<p>There isnt a single draft in any of our major sports historieswhere the first 10 players picked turned out to have the 10 best careers. Whether its human factors, off-ice i sues, career-ending injuries or simply misjudging the prospects upside, every draft is riddled with stories of luck and Malcolm Smith Jersey risky decisions.</p><p>Of course, scouting and drafting isnt an exact science, which we all know is a pretty trivial statement to begin with. The art of a se sing, evaluating, selecting and then finally developing draft picks into quality players varies in both scope and execution from team to team.</p><p>Hindsight has allowed us to identify the good from the bad, and for every questionable pick teams may have made inearly portions of a draft, there are plenty of examples of later-round redemption.</p><p>NHL DRAFT 2018:|</p><p>Take the New York Rangers in 2007as one example of how coming away empty in the early rounds doesnt make an entire draft a failure. Neither player chosen with their first two picks winger Alexei Cherepanov (17thoverall) and goalie Antoine Lafleur (48th) ever played an NHL game, with the skilled Cherepanov's tragic death from heart failure just over a year after being drafted. The Rangers did, however, strike gold in the sixth round, where they took Carl Hagelin, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh after being a critical piece to several contending Rangersteams.</p><p>Plenty of failed prospects once considered locks to climb an uninterruptedtrajectory toward NHL stardom have made the savviest of scouts and GMslook bad, and the best way to avoid this and validate a given draft cla s is by drafting well in the later rounds. And although the Dante Pettis Jersey term draft well is subjective, a common barometer to measure a given teams succe s at the draft table is the number of NHL games played by a late-round pick. Youll find at least two or three players every year who develop into quality NHL players after being picked outside of the drafts traditional sweet spot of rounds one and two.</p><p>Nonethele s, were only a few days away from the draft itself. Its depth in talent, plus the rapidity in which recent picks are making it to the NHL, should give the majority of NHL GMs a far thicker tightrope to help them cro s the dark chasm of draft-day failure.</p><p>Lets take a look at some of the prospects who could either hear their names called early or be forced to sweat it out until the later rounds.</p><p>MORE:</p><p> </p>Stock rising<p>1. Rasmus Sandin (LHD,Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)</p><p>A solid all-around puck rusher with few holes in his game, Sandin was Sault Ste. Maries best defender during the OHL playoffs.</p><p>Big board rank: 13</p><p>2. Vitaly Kravtsov (RW,Chelyabinsk, KHL)</p><p>Playing in the KHL as a teenager helped this skilled wingers stock. But his scoring Dee Ford Jersey is what opened a lot of eyes.</p><p>Big board rank: 17</p><p>3. Blake McLaughlin (LW, Chicago, USHL)</p><p>McLaughlin is one of the drafts best playmaking wingers and was carrying Chicagos offense in the second half.</p><p>Big board rank: 25</p><p>4. Martin Kaut (RW,Pardubice, Extraliga)</p><p>Teams like mature kids, and Kauts play and regular contributions in the elite Extraliga should make him a first-round certainty.</p><p>Big board rank: 44</p><p>5. Jonatan Berggren (LW,Skelleftea J20, Superelit)</p><p>Dominant league play combined with strong international tournament play usually is a recipe for getting your names called on the drafts first day.</p><p>Big board rank: 46</p><p>MORE: </p>Stock falling<p>1. Rasmus Kupari (C,Karpat,SM-Liiga)</p><p>Skilled fine se centers dynamic performance during summer Ivan Hlinka looked more and more like an anomaly Kyle Juszczyk Jersey during up-and-down season.</p><p>Big board rank: 18</p><p>2. Ryan Merkley (RHD,Guelph, OHL)</p><p>Sublime playmaker once considered a po sible top-10 pick remains a defensive-zone liability with a lot of room for improvement in other areas as well.</p><p>Big board rank: 47</p><p>3. Calen Addison (LHD, Lethbridge, WHL)</p><p>Offensive defenseman is fun to watch but takes shifts off when deep in his own end.</p><p>Big board rank: 58</p><p>4. Filip Johan son (RHD,Leksands, J20)</p><p>Quality defense, good size and mobility not enough to overcome limited ceiling offensively.</p><p>Big board rank: 75</p><p>5. Alexander Khovanov (C,Moncton,QMJHL)</p><p>Offseason illne s knocked this elite pa sers season off track and made him look slow and one-dimensional.</p><p>Big board rank: 97</p><p>Can't get enough NHL Draft information? SteveKournianos'2018 Draft Reportincludesnearly 200 scouting reports on this year's top prospects,in-depthpreviews for all 31 NHL teams, a two-round mock draft and more. .</p><p> </p>Top 2018 NHL Draft sleepers<p>1. Alexander Alexeyev (LHD,Red Deer, WHL)</p><p>Big kid with quick feet and a tremendous understanding of the game. Can fill any role and eat a lot of minutes.</p><p>Big board rank: 27</p><p>2. Curtis Douglas (C,Windsor, OHL)</p><p> Robbie Gould Jersey Earning an NHL job would make this 6-9 pivot a physical oddity, but his soft hands, deceptive speed and compete level will helphim stand out even more.</p><p>Big board rank: 62</p><p>3. Michal Kvasnica (RW,Trinec U20, Extraliga Jrs.) Swift-skating winger who plays a power game and can score off the rush.</p><p>Big board rank: 49</p><p>4. Oskar Back (C,Farjestad J20, Superelit)</p><p>The best pa ser among Swedens top draft-eligible centers has drool-worthy size (6-3) and is tough as nails in all three zones.</p><p>Big board rank: 65</p><p>5. Billy Moskal (C, Jerry Rice Jersey London, OHL)</p><p>Two-way center with a high hockey IQ saw his production explode after London traded away all their big names.</p><p>Big board rank: 109</p><p>MORE:</p><p>6. Matthias Pettersen (C,Muskegon, USHL)</p><p>Hard-nosed center with skill in all areas mixes skill and physicality during every shift.</p><p>Big board rank: 110</p><p>7. Daniil Zhuravyov (LHD, Irbis Kazan, MHL)</p><p>Hard-shooting blueliner with good wheels could be a key cog for next years Ru sian under-20 world junior squad</p><p>Big board rank: 114</p><p>8. Akira Schmid (G,Langnau, Elite Jr. A)</p><p>Swi s netminder put on a clinic during several high-visibility tournaments and plays his best when hes under pre sure.</p><p>Big board rank: 143</p><p>9. Chase Wouters (C, Saskatoon, WHL)</p><p>Tough two-way competitor with a nonstop motor and the ability to make quality plays off the cycle.</p><p>Big board ra