The Montreal fans on HF conducted an extensive 7-round mock draft, here are the results.
Hello all, for the veterans on this site, I have semi-officially taken over for the annual mock draft that Habsfan18 used to host. With the site migration, there might be some open spots for the lurkers or first timers interested in joining.
Participants:
Anaheim - @Hope Of Glory
Arizona - @L4br3cqu3
Boston - @JeffreyLFC
Buffalo - @Mathletic
Calgary - @marti57
Carolina - @Mrb1p
Chicago - @G0bias
Colorado - @Toene
Columbus - @Khabby
Dallas - @TT1
Detroit - @zaluty
Edmonton - @The Great Schlemko
Florida - @le_sean
LA - @yoteshot
Minnesota - @jiboy
Montreal - @Yoshidas Island
Nashville - @Natey
NJD - @mariolemieux66
NYI - @sandviper
NYR - @Fozz
Ottawa - @WeThreeKings
Philadelphia - @Doublechin
Pittsburgh - @Habs76
San Jose - @Pompeius Magnus
St. Louis - @MarkovtoSubban
Tampa Bay - @ProspectsFanatic
Toronto - @OriginalCanadian
Vancouver - @MarkovsKnee
Vegas - @calder candidate
Washington - @Andrei79
Winnipeg - @NotProkofievian
If you do not expect to be able to participate this year, now is the time to let us know. If you are aware that you will be on vacation during the mock, which will begin after the draft lottery, you can send me your list since I will not be participating this year since I am a terrible scout (even when it comes to purely going off hockeydb
).
Here's a quick reminder of the rules:
- For teams, I will use a randomizer.
- No trades as always.
- As always, please PM the next guy in the draft once you're done making your selection. Don't forget to tag them in this thread too.
- If you feel you may miss your selection, please PM myself or another active draft member with a list of players. If it's decided that you've taken too long and you're MIA, an auto-pick will be made for you.
- When making your selection, please include a gm or scout-like quote about that player stating why you selected him.
- As with the more recent drafts, we will begin the draft with no set time limit on the picks. We're all reasonably active posters, so let's try to make this a very active draft. We'll see how it goes and then make a decision if we have to. If a poster is taking too long, we'll shoot them a PM to see what's up. If we end up introducing a clock, it'll be a 8 hour one that is not active during midnight (EST) and 8 AM (EST) for the first two rounds, and then we will switch to a 6 hour class for the rest of the draft.
Cheers!
Draft Results
FIRST ROUND
1. Buffalo: Rasmus Dahlin
"He has all the tools to become a game-changing pillar for this organization. His effortless skating and offensive tools make you swoon while his defensive game grows with each passing contest. An outstanding World Juniors. A generational talent on the backend."
2. Carolina: Andrei Svechnikov
"Svechnikov is an offensive wizz with a skillset as diverse as any forward drafted in the past few years. The Hurricanes come out with a much needed franchise altering player."
3. Montreal: Adam Boqvist
"A dynamic defenseman with the ability to play both ends of the rink. His shot, speed and IQ are all qualities we believe will enable him to succeed at the next level."
4. Ottawa: Oliver Wahlstrom
"Oliver Wahlstrom is this draft classes most prolific goal scorer. He can beat goalies from distance, he can one-time the puck, he can beat goalies in tight, he has hands to deke the goalie, and he can use every shot from slap. wrist, snap shot and back hand. Wahlstrom is capable of carrying the offense through puck handling, deking, making smart passes or creating his own shooting lanes or allowing his skilled centre do the work so he can find open areas and use his anticipation and quick hands to create scoring chances. Wahlstrom can skate well for his size and looks for opportunities to turn the puck over. He's active in the defensive zone but needs more work in reading the play there and getting his body involved. His only question mark is his ability to get physical and use his body to separate man from puck, once he matures and adds that element to his game, he will be reliable all over the ice."
5. Arizona: Filip Zadina
“Zadina is a determined and hungry scorer. He has the ability to score in multiple ways between the dots and from the top of the circles in the offensive zone. He possesses an excellent release that makes it very hard for goalies to get a read on his shot.” – Craig Button, TSN
6. Detroit: Noah Dobson
Dobson can stand to improve his upper body strength and be more effective in physical battles and get even more power on his shot. There is time for the 18-year-old to add muscle to a skinny frame. He may need a year or two of development time, but he has the potential to be a number one defenceman at the NHL level, playing both the power play and the penalty kill, and taking on other team’s top lines. In terms of style, his game is comparable to Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues.
7. Vancouver: Evan Bouchard
Bouchard is a strong puck moving defenseman with an unbelievable feel for the game. He makes tough plays look easy, can control a game from the backend & his anticipation & skating allow him to recover from mistakes. He's a terrific addition to our group of young players and should be an offensive leader on the blueline for us for years. A prototypical defenseman for the new NHL.
8. Chicago: Jesperi Kotkaniemi
9. New York Rangers: Quinn Hughes
More than likely the best skater in this year's class with gamebreaking talent from the backend. Hugues is a puck wizard that dictates and controls play with his vision, puck control, skating agility, and poise. He also has a good shot with a quick release that gets to the net on a constistant basis. He'll have to get stronger to help win battles but typically uses outstanding stick work to steal pucks from bigger opponents.
10. Edmonton: Ty Smith
"Hughes may be the best skater of the draft, but Smith isn't that far off, he is also an excellent skater. This skating is what helps him become so effective defensively. Smith put up an impressive 73 points in just 69 games for Spokane. He has elite vision and poise making him a massive powerplay threat. The saying that smaller defensemen have poor shots doesn't apply to Smith, as he has an outstanding release. In addition, he also excels defensively more often than not, and you will rarely find him making mistakes. His player comparison is Duncan Keith. Overall, Smith is going to be a key role in helping out the Oilers and we are very excited to be able to have him in our organization."
11. New York Islanders: Vitali Kravtsov
Vitaly is an excellent skater with above average speed and acceleration and an uncanny ability to switch gears. Impressive for such a large man, as is his remarkable stickhandling ability.
12. New York Islanders (from Calgary): Brady Tkachuk
The scouts are incredibly happy to be able to select Brady as we feel he is a top ten talent and will bring some grit and toughness to the team along with some sweet hands.
13. Dallas: Joel Farabee
14. Philadelphia (from St. Louis): Isaac Lundstrom
While his skating is simply decent or even above average his high IQ and two way game make him a can't miss prospect in our eyes. Scouts have even compared him to Mikko Koivu and Patrice Bergeron.
15. Florida: Jonatan Berggren
We love kids that show upward projection in their draft year. In the case of Berggren, he didn't just climb upwards, but skyrocketed. We love his combination of speed, hands and intelligence. Had a monster year in the SuperElit, posting nearly identical 17 year old numbers in the league as 2017 7th overall pick Lias Andersson. Not only was he a dominant force for his club team, but he was the undisputed best player for his national team in the U18. Always a threat on the ice, with or without the puck on his stick. He is poised to explode next year in the SHL.
16. Colorado: Barrett Hayton
We observed that B. Hayton has amazing hands, fast decision-making and a complete offensive toolbox (shooting, passing, deking). The 6ft 1in center thinks the game at a high level, positions himself well and as a result plays a good two-way game in addition to his offensive skill. In our opinion, he is simply the most talented player on the board and we're surprised he is still available. He'll make a great addition to our group of forwards.
17. New Jersey Devils: Joe Veleno
There is so much to like about Joe Veleno. He's a hard-nosed workhorse that makes the players around him better. The fleet-footed center is unselfish and will primarily look to make a play at top speed; however, when the chance arises to put it in the pot himself, he will capitalize. He sees the ice well and is rarely caught out of position. His defensive game is refined and he actively pursues puck control. Transitioning to offence is natural, smooth, and quick. All-in-all, a well-rounded two-way forward that skates well and can be the catalyst a team needs to turn a game in its favor. If he can find the consistency in refusing to let himself get taken out of plays, especially if he doesn't start them, he will thrive and exceed expectations.
18. Columbus Blue Jackets: Rasmus Kupari
19. Philadelphia: Martin Kaut
Kaut is a solid two way winger which many seem to compare to a Marian Hossa. He doesn't have many weaknesses and possesses what many label an elite two way game for a winger. He's got a solid frame and acceleration and kept up with the likes of Martin Necas and Felipe Zadina at the WJ's this year without ever looking back. We feel that after the Lundstrom selection we were able to go for the home run pick here.
20. Los Angeles: Bode Wilde
We like Wilde's physical attributes as well as his offensive talents, but we acknowledge that he will have to work on his decision making and work in the defensive zone. In a way, we see a little bit of PK Subban in him and we think good coaching will help him become a top pairing defenceman and he should get that at Michigan.
We feel like Bode is a long term project, but that he could fit right in along with the top defencemen in this crop if we are patient with him.
21. San Jose: Grigori Denisenko
''A creative player with the puck who can dart in and out of the lanes with expert edgework, quick acceleration and creative lines. Slight stature but enjoys engaging. Lack of exposure may see him slide on draft day, but it won’t be due to a lack of skill.''
22. Ottawa (from Pittsburgh): Filip Hallander
"Hallander is a competitive winger who put up numbers comparable to some great NHLers in a men's league. He goes to the tough areas of the ice, displays quick hands in tight to finish plays but has the smarts and wherewithal to pass the puck on the doorstep rather than aimlessly jam the puck. He can score from distance as well. Hallander is adept at stealing the puck through anticipation and hard work."
23. Anaheim: Akil Thomas
We're really happy to get a versatile player in Akil that progressed a lot during the last year where he had to learn to play as a center. We think he can be a good C at the next level but worst case scenario he should still be able to contribute as a winger. Great vision, good skater, soft hands, decent shot that he should use a bit more. A bit smaller than average, he makes up for his lack of size by working really hard. His lackluster performance at the WJC doesn't really concern us, he's poised to have a great season next year given what he showed during the second half of the 17-18 campaign and the OHL playoffs.
24. Minnesota: Rasmus Sandin
"Sandin is an extremely intelligent player. He is poised with the puck on his stick and makes smart plays. Sandin has great vision and the ability to thread the needle to the open man with good passing skills."
25. Toronto: Jared McIsaac
McIsaac is a mobile 2-way D-man with great foot speed and acceleration. What makes him valuable for Toronto is his smart defensive mindset and his ability to create offensive breakouts using crisp passes. If he continues to get stronger he can become a reliable D-man in the NHL.
26. Washington: Nils Lundkvist
"One of the youngest players available at the draft, Lundkvist earned himself a regular position in the Swedish Hockey League on a playoff bound team. A puck moving defenseman with a lot of flair to his game, he's one of the best skating defenseman in the draft. Lundkvist has both excellent puck and playmaking skills which he combines with an offensive awareness that allows him to make timely carries, pinches and accurate passes in the offensive zone. Although already having a mature game for his age, he still stands to fill up his frame and improve his strength when battling for the puck. We, however, are very pleased a player of his abilities was still available this late in the first round."
27. Detroit (from Vegas): Dominick Bokk
Bokk reads the game very quickly, which is why he's able to adjust so well to counter pokechecks and find holes in the defence. In the same way that he can turn defenders inside out, it only takes him a fraction of a second to find a way to slip the puck in the net alone against a goalie.
28. New York Rangers (from Boston): Ty Dellandrea
Dellandrea has everything to succeed. He plays a complete game, supported by good size, excellent skating and impressive hockey instinct. His numbers were probably affected by playing for a bad team and we see him at least as a solid middle-six center with very good upside and a game that will translate very well to the pro game.
29. New York Rangers (from Tampa Bay): Serron Noel
Noel is very much a project that could end up paying huge dividends. The 6'5" 205lbs RW made great progress during the last year, especially in how he gets around the ice. He obviously has some growing to do to fill his imposing frame and should become a physical force when he does. Add that to solid skills, a good shot with a quick release, soft hands and strong offensive instincts, he could become a force.
