Continuing in this Mock Draft! Now with 45% less viewers!!!!!!
42. The Phoenix Coyotes select Left Winger William Carrier of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in the QMJHL.
Carrier is a personal favourite and was on pace to fight with the top scorers of the Q (MacKinnon/Drouin/Mantha/Zykov and so on) if not for an ankle injury. He played on the extremely weak Eagles where he and later traded Lavoie were the only two players really doing anything. The 6’2 LW has shown some solid defensive ability to go with his scoring upside. He’s got solid skating and excellent acceleration. One area people wonder about is that can he maintain consistency? He has been known to disappear for 4 games before a 3 point night and a string of points, only to go another few games sans points. He engages physically as well so that is a major plus with his size. He seems like a typical Coyote and somebody who is expected to fall due to injury with the potential to be a steal. He’s been a top player in the Q for two years and only has one left because of his mature game, I really like him earlier, but can see him fall around here.
43. The Winnipeg Jets select Centre Laurent Dauphin of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the QMJHL.
The QMAAA Playoffs MVP is another player in the Q who has impressed despite jumping full into the Q. The 5’11 centre had his touch of inconsistencies, but proved himself when things mattered most, including being the best player during the CHL Top Prospects Game. He has some high upside as a scorer, showing quality passing, but more important a nose for the net. He’s still weak, but that seems to be a driving factor with Dauphin’s game, as after he took a major hit in the Top Prospects Game, he came back and dominated playing aggressively yet still smart. He needs some consistency, like many younger players, especially rookies in the CHL despite their age. He has major upside as a top-6 centre and the floor of a capable 3rd liner, something the Jets need more of.
44. The Columbus Blue Jackets select Goaltender Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans in the WHL.
Despite having the reigning Vezina winner Bobrovsky, the Jackets have had their share of one hit wonders in the net, plus you could always use more goalie prospects because they are the hardest players to predict. Comrie is the half-brother of Mike and played as the split starter for the Tri-City Storm and also as the backup to Fucale on the Gold winning Ivan Hlinka Tournament Canadian squad. He’s shown major improvements over the year from his rookie year and scouts praise his lateral movement and extremely quick glove hand. Outside of Dansk who had a rough first season in the OHL for the lowly Otters, the Jackets don’t have much in the way of future goalies, so nabbing the considered third best option wouldn’t be a bad move.
45. The Anaheim Ducks select Defenseman Shea Theodore of the Seattle Thunderbird in the WHL.
Theodore is a defenseman that many feel could sneak into the first round due to his 6’2 height and room to grow (he’s an alarming 157). He’s a high octane offensive defenseman who moves the puck well and runs a PP like nobody else. He’s a constant mover with great instincts and finds positions to score and make plays with ease. His 19 goals were the top by draft eligible defensemen in the WHL and 4th in the league. He’s a dynamic skater with all the offensive tools to be a dominant force…the issues begin when he doesn’t have the puck. In his own zone he’s suspect and has a lot of work to do. He’s been known to chuck some mind boggling turnovers that just make you cringe. A team drafting Theodore will know that he is a longer term project and a guy who will need a few years to get his strength and defensive game to an acceptable level, because despite his high-end skills, sometimes the bad outweighs the good with these kinds of high risk high reward players.
46. The Minnesota Wild select Centre Avery Peterson of Grand Rapids High in the USHS.
It wouldn’t be the draft without Minnesota taking a local highschool product from their backyard with their second round pick. Peterson is a lanky player at 6’2 179 and has the raw ability to be a big time scorer. I can’t say I know too much about him since I’ve never seen a Minnesota Highschool game in my life, but people describe him as a powerful skater and extremely hard to knock off the puck…though this is in a drastically weaker league. He scored 27 goals in 26 games and added 62 points. Seems like a typical Wild pick with their second rounder.
47. The Detroit Red Wings select Centre Marko Dano of HC Slovan Bratislava in the KHL.
In my opinion the most underrated players in this year’s draft. Squat and powerful with a low centre of gravity, Dano is a really hard player to move off the puck. He can play both centre (internationally) and wing (KHL) which is nice for some versatility. Dano dominated at the WJC’s leading Slovakia in goals and points with 4g and 9p, while also showing some good physical and two-way ability. One of the things I really liked about his game when he got a chance to play against players his age was him throwing his body around, that’s something he wasn’t great at in the KHL against men. What’s even more surprising is that Dano got a chance to suit up for the WC’s and was the youngest player in the tournament…where he was pretty fine. He wasn’t overwhelmed despite some strong NHL competition and overall was pretty solid on the fourth line adding a goal and an assist in 5 games. The main deficiency to his game is that he isn’t an extremely fast player which at 5’11 is usually expected, that’s one of the reasons that he is likely going in the mid-second round instead of the first. Now there are rumours that he will join the Prince George Cougars in the WHL next season after being drafted 60th overall in the import draft of 2011, but these are not confirmed. If he doesn’t move to the CHL he will continue to play for HC Slovan Bratislava in the KHL. This seems like a typical Wings pick, a high-end European with extreme upside that they can afford to develop like he needs to…they seem to get these kinds of players every year even if they don’t work out. I have to say, he is THE steal of the draft for where he is ranked and expected to go.
48. The St. Louis Blues select Right Winger Justin Bailey of the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL.
Bailey is a real wildcard. He’s got the size, skill and overall package to be a legitimate top-6 threat. Yet despite his 6’3 frame and amazing hands, speed and shot, he has been inconsistent as all hell. He plays a physical brand of hockey at times, though every now and then he won’t engage. It’s a baffling experience watching Bailey, as his raw skill is off the charts top round levels, but he hasn’t gotten it together. The Blues have a very young squad with a lot going for them, so I think they can take a risk, and in the past have loved to take that kind of risk in Bailey. Like a lot of OHL players he was expected to be a lot better and more consistent, but the Rangers were an enigmatic team despite the star quality up and down the lineup, so it wasn’t just Bailey disappointing. He has major reward for the high risk.
49. The San Jose Sharks select Defenseman Dillon Heatherington of the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL.
Heatherington plays the kind of shutdown game many teams want. Some have him listed near 6’4, though the general consensus is that he is near 6’2 and 208, but he plays the right way and has shown his ability to stifle players. He’s shown elite levels of defensive play, to go with a strong physical game. Like a few other players mentioned, he’s a safer player with a very high chance of having an NHL future with his smart decision making and solid skating. It’s hard to leave out how good he is at getting into other players heads and shutting them down, he’s truly up there with the top defensemen of this draft in terms of defensive play. He hasn’t shown much in the offensive zone though, so that will hurt him. The Sharks could use pretty much anything, but a high-end defensive defender is something high on their list.
50. The San Jose Sharks select Centre Jason Dickinson of the Guelph Storm in the OHL.
San Jose needs as many top prospects as they can get and I feel Dickinson is the poster boy of underperforming OHL players that are the black marks on this otherwise majorly touted draft. The 6’2 two-way centre was inconsistent in his production and didn’t improve on his promising first year in the OHL. Offensively he brings some strong skills like excellent speed and a knack for finding the puck around the net, but he’s so inconsistent. Like a lot of high skilled players with major upside, he doesn’t bring it every night, and while some can still contribute and put the numbers up despite that, he hasn’t shown he can. The high upside and his natural size are something the Sharks need and can gamble on with so many picks and such a weak prospect pool.
51. The Toronto Maple Leafs select Right Winger Marc-Olivier Roy of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL.
He had a very good year offensively which culminated in a breakout performance in the playoffs for the Armada. Roy played on the 1st line, the 1st PP and 2nd PK minutes for a deep Armada team with Coach Jean-Francois Houle, who stresses compete level and defensive play to earn your minutes. He has excellent speed and is one of the fastest starters with really quick strides. He brings an excellent defensive game and strong compete on the boards even though he’s fairly slight of build (5’11 164lb). His 19 points in 15 playoff games was extremely impressive and he placed second on his team in those regards. He’s got the all-around package that people love and there are some who believe he might be a sleeper like Ryan O’Reilly who played the year after he was drafted despite being a 2nd round selection. Most peg him around the early second, though I’ve seen him as late as the third round. The Leafs still need more forwards and talented ones at that, so despite not being a centre Roy is a very good fit for a team in my opinion desperate, for more talented forwards.
52. The Buffalo Sabres select Right Winger Nick Sörensen of the Québec Remparts in the QMJHL.
Why not get the whole Q while they can? Right? Ok, Sörensen had a bit of an up and down year in the Q despite major expectations for his serious skills to blossom. He had reconstructive surgery before the year and had to face some problems when Grigorenko returned while Kucherov was still around breaking the 2 International player limit per squad. He has excellent speed and has a good frame at 6’1 170, what he needs to do is play more. That major injury the year before and a slow start really has hurt his ranking. He could and was expected to be a first rounder easily, yet until the end of the year he wasn’t really showing his true talent. He finished well in the playoffs scoring 7 goals in 8 games and really coming into his own. He reminds me of Martin Frk a lot, in the sense that both had huge expectations as imports and high-end players, but both struggled through injuries which dropped them like stones to the 2nd round. I’ve gone this deep with a Sabres-QMJHL connection, why not keep going with one of Grigo’s wingers?
53. The Washington Capitals select Centre Jimmy Lodge of the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.
High-end puck skills but a very raw game leave Lodge open for discussion as a late first or even a faller to the third round. The 6'1 centre had a very strong second half to his year pushing him above a PPG and was actually a surprise performer in the OHL which expected a lot better of this draft class who underwhelmed. He has some sick hands and magical creativity, but flounders when games get a little too tough, he's known to disappear. Despite that, he's not alone like many America/European players going into the CHL and struggling even though he had an ok rookie year the season past. He needs quite a bit of work, but has major upside and I think could go as early as 35.
Thanks for reading.
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