ESPN NHL

ST. PAUL -- Massive trades by the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday have served as a stunning opening act for the weekend's main event -- the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center.

While the league's teams bring on the next generation of potential stars, the blog will bring you live analysis from our team: draft expert Gare Joyce, former Atlanta Thrashers scout Grant Sonier and metrics maven Alvin Chang. Refresh this page frequently to get in-depth info on every first-round selection. And follow us on Twitter (@NHLDraftBlog) for additional insights from our analysts.

Get prepared with our final mock draft, Top 50 prospect rankings and morning entry on buzz from Minneapolis. Then dive into the live updates below:

No. 1 Edmonton Oilers

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

C, Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

Blog Projection: No. 1 - Oilers

Central Scouting Ranking: No. 1 (North America - Skaters)

Resources

• Nugent-Hopkins may be like Denis Savard

• A draft profile of Nugent-Hopkins

• The risks of drafting Nugent-Hopkins No. 1

• The Oilers still have work to do

• Hockey Prospectus analyzes the Oilers' holes

• What went wrong with the Oilers?

• Rumor Central: See what else your team is up to

Alvin Chang's By the Numbers

• Expected career production for slot: 11.6 GVT/season, 0.44 points per game (defensemen), 0.91 points per game (forwards). (Note: For a more detailed definition of GVT, click here.)

• For the past 20 years the Oilers have been below-average in converting draft picks into NHL contributors, and they've gotten below-average value from their draft assets. Only about 41 percent of Oilers first-rounders play 82 NHL games, which is worst in the league, but this second consecutive No. 1 overall pick should help them out.

Gare Joyce's Breakdown

To see pick-by-pick analysis of every first round draft selection, you must be an ESPN Insider.