30. St. Louis (from Winnipeg): Jett Woo
31. Chicago (from Nashville): Alexander Alexeyev
Being one of the most effective and dependable import blueliners in the WHL, Alexeyev is your prototypical big-bodied, smart, two-way defenseman. Possesses terrific outlet passing and above average skating ability. Offensively, he can help run a power play or act as a triggerman thanks to his diverse shooting arsenal. Were it not for a series of unfortunate injuries, we feel he would have gone much higher.
SECOND ROUND
32. Buffalo: K'Andre Miller
"Talented two-way defenseman with top-pairing upside who is committed to the University of Wisconsin. A strong skater with very good speed, Miller generates a lot of power into his stride and is starting to beat both opposing forwards and defenders to the outside. His stick and body positioning in the neutral zone are exceptional, and you can count on Miler to intercept more than a handful of cross-zone passes that he quickly transitions into rushes the other way. His ability to make clean passes on either his forehand or backhand, plus the manner in which he sharply pivots his way into bigger openings might explain how such a big and physical defenseman is only a few years removed from being a forward."
33. Detroit (from Ottawa): Mattias Samuelsson
Samuelsson has good balance and can use his size to outmuscle opponents. He is a good skater for his size, with decent speed in both directions. However, his acceleration could use some work. It takes him a few strides to reach that top speed which can be an issue in closing short distances and getting to loose pucks. His agility and footwork are decent. While they can use some improvements, he changes directions quickly enough in most situations, and his pivots allow him to quickly transition from offence to defence and vice-versa.
34. Florida (from Arizona): Ryan Merkley
A polarizing prospect, but one of the most naturally talented in this draft. He has a tantalizing combination of speed, puck skills, shooting ability, and offensive awareness. He creates multiple opportunities each shift, either by his creativity or by drawing defenders and opening up lanes. He will need time to become more consistent on both ends of the rink and to use his teammates more effectively. However, he's not just a homerun if he achieves his potential, but a grand slam. We are excited to add him to our prospect pool and have a puck wizard on the backend to help Aaron Ekblad.
35. Montreal: Bulat Shafigullin
With taking a defenseman in the first round, the Canadiens feel as though they need some strength in the forward position. Bulat is a shifty winger who possesses the ability to make plays that simply can't be taught. We see him as an offensive powerhouse and can't wait to see him develop in the future. He also taught us the fact that if you add up the numerical values for each letter in "attitude" it equals 100, and we really thought that that showed how much he knows and cares about our philosophy.
36. Detroit: Ryan McLeod
Ryan doesn’t have the same straightaway speed that makes his brothers one of the fasted prospects of the past few years, but his skating is still well above average. He is a very agile player, with the ability to move side-to-side quicker than most. McLeod is a puck-distributing center that will create his own offense only after looking for his linemates. His high end passing ability and great on-ice vision will help allows him to be the kind of playmaker that boosts the production of less talented wingers.
37. Vancouver: Jacob Olofsson
Olofsson is a player with good speed & puck control who already plays an advanced two-way game. He is excellent cycling the puck as well as defending the cycle. However, he is also dangerous off the rush as his puck protection skills & stickhandling allow him to dangle around defenseman.
38. Montreal (from Chicago): Jonny Tychonick
Jonny plays with a lot of fluidity in his game. He's able to lead a transition forward, but is mindful of his defensive responsibilities. He possesses a lot of high quality skills, like his skating, passing, and ability to change the tempo of the game, and we feel as though once he polishes off the other areas of his game, he'll be a quality modern day defenseman in the NHL.
39. New York Rangers: Jacob Bernard-Docker
40. Edmonton: Calen Addison
"Addison is an unbelievable skater and he is one of the fastest skaters in this draft class. He has elite edgework, agility and pivots. He possesses very good vision and passing skills, with the ability to start the transition game and play the point on the powerplay. He loves to drive offence and jumps into the play, both off the rush and pinching at the blue line. Addison also has the stickhandling ability to skate the puck out of danger, and even to lead the rush. Addison also has a very good snapshot and wrist shot. He gets them both off very quickly, with an excellent release. Oilers are very pleased to have both Smith and Addison to help out the blueline."
41. New York Islanders: Jesse Ylonen
Jesse is known for his skating and quick acceleration, fully capable of beating opposing defenders wide and inside. We realize he'll need to develop his lower body strength and defensive game, but we project him to fit into our top-6 in the future.
42. Carolina: Cole Fonstad
With Cole, we feel that we add another highly skilled forward, with offensive attributes all over the board. His playmaking skills, cunning and skating are what will make him thrive in the NHL, despite his average size.
43. New York Islanders (from Calgary): Liam Foudy
Liam has progressed nicely in his two seasons with the Knights going from 15 points to 40 on a rebuilding team. Very fast on his feet, but handles the puck well. While there were some concerns with some in the scouting community regarding his second half explosion in production, we feel Liam just "clicked" and figured things out.
44. Dallas: Jack McBain
45. St. Louis: Adam Ginning
46. Washington (from Florida): Blake McLaughlin
47. Colorado: Cameron Hillis
''Cameron Hillis is a skilled forward with soft hands and excellent hockey sense. He is an offensive catalyst every time he is on the ice. Crisp accurate passer who always finds a seam to thread the puck through. Although Hillis is a top notch playmaker he also uses his shot with regularity making him a double threat and hard to read on what he might do, shoot or pass. Utilizes great vision, shrewd awareness and outstanding anticipation to read the opposition and exploit their weakness. Propels to top speed smoothly using a wide, lowered skating base where he generates power through use of total leg range of motion. Defensive zone play is inconsistent and will need seasoning but shows a healthy compete tracking back to provide valuable back pressure. As a smaller skilled forward, Hillis recognizes that adding strength to his overall game will help him compete in smaller areas of the ice.” – thescout.ca
48. New York Rangers (from New Jersey): Jay O'Brien
49. Columbus: Alexander Khovanov
Khovanov is a bit of a wild card pick. He originally was selected 2nd overall in the CHL import draft right behind this years 2nd overall pick Andrei Svechnikov. Alex was expected to have a big impact for Moncton this season, but he ended up missing the first 3 quarters of the season, but was able to return near the end of the season and put up nearly a point per game (28pts in 29gp), and 7 points in Moncton's 12 playoff games. Alex is a pass first player great hands and vision, but can also be sneaky with his accurate shot. It was obvious that he never quite got back into game speed after his illness, but we hope to see Alex get back into game shape and back on track to what made him a high sought after prospect before got sick.
50. Philadelphia: Nicolas Beaudin
51. Los Angeles: Jake Wise
There are many things in Jake's game that we feel will translate well in the NHL, namely his speed, tenacity and playmaking skills. We feel like at the very worst, his vision and passing skills alone could make him a PP weapon in the NHL, but his defensive awareness and high motor should make him a complete player for us. Going to Boston University where he'll be a key cog of the offense should help him develop into a top 6 player at the next level.
52. Toronto (from San Jose): Jakub Lauko
53. Pittsburgh: Stanislav Demin
"Slava is a big defenseman with good size, skating and smarts. His upside is high, and we feel he might've fallen a bit due to playing in such an under-the-radar league." 0.675 PPG in the BCHL for a defenseman is impressive considering all he brings defensively. We feel Slava will benifite greatly from the NCAA route."
54. Anaheim: Kyle Topping
55. Arizona (from Minnesota): Kirill Marchenko
"Marchenko is a big, skilled winger with very good hands and creativity, protects the puck very well with his long reach. Needs to work on his skating, particularly his acceleration. Needs to bulk a lot, too. Had a very good U-18 tournament, and good MHL playoffs with Yugry to top his season. Top-6 player written all over him, if everything falls into place."
56. Montreal (from Toronto): Jack Drury
Jack has quite the release, and can score from any angle. We feel as though he's a multidimensional threat and we love how he keeps his head up and sees the ice in front of him.
He's a player that will need to bulk up and work hard but we like his dedication to the game and feel as if he will be a strong addition to our organization.
57. Montreal (from Washington): Allan McShane
Allan is a true centre who will provide you with effort at both ends of the rink. He's great in the cycle and has the vision to pick out his teammates. He doesn't have an elite shot, but he's shifty to put himself into positions where he can score with ease. We project him to be a middle six centre in the future and he's a glue guy, someone who will bring the best out of his teammates, and we like that about him.
58. Vegas: Kevin Bahl
Huge raw defenseman with underrated puck handling and distribution skill, he plays a physical game and gets his long stick into lanes and uses his reach to defend. Make a good first pass out of his end. Will support the rush, has a willingness to carry the biscuit, he is a good stickhandler and passer too. His size and upside clearly points to him getting his name called sooner than expected.
59. Boston: Ivan Morozov
60. Tampa Bay: Jan Jenik
61. Winnipeg: David Gustafsson
62. Colorado (from Nashville): Philip Kurashev
THIRD ROUND
63. Minnesota (from Buffalo): Benoit-Olivier Groulx
64. Pittsburgh (from Ottawa): Ruslan Iskhakov
"A nifty Russian forward who plays a very 'Russian' style. His hands and elusiveness are reminiscent of Datsyuk as he's nearly impossible to hit. Likes to hold onto the puck and make plays rather than throw it away with a dump in. If I were betting on a little guy to make it out of this draft class, I'd choose Ruslan."
65. Arizona: Olivier Rodrigue
66. Montreal: Jacob Ragnarsson
67. Detroit: Jakub Skarek
68. Vancouver: Filip Kral
Kral is a smooth skating defenseman who transitions the puck well, understands how to manage the puck in all zones & all situations & has a high compete level. He needs to add strength to his frame & continue to grow his offensive game, but we love the upside in this player & believe he can be an all situations top 4 D in the NHL.
69. Chicago: Daniil Zhuravlyov
70. New York Rangers: Albin Eriksson
Hulking winger shows good speed and balance for such a big kid. Has huge reach and a decent shot. Strong forechecker with some offensive skills and good upside. Another interesting project for the Rangers.
71. Edmonton: Semyon Der-Arguchintsev
72. New York Islanders: Niklas Nordgren
A diminutive forward, Niklas is a highly skilled winger who has been crushing the Finnish junior league. He possesses decent hockey IQ, good stickhandling and is relatively responsible defensively for such a young player. Earlier in the year, our scouts had concerns about his skating, but were pleased that he has seemingly improved in this area when we watched him during the U18's.
73. Carolina: Milos Roman
Milos is a center with high end skills and top notch vision, we feel hes s forward worthy of a 2nd round selection, he probably fell because of injuries and adaptation time. He has a natural ability to make people around him better and hes both a hard worker and a smart player.
74. Arizona (from Calgary): Blade Jenkins
"There’s a lot to like about the things Jenkins brings to the table. He has decent size and is a pest to play against, especially down low. He is as equally good a scorer as he is a playmaker. His high IQ allows him to make the correct play in order to drive the offense. While his offensive instincts are above average, his skating and play away from the puck are works in progress. The skating has improved but will be a point of emphasis for him at the next level. Needs to get better positioning, defensively. In live viewings of him, his lack of positioning cost his team some goals." Blade Jenkins - 2018 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
75. Dallas: Johnny Gruden
76. St. Louis: Tyler Madden
" John Madden's son is a hard-working, intense, responsible chip off the old block. Small and slight but elusive skater. Was MVP of the USHL Top Prospects game earlier this year. Headed to NorthEastern and the USA WJC selection camp this summer. "
77. Boston (from Florida): Alec Regula
78. Colorado: Filip Johansson
79. Anaheim (from New Jersey): Matej Pekar
80. Columbus: Linus Nyman
81. Detroit (from Philadelphia): Nando Eggenberger
82. Los Angeles: Ryan O'Reilly
We feel like there is much to like about O'Reilly's game. He is developping as a large bodied goal scorer with very good hands around the net and we like his potential to become a middle six winger who could score 20 goals a year while playing a strong possession game. Our third NCAA bound pick in as many selections, he is committed to a strong program in Denver.
