2013 NHL Draft: Live Blog

1:20 p.m.

Welcome inside the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. We'll have coverage of the top few selections then shift focus to the college players and college-bound players who will be selected in the 2013 NHL Draft.

1:46 p.m.

Fans and throngs of media are beginning to file inside the Prudential Center. The draft will begin in a little over an hour. New Colorado Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said that his team would likely take Nathan MacKinnon over Seth Jones with the top pick. Jones is the son of former Denver Nuggets (NBA) player Popeye Jones. Most scouts I've talked with this week believe Jones could be a terrific player over time, but MacKinnon is the most NHL ready prospect.

1:55 p.m.

Jonathan Drouin and Darnell Nurse are the other two North American prospects ranked in the top four. Boston College recruit Ian McCoshen (Waterloo Blackhawks) is the top prospect among NCAA players or recruits at 24th in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's Final Rankings. UNH defenseman Brett Pesce is the top ranked current collegiate at 40th.

2:05 p.m.

Notre Dame recruit Calvin Petersen is the fourth ranked North American goalie prospect according to the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's Final Rankings. That puts him tops among NCAA players and recruits. Penn State recruit Eamon McAdam (6th), Boston University recruit Shane Starrett (15th), St. Cloud recruit Charlie Lindgren (19th), Maine recruit Sean Romeo (24th) and Harvard recruit Merrick Madsen (26th) are the other NCAA bound goalies recognized by NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

2:11 p.m.

Interesting to note on the goalie prospects is that both Petersen and McAdam played for the Waterloo Blackhawks in the USHL. SCSU recruit Lindgren was named the top junior goaltender in the US by USA Hockey. Starrett (South Kent) and Madsen (Proctor) played prep school hockey while the rest of the ranked goalie prospects played in the USHL.

2:50 p.m.

Adrian Dater of the Denver Post just tweeted that the Florida Panthers could take Russian forward Aleksander Barkov with the second overall pick. It is being widely reported that Nathan MacKinnon will be selected first overall. It is hard to believe that Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks could fall from the top two. Jones has been the consensus number one prospect in this draft for quite some time.

2:52 p.m.

I just posted a story on three South Kent players that could be selected in the 2013 NHL Draft. Forward Jason Salvaggio (UNH), defenseman Anthony Florentino (PC) and goaltender Shane Starrett (BU) are all Hockey East recruits.

2:57 p.m.

With the draft just minutes away, don't forget to check out our NHL Draft Section where Chris Dilks and Jeff Cox have posted many player profiles for NCAA and NCAA-bound prospects for the 2013 NHL Draft. Follow @SBNCollegePuck, @Chris Dilks and @JeffCoxSBNation on twitter for continuing coverage of the draft.

3:12 p.m.

Nathan MacKinnon of the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) taken first overall by the Colorado Avalanche. He's a 17 year-old center who loves to shoot. It was long thought that Seth Jones would go first overall. His dad, Popeye, played in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets. Florida Panthers up next.

3:17 p.m.

Russian Aleksander Barkov is selected by the Florida Panthers. Hard to believe Colorado nor Florida wanted a strong-skating, big defenseman. Seth Jones will fall to at least third. Barkov's father played hockey in Europe, finishing his career in Finland.

3:23 p.m.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have taken Jonathan Drouin of the Halifax Mooseheads. Drouin is the second Mooseheads to be selected in top three. Nashville GM Dave Poile has said his organization would select Seth Jones if he fell that far so it is reasonable to assume that Jones will be taken fourth overall by the Predators.

3:32 p.m.

Jones was the first American and first blue liner taken in the 2013 NHL Draft. Carolina is walking to the podium. Appears that the Hurricanes rebuked trade talks and will make a selection at fifth overall. Hurricanes take Elias Lindholm from Sweden. Now we'll await the first NCAA recruit or current college player to be selected.

3:58 p.m.

The New Jersey Devils traded the ninth overall pick to Vancouver for goaltender Cory Schneider in a shocking draft day trade. The former Boston College goaltender is a tremendous young goaltender who will help fill the void between the pipes when Marty Brodeur finally calls it quits. The Canucks picked Bo Horvat from the London Knights (OHL).

4:54 p.m.

After 17 picks in the first round, there has still not been a college player drafted in the 2013 NHL Draft.

5:14 p.m.

Former Harvard commit Frederik Gauthier has been selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the 21st overall selection in the first round. He chose the major junior route over NCAA.

5:32 p.m.

There has yet to be an NCAA player selected in the NHL Draft. As Chris Dilks pointed out on twitter, the last draft without an NCAA player selected in the first round was 1997. Boston College defensive recruit Ian McCoshen and Yale recruit John Hayden are the top two NCAA players on the board according to NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

5:35 p.m.

USNDPT product Michael McCarron selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the 25th overall pick in the first round. He is a Western Michigan recruit, but London Knights (OHL) own his rights so it is possible the Gross Pointe, Mich. native could play major junior.

6:10 p.m.

Western Michigan recruit Michael McCarron said that he would make a decision on where he will play next season within a week. He said ultimately it will be his decision, but he will listen to Montreal's input. He said he's spent time working out with WMU in Kalamazoo the last few weeks. Said there were pros and cons of both London (OHL) and Western Michigan (NCAA). Said he liked that he could fight in the OHL. Chris Dilks will have a more in-depth article shortly.

6:15 p.m.

Boston College recruit Ian McCoshen, a defenseman for the Waterloo Blackhawks, was selected with the first pick in the second round by the Florida Panthers. He is the first Hockey East player or recruit taken in the 2013 NHL Draft.

6:36 p.m.

Michigan recruit JT Compher selected by the Buffalo Sabres with the 35th overall pick in the second round. He said he fully intends to play for Red Berenson at Michigan in the fall. He said his interest in Michigan was piqued by former Wolverines such as Jacob Trouba and Jack Johnson.

6:39 p.m.

Ian McCoshen, selected 31st overall by the Florida Panthers, emphasized his desire to play for Boston College head coach Jerry York when asked if York's past success had anything to do with commitment. He joins BC sophomore-to-be Michael Matheson in the Panthers organization. McCoshen also said that he has played with fellow BC defensive recruit Steve Santini once in the past.

6:41 p.m.

These updates here might become less frequent, but continue following @SBNCollegePuck, @Chris Dilks and @JeffCoxSBNation on twitter for continuing coverage of the draft. Jeff Cox will continue to retrieve as many quotes as possible from NCAA prospects.

6:44 p.m.

Boston College recruit Steve Santini has been selected by the New Jersey Devils with the 42nd overall pick in the second round. He is the second BC Eagles defensive recruit to be selected in the second round.

7:13 p.m.

Two more college recruits have been selected in the second round. The Minnesota Wild selected Colorado College recruit Gustav Olofsson, a defenseman who played for Green Bay. One pick later, the St. Louis Blues took Minnesota recruit Tommy Vannelli.

7:25 p.m.

Olofsson said he's excited to utilize his strong skating ability on the big, olympic ice surface at Colorado College. Vannelli is already at the University of Minnesota taking summer classes. He said his favorite class so far is public speaking.

7:30 p.m.

Washington Capitals take Boston College recruit Zach Sanford with final pick of the second round. He played for Middlesex Islanders in Eastern Junior Hockey League this season. Played high school hockey for former Merrimack star Casey Kesselring at Pinkerton Academy in New Hampshire.

9:25 p.m.

Plenty more college players and recruits have been selected in the third through sixth rounds. Check back later for more updates. Jeff Cox is gathering quotes for some stories that will be posted in the next day or two.

Jeff Cox covers the NHL Draft, the American Hockey League and college hockey for SBNation. Follow Jeff on twitter@JeffCoxSBNation.