-18 Team (NTDP)
Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 177
Injuries have limited Smilanic this season, but when he's on the ice, he is instantly noticeable. A lot of that has to do with his speed, which allows him to create some separation and makes him more dangerous on the forecheck. He has a good frame and physical strength, which makes him more difficult to defend in the hard areas of the ice.
28. Tyson Foerster, RW, Barrie Colts (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 194
With a quick release and good puck skills to make plays, Foerster has been a riser all season for me. He's playing in a tough situation, with Barrie mired in a downward spiral, but Foerster keeps producing even after Ryan Suzuki was traded. He's a goal scorer with good size, but he remains an average skater.
29. Vasily Ponomarev, C, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 178
Ponomarev has had to manage the adjustment to North America, but I think the best is yet to come for him. He's a good skater and has some power in his game while showing good defensive responsibility and a really dangerous skill set, especially in tight by the net.
30. Lukas Reichel, RW, Berlin (DEL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 170
He has skill and vision, and he is performing especially well in Germany's top level. The only real need at this point for Reichel is adding muscle to his frame. His ability to make plays off the rush and expose defenders in the offensive zone is advanced.
31. Jake Neighbours, LW, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 197
Neighbours has really stepped up this season, showcasing good speed and passing ability while playing with just enough edge. He has a sturdy frame and uses it well as a top performer in the WHL. He's a big-time riser for me.
32. Mavrik Bourque, C, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 168
A gifted playmaker with soft hands and higher-end vision, Bourque is putting up big numbers in his second QMJHL season. In games I've watched, he has had a harder time getting through the middle of the ice due to a slight frame, but the puck skills and offensive sense make him a really strong shot-pass threat in the offensive zone.
33. Seth Jarvis, RW, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 179
Jarvis can dart around the ice and has great confidence with the puck on his stick. He is leading a strong Portland team in scoring and performed well at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup for Canada. Jarvis is trending up as the season progresses and could find himself in first-round territory as the draft nears.
34. John-Jason Peterka, RW, Munich (DEL)
Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 192
He has a goal scorer's mentality and has had some solid success at the professional level in Germany. He also stood out at the World Junior Championship, where he was finishing plays with regularity and looked solid side-by-side with top players.
35. Jan Mysak, RW, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 180
Mysak was performing well in the Czech pro leagues but decided to hop over to North America after the World Juniors, joining Hamilton in January. He has a decent frame and can make some solid plays down low. Mysak is gifted near the net and has a knack for making plays under pressure.
36. Justin Barron, D, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 195
A blood clot has derailed Barron's season, but he is expected to make a recovery and return to action in March. Teams will have to do extra due diligence on his health, but Barron is a solid right-shot defender who can play physically and produce from the back end. He's a first-round-caliber talent if healthy.
37. Yan Kuznetsov, D, UConn (Hockey East)
Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 209
Kuznetsov is the youngest player in the NCAA this season, at 17, so I was surprised when it was announced that he was enrolling in school a year earlier than anticipated. What has been more surprising is just how easily he has made the transition and how good he has been for a very young UConn team. Kuznetsov has size, defends especially well and has shown at least some offensive upside.
38. Ryan O'Rourke, D, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 173
A solid two-way defenseman who plays significant minutes for the Greyhounds, O'Rourke isn't terribly flashy. He is, however, a highly intelligent player who rarely gets caught in a bad spot. There isn't much of a dynamic element in his game, but there's something to be said for being rock-solid in your own end.
39. Kasper Simontaival, C, Tappara (Liiga Jr.)
Height: 5-foot-9 | Weight: 177
I enjoy watching Simontaival play because he can dart around the ice and has some shiftiness to him. He has dominated the Finnish junior ranks, but the heavier games in pro hockey have given the 5-foot-9 forward some problems. He doesn't back down, though, and plays a good all-around game with good skills.
40. Tyler Kleven, D, U.S. National Under-18 Team (NTDP)
Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 200
An absolute rocket of a shot is the standout trait for Kleven, but he's also a very strong defender who angles oncoming forwards as well as anyone in this class. He isn't a high-end skater, but he moves well, plays physically and has the strength to bully opposing forwards.
41. Roni Hirvonen, LW, Assat (Liiga)
Height: 5-foot-9 | Weight: 164
In the midst of a strong season in Finland's top pro league and coming off a strong performance at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, Hirvonen has garnered an awful lot of attention. His hockey sense is high-end, but at his size, he needs to improve skating to make a bigger impact as he moves forward.
42. Will Cuylle, RW, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 204
A big body who can move, Cuylle is still figuring out how to use the full complement of his skills. Average hockey sense and average hands will likely keep him out of the first round, but there's a good base to start with in building more of a power game.
43. Thomas Bordeleau, C, U.S. National Under-18 Team (NTDP)
Height: 5-foot-9 | Weight: 179
Bordeleau has a chance to become a third-generation NHLer if he makes it, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Paulin, and father, Sebastian. Bordeleau has sneaky skill and excellent vision, which allow him to make plays in traffic and find his teammates.
44. Helge Grans, D, Malmo (SHL)
Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 205
A hulking right-shot defenseman with fair mobility, Grans has seen his ice time go up at the professional level with Malmo. He has good ideas with the puck on his stick, but the execution hasn't been there in my viewings.
45. Sean Farrell, C, Chicago Steel (USHL)
Height: 5-foot-9 | Weight: 175
Speed and work ethic have allowed Farrell to push his game to the next level, and despite slightly below-average size, he can make a lot of plays. He's one of the USHL's top scorers this season and was a late birthdate on the USNTDP U18 team that saw eight players selected in the first round in 2019.
46. Luke Evangelista, RW, London Knights (OHL)
Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 172
Evangelista plays with some high-profile scorers but holds his own in London. His ability to keep pace with speedsters and contribute on that top line speaks a lot to London's faith in him and his advanced skill set.
47. Daniil Guschin, LW, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
Height: 5-foot-8 | Weight: 152
A shifty, highly skilled forward, Guschin has been a top performer in the USHL and for Russia internationally. Concerns about his size and consistency of effort are warranted, but he has some of the best pure puck skills in this draft.
48. Emil Andrae, D, HV-71 (SHL)
Height: 5-foot-9 | Weight: 181
There is some real offensive talent in his game, and Andrae has been a producer at the Swedish U20 level, but I have some concern about his skating. He is 5-foot-9, and that doesn't bother me so long as there is a dynamic element in his skating, which I haven't seen yet. He sees the ice remarkably well and has some good puck skills, though.
49. Brandon Coe, RW, North Bay Battalion (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 190
In a relatively undersized draft class, seeing a player with Coe's size and skill level might entice teams to take him higher. Coe is one of the top scorers for North Bay this season, is an above-average skater at his size and has some power elements in his game to go with some finish.
50. Jaromir Pytlik, C, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 201
With good size, a two-way game and playmaking skills, there's a lot to like about Pytlik as he embarks on his first full season in North America after joining the Greyhounds late last year. His skating is probably closer to average, though, which gives me pause about his long-term projection.