83. Toronto (from San Jose): Axel Andersson
You might consider Andersson as a modern day D-man. Mobile with the puck and isn't afraid to carry the play. Almost always makes the smart decision on the ice and is rarely caught by surprise. We hope that he continues to develop his defensive game and becomes a reliable player that can be used in any situation.
84. Detroit (from Pittsburgh): Sean Durzi
85. Anaheim: Alex Steeves
86. Minnesota: Xavier Bernard
87. Chicago (from Toronto): Sampo Ranta
Ranta is one of those players who's numbers don't fully reflect the abilities. We feel the Finnish power winger, who possesses excellent skating ability and a hard accurate shot, has the tools to become an effective player. His decision to commit with an NHL breeding ground in Wisconsin is a plus.
88. Washington: Aidan Dudas
89. Minnesota (from Vegas): Jachym Kondelik
90. New York Rangers (from Boston): Luka Burzan
Good scoring touch and good hockey IQ, Burzan made great strides after dealt from a depth role on a stacked Moose Jaw team to a go-to forward in Brandon. Plays a complete game and has very good passing skills. Also a hard working player.
91. Tampa Bay: Ty Emberson
92. Winnipeg: Justin Almeida
93. Nashvillle: Ryan Chyzowski
"Ryan Chyzowski is an fantastic player who has a future in this league. Ryan possesses a fantastic shot, has good speed, and the work ethic to succeed. He knows where to go on the ice and how to make space for himself. Ryan never takes a night off, he's always going full throttle. We're very excited to add a player of this caliber to the organization this late in the draft."
FOURTH ROUND
94. Buffalo: Marcus Westfält
95. Ottawa: Eric Florchuk
"Florchuk is one of those kids who saw a massive grow spurt which has helped but also hampered their development. His first CHL season was one of development and getting used to his new found height. In this season, he played on a Royals team and didn't really find his footing until he was traded to the Saskatoon Blades. Florchuk has good size, he plays a pro style game which involves finding the open man, getting to good areas of the ice, not over complicating the play but taking the space allowed him. He has a good playmaking touch and a very underrated goal scorers shot. He displays some slick hands from time to time and could stand to use them in a more creative sense in his next junior season. There's a lot to like about his progression and his pro style of play."
96. Arizona: Curtis Douglas
"Massive forward at 6'8 and over 200lbs, he is more then willing to use that size advantage. He can be a physically dominating force battling for pucks along the wall. Once he plants himself in front of the opposition net, defenders are unable to move him. And he uses that enormous reach he possesses in all zones to break up plays. Despite the tall frame, Douglas is a deceptively quick skater. However, continuing to work on his overall skating is a necessity. Agility, first step speed and a breakaway gear could stand improving. His size could hinder that, but even a small improvement will help him succeed at the next level. Douglas is a smart player who almost always makes the right decisions whether in the offensive zone or defensive zone. He has extremely soft hands and can make plays. He has excellent vision and can sometimes make plays out of nothing. He could at times though slow the pace down allowing his linemates to get into lanes or danger areas. He has the ability to find them and if he did so, he could become even more dangerous offensively. He has an excellent work ethic and on many nights is the hardest worker on the ice. He can score the dirty goals but can also beat you with a shot. When he is totally engaged, he can dominate the offensive zone. Definitely a project, but at this point, why not ?" Curtis Douglas – Windsor Spitfires – Player Profile
97. Montreal: Riley Stotts
98. Detroit: Carl Jakobsson
99. Vegas (from Vancouver): Gabriel Fortier
Speedy, hard-nosed undersized center who plays a 200-foot game and competes hard every shift. Fortier is a threat to score in any situation, including while on the penalty kill. He’s shown great patience and a soft touch around the net, and he’s capable of setting up chances off of board battles. Fortier is more of a finisher than a set-up guy, but he plays a high-speed game and the puck always seems to find him.
100. Dallas (from Chicago): Nathan Dunkley
101. New York Rangers: Joey Keane
The overager has a solid all around game and was a finalist for the d-man of the year in the OHL. He has great mobility, with a great first pass and just doesn't make mistakes out there.
102. Montreal (from Edmonton): Spencer Stastney
103. New York Islanders: Dmitry Zavgorodniy
Another diminutive forward, hailing from the Omsk system, this dynamo spent the last year getting himself acclimated to North America in the CHL. While we were impressed with his CHL combine results, we have selected him due to the fact that he is highly skilled, with a very good shot and plays with some grit. While it is our hope he fills out a little more, we feel his tools are what is needed in today's NHL.
104. Carolina: Tyler Weiss
105. Calgary: Giovanni Vallati
Giovanni a slick two-way defender with good wheels, sound instincts and can unload an absolute missile from the point. He is very confident carrying the puck and has amazing vision.
106. Dallas: Linus Karlsson
107. St. Louis: Riley Sutter
"His uncle Brian is a Blues legend and even though his cousins have been underwhelming he's still got Hockey Royalty in his blood. Had a strong second half and raised his game in the playoffs. A stronger skater than other Sutters we've seen recently but still needs work."
108. Calgary (from Florida): Curtis Hall
Curtis has tremendous skating for a player his size. Robust, maneuver easily, excellent vision and has a high Hockey IQ. He is really effective around enemy nets. North-South kind of player that possess the scorer instinct.
109. Colorado: Danila Galenyuk
We like his vision and skating. Plays a physical game. Was tried three games with SKA St-Petersburg in the KHL.
110. New Jersey Devils: Liam Kirk
111. Nashville (from Columbus): Carl Wassenius
"Carl Wassenius is extremely exciting to us. He brings good size, a solid frame to continue to build on, and an incredible presence to drive there offense. While his skating could use some work, his knowledge for where to be on the ice is second to none. Carl is a hard worker who doesn't give up on the play. We're very excited to see what Carl can do in a men's league next season."
112. Philadelphia: Samuel Fagemo
113. Los Angeles: Martin Fehérvary
Although we feel like he disappointed a bit offensively this year, it was his first in an men's league and he has proven he belongs, even being selected to represent his country at the World Championship. We like his mobility and his puckmoving abilities and feel he has strong upside at this point in the draft.
114. San Jose: Alexander Romanov
115. Vegas (from Pittsburgh): Vladislav Kotkov
Blessed with size, smarts, puck skills, He isn’t elegant skater but he a deceptively-quick. He is solid one on one and hard for Q defenders to handle on the wall, in the corners and in the slot. He can stickhandle through traffic and pivot away from pressure. Kotkov can play the role of finisher or playmaker and the confidence he exudes is evident the second he collects the puck. Taking it away from him is a tall order, as he has a long reach and strong lower body to maintain balance while keeping the puck safe from looting. His straight-line speed is very good and he requires only two or three strides to hit top speed. He is as good exploiting odd-man situations with his vision and passing, as he is with his hard, accurate shot. Far from a finished product as he needs work on a 200 foot game, more all around intensity, to fill in and get more co-ordinated.
116. Anaheim: Chase Wouters
117. Buffalo (from Minnesota): Logan Hutsko
''Hutsko is quick with really soft hands. He's tough to contain in 1-on-1 situations. He has the ability to be a very good passer, but doesn't always use that ability like he should. He just needs to get a little stronger and a step faster to be more effective on the offensive end."
118. Toronto: Oscar Bäck
Oskar is a big bodied forward who brings a lot to the table. He has learned to use his large frame to protect the puck and to win battles in front of the net. His skating still needs some improvement but he makes up for it with his excellent hockey sense and strong playmaking abilities. We are excited to have Oskar join the club.
119. Washington: Wyatte Wylie
120. Florida (from Vegas): Lukas Dostal
We are very happy to have the best goaltender of the 2018 class fall into our laps this late. He is quick, agile and competitive. He is good technically and has progressed a lot throughout the year.
121. Boston: Kody Clark
122. Tampa Bay: Libor Zabransky
Zabransky was centerpiece of Czech U18 success in the recent WJC18 tournament. Zabransky has a well rounded 2-way game, his offensive upside hasn't been fully exploited this year with Kelowna considering how deep the team was at the defensive position. Zabransky has strong decision making and can move the puck up the ice with confidence. We expect a big jump in production next season.
123. Montreal (from Winnipeg): Patrick Khodorenko
124. Chicago (from Nashville): Toni Utunen
FIFTH ROUND
125. Buffalo: Alexis Gravel
126. Ottawa: Pavel Gogolev
"Plays on a horrendous Peterborough team with only one other good player (Semyon Der-Arguchintsev) must have meant that a lot of people didn't get to see Gogolev. Gogolev is blessed with breakaway speed and hands that work in unison with his fast feet. He has good scoring ability and often finds the back of the net. A talented speedster who could fill a Grabner or Byron role in the NHL with some work on rounding out the rest of his game"
127. Philadelphia (from Arizona): Anderson MacDonald
128. Montreal: Vladislav Yeryomenko
129. Pittsburgh (from Detroit): Scott Perunovich
"Scott is the best overage defenseman in the draft. He's undersized, but defends well and is willing to throw his body on the line to keep the puck out of his net. Perunovich has great hands to go alongside his blazing speed, and stands out big time in the NCAA against young men, as a freshman defenseman."
130. Vancouver: Yegor Sokolov
A big winger with soft hands & excellent puck protection skills, Sokolov loves scoring & isn't afraid to use his big body to get involved physically. However, he needs to work on his skating quite a bit if he wants to get to the NHL. Has heavy feet.
131. Nashville (from Chicago): Luke Henman
"Luke has very good vision of the ice. He's got a surprisingly decent shot that he doesn't use enough, but his ability to find teammates or create offensive chances from nothing is tremendous. Luke needs to work on confidence in himself as well as being more consistent. He needs to add bulk to his decent sized frame and get involved more physically. We're excited to see what the future holds."
132. New York Rangers: Declan Chisholm
Smart, poised and slick skating defenseman that has excellent mobility and very good top end speed. He has a good frame, defends well and makes accurate outlet passes. He struggled upon returning from a high ankle sprain that saw him miss 14 games in the middle of the season.
133. Edmonton: Brendan Budy
134. New York Islanders: Xavier Bouchard
Xavier is a well rounded defenceman who we feel has some potential. While has has a decent skillset, Xavier is a big kid and as he fills into his frame, this should improve his board work as well as his shot. We will be monitoring his progression in his D+1 season with some interest.
135. Vegas (from Chicago): Lenni Killien
A work in progress that already has size, some girt and some puck skills. Excellent skater with great acceleration and straight line speed. Difficult to impede as he has a strong balanced stride that can barrel him through the neutral zone. An above average stickhandler who has a nice shot and can make thread the needle passes on the move. He needs to make better decision with his carries and passes, become more aware, read the on ice better and play with more effort away from the puck. He is a long term project with upside.
136. New Jersey (from Calgary): Justin Schültz
137. Dallas: Krystof Hrabik
138. St. Louis: Jackson Perbix
"He's a big body winger who can play a physical game or a finesse one. His brother Nick went to St. Cloud but Jackson is committed to Notre Dame although he may take a season in Green Bay of the USHL. He was the youngest player to compete in the American Top Prospects game and captained his school. "
139. Florida: Nico Gross
Nico is a good, young all-around defenceman. One of a very few that played in the NLB under the age of 17. Had a rough start to his OHL career because he had mono. Showed some good things as the captain of Switzerland at the U18.
140. Colorado: Pavel Shen
Shen has been close to PPG in MHL since he's 17 years old. We think at this point of the draft taking a chance on him is worth it.
