Nathan MacKinnon Selected First Overall in NHL Draft

Is Nathan MacKinnon the next Face of the NHL? He might be. But right now, what's certain is that he's the future of the Colorado Avalanche. MacKinnon was the top overall pick in Sunday's NHL Draft, which was held in New Jersey.

The 2013 draft class was especially deep, with experts going back and forth about who would go first: forward MacKinnon or defenseman Seth Jones. Jones seemed like a lock for the first selection for most of the spring. But Avs president (and NHL Hall of Famer) Joe Sakic said his team needed offensive help big time, so MacKinnon was the first name called by commissioner Gary Bettman. (Jones ultimately went fourth, to the Nashville Predators.)

Here's how the rest of the top five shaped up:


   #2  Aleksander Barkov       #3 Jonathan Drouin            #4 Seth Jones                        #5 Elias Lindholm
   Florida Panthers                    Tampa Bay Lightning          Nashville Predators            Carolina Hurricanes

Check out SI.com for complete first round coverage and more from the 2013 NHL Draft!

Photos: Nathan MacKinnon,  AleksanderBarkov and Jonathan Drouin (Jamie Squire/Getty Images), Seth Jones and Elias Lindholm (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)