Written by Adam Burke

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The dreams of 30 young men will come true on Friday night inPittsburgh,Pennsylvaniawhen the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft takes place. It is just one of the many steps to becoming a NHL player, but a day of validation for the player and his family, friends, and coaches who have given their time, effort, and money to make a dream into reality.

Over the course of the two days of the NHL Entry Draft, 211 players will have their names announced atConsolEnergyCenter, the host building for this year’s event. Players from all backgrounds, all walks of life, and all corners of the hockey world will eagerly wait to hear their names called.

There are several players expected to go in the first round who have battled back from serious knee injuries in their first year of draft eligibility. Players must be 18 years of age or older by September 14 and not older than 20 by December 31 (exception for non-North American players) to be eligible to be selected. Outside of the first 10-15 draft picks, the majority of players will return to their junior teams, head to college, or continue playing in their respective countries. Teams hold exclusive negotiating rights for their players until they get them signed or their window of opportunity ends.

The draft order is determined by standings finish for the 14 teams that miss the playoffs. After that, draft order is determined by standings order based on who is eliminated over the first two rounds of the playoffs, with division winners picking last of those 12 teams. The conference final losers pick in spots 27 and 28, the Stanley Cup loser in 29, and the Stanley Cup winner picks last.

In terms of the Columbus Blue Jackets, they hold picks 2, 31, 45, 62, 95, 117, 152, 182 in advance of the draft, however things can change in a hurry. The Jackets also have the option of taking Los Angeles’s first round pick this year or next year. With the Kings picking 30^th, it’s likely that the Jackets will hope for a better draw next season.

Rampant trade speculation is already beginning, some involving Rick Nash, others involvingEdmonton, the winners of the NHL’s draft lottery, trading the first overall pick, and everything in between. For the purposes of this mock draft, however, I will go on the assumption that every team keeps their first round pick, though we know that won’t be the case.

Without further adieu, here’s the first ever TCF NHL Entry First Round Mock Draft!

1. Edmonton Oilers – Nail Yakupov, RW, Sarnia (OHL)

Analysis: Yakupov is the best pure scorer in the draft and fits the Oilers current roster with a lot of young, talented forwards. Injuries are a concern as he played just 42 games this past year with a knee injury and a concussion.

2. Columbus Blue Jackets – Ryan Murray, D, Everett (WHL)

Analysis: Murray is the safest pick in the draft and the player who is most ready to make the jump to the NHL. He’s a smooth puck mover with fairly limited offensive capabilities, but possesses leadership qualities and is a shutdown defenseman.

3. Montreal Canadiens – Mikhail Grigorenko, C, Quebec (QMJHL)

Analysis: If the Canadiens fail to move up and take Yakupov, they’ll go local and take the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s most talented player. The Canadiens need quite a bit of help and Grigorenko will go a long way to help their offense.

4. New York Islanders – Morgan Rielly, D, Moose Jaw (WHL)

Analysis: The Islanders jump at the chance to take the second-best defenseman on the board who may have been the top-ranked defenseman had it not been for injury this season. Rielly will contribute at both ends of the ice and help an Isles team that given up over 250 goals in each of the last four seasons.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs – Filip Forsberg, C, Leksand (Sweden)

Analysis: Don’t think for a minute that GM Brian Burke has forgotten that the franchise’s best player in the last 30 years was Swede Mats Sundin. The Leafs need defensively responsible forwards with offensive touch. Forsberg fits that bill.

6. Anaheim Ducks – Alexander Galchenyuk, C, Sarnia (OHL)

Analysis: The Ducks won’t be afraid of Galchenyuk’s 2011 torn ACL and should jump at the chance to get a dynamic offensive player one of the league’s worst offensive units.

7. Minnesota Wild – Jacob Trouba, D, US Under-18

Analysis: The Wild love to take American-born players and with two on their minds in free agency, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the Wild take a safe defensive player to fit their system.

8. Carolina Hurricanes – Mathew Dumba, D, Red Deer (WHL)

Analysis: The Hurricanes have lacked a physical edge and offensive contributions from their defensemen for quite some time. Dumba brings both.

9. Winnipeg Jets – Griffin Reinhart, D, Edmonton (WHL)

Analysis: The Jets pick up a player that they’ve probably scouted a ton. They played a lot of high scoring games this past season and could use a 6’4” defenseman with some offensive touch.

10. Tampa Bay Lighting – Teuvo Teravainen, RW, Jokerit (Finland)

Analysis: The tremendously-skilled Finnish forward is small at just 5’11”, 165, but the Lightning front office is thinking Martin St. Louis with this player. Could be dangerous playing alongside Steven Stamkos.

11. Washington Capitals – Radek Faksa, C, Kitchener (OHL)

Analysis: The 6’3” Czech-born center was an impact player in his first year in North America with 66 points in 62 games. He’s also strong in his own zone as a big bodied player who led all rookies in plus/minus.

12. Buffalo Sabres – Brendan Gaunce, C, Belleville (OHL)

Analysis: The Sabres are desperate for size up front. Gaunce brings size at 6’2”, 212 and skill with a point-per-game in the OHL this past season.

