ARCHIVE ▾
CBA ▾
CALCULATORS ▾
FANTASY-TOOLS ▾
FANTASY HOCKEY TOOLS
TOOLS ▾
PLAYERS ▾
TEAMS ▾
WESTERN CONFERENCE
PACIFIC
EASTERN CONFERENCE
METROPOLITAN
INTERACTIVE ▾
SEARCH
| ROUND 1 | TEAM | ORIGINAL | PLAYER | DETAILS |
|---|
| 1 |  | - | Artyom Levshunov | I've projected this pick a few times before. A lot of scouts are claiming that Celebrini is the clear No. 1 in the draft, but I disagree with that statement. Celebrini and Levshunov are the clear 1-2 in the draft. Celebrini is still 1st on my board, but Levshunov isn't far behind. The Wild need defenseman more than forward, they pick a top 2 defenseman in Levshunov. |
| 2 |  | - | Macklin Celebrini | Easy pick here, its Celebrini. He will be a player that injects goal-scoring and hockey sense in the Canadiens lineup. The foundation of the team would be Celebrini and Reinbacher. |
| 3 |  | - | Cayden Lindstrom | The injury concerns and the fact that he's played with the projected 2026 1st overall pick worry me, but the combination of size and speed make Lindstrom a top prospect in the class. Chicago may have had the best chance of winning the lottery, but getting a much needed power forward is a huge consolation prize. There are better prospects available, but Lindstrom is the guy that the Blackhawks need alongside Bedard. |
| 4 |  | - | Anton Silayev | Some Sharks fans may be upset over this pick, and I get it because the Sharks have tons of LD in their system. But Silayev isn't technically a LD. He's a left-shot, but mainly plays on the right side for Torpedo, making him more of a RD. The Sharks don't really have any RD in their system and Silayev has potential to become a #1 defender if the what-ifs don't haunt the Sharks. |
| 5 |  | - | Cole Eiserman | What would you do with a team that has so many young players and prospects on their team? You go best player available. That's Cole Eiserman, whom a lot of people are starting to write off. I've seen NHL coaches develop a prospect's defensive game before so Eiserman's defensive game shouldn't be a huge issue. His goal-scoring is undeniable along with his hockey sense and IQ, but he does need to work on his agility. Anaheim gets a player that can inject scoring and sandpaper on their team. Despite the defensive issues and skating problems, given the goal-scoring alone, Eiserman is still a top 3 player in the draft. |
| 6 |  | - | Ivan Demidov | Columbus also has a decent amount of prospects, here they take the highest upside in the draft in Demidov. High risk high reward pick given the Russian factor, but the Blue Jackets have not feared the Russians. I see Demidov as the understudy of Kent Johnson in the Blue Jackets top line. |
| 7 |  | - | Trevor Connelly | I get that Connelly is on a lot of team's "do not draft" list, but he's a top 5 player in the draft. He's also the best skater in the draft and will give Ottawa the goal-scorer that they are missing on the top line with Stutzle and Tkachuk. |
| 8 |  | - | Sam Dickinson | The Sabres need defensive oriented defenders, they get that by picking Dickinson. Buium is the better prospect right now, but Dickinson is super dynamic defensively and has excellent size at 6'3", sub 200 lbs. Will fit perfectly with Dahlin or Power. |
| 9 |  | - | Zeev Buium | What do you do when two of your top 4 defenders are on the trade block? You take a high upside defender. That's Buium. Solid two-way defender with skill. |
| 10 |  | - | Carter Yakemchuk | First real reach of the draft because Yakemchuk is ranked #18 on my board, but the Coyotes need offensive defenseman that can compliment Simashev's game. Between Yakemchuk and Parekh, Yakemchuk is the better prospect. He and Simashev should create a gritty top pair for the Coyotes in the near future. |
| 11 |  | - | Zayne Parekh | Back to back reaches. The defensive game of Parekh does worry me, which is why he's ranked so low on my board, but his skill offensively and skating should attract Seattle's management group. He, Nelson, and Evans should create a solid top 4 for Seattle. |
| 12 | |  | Berkly Catton | Centers are Nashville's most empty position in terms of prospects (Wood can play there but is more suitable for the wing), so they take the play driving Catton. Small player, but the skill and compete level should make him go relatively high in the draft. |
| 13 |  | - | Matvei Shuravin | Some will call this a reach, and I get it, but Shuravin reminds me of this year's Tom Willander. I see a lot of Jaccob Slavin in Shuravin, defensively oriented and has size. Shuravin does need to work on his puck control but other than that, this is a risk worth taking this high. Islanders need LD in their system, they get it here. |
| 14 |  | - | Michael Brandsegg Nygard | Brandsegg Nygard, whom I like to call MBN, feels like a prospect that Washington would draft. He reminds me of Ryan Leonard of last year's draft and we all know how well he's developing right now. MBN reminds me of Matthew Tkachuk, gritty power forward that also has skill offensively. |
