With the first 15 draft slots in order, what a lot of NHL fans of teams outside the playoffs are thinking – outside of what devil magic Taylor Hall works as his team wins the lottery for the fifth time – is who their team will pick.



With that in mind, The Athletic’s NHL staff collectively put together a preliminary mock draft of the first 15 picks. The writers covering each respective team made the selection based on their knowledge of what the teams on their beat covet, and I added commentary of the player. I will do a personal mock draft down the line.



This should show you which players your favorite team could pick and a reasonable range of talent around their slot, as well as how these players could fit into the organization. More detailed scouting reports will follow later in the season on these players, but we’ve already taken a close look at Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, the presumed top two picks in the draft.



No. 1. New...