HockeyProspect.com’s final rankings for the 2016 NHL Draft have now been released.

Auston Matthews goes wire to wire as our top ranked prospect for the June draft in Buffalo. Patrik Laine gained on Matthews as the season progressed but in the end, Matthews remains at the top spot with Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujärvi sitting 2^nd and 3^rd.

The ranking spot that was the tightest race was the 4^th overall spot. For us it’s a very close race between Pierre-Luc Dubois and Matt Tkachuk. We went back and forth several times before sticking with Dubois, who we had ranked 4^th back on February 29^th.

Our top defenseman this year is Olli Juolevi from the London Knights. Juolevi was ranked high all season long and we never really strayed from our initial thoughts on him. Olli is a very intelligent hockey player who we expect to be selected with a top six pick in the draft.

Source: 2016 NHL Draft Rankings: HockeyProspect.com Final Top 30 – 2016 NHL Draft | Hockey Prospects