The Hockey Buzz Mock Draft rolls on. Rasmus Dahlin went first to Buffalo, Andrei Svechnikov to Carolina, Filip Zadina to Montreal, Noah Dobson to Ottawa and Oliver Wahlstrom to Arizona, Detroit's pick is below. Vancouver is now on the clock.
Consensus was that Wahlstrom was the right selection, with 52% of the approximately 500 votes as of press time of this blog saying they agreed with the pick
Overall Rules and Process :
After the pick or trade is made, a poll will be posted to rate the selection or deal. If the majority of people like the pick or trade, that selection stands and it moves on to the next team’s picks. If not, the majority rules and that’s what happens with that team and pick. I have the last right of refusal to keep everything on the up and up and avoid ballot box stuffing. My request to you is that you take this serious and not make a mockery of the mock draft, because that would be an insult to the others who are participating and makes the whole process a sham. But by playing this out, we get to have healthy debate and conversation to remain engaged up and possibly beyond the draft. If teams make deals and they occur before a team’s selection is due, that deal will play a part as to when each person’s selection occurs.
Here how this is working: each evening (for now, one pick per day, but we will go to two when we get to second half of the mock draft and possibly even before that, so that we complete on time) the team’s selector emails me their pick and rationale for that selection to [email protected]. If making a trade, the same applies, and all the selectors have been listed below along with their screen name if from this site or their twitter handle if external to help facilitate making trades. I am posting that pick and rationale on the site and create a voting poll. For now, we are using just a yes or no vote for the poll, but if people want me to list other options for the selection at that pick number in cases of a no vote, I am happy to do so, to help make it more robust.
With the 6th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft the Detroit Red Wings select Quinn Hughes, defensemen, from the University of Michigan.
Rationale for the selection:
The Red Wings go into the 2018 draft with several needs to fill, but none are more pressing than the blue line and center ice position. Drafting in the 6th position, it made more sense to use the pick on one of the high-end defensemen in the draft, rather than somewhat reaching to fill the center ice need with a guy like Jesperi Kotkaniemi or Joe Veleno.
I am sure that this pick is no surprise to most on this blog given my noted infinity for Hughes, but the pick essentially came down to three players, Hughes, Evan Bouchard and Adam Boqvist. Turning first to Boqvist, who is more of a direct comparable to Hughes in my mind, I just feel that Boqvist has a lower floor than Hughes, while their ceilings are somewhat comparable. It was a tougher call to draft Hughes over Bouchard, given Bouchard’s leadership bonafides, significant improvement in his overall game, power play abilities and the fact that he is a right hand shot. But, in the end I just feel that Hughes has more potential to be an elite player in the league.
So, what do the Red Wings get in Hughes? They get a dynamic blueliner, who in my opinion, is one of the best skaters, if not the best, in the draft. He is deadly on the rush, and while commonly compared to a young Dan Boyle because of his slightly smaller frame, I see a player more similar in style to Brian Leetch (no I am not saying he is going to turn into Brian Leetch). He is incredibly agile on his skates, and rocket fast through the neutral zone. Indeed, if he has a flaw that I have seen, it’s that he is sometimes too quick to get up ice, rather than ensuring his defensive assignment is handled. But, I believe that is easily remedied.
In closing, Hughes had an excellent freshman campaign at Michigan, played his best in big games towards the end of the year, and even got some additional experience playing for Jeff Blashill at the World Championships. So, Hughes travels the short ride East on I-94 from Ann Arbor to re-join Coach Blashill in Detroit.
Sporting three picks between picks 30-35 look for the possibility that the Red Wings either move up in the draft to address the center ice position, or alternatively, attempt to address the need with one or two high-upside options in Late Round 1-Early Round 2..
Up for the seventh pick in the draft are the Vancouver Canucks and selecting for the 'Nucks will be Leftcoaster, who is on the clock
Lottery teams :
Buffalo - Rasmus Dahlin
Carolina - Andrei Svechnikov
Montréal – Filip Zadina
Ottawa - Noah Dobson (nyrangers9479 will be up again later with pick 22)
Arizona - Oliver Wahlstrom
Detroit - Quinn Hughes (Pete will also pick 30th)
Vancouver - Leftcoaster
Chicago - Panarin27 (picks 8 and 27)
Rangers - Tom Burton (picks 9, 26 and 28)
Edmonton - Slimtj100
Islanders (2x) -Chiefs
Dallas - tumbleweed
Philadelphia- jmatchett383 (picks 14 and 19)
Florida - jimbo
Non-lottery teams :
Colorado - Ranger71
New Jersey - Todd Cordell (Devils blogger on site)
Columbus - Paul Berthelot (Jackets blogger on the site)
Los Angeles - Steve Kournianos (@thedraftanalyst)
San Jose- Sharksfan68
Toronto - Matt1337
Anaheim - Climbdenali12
Minnesota - Dan Wallace (Wild blogger on site)
St. Louis - Isles (Vukota)
Washington - Russ Cohen (@sportsology)
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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