| 15 |  | - | Liam Greentree | The Devils use this pick to select the biggest riser in the draft, which is Greentree. He gives the Devils something they don't have in their system, which is a physical winger. |
| 16 |  | - | Konsta Helenius | Biggest steal in the draft. Ranked #11 on my board, Helenius falls due to team needs and consistency. The Sharks get a steal here, they get a guy who can drive his own line and commit to defensive hockey as well. But Helenius is mainly known for his playmaking. |
| 17 | |  | Adam Jiricek | Injuries is what makes Jiricek fall to 22nd on my board, but no later than 17th in the mock. Plays exactly like his brother, big kid, booming shot, and excellent skater. |
| 18 |  | - | Igor Chernyshov | High upside pick, skating and offensive consistency makes Chernyshov being taken lower than what most people have him. The Flyers just traded a power forward in Gauthier, they get one here in Chernyshov. Get the potential out of him, the Flyers have themselves a bubble first liner in the future. |
| 19 | |  | Tij Iginla | The surging Red Wings take the high riser in Iginla. The kid I compare most to Anze Kopitar, Iginla gives the Red Wings leadership and defensive stability up front behind Danielson. |
| 20 |  | - | Emil Hemming | LA has a lot of young prospects that are just starting to break out in the NHL, so I settled on them grabbing BPA. Thats Hemming in my eyes. Defensive forward, comparable to Elias Lindholm, but the offense is also very good. FIts the Kings system well, all Hemming needs to work on is the puck control. |
| 21 |  | - | Tanner Howe | First real storyline pick. Howe did really well in terms of production with Bedard on his line, so why not have him reunite with Bedard? The Blackhawks first line before the pick would be Lindstrom-Bedard-??? You need a playmaker there, and getting a Patrick Kane type player definitely fills that void. |
| 22 | |  | Clarke Caswell | There are always at least two reaches in the bottom ten of the first round, Toronto does it here by taking Caswell. Ranked 34th on my board, Caswell has a lot of Perfetti qualities, small, but has amazing hockey IQ. Does need to work on his skating though, but Caswell did have the pedigree of being a top 5 pick coming into the season. He's still really good, he just got jumped by a lot of people who had better first halves of the season. |
| 23 |  | - | Nikita Artamonov | Carolina is such a deep team, so they grab BPA. Artamonov is the pick. |
| 24 | |  | Cole Hutson | Vegas is also very deep, so they grab best player available as well. That is Hutson, who most have been writing off because of the lackluster production. But he's more of a two-way defender and don't let the size fool you, his skating is actually one of the best in the draft. |
| 25 | |  | Aron Kiviharju | This is the last dance for Ken Holland, so he better do well with this pick. He will draft what could be the steal of the draft in Kiviharju. The once projected top pick in the draft has gone through injury troubles and has bounced around between leagues, but his skill and skating are enough to solidify a first round spot. |
| 26 | |  | Henry Mews | Dallas has a lot of young forwards led by Johnston, but not much on defense beside Bichsel. Mews has had the pedigree of being a top 10 pick coming into the season, but his offensive upside does worry me. But defensively he's really good and could form a nice shutdown pair with Bichsel. |
| 27 |  | - | Maxim Masse | Briere has said despite doing really well this season, he is still sticking to his plan of rebuilding. Here he gets a guy who can pretty much do everything with and without the puck. Just needs to improve his skating. |
| 28 | |  | Kamil Bednarik | I've projected this pick on here at least once. Bednarik feels like an Avs type player, I see a lot of Rantanen in his game. |
| 29 | |  | Terik Parascak | Parascak reminds me of Gabe Perreault of last year's draft, I feel like the Rangers will draft that type of talent. |
| 30 |  | - | Hagen Burrows | Super underrated player given his insane offensive toolkit, but theres always a high school drafted around this area. Montreal is the team that will do it, and they always go for unexpected picks. He is a liability away from the puck and how he will play against higher competition will be a question mark, but this will be a worthy gamble. |
| 31 | |  | Charlie Elick | Ottawa addresses a team need by grabbing a right shot defenseman. The offensive upside of Elick does worry me, but I love his defensive game and skating. |
| 32 |  | - | Dean Letourneau | Calgary takes a high riser in Letourneau. They value size in a lot of their prospects, and Letourneau has great size at 6'6' and 215 lbs. |
Reply
CapFriendly
CapFriendly