1 | | - | | After having a historically bad season, the Sharks are fortunate enough to win the lottery and land the Celebrini sweepstakes. Celebrini isn't Bedard-level in terms of upside and talent, but he can become an elite player for a Sharks team that already has Smith and Eklund. Celebrini-Smith-Eklund on the top line would be nasty moving forward. |
2 | | - | | Even though Demidov is the clear #2 in the draft in my opinion, Calgary seems to value size in their prospects. The only two smallish prospects on their team are Coronato and Zary. They continue to draft by size and take Dickinson, the #1 defender on my board. The Flames recently traded Hanifin, here they get a similar breed of player. I see a lot of Hanifin in Dickinson, big kid, booming shot, elite defensively, and can skate well. Developing Dickinson's offense outside his shot should be a priority for the Flames if they want to get him into the NHL sooner rather than later. |
3 | | - | | Reportedly the Blackhawks are high on Dickinson. But in the event of Dickinson being off the board, their plan B is rumored to be drafting Levshunov. Even though I prefer Demidov at this point, the Blackhawks are known for avoiding Russians this early. They mainly draft WHLers and American born players. Levshunov is from Belarus, but has played two years in Michigan State. Levshunov has unreal offensive potential with his shot being the best asset. There are some holes in his game defensively, mainly his decision making. But expect Levshunov to be a game breaker on the back end for the rebuilding Blackhawks. Potentially build the franchise around Bedard and Levshunov. |
4 | | - | | Anaheim already has one of the best prospect pools in the NHL, it just gets even better for them. They can afford to take the gamble with drafting Demidov, plus this is fantastic value at 4th overall. The clear #2 in the draft is a pass-first winger with an unreal 200-ft game. Plays with speed as well. A franchise that is built around Zegras, Carlsson, and Demidov would be tantalizing for the future. |
5 | | - | | I believe the pick would either be Lindstrom or Eiserman. Both are really good players but Eiserman just fits the Blue Jackets system better. I see a lot of Laine in Eiserman's game, pure goal-scorer with an incomplete game. But NHL coaches can get players to buy in defensively and even improve their skating, I see that happening with Eiserman. Don't be shocked to see Lindstrom be the pick, but I believe it will be Eiserman. |
6 | | - | | Montreal is reportedly really high on Lindstrom and Iginla. By far I believe Lindstrom is the better player, but Montreal has run into injury troubles every year, and Lindstrom did similar problems this year, so I believe the Canadiens will reach for Iginla. I have Iginla at #13 on my board, so this is a bit off the board, but the highest I see him going is 6th. Pure goal-scorer but can also bring hockey sense, character, compete, and physicality. |
8 | | - | | I see Ottawa going one of two ways with this pick: goal-scorer or RD. I not a fan of 3 reaches in a row, the Sens need RD more, but it would be a big reach to grab one. Some may think this is too high on Connelly, but if you ignore the off-ice incidents, Connelly is a top 5 player in the draft. Best skater in the draft and gives the Sens a goal-scorer to pair up with the gritty Tkachuk and the playmaking Stutzle. Ignore the off-ice issues, take him for the talent. |
9 | | - | | I see the Kraken for a D here, they have a solid forward core that is led by Wright, Beniers, and Sale. I could see Silayev here, but I think Buium is a Francis type pick, the dynamic two-way player that he looks for. There are some holes defensively, mainly his physical play, but he checks all the boxes of what a GMs looks for in a prospect. |
10 | | - | | The Devils go one of two ways with this pick: goal-scorer or physical forward. And I don't see Lindstrom falling past this point. Not a steal by any means, as I do see many scenarios of Lindstrom going at tenth. He does have injury concerns but the combination of size and speed is hard to find in many prospects. That isn't the case with Lindstrom though. The Devils get a physical power forward that brings size, smarts, and speed. |
11 | | - | | This is basically Benson all over again. The Sabres get lucky with their draft picks. I thought they were the winners of last years draft. They pretty much stole Benson, and I thought the Wahlberg and McCarthy picks were very good. I had them both in my first round last year. Silayev is #4 on my board, to get him at #11 is a win-win scenario. The Sabres have had to play Chara a lot in the past, here they get a similar player in Silayev. |
12 | | - | | This will feel like a reach to many people, but in my opinion is this another steal here. I have Stiga #8 on my board given his defensive game and skating alone. Torts loves players that keep the game simple and bring their best effort, Stiga is that type of player. In the U18s he showed what he can bring offensively, mainly scoring. But the defensive game is hard to pass up and I believe Stiga is the second best skater in the entire draft. I could see Catton here, but I don't see Stiga falling past 10th. Getting him at 12th is a steal. |
