NHL Entry Draft: Full First Round Mock Draft, Third Edition
NHL Entry Draft: With the Draft Lottery Now Over, 15 Team’s Positions Have Been Solidified in the Draft Order. So Let’s Jump Into Our Third Edition of our First Round Mock Draft.
The NHL Entry Draft is getting close and for every hockey fan, this is a day we all look forward too. It’s a day in which we get to see which cornerstone players our favorite teams select and who they end up moving in order to move up the draft.
For instance, this season a few teams acquired an additional first-round pick, these teams were St. Louis who got Washington’s first rounder plus some other picks when they acquired Kevin Shattenkirk. And Arizona who got theirs via Minnesota when they were finally able to deal Martin Hanzal.
(via TSN)
(via TSN)
Now let’s dive into our third mock draft, we have a lot of new teams appearing in new spots and a couple of new faces as well. Keep in mind these are all picks that I myself feel would be the best for every organization moving forward. With eight teams having been eliminated from the playoffs, more selection spots have been solidified.
Picks 1-15 were determined by the NHL Draft Lottery results, picks 16 to 23 were placed by order of elimination from this year’s playoffs. For the remaining 8 this randomizer at http://www.randomlists.com/random-nhl-team/ was used again.
Marcus Davidsson is a talented two-way center who could play a fourth line role until he’s ready to jump up in the lineup. He’s projected to be a top six center but since the Sens already have <a rel=. C. Djugardens (SHL). Marcus Davidsson. 31. player. 91
Henri Jokiharju. 30. player. 92. When you’re on the small side and projected to still be a top four defenseman, you know you have some skills. And Henri Jokiharju has them in spades, he’s like another top defenseman the Penguins have in <a rel=. D. Portland (WHL)
29. player. 95. Standing at 6 foot 4 and weighing over 200 pounds, Kristian Vesalainen could very well see time in the NHL next season. He has the skills and is projected to be a top-six winger. Now if he isn’t ready next season he will be in 2018-19 which is also great since the Rangers need a lot of help on the wing.. RW. Frolunda (SHL). Kristian Vesalainen
99. Since the Blues took a forward with their first pick, I have them selecting a defenseman with their second pick which was acquired from Washington in the Kevin Shattenkirk deal. Urho Vaakanainen is sound defensively and has tremendous speed. He’s projected to be a top-six defenseman which will help the Blues since they have a few guys that will be moved or retiring by the time he’s ready, for instance, <a rel=. D. JYP (Liiga). Urho Vaakanainen. 28. player
Matthew Strome. 27. player. 99. With the Blues first pick in the draft, I have them selecting two-way playmaker Matthew Strome. This selection will help the team on the left side big time. He already possesses the size to play in the NHL which means he could very well see some action next season before being sent back down, that’s if he doesn’t stay though.. LW. Hamilton (OHL)
Jake Oettinger is already huge for his age plus he has tremendous athleticism making him a solid goaltender. His overall projection is a starter but he’ll need a few years before he gets there. And by the time he’s ready, <a rel=. G. Boston Univ. (NCAA). Jake Oettinger. 26. player. 151
Kelowna (WHL). Callan Foote. 25. player. 148. Cal Foote has the height and weight to be an NHLer next season. And since the Oilers only have <a rel=. D
105. The top-ranked goaltender in the draft, Michael Dipietro is a great selection for the Ducks. Besides <a rel=. G. Windsor (OHL). Michael Dipietro. 24. player
70. At 6 foot 6 and 206 pounds, Isaac Ratcliffe is primed for the NHL next year. This is why I have Boston selecting him, they need help on the wings and he could easily fill a second or third line power forward role.. LW. Guelph (OHL). Isaac Ratcliffe. 22. player
120. After a solid first year in the NCAA, Ryan Poehling is one of those centers that could help the Sharks in a big way. He can easily fill a third line checking role since that’s what he’s known for. He already has the height to be an effective NHL player he just needs to add the weight now.. C. St. Cloud State (NCAA). Ryan Poehling. 21. player
Maxime Comtois. 20. player. 152. The Canadiens desperately need someone to come in right away and fill a scoring need and Maxime Comtois is that guy. He already has the size to join the NHL and the scoring abilities to help the Canadiens. A line with him, <a rel=. LW. Victoriaville (QMJHL)