13. Dallas Stars – Cody Ceci, D, Ottawa (OHL)

Analysis: The Stars pick up a player in the middle of the first round whose draft stock rose after a strong 2011-12 season. Ceci has good size at 6’2”, 207 and good vision with 43 assists in 64 games with the 67’s.

14. Calgary Flames – Derrick Pouliot, D, Portland (WHL)

Analysis: Calgary goes against the grain here taking a smaller player (5’11”, 186) as a team that usually relies on physical play, but Pouliot is a very good skater with great offensive instincts on defense.

15. Ottawa Senators – Olli Maataa, D, London (OHL)

Analysis: The Senators need some help defensively and Maataa has the potential to grow into a shutdown blueliner. Like most Finnish-born defensemen, Maataa is a good decision maker with superior positioning.

16. Washington Capitals – Thomas Wilson, RW, Plymouth (OHL)

Analysis: With their second first round pick, the Caps pick up a power forward type player with a massive 6’4”, 203 frame who was voted the “Best Body Checker” by the OHL’s Western Conference Coaches.

17. San Jose Sharks – Zemgus Girgensons, C, Dubuque (USHL)

Analysis: The Sharks take a player with major upside committed to play at the University of Vermont. The Latvian-born Girgensons has a 6’2” frame he can grow into and is a consistent player.

18. Chicago Blackhawks – Andrei Vasilevski, G, Ufa (Russia)

Analysis: The Blackhawks roll the dice here on a Russian goaltender with first-round talent but questions about his desire to play in the NHL. Vasilevski has the greatest upside of any goalie in the 2012 Draft.

19. Tampa Bay Lightning – Philip Di Giuseppe, LW, Michigan (CCHA)

Analysis: Perhaps the best two-way forward in the draft. Bolts GM Steve Yzerman is sure to still have connections in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area and will know all he needs to know about Di Giuseppe.

20. Philadelphia Flyers – Hampus Lindholm, D, Rogle (Sweden)

Analysis: With such a strong team, the Flyers are willing to go across the pond and take a kid who will need a little time to get acclimated to the North American game. Lindholm is 6’2”, 200 and a great puck-mover and skater. A perfect fit for Philly’s transitional style.

21. Buffalo Sabres – Stefan Matteau, C, US Under-18

Analysis: The Sabres again go size and tenacity. Matteau, son of former NHLer Stephane Matteau, is a hard worker who plays with an edge. He racked up 166 penalty minutes in 46 games with the Under-18 team this past season.

22. Pittsburgh Penguins – Sebastien Collberg, RW, Frolunda (Sweden)

Analysis: The Penguins add some more skill to their lineup with the #3 ranked European skater. Collberg played in 41 games in the Swedish Elite League, playing against adult men and held his own.

23. Florida Panthers – Matthew Finn, D, Guelph (OHL)

Analysis: Finn was the sixth-leading scorer among defensemen in the OHL this past season, a much needed asset for a team like the Panthers that struggles to score goals.

24. Boston Bruins – Cristoval Nieves, C, Kent HS (Connecticut)

Analysis: The Bruins go off the board slightly with a player who they have undoubtedly seen a lot of. The 6’3” Nieves is committed to the University of Michigan where he’ll develop his game under the watchful eye of legendary coach Red Berenson.

25. St. Louis Blues – Brady Skjei, D, US Under-18

Analysis: The Blues have built their team on defense and goaltending. They’ll further that philosophy with Skjei, a University of Minnesota commit. Skjei is already 6’3”, 200 just needs further polishing before making the NHL jump.

26. Vancouver Canucks – Colton Sissons, C, Kelowna (WHL)

Analysis: My prediction for this year’s faller just happens to be a Vancouver-born kid who could land with his hometown team. Sissons is a good two-way player that may lack the game-changing ability of the players taken before him.

27. Phoenix Coyotes – Martin Frk, RW, Halifax (QMJHL)

Analysis: Frk may have gone higher but an injury-plagued 2011-12 campaign hurt his draft stock. The Coyotes add a player with a great nose for the net and a little bit of sandpaper to his game.

28. New York Rangers – Nicholas Kerdiles, LW, US Under-18

Analysis: The Rangers did well with American-born Chris Kreider and will hope to strike gold again here. Kerdiles already has size at 6’2”, 201 and was part of the back-to-back US Under-18 teams that won gold. The native Texan is committed to the University of Wisconsin.

29. New Jersey Devils – Malcolm Subban, G, Belleville (OHL)

Analysis: With Martin Brodeur shortly calling an end to his illustrious career, the Devils need a goaltender-in-waiting. Subban, brother of Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban, is the top-ranked North American goalie prospect.

30. Los Angeles Kings – Slater Koekkoek, D, Peterborough (OHL)

Analysis: The Stanley Cup champs take a flier on Koekkoek after an injury-plagued 2011-12 season where he registered 18 points in just 26 games. He’s a good two-way defenseman who will need more seasoning.

The 2012 NHL Entry Draft begins Friday June 22 at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.