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World Junior 2015: Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel set to square in draft showdown

World Junior 2015: Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel set to square in draft showdown

The most anticipated draft showdown of the decade is set to take place New Year's Eve afternoon at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel will square off for the first time this year as Canada and the United States wrap up its round-robin action in the world junior championship.

McDavid and Eichel have without a shadow of a doubt lived up to the hype this year. The 2015 draft phenoms’ incredible starts to the season lead scouts to believe they are the type of high-end talents that only come around once in a decade. All signs point to them both being in the NHL next season and eventually developing into franchise players.

McDavid was a scoring machine with the OHL’s Erie Otters before he missed a chunk of time because of a hand injury that he suffered in a fight on Nov. 11. His 16 goals and 51 points in 18 games put him at a higher scoring pace (2.83) than Sidney Crosby’s draft season with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic (2.71). His outstanding stats along with his just as impressive play shows that he does indeed have the potential to be the best player drafted into the NHL since Crosby in 2005.

Eichel managed to make a seamlessly smooth transition against mostly much older opponents at Boston University this year. Look no further than his eight goals and 27 points in 16 games, which give him a better point-per-game ratio at 1.69 than the draft year seasons of Minnesota Wild centre Zach Parise (1.56) and former No. 2 overall pick Dany Heatley (1.47). It has led some scouts to believe that the 6-foot-2, 194-pound centre would have been drafted ahead of Aaron Ekblad in 2014 and Nathan MacKinnon in 2013.

McDavid appeared to have a slow start to the tourney in Canada’s first game against Slovakia, but it was somewhat expected because of how it was his first meaningful game in five weeks. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound centre’s second game against Germany was a different story as he was in on three of Canada’s four goals with one marker and two assists. He continued to create scoring chances in his third game against Finland despite not registering a point.

Scout’s take: “McDavid has shown his elite speed and separation qualities on multiple occasions,” says International Scouting Services scout Matt Grainda. “He knows where to take the puck and gets there with supreme intensity. It’s almost like he has an extra gear in his arsenal compared to other prospects at the world juniors. He has shown that he's highly explosive and loves to attack the net. He’s got a quick shot and knows when to dish it off for a quality scoring chance.”

Eichel, who has a goal and a helper in three contests, has shown with his on-ice play why he’s wearing the ‘C’ for the States. He has a veteran-like composure about him and exudes confidence. He put it all on display in an outstanding shift against Germany on Dec. 28 when he scored a nice wraparound goal after beating out an icing.

Scout’s take: “Eichel’s confidence and possession play have really stood out at the world juniors,” says Grainda. “He plays with a calm demeanor even with pressure bearing down on him. You also have to love his smooth skating stride and deceptive high speed. He has shown that he has a very strong vision and can find an open pass through even the most difficult coverages.”

When evaluating who has had the better tournament so far, it seems Eichel deserves the edge. He has appeared to be the more polished player and scored the nicest goal. But one has to keep in mind that the North Chelmsford, MA., native entered the tourney with a lot of confidence because of his NCAA success while McDavid was just getting over an injury. It could be a different story if it was the other way around.

The bottom line about the New Year’s Eve matchup is that it is just one game. It could help pave the way for McDavid to solidify himself as the top draft prospect or for Eichel to take the lead on the Newmarket, Ont., native. But regardless of whether McDavid outplays Eichel or vice versa, it's unwise to bet the house on 60 minutes of hockey.

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen