The 2015 NHL Draft is just a few days away. Tonight we are treated to the NHL Award ceremony in Las Vegas, but the true hockey fans are really looking forward to Friday when they get to see which players in this highly touted draft class end up where. I did write a quick post about the NHL Awards at SportsBettingCanadian.ca, so you can check that out if you’re interested.
This years NHL Draft is supposed to rival that of the 2003 NHL Draft that has gone down in history as one of the best draft classes of all-time. The 2003 NHL Draft has already seen 16 of 30 first round picks become NHL All-Stars and another 6 in the second round. But what could make this years Draft even better is that it has the “generational” talents of Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel going #1 & #2. They say McDavid is the best prospect since Sidney Crosby (I think he’s better) and Eichel would have been first overall in each of the past 9 drafts if McDavid wasn’t also in his draft year. That’s a lot of praise and it’s going to make this Friday’s draft much watch TV.
Online sportsbook, Bodog.eu (Bovada for Americans), has a ton of different prop bets available for the NHL Draft. I’m going to touch on a few here, but you should visit Bodog.eu to see the full list of props you can wager on.
How Many Players from OHL will be drafted in the 1st Round?
- Over (6.5) 1.83
- Under (6.5) 1.83
This is an interesting bet because Central Scoutings final rankings have 6 OHL players in the top 14 of their rankings, but then the next player isn’t until #32 with Vince Dunn. I like the over here because you know that 6 will be drafted in the first round for sure and then you can hope that a player like Dunn, Vande Sompel, or Senyshyn is drafted slightly above their projection.
Bodog also has totals for the WHL (6), QMJHL (6), USA National Team/NCAA or USHL (6) and outside of North America (5), so if you know one of the leagues pretty well you could make a smart wager.
How Many Trades will there be the first day of the draft?
- Over (5.5) 1.71
- Under (5.5) 2.00
There’s been a lot of talk about teams looking to make deals before or at the draft this season. If there aren’t many deals made at the Awards tonight or leading into the draft I would definitely take the over here. Teams are always tinkering and there will certainly be some small deals, and likely some blockbusters as well.
How Many NHL team representatives will thank the host city when they’re at the podium?
- Over (14.5) 1.83
- Under (14.5) 1.83
I actually like the under here. I’m not sure how many the average is from the past, but later in the first round teams are encouraged to hurry up and this may cut into their “thanking” time.
You can also wager on how many congratulate the Chicago Blackhawks on their Stanley Cup win. The over/under for that is 5.5.
Draft Position of Ivan Provorov
- Over (7.5) 1.91
- Under (7.5) 1.77
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Provorov and it sounds like he has the upside to be a very good #1 defenseman in this league. Those players are hard to come by and I expect a team top snag him, whether it’s the Hurricanes at #5, the Devils at #6 or the Flyers at #7.
Bodog.eu also has over/under draft positions for the majority of players in the draft.
Tagged with: NHL Draft • NHL Props