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Mockable Mock Draft : Strained Agony (Picks 26-28) |
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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
24. The Minnesota Wild - K’Andre Miller
25. The Toronto Maple Leafs - Rasmus Kupari
26. The New York Rangers
Akil Thomas, Centreman, 6’0 170lbs, Niagara IceDogs in the OHL
68gp 22g 59a 81p
I kind of feel that Thomas has been unfairly forgotten in the whole scheme of things despite having a very good season. Thomas built on a very strong rookie campaign of 48 points and managed 81 this year. Despite being the third highest PPG scoring OHL eligible player (behind Svechnikov and Bouchard), Thomas is behind several other OHL players in the rankings. Thomas led the IceDogs in points this year and had a solid showing in the playoffs.
The Rangers in this Mock have previously selected Oliver Wahlstrom and while they do need defense, I can’t see them letting a centre prospect of Thomas’ caliber fall past them, especially when they need depth at centre as well.
Thomas is primarily a playmaker at heart. He has very good vision and I especially like the way he dominates on the half wall on the Power Play. While I don’t think he has the extreme highs and lows of some players around him in terms of potential, Thomas has “NHL Centre” written all over him. Especially due to his skills on the draw (53% on over 1100 attempts) and ability to play in any situation.
I feel the Rangers could use that type of versatility down the middle.
Potential : 2nd Line Centre
Comparable : Derek Stepan with skating ability
27. The Chicago Blackhawks
Martin Fehérváry, Left Defenseman, 6’1 190lbs, 18 Years Old, IK Oskarshamn in the Allsvenskan
42gp 1g 6a 7p
Bowman loves his Euro defenders, or at the very least loves them when they’re free assets. Martin Fehérváry is a name most won’t be familiar with, but you probably should be as he’s had a shockingly impressive season. This two-way defender has been a staple on the Slovakian International squads for several years now. He’s represented them in five separate tournaments in just three years. Playing in one of the most obscure and remote locations in Sweden has not helped Fehérváry get the exposure he deserves. His play at the U20’s and World Championships should.
Fehérváry has played the past two U20 tournaments. As a 17 year old he was on Slovakia’s top pairing and scored a goal on that very woeful team. You might scoff at a goal and wonder how he managed to be Slovakia’s best defender in that tournament, but it was because nobody could score on that team. They were dreadful. I think that should be apparent when you have a 17 year old playing your top PK minutes. This year he had another solid tournament and I feel like his style makes him a little too invisible for people who want to watch highlight reel plays. He’s just a solid defender who controls the play in his own zone and makes smart transitional moves. He’s mobile and smart. While I don’t expect him to ever put up gaudy numbers, he has NHL defenseman written all over him.
Even rarer is that Fehérváry represented Slovakia at this year’s World Championships. An extremely rare occurrence for any 18 year old player, let alone a defender. He managed two assists from the bottom pairing which was tied for third in scoring for Slovak defenders. He is one of only a handful of draft eligible players to represent their country at this tournament. It’s very impressive.
Domestically he had a strong season as well. Playing against men in the second tier of Swedish professional hockey. He’s no offensive dynamo like OEL, but he fits comfortably with other 18 year old defenders coming out of that league in their draft season. He’s a mature player who made his Elitserien debut at the young age of 16.
Chicago needs prospects of all stripes. In a defense heavy draft like this, I think they would do well to grab a player who has some nice upside that also has a very NHL style of game. Earlier on I had them taking Brady Tkachuk, so getting a winger and a defender to add to their prospect list would be a big help in their attempts to try and re-tool.
Potential : Second Pair Two-Way Defenseman
Comparable : Jonas Brodin
28. The New York Rangers
Nils Lundkvist, Right Defenseman, 5’11 172lbs, 17 Years Old, Luleå HF in the Elitserien
28gp 2g 3a 5p
I’ve had the Rangers taking two forwards already in Wahlstrom and Thomas, so I’m sure many are steamed. Fret no longer friends! A defenseman has emerged. Nils Lundkvist is another player rising up the ranks. He managed to thrust himself into Bob’s top-31 list and others have him climbing into the 20’s. Lundkvist split the season between the men’s and U20 clubs for Luleå. While his offensive numbers in the Elitserien don’t jump out at you, his skillset offers more than they may suggest. A player I feel he compares a lot to in this regard is Oscar Klefbom in his draft year. He wasn’t putting up the traditional numbers to match his skills, but he was still playing well. His puck moving abilities are fantastic and he plays a puck possession style of game. He’s the type of defenseman that starts a play with a smart read or a good pass, but doesn’t find his name in the assist column. Some Corsi nerd gave him a tick though!
I feel the Rangers defense core could use a Stralman type of player, which is the type of defenseman he plays like. A guy that can fill that second pairing roll of mobile defensive puck mover and take regular intervals as the “safe” player next to a more ambitious style of defender.
Lundqvist’s stock has grown as the year went on as his coaches put more and more faith in him. Ultimately he was playing 16+ minutes a night as the season closed. Despite his size and skating ability, it’s the defensive side of his game that needs to be praised. That level of trust in the Elitserien is extremely rare for a 17 year old.
I don’t think Lundqvist will ever be a high scoring defenseman in the NHL, but he has shown that he has offensive capabilities. The Rangers could do much worse at 28. Plus…his name is Lundqvist…come on.
Potential : Second Pairing Two-Way Defenseman
Comparable : Anton Stralman
Thanks for reading. Yes...yes I am posting the last one right before the draft. I'm just a great Trigendered Pyrofox like that. Give me those shekels.
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