Draft Day is here! Every year there are always names thrown around but this year feels bigger than ever for discussions of names that could be dealt. Karlsson, Panarin, Faulk, Hamilton, Lucic, Hanifin, Tavares. With any luck it’s going to be a crazy day.
I will be live blogging the first round so make sure to come back here 7:30 p.m. ET for updates as well as quips from myself.
Here comes an end to my Mock Draft. This has been a fun little series for me and a great way to become more familiar with some of the prospects in the first round. As the blog states this is exactly what will happen however I cannot be held responsible if teams decide to ignore my brilliance.
21. The San Jose Sharks Select Barrett Hayton - C It’s crazy that Hayton fell to 21 and the Sharks will happily select him. The 6’1 centre had a great season with the Greyhounds with 60 points in 61 games and added even further to it with a successful playoff run. Has top 6 centre potential.
22. The Ottawa Senators Select Ty Dallandrea - C With their first pick I had the Senators select the offensive defenseman Evan Bouchard and now they grab the best remaining centre on the table in Dallandrea. The Firebirds were not a great team this year but Dallandrea was one of their strongest players. Very capable of driving his own offense the centre scored 27 goals this season.
23. Anaheim Ducks Select K’Andre Miller - LD The Ducks have this nasty habit of being really good at drafting defensemen and I’m pretty sure they are going to get away with doing it again by drafting Miller. The kid is already 6’4 and 192lbs and will be a physical presence when he fills out a bit more.
24. Minnesota Wild Select Dominik Bokk - RW The German winger who likes to control the game with the puck on his stick. He is very good at quickly changing speed from the neutral zone to the offensive zone. Likes to challenge defenders one on one. To a lesser degree he reminds me of Matt Barzal.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs Select Isac Lundestrom - C A two way centre who projects more like a middle six player as opposed to an elite offensive threat. The Leafs have tons of depth at forward but Lundestrom could be a lock for their roster in as early as two years.
26. New York Rangers Select Rasmus Sandin - LD Scored 45 points in 51 games with the Greyhounds where he exploded for offense. In the Swedish leagues he was a decent threat but it is interesting to see how much his game improved on the North American ice.
27. Chicago Blackhawks Select Jay O’Brien - C O’Brien is set to be drafted anywhere between the late first and early second round. He has dealt with some injuries and he is known to take some games off. If a team can help his conditioning and give him some stronger routines to follow he could be an NHL player.
28. New York Rangers Select Aidan Dudas - C My first real off the board pick. Bob Mckenzie has Dudas set to go somewhere in the third round. Dudas scored 31 goals last season in the AHL though having Nick Suzuki on his team certainly helped to boost his points. Defensively Dudas is a bit of a mess which is a big reason on why he dropped so low. If a team can help him solve that he could be a steal.
29. St Louis Blues Select Jared McIsaac - LD McIsaac won Rookie of the Year in 2017. The biggest thing this young player is known for is being a puck mover. Though not tracked he has been spectacular with his zone exits and likes to be the one to control the puck moving up the ice. Strength as with many young defensemen is his biggest weakness but with some development he is an NHL player.
30. Detroit Red Wings Select Ryan Merkley - RD Polarizing is the best way to describe Merkley. His ranking fell from 21 at the mid point of the season down to 41. He has been known to argue with his coaches, was suspended for undisciplined plays involve illegal slashes. Immaturity is his biggest negative impact but the General Manager who accepts that dumb teenagers don’t necessarily grow up to be dumb adults will take advantage of getting a skilled player at his lowest value.
31. Washington Capitals Select - Gabriel Fortier - LW Another slight reach to end this draft. The left winger scored 26 goals in the Q last season and is a crafty forward with quick hands. This seems like the kind of player Washington favours and will grab the best scorer remaining in the draft.
Well that was fun. Looking forward tonight to checking off how many of these I got correct. Leave your thoughts in the comments!