1 | | - | | This pick is obviously very debated. I understand why there is debate, but in my opinion Hughes is still the best pick here. People's main argument is how Kakko is playing excellently against men and Hughes is only playing excellently against boys, but this is a dumb argument because Kane, Matthews and Eichel all played in the same program as HughesThis pick is obviously very debated. I understand why there is debate, but in my opinion Hughes is still the best pick here. People's main argument is how Kakko is playing excellently against men and Hughes is only playing excellently against boys, but this is a dumb argument because Kane, Matthews and Eichel all played in the same program as Hughes. That being said, even if they pick Kakko, they'll still get an excellent prospect. Both should excellent top-line scorers. |
2 | | - | | Kakko is an excellent scorer. There is nearly no doubt that he will transfer very well into the NHL, and with this pick, the rangers will be reinforcing a very strong prospect pool. |
3 | | - | | This is where it gets hard. Everyone up to pick 15 could make a case to be here but I've gone with Turcotte. Turcotte has excellent playmaking ability and great skating. For a forward, his defensive game is very solid too, and he definitely has the potential to be an excellent top line center. |
4 | | | | Byram is easily the best defenseman in the draft. He's mobile and passionate. Byram also has the ability to be a seriously good scoring defenseman, and his hockey IQ is a standout of his. |
5 | | - | | Cozens' shot is one of the best in this draft class, and his skating is definitely up to scratch. He also posseses the smarts to play excellent defence, and some of his highlight plays are his work in taking the puck away and scoring on the rebound |
6 | | - | | Zegras' ability is not at all in doubt and his skill fares up excellently against some of the other top prospects in the draft. He's gritty, quick and agile all at the same time, and although he's committed to Boston University next season, Detroit should not overlook Zegras. |
7 | | - | | Boldy is one of the purest snipers in the draft. His wrist shot is excellent and he is a real threat when he has the puck in the offensive zone. The only concern surrounding Boldy is his defence. Athough it has improved lately, he still is not as solid defensively as some other prospects in the top 10. That being said, he still has the ability to be a consistent 30+ goal scorer in the big league. |
8 | | - | | Caufield is another very talented and agile scorer. Again, depending on the day, I could easily see someone drafting Caufield in the top 5. Equally, he could fall to ten, but I think the Oilers would love having him, and he could easily stack on goals with McDavid or Draisaitl. The main concern for Caufield is his size, but his scoring ability should make up for any doubt teams may have. |
9 | | - | | Dach, standing at 6'4", is one of the bigger offensive prospects in this draft. He looks to be a standout two way center in the league. I can't see him being point-per-game, but his defensive game could see him winning Selkes. |
10 | | - | | Krebs is an excellent playmaker with great speed, who works hard in both zones. He is a great special teams player too. Only concern is whether he will be big enough to out-muscle people down low. |
11 | | - | | Podkolzin is easily the third most talented player in this draft. The reason he might fall this far is because me may not be able to play in the NHL until the 21-22 season. IF Podkolzin does fall this far, the ducks would have to pick him. |
12 | | - | | Soderstrom has proved himself to be a solid defenseman against players with longer strides and longer reaches in the SHL. He is a quick and agile skater and always plays with grit. |
13 | | - | | York came off a great season in the US program and showed his ability to score points. Despite this, I could see him falling 6 or 7 spots because his defensive ability isn't as strong as some others who may be drafted behind him. |
14 | | - | | Broberg has immense talent. Realistically, he could make a case as a top 3 defenseman in the draft, and his skill combined with his size is something that could be very dangerous. The concern with Broberg is his attitude and how he'll transition. He struggled in the WJs, and he wasn't able to get away with what was generally poor positioning when playing against higher ages |
15 | | - | | Newhook has been called the McDavid of the BCHL by some. He scored an insane amount of points in his rookie season both in the reg season and the playoffs. His skating is maybe the best in the class and he has the hands to keep up. While he clearly puts effort into defense he does get outplayed occasionally against people larger than him. Newhook has committed to Boston College next season. |
16 | | - | | Kaliyev is an excellent sniper and has a very pure wrist shot, but concerns lie in his skating where he can take a fair few strides to hit top speed and also his defense, where his positioning is not stellar and he is reluctant on the backcheck. |
17 | | - | | Lavoie is a handy power forward with great legs for skating and a hard wrist and slap shot. Lavoie's defensive game has also improved overtime with what was initally a concern. |
18 | | - | | Vlasic has been projected to go late first round by some, but the towering defenseman can easily outmuscle nearly all of his competition, and though his skating and offensive game may be slightly concerning in some areas, he plays as more of a defensive defenseman |
19 | | | | Harley could go as early as 15, and his strong ability in the transition means he can be a very potent two-way defenseman |
20 | | | | Heinola is a smart defender who shows the ability to be a solid point scorer too. The main concern with Heinola is his upper body strength which will need improvement in order to not get out-bodied down low. |
21 | | - | | Suzuki is a pure playmaker and makes excellent tape to tape passes, but like Heinola he will need to improve his upper body strength. It would be interesting to see Ryan Suzuki go fifteenth to play with his brother at the Habs but frankly I think his talent is not on the same level as some of the other around the 15th pick. |
22 | | | | Hoglander is a creative winger who plays with a strong urge to score but also a grit on defense. The only problem is how short he is, at 5'9". |
23 | | - | | Tomasino has elite acceleration and wonderful stick handling who drives the net with grit. The only concern is being outmuscled defensively. |
24 | | - | | Robertson is a huge defenseman with great passing. He isn't expected to be a point scorer in the NHL, but he can start transitions and should be a solid top 4 guy |
25 | | - | | Nussbaumer is a strong skater who gets creative in the offensive and defensive zone, but sometimes is careless with the puck. |
26 | | - | | Nick Robertson is a three zone player who never misses tap-ins, rebounds or screens. Again he is considerably short than others at 5'9", and teams are hoping he has a late growth spurt. |
27 | | - | | Foote is a tall forward with a great shot and decent skating when he reaches top speed. His long reach is a useful asset defensively, and I think the Lightning might take a chance on him to pair him up with his brother. |
28 | | - | | Spencer Knight is an excellent Goaltending prospect and frankly could go way earlier than 28. He is disciplined and remains calm even when he gets scored on or when there is intense traffic around the net. His cool head and quick thinking is the reason that the Hurricanes should take a chance on drafting a goalie in the first round. |
29 | | | | Kokkonen is a smart defender and possesses offensive ability but his skating and more particularly his acceleration is below average and it will be something he needs to work on. |
30 | | | Lassi Thomson | Thomson is grossly underrated, and his skating, offense and defense are all up to scratch for a first rounder. The only problem is sometimes he is over-aggressive and out of position, but if he sharpens up in that aspect you could be looking at a top pairing defenseman. |
31 | | - | | Bobby Brink is extremely underrated, and after a good performance at the combine, I could see him getting drafted with the last pick in the first round. |