It's NHL Draft Day

The 2013 NHL Draft takes place this afternoon in New Jersey.

Because of the lockout, the entire draft will take place in one day.  It all begins at 4pm Atlantic on TSN.

The Colorado Avalanche have the first overall selection this year and it looks like they will be selecting Halifax Mooseheads forward Nathan MacKinnon with the pick. MacKinnon going first would be the highlight of what is expected to be a great draft for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Two of MacKinnon’s teammates – forward Jonathan Drouin and goaltender Zach Fucale – are also projected first rounders.

Rimouski’s Frederik Gauthier, Baie-Comeau’s Valentin Zykov, Val-d’Or’s Anthony Mantha, Cape Breton’s William Carrier, Quebec’s Adam Erne, and others could also be selected in the top 30.

Only two members of the Saint John Sea Dogs – forward Stephen Anderson and defenseman Jurij Repe – were listed in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings. Anderson was ranked 127^th while Repe was 205^th, respectively.

After a slow start this year, Anderson recorded 12 goals and 15 assists in 63 games.

“If I get drafted, that’s great, I’d really like that, but if I don’t I’m not going to be teary-eyed,” Anderson told the Charlottetown Guardian. “It would be a huge honour to know all your effort over the years has paid off.”

Meanwhile, Repe registered three goals and eight assists in 38 games in his first season with the Dogs.

No Sea Dogs were selected in last year’s NHL Draft.