NHL Draft 2016: Preview, How To Watch, and Boston College Prospect Outlook

The 2016 NHL Entry Draft begins tonight, and an American, Auston Matthews, is expected to be taken #1 overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Unlike the last few drafts, day one and round one should be pretty quiet as far as BC news goes. No Eagles are likely to be selected in the first round, though a bevy of BU Terriers will be, so that'll be worth keeping an eye on. (The good news: They'll be the ones immediately dealing with the "will they stay or will they go?" stories.)

Here's some info to get you ready:

Venue:

First Niagara Center, Buffalo, N.Y.

Start time:

Round 1 - Friday, 6:30 PM
Round 2-7 - Saturday, 10:00 AM

TV Info:

Friday night's Round 1 coverage will air on NBC Sports Network. Saturday's Round 2-7 will be broadcast on NHL Network.

Boston College prospect outlook:

Joe Woll, Graham McPhee, Mike Campoli, Jesper Matilla, Luke McInnis, and Zach Walker - all incoming freshmen this season - will be waiting to hear their names called during the draft.

Based on NHL Central Scouting, goaltender Joe Woll looks likely to be the earliest pick, with Central Scouting's rankings placing him somewhere in the fourth round. Some prognosticators see him as a third rounder. Woll was recently named to the US National Junior team evaluation roster and is considered one of the top young American goalie prospects.

McPhee, a forward out of Maryland, is ranked #157 by Central Scouting, which would plop him down around the 6th round. He's slid down the board a bit - he was previously seen as a likelier 3rd or 4th round pick.

Defenseman Luke McInnis is projected by TheHockeyWriters to squeeze in in the 7th round.

Based on the central scouting rankings alone, the rest of the BC guys are not presumptive draft picks, though once you get down in to the lower rounds the scouting rankings are far from an exact science; of course it's all about what specific NHL teams are looking for.

We'll keep you posted on where the BC guys land.

Who are the top college prospects in the draft? Are any of them NOT committed to BU for next year?

I'll go ahead and answer part two now: No.

The first four college players/commits drafted could well be BU players. Charlie McAvoy, BU's stellar rising sophomore defenseman, is a likely top 10-15 pick and a possible Bruins target. Clayton Keller and Kieffer Bellows, along with maybe Dante Fabbro - all of whom are currently slated to come to BU in the fall - are all possible top 15 picks too. They are projected by most mock drafts to be the first four college players selected.

Luke Kunin, a rising sophomore at Wisconsin, will probably be the first non-BU collegian selected, down in the lower half of the first round. Riley Tufte, who's headed to Minnesota-Duluth in the fall, is also a likely first rounder.