StevenToddIves
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2019 Final Mock Draft
Deepest apologies for using the words "outstanding", "tremendous" and "dynamic" too much. Also, "the" and "so". Please file this away until the day after the draft so you can make outstandingly tremendous fun of me for anything I was dynamically wrong about.
1 NEW JERSEY: C Jack Hughes the Devils get a marquee superstar. Hughes’ generational combination of skating/vision/hockey IQ/zone-entry skills are unmatched by any draft eligible this decade not named "Connor McDavid". He’s the kind of player who inflates the stats of anyone on his line, and he is ready to make a huge impact on the Devils offensive production right away.
2 NYR: W Kappo Kakko looking for a flaw in Kakko’s game? You won’t find it. This two-way power forward is sublime in every facet of the game and will be a superstar on Broadway for many seasons to come.
3 CHI: LD Bowen Byram in my opinion, the toughest decision of the draft comes with the #3 pick: do the Hawks take a Chicago-native top-line stud at C in Alex Turcotte, or do they go for a surefire #1D with blazing speed, high-octane offense and intense physicality? I’m guessing they cannot pass up on Byram’s ceiling as a perennial Norris candidate.
4 COL: C Alex Turcotte with incredibly strong finishes to their draft-eligible seasons, Turcotte and Byram separated themselves as the next tier behind Hughes and Kakko in the class of 2019. Turcotte is the best two-way forward available and plays with a ferocious compete level which sometimes obscures the fact that he possesses elite skating and offensive skills.
5 LAK: C/RW Dylan Cozens the Kings value size and Cozens has it and uses it in a dominant power game which also features tremendous speed, a powerful shot, and an overflowing offensive tool-box.
6 DET: C/W Trevor Zegras passing ability and hockey IQ surpassed by only Hughes in the 2019 draft class; his creativity and offensive skill are off-the-charts; another player who changes the pace of the game every time he hits the ice, simply dynamic
7 BUF: W Matthew Boldy silky-smooth winger will be exactly what Eichel needs on his top line; Boldy combines high-end size/scoring/two-way acumen/vision and is adept at either wing
8 EDM: LW/C Peyton Krebs the Oilers need high end wingers to compliment an elite center trio headlined by McDavid; Krebs has speed and skill for days and his compete level is matched only by Turcotte in this draft class
9 ANH: C Kirby Dach huge center with high-end passing ability and physical edge is very reminiscent of a young Ryan Getzlaf; Anaheim would be over the moon if he fell here
10 VAN: W Vasili Podkolzin questions about production and tourney play drop him from consensus #3, but let’s not forget that this kid is a Tkachuk-like two-way player who competes with unrelenting tenacity and is almost unstoppable down low with the puck; rumors persist about Vancouver going for positional need at D here, but would be a tremendous mistake with the high-end Fs inevitably left on the draft board at #10
11 PHI: RD Victor Soderstrom ex-GM Hextall left the Flyers with a deep prospect pool but they need help at RD; Soderstrom is an excellent skater and defensive player; positionally and mentally mature beyond his years
12 MIN: C Alex Newhook Minnesota has had great F depth for years but have lacked a marquee scoring stud; Newhook is one of the top skaters in the draft with insane scoring skills and could potentially fill that void. Solidified his draft status with an impressive U18 tourney
13 FLA: LD Cam York speaking of the U18s, York was the best D in the tourney by a long shot. Not the biggest or fastest or most athletic player, he makes up for it with off-the-charts hockey IQ and intricate puck-handling skill. The Panthers seem certain to draft D in the first.
14 ARI: RW Cole Caufield the Coyotes were the only team in the NHL without a 20-goal scorer in 2018-19 — it would make a ton of sense for them to grab the best pure scorer in the draft in Caufield, a kid who would clearly go much higher were he not under 5’7
15 MTL: RD Moritz Seider the Habs seem a near-certainty to draft a D, and in my mind Seider is the best in this draft after only Byram. At 6’4 with terrific skating ability, Seider also plays physically with wonderful offensive skill. He has top-pairing upside, which was proven with a remarkably impressive WHC tourney for his native Germany.
