Welcome to the second installment of this mock draft. The 30th pick brought some hate and consternation, sadly this one won't. The tension will likely ramp up on 27 with Chicago, so if you are waiting for a time to really rail into me, that's the next one that should raise peoples ire!
Previously
30. New Jersey Devils : Kasperi Kapanen
Now
29. The Los Angeles Kings select Left Wing Brendan Lemieux of the Barrie Colts in the OHL
6’1, 209lbs, 1996-03-15 : 18 years old 65 games – 27g – 26a – 53p – 145PIM
Now this one isn’t set in stone obviously. They just happen to be at the top right now, New York has a chance to change that today. Regardless, this is one fit and team match that felt so appropriate that I had to do it. Brandon Lemieux, the son of the Lemieux you hated…not the one you hated if you weren’t a Penguins fan or a fan of dominating hockey, the Lemieux who would chew you ear off in a scrum and then score a clinching overtime goal in the playoffs. You might have figured that one out just looking at his penalty minutes, that or his playoff numbers for Barrie in their losing effort this season; he scored a team leading 7 goals and had 10 points in 11 games. Lemieux will not be a big scorer in this league, or at least it isn’t expected, what he likely will be is a massive pain in the arse to deal with. He is the consummate grinder; he will wear opponents down on the forecheck and hound them at both ends of the ice. He never misses a chance to lay a hit, which has led to some really bad hits as well as classics. He plays on and often off the edge, something a team like the Kings would likely covet in the years to come keeping their notoriety as a disgustingly hard team to play against.
He’s an agitator that can score, he doesn’t have high offensive upside, but his net presence will likely see him be a problem player for opponents especially on the PP. While his dad is a great comparison, it’s also one I feel is pretty unrealistic, a better comparison is Wayne Simmonds, a player who understands how to get under a team’s skin, is highly effective and while not a talented scorer can find his offense on a PP and when it counts.
The concerns surround his penchant for taking penalties and being on the referees watch list, something that will follow him like a bad smell to the NHL…and needs to for him to be at his best. He isn’t the swiftest start up skater, one of the things he needs to continue to improve in this increasingly fast NHL. Lastly his passing abilities are not great, he doesn’t see the ice particularly well, he sees people to hit and goalies to get his body in front of. This seems like a perfect fit for the Kings in my mind, though a lot of contending teams might make him go earlier than expected due to their depth and need for this style of player in a more immediate capacity (Might be NHL ready sooner than many of the more talented late-first/early-second prospects)
Comparison : Wayne Simmonds
Thanks for reading, Tampa Bay Lightning up next...if only for list continuity.