About two years ago, when it became obvious to hockey’s scouting community that Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel would be the top two picks in the 2015 NHL draft, there was this other thing people were saying:

“And Noah Hanifin will go No. 3.”

While the other two dominated coverage, Hanifin, a gifted Boston College defenceman, held his position. That is where he’s ranked by NHL Central Scouting.

Some scouts like Erie Otters centre Dylan Strome at three, and Hanifin at four. Who goes where could well come down to whether the Arizona Coyotes feel they need a centre or a defenceman more.

If the Coyotes take Strome, the Maple Leafs will be free to take Hanifin, a smooth skating, offensively gifted, defensively sound blue-liner with the fourth pick overall.

“He’s a terrific kid,” said Greg Brown, an assistant coach with the Boston College Eagles. “He cares about his teammates. He has a lot of characteristics you’d want as a teammate and as part of your organization. He’s extremely hard working, and wants to be great.

“He puts his time in, whether it’s extra ice in the morning or coming up to watch film. He is looking for every opportunity to make himself better.”

If the Leafs take Hanifin, it would be easy to see him eventually paired with Morgan Rielly, giving the Leafs a pair of young stud defencemen who could dominate puck possession. It could also make Jake Gardiner expendable.

“(Hanifin) can be physical,” Brown said. “He’s not one of those guys who’s always looking to seek and destroy. But his positioning is so good and his size and strength are so good, when the opportunity is there he can separate a guy from the puck.”

In their history, the Leafs have drafted as high as fourth only six times. They would have drafted third in 1991, but they traded the pick to New Jersey in a misguided attempt at the playoffs. The Devils used that pick to take hall of famer Scott Niedermayer, and if there is a comparable for Hanifin it’s Niedermayer.

“Has some of the same pieces to his game that Scott Niedermayer had,” said Mark Seidel, chief scout for North American Central Scouting. “He does things at high speed. He can use his foot speed to get back to pucks and give himself enough time to make a play.

“His decision to fast-track to play at Boston College has accelerated his development because he has played against grown men all year.”

Hanifin, a product of the U.S. national development program, is six-foot-three, 205 pounds.

“There are definitely parts of my game I need to work on to be an impact player in the NHL,” Hanifin said Saturday at the NHL draft lottery. “One of my goals this summer is to work hard physically so I can potentially, maybe, play at that level next year.

“If I were to make the NHL, I would need to learn a lot and adjust.”

He had five goals and 18 assists in 37 games as a freshman for the Eagles. He said he wants to work on getting shots to the net.

“My skating ability is the strongest part of my game,” he said. “Every part of my game I want to get better at. My skating allows me to be a two-way defenceman who can contribute offensively and, at the same time, be strong in my own zone.”

Hanifin is a bit like McDavid in some ways. He came to Boston College as a high-profile freshman. He handles crowds with aplomb. But he didn’t overstep his place as a freshman on an experienced team, said Brown.

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“All the local kids know who he is, so when the kids come it to the room he always stops to say hello and the kids are in awe. Noah does a terrific job at that,” Brown said. “But he also came in with no airs, or no feeling of entitlement at all.

“He came in as a freshman and just wanted to earn everything he got, including his teammates’ respect. His work ethic and the way he goes about his business immediately got the older guys’ respect.”

This is the second in a series looking at who the Leafs could draft with the No. 4 pick this summer.

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