141. New Jersey Devils: Merrick Rippon
142. Chicago (from Columbus): Yegor Sharangovich
After an impressive WJC, Sharangovich continued displaying his talents at the World Championships with the National team. More often than not the most dangerous player for Belarus despite being one of only three draft eligible players at the tournament. Deployed as the number one center and used in all situations, he found ways to stand out in each of our viewings. Finished 2nd in U20 scoring in the KHL behind Eeli Tolvanen.
143. Philadelphia: Gavin Hain
144. Los Angeles: Simon Johansson
A converted forward, we like the level of offense Johansson brings from the backend. Not the greatest skater, he gets around well, especially with the puck on his stick and he sees the ice very well and makes good decisions in terms of deciding when to pinch or not. Defensively, he's still tentative, but he's had such a great season in the U20 league, finishing 2nd behind Adam Boqvist in terms of PPG, that we feel he is ready to take the next step. An overager, he's still only 18, being born in June, so we're confident he can still get a lot better while filling his lanky 6'2" frame.
145. San Jose: Lukas Wernblom
146. Pittsburgh: Marcus Bjork
"Bjork is a big-bodied defenseman who led his team in points this year in the Allsvenskan as a double overager. Bjork is headed to a big SHL club in Orebro, which should prove to be the ultimate test for him. There is one stat, however that really does Bjork justice: 18 more points than the next best Allsvenskan overager, and as a defenseman. A stat-watcher's dream."
147. Anaheim: Karel Plasek
148. Minnesota: Damien Giroux
149. Toronto: Oliver Okuliar
Okuliar helped Champion a U20 squad in the Slovakian Jr league and had a very solid showing at the U18 World Juniors. He is a mobile winger with great acceleration and balance. He is never afraid to play the dirty areas and doesn't shy away from the physical plays. Takes too many stupid penalties, but discipline can be taught. He puts up points wherever he goes, we are excited to see what he can do in a men's league.
150. Minnesota (from Washington): Santeri Salmela
151. Vegas: Jordan Harris
A new age defender smaller with quick feet, decision making and puckhandling ability. Quick and decisive with the biscuit, his deft stickhandling and puck management get him high marks despite playing in a lower competition level. He is committed to Northeastern University.
152. Winnipeg (from Boston): Riley Damiani
153. Tampa Bay: Justin Brazeau
154. Winnipeg: Tim Berni
155. Nashville: Jeremi Gerber
"Jeremi is a forward who loves to score. His shot is second to none in this draft class. Jeremi is willing to take a beating to retrieve pucks so he can light the lamp. He's got decent size but needs to continue to work on his skating and endurance. We're very excited to see what the future holds for Jeremi."
SIXTH ROUND
156. Buffalo: Einar Emanuelsson
157. Ottawa: Angus Crookshank
"While his production in the BCHL could have been better and he's slated to go to a lesser NCAA school, Crookshank had a strong World Junior A challenge where he was a PPG and during his BCHL season he flashed a lot of tools, that if he finds consistency, may make him a legitimate prospect some day. Armed with speed, quick hands, tenacity on loose pucks and a very good shot, Angus is an offensive center."
158. Arizona: Adam Samuelsson
"Huge kid at 6'5 240lbs, heavy feet but alright when in movement, still his biggest weakness, needs to work on explosiveness and first-steps. Doesn't use his size as much as one would expect, and especially considering who his father is, but it's coming around, and he sure already has the strength to manhandle most opponents. Decent puck mover, and he has potential in that regard, he projects more as a defensive defenseman in the future (even though he could, in the best of cases, develop in a 2-way D, but only in the best of cases), but can still move the puck and has a nice first pass. Didn't do much at the U18 other than in his zone, but he's one of the youngest player of this draft."
159. Detroit (from Montreal): Billy Moskal
160. Detroit: Matthew Thiessen
161. Vancouver: Amir Miftakhov
Miftakhov is a lanky goaltender with quick feet and an active glove. He tends to stay in the blue paint and plays a conservatively aggressive game. He has great athleticism and a solid understanding of the position. He didn't have a great U18, but overall had a fantastic season in the MHL and at the Hlinka Tournament.
162. Chicago: Matthew Struthers
Since the trade that saw him leave Owen Sound, Struthers has been lights out. Putting up 27 points in his last 3o games and just over a PPG as he continued his strong play in the post-season. His 23 ES goals ties him at 4th among U18s in the OHL. We hope his effective play in all three zones along with his size and ability to drive the net can translate to a valuable bottom six pivot down the road.
163. New York Rangers: Dennis Busby
164. Edmonton: Jerry Turkalainen
165. Los Angeles (from New York Islanders): Michal Kvasnica
"After a very strong D-1 season in the Czech junior league, Kvasnica was loaned to a team in Czech2 league where he had a solid season, even getting to play in the top league for the playoffs and then the U18 for his country, where he managed 4 points in 7 games. A big winger, Kvasnica is fast and tough to knock off the puck, while also playing a good 2-way game for his age. He does have some offensive skill, mainly a solid wrist shot, but he is still a long term project for us at this point."
166. Carolina: Christian Lindberg
167. Calgary: Bogdan Zhilyakov
168. Dallas: Marc Del Gaizo
169. St. Louis: Seth Barton
"He's a big body who naturally has a lot of sandpaper to his game. At the other end of the rink he has an absolute rocket of a shot. Good hockey sense and plays with composure, made the jump to the BCHL straight from midget last year. Plans to go to school at UMass-Lowell next season."
170. Florida: Jake Pivonka
''A solid all-around player. He does everything wel and will be a reliable player in the NHL.''
171. Colorado: Kevin Mandolese
172. New Jersey: Zach Malík
173. Columbus: Nikolai Kovalenko
174. Philadelphia: Adam McCormick
175. Los Angeles: Nikita Rozhkov
176. San Jose: David Lilja
177. Pittsburgh: Anton Malyshev
"Malyshev as a standout defensively at the U18's for the Russian squad, and really begun to generate some buzz during the tournament. We could see Malyshev having a similar development curve to the Blue Jackets 2015 6th round pick Vladislav Gavrikov."
178. Anaheim: Jesper Myrenberg
179. Minnesota: Tyler Tucker
"Tyler is a big, physical stay-at-home defender that loves to look for the big hit. He is a good skater with good mobility and stride, which allows him to take away time and space. Tyler makes a solid outlet pass and keeps his game simple for the most part. Tyler will be a player that coaches love to have on their team because of his high compete level and solid defensive play. "
180. Vegas (from Toronto): Ivan Muranov
181. Boston: Keegan Karki
182. Washington: Austin Wong
183. Vegas: Matej Blumel
184. Tampa Bay: Severi Lahtinen
185. Winnipeg: Veini Vehviläinen
186. San Jose (from Nashville): Kirill Nizhnikov
'' This is a guy who possesses as good of puck skill as any player in this draft. But he needs to play with a high level of intensity in order to be consistently successful, which hasn't been the case so far in the OHL. A true boom or bust project''
SEVENTH ROUND
187. Buffalo: Shamil Shmakov
188. Ottawa: Justus Annunen
"The typical Finnish goalie prospect. He has ideal size, good lateral movement with an aggressive presence in the crease and active hands. Annunen finished his season on a good note, having a strong play-offs then finishing it off as the goalie of record for the Gold Medal Fins at the U-18s. There's a lot of room for progression in his game but when you have a chance this late in the draft to draft a goalie with ideal size and athleticism, you take it."
189. Arizona: Michael Kesselring
"Lanky 6'4 RHD, has the skating and reach to attract the attention of an NHL team. Plays a simple game, and has pretty good stickwork for his age, likes to cut plays, retrieve pucks and has a decent first pass. Projects more as a defensive dman at the next level, as he doesn't have a lot of creativity or offensive tools, but he just does a good job containing opponents. Not very physical, but it's in progress. Pure project, will be in Merrimack College, in the NCAA, next season."
190. Philadelphia (from Montreal): Patrick Giles
191. Detroit: Jack DeBoer
192. Vancouver: Mathias Emilio Pettersen
A smallish center Pettersen still has solid strength, a good skating base & tremendous quickness which he uses to attack the net. Not a perimeter player, he loves to drive the net off give and goes. A pass first player with good vision. D game is not great but is improving.
193. Chicago: Samuel Ersson
194. Ottawa (from New York Rangers): Axel Bergkvist
"While his size is not ideal at 5'8", there's no denying his talent. Bergkvist has an absolute bomb of a shot, both slap and wrist and he absolutely picks apart teams defensive posture with outlet passes on the tape that allows his teammates to hit their stride. Due to his size, he will be limited in his role at the next level but believe that he can carve out a niche being a bottom pairing defenseman who is relied upon to bring offense in tight games and excel on the first powerplay unit. We will take that gamble in the last round of the draft."
195. Edmonton: German Grachyov
196. New York Islanders: Jordan Kooy
Playing behind Raaymakers, we preferred the younger of the two netminders. While this is his second year with the Knights, he was still considered a rookie this past season. He doubled his workload from the year prior and lead all OHL rookies statistically. With overager Raaymakers moving on, we expect Jordan to take a prominant role with the Knights next season.
197. Carolina: Martin Pospisil
198. Calgary: Radim Salda
199. Dallas: Jesper Sellgren
200. St. Louis: Zach Stejskal
"He was the starter for Grand Rapids when they won their first state championship since 1980 but then he went to the worst team in the USHL instead of staying for his senior year. Got absolutely shelled and ended up on the bottom of the goalie rankings with horrible stats. He is committed to a great school in the UMD Bulldogs but not until 2019 and another year with the Flying Aces will teach him how to move his 6'5 frame in order to deal with a ton of rubber flying at him."
201. Florida: Kristian Tanus
202. Colorado: Kristian Reichel
203. New Jersey: Andrej Kukuca
204. Columbus: Olof Lindbom
205. Philadelphia: Kristian Kovacik
206. Tampa Bay (from Los Angeles): Shawn Boudrias
6'5" leading his QMJHL team in scoring by 20 points, he is an overager but only by one day so this is almost his draft year.
207. San Jose: Connor Roberts
''Roberts is a 6'4, 215lbs winger who actually skates pretty well for his size and allows him to be an effective player off the rush. He also possesses one of the best shots of the age group and has terrific goal scoring potential because of that size and skating combination. The biggest thing for Roberts is learning how to use his size. At this point, he's not nearly as good along the wall as he should be. His intensity level really needs to increase, especially without the puck. But big guys with good hands don't grow on trees. Even if the game is changing, there will always be a place for guys like Roberts who can put the puck in the net. If you're patient, he could still blossom into a future NHL player. ''
208. Pittsburgh: Mark Yanchevsky
209. Toronto (from Anaheim): Brandon Saigeon
Would probably be better to just sign the guy to a tryout at camp, but watching the Bulldogs this year in the regular season and playoffs I can't help but cheer for him. Scored 18 goals in the playoffs and was killer on the powerplay. Really hoping that one team gives this kid a chance.
210. Minnesota: Peetro Seppala
211. Toronto: Caleb Everett
Everett is a safe pick for the 7th round. You know what you are gonna get from a guy like him. Defensively reliable and has shown flashes of offence. We can use Everett in a shutdown role, because he rarely ever makes mistakes.
212. Boston: Adam Gajarsky
213. Washington: Demetrios Koumontzis
214. Carolina (from Vegas): Arttu Nevasaari
215. Tampa Bay: Paul Cotter
216. Winnipeg: Dawson Barteaux
217. Nashville: Akira Schmid
"Akira is a huge goaltender with great agility. He's a special talent. He was called up to the NLA as a 17-year-old, although he didn't get into any game action - that's still something that rarely happens. He's been on plenty of U-18 and U-20 rosters for Switzerland and we expect he'll be a big part of the always improving Swiss program going forward. Akira has a ton of work to do but we're confident we have a future starting NHL goaltender."
