The league is getting younger and faster every season, making it practically impossible for a team to achieve a certain form of success without a strong group of prospects. Each draft day is an important one because it is an occasion to drastically improve an organization from a long-term perspective. If we look at this year’s draft, there is talent extending through the ranks farther than we’ve seen in recent years.

Here’s my fall ranking based on a personal overall projection.

Jack Hughes, Kaapo Kakko, and Kirby Dach are leading the way

The 5’10” Jack Hughes is a dynamic and electrifying centre with elite top speed and stickhandling. What makes him so good is his ability to read the play before anyone else and make it look easy. He won’t score on every shift, but he’ll always creates something offensively. Scouts peg him as a combination of Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel.

If it’s unanimous that Jack, brother of Quinn, will be the first American-born player to be selected first overall since Matthews in 2016, Kaapo Kakko isn’t far behind. Everyone has him ranked after Hughes, and the Finnish winger is an extremely intelligent stickhandler, with Andrei Svechnikov’s type of potential.

Kirby Dach completes the top three. Dach keeps surprising us as he seems to have stepped up his game with the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL since the beginning of the season, recording 39 points in 24 games. On November 24, he was ranked seventh in points, fifth in assists (26), and sixth in power-play assists (13). All at only 17 years old.

A Canadian, an American, and a Swede make up the top three defencemen

Bowen Byram is a mobile and polyvalent two-way defenceman who’s described by many as a ‘’swagger’’ blue-liner. A smooth skater with great hockey IQ, he’s effective in every aspect of the game.

Cam York is a small defenceman but a good skater with an interesting offensive upside who reads the game perfectly. York is not the flashiest blue-liner, but he has great puck possession and passing ability.

Philip Broberg is a smart, skilled, physical defender with great skating ability. He really opened everyone’s eyes during the Hlinka/Gretzky Tournament when he was by far the most noticeable and complete defenceman. He carried those skills into the SHL this season.

The Top 50

Jack Hughes, C, USDP, 5’10, 168 lbs Kaapo Kakko, RW, TPS Turku (LIIGA), 6’1, 181 lbs Kirby Dach, C, Saskatoon Blades (WHL), 6’4, 198 lbs Dylan Cozens, C, Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL), 6’3, 185 lbs Alex Turcotte, C, USDP, 5’11, 194 lbs Bowen Byram, LHD, Vancouver Giants (WHL), 6’1, 191 lbs Vasili Podkolzin, RW, SKA Saint Petersburg (MHL), 6’1, 190 lbs Peyton Krebs, LW, Kootenay ICE (WHL), 5’11, 181 lbs Matthew Boldy, LW, USDP, 6’2, 187 lbs Ryan Suzuki, C, Barrie Colts (OHL), 6’0, 172 lbs Alex Newhook, C, Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL), 5’11, 183 lbs Cam York, LHD, USDP, 5’11, 172 lbs Trevor Zegras, C, USDP, 6’0, 168 lbs Raphael Lavoie, RW, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), 6’4, 198 lbs Philip Broberg, LHD, AIK (Allsvenskan), 6’3, 198 lbs Cole Caufield, RW, USDP, 5’7, 167 lbs Matthew Robertson, LHD, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL), 6’4, 201 lbs Arthur Kaliyev, RW, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL), 6’2, 190 lbs Anttoni Honka, RHD, KeuPa HT (Mestis), 5’10, 170 lbs Nolan Foote, C, Kelowna Rockets (WHL), 6’3, 187 lbs Simon Holmstrom, RW, HV 71 (SHL), 5’11, 171 lbs John Beecher, C, USDP, 6’3, 203 lbs Albin Grewe, C, Djugardens IF (SHL), 6’0, 176 lbs Victor Soderstrom, RHD, Brynas IF (SHL), 5’11, 176 lbs Jakob Pelletier, LW, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL), 5’9, 161 lbs Moritz Seider, RHD, Adler Mannheim (DEL), 6’4, 183 lbs Ilya Mironov, LHD, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (MHL), 6’3, 198 lbs Thomas Harley, LHD, Mississauga Steelheads (OHL), 6’3, 183 lbs Nicholas Robertson, C, Peterborough Petes (OHL), 5’9, 168 lbs Alex Vlasic, LHD, USDP, 6’6, 192 lbs Matvei Guskov, C, London Knights (OHL), 6’1 172 lbs Mikko Kokkonen, LHD, Jukurit (LIIGA), 5’11, 190 lbs Tobias Bjornfot, LHD, Djugardens IF J20 (SuperElit), 6’0, 187 lbs Pavel Dorofeyev, LW, Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL), 6’0, 183 lbs Spencer Knight, G, USDP, 6’3, 198 lbs Connor McMichael, C, London Knights (OHL), 6’0, 170 lbs Artemi Knyazev, LHD, Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL), 5’11, 176 lbs Philip Tomasino, C, Niagara IceDogs (OHL), 6’0, 181 lbs Sasha Mutala, RW, Tri-City Americans (WHL), 6’1, 196 lbs Daniil Gutik, LW, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (MHL), 6’3, 179 lbs Marshall Warren, LHD, USDP, 5’11, 168 lbs Samuel Poulin, LW, Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL), 6’1, 207 lbs Nils Hoglander, RW, Rogle BK (SHL), 5’9, 185 lbs Kaedan Korczak, RHD, Kelowna Rockets (WHL), 6’3, 192 lbs Maxim Cajkovic, RW, Saint John Sea Dogs, 5’11, 187 lbs Blake Murray, C, Sudbury Wolves (OHL), 6’3, 185 lbs Brett Leason, C, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL), 6’4, 205 lbs Drew Helleson, RHD, USDP, 6’2, 181 lbs Marcus Kallionkieli, LW, Sioux City (USHL), 6’1, 176 lbs Valentin Nussbaumer, C, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL), 6’0, 168 lbs

Obviously, there’s still a lot of time left before these players join their new NHL teams, but who’s your top five?