Giving a concise and well-thought summary of the top players for an upcoming draft is an undertaking that requires more than just picking the prospects with the best stats. Hours of both video and live coverage turn into days; days into weeks;and weeks into months. The time was used to evaluate puck skills like shot accuracy and traits like hockey sense, which NHLs Central Scouting Bureau considers to be made up of playmaking, discipline, anticipation and play under pre sure.None of these can be found simply by combing through box scores, no matter how reliable or resourceful tools like advanced statistics and historical data can be. Youd be amazed at what else one can discover simply by isolating a prospect for the duration of a game or two.MOCK DRAFT 1.0:Since last August, hundreds upon hundreds of eligible teenagers for the 2019 NHL Draft have been a se sed, evaluated, compared, scrutinized and red-penned. The accompanying rankings are the result of the work that goes into giving even the most casual fan a general idea ofwhich players have the best chance onbecoming impact players at the NHL level. It is not meant to be a definitive resource, nor is it set up to predict how the Eric Thames Jersey NHL Draft will unfold.Below youll find a listing of 31 prospects who have impre sed the most under a variety of standard and nonstandard conditions. But first, let's take a big-picture glimpse at the composition of the 2019 cla s and its areas of strengthand weakne ses.Centers galoreThis draft is incredibly deep at center ice. It differs from the 2018 group that was heavy on both defensemen and wingers. In fact, only eight centers were chosen in that first round,a sharp decrease from the 16 pivots drafted in 2017.Leading this years talented group of centers is Jack Hughes, a speedy playmaker from the U.S. National Team Development Program. Born and raised in a hockey family with deep roots in the game, Hughes is the favorite to become the seventh American-born player to go first overall at the draft.Whats interesting about Hughes is that he likely wont be the only center on his team who gets drafted in the top 10. This years NTDP arguably is the best in the programs 22-year history, and teammates Alex Turcotte and Trevor Zegras are two reasons why.THE HYPE ABOUT JACK HUGHES While Hughes has been non-committal about his plans after the program, both Turcotte (Wisconsin) Keon Broxton Jersey and Zegras (Boston University) are considered two of the best collegiate recruits in the nation. Turcotte mi sed nearly two months with an injury but has been on a roll since returning in mid-December, recording 11 points in eight games against both USHL and ranked NCAA competition.It also should be a rebound draft year for Canadas Western Hockey League, which last year didnt see its first center taken until the third round. That certainly changes in 2019, as a trio of WHL centers have been excellent on both the international stage and during regular season play.Lethbridge power forward Dylan Cozens had strong showings at the under-18 Ivan Hlinka tournament and the U20 CHL-Ru sia Super Series, but hes been a real workhorse and leader for the Hurricanes. Cozens currently sits eighth in WHL scoring with 56 points in 40 games, including 32 in his last 18 contests.Not far behind Cozens are fellow WHL centers Peyton Krebs and Saskatoons Kirby Dach. Krebs is a sturdy, three-zone playmaker with leadership traits who plays a similar style to the Blackhawks Jonathan Toews. Dach is a big-bodied pa sing aficionado with the vision of Joe Thornton and the ability to maintain control of the puck in the tightest of spaces.MORE: A variety in the wingAs electrifying and dynamic as the aforementioned centers have been, focusing Ryan Braun Jersey on the drafts top-heavy group of elite wingers isnt such a bad idea.Strong arguments can be made for Finlands Kaapo Kakko to not only be the first winger selected, but some feel he is the better choice for the top overall spot. Scoring a certainly helped him in the exposure department. But its been Kakkos adult-level production as a teenager in the Finnish SM-Liiga that is reinforcing just how special a talent he already is. Big, strong, deceptively quick and ble sed with exceptional vision and stickhandling, Kakko would be a rewarding consolation prize if a team picking second or third mi ses out on Hughes.As great as Kakko has been, however, there is no draft prospect in the pool who offers what volatile yet cerebral winger VasiliPodkolzin brings. The young Ru sian was the best player at both the Ivan Hlinka and Decembers World Jr. A Challenge, and his heady 200-foot play at the World Juniors revealed to the hockey world that he can impact a game every shift, regardle s of whether he's scoring.MORE: | Podkolzins combination of nastine s and skill makes him the unicorn of the 2019 draft, and his admitted desire to stay in Ru sia until he decides hes NHL ready may not Yasmani Grandal Jersey be enough to di suade an NHL GM from making him the first Ru sian league prospect picked in the top five since EvgeniMalkin in 2004.Not to be forgotten is U.S. NTDP'er Matthew Boldy, who one day may wind up as the best winger taken. Ble sed with incredible hockey sense and one of the softest set of hands youll see on a big flanker, Boldy has been consistently productive and impactful despite a carousel of changing centers Burch Smith Jersey and linemates. Much like Kakko and Podkolzin, the Boston College-bound Bay Stater is a favorite to go in the top 10.Defense not as deep as 2018You wont find as many skilled two-way defensemen in this years first round as in 2018, but the upper tier of 2019-eligible rearguards has a few with franchise-changing potential.Bowen Byram, a physical puck mover for the WHLs Vancouver Giants, is starting to pile up the points while serving as the anchor to their defense corps. He competes hard and will fight tooth and nail before conceding territory. But it is the calmne s and poise Byram displays while controlling or carrying the puck that what makes him the best defender available.The next few blueliners after Byram also po se s solid puck skills, but Germanys Moritz Seider comes the closest to matching his complete arsenal. He is a steady contributor in the German elite league, where he logs top-four minutes and sees power-play time. It was at the recent Division 1A U20 championship where Seider as team captain was dominant in all three zones from wire to wire to help the Germans win the tournament and earn a berth in next years WJC in the Czech Republic.MORE: Swedish defenseman Victor Soderstrom shook off an early-sea