NHL Draft: Round 1 Order

NHL draft, Auston Matthews

18-year-old Auston Matthews is expected to be drafted by the Toronto Maples Leafs who have the number one overall pick. (Getty)

The 2016 NHL Draft has arrived. The first round of the draft kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports. The Toronto Maple Leafs will begin the excitement with the first overall pick tonight at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Maple Leafs are likely to take Auston Matthews, who is the consensus best player. He’s an 18-year-old center from Arizona who showed his ability to compete at both the World Juniors and the World Championship. Matthews was Team USA’s best player at the World Championship, where he tied for third in the competition with six goals and added three assists.

Toronto has not had an outstanding No. 1 center since Mats Sundin, and Matthews has the potential to fill this vacancy.

Patrik Laine is considered the second-best player in the draft. He is an exciting, high-scoring winger, who has plenty of confidence. Laine believes he is the best player in the draft, and hasn’t been afraid to say so. He is coming off an MVP performance at the World Junior Championship, where he led Finland to a gold medal. Laine has said that he models his game after Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin. Laine is expected to be drafted by the Winnipeg Jets at number two.

Expect it to be a 3-hour long event as 30 teams make their first-round pick tonight. Everyone will reconvene on Saturday morning for Rounds 2 through 7 beginning at 10 a.m.

Here’s the draft order as it stands now, but don’t be surprised if a few trades change things up tonight:


Round 1

NHL prospects, NHL draft, Auston Matthews

Top Prospects Alexander Nylander, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews talk prior media availability for the 2016 NHL Draft Top Prospects ahead of Game Four of the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Final. (Getty)

1. Toronto
2. Winnipeg
3. Columbus
4. Edmonton
5. Vancouver
6. Calgary
7. Arizona
8. Buffalo
9. Montreal
10. Colorado
11. New Jersey
12. Ottawa
13. Carolina
14. Boston
15. Minnesota
16. Detroit
17. Nashville
18. Philadelphia
19. NY Islanders
20. Arizona (from NYR)
21. Carolina (from LAK)
22. Winnipeg (from CHI)
23. Florida
24. Anaheim
25. Dallas
26. Washington
27. Tampa Bay
28. St. Louis
29. Boston (from SJS)
30. Anaheim (from PIT via TOR)

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