Hello all, for the veterans on this site, I have semi-officially taken over for the annual mock draft that Habsfan18 used to host. With the site migration, there might be some open spots for the lurkers or first timers interested in joining.
Participants:
Anaheim - @Hope Of Glory
Arizona - @L4br3cqu3
Boston - @JeffreyLFC
Buffalo - @Mathletic
Calgary - @marti57
Carolina - @Mrb1p
Chicago - @G0bias
Colorado - @Toene
Columbus - @Khabby
Dallas - @TT1
Detroit - @zaluty
Edmonton - @The Great Schlemko
Florida - @le_sean
LA - @yoteshot
Minnesota - @jiboy
Montreal - @Yoshidas Island
Nashville - @Natey
NJD - @mariolemieux66
NYI - @sandviper
NYR - @Fozz
Ottawa - @WeThreeKings
Philadelphia - @Doublechin
Pittsburgh - @Habs76
San Jose - @Pompeius Magnus
St. Louis - @MarkovtoSubban
Tampa Bay - @ProspectsFanatic
Toronto - @OriginalCanadian
Vancouver - @MarkovsKnee
Vegas - @calder candidate
Washington - @Andrei79
Winnipeg - @NotProkofievian
If you do not expect to be able to participate this year, now is the time to let us know. If you are aware that you will be on vacation during the mock, which will begin after the draft lottery, you can send me your list since I will not be participating this year since I am a terrible scout (even when it comes to purely going off hockeydb
).Here's a quick reminder of the rules:
- For teams, I will use a randomizer.
- No trades as always.
- As always, please PM the next guy in the draft once you're done making your selection. Don't forget to tag them in this thread too.
- If you feel you may miss your selection, please PM myself or another active draft member with a list of players. If it's decided that you've taken too long and you're MIA, an auto-pick will be made for you.
- When making your selection, please include a gm or scout-like quote about that player stating why you selected him.
- As with the more recent drafts, we will begin the draft with no set time limit on the picks. We're all reasonably active posters, so let's try to make this a very active draft. We'll see how it goes and then make a decision if we have to. If a poster is taking too long, we'll shoot them a PM to see what's up. If we end up introducing a clock, it'll be a 8 hour one that is not active during midnight (EST) and 8 AM (EST) for the first two rounds, and then we will switch to a 6 hour class for the rest of the draft.
Cheers!
Draft Results
FIRST ROUND
1. Buffalo: Rasmus Dahlin
"He has all the tools to become a game-changing pillar for this organization. His effortless skating and offensive tools make you swoon while his defensive game grows with each passing contest. An outstanding World Juniors. A generational talent on the backend."
2. Carolina: Andrei Svechnikov
"Svechnikov is an offensive wizz with a skillset as diverse as any forward drafted in the past few years. The Hurricanes come out with a much needed franchise altering player."
3. Montreal: Adam Boqvist
"A dynamic defenseman with the ability to play both ends of the rink. His shot, speed and IQ are all qualities we believe will enable him to succeed at the next level."
4. Ottawa: Oliver Wahlstrom
"Oliver Wahlstrom is this draft classes most prolific goal scorer. He can beat goalies from distance, he can one-time the puck, he can beat goalies in tight, he has hands to deke the goalie, and he can use every shot from slap. wrist, snap shot and back hand. Wahlstrom is capable of carrying the offense through puck handling, deking, making smart passes or creating his own shooting lanes or allowing his skilled centre do the work so he can find open areas and use his anticipation and quick hands to create scoring chances. Wahlstrom can skate well for his size and looks for opportunities to turn the puck over. He's active in the defensive zone but needs more work in reading the play there and getting his body involved. His only question mark is his ability to get physical and use his body to separate man from puck, once he matures and adds that element to his game, he will be reliable all over the ice."
5. Arizona: Filip Zadina
“Zadina is a determined and hungry scorer. He has the ability to score in multiple ways between the dots and from the top of the circles in the offensive zone. He possesses an excellent release that makes it very hard for goalies to get a read on his shot.” – Craig Button, TSN
6. Detroit: Noah Dobson
Dobson can stand to improve his upper body strength and be more effective in physical battles and get even more power on his shot. There is time for the 18-year-old to add muscle to a skinny frame. He may need a year or two of development time, but he has the potential to be a number one defenceman at the NHL level, playing both the power play and the penalty kill, and taking on other team’s top lines. In terms of style, his game is comparable to Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues.
7. Vancouver: Evan Bouchard
Bouchard is a strong puck moving defenseman with an unbelievable feel for the game. He makes tough plays look easy, can control a game from the backend & his anticipation & skating allow him to recover from mistakes. He's a terrific addition to our group of young players and should be an offensive leader on the blueline for us for years. A prototypical defenseman for the new NHL.
8. Chicago: Jesperi Kotkaniemi
9. New York Rangers: Quinn Hughes
More than likely the best skater in this year's class with gamebreaking talent from the backend. Hugues is a puck wizard that dictates and controls play with his vision, puck control, skating agility, and poise. He also has a good shot with a quick release that gets to the net on a constistant basis. He'll have to get stronger to help win battles but typically uses outstanding stick work to steal pucks from bigger opponents.
10. Edmonton: Ty Smith
"Hughes may be the best skater of the draft, but Smith isn't that far off, he is also an excellent skater. This skating is what helps him become so effective defensively. Smith put up an impressive 73 points in just 69 games for Spokane. He has elite vision and poise making him a massive powerplay threat. The saying that smaller defensemen have poor shots doesn't apply to Smith, as he has an outstanding release. In addition, he also excels defensively more often than not, and you will rarely find him making mistakes. His player comparison is Duncan Keith. Overall, Smith is going to be a key role in helping out the Oilers and we are very excited to be able to have him in our organization."
11. New York Islanders: Vitali Kravtsov
Vitaly is an excellent skater with above average speed and acceleration and an uncanny ability to switch gears. Impressive for such a large man, as is his remarkable stickhandling ability.
12. New York Islanders (from Calgary): Brady Tkachuk
The scouts are incredibly happy to be able to select Brady as we feel he is a top ten talent and will bring some grit and toughness to the team along with some sweet hands.
13. Dallas: Joel Farabee
14. Philadelphia (from St. Louis): Isaac Lundstrom
While his skating is simply decent or even above average his high IQ and two way game make him a can't miss prospect in our eyes. Scouts have even compared him to Mikko Koivu and Patrice Bergeron.
15. Florida: Jonatan Berggren
We love kids that show upward projection in their draft year. In the case of Berggren, he didn't just climb upwards, but skyrocketed. We love his combination of speed, hands and intelligence. Had a monster year in the SuperElit, posting nearly identical 17 year old numbers in the league as 2017 7th overall pick Lias Andersson. Not only was he a dominant force for his club team, but he was the undisputed best player for his national team in the U18. Always a threat on the ice, with or without the puck on his stick. He is poised to explode next year in the SHL.
16. Colorado: Barrett Hayton
We observed that B. Hayton has amazing hands, fast decision-making and a complete offensive toolbox (shooting, passing, deking). The 6ft 1in center thinks the game at a high level, positions himself well and as a result plays a good two-way game in addition to his offensive skill. In our opinion, he is simply the most talented player on the board and we're surprised he is still available. He'll make a great addition to our group of forwards.
17. New Jersey Devils: Joe Veleno
There is so much to like about Joe Veleno. He's a hard-nosed workhorse that makes the players around him better. The fleet-footed center is unselfish and will primarily look to make a play at top speed; however, when the chance arises to put it in the pot himself, he will capitalize. He sees the ice well and is rarely caught out of position. His defensive game is refined and he actively pursues puck control. Transitioning to offence is natural, smooth, and quick. All-in-all, a well-rounded two-way forward that skates well and can be the catalyst a team needs to turn a game in its favor. If he can find the consistency in refusing to let himself get taken out of plays, especially if he doesn't start them, he will thrive and exceed expectations.
18. Columbus Blue Jackets: Rasmus Kupari
19. Philadelphia: Martin Kaut
Kaut is a solid two way winger which many seem to compare to a Marian Hossa. He doesn't have many weaknesses and possesses what many label an elite two way game for a winger. He's got a solid frame and acceleration and kept up with the likes of Martin Necas and Felipe Zadina at the WJ's this year without ever looking back. We feel that after the Lundstrom selection we were able to go for the home run pick here.
20. Los Angeles: Bode Wilde
We like Wilde's physical attributes as well as his offensive talents, but we acknowledge that he will have to work on his decision making and work in the defensive zone. In a way, we see a little bit of PK Subban in him and we think good coaching will help him become a top pairing defenceman and he should get that at Michigan.
We feel like Bode is a long term project, but that he could fit right in along with the top defencemen in this crop if we are patient with him.
21. San Jose: Grigori Denisenko
''A creative player with the puck who can dart in and out of the lanes with expert edgework, quick acceleration and creative lines. Slight stature but enjoys engaging. Lack of exposure may see him slide on draft day, but it won’t be due to a lack of skill.''
22. Ottawa (from Pittsburgh): Filip Hallander
"Hallander is a competitive winger who put up numbers comparable to some great NHLers in a men's league. He goes to the tough areas of the ice, displays quick hands in tight to finish plays but has the smarts and wherewithal to pass the puck on the doorstep rather than aimlessly jam the puck. He can score from distance as well. Hallander is adept at stealing the puck through anticipation and hard work."
23. Anaheim: Akil Thomas
We're really happy to get a versatile player in Akil that progressed a lot during the last year where he had to learn to play as a center. We think he can be a good C at the next level but worst case scenario he should still be able to contribute as a winger. Great vision, good skater, soft hands, decent shot that he should use a bit more. A bit smaller than average, he makes up for his lack of size by working really hard. His lackluster performance at the WJC doesn't really concern us, he's poised to have a great season next year given what he showed during the second half of the 17-18 campaign and the OHL playoffs.
24. Minnesota: Rasmus Sandin
"Sandin is an extremely intelligent player. He is poised with the puck on his stick and makes smart plays. Sandin has great vision and the ability to thread the needle to the open man with good passing skills."
25. Toronto: Jared McIsaac
McIsaac is a mobile 2-way D-man with great foot speed and acceleration. What makes him valuable for Toronto is his smart defensive mindset and his ability to create offensive breakouts using crisp passes. If he continues to get stronger he can become a reliable D-man in the NHL.
26. Washington: Nils Lundkvist
"One of the youngest players available at the draft, Lundkvist earned himself a regular position in the Swedish Hockey League on a playoff bound team. A puck moving defenseman with a lot of flair to his game, he's one of the best skating defenseman in the draft. Lundkvist has both excellent puck and playmaking skills which he combines with an offensive awareness that allows him to make timely carries, pinches and accurate passes in the offensive zone. Although already having a mature game for his age, he still stands to fill up his frame and improve his strength when battling for the puck. We, however, are very pleased a player of his abilities was still available this late in the first round."
27. Detroit (from Vegas): Dominick Bokk
Bokk reads the game very quickly, which is why he's able to adjust so well to counter pokechecks and find holes in the defence. In the same way that he can turn defenders inside out, it only takes him a fraction of a second to find a way to slip the puck in the net alone against a goalie.
28. New York Rangers (from Boston): Ty Dellandrea
Dellandrea has everything to succeed. He plays a complete game, supported by good size, excellent skating and impressive hockey instinct. His numbers were probably affected by playing for a bad team and we see him at least as a solid middle-six center with very good upside and a game that will translate very well to the pro game.
29. New York Rangers (from Tampa Bay): Serron Noel
Noel is very much a project that could end up paying huge dividends. The 6'5" 205lbs RW made great progress during the last year, especially in how he gets around the ice. He obviously has some growing to do to fill his imposing frame and should become a physical force when he does. Add that to solid skills, a good shot with a quick release, soft hands and strong offensive instincts, he could become a force.
