I usually put out my first mock draft annually the week after the season ends, which is the middle of April. This year, the season hasn’t officially ended and I haven’t been swept up in draft fever like in the past.

Perhaps it’s the NFL Draft coming around, but the draft bug finally bit me. Thus, it’s time to release my first of three NHL mock drafts that I’ll put together this offseason. Unfortunately, we don’t know if the draft will be in June or September or sometime in between.

We also don’t know exactly what the draft order will be when the time does come. Therefore, in this mock, I’ll be positioning the teams by points percentage and I ran a lottery simulation for the first three picks.

Keeping with my normal draft tradition, this will only be a mock of the top 15 picks. Let’s get to the fun.

1. Detroit Red Wings – Alexis Lafreniere (F) | Rimouski Oceanic – QMJHL

The Red Wings remain at the top spot in the lottery simulation that I ran and they go with the unquestioned top player in this draft in Lafreniere. The Canadian-born winger is an electric player and will likely go well with Dylan Larkin in Detroit’s top six.

There have been some rumors of Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman liking Alex Stutzle, but it’s hard to imagine he passes on Lafreniere at the top spot.

2. New Jersey Devils – Quinton Byfield (F) | Sudbury Wolves – OHL

The Devils move up from the sixth spot to pick in the top two for the second straight season. They’re the beneficiary of selecting another high-end center in Byfield to go along with two former first overall picks in Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes.

3. Ottawa Senators – Tim Stutzle (F) | Adler Mannheim – DEL

With the first of two picks in the top five, the Senators land a dynamic forward in Stutzle. For me, he’s one of the more intriguing players in this draft. I think he’s a player that could be second on some boards around the NHL. Another strong prospect to add to the Senators system.

4. Ottawa Senators (via San Jose Sharks) – Marco Rossi (F) | Ottawa 67’s – OHL

Ottawa is back on the clock again with the pick they acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the Erik Karlsson trade two years ago. There has been talk that the Senators may go forward with one pick and defenseman with the other. However, Sens general manager Pierre Dorian made it known that they would take the best players on their board regardless of position.

As of now, I have the Senators going with another forward in Maco Rossi. He played his junior hockey in Ottawa and is a top-five talent in this draft, in my opinion.

5. Los Angeles Kings – Jamie Drysdale (D) | Erie Otters – OHL

The Kings round out the top five for the second straight year. This time around they’ll go with the best defenseman on the board in Drysdale. He’s a dynamic defender that skates very well. The Kings are putting together an impressive prospect pool in their rebuild.

6. Anaheim Ducks – Alexander Holtz (F) | Djurgardens IF – SHL

The Ducks go with one of the two Swedish forwards that will likely go around this time. That player is Alexander Holtz. Holtz didn’t have the best draft season, but he played in a difficult league for his age. He’s a goalscorer that would be a nice addition to Anaheim’s system.

7. Buffalo Sabres – Lucas Raymond (F) | Frolunda – SHL

At seventh overall, I have the Sabres going with another favorite of mine in this class, Lucas Raymond. Don’t let his numbers in the SHL fool you. He only had four goals and 10 points in 33 games for Frolunda. However, you have to remember he was a 17-year-old playing against men in limited minutes.

He’s a dynamic winger with a ton of skill and could be a dangerous NHL player down the road. He’ll likely need at least one more season in the SHL.

8. Montreal Canadiens – Cole Perfetti (F) | Saginaw Spirit – OHL

The Canadiens continue their run on high-end forwards in the top 15 of the NHL draft. Two years ago they selected Jesperi Kotkaniemi third overall, last year they benefited from the drop of Cole Caufield, and at this point, I have them down for selecting scoring forward Cole Perfetti.

9. Chicago Blackhawks – Anton Lundell (F) | HIFK – Liiga

Lundell is a sleeper for me in this draft. He’s not flashy, but he’s a solid two-way forward that is going to play in the NHL for a long time. Lundell put together a great season for HIFKA as an 18-year-old in the Finnish pro league. He scored 10 goals and 28 points in 44 games before the season was canceled.

10. New Jersey Devils (via Arizona Coyotes) – Yaroslav Askarov (G) | SKA -1946 (MHL)

Askarov is the top goalie in this class and the Devils could use some improvement at that position. The Russian keeper had a tough World Junior showing but has played well in Russia’s minor league.

11. Minnesota Wild – Jack Quinn (F) | Ottawa 67’s – OHL

Quinn is a player that is rising up draft boards and could find his way into the top 10 by the time the draft rolls around. He’s one of the older players in this draft, but his scoring numbers are impressive from juniors this season.

12. Winnipeg Jets – Jake Sanderson (D) | U18 US National Development Team

Sanderson is a player that has varying opinions across the board. Some believe he’s deserving of a top 10 pick and others believe that his ceiling is too low to be considered that high in the draft. He’s likely the second defender off the board in the draft this season and the Jets could use help on the blue line.

13. New York Rangers – Noel Gunler (F) | Lulea HF – SHL

The big Swedish forward, Gunler, begins another run on the second-tier forwards in the draft. He’s got a nice shot but will need a few more years of seasoning over in Sweden.

14. Florida Panthers – Dylan Holloway (F) | University of Wisconsin – NCAA

Holloway had a decent freshman season scoring 8 goals for the Badgers. He played on a strong team with two of the biggest prospects in college hockey in Alex Turcotte and Cole Caufield.

15. Columbus Blue Jackets – Dawson Mercer (F) | Drummondville Voltigeurs – QMJHL

I’ll wrap this mock with the Blue Jackets selecting one of the more skilled forwards in this draft in Mercer. It’s likely that he continues to climb up the board and could be selected closer to the top 10 when the draft comes along. He has great hands and a high hockey IQ.