NHL Draft 2016 Center Rankings: Auston Matthews Leads Talented Group

Six of the last 11 No. 1 picks in the NHL draft were centers, including Connor McDavid, who went first overall to the Edmonton Oilers last year.

Finding a No. 1 center is so crucial to hoisting the Stanley Cup. Look at the most recent winners, who have superstar centers like Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Anze Kopitar and Patrice Bergeron.

This year’s class is pretty good. Many of the top centers are capable of being effective on the wing, too.

The 2016 class is led by likely top pick Auston Matthews, who tallied 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 36 games against men in the Swiss-A league this past season.

At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Matthews already has good size for an 18-year-old, and he’s similar to last year’s No. 2 pick, Jack Eichel, in that he’s good enough defensively to play a second- or third-line role as a rookie next season.

Matthews’ ceiling is somewhere near Kopitar — a smart, two-way forward who will provide 25-30 goals, 65 to 80 points and defend opponents’ best players each season. He’s probably not going to be a 40 to 50 goal scorer like a Steven Stamkos, but his game could very well be more well-rounded than the Tampa Bay Lightning center.

Here are our top 10 centers in the 2016 draft class.

1. Auston Matthews, C, ZSC Lions (SWI)
2. Logan Brown, C/LW, Windsor (OHL)
3. Tyson Jost, C/RW, Penticton (BCHL)
4. Clayton Keller, C, USA NTDP
5. Michael McLeod, C, Mississauga (OHL)
6. German Rubtsov, C, Russia U-18
7. Luke Kunin, C/RW, Wisconsin (NCAA)
8. Brett Howden, C, Moose Jaw (WHL)
9. Tage Thompson, C, Connecticut (NCAA)
10. Rasmus Aplund, C, Farjestad (Sweden)