My Mock Draft – Picks 11-20
You can read the first part of my mock draft, picks 1-10 right here, where I made many Senators fan happy with the pick of Huberdeau at the number six spot. Obviously others will disagree with my but that is the point of everyone elses opinions.
Now, this is where we continue. Starting with the Colorado Avalanche picking at 11 after the deal that sent Erik Johnson, Jay McClement and the 11th overall pick to Colorado in exchange for Chris Stewart, Kevin Shattenkirk, and 2nd round pick.
11th Overall – Colorado Avalanche (via St. Louis Blues) – LW – Tomas Jurco
6’2 – 193 lbs – Saint John Sea Dogs – QMJHL
Jurco is my first “off the board” pick. This shifty winger possesses a tremendous skill and has become a youtube sensation, you can see videos here, Tomas Jurco, the Magician and also some dangles from the CHL skills competition.
Yet Jurco brings more to the game than just dangles, he works hard every minute he’s on the ice, has a great set of hands (obviously) and has a nose for the net.
After drafting Larsson 2nd overall, the Avs get a big point producing left winger who can potentially develop into a top line scoring machine at the NHL level.
If they let Jurco develop properly, he could be a great fit with Paul Stasnty or Matt Duchene in the future. He could really provide some stability on the wing for the Avalanche.
12th Overall – Carolina Hurricanes – D – Nathan Beaulieu
6’3 – 191 lbs – Saint John Sea Dogs – QMJHL
This is a good draft year for Saint John players as Beaulieu will be one of potentially four player drafted in the first round who won the Memorial Cup last season for the Sea Dogs.
Beaulieu had a solid season with Saint John, registering 45 points in 65 games for the Sea Dogs, but his true glory came in the playoffs, where the Strathroy, Ontario native registered 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) in 19 games, in which the Sea Dogs took the QMJHL title, along with the CHL title as well.
He plays a up tempo style while using his very good skating and agility he’ll make it in the NHL as an offensive defensemen. His style is very similar to Mike Green. I don’t see Beaulieu putting up Mike Green numbers, and I see him just a better defensively as well, but that’s the best comparison I could use for the swift skating defensemen.
This pick helps boost a weaker core of defensemen in Carolina as they have Jamie McBain and Justin Faulk as two of their few defensemen.
13th Overall – Calgary Flames – C – Mark Scheifele
6’2 – 182 lbs – Barrie Colts – OHL
Mark Scheifele is another one of those players who raised his own draft stock by having a successful rookie year with the Barrie Colts.
His 75 points in 66 games was ranked second best on the Colts this season, and he had the second most votes, being Sarnia’s Nail Yakupov for rookie of the year.
Scheifele plays a big mans game, using his size to help battle in the dirty areas of the ice.
He’s more of a set up man than he is a shooter, which could help the Flames down the road as they have a good shooting forward in Michael Backlund but really lack that pass first kind of guy.
14th Overall – Dallas Stars – D – Joe Morrow
6’1 – 197 lbs – Portland Winterhawks – WHL
Morrow, no relation to the Stars Brendan Morrow, plays a very strong two-way game. He can burn you offensively as well as shut you down defensively.
His shot is one of his best attributes, he has an absolute laser from the point, and not to mention how hard he can shoot the puck, it’s also how accurate his shot is as well.
With a rising D core in Dallas, including recently acquire, Alex Gologoski, Mark Fistric, and Patrik Nemeth.
15th Overall – New York Rangers – C – Mark McNeil
6’2 – 210 lbs – Prince Albert Raiders – WHL
McNeil is a tough guy to place but I have him sitting at 15th with the Rangers. While the Rangers have solid center depth, you can’t ever have to much because you never know what will happen with your prospects or how they’ll develop.
For me, McNeil offers a solid two-way game, while keeping a very good offensive game going. He generates most of his offensive out put because of his hockey IQ. He thinks the game so quickly then uses his skill set to make plays happen.
He showed his offensive skill this year, upping his offensive numbers from last years 24 points to this season’s 81. He’s a riser for sure and has top line potential if uses developed correctly.
16th Overall – Buffalo Sabres – D – Jamieson Oleksiak
6’7 – 244 lbs – Northeastern University – H-East
This towering, and boy to I mean towering defensemen has garnered a lot of interest on his size alone.
He brings little offensive talent to the playing surface, though did manage 13 points in 38 games with Northeastern. His booming shot is a great attribute, as he possesses one of the hardest shots in the draft.
But this guy is a shut down defensemen who can be terrifying to play against. He’ll get compared to Zdeno Chara because of his size but also because of his ability to shut down other teams top players.
He registered 57 penalty minutes this season, proving he’s not afraid of staying away from the physical side of the game and not afraid to rough it out on the rink either. He’d be a huge pick up for the Sabres here and potentially provide a massive 6’7 defensive pairing along with the Sabres alright towering, Tyler Myers.
17th Overall – Montreal Canadiens – LW – Matt Puempel
6’0 – 190 lbs – Peterborough Petes – OHL
Puempel is a Canadien type player. He isn’t the biggest guy, but he uses his speed to his advantage to burn the opposing team, then using a very talented skill set, he can put the puck in the net.
He is a battler and will play hard in front of the net, behind the net and in the corners.
He’s versatile and can play on defense as well (for a short period of time). He’s a very solid defensive player as well as an offensive catalyst. His puck control is key to his effectiveness on both ends of the rink.
18th Overall – Chicago Blackhawks – RW – Tyler Biggs
6’2 – 204 lbs – United States National Development Team Program
Biggs isn’t the most offensively talented player in the draft or in the first round, but that doesn’t mean he wont hear his named called early on Friday.
Biggs can pot the handful of goals and points, but he brings a bigger aspect to the game as well, his defensive play.
A penalty killing specialist who isn’t afraid to lay the body down to block a shot.
He projects as a solid third line shut down guy with the potential to pot in 15-20 goals and an equal amount of assists in a season as well.
19th Overall – Edmonton Oilers (via Los Angeles Kings) – D – Oscar Klefbom
6’3 – 194 lbs – Färjestad – SEL
After nabbing their number one center in Nugent-Hopkins first overall, the Oilers focus on helping out their defensive core by picking up the Swedish born defensemen.
Klefbom is a physical player who likes to throw the body. He’s a bruiser to play against and a hellion along the boards.
That isn’t all he brings to the table either. He’s quite mobile for his size and battles hard through the play. He’s also a pretty solid puck moving guy as well. Not flashy, nor will he score a ton of points, but he’ll make the smart play on D and not rush his decisions. He’s very patient with the puck and that helps his forwards get into better position offensively.
20th Overall – Phoenix Coyotes – D – Jonas Brodin
6’1 – 165lbs – Färjestad – SEL
A teammate of the Klefbom, Brodin plays a very different style of play.
He’s nowhere near as physical as Klefbom, but probably has a higher offensive upside. Not meaning he’ll be an offensive force by any means, but I could see him being a 5-10 goal scorer and a good 25-30 assist defender.
Something he has in common with Klefbom is his patients with the puck and his ability to make the smart, simple play up the rink.
He plays with maturity and confidence, something a lot of defensemen lack, especially as a 17 year old rookie in a men league in Sweden.
He’d be a solid pick up for the Coyotes and he’d help compliment their already deep defensive pool of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Maxim Goncharov, and Brandon Gormley.
Stay tuned as tomorrow will feature picks 21-30 in the first round along with some honorable mentions as well.