1 | | - | | Doesn't matter that MTL doesn't need a center, Shane Wright is the only option at first overall. Ready to take on a top six spot right away, there are no glaring flaws to his game. Thinks and plays the game at an elite level already. Habs fans have had to play Patrice Bergeron for the past decade, now they get someone who projects to be the same breed of player. Hall of Fame potential |
2 | | - | | Arizona could use pretty much anything in terms of prospects right now, so Logan Cooley, being the best player available at this spot imo, could be the move here as well. But, I like the potential of their centers (Hayton and McBain as the top 2) better than their right defenders (just Victor Soderstrom in terms of top 4 guys), so Nemec is the pick for the team needs. Great three-zone player, reminds me of a righty Victor Hedman. The play should be to bring him to the US asap, probably start him in the AHL, and maybe see him join the big club by the end of the season. Future anchor of the blue line. |
3 | | - | | I don't care that Seattle has Matthew Beniers. Cooley does not fall beyond there. A 1-2 punch down the middle of Beniers and Cooley is ridiculous to think about, and can drive success for the Kraken for the next decade-plus. Fairly flawless prospect outside of his 5 foot 10 height. Very well-rounded prospect with high end skating and defensive skills. Future top center potential, maybe a better prospect than Beniers. Seattle doesn't have the prospect pool depth at any position to risk taking anyone else over Cooley. |
4 | | - | | Injury concerns made what would probably the second best prospect in the class fall to tenth on my board, but no further than fourth on the mock draft. Philly needs a new face of the right side of defense, and Jiricek could be that guy. Reminds me of Alex Pietrangelo in a lot of ways. Big kid, very strong, booming shot, and a great skater. A little rawer of a player than the players above him (he did miss a good chunk of developmental time this year) but not a concern really. Like Nemec, allow him to season in the CHL or AHL, get him used to the smaller rinks. He could pair very nicely with Provorov very soon. |
5 | | - | | Not sure where to go with this NJ pick, especially with both RDs off of the board. Decided to give the Devils the one type of player that they don't already have in their system: a physical winger. Slafkovsky jumped up the board during his inspired Olympic performance and he never looked back. Needs to get faster of he wants to hit the NHL. His back checking and overall effort in the defensive end needs to be improved on as well, but other than those two gripes, Slafkovsky is a legit player that can add some much-needed sandpaper into the Devils roster. |
6 | | | | CBJ hit on Sillinger last year, now it's time to get a true blue chip, top line center prospect in Savoie. I've seen a lot of mock drafts on here have Savoie drop due to his size. His skill and the current scope of the NHL, where smaller players are finding great success, makes me believe that his size won't be a big issue. One of the best skaters in this class, Savoie is a playmaker by trade but has a complete and high-end offensive toolkit that allows him to find success in almost any situation. Elite Hockey IQ as well, which makes me believe that he could impress his way into a roster spot day 1 for the Blue Jackets, who can use the offensive explosiveness that Savoie will bring. |
7 | | - | | Not sure where to go with this pick, as there isn't any RD available worth taking at 7th overall. So, BPA, which is Kemell. Elite offensive talent that can inject an exciting scoring punch into an already exciting roster. Found a lot of success both against men in Liiga this year and at the WJC U18 this past month. Needs to improve in his own end, but it's less noticeable on the wing than it would be at center. A lot of Artemi Panarin in this kid, I think. |
8 | | - | | One thing that I think the Red Wings could use in their system is size and grit. Yurov brings both of those, though he will have to bulk up a little more in order to have success in the NHL physically. Great three-zone winger that didn't look out of place in the KHL this year, despite the lack of offensive production. Excellent fundamentals and thinks the game very well. Zadina isn't working out very well, let Yurov take over 2RW and inject size. Exactly the kind of guy that's in the top six come playoff time. |
9 | | - | | Another team that doesn't need anything in terms of prospects, Nazar will add some defensive prowess and offensive punch for the Sabres. Great skater and shooter, never gives up on a play. Overall a very fun prospect to watch. Reminds me of Mitch Marner a little bit. |
10 | | - | | A future top 4 of Drysdale, Zellweger, Vaakanainen (who can play the right side), and Mateychuk would be nasty. A right-handed defender would be ideal at this spot, but Ty Nelson (who's the best RD on the board imo) isn't worth the 10th overall pick. Mateychuk could be. Great positioning, smart player, overall a very well-rounded and good prospect. Needs to speed up his decisions, especially regarding pinching or not at the offensive blue line. Very Reliable in his own end. Mattias Ekholm-type player. He'll take a couple of years, but could be worth it. |
11 | | - | | I prefer McGroarty as a prospect at this spot, but I posted a rankings recently, and a Sharks fan was very adamant with Lekkerimaki going to SJ, so here you go. Not that he's a bad player, Lekkerimaki is an elite shooter with great poise and offensive awareness. Needs to be developed defensively and physically, but the offensive toolkit should be more than enough to be a top six option in the NHL. |
