2013 Entry Draft - Top 5 Picks Selected

The Colorado Avalanche opened the 2013 NHL Draft by selecting Halifax Mooseheads center Nathan MacKinnon with the first pick. MacKinnon, a 6-foot, 182-pound center, is the first player from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League taken with the first pick since the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Sidney Crosby with the No. 1 pick of the 2005 NHL Draft.

"It's amazing how things have worked out in my hockey career," MacKinnon told TSN. "It's so exciting and hopefully it's just getting started. This is unbelievable, to be a part of the Colorado Avalanche. I can’t wait to get to training camp. It's always been my dream to go No. 1, I'd be lying if I told you anything different. Obviously going up against a guy like Seth Jones is very motivating for sure, but my main goal is to win. This is crazy right now. This is unbelievable."

Coincidentally, MacKinnon and Crosby are from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, and spent part of their development at Shattuck-St. Mary's prep school in Faribault, Minn. MacKinnon, NHL Central Scouting's second-rated North American skater in its final rankings of players for this year's draft, had 32 goals and 75 points in 44 regular-season games and added 11 goals and 22 assists in 17 playoff games to help Halifax win the QMJHL championship. In the Memorial Cup, MacKinnon capped his season with seven goals and six assists in four games, including a hat trick and two assists in the championship game, when Halifax won its first Canadian Hockey League title. His tournament-best 13 points earned him the Stafford Smythe Trophy as the tournament's most valuable player. That performance is what persuaded the Avalanche to select MacKinnon ahead of Jones, the Portland Winterhawks defenseman and Central Scouting's top-rated North American skater, as well as a wealth of talented players in what some experts have called the best crop of draft talent since 2003.

"Nathan's lived under the microscope for a long time and the pressure and he's always risen to that occasion," Sakic told TSN. "He's an electrifying player. He's the most explosive player in this draft."

The second pick provided the first surprise of the day, when the Florida Panthers selected Finnish center Aleksander Barkov, Central Scouting's top-ranked European skater. In his second full season with Tappara in SM-liiga, Finland's top professional league, the 6-2, 205-pound forward had 48 points in 53 regular-season games. He sustained a season-ending shoulder injury and is recovering from March surgery. He recently was cleared to begin skating and stickhandling but said he's yet to start shooting pucks.

"He was one of the reasons why Tappara finished second in the league," NHL Director of European Scouting Goran Stubb said. "Just consistent, cool, smart two-way center. … Always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. He’s a very good stick-handler with great vision."

MacKinnon's Halifax teammate, Jonathan Drouin, was taken third by the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's the second straight year teammates were taken in the top three, following Sarnia Sting teammates Nail Yakupov (No. 1, Edmonton Oilers) and Alex Galchenyuk (No. 3, Montreal Canadiens) last year. Prior to that, it was 1999, when the Vancouver Canucks chose Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin with the second and third picks, respectively. Drouin was second in the QMJHL with 105 points in 49 regular-season games and won the QMJHL MVP and CHL Player of the Year awards.

"Nathan MacKinnon makes players around him better, but if you appear to make Nathan MacKinnon better, you're doing yourself a solid," Central Scouting's David Gregory said. "It's not as if people think MacKinnon made him better. It's more Drouin's ability to play at that level and side-by-side with him."

With the fourth pick, the Nashville Predators selected Jones, who NHL Network analyst Craig Button called the best 18-year-old defense prospect since Chris Pronger. In his first season in the Western Hockey League, Jones had 14 goals, 42 assists and a plus-46 rating in 61 regular-season games. He was named the WHL Rookie of the Year, and after helping Portland win the league title, he was named the Canadian Hockey League's Top Prospect. He also played a major role in the United States winning the gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, and helped Portland reach the championship game at the Memorial Cup.

"First of all, I’m going to worry about myself and trying to get better and try to make Nashville next year and then second of all, I’m going to try to make, in a good way, though, those teams regret not taking me," Jones told TSN. "I think that’s my job and I’m going to do whatever I can to help Nashville win."

Nashville GM David Poile told TSN he was pleased to have the chance to select Jones. "We had him No. 1 all year long, I know there’s some great players and we were going to be happy with whoever we got, but I’m extremely happy. This works out great for us. This is another building block, along with Shea Weber, on defense. We couldn’t ask for a better situation. I think is going to be just a great fit for both of us.”

At No. 5, the Carolina Hurricanes selected Swedish center Elias Lindholm, who had 30 points in 48 games with Brynas in the nation's top domestic league. "He's a complete package," Stubb said. "He could very well be the next Peter Forsberg. He's an excellent skater and great competitor who gives it 110 percent on every shift. He can skate, score and pass, and is physically strong even though he is a finesse-type of player."