DRAFT: Top Forward Prospects in the 2020 NHL Draft

We're less than two weeks away from the 2020 NHL Draft!
Blackhawks.com is taking a look at some of the top prospects available in the draft by each position, beginning with the highest-ranked forwards in the final NHL Central Scouting prospect rankings.
Here are the top eight North American forwards and seven European forwards, names that could be available when the Blackhawks are on the clock at No. 17:

NORTH AMERICAN SKATERS

2020 NHL Draft
DRAFT CENTRAL: Full Coverage of the Blackhawks' 2020 NHL Draft

1. Alexis Lafrenière,LW (Rimouski - QMJHL)

"He doesn't rely on one area of the game to be successful. He can make plays, he can score, he can play in traffic and is determined to be in the guts of the action. With his physical maturity, he's more than ready to handle the challenges and rigours of the NHL." - Craig Button, TSN
"He has truly elite skill and some of the best hands I've ever seen … with his skill he's always a second away from a scoring chance. He beats defenders in unique ways and catches them off guard with the moves he makes." - Corey Pronman, The Athletic

2. Quinton Byfield,C (Sudbury - OHL)

"Byfield is the one player who has shown he could eventually surpass Lafreniere. He has the hands and offensive ability that remind you of Evgeni Malkin and the determination to be a 200-foot player like Anze Kopitar." - Craig Button, TSN
"Great player already with great size and a ton of growth potential still ahead of him." - Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet

3. Cole Perfetti,C (Saginaw - OHL)

"Is a magician in the offensive zone with his ability to change pace and find teammates. Goal-scoring has always been part of the skill-set." - Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet
"Perfetti is incredibly skilled and is one of the best passers in the draft. He is so creative with the puck, finding unique ways to fool defenders, manipulate the puck in tight spaces … Projects to be a top passer in the NHL due to his vision and his pace." - Corey Pronman, The Athletic

4. Marco Rossi,C (Ottawa - OHL)

"Rossi is an excellent playmaker with the vision and creativity to make something out of nothing. He has a style of play similar to Nicklas Backstrom." - Craig Button, TSN
"Despite his size (5-9, 183), Rossi is capable of winning 50/50 puck battles, is strong on face-offs and generates offense with his high hockey IQ, hands and playmaking ability." - Mike Morreale, NHL.com

5. Jack Quinn,RW (Ottawa - OHL)

"Quinn is the best goal scorer available in this draft. He's capable of gearing up and gearing down with his speed to create space. He reminds me of David Pastrnak in so many ways." - Craig Button, TSN
"Quinn is a super skilled and smart player who scored a lot of goals around the net. He has very quick twitch hands and the ability to embarrass defenders 1-on-1. He sees the ice at a top-end level ... It's not just his vision, but his overall creativity and patience." - Corey Pronman, The Athletic

6. Dawson Mercer,C (Chicoutimi - QMJHL)

"His passion and energy are infectious. Possesses excellent hands and shooting ability. Built for the small-space game." - Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet
"A right-shot forward capable of playing in all situations, Mercer can bring a lot of offense but is also reliable in his own zone … a smart, heads-up skater who finishes checks and is strong on the power play and penalty kill." - Mike Morreale, NHL.com

7. Seth Jarvis,C (Portland - WHL)

"Jarvis is a dynamic player who ticks a lot of boxes. He is a highly skilled and intelligent with a lot of quickness. He has the skill to beat defenders 1-on-1, but more importantly, he does so with speed. The high-end pace of his game is what makes him so dangerous." - Corey Pronman, The Athletic
"Jarvis is a smart, skilled player who executes with pace and excels on the power play as well as the penalty kill. He plays hard, goes to the net and does everything with purpose. Jarvis creates offense with his vision, quickness and playmaking ability." - Mike Morreale, NHL.com

