2019 NHL mock draft: Chicago Blackhawks grab franchise center

There’s a huge shakeup at the top of our second 2019 NHL Mock Draft. Was an amazing World Hockey Championship tournament for Kaapo Kakko enough to put him past Jack Hughes? Which franchise center will the Chicago Blackhawks get?

The 2019 NHL Draft is less than a month away. That means it’s time to update our 2019 NHL mock draft. The order of the first round is a bit more concrete than last time. We’ll assume the Boston Bruins have the 31st pick, as they had a better regular season record than the St. Louis Blues. But even if it’s flipped, I don’t think it’ll make a difference.

The 2019 NHL draft should be one of the deepest in years. We could be looking at a draft as talented as the 2003 draft when it’s all said and done. Hughes and Kakko lead the top of the draft, but from about six to 15, there’s not a big difference at all.

In this mock draft, there were quite a few shakeups. Let’s take a look at how we think the 2019 NHL Draft will go in our latest mock draft.

Stats are courtesy of EliteProspects, Quant Hockey (for select international players), and Prospect Stats (for select North American players).

Kaapo Kakko has made the first overall pick debate a heck of a lot closer than anyone could have anticipated. There’s a solid case for him being a better overall player than Jack Hughes. However, the tie goes to the center, so Hughes is the best pick from the Devils (though Kakko would be a very good pick as well).

There are serious concerns about his defense. However, the Devils have a potential Selke Trophy contender in Nico Hischier. He should allow Hughes to dominate in offensive situations. In today’s NHL, you have to build down the middle. As great as Kakko is, this makes Hughes the right pick.