NHLDraftPicks.com was founded to evaluate and rank prospects for the NHL Entry Draft. The project serves as a long-term proof-of-concept to determine whether a primarily statistical model can outperform the draft selections made by NHL franchises.

Methodology & Scope

As an independent, one-person project, these rankings are finalized as early as possible after the NHL Entry Draft, typically before the start of the following NHL season. The evaluations are based primarily on player statistics, supplemented by occasional live and broadcast viewings, along with limited use of external scouting evaluations.

The original plan was to produce a strict Top 64 ranking, representing the average number of picks per draft class that go on to play a meaningful number of NHL games. However, since 64 is only an average, the rankings have since expanded. Instead of a fixed number, the rankings now include any draft-eligible player likely to reach 100 or more career NHL games.

Accountability & Verification

All rankings are published as dated blog posts to establish a clear timestamp. Additionally, a PDF version is provided, using the date stamp embedded within the file’s URL to verify that the projections have not been retroactively altered as players develop.