8. Dylan Holloway,C (Wisconsin - NCAA)

"Holloway is a complete two-way center with great hands, competitiveness and drive to create offense. He should be the first college player selected … Holloway, a left-hand shot, is capable of playing all three forward positions as well as on the power play." - Mike Morreale, NHL.com
"When he gets a full head of steam, his frame he can be a handful to stop. He's hard on pucks and isn't afraid to get his nose dirty … I think he's very skilled. Holloway inside outs opponents consistently and can make plays through checks in motion." - Corey Pronman, The Athletic

EUROPEAN SKATERS

1. Tim Stûtzle,LW (Mannheim - DEL)

"He's pure excitement and plays the game in a similar fashion to Patrick Kane. He's quick on his skates and has a fast mind. He's extremely confident and manages to do things in the game offensively that are completely unexpected. Stutzle is a very difficult guy to try to defend." - Craig Button, TSN
"An offensive forward with an excellent skill-set and game breaking-abilities. Is such a slick stickhandler with fine hands, is strong 1-on-1 and can easily outdeke opponents. Stützle is a scoring threat whenever he is on the ice and whenever he has the puck on his stick. Excellent skater with good edge use and great foot-speed." - Rafik Soliman, EliteProspects.com

2. Alexander Holtz,RW (Djurgardens - SHL)

"Holtz is a true goal scorer with an impressive wrist shot and slapper. Has the ability to know exactly where to be on the ice to make things happen. Also a smart player with good on-ice-vision and fine technical skills. Not a poor playmaker either." - EliteProspects.com
"He has a lot of exciting dimensions to his game, but his goal-scoring ability stands out. He has a truly elite shot. He can pick corners from any spot in the offensive zone, with a very hard and accurate wrist shot. His hands are elite, which allows him to beat defenders clean with his 1-on-1 moves and pull off the occasional highlight reel play." - Corey Pronman, The Athletic

3. Anton Lundell,C (HIFK - Liiga)

"His speed is average, and while I see flashes of great creativity from him as a handler and passer, I wouldn't say that's consistent. I respect that he competes well, he's strong on pucks and is responsible defensively with the ability to play on both special teams." - Corey Pronman, The Athletic
"A two-way, left-shot forward, Lundell is tough to knock off his skates on the cycle, can protect the puck extremely well and find his teammates in traffic."- Mike Morreale, NHL.com

4. Lucas Raymond,RW (Frolunda - SHL)

"A very well-rounded and highly skilled winger. Raymond is blessed with exceptional hockey sense. Furthermore, he has terrific hands, great speed and fine work ethic. Plays with plenty of intensity and battles hard for the puck. A nightmare to play against with his forechecking and puck-stealing ability." -EliteProspects.com
"Moves so well with great vision and that combination will allow him to make his NHL linemates better." - Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet

5. Rodion Amirov,LW (Ufa - KHL)

"Amirov is easy to spot on the ice when he has the puck because he's very quick and skilled. He has quick-twitch hands and can inside-out defenders while skating at full speed. He can set up and finish plays well." - Corey Pronman, The Athletic
"Hard-working, skilled player who understands how to play both ends effectively." - Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet

6. John-Jason Peterka,RW (Munchen - (DEL)

"An offensive-minded two-way forward … has good readiness to shoot from tough angles. He works hard and exhibits a lot of intensity and determination each shift." - Mike Morreale, NHL.com
"Plays a well-rounded mature game that includes good numbers up against men in a quality league proving to be a hotbed for young talent." - Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet

7. Noel Gunler, RW (Luela - SHL)

"Gunler is a high-end passer and shooter. He shows great vision and patience, holding pucks and finding teammates through seams. He shows good creativity on his entries with flashes of top-end skill. He has a very hard shot." - Corey Pronman, The Athletic
"Possesses good passing skills, shot selection and willingness to drive to the net to create offense … He has intimidating size and earned big minutes on the power play with his soft hands and playmaking ability." - Mike Morreale, NHL.com