16 COL: G Spencer Knight boom, here it is. Though goaltenders getting drafted in the top 20 is now considered a prehistoric ritual, Knight is not your ordinary netminder. Scouts consider him the best goaltending prospect since Carey Price, whom he is most-often compared to. The Avs need a puckstopper for the future, and with two-first rounders to play with they could afford to take a chance on the young goalie prodigy.
17 VEG: LD Matthew Robertson big, physical shut-down D with high-end skating and 40+ point offensive upside? Yes, please. After dealing their top D prospect in Erik Brannstrom in order to acquire Mark Stone, I expect Vegas to concentrate on the blueline early on draft day.
18 DAL: LD Philip Broberg the most athletic defenseman in the 2019 draft is also the most polarizing — will his tantalizing mix of size and elite skating make up for the questions about his hockey IQ and puck-handling? GM Jim Nill is not afraid to take high-upside chances on draft day (Gurianov, Nichushkin), and can afford to roll the dice on Broberg with Miro Heiskanen firmly entrenched as his #1 LD for the foreseeable future.
19 OTT: RW Rafael Lavoie high-scoring 6’4 power Fs with excellent skating ability are very difficult to find, and Ottawa needs young snipers for their rebuild. Lavoie’s consistency was questioned somewhat during his season for Halifax of the QMJHL, but he firmly answered this with an eye-popping 20 goals in 23 playoff games.
20 NYR: C Ryan Suzuki okay, let’s face it. The silliest thing about the media-fabricated fiction about the Devils potentially drafting Kakko first overall is the even-more fabricated notion that the Rangers would rather have Kakko. The Rangers foremost need for their rebuild is unquestionably a #1 center. The Rangers would fall all over themselves with joy if they had the opportunity to draft Jack Hughes. They are almost a certainty to try to find a top C with the #20 pick, and Suzuki combines excellent skating with sublime passing skills matched by very few in the class of 2019.
21 PIT: LD Thomas Harley the Pens have not had a first-round pick since Kasperi Kapanen in 2014, they need an infusion of high-upside youngsters, particularly on the blueline. Harley has insane potential — at 6’3 with elite skating ability an offensive tools, he has a far higher ceiling than many defensemen routinely ranked above him. He’s a project in his own zone, but with the right development Harley has home-run potential at this stage of the draft.
22 LAK: W Arthur Kaliyev the best pure offensive winger in the 2019 draft is also the most polarizing — his shooting is only second to Caufield and he adds elite vision to that, but will he silence the critics who slam his effort level and 200-foot game? With a pair of picks in the first round and a trio of picks in the top 33, the Kings can afford to take this gamble
23 NYI: C John Beecher often undervalued due to his role as a checking center on the absurdly talented US-NTDP squad, many overlook that Beecher is an incredibly strong, two-way power pivot blessed with outstanding speed, athleticism and scoring ability. He would be a feature player on most CHL teams, and compares very closely to a young Ryan Kesler or David Backes. Isles GM Lou Lamoriello (it still feels weird to type that) loves this ilk of player and needs a 2C to slot behind Mat Barzal in the foreseeable future.
24 NSH: C Philip Tomasino the Predators lack for a 1C prospect in their system and, make no doubt about it, Tomasino has that type of upside. The kid is a brilliant skater with a deadly shot and tremendous puck skills; he has dynamic offensive ability and a penchant for scoring breathtaking highlight-reel goals.
25 WSH: LW Pavel Dorofeyev having not drafted a F in the first round since Jakub Vrana in 2014, I expect the Caps to address that area. They almost always use their high picks on Europeans, and I expect that to continue here. This organization is still aching from the foolhardy trade of Filip Forsberg and Dorofeyev is the player in the 2019 draft who resembles him the most — a big, skilled two-way winger with NHL first-line upside.
26 CGY: RW Bobby Brink loaded with young talent at every position except RW, the Flames find a terrific one in Brink; the Sioux City standout’s scoring touch is only eclipsed by Caufield among 2019-eligible right-shooting wingers, and his hockey IQ and offensive tool-box are elite
27 TB: RD Lassi Thomson the Lightning could lose as many as three D to free agency this year and have only one potential top-4 D on the way in Cal Foote. Thomson is an exceptional skater with a terrific shot and offensive skill-set; his positioning needs work but his compete level and willingness to engage physically suggest potential as an outstanding two-way force
28 CAR: RW Brett Leason the Canes boast a phenomenal blueline and great skill at F, but they are soft up front and stand to lose their most physical winger in Michael Ferland to free agency. Enter the 6’5 powerhouse Leason, who adds to his brute physicality very good complimentary offensive skills and near-NHL readiness.
29 ANH: LD Alex Vlasic no NHL organization values size as much as the Ducks; Vlasic is a giant at 6’6 and skates extremely fluidly. His overall game needs a good deal of development, but with the right coaching the Tyler Myers comparisons could become apropos
30 BUF: LD Tobias Bjornfot after finding a wing-man for Eichel with their lottery pick, expect the Sabres to find the perfect pairing for Rasmus Dahlin with their pick acquired from St. Louis in the Ryan O’Reilly deal. Bjornfot is an extremely mobile defense-first stud with an excellent outlet pass and leadership qualities which were all on display in the U18 tourney, where he shined as the best defenseman on Team Sweden
31 BOS: LW Samuel Poulin the B’s love the players who play a “heavy game” and Poulin is certainly a prime example; the Sherbrooke power forward is 6’1-210 and can snipe and muck with the best of them
END OF FIRST ROUND
32 OTT: C Jamieson Rees perhaps the most underrated player in the 2019 draft, Rees can absolutely fly, has elite vision and extraordinary compete level and two-way acumen. Were it not for an injury and suspension marred draft-eligible year, he might have been a top 15 pick. Make no mistake about it, for a value pick with NHL 1C upside, Rees has no peer in the 2019 draft.
33 LAK: LD Vladislav Kolyachonok Belarussian D combines high-end skating with terrific size; showed flashes of high-end skill at U18 tourney
34 NEW JERSEY: RD Kaeden Korczak here is an example of a team getting precisely what they need — Korczak is big and projectable at 6’3/195, incredibly strong and physical, with the upside as a powerful shut-down D to pair with your top offensive D to free him up to create. He clears creases, dominates in corners and lays out opponents with big hits. While not a burner, he skates well enough to keep up with opposing skill forwards, and features a very hard shot from the point.
35 DET: LD Ville Heinola the Wings need potential top-4 D more than anything, despite the lack of a standout skill, Heinola offers an incredibly high level of smarts and advanced positional play/gap control for a player his age
36 CAR: W Albin Grewe perhaps the most fearless player in the 2019 draft, Grewe will hit anyone or anything at anytime with the reckless abandon of a cornered honey badger. He plays with as much hate for the opposition as any draft-eligible I have ever seen, and he adds to this tremendous skating speed and a very good scoring touch.
37 CAR: G Mads Sogaard 6’7 goaltenders do not grow on trees but they certainly resemble them
38 EDM: RW Nathan Legare the Oilers will use the 2019 draft to stockpile weapons on the wing for McDavid & co.; Legare plays a power game and can shoot the lights out, if he can improve his skating and stick handling a notch, he can be a top-6 NHL stud
39 ANH: W Simon Holmstrom steal potential here — Holmstrom has ideal size and big time skating/offensive skill in his arsenal; if injuries did not derail his draft eligible season, he’d be a likely first-round target
40 VAN: LD Ryan Johnson expect the Canucks to spend much of the 2019 draft bolstering their prospect pipeline at D; Johnson is a blindingly fast skater who thinks the game at a high level and handles the puck with extraordinary calm and composure
41 PHI: LW Nils Hoglander undersized Swedish winger oozes skill and speed and plays much bigger than his 5’9 size
42 MIN: RD Anttoni Honka boom/bust D is brilliant with the puck on his stick but baffling without it; will GM Paul Fenton learn from his disastrous 2018 draft?
