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Mock Draft I, Picks 11 - 20

June 14, 2013, 12:16 PM ET [40 Comments]
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Mark Spizziri, Adam French, Ian Esplen, Richard Cloutier and myself went ahead and did a first-round mock draft a few days ago. Below are the results.

Picks 1-10 were published in a previous post, and are now off the board:

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1.) COLORADO AVALANCHE -- C Nathan MacKinnon, Halifax [French]
2.) FLORIDA PANTHERS -- D Seth Jones, Portland [Yost]
3.) TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING -- W Jonathan Drouin, Halifax [Spizziri]
4.) NASHVILLE PREDATORS -- C/W Hunter Shinkaruk, Medicine Hat [Esplen]
5.) CAROLINA HURRICANES -- W Valeri Nichushkin, Chelyabinsk [Cloutier]
6.) CALGARY FLAMES -- C Alexander Barkov, Tappara [French
7.) EDMONTON OILERS -- D Darnell Nurse, Sault Ste. Marie [Yost]
8.) BUFFALO SABRES -- C Elias Lindholm, Brynas [Spizziri]
9.) NEW JERSEY DEVILS -- C Sean Monahan, Ottawa [Esplen]
10.) DALLAS STARS -- D Rasmus Ristolainen, TPS [Cloutier]

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11.) PHILADELPHIA FLYERS -- C Alexander Wennberg, Djurgarden [French]

The few times I’ve seen him I’ve just been really impressed. One game against Örebro that I watched he forced 7 turnovers with smart positioning and hard work stripping the puck off players. Wennberg offers a game very similar to Henrik Zetterberg, safe and reliable in his own end, and dynamic with game changing ability in the scoring areas. He was excellent in the Allsvenskan this season including an amazing performance in the playoffs.

12.) PHOENIX COYOTES -- C Bo Horvat, London [Yost]

Horvat strikes me as one of the most complete players in this draft, so anytime you can get a player that well-rounded outside of the top-ten, you jump at it. Phoenix's struggles with offensive production over the past few years has been well-documented, and seeing as how they're teeming with young defensive talent, Horvat provides a nice balance. The biggest draw to Horvat would be how defensively responsible he is -- something that's ultimately a staple of most or every Dave Tippett player. Focusing on the defensive-half of his game didn't limit his scoring with London, though, where he poured in thirty-three goals and added twenty-eight assists. Truth be told, I'm not sure there's a particular flaw in Horvat's game: the only question that seems to me as legitimate is how much more he can improve.

13.) WINNIPEG JETS -- D Nikita Zadarov, London [Spizziri]

You can never have enough mobile defensemen at your disposal and when you add the massive frame and physical nature of Nikita Zadorov to the equation, it adds up to an excellent selection for the Winnipeg Jets to possibly pair in the future with their top defensive prospect, Jacob Trouba. Zadorov has the ability to dominate games with his physicality, is extremely tough for opposing forwards to beat wide given his immense reach and strong skating ability. He also brings a heavy and accurate shot to the table, yet his future lies as a top-four rearguard playing the role of the defensively responsible, physical option in a shutdown pairing that so many teams covet.

14.) COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS -- C Max Domi, London [Esplen]

My worries about Domi’s size go away every time I watch this sparkplug play. I love how he never quits on the play, how hard he is to get the puck off of and all I can say about those hands is, “Wow, he must have got those from mom”. I have no concerns that he will play in the NHL for a long time.

Comparable- Mike Richards

15.) NEW YORK ISLANDERS -- D Marco Mueller, Heilbronn [Cloutier]

Some big-time speculation happening here. The chance Mueller gets picked in the Top 30 is 50/50 if you ask some people. So why did I step up and do this to the Islanders.

First is Mueller's play at the WJHC and near the end of the season in Junior. Second has to do with the score he posted at the Combine on the VO2 Max. A hint: He broke it. Last year, Hampus Lindholm kicked the crap out of the VO2 Max, and people seem to think he's the next great defenseman. History has a tendency to repeat itself. I do believe Minnie's Jonas Brodin also excelled at this?

