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Mockable Mock Draft : Nearing End Game (Picks 23-25) |
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What came before.
1. The Buffalo Sabres - Rasmus Dahlin
2. The Carolina Hurricanes - Andrei Svechnikov
3. The Montreal Canadiens - Noah Dobson
4. The Ottawa Senators - Filip Zadina
5. The Arizona Coyotes - Quinn Hughes
6. The Detroit Red Wings - Jesperi Kotkaniemi
7. The Vancouver Canucks - Evan Bouchard
8. The Chicago Blackhawks - Brady Tkachuk
9. The New York Rangers - Oliver Wahlstrom
10. The Edmonton Oilers - Adam Boqvist
11. The New York Islanders - Ty Smith
12. The New York Islanders - Vitali Kravtsov
13. The Dallas Stars - Martin Kaut
14. The Philadelphia Flyers - Barrett Hayton
15. The Florida Panthers - Mattias Samuelsson
16. The Colorado Avalanche - Rasmus Sandin
17. The New Jersey Devils - Jonatan Berggren
18. The Columbus Blue Jackets - Joseph Veleno
19. The The Philadelphia Flyers - Joel Farabee
20. The Los Angeles Kings - Isac Lundestrom
21. The San Jose Sharks - Jared McIsaac
22. The Ottawa Senators - Bode Wilde
23. The Anaheim Ducks
Dominik Bokk, Right Winger, 6’1 179lbs, 18 Years Old, Växjö Lakers HC J20 in the SuperElit
35gp 14g 27a 41p
The Ducks have one of the most impressive backlogs of young defenseman, as well as a top quality young goalie and a solid list of prospects. That’s why I feel that the Ducks could make the gamble on the intriguing German playing in Sweden’s SuperElit. Bokk is a very traditional European style winger. He has great skating ability and is able to pull past defenders on the outside. He knows how to use the half wall for passes effectively. He knows how to score off the rush and when to take a shot versus making a play. He’s not the type of player who will fire “Jason Blake” style shots off the rush.
Bokk has been rising up the ranks recently and I think now that people have been exposed to his play, people are catching on to just how talented he is. Playing in the DNL in Germany (U19 League) as a 16 year old he scored 71 points in 41 games (3rd in the league) and won the DNL Forward of the Year. Despite this, he didn’t garner a lot of attention. Bokk moved to Sweden to increase the level of competition he would face. Needless to say it has paid off. Bokk was the second best draft eligible player in the SuperElit, behind Berggren (17 on this list) and also had a good 15 game stint in the Elitserien where he didn’t look too out of place.
He’s an intriguing player and one I think won’t make it past 23 especially if teams figure he can work out some of his issues defensively.
Potential : Top-6 Winger
NHL Comparable : Mike Hoffman (Preferably single)
24. The Minnesota Wild
K’Andre Miller, Left Defenseman, 6’4 205lbs, 18 Years Old, USNTDP Juniors in the USHL
22gp 4g 12a 16p
With his first ever pick as a General Manager, Paul Fenton goes local with K’Andre Miller. Since joining the Predators all the way back in 1998, Fenton and Co. have been known for being able to develop defenseman. A large number of top level defenders have come out of that organization. That’s why I think it would be very fitting to pick the lanky behemoth Miller. After Suter and Brodin, the Wild’s left side depth isn’t looking particularly great.
Miller was moved to defense when he joined the USNTDP last season. Previous he had played a mix of winger and defenseman in High School. The move was the right one it would seem as he has retained some of his scoring ability, but matched it with very strong defense. He had a very good year, topped at the end by a very solid showing at the U18’s. He scored a goal and added 2 assists for the Americans in their Silver Medal win playing in a defensive role. He has garnered a lot of comparisons to Byfuglien for his ability to skate so well for a player of his size. He has really strong speed when he’s up to full speed, but has a bit of an issue starting and stopping which can let forwards catch him every now and again. If he can fix that, he has some real potential to be a top tier defenseman. He has the size and reach, he has the smarts and has the shot.
He plays a physical game, but tends to stay within the line not taking many bad penalties. One issue I saw at the U18’s is that he had a few bad pinches that caught him at the wrong end of the ice. That might be some remainder of his days as a forward and his willingness to engage. Not a deal breaker, but a bit of an issue.
Overall Miller has some tantalizing potential and would be a good fit in his home state.
Potential : Top-4 Two-Way Defenseman
Comparable : Erik Johnson
25. The Toronto Maple Leafs
Rasmus Kupari, Centreman, 5’11 163lbs, 18 Years Old, Kärpät in the SM-liiga
39gp 6g 8a 14p
While I would like Kupari to fall to 32nd and be picked up by Buffalo so I can watch a potential icing of
Rasmus Asplund-Rasmus Kupari-Find another Rasmus
Rasmus Dahlin-Rasmus Ristolainen
sadly I don’t think he will make it out of the first round. The Maple Leafs are lacking tow things in their prospect pool, top notch defense and centre depth. Their centre depth is not healthy for a team chalk full of good young forwards, only Matthews is a centreman. With his first pick as General Manager, young Kyle Dubas picks from the SM-liiga for the first time since 2006 (Komarov). Kupari has been compared by his Head Coach as “a mix of Jesse Puljujärvi and Sebastian Aho.” High praise indeed.
Kupari is a slick forward with excellent puck skills. Though he only played 4 games during the U18 tournament for Finland, he scored 3 points and was a solid contributor on the second line behind Kotkaniemi. He was crucial in the Gold Medal game. He also played for the Finnish U20 squad playing limited minutes as their fourth line centre.
Domestically he had a solid season as the fourth line centre on the SM-liiga’s champion Kärpät playing just under 13 minutes a game during the regular season and seeing a little power play time. Despite being only 17 for the vast majority of the season, he managed to win 50% of his draws. He wasn’t a big part of Kärpät’s ultimate win playing just 6 games, but his names still on that trophy.
While undersized, Kupari has a lot of speed and the ability to make plays from nothing. He has very good vision and is a very good set up man on the Power Play. Kupari played in three separate leagues this season including a 5 game loan to the Mestis league (SM-liiga’s AHL) where he performed well. He also played in their Junior-A league for 11 games which allowed him to be available for them in the playoffs.
A lot of scouts were wowed by Kupari at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament with his team leading 7 points in the 4 game tournament. He outperformed a lot of very highly ranked players and was easily the best Finn in the short tournament.
The Leafs are building a very fast team and Kupari has speed to burn. Improving his defensive zone coverage, gaining more size and adjusting to the North American game will all make or break Kupari in the coming years. Being a natural centre with a lot of skill is exactly what the Leafs need. The Leafs went with size and age last draft, something tells me that wasn’t Dubas and to expect some skill homerun attempts.
Potential : Second Line Offensive Centre
NHL Comparable : Mikael Granlund
Thanks for reading.
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