43 CHI: LW Nick Robertson 5’9 winger is fearless, has top-line caliber skill and can shoot the lights out; if he can improve his skating a notch will be a humongous steal, a la Alex DeBrincat in 2016
44 OTT: RD Drew Helleson big, smart US-NTDP blueliner is calm with the puck and can really skate; lacks high-end offensive tools but can be terrific two-way, mid-pairing D
45 ARI: LD Mikko Kokkonen GM John Chayka had opted for D with his second pick in the past three drafts; Kokkonen is a jack-of-all-trades but master-of-none with a high floor but not the highest ceiling
46 MTL: C Connor McMichael extremely fast skater who checks every tool on the scouting sheet and has NHL 2C written all over him
47 COL: LW Nolan Foote in what would be an extremely popular pick, the Avs grab former team legend Adam Foote’s son, a power forward with good offensive tools and great upside as a middle-six stalwart
48 MTL: LD Artemi Knyazev a high-upside pick, Knyazev is a terrific skater and puck-handler who always gets the shot on net despite its lacking power; needs to up his defensive game but oozes potential
49 NYR: C Ilya Nikolayev the Rangers take another stab at landing a top 6 C; Nikolayev is strangely polarizing in that, while no one questions his heart, some believe he is a top-line talent while other scouts relegate him to a future checking role
50 VEG: G Pyotr Kotchetkov the Knights are certain to try to find a future netminder in the mid-rounds, and some scouts consider this 6’3 exceptional athlete the best Russian goalie prospect since Samsonov
51 WPG: LW Robert Mastrosimone no one has drafted better than Kevin Chevaldayoff’s Winnipeg Jets in the past decade and with no first-rounder they are likely to go high-upside; Mastrosimone has first-round-caliber scoring ability but will need several seasons to develop
at Boston U.
52 FLA: C Yegor Spiridonov underrated two-way C is huge and skates well, oozes character and was one of Russia’s best players in the U18 tournament
53 TOR: W Yegor Afanaseyev with no first-rounder, Leafs swing for the fences with this 6’4 scoring machine who dominated the USHL at all three forward positions
54 DET: RD Antti Tuomisto potential huge payoff in this 6’4 D with very good skates and intriguing offensive upside to juxtapose with a physical edge
55 NEW JERSEY: LW Jakob Pelletier though it’s well known that Devils do not exactly lack for high-skilled, undersized left wings in the organization, few are better at picking them than Paul Castron (see: Bratt, Boqvist). Though just 5’9-160, Pelletier is an explosive skater with excellent hands, creative scoring instincts and a non-stop motor. The only knock on his game is his size and weight, but this is certainly a prospect with the competitive fire and character to outshine expectation.
56 WSH: RW Michal Teply lanky 6’3 Czech export is a pure scorer who knows exactly what to do with the puck, especially down low — with improvement in skating, could pay huge dividends
57 NYI: RW Ryder Donovan extremely raw prospect, but when you combine “6’4” with “NHL-caliber shot” with “excellent skating speed”, the scouts will notice
58 NYR: LD Albert Johansson offensively inclined D has elite skating from the back end and plays with surprising physicality and tenacity for his slim, 5’11 frame
59 CAR: LW Patrik Puistola pure sniper was by far the most dangerous F for Finland in the U18, needs to round out his all-around game but has 30+ goal type upside
60 DET: RW Maxim Cajkovic winger had QMJHL stats hampered by playing for an awful Saint John team but has magic hands and high-end scoring potential
61 STL: RD Billy Constantinou with no first-round pick the Blues aim big with this lightning-fast riverboat gambler of a defenseman — Constantinou’s combination of skating and puck skills give him gamebreaking upside, but his penchant for turnovers will have to be harnessed
62 NEW JERSEY: RD Case McCarthy extremely similar in playing style and tool-set to Korczak but, let’s face it — Ty Smith and Jeremy Davies and Will Butcher are all offensive-minded LDs who are going to need more physical and defensive minded RD partners in the future; McCarthy is one of my favorite prospects: freakishly strong and physical, deceptively polished with his outlet passing, and incredibly smart. Perhaps the most underrated D in the 2019 draft.
END OF SECOND ROUND
63 COL: LD Samuel Bolduc another freakish athlete, Bolduc is the rare 6’3 who mixes near-elite skating, punishing physicality and an absolute bomb of a shot — he’s got some warts on his overall game but just immense upside
64 LAK: LW Brayden Tracey 81 points for a draft eligible in the WHL is quite impressive, and Tracey just exploded on the scene this season for Moose Jaw; just a kid who knows how to play with and without the puck and has radar for finding the scoring seams
65 PHI: RW Bryce Brodzinski Minnesota HS winger is a moose on skates, an immovable object in the crease and a threat to score from anywhere in the offensive zone; if he can improve his skating, