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Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel have been drawing comparisons for a few years now, but the 2015 World Junior Championship is the big showdown between the two in their draft year. With McDavid playing major junior and Eichel playing college hockey it's hard it to compare the two without head-to-head or even similar competition. McDavid has missed significant time due to a hand injury suffered in a fight earlier in the season.
Canada and the U.S. are in the same group for pool play so the comparisons will heat up over the next week to 10 days. Eichel, the captain of Team USA, will get the first chance to showcase his talents against Finland at 3 p.m. ET on Friday. McDavid and Team Canada take the ice at 8 p.m. Friday night against Slovakia. Here's a look at the similarities and differences between the top two projected picks for the 2015 NHL Draft.
| Connor McDavid | Jack Eichel | |
| DOB | 1/13/97 | 10/28/96 |
| Height | 6-0 | 6-2 |
| Weight | 195 | 196 |
| Position | Center | Center |
| Shoots | Left | Right |
| Hometown | Richmond Hill, Ont. | N. Chelmsford, Mass. |
| Current Team | Erie Otters | Boston University |
| 2014-15 Stats | 16-35--51 (18 GP) | 8-19--27 (16 GP) |
| 2014 WJC Stats | 1-3--4 (7 GP) | 1-4--5 (5 GP) |
| Scouting Report | All-around amazing skillset, gifted hands, offensive instincts, finesse with ability to stickhandle through and around traffic | Long reach, extra gear, smooth skater with unique stride, pro release, clutch performer |
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Jeff Cox covers college, junior and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on Twitter @JeffCoxSports.