7 Best NHL Draft Prospects Not Named Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko

The 2019 NHL Draft is now less than a month away, and it already seems the top two picks are in. After that, it is all up for grabs, so who are the best NHL prospects after Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko?

7. Cole Caufield

Cole Caufield is simply a beast, he shattered scoring records in the USNTDP, where he scored 100 points in 64 games from the wing. Along with of his accolades, he stands at only 5'7" and weighs only 163 pounds. Caufield can't help but draw comparisons to those of Martin St. Louis or Johnny Gaudreau, but he also has a heck of a shot, scoring 72 goals last season for the US under-18 team.

6. Peyton Krebs

Peyton Krebs is the prototypical play-maker at the center of left wing position. Krebs played in the WHL for the Kootenay Ice, where he had 30 more assists than he had goals. He is not only a solid player, but is very smart on the ice, especially for an 18-year-old. Krebs can be a very nice complimentary piece for an organization going forward.

5. Vasili Podkolzin

Podkolzin is the second highest ranked player that played outside of North America behind Kakko, which means that it may take extra time for him to develop into an NHL player being that he also has to adjust to the North American game. Besides that, the right winger will be a tremendous upgrade to the team that selects him, and he has been projected as high as the third overall pick in the upcoming draft.

4. Bowen Byram

Bowen Byram is by far the best defensive prospect in the 2019 NHL Draft, and would be the perfect fit for any team looking to develop a top two defenseman for the future. Byram has everything you look for in a defensive prospect, including that he plays older than he is. The 17-year-old finished his regular season with the Vancouver Giants exceeding the point per game mark, and did the same when the playoffs came around. The left-handed defenseman has a lot of promise to his game, especially for a team in need of a defenseman for the long run.

3. Kirby Dach

Kirby Dach may be the best all around player after the second pick, with his 6'4" 198 pound frame, he plays a mixed game of power and finesse. Dach played in the WHL last season for the Saskatoon Blades, where he was more than a point per game player. Dach may grow to be the best consolation prize of the draft.

2. Dylan Cozens

Dylan Cozens is the best player that is eligible for the 2019 NHL Draft. Playing for Lethbridge, Cozens put up 84 points in only 68 games playing as a center and right winger for the Hurricanes. Cozens has been seen as a top ten pick all year, and his play has kept his draft stock trending upward. Whatever team lands him will surely forget about not being able to select one of the top two players.

1. Alex Turcotte

Alex Turcotte was once seen as a potential top ten pick in the upcoming draft, over the course of the year his stock grew tremendously seeing him enter the top five potential. He is a two-way center ice man who, if he wasn't in the shadows of Jack Hughes on the US under 18 team, would be a surefire top two draft pick. Outside of the top two, Turcotte is arguably the best prospect in the draft.