Stanley Cup contenders are built through the draft, not free agency nor through trades.

So every year when the twenties come around in June, franchises are changed forever. Be it by taking Conner McDavid first overall or Pavel Datsyuk 171st overall, the best way to acquire game-changers is at the podium.

This draft class comes across as very high-end in the first twenty-five or so picks. Followed by a bit of a drop-off for the next twenty-ish picks. Than followed by a major drop-off. This draft seems to become more of a crap-shoot earlier than most drafts in recent memory.

Without naming names, the tiers I’ve divided this class into follow (the numbers represent where I have these players ranked):

Around this point of the draft is when I’d say the drop-off begins. However, that isn’t to discredit the other prospects.

With that said, here are my personal rankings of the top-75 prospects in the 2018 NHL Draft. Let me know why I am right or wrong in the comment section below!