Buffalo Sabres Potential NHL Draft Picks: Dylan Strome

By Melissa Kania | Jun 23, 2015

Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel may be the top two names heading into this weekend’s 2015 NHL Draft, but there are plenty of other names that will also be called in that first round on Friday night. One of those names is that of Erie Otters center Dylan Strome.

Strome enters the NHL Draft ranked fourth overall by the folks at NHL Central Scouting.

Currently, the Toronto Maple Leafs are slated to pick fourth overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, which would be a dream come true for Strome, who is a Mississauga native. He even says in his NHL Draft profile that his favorite team is the Leafs. And if he did end up with the Leafs, Strome could end up in the Toronto Marlies system with fellow former Otters captain Connor Brown.

Of course, in reality, getting selected by any NHL team is a dream come true for these guys. Though the Sabres won’t pick him up with the second-overall selection, and there’s slim-to-no chance of his still being available at 21st overall, let’s still take a look at the 18-year-old centerman. You never know when a trade’s going to occur on draft day — truly anything can happen.

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Strome has spent the past two years with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, playing alongside – yep, you guessed it – McDavid himself. In reality, the history between the two goes further back than that, as they played on the Toronto Marlboros together prior to joining the OHL squad.

This season was one for the books for Strome. After registering 39 points (10-29) in his rookie season in Erie, Strome absolutely exploded onto the offensive scene this year.

He put up 129 points in just 68 regular season games, setting franchise records for both assists and points in a season. As a result of his spectacular offensive year, Strome also won the OHL scoring title — which he won on the final day of the season with a six-point performance against the Niagara IceDogs. He edged out fellow 2015 NHL Draft prospect Mitch Marner by three points.

Strome was also awarded the William Hanley Trophy as the OHL’s most sportsmanlike player, then added 22 points in 20 playoff games as the Otters reached the league final.

In addition to all of that, he won a gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial, led Team Ontario at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge, and played for the OHL All-Stars at the Super Series.

Strome is, of course, not the first member of his family to be entering the NHL ranks, as Ryan Strome – his older brother – was drafted three years ago by the New York Islanders.

Many may be quick to redirect Strome’s success to his playing alongside McDavid, but the fact is, both are outstanding players in their own right.

Here’s a few numbers to crunch:

Strome registered 45 goals, 84 assists and 129 points this season. (68 gp)
McDavid registered 44 goals, 76 assists and 120 points this season. (47 gp)
Strome had a hand in nine of McDavid’s 44 goals; McDavid had a hand in 10 of Strome’s — pretty even numbers.
McDavid and Strome had assists together on 19 goals; they work well together.

When McDavid missed time, Strome stepped up, registering 29 points in 20 games between November 14 and January 3.

All in all, Strome registered at least a point in 58 of 68 regular season games this year. He also registered a point or more in 14 of 16 playoff games.

So where will Dylan Strome end up after this week’s NHL Draft? Who knows. It could be the Leafs, or it could be the Coyotes – where he ended up in the Fansided Mock Draft. It could end up being a completely different team, if a trade happens to occur.

Only time will tell, and only time will tell what he’ll be able to do at the NHL level — but I’d keep watch on this one if I were you.

Next: Mock Draft: Sabres Pick Meier

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