While the 2020 NHL is not taking place until next June, it is never too early to look at some of the top talent that will be available in Montreal for the draft. The 2020 class already looks to be better than this 2019 one at first glance.
There is a clear favorite to go first overall in Alexis Lafreniere. After Lafreniere, there is an argument for any of the next four or fivee players to go second overall. In total, you can argue that about 15 players have the potential to be a top 10 pick.
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These are just my early rankings and I plan to have more in depth scouting reports for the majority of these players throughout the season leading up to the draft. This list will also grow and change quite often for the next 360+ days.
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Rank Name Position Team League
| 1 | Alexis Lafreniere | LW | Rimouski | QMJHL |
| 2 | Quinton Byfield | C | Sudbury | OHL |
| 3 | Alexander Holtz | RW | Djurgarden | J20 Super elit |
| 4 | Lucas Raymond | RW | Frolunda | J20 Super elit |
| 5 | Jamie Drysdale | D | Erie | OHL |
| 6 | Anton Lundell | C | HIFK | Liiga |
| 7 | Justin Barron | D | Halifax | QMJHL |
| 8 | Noel Gunler | RW | Lulea | J20 Super elit |
| 9 | Cole Perfetti | C | Saginaw | OHL |
| 10 | Marco Rossi | C | Ottawa | OHL |
| 11 | Tim Stutzle | C | Mannheim | DEL |
| 12 | Dylan Holloway | C | Okotoks | AJHL |
| 13 | Hendrix Lapierre | C | Chicoutimi | QMJHL |
| 14 | Yaroslav Askarov | G | St. Petersburg | MHL |
| 15 | Jean-Luc Foudy | C | Windsor | OHL |
| 16 | Antonio Stranges | C | London | OHL |
| 17 | Connor McClennon | RW | Kootenay | WHL |
| 18 | Tyler Kleven | D | USNTDP | USDP |
| 19 | Zion Nybeck | RW | HV71 J20 | SuperElit |
| 20 | Dylan Peterson | C | USNTDP 17 | USDP |
| 21 | Theo Rochette | C | Chicoutimi | QMJHL |
| 22 | Jan Mysak | C | Litvinov | Czech |
| 23 | Kaiden Guhle | D | Prince Albert | WHL |
| 24 | Luke Tuch | LW | USNTDP | USDP |
| 25 | Ty Smilanic | C | USNTDP | USDP |
| 26 | Jacob Perreault | C | Sarnia | OHL |
| 27 | Dawson Mercer | RW | Drummondville | QMJHL |
| 28 | Braden Schneider | D | Brandon | WHL |
| 29 | Mavrik Bourque | C | Cataractes | QMJHL |
| 30 | Kasper Simontaival | RW | Tappara | Jr. A sm-Liiga |
| 31 | Connor Zary | C | Kamloops | WHL |
| 32 | Emil Andrae | D | HV71 J20 | SuperElit |
| 33 | Jeremie Poirier | D | Saint John | QMJHL |
| 34 | Jake Neighbours | LW | Edmonton | WHL |
| 35 | Daniil Guschin | LW | Muskegeon | USHL |
| 36 | Veeti Miettinen | RW | Blues | Jr. A sm-Liiga |
| 37 | Alexander Nikishin | LW | Edmonton | WHL |
| 38 | Jaromir Pytlik | C | Sault Ste. Marie | OHL |
| 39 | Lleyton Moore | D | Niagara | OHL |
| 40 | Roni Hirvonen | C | Blues | Jr. A sm-Liiga |
Chris Bugajsky covers the Dallas Stars, the NHL and the NHL Draft for Full Press Coverage. Follow Chris on twitter @CBugajsky14.
