First round of NHL draft describes as deepest in history

SUNRISE, Fla. — The first round of the 2015 NHL draft on Friday night at the BB&T Center featured 21 forwards, eight defensemen, one goaltender … and two immediate superstars.

The two headliners in what has been described as the deepest draft in a decade were Canadian center Connor McDavid, who went No. 1 to the Edmonton Oilers, and American center Jack Eichel, who was selected second by the Buffalo Sabres.

After being selected, McDavid pulled on a red No. 97 Oilers jersey, which was significant because that was his number in juniors. Rookies don’t usually get to choose their own number, especially one just two ticks away from Oilers and NHL icon Wayne Gretzky’s No. 99.

“It’s very special,” McDavid said of the honor. “It means a lot that they did that for me.”

The Oilers, drafting first for the fourth time in the past six years, didn’t hesitate to pick McDavid, an 18-year-old who has been compared to Sidney Crosby … hey, no pressure, kid.

McDavid’s talent is badly needed on the Oilers, who missed the playoffs for nine straight years. The Oilers are hoping the 6-foot-1, 195-pound McDavid will help usher in a new era in Edmonton, complete with a new downtown arena that is set to open in 2016.

Edmonton’s choice of McDavid was quickly followed by Buffalo choosing its own young star in Eichel, a native of Massachusetts who played last season for Boston University.

“This has been the best year of my life,” Eichel said. “When you hear your name called, you go on stage and you put on that jersey — there’s nothing like it.”

A 6-2, 195-pounder, Eichel likely would have been the No. 1 pick in most drafts. The only question with Eichel is whether he turns pro now or returns to Boston University for another year.

“I don’t know,” Eichel said about turning pro. “I can’t let the cat out of the bag. … But I think the Sabres are headed in the right direction.”

After McDavid and Eichel, the run on centers continued as the Arizona Coyotes took Dylan Strome third and the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Mitchell Marner fourth. Strome led the Ontario Hockey League in assists, and Marner was second in the same circuit in points.

Counting McDavid, three of the first four picks were from the OHL.

At No. 5, the Carolina Hurricanes ended the center streak by selecting defenseman Noah Hanifin of Boston College. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound left-handed shooter is regarded as the best offensive-minded defenseman in the draft.

Center Pavel Zacha, a native of the Czech Republic, went sixth to the New Jersey Devils, who liked his relentless drive to the puck.

Defensemen went seventh and eighth — Ivan Provorov to the Philadelphia Flyers and Zachary Werenski to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Right wingers went ninth and 10th — Timo Meier to the San Jose Sharks and Mikko Rantanen to the Colorado Avalanche.

As soon as Rantanen’s pick was done, a roar went up in the crowd because the host Panthers were on the clock. Florida then selected huge left winger Lawson Crouse, who took batting practice at Marlins Park earlier this week and hit a home run.

The 6-4, 215-pound Crouse scored 29 goals in 56 OHL games last season. Crouse gave Florida someone to cheer for as the Panthers hosted the draft for the first time since 2001.

At No. 12, the Dallas Stars took right winger Denis Gurianov, setting the stage for a rarity — three straight picks by one team, the Boston Bruins.

Boston selected defenseman Jakub Zboril and two wingers, Jake DeBrusk and Zach Senyshyn. It was an attempt by Bruins general manager Don Sweeney to rebuild the team’s talent base after trades earlier in the day moved two popular players — forward Milan Lucic and defenseman Dougie Hamilton.

Zboril said he was “shocked” by what the Bruins have done.

“When I first saw the trades, I thought, ‘wow, that’s crazy,’ ” Zboril said.

DeBrusk said the Bruins made “big” moves.

“The (salary) cap system makes it tough to get good players,” he said. “They are making strides. I mean, WE are making strides, having a younger team that will have success down the road.”

The three consecutive first-rounders did little to satisfy the Bruins fans at the BB&T Center, and, presumably, thousands more in Massachusetts.

“Want to boo some more?” Sweeney asked defiantly before making the second of his three straight selections.

At No. 16, the Islanders moved up in a trade with Edmonton, selecting center Mathew Barzal, a player who missed nearly three months last season due to a fractured kneecap.

The Winnipeg Jets, at No. 17, selected left winger Kyle Connor, a University of Michigan recruit who was the United States Hockey League Player of the Year. Playing with great speed and effort, he led the league with 80 points.

The Ottawa Senators chose defenseman Thomas Chabot at No. 18, followed by the Detroit Red Wings picking Russian left winger Evgeny Svechnikov and the Minnesota Wild selecting center Joel Eriksson Ek of the Swedish Hockey League.

Ottawa, using a pick acquired earlier in the day, selected center Colin White at No. 21. White, a Boston College recruit, was a star for the U.S. junior national team.

At No. 22, the Washington Capitals picked the first goalie of the draft, selecting Ilya Samsonov. At 6-3 and 200 pounds, Samsonov covers plenty of the net.

Still, his selection ranks with Boston’s pick of Senyshyn and Detroit’s pick of Svechnikov as the picks that most deviated from various pre-draft predictions.

The Vancouver Canucks took right winger Brock Boeser at No. 23. He is committed to the University of North Dakota.

Philadelphia, which moved up from 29 to 24, took center Travis Konecny, the 2014 OHL Rookie of the Year.

At 25, the Columbus Blue Jackets took American forward Jack Roslovic.

The Montreal Canadiens, with a substantial cheering section in the arena, picked defenseman Noah Juulsen at No. 26. The Anaheim Ducks followed by taking another defenseman, Jacob Larsson of the Swedish Hockey League.

At No. 28, the Islanders made a deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning to move up, grabbing left winger Anthony Beauvillier.

Columbus, making a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, grabbed the 29th pick and selected defenseman Gabriel Carlsson, a 6-4, 180-pounder who is ranked No. 2 among European skaters.

Arizona, in a pick it got from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline, closed out the first round by taking right winger Nicholas Merkley, who is known as a playmaker who scores in the clutch.

There were six teams that had two first-round selections each: Arizona, Columbus, the New York Islanders, Ottawa, Philadelphia and Winnipeg. In addition, of course, Boston had three first-rounders.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.