30. St. Louis (from Winnipeg): Jett Woo
31. Chicago (from Nashville): Alexander Alexeyev
Being one of the most effective and dependable import blueliners in the WHL, Alexeyev is your prototypical big-bodied, smart, two-way defenseman. Possesses terrific outlet passing and above average skating ability. Offensively, he can help run a power play or act as a triggerman thanks to his diverse shooting arsenal. Were it not for a series of unfortunate injuries, we feel he would have gone much higher.
SECOND ROUND
32. Buffalo: K'Andre Miller
"Talented two-way defenseman with top-pairing upside who is committed to the University of Wisconsin. A strong skater with very good speed, Miller generates a lot of power into his stride and is starting to beat both opposing forwards and defenders to the outside. His stick and body positioning in the neutral zone are exceptional, and you can count on Miler to intercept more than a handful of cross-zone passes that he quickly transitions into rushes the other way. His ability to make clean passes on either his forehand or backhand, plus the manner in which he sharply pivots his way into bigger openings might explain how such a big and physical defenseman is only a few years removed from being a forward."
33. Detroit (from Ottawa): Mattias Samuelsson
Samuelsson has good balance and can use his size to outmuscle opponents. He is a good skater for his size, with decent speed in both directions. However, his acceleration could use some work. It takes him a few strides to reach that top speed which can be an issue in closing short distances and getting to loose pucks. His agility and footwork are decent. While they can use some improvements, he changes directions quickly enough in most situations, and his pivots allow him to quickly transition from offence to defence and vice-versa.
34. Florida (from Arizona): Ryan Merkley
A polarizing prospect, but one of the most naturally talented in this draft. He has a tantalizing combination of speed, puck skills, shooting ability, and offensive awareness. He creates multiple opportunities each shift, either by his creativity or by drawing defenders and opening up lanes. He will need time to become more consistent on both ends of the rink and to use his teammates more effectively. However, he's not just a homerun if he achieves his potential, but a grand slam. We are excited to add him to our prospect pool and have a puck wizard on the backend to help Aaron Ekblad.
35. Montreal: Bulat Shafigullin
With taking a defenseman in the first round, the Canadiens feel as though they need some strength in the forward position. Bulat is a shifty winger who possesses the ability to make plays that simply can't be taught. We see him as an offensive powerhouse and can't wait to see him develop in the future. He also taught us the fact that if you add up the numerical values for each letter in "attitude" it equals 100, and we really thought that that showed how much he knows and cares about our philosophy.
36. Detroit: Ryan McLeod
Ryan doesn’t have the same straightaway speed that makes his brothers one of the fasted prospects of the past few years, but his skating is still well above average. He is a very agile player, with the ability to move side-to-side quicker than most. McLeod is a puck-distributing center that will create his own offense only after looking for his linemates. His high end passing ability and great on-ice vision will help allows him to be the kind of playmaker that boosts the production of less talented wingers.
37. Vancouver: Jacob Olofsson
Olofsson is a player with good speed & puck control who already plays an advanced two-way game. He is excellent cycling the puck as well as defending the cycle. However, he is also dangerous off the rush as his puck protection skills & stickhandling allow him to dangle around defenseman.
38. Montreal (from Chicago): Jonny Tychonick
Jonny plays with a lot of fluidity in his game. He's able to lead a transition forward, but is mindful of his defensive responsibilities. He possesses a lot of high quality skills, like his skating, passing, and ability to change the tempo of the game, and we feel as though once he polishes off the other areas of his game, he'll be a quality modern day defenseman in the NHL.
39. New York Rangers: Jacob Bernard-Docker
40. Edmonton: Calen Addison
"Addison is an unbelievable skater and he is one of the fastest skaters in this draft class. He has elite edgework, agility and pivots. He possesses very good vision and passing skills, with the ability to start the transition game and play the point on the powerplay. He loves to drive offence and jumps into the play, both off the rush and pinching at the blue line. Addison also has the stickhandling ability to skate the puck out of danger, and even to lead the rush. Addison also has a very good snapshot and wrist shot. He gets them both off very quickly, with an excellent release. Oilers are very pleased to have both Smith and Addison to help out the blueline."
41. New York Islanders: Jesse Ylonen
Jesse is known for his skating and quick acceleration, fully capable of beating opposing defenders wide and inside. We realize he'll need to develop his lower body strength and defensive game, but we project him to fit into our top-6 in the future.
42. Carolina: Cole Fonstad
With Cole, we feel that we add another highly skilled forward, with offensive attributes all over the board. His playmaking skills, cunning and skating are what will make him thrive in the NHL, despite his average size.
43. New York Islanders (from Calgary): Liam Foudy
Liam has progressed nicely in his two seasons with the Knights going from 15 points to 40 on a rebuilding team. Very fast on his feet, but handles the puck well. While there were some concerns with some in the scouting community regarding his second half explosion in production, we feel Liam just "clicked" and figured things out.
44. Dallas: Jack McBain
45. St. Louis: Adam Ginning
46. Washington (from Florida): Blake McLaughlin
47. Colorado: Cameron Hillis
''Cameron Hillis is a skilled forward with soft hands and excellent hockey sense. He is an offensive catalyst every time he is on the ice. Crisp accurate passer who always finds a seam to thread the puck through. Although Hillis is a top notch playmaker he also uses his shot with regularity making him a double threat and hard to read on what he might do, shoot or pass. Utilizes great vision, shrewd awareness and outstanding anticipation to read the opposition and exploit their weakness. Propels to top speed smoothly using a wide, lowered skating base where he generates power through use of total leg range of motion. Defensive zone play is inconsistent and will need seasoning but shows a healthy compete tracking back to provide valuable back pressure. As a smaller skilled forward, Hillis recognizes that adding strength to his overall game will help him compete in smaller areas of the ice.” – thescout.ca
48. New York Rangers (from New Jersey): Jay O'Brien
49. Columbus: Alexander Khovanov
Khovanov is a bit of a wild card pick. He originally was selected 2nd overall in the CHL import draft right behind this years 2nd overall pick Andrei Svechnikov. Alex was expected to have a big impact for Moncton this season, but he ended up missing the first 3 quarters of the season, but was able to return near the end of the season and put up nearly a point per game (28pts in 29gp), and 7 points in Moncton's 12 playoff games. Alex is a pass first player great hands and vision, but can also be sneaky with his accurate shot. It was obvious that he never quite got back into game speed after his illness, but we hope to see Alex get back into game shape and back on track to what made him a high sought after prospect before got sick.
50. Philadelphia: Nicolas Beaudin
51. Los Angeles: Jake Wise
There are many things in Jake's game that we feel will translate well in the NHL, namely his speed, tenacity and playmaking skills. We feel like at the very worst, his vision and passing skills alone could make him a PP weapon in the NHL, but his defensive awareness and high motor should make him a complete player for us. Going to Boston University where he'll be a key cog of the offense should help him develop into a top 6 player at the next level.
52. Toronto (from San Jose): Jakub Lauko
53. Pittsburgh: Stanislav Demin
"Slava is a big defenseman with good size, skating and smarts. His upside is high, and we feel he might've fallen a bit due to playing in such an under-the-radar league." 0.675 PPG in the BCHL for a defenseman is impressive considering all he brings defensively. We feel Slava will benifite greatly from the NCAA route."
54. Anaheim: Kyle Topping
55. Arizona (from Minnesota): Kirill Marchenko
"Marchenko is a big, skilled winger with very good hands and creativity, protects the puck very well with his long reach. Needs to work on his skating, particularly his acceleration. Needs to bulk a lot, too. Had a very good U-18 tournament, and good MHL playoffs with Yugry to top his season. Top-6 player written all over him, if everything falls into place."
56. Montreal (from Toronto): Jack Drury
Jack has quite the release, and can score from any angle. We feel as though he's a multidimensional threat and we love how he keeps his head up and sees the ice in front of him.
He's a player that will need to bulk up and work hard but we like his dedication to the game and feel as if he will be a strong addition to our organization.
57. Montreal (from Washington): Allan McShane
Allan is a true centre who will provide you with effort at both ends of the rink. He's great in the cycle and has the vision to pick out his teammates. He doesn't have an elite shot, but he's shifty to put himself into positions where he can score with ease. We project him to be a middle six centre in the future and he's a glue guy, someone who will bring the best out of his teammates, and we like that about him.
58. Vegas: Kevin Bahl
Huge raw defenseman with underrated puck handling and distribution skill, he plays a physical game and gets his long stick into lanes and uses his reach to defend. Make a good first pass out of his end. Will support the rush, has a willingness to carry the biscuit, he is a good stickhandler and passer too. His size and upside clearly points to him getting his name called sooner than expected.
59. Boston: Ivan Morozov
60. Tampa Bay: Jan Jenik
61. Winnipeg: David Gustafsson
62. Colorado (from Nashville): Philip Kurashev
THIRD ROUND
63. Minnesota (from Buffalo): Benoit-Olivier Groulx
64. Pittsburgh (from Ottawa): Ruslan Iskhakov
"A nifty Russian forward who plays a very 'Russian' style. His hands and elusiveness are reminiscent of Datsyuk as he's nearly impossible to hit. Likes to hold onto the puck and make plays rather than throw it away with a dump in. If I were betting on a little guy to make it out of this draft class, I'd choose Ruslan."
65. Arizona: Olivier Rodrigue
66. Montreal: Jacob Ragnarsson
67. Detroit: Jakub Skarek
68. Vancouver: Filip Kral
Kral is a smooth skating defenseman who transitions the puck well, understands how to manage the puck in all zones & all situations & has a high compete level. He needs to add strength to his frame & continue to grow his offensive game, but we love the upside in this player & believe he can be an all situations top 4 D in the NHL.
69. Chicago: Daniil Zhuravlyov
70. New York Rangers: Albin Eriksson
Hulking winger shows good speed and balance for such a big kid. Has huge reach and a decent shot. Strong forechecker with some offensive skills and good upside. Another interesting project for the Rangers.
71. Edmonton: Semyon Der-Arguchintsev
72. New York Islanders: Niklas Nordgren
A diminutive forward, Niklas is a highly skilled winger who has been crushing the Finnish junior league. He possesses decent hockey IQ, good stickhandling and is relatively responsible defensively for such a young player. Earlier in the year, our scouts had concerns about his skating, but were pleased that he has seemingly improved in this area when we watched him during the U18's.
73. Carolina: Milos Roman
Milos is a center with high end skills and top notch vision, we feel hes s forward worthy of a 2nd round selection, he probably fell because of injuries and adaptation time. He has a natural ability to make people around him better and hes both a hard worker and a smart player.
74. Arizona (from Calgary): Blade Jenkins
"There’s a lot to like about the things Jenkins brings to the table. He has decent size and is a pest to play against, especially down low. He is as equally good a scorer as he is a playmaker. His high IQ allows him to make the correct play in order to drive the offense. While his offensive instincts are above average, his skating and play away from the puck are works in progress. The skating has improved but will be a point of emphasis for him at the next level. Needs to get better positioning, defensively. In live viewings of him, his lack of positioning cost his team some goals." Blade Jenkins - 2018 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
75. Dallas: Johnny Gruden
76. St. Louis: Tyler Madden
" John Madden's son is a hard-working, intense, responsible chip off the old block. Small and slight but elusive skater. Was MVP of the USHL Top Prospects game earlier this year. Headed to NorthEastern and the USA WJC selection camp this summer. "
77. Boston (from Florida): Alec Regula
78. Colorado: Filip Johansson
79. Anaheim (from New Jersey): Matej Pekar
80. Columbus: Linus Nyman
81. Detroit (from Philadelphia): Nando Eggenberger
82. Los Angeles: Ryan O'Reilly
We feel like there is much to like about O'Reilly's game. He is developping as a large bodied goal scorer with very good hands around the net and we like his potential to become a middle six winger who could score 20 goals a year while playing a strong possession game. Our third NCAA bound pick in as many selections, he is committed to a strong program in Denver.
83. Toronto (from San Jose): Axel Andersson
You might consider Andersson as a modern day D-man. Mobile with the puck and isn't afraid to carry the play. Almost always makes the smart decision on the ice and is rarely caught by surprise. We hope that he continues to develop his defensive game and becomes a reliable player that can be used in any situation.
84. Detroit (from Pittsburgh): Sean Durzi
85. Anaheim: Alex Steeves
86. Minnesota: Xavier Bernard
87. Chicago (from Toronto): Sampo Ranta
Ranta is one of those players who's numbers don't fully reflect the abilities. We feel the Finnish power winger, who possesses excellent skating ability and a hard accurate shot, has the tools to become an effective player. His decision to commit with an NHL breeding ground in Wisconsin is a plus.
88. Washington: Aidan Dudas
89. Minnesota (from Vegas): Jachym Kondelik
90. New York Rangers (from Boston): Luka Burzan
Good scoring touch and good hockey IQ, Burzan made great strides after dealt from a depth role on a stacked Moose Jaw team to a go-to forward in Brandon. Plays a complete game and has very good passing skills. Also a hard working player.
91. Tampa Bay: Ty Emberson
Intelligent 2-way defenseman with great mobility and puck moving ability.92. Winnipeg: Justin Almeida
93. Nashvillle: Ryan Chyzowski
"Ryan Chyzowski is an fantastic player who has a future in this league. Ryan possesses a fantastic shot, has good speed, and the work ethic to succeed. He knows where to go on the ice and how to make space for himself. Ryan never takes a night off, he's always going full throttle. We're very excited to add a player of this caliber to the organization this late in the draft."
FOURTH ROUND
94. Buffalo: Marcus Westfält
95. Ottawa: Eric Florchuk
"Florchuk is one of those kids who saw a massive grow spurt which has helped but also hampered their development. His first CHL season was one of development and getting used to his new found height. In this season, he played on a Royals team and didn't really find his footing until he was traded to the Saskatoon Blades. Florchuk has good size, he plays a pro style game which involves finding the open man, getting to good areas of the ice, not over complicating the play but taking the space allowed him. He has a good playmaking touch and a very underrated goal scorers shot. He displays some slick hands from time to time and could stand to use them in a more creative sense in his next junior season. There's a lot to like about his progression and his pro style of play."
96. Arizona: Curtis Douglas
"Massive forward at 6'8 and over 200lbs, he is more then willing to use that size advantage. He can be a physically dominating force battling for pucks along the wall. Once he plants himself in front of the opposition net, defenders are unable to move him. And he uses that enormous reach he possesses in all zones to break up plays. Despite the tall frame, Douglas is a deceptively quick skater. However, continuing to work on his overall skating is a necessity. Agility, first step speed and a breakaway gear could stand improving. His size could hinder that, but even a small improvement will help him succeed at the next level. Douglas is a smart player who almost always makes the right decisions whether in the offensive zone or defensive zone. He has extremely soft hands and can make plays. He has excellent vision and can sometimes make plays out of nothing. He could at times though slow the pace down allowing his linemates to get into lanes or danger areas. He has the ability to find them and if he did so, he could become even more dangerous offensively. He has an excellent work ethic and on many nights is the hardest worker on the ice. He can score the dirty goals but can also beat you with a shot. When he is totally engaged, he can dominate the offensive zone. Definitely a project, but at this point, why not ?" Curtis Douglas – Windsor Spitfires – Player Profile
97. Montreal: Riley Stotts
98. Detroit: Carl Jakobsson
99. Vegas (from Vancouver): Gabriel Fortier
Speedy, hard-nosed undersized center who plays a 200-foot game and competes hard every shift. Fortier is a threat to score in any situation, including while on the penalty kill. He’s shown great patience and a soft touch around the net, and he’s capable of setting up chances off of board battles. Fortier is more of a finisher than a set-up guy, but he plays a high-speed game and the puck always seems to find him.
100. Dallas (from Chicago): Nathan Dunkley
101. New York Rangers: Joey Keane
The overager has a solid all around game and was a finalist for the d-man of the year in the OHL. He has great mobility, with a great first pass and just doesn't make mistakes out there.
102. Montreal (from Edmonton): Spencer Stastney
103. New York Islanders: Dmitry Zavgorodniy
Another diminutive forward, hailing from the Omsk system, this dynamo spent the last year getting himself acclimated to North America in the CHL. While we were impressed with his CHL combine results, we have selected him due to the fact that he is highly skilled, with a very good shot and plays with some grit. While it is our hope he fills out a little more, we feel his tools are what is needed in today's NHL.
104. Carolina: Tyler Weiss
105. Calgary: Giovanni Vallati
Giovanni a slick two-way defender with good wheels, sound instincts and can unload an absolute missile from the point. He is very confident carrying the puck and has amazing vision.
106. Dallas: Linus Karlsson
107. St. Louis: Riley Sutter
"His uncle Brian is a Blues legend and even though his cousins have been underwhelming he's still got Hockey Royalty in his blood. Had a strong second half and raised his game in the playoffs. A stronger skater than other Sutters we've seen recently but still needs work."
108. Calgary (from Florida): Curtis Hall
Curtis has tremendous skating for a player his size. Robust, maneuver easily, excellent vision and has a high Hockey IQ. He is really effective around enemy nets. North-South kind of player that possess the scorer instinct.
109. Colorado: Danila Galenyuk
We like his vision and skating. Plays a physical game. Was tried three games with SKA St-Petersburg in the KHL.
110. New Jersey Devils: Liam Kirk
111. Nashville (from Columbus): Carl Wassenius
"Carl Wassenius is extremely exciting to us. He brings good size, a solid frame to continue to build on, and an incredible presence to drive there offense. While his skating could use some work, his knowledge for where to be on the ice is second to none. Carl is a hard worker who doesn't give up on the play. We're very excited to see what Carl can do in a men's league next season."
112. Philadelphia: Samuel Fagemo
113. Los Angeles: Martin Fehérvary
Although we feel like he disappointed a bit offensively this year, it was his first in an men's league and he has proven he belongs, even being selected to represent his country at the World Championship. We like his mobility and his puckmoving abilities and feel he has strong upside at this point in the draft.
114. San Jose: Alexander Romanov
115. Vegas (from Pittsburgh): Vladislav Kotkov
Blessed with size, smarts, puck skills, He isn’t elegant skater but he a deceptively-quick. He is solid one on one and hard for Q defenders to handle on the wall, in the corners and in the slot. He can stickhandle through traffic and pivot away from pressure. Kotkov can play the role of finisher or playmaker and the confidence he exudes is evident the second he collects the puck. Taking it away from him is a tall order, as he has a long reach and strong lower body to maintain balance while keeping the puck safe from looting. His straight-line speed is very good and he requires only two or three strides to hit top speed. He is as good exploiting odd-man situations with his vision and passing, as he is with his hard, accurate shot. Far from a finished product as he needs work on a 200 foot game, more all around intensity, to fill in and get more co-ordinated.
116. Anaheim: Chase Wouters
117. Buffalo (from Minnesota): Logan Hutsko
''Hutsko is quick with really soft hands. He's tough to contain in 1-on-1 situations. He has the ability to be a very good passer, but doesn't always use that ability like he should. He just needs to get a little stronger and a step faster to be more effective on the offensive end."
118. Toronto: Oscar Bäck
Oskar is a big bodied forward who brings a lot to the table. He has learned to use his large frame to protect the puck and to win battles in front of the net. His skating still needs some improvement but he makes up for it with his excellent hockey sense and strong playmaking abilities. We are excited to have Oskar join the club.
119. Washington: Wyatte Wylie
120. Florida (from Vegas): Lukas Dostal
We are very happy to have the best goaltender of the 2018 class fall into our laps this late. He is quick, agile and competitive. He is good technically and has progressed a lot throughout the year.
121. Boston: Kody Clark
122. Tampa Bay: Libor Zabransky
Zabransky was centerpiece of Czech U18 success in the recent WJC18 tournament. Zabransky has a well rounded 2-way game, his offensive upside hasn't been fully exploited this year with Kelowna considering how deep the team was at the defensive position. Zabransky has strong decision making and can move the puck up the ice with confidence. We expect a big jump in production next season.
123. Montreal (from Winnipeg): Patrick Khodorenko
124. Chicago (from Nashville): Toni Utunen
FIFTH ROUND
125. Buffalo: Alexis Gravel
126. Ottawa: Pavel Gogolev
"Plays on a horrendous Peterborough team with only one other good player (Semyon Der-Arguchintsev) must have meant that a lot of people didn't get to see Gogolev. Gogolev is blessed with breakaway speed and hands that work in unison with his fast feet. He has good scoring ability and often finds the back of the net. A talented speedster who could fill a Grabner or Byron role in the NHL with some work on rounding out the rest of his game"
127. Philadelphia (from Arizona): Anderson MacDonald
128. Montreal: Vladislav Yeryomenko
129. Pittsburgh (from Detroit): Scott Perunovich
"Scott is the best overage defenseman in the draft. He's undersized, but defends well and is willing to throw his body on the line to keep the puck out of his net. Perunovich has great hands to go alongside his blazing speed, and stands out big time in the NCAA against young men, as a freshman defenseman."
130. Vancouver: Yegor Sokolov
A big winger with soft hands & excellent puck protection skills, Sokolov loves scoring & isn't afraid to use his big body to get involved physically. However, he needs to work on his skating quite a bit if he wants to get to the NHL. Has heavy feet.
131. Nashville (from Chicago): Luke Henman
"Luke has very good vision of the ice. He's got a surprisingly decent shot that he doesn't use enough, but his ability to find teammates or create offensive chances from nothing is tremendous. Luke needs to work on confidence in himself as well as being more consistent. He needs to add bulk to his decent sized frame and get involved more physically. We're excited to see what the future holds."
132. New York Rangers: Declan Chisholm
Smart, poised and slick skating defenseman that has excellent mobility and very good top end speed. He has a good frame, defends well and makes accurate outlet passes. He struggled upon returning from a high ankle sprain that saw him miss 14 games in the middle of the season.
133. Edmonton: Brendan Budy
134. New York Islanders: Xavier Bouchard
Xavier is a well rounded defenceman who we feel has some potential. While has has a decent skillset, Xavier is a big kid and as he fills into his frame, this should improve his board work as well as his shot. We will be monitoring his progression in his D+1 season with some interest.
135. Vegas (from Chicago): Lenni Killien
A work in progress that already has size, some girt and some puck skills. Excellent skater with great acceleration and straight line speed. Difficult to impede as he has a strong balanced stride that can barrel him through the neutral zone. An above average stickhandler who has a nice shot and can make thread the needle passes on the move. He needs to make better decision with his carries and passes, become more aware, read the on ice better and play with more effort away from the puck. He is a long term project with upside.
136. New Jersey (from Calgary): Justin Schültz
137. Dallas: Krystof Hrabik
138. St. Louis: Jackson Perbix
"He's a big body winger who can play a physical game or a finesse one. His brother Nick went to St. Cloud but Jackson is committed to Notre Dame although he may take a season in Green Bay of the USHL. He was the youngest player to compete in the American Top Prospects game and captained his school. "
139. Florida: Nico Gross
Nico is a good, young all-around defenceman. One of a very few that played in the NLB under the age of 17. Had a rough start to his OHL career because he had mono. Showed some good things as the captain of Switzerland at the U18.
140. Colorado: Pavel Shen
Shen has been close to PPG in MHL since he's 17 years old. We think at this point of the draft taking a chance on him is worth it.