12 | | - | | The second of two firsts for the Blue Jackets Lands them the dynamic playmaking winger Isaac Howard. Elite skater with good positional awareness in the offensive end. Dangerous in 1-on-1 situations against defenders. Needs to work on his defensive positioning and his overall effort to get back on the back check. Projects as Kent Johnson's understudy on the top six on that left side. Paired with Laine, Chinakhov, Sillinger, and newly acquired Savoie in the top six, CBJ will be back in the playoff hunt. |
13 | | - | | The kid that I compare most to Anze Kopitar, McGroarty can be the kind of player that fits the Islander's defensive-oriented system and can provide a nice 1-2 punch with Barzal. McGroarty is a solid three-zone player with a nice offensive toolkit and probably one of the best net-front players in the class. However, he needs to address his skating. He also has a tendency of taking dumb stick infractions, so that needs to be addressed as well. Overall, the potential for McGroarty is very high. |
14 | | - | | Gauthier has skyrocketed up people's draft boards over the past couple of months, and it's because there is a lot to like about this kid. He never takes a shift off, is a great defensive and physical winger, and has a booming shot. He needs to work on his puck control, and his consistency on offense does worry me a bit. That being said, Cutter Gauthier should be a future 2LW for the Jets. Can could pair very nicely with smaller forwards such as Cole Perfetti and Nikita Chibrikov. |
15 | | - | | Vancouver needs defensive prospects, especially those on the right side. Ty Nelson is a very talented three-zone, two-way defenseman that could help ease that need for the Canucks. Nelson reminds me of Jared Spurgeon: an undersized but very well-rounded and smart defender that is reliable in all three zones despite his small stature. |
16 | | | | Going true BPA would have landed Buffalo another center in Conor Geekie, and they already took Nazar, so I decided on going best defender available. That's Mintyukov. Good size and strong skater, solid in all three zones, Mintyukov looks to be a very strong defender at the NHL level. It's more surplus for the Sabres, as I don't think that Mintyukov beats out Dahlin or Power on that left side, but Dahlin can play both sides if need be and Mintyukov is much better than the RDs available at this spot. |
17 | | - | | Nashville goes with a future top six center in the big Geekie, who's biggest strength his his large frame and his willingness to use it. He is more than willing to hit, and pairs his physicality with a big shot and surprisingly sleek hands. Geekie's biggest downfall is his skating, he's just plainly too slow to be an NHL center. He also needs work receiving hits; his balance isn't great, which is surprising given his physical mindset. Overall, Geekie is exactly the kind of player that Nashville needs as a potential future face of the team down the middle. |
18 | | - | | This pick could be considered a reach, and I get it (I have Luneau ranked 28 on my board). But Luneau has the pedigree of being considered a top prospect coming into this year, so I think that some teams will likely have him quite high on their boards. And it's not like Luneau is a bad player, he's actually quite good. Strong skater, great breakout passer, poised and smart defender, and a strong three-zone player. Needs to work on his acceleration, and he needs to bulk up a little to transition into the AHL or NHL. But overall, a solid prospect for a team that could use some RD in their prospect pool. |
19 | | - | | The Kings don't really need any new prospects at any given position, they're pretty stacked. And Lambert has fallen far enough. His numbers were somewhat underwhelming in Liiga this year, but I think that teams have learned their lessons after Aatu Raty. Lambertght be the fastest player in this draft class, and pairs his peed with elite puck handling skills. He has, however, lacked finishing ability throughout this year. He is also unable to provide much in the way of physicality or defense. That being said, I think that Lambert has the Peter Bondra-type future: high-end offensive player with blazing speed. Could be a fun player for Los Angeles in the future. |
20 | | - | | The Capitals will need forward prospects to take over for their aging core. Del Bel Belluz is the best forward available at this pick in my opinion. He has an excellent Hockey IQ, is incredibly consistent, never takes a shift off, and an above-average skater. One knock on him is his overall lack of strength, which makes him difficult to bet on in one-on-one situations along the boards. He could make a nice 1-2 punch with Connor McMichael in the future. |
21 | | - | | Pittsburgh could use a prospect in a lot of different areas, so they go BPA. That's Kasper in my opinion the speedy center that put together a respectable season in small roles in the SHL. Kasper projects, to me, as a Matt Duchene-type player. Good playmaker with a lot of speed and puck skills. Not the most effective in his own end, and overall needs to work on his effort away from the puck. He could pair nicely with Jake Guentzel in the future as a sniper-playmaker combo in a few years. |