121. Arizona’s first pick was used to select top defenseman Tim Lijegren, now with defense being covered and possessing a second first round pick due to the Martin Hanzal deal, they can address a need up front and that’s the center position. Now they have a plethora of prospects and young players on the wings but need someone down the middle and the selection of Nick Suzuki is perfect. He has the offensive talent to play the top two lines and the grit and tenacity to play the bottom two lines, so he’s a perfect choice for Arizona.. C. Owen Sound (OHL). Nick Suzuki. 19. player
Chicago needs to rebuild and they got halfway started this season with a number of rookies and second-year guys they had in their lineup. The selection of Michael Rasmussen is perfect as he already possesses the NHL size he’s 6 foot 5 and 203 pounds and that means he could very well jump into the lineup in 2017-18.. C. Tri-City (WHL). Michael Rasmussen. 18. player. 94
player. 112. In his first season in the WHL, Kailer Yamamoto put up 57 points in 68 games, he followed that up the year after with 71 points in 57 games and then this year he tallied 99 points in 65 games showing an incredible increase. He’s developed into a serious player and while he’s expected to play another year with Spokane, Kailer could make his NHL debut in 2018-19 alongside <a rel=. RW. Spokane (WHL). Kailer Yamamoto. 16
After his second full season in the Swedish Elite League Lias Andersson managed 19 points in 42 games. He would be a great selection for the Islanders since has the durability to play either center or wing which is great for the team since they need help on both sides.. C. HV-71 (SHL). Lias Andersson. 15. player. 106
Tampa Bay only has two young solid defensemen, <a rel=. D. Mississauga (OHL). Nicolas Hague. 14. player. 23
30. Juuso Valimaki has spent the last two seasons in the WHL and has had tremendous years. In his first season in North America, he put up 32 points in 56 games but then doubled his output this season. He put up 61 points in 60 games, which is amazing for a defenseman and since the Jets are loaded up front on prospect talent, they could use someone on the backend so why not take Valimaki?. D. Tri-City (WHL). Juuso Valimaki. 13. player
Klim Kostin. 12. player. 109. Despite only playing in 18 games stretched across three leagues this season only putting up two points. Klim Kostin is still a top notch player who is a pure playmaker with a goal scorers touch. Carolina already has a great group of centers, now once he’s ready for NHL play, the combination of him <a rel=. RW. Dynamo Moskva (KHL)
D. HIFK (Liiga). Miro Heiskanen. 11. player. 67. Miro Heiskanen is an elite level defenseman with tremendous two-way abilities. The Kings lack defensive depth and with the selection of Miro gives them another solid player to help the core they already have. <a rel=
Timra (Allsvenskan). Elias Pettersson. 10. player. 87. At 6 foot 1 Elias Pettersson would be the perfect winger to play alongside <a rel=. LW
player. 12. Eeli Tolvanen is a pure goal scorer, he had a tremendous season in the USHL putting up 54 points in 52 games, 30 of which were goals. He also notched himself six points in six games for Finland at the World Junior Championships. Now when you put a pure goal scorer with a pure playmaker like <a rel=. RW. Sioux City (USHL). Eeli Tolvanen. 8
Timothy Liljegren. 7. player. 121. Tim Liljegren was ranked second overall for the majority of the year but has slowly fallen in the rankings, that won’t affect his overall potential as a player though. He’s still the best defenseman in the draft and since the Coyotes are heavy up front with youth they could use a defensive piece so why not take the best one available?. D. Rogle (SHL)
RW. Mississauga (OHL). Owen Tippett. 5. player. 104. The Canucks have a replacement for <a rel=
4. player. 103. The Aves finished dead last in the league but somehow were screwed out of the first overall pick. However, at fourth, they can still grab a solid player. Gabe Vilardi has the potential to play either wing or center which is great for the Aves cause he can jump on a line with <a rel=. C/W. Windsor (OHL). Gabe Vilardi
Brooks (AJHL). Cale Makar. 3. player. 119. The Stars won the third overall pick leaving them in contention for a solid draft choice. Now since the team is lacking depth on the back end. Defenseman Cale Makar would be the best choice for the Stars. He could jump in right away with either <a rel=. D
68. The Flyers get a franchise player with Nico Hischier, he can come in right away and either fill a second line center role or a first line winger role since he has that durability. He’s a known goal scorer and if he does end up on the first line with <a rel=. C. Halifax (QMJHL). Nico Hischier. 2. player
Next: Playoff Player Rankings: Pens On Top
player. 85. Nolan Patrick would be the perfect pick for the Devils first overall. They can do with him what they Maple Leafs did with <a rel=. C. Brandon (WHL). Nolan Patrick. 1