141. New Jersey Devils: Merrick Rippon
142. Chicago (from Columbus): Yegor Sharangovich
After an impressive WJC, Sharangovich continued displaying his talents at the World Championships with the National team. More often than not the most dangerous player for Belarus despite being one of only three draft eligible players at the tournament. Deployed as the number one center and used in all situations, he found ways to stand out in each of our viewings. Finished 2nd in U20 scoring in the KHL behind Eeli Tolvanen.
143. Philadelphia: Gavin Hain
144. Los Angeles: Simon Johansson
A converted forward, we like the level of offense Johansson brings from the backend. Not the greatest skater, he gets around well, especially with the puck on his stick and he sees the ice very well and makes good decisions in terms of deciding when to pinch or not. Defensively, he's still tentative, but he's had such a great season in the U20 league, finishing 2nd behind Adam Boqvist in terms of PPG, that we feel he is ready to take the next step. An overager, he's still only 18, being born in June, so we're confident he can still get a lot better while filling his lanky 6'2" frame.
145. San Jose: Lukas Wernblom
146. Pittsburgh: Marcus Bjork
"Bjork is a big-bodied defenseman who led his team in points this year in the Allsvenskan as a double overager. Bjork is headed to a big SHL club in Orebro, which should prove to be the ultimate test for him. There is one stat, however that really does Bjork justice: 18 more points than the next best Allsvenskan overager, and as a defenseman. A stat-watcher's dream."
147. Anaheim: Karel Plasek
148. Minnesota: Damien Giroux
149. Toronto: Oliver Okuliar
Okuliar helped Champion a U20 squad in the Slovakian Jr league and had a very solid showing at the U18 World Juniors. He is a mobile winger with great acceleration and balance. He is never afraid to play the dirty areas and doesn't shy away from the physical plays. Takes too many stupid penalties, but discipline can be taught. He puts up points wherever he goes, we are excited to see what he can do in a men's league.
150. Minnesota (from Washington): Santeri Salmela
151. Vegas: Jordan Harris
A new age defender smaller with quick feet, decision making and puckhandling ability. Quick and decisive with the biscuit, his deft stickhandling and puck management get him high marks despite playing in a lower competition level. He is committed to Northeastern University.
152. Winnipeg (from Boston): Riley Damiani
153. Tampa Bay: Justin Brazeau
154. Winnipeg: Tim Berni
155. Nashville: Jeremi Gerber
"Jeremi is a forward who loves to score. His shot is second to none in this draft class. Jeremi is willing to take a beating to retrieve pucks so he can light the lamp. He's got decent size but needs to continue to work on his skating and endurance. We're very excited to see what the future holds for Jeremi."
SIXTH ROUND
156. Buffalo: Einar Emanuelsson
157. Ottawa: Angus Crookshank
"While his production in the BCHL could have been better and he's slated to go to a lesser NCAA school, Crookshank had a strong World Junior A challenge where he was a PPG and during his BCHL season he flashed a lot of tools, that if he finds consistency, may make him a legitimate prospect some day. Armed with speed, quick hands, tenacity on loose pucks and a very good shot, Angus is an offensive center."
158. Arizona: Adam Samuelsson
"Huge kid at 6'5 240lbs, heavy feet but alright when in movement, still his biggest weakness, needs to work on explosiveness and first-steps. Doesn't use his size as much as one would expect, and especially considering who his father is, but it's coming around, and he sure already has the strength to manhandle most opponents. Decent puck mover, and he has potential in that regard, he projects more as a defensive defenseman in the future (even though he could, in the best of cases, develop in a 2-way D, but only in the best of cases), but can still move the puck and has a nice first pass. Didn't do much at the U18 other than in his zone, but he's one of the youngest player of this draft."
159. Detroit (from Montreal): Billy Moskal
160. Detroit: Matthew Thiessen
161. Vancouver: Amir Miftakhov
Miftakhov is a lanky goaltender with quick feet and an active glove. He tends to stay in the blue paint and plays a conservatively aggressive game. He has great athleticism and a solid understanding of the position. He didn't have a great U18, but overall had a fantastic season in the MHL and at the Hlinka Tournament.
162. Chicago: Matthew Struthers
Since the trade that saw him leave Owen Sound, Struthers has been lights out. Putting up 27 points in his last 3o games and just over a PPG as he continued his strong play in the post-season. His 23 ES goals ties him at 4th among U18s in the OHL. We hope his effective play in all three zones along with his size and ability to drive the net can translate to a valuable bottom six pivot down the road.
163. New York Rangers: Dennis Busby
164. Edmonton: Jerry Turkalainen
165. Los Angeles (from New York Islanders): Michal Kvasnica
"After a very strong D-1 season in the Czech junior league, Kvasnica was loaned to a team in Czech2 league where he had a solid season, even getting to play in the top league for the playoffs and then the U18 for his country, where he managed 4 points in 7 games. A big winger, Kvasnica is fast and tough to knock off the puck, while also playing a good 2-way game for his age. He does have some offensive skill, mainly a solid wrist shot, but he is still a long term project for us at this point."
166. Carolina: Christian Lindberg
167. Calgary: Bogdan Zhilyakov
168. Dallas: Marc Del Gaizo
169. St. Louis: Seth Barton
"He's a big body who naturally has a lot of sandpaper to his game. At the other end of the rink he has an absolute rocket of a shot. Good hockey sense and plays with composure, made the jump to the BCHL straight from midget last year. Plans to go to school at UMass-Lowell next season."
170. Florida: Jake Pivonka
''A solid all-around player. He does everything wel and will be a reliable player in the NHL.''
171. Colorado: Kevin Mandolese
172. New Jersey: Zach Malík
173. Columbus: Nikolai Kovalenko
174. Philadelphia: Adam McCormick
175. Los Angeles: Nikita Rozhkov
176. San Jose: David Lilja
177. Pittsburgh: Anton Malyshev
"Malyshev as a standout defensively at the U18's for the Russian squad, and really begun to generate some buzz during the tournament. We could see Malyshev having a similar development curve to the Blue Jackets 2015 6th round pick Vladislav Gavrikov."
178. Anaheim: Jesper Myrenberg
179. Minnesota: Tyler Tucker
"Tyler is a big, physical stay-at-home defender that loves to look for the big hit. He is a good skater with good mobility and stride, which allows him to take away time and space. Tyler makes a solid outlet pass and keeps his game simple for the most part. Tyler will be a player that coaches love to have on their team because of his high compete level and solid defensive play. "
180. Vegas (from Toronto): Ivan Muranov
181. Boston: Keegan Karki
182. Washington: Austin Wong
183. Vegas: Matej Blumel
184. Tampa Bay: Severi Lahtinen
185. Winnipeg: Veini Vehviläinen
186. San Jose (from Nashville): Kirill Nizhnikov
'' This is a guy who possesses as good of puck skill as any player in this draft. But he needs to play with a high level of intensity in order to be consistently successful, which hasn't been the case so far in the OHL. A true boom or bust project''
SEVENTH ROUND
187. Buffalo: Shamil Shmakov
188. Ottawa: Justus Annunen
"The typical Finnish goalie prospect. He has ideal size, good lateral movement with an aggressive presence in the crease and active hands. Annunen finished his season on a good note, having a strong play-offs then finishing it off as the goalie of record for the Gold Medal Fins at the U-18s. There's a lot of room for progression in his game but when you have a chance this late in the draft to draft a goalie with ideal size and athleticism, you take it."
189. Arizona: Michael Kesselring
"Lanky 6'4 RHD, has the skating and reach to attract the attention of an NHL team. Plays a simple game, and has pretty good stickwork for his age, likes to cut plays, retrieve pucks and has a decent first pass. Projects more as a defensive dman at the next level, as he doesn't have a lot of creativity or offensive tools, but he just does a good job containing opponents. Not very physical, but it's in progress. Pure project, will be in Merrimack College, in the NCAA, next season."
190. Philadelphia (from Montreal): Patrick Giles
191. Detroit: Jack DeBoer
192. Vancouver: Mathias Emilio Pettersen
A smallish center Pettersen still has solid strength, a good skating base & tremendous quickness which he uses to attack the net. Not a perimeter player, he loves to drive the net off give and goes. A pass first player with good vision. D game is not great but is improving.
193. Chicago: Samuel Ersson
194. Ottawa (from New York Rangers): Axel Bergkvist
"While his size is not ideal at 5'8", there's no denying his talent. Bergkvist has an absolute bomb of a shot, both slap and wrist and he absolutely picks apart teams defensive posture with outlet passes on the tape that allows his teammates to hit their stride. Due to his size, he will be limited in his role at the next level but believe that he can carve out a niche being a bottom pairing defenseman who is relied upon to bring offense in tight games and excel on the first powerplay unit. We will take that gamble in the last round of the draft."
195. Edmonton: German Grachyov
196. New York Islanders: Jordan Kooy
Playing behind Raaymakers, we preferred the younger of the two netminders. While this is his second year with the Knights, he was still considered a rookie this past season. He doubled his workload from the year prior and lead all OHL rookies statistically. With overager Raaymakers moving on, we expect Jordan to take a prominant role with the Knights next season.
197. Carolina: Martin Pospisil
198. Calgary: Radim Salda
199. Dallas: Jesper Sellgren
200. St. Louis: Zach Stejskal
"He was the starter for Grand Rapids when they won their first state championship since 1980 but then he went to the worst team in the USHL instead of staying for his senior year. Got absolutely shelled and ended up on the bottom of the goalie rankings with horrible stats. He is committed to a great school in the UMD Bulldogs but not until 2019 and another year with the Flying Aces will teach him how to move his 6'5 frame in order to deal with a ton of rubber flying at him."
201. Florida: Kristian Tanus
202. Colorado: Kristian Reichel
203. New Jersey: Andrej Kukuca
204. Columbus: Olof Lindbom
205. Philadelphia: Kristian Kovacik
206. Tampa Bay (from Los Angeles): Shawn Boudrias
6'5" leading his QMJHL team in scoring by 20 points, he is an overager but only by one day so this is almost his draft year.
207. San Jose: Connor Roberts
''Roberts is a 6'4, 215lbs winger who actually skates pretty well for his size and allows him to be an effective player off the rush. He also possesses one of the best shots of the age group and has terrific goal scoring potential because of that size and skating combination. The biggest thing for Roberts is learning how to use his size. At this point, he's not nearly as good along the wall as he should be. His intensity level really needs to increase, especially without the puck. But big guys with good hands don't grow on trees. Even if the game is changing, there will always be a place for guys like Roberts who can put the puck in the net. If you're patient, he could still blossom into a future NHL player. ''
208. Pittsburgh: Mark Yanchevsky
209. Toronto (from Anaheim): Brandon Saigeon
Would probably be better to just sign the guy to a tryout at camp, but watching the Bulldogs this year in the regular season and playoffs I can't help but cheer for him. Scored 18 goals in the playoffs and was killer on the powerplay. Really hoping that one team gives this kid a chance.
210. Minnesota: Peetro Seppala
211. Toronto: Caleb Everett
Everett is a safe pick for the 7th round. You know what you are gonna get from a guy like him. Defensively reliable and has shown flashes of offence. We can use Everett in a shutdown role, because he rarely ever makes mistakes.
212. Boston: Adam Gajarsky
213. Washington: Demetrios Koumontzis
214. Carolina (from Vegas): Arttu Nevasaari
215. Tampa Bay: Paul Cotter
216. Winnipeg: Dawson Barteaux
217. Nashville: Akira Schmid
"Akira is a huge goaltender with great agility. He's a special talent. He was called up to the NLA as a 17-year-old, although he didn't get into any game action - that's still something that rarely happens. He's been on plenty of U-18 and U-20 rosters for Switzerland and we expect he'll be a big part of the always improving Swiss program going forward. Akira has a ton of work to do but we're confident we have a future starting NHL goaltender."
