It is time for our 2021 NHL Entry Draft Mock Draft.
The 2021 NHL Entry Draft takes place on Friday with Round 1, while Rounds 2-7 will follow on Saturday as the offseason continues to gather pace, and we’ve put together a Mock Draft ahead of the First Round.
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In a year where the Seattle Kraken will pick with the No. 2 overall selection after building their roster at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on Wednesday, the general consensus is that the first two picks in Round 1 are a lock.
Most experts have Michigan defenseman Owen Power going to the Buffalo Sabres at No. 1, while his teammate Matthew Beniers, who many consider to be the best two-way center in the Draft, will offer the Kraken a real foundational piece to build around.
Outside of the top two, however, is a real crapshoot with the real intrigue of the Draft starting with the Anaheim Ducks and the No. 3 pick, where they could opt to take a playmaking forward or select one of the many stud defensemen that will be available.
Luke Hughes, the younger brother of Jack and Quinn, could join Jack with the New Jersey Devils, while it will be fascinating to see where forward Aatu Raty falls after the former projected No. 1 overall pick endured a rough season that saw his Draft stock plummet.
There will also be plenty of question marks the closer we get to the end of Round 1 given that scouting was limited due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, so teams could be reluctant to take risks and decide to go for the sure-thing instead.
Either way, there will be a boatload of talent available in the First Round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, and we are going to attempt to map out just exactly how it will all pan out…
Puck Prose’s 2021 NHL Entry Draft Mock Draft 1.0
This is an easy one. While Aatu Raty was once seen as the clear No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft before he fell off the radar, Owen Power emerged as the consensus top prospect in this year’s Draft and it is viewed as a no-brainer that he will be selected by the Buffalo Sabres.
Seen as an absolute home run, Power is a big-bodied defenseman at 6-foot-6 and 213 pounds, but the reason he is so special is because he boasts an incredible amount of skill too, and these types of players just don’t come around that often.
Power recorded 16 points (3 G, 13 A) in 26 games for Michigan in 2020-21, in addition to tallying three assists in 10 games for Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, where he didn’t look out of place.
Boasting impressive mobility, size, speed, skill and superb hockey smarts and instinct, Power has all the intangibles needed to become an elite No. 1 defenseman in the National Hockey League, and Sabres fans will be hoping that he’s the real deal and can be the guy to propel the franchise to a long-awaited return to the glory days.