22 | | - | | The best purely defensive d-man in this class, Chesley will finalize a great top four in the future for the Oilers with Broberg, Nurse, and Bouchard. Chesley has great sense of gap control in his own end and defending the rush, is a willing shot blocker with good technique, and has overall strong positional awareness in his own end. I also think that he has some decent offensive potential, marked by his strong shot and his great skating ability. He does need to work on his puck control and his first-step acceleration, as they are both fairly weak. He also needs to work on his discipline, particularly with his stick. He shows a lot of Charlie McAvoy in his play and his techniques, which is something to be excited about. Edmonton should be thrilled to have this type of player in the fold. |
23 | | | | Anaheim's second pick land them the high-end playmaking winger in Ohgren, who I think will go quite high following his strong WJC U18 performance. He needs to work on his shot power, and strength overall, but other than that he will be a good offensive player at the NHL level. An easy pick. |
24 | | - | | Casey isn't in my first round rankings, he's ranked 38th by me. But a lot of people see him as a first round, even a top 20 guy, and he makes the first round here out of the necessity of a RD for the Blues. Krug has been good for the Blues, and Casey reminds me a little of Krug in his strong skating ability and offensive output. He doesn't share the same willingness to play the body though. Also, not great in his own end, which is a big red flag for defensive prospects. Projects as a strong second pair offensive-defender and power play qb in the future. |
25 | | - | | Like Casey, Kulich is often ranked in the first round, but he's not on my board (ranked 39). But, with his excellent WJC U18, I could see him jumping up quite a bit. Elite skater, strong 200-foot player, good puck skills, shot, and overall offensive ability. Needs to get stronger. Projects more as a left winger than a center due to his lack of face-off talent. Should be a strong player for Tampa in a couple of years. |
26 | | - | | Dumais will be a polarizing pick at this spot, but with how good he was at the end of the season is more than enough for me to warrant this selection. He was DOMINANT, making excellent and advanced plays look simple, despite his size. I don't like to use point totals as a metric for success, but, and I'm not sure that anyone would notice this, Dumais has the highest point total any player taken in this draft up to this point. His offensive package is elite. His only issues to his game are, obviously, his size. He's very short for an NHL player, which will make him fall a little in all likelihood. But with the success of players like Johnny Gaudreau, I think that there is a place for elite-skilled forwards, and Dumais fits that mold. |
27 | | | | Big two-way defender to a team that can use defensive prospects, this pick was a no-brainer. He finalizes a strong future top four with Barron, Harris, and Romanov (who can play on the right side). The only concern I have with Bichsel is his offensive potential, but other than that I think that Bichsel is a great prospect. Big and strong, he's a strong defensive presence with great skating ability, especially for his size. He reminds me of Ryan Suter a little bit. |
28 | | - | | Wasn't sure where to go with this pick, so I went BPA, which to me is Persson. A strong skater with good puck skills and never takes a shift off. his shot is also quite good, although I think he projects more as a playmaker. He needs to work on his positioning, as he tends to drift, especially in his own end if he wants to project as a center in the NHL, which he has experience in. He also needs to learn how to take hits better. |
29 | | - | | Leafs need defensive prospects to replace veterans. Sandin is a nice start on that left side, but Forsmark helps finish the future top four. High IQ defender with good size and a strong shot. Good stick usage to defend the rush. Needs to work on his discipline, as well as his puck control. Overall, well-rounded and smart defender for a team that can use him. |
30 | | | | I've projected this pick at least once on here before. Arizona is in the right situation to take risks, and taking a overaged player is a big risk. But, Robertson is the best overaged player to enter a draft in a long time, if not ever. He has no real flaws to his game, and I believe that he is NHL ready, which is a quality that the Coyotes should be targeting in the draft. He also has positional flexibility as a right winger or a center. He could be great right away for the Coyotes. And after the JJ Moser pick paying off for them last year, Arizona shouldn't be too afraid to take an overaged player early if they feel that the talent is there. |
31 | | | | A smaller player who has started to appear on a lot of people's boards recently, Firkus brings a lot to like to the table. Strong and accurate shot, good playmaker, elite puck skills, a well-rounded offensive prospect. Needs to work on his defensive effort and his physicality, the second is largely due to his lack of size. Can also play center, but probably not at the NHL level. |
32 | | | | The final pick in the first round goes to Buffalo... again. A big and strong winger with solid offensive skills. Great net front presence and can get to the net front with a strong physical game and some good puck control ability. Needs to work on his skating, particularly his speed. Reminds me of a rawer Kakko entering the draft a little bit, and he should be interesting enough for the Sabres to take him, especially at the end of the first. |