And I don't care if the Islanders draft 27 defensemen last year. Their top prospects defensively are Calvin de Haan and Griffin Reinhart, both of whom struggled last season for different reasons. With Mark Streit climbing over the wall to freedom, and with Lubomir Visnovski being older than Moses, the Islanders need to find a future 1/2 pairing. Mueller could be a part of that.

16.) BUFFALO SABRES -- W Valentin Zykov, Baie-Comeau [French]

The QMJHL and CHL Rookie of the Year like most of the other players I’ve picked in this mock draft is a two-way player with scoring ability. He was one of the top goal scorers in the Q with 40 and only two draft eligible players scored more (18 year old draft eligibles) Mantha and Drouin. Zykov plays with a physical edge to his game and finishes his checks to go along with being one of the hardest working guys on the boards in the CHL. He was one of the big reasons why Baie-Comeau got to the finals against Halifax with his great playoff performance (yet again only two other draft eligibles outscored him, Drouin and MacKinnon).

17.) OTTAWA SENATORS -- D Ryan Pulock, Brandon [Yost]

Ottawa's forward depth at the prospect-level is impressive. Defensively, they're a bit shallow -- it's Cody Ceci, and everyone else. That's scary for Ottawa a bit more than other teams, one that relies on a puck-possession system ignited from the back-end. Ryan Pulock's biggest strength? Getting up the ice. His offensive flair has been a staple of Brandon's offensive production for three years running, and although his numbers tapered a bit this year(.84 PPG to .73 PPG) , a lot of that had to do with the Wheat Kings transforming from great to crappy in one year -- two seasons ago, they towed a +18 goal differential and 271 GF; this season, just 186 goals and a -94. His slip in scoring and how much his team had to do with it makes him a volatile first-round pick: some experts see him going close to the top-ten, others late first-round. Hockey Prospectus' Corey Pronman previously noted that many scouts consider him a top-eight player in the draft, and that he projects as a top-pairing defenseman. I'm willing to roll the dice a bit here, because I think there's fantastic value. And, lord knows how much MacLean values guys who can move the puck.

18.) DETROIT RED WINGS -- W Anthony Mantha, Val D'Or Foreurs [Spizziri]

The Detroit Red Wings have selected two talented scoring forwards from the “Q” with their first pick the past two years (Tomas Jurco and Martin Frk). Realistically it would not surprise me to see the Red Wings once again trade down to a spot later in the first round or early second round to make their first selection. However, Mantha’s skill level makes him an enticing prospect for a team in need of a bonafide goalscorer. Questions exist regarding Mantha’s “compete” level, which has lowered his rating. Nevertheless, his offensive instincts and touch around the net cannot be taught, whereas the possibility exists that the Red Wings could teach Mantha how to play without the puck and improve his consistency as he matures given Detroit’s tendency to not rush their prospects.

19.) COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS -- C Nic Petan, Portland [Esplen]

Another small player, but when you put up 120 points in the WHL, that speaks volumes to me. His best asset is his intelligence. He’s one of those players that is always ahead of the puck and because of that, the puck seems to follow him. While he’s a bit of a risk, his skill is amongst the highest in the draft and worth the risk.

Comparable- Tomas Plekanec

20.) SAN JOSE SHARKS -- C Curtis Lazar, Edmonton [Cloutier]

Brad Marchand.

Have you been watching this season's Stanley Cup Playoffs? Every team needs a Brad Marchand or Dave Bolland-type player. Lazar, a goal scorer who likes to play cheap and dirty hockey, is a great 2nd/3rd line addition for any team to add.

He's a tad raw. His season for the Edmonton Oil Kings was mildly disappointing. Not to matter; Lazar is not NHL-ready yet, so he'll continue with the Oil Kings. It's likely he'll move up the depth chart with several key players departing this summer. With more ice time and more responsibility, Lazar's stats could go crazy.

Lazar will fit right in on the Sharks. He's not huge, but he's physical and tenacious.

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