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Hotstove: Mock Draft I, Picks 21 - 30 |
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Welcome to the Hotstove!
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 and 11-20 were published in a previous post, and are now off the board:
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]
11.) PHILADELPHIA FLYERS -- C Alexander Wennberg, Djurgarden [French]
12.) PHOENIX COYOTES -- C Bo Horvat, London [Yost]
13.) WINNIPEG JETS -- D Nikita Zadarov, London [Spizziri]
14.) COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS -- C Max Domi, London [Esplen]
15.) NEW YORK ISLANDERS -- D Marco Mueller, Heilbronn [Cloutier]
16.) BUFFALO SABRES -- W Valentin Zykov, Baie-Comeau [French]
17.) OTTAWA SENATORS -- D Ryan Pulock, Brandon [Yost]
18.) DETROIT RED WINGS -- W Anthony Mantha, Val D'Or Foreurs [Spizziri]
19.) COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS -- C Nic Petan, Portland [Esplen]
20.) SAN JOSE SHARKS -- C Curtis Lazar, Edmonton [Cloutier]
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21.) TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS -- C JT Compher, USNDTP [French]
Compher fell a bit in this draft due to an injury at the beginning of the year that kept him out for a while, but is rising again after his excellent showing both to end his season and at the U18 WJC’s. High-end skating ability goes well with a high “hockey IQ.” The top USHL prospect is considered to have a lot of upside due to his work ethic and ability to make plays at top speed. Leafs could use some halfway decent forward prospects.
22.) CALGARY FLAMES -- D Josh Morrissey, Prince Albert [Yost]
In terms of value picks, I think getting Josh Morrissey at twenty-two is my (perhaps *the*) best grab of the first-round. This is a big draft for Calgary, and they really can't afford to miss on any of the three first-round selections they possess. The blue-line strikes me as an area of concern, so getting a high-end offensive defenseman with fantastic puck-moving ability from the Western Hockey League seems to be the perfect get for Jay Feaster. I think a discernible lack of physicality keeps him from being selected closer to the top-ten during this entry draft, but his 0.62 PPG average with Prince Albert this year is hard to ignore. And, Calgary has to understand the importance and value of puck-movement from the back-end here.
23.) WASHINGTON CAPITALS -- D Robert Hagg, Modo [Spizziri]
I had the opportunity to watch Hagg play several times for Sweden during the 2012 U-17 World Junior Hockey Challenge in Windsor. He would provide the Washington Capitals with a complete, all-around defenseman who is very good in all facets of the game from the perspective of a defenseman. Given the Caps lack of solid prospects on the blueline within the organization, they would be ecstatic to grab Hagg or Josh Morrissey (picked by Yost at #22) to bolster their thin group of young rearguards.
24.) VANCOUVER CANUCKS -- W Kerby Rychel, Windsor [Esplen]
Rychel does need to work on his skating, but there isn’t a player in this draft that brings the intangibles that he does. The guy is a pure leader, who will fight anyone and finish his checks. The 40 goals he scored this year might be a bit ambitious for the NHL, but I do think he can be around that 25-30 range while being the toughest player to play against in this draft class.
Comparable- Scott Hartnell
25.) MONTREAL CANADIENS -- C Frederik Gauthier, Rimouski [Cloutier]
I couldn't have scripted this any better if I tried. Come on, Gauthier...Montreal...It just works.
What also works is the fact Gauthier is a mountain of a man who will bring size and toughness to a Habs team that perhaps has enough small, skilled forwards. There is nothing particularly spectacular about Gauthier's game.
He's a raw talent, but wow...French Moose.
26.) ANAHEIM DUCKS -- W Adam Erne, Quebec [French]
Surprised he fell this far, but oh well. Plays that power forward game everybody loves, he’s shown he can and will absolutely crush players. Plays like Dustin Brown and can play both wings. He can grind it out as well as score and he’ll battle for every inch of ice. Only issue is that he takes a lot of low % shots, will have to work on that.
27.) COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS -- D Madison Bowey, Kelowna [Yost]
I kind of went back and forth on this pick between a few names, but Madison Bowey was the player I kept coming back to in the end. Bowey's draft stock, much like the aforementioned Morrissey, comes from high-end offensive ability. But, the reason why he's a potential late first-round selection is his improvements in the defensive zone, an area where Bowey made a concerted effort to improve last year with Kelowna. His best attribute, to me, is his often-fearless skating with the puck. You can't teach or shake confidence like that. There's a chance his frame can still fill out a bit, too; the 6'1", 195 lb. defender could still pack on a bit of weight, which could strengthen his game away from the puck. So long as his game continues to develop, Columbus could have a nice get here at twenty-seven.
28.) CALGARY FLAMES -- G Zachary Fucale, Halifax [Spizziri]
Dumbfounded that the top-rated goaltender remains available, GM Jay Feaster of the Calgary Flames happily uses his third and final 1st round selection to draft the class’ top-rated netminder in Fucale. He is strong athletically, while also receiving high marks from scouts for being positionally aware and technically sound. I had the opportunity to watch Fucale at that same U-17 challenge tournament as Hagg and it was already quite evident even back then as a 16 year-old rookie in the “Q”, that his poise and composure is astounding for such a young player under the pressure of high expectations. Feels and looks like he "owns the crease" and it has shown in winning big games on several of the largest stages (World U-18, Memorial Cup). Doubtful he remains at #28 come draft day in Newark.
29.) DALLAS STARS -- C Laurent Dauphin, Chicoutimi [Esplen]
Every time I’ve seen this guy I can’t help but notice that he is always ahead of the play by two steps. The only other player that I’ve seen the puck follow him like that is Datsyuk. When you add that smarts to his great skating and decent skill level, I think you have the makings of a real good player down the road. I also love how he plays his best when it counts the most. The only weakness’s I see right now is he needs to get stronger on the puck and play more consistent. Once he figures those two things out he’s going to be a heck of a player.
Comparable- David Krejci
30.) CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS -- C/W Marko Dano, HK Dukla Trencin [Cloutier]
Of course, we don't know who will have this pick yet, as the NHL playoffs continue. I had to use the pick on Marko Dano, as he might be the best 30th overall pick ever taken.
Did you see this guy performing on a completely over-matched Slovakian team during the World Junior Championships? He was amazing. Skates like Yakupov. Aggressive and shifty. He's not too small (5'11" 183lbs) to make it in the NHL. Nine points in six games at the WJHC.
And when is the last time the NHL had an Austrian-born player? We need this guy.
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Thanks for reading!
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