1 | | - | | Celebrini-Fantilli will be a nightmare to deal with. |
2 | | - | | I wouldn't do this, but I just get the sense that Canadiens like unicorn type players (see Slafkovsky). |
3 | | - | | They have a lot of right shot D prospects but none who have upside as a 1st pairing D-Man. I'm not that big a fan of Levshunov, but I see the appeal and he can develop into that high in the lineup role. |
4 | | - | | Adding Demidov to Chicago would make them terrifying down the road. Could be the most gifted offensive player in the class. |
5 | | - | | I'm not a huge Dickinson fan, but I feel like he's a profile of player that the Ducks would love. Big, strong, with some kinks to work out in his game. He won't wow anyone, but he'll be effective in time. |
6 | | - | | Arizona don't have a lot of offensive minded D prospects and their pool has a lot of LD. Zayne Parekh adds both ingredients to their pool. However, there are real concerns regarding his defensive game and I'm not sold on his offensive projection. Still, he's got insane upside and Arizona has the personnel to pair him with players who could make up for his deficiencies. |
7 | | - | | Another player I'm not really a fan of, but Ottawa likes big and he is big. |
8 | | - | | I considered Berkly Catton here because I think he's got the highest upside and is the 3rd most offensively gifted player in the class. But I just think the way the season played out for them and how last years playoffs went will push them towards Lindstrom who is a fantastic center in his own right and will make Seattle formidable down the middle for years to come. |
9 | | - | | When all is said and done, Catton could end up being the third best player in the class. He's got everything you want in a center. He's dynamic through neutral ice and in the o-zone, and he's detailed in his own end. If NHL teams would stop obsessing over size and/or Catton was 2-inches taller, he'd be a clear 3rd overall (maybe even 2nd). |
10 | | - | | Kind of reach here, but I struggled really to think of who they might target. In Greentree, they get a guy who needs to gain more foot speed and pace to his game, but is just really clever and uses his size to his advantage. He'll play and produce as a middle six in the show. |
11 | | - | | Buffalo strikes me as a team that would take a chance on Cole Eiserman. Eiserman has a lot of great qualities that just need to time coalesce together. I think if you're patient with him you can get a really great play who does the hardest thing to do in hockey: score goals. |
12 | | - | | There are a bunch of guys I'd consider here for Philly, but I think they take Buium. He's the best player left and I don't think he's that far away from the show. He could be a big steal at 12. |
13 | | - | | The draft opens up at this point a bit more with Konsta Helenius being my next best available. Just really intelligent with more skill and creativity that people don't give him credit for. I thought he had a solid world juniors too. He needs some time in North America and likely a couple years in the minors, but he'll be a really great middle six point producer. |
14 | | | | Who better to pair with Will Smith than a Ryan Leonard like-player? Not saying that MBN is as good as Leonard (he's not, lets be clear on that), but he's the kind of profile (that sort of power forward with a bit of skill) who would work with Smith and set him up for success down the road. |
15 | | - | | I don't understand why he's so low on so many boards. A clear first-rounder for me and just a wonderful skater who uses it to his full advantage. Competent in the offensive end, good at killing rush chances, and a really great puck mover. Another candidate for steal of the first round. |
16 | | - | | I struggled with this one. The caps prospect pool is poor and without a lot of center depth. I'm not sure Tij is a center, but either way he'd be a nice player to pair with Ryan Leonard down the road. |
17 | | - | | If he wasn't injured earlier in the season, I think Jiricek would be a candidate for the top 10. Really toolsy and intelligent player that the Blues don't have in their prospect pool. |
18 | | - | | Not sure what the Islanders will do. Their pool is interesting, but still kinda poor. Boisvert will add size and some scoring. Plus you can be patient with him while he goes to North Dakota. |
19 | | - | | Not as much info on, but goes to a team that can afford to wait for him. |
20 | | | | I just remember the video of Kyle Davidson when he knew Oliver Moore was going to fall to him last year. I think he'll be just as excited about getting Stiga who is just as determined and 200 ft as Moore is. |
21 | | - | | Just an engine of a player. Gives everything he's got every shift and has nice qualities. I think he plays. |
22 | | - | | I feel like this is a move Nashville would make. Draft a D with good upside who can make plays. |
23 | | - | | Probably the highest upside player I have left outside of Connelly. He's young, he's skilled, and you can afford to be patient. |
24 | | | | Anaheim likes size and he has size. |
25 | | - | | Young, lots of offensive upside. A team that afford to be patient with the player and help him maximize his potential. |
26 | | | | You didn't think Anaheim was the only team that liked size did you? |
27 | | | | A solid bet to be a middle six pro. Showed a reasonable 200 ft game (albeit in the circus of Liiga). Has a lot of tools that would fit well in Calgary. |
28 | | | | I'm not a fan of Mews. I think he's got flashes of quality that haven't come together (like pieces of a puzzle that just don't fit). Still, if you have the right development plan, you could be getting decent bottom 4 d-man. |
29 | | | | I like Ziemer's intensity and intelligence. I think he could be a nice piece for Montreal's middle 6. |
30 | | - | | Honestly, I don't know what to make of Connelly. He could be one of the top players in the class, but his defensive deficiencies could hold him back quite a bit in addition to the off-ice noise. Carolina just seems like a team that would take that chance on Connelly. They could end up with a very special player. |
31 | | - | | Only really saw him at the Hlinka, but looked the part of a really smooth skating distributor. |
32 | | - | | Produced well for an 18 year old in the KHL. Team can afford to be patient. |