13 | | - | | This is where the biggest riser in the draft goes. The Wild need D more than forward, but I feel like Sennecke could fit the Wild's system very well. He's a Matt Boldy type player: insane hands, offensively smart, and a really good skater. The big flaw on Sennecke is his frame, which has been improving throughout the season. And there's still a lot of growth yet to come. Also his defensive game won't translate into the NHL at all. But still a wide variety of tools surrounding Sennecke, he will be a solid winger for the Wild. |
14 | | | | I feel like Parekh will go here. The upside is worth it, and the offensive potential is unreal for Parekh. Even though there are holes defensively, we did see how well Erik Karlsson did with the Sharks. Parekh isn't the same breed of player as Karlsson, but he can provide lots of offense that might excite the Sharks. |
15 | | - | | Catton doesn't fall past here, simple as that. Because GMs seem to favor size, even though we saw Benson, DeBrincat, and Caufield develop into prime NHLers, I feel like Catton will fall. Also he had a underwhelming playoff run. But in the regular season he was great, he mainly plays an all-around game with offensive smarts. I see a lot of Marco Rossi in his game. |
16 | | - | | It seems like Jiricek will be the pick for the Blues, all Blues fans on this site seem to like him. So here you go. The injuries around Jiricek do worry me, but he could become a prime prospect going forward. Big kid, booming shot, solid 4-way agility, and dynamic defensive smarts. No matter what, the Blues should go D here, they have plenty of forwards to work with. |
17 | | - | | Washington's prospect pool still needs to get deeper, even after adding Leonard and Miroshnichenko. And Helenius has fallen far enough. He's a similar player to Catton and a true blue chip prospect that the Caps need. |
18 | | - | | This kid could turn out to become a steal at this spot, and already it looks like a steal. MBN is one of the more safer prospects at this spot, he plays a complete game. Just needs to stay out of the penalty box and avoid being overaggressive. |
19 | | - | | The Vegas Golden Diggers seem to draft a center then trade him. The trend continues here, they draft Boisvert. Expect Boisvert to be traded next year in a package deal whenever another prime player goes on LTIR for cap reasons. |
20 | | | | The Blackhawks with their second go for grit and offense by drafting Greentree. Right now the Blackhawks first line looks like Bedard-Moore-??? You need a power forward there, and Greentree is that type of player. |
21 | | - | | LA currently has a team full of blossoming young talent. Drafting Parascak gives them the next Toffoli. |
22 | | - | | The Predators need more defensive stability up front, they get that with Bednarik. |
23 | | - | | The Leafs after getting knocked out need to draft the best defensive player possible. Toronto is reportedly high on Elick, who can consistently bring solid defensive hockey. It is a big reach, but we all know how the Cowan pick went. |
24 | | | | The Ducks were able to develop Mintyukov well and propel him into a solid top 4 guy, here they get a similar player in Leo SW. |
25 | | - | | Even though the Avs need a center more, Kiviharju could end up being the steal of the draft and also has a lot of Makar qualities. Though Kiviharju is more of a Gostisbehere type player, there are some similarities. Gostisbehere-type consistency, Makar-type offense. |
26 | | | | Ottawa addresses their need of a RD by drafting the guy in their backyard in Mews. They also get Tyler Boucher's former teammate and the next version of Erik Karlsson. |
27 | | | | After landing Dickinson, the Flames get another guy that clearly fits their system in Hemming. They just traded Lindholm, here they get a similar player. |
28 | | | | Montreal seems to value hockey sense, character, and compete in their prospects. So once again, Chernyshov is passed on. Instead Basha will be the pick, I believe he addresses all the qualities that Hughes and company are looking for. |
29 | | | | The Flyers get another steal in Chernyshov. I believe this is the furthest he will go, he falls due to character issues and the Russian factor. I say character issues because I see a lot of Dubois in him, and we all saw how well Torts coached Dubois. Dude got called out then scored a hat trick after. I get similar vibes with Chernyshov, but the upside alone is worth this spot. |
30 | | - | | The Canes continue their trend of drafting high schoolers, seeing how well the Morrow and Nadeau picks paid off. Burrows has a solid two-way game. |
31 | | - | | Dallas is a deep team, so they can afford to take the risk in taking Artamonov. |
32 | | - | | The last pick of the first round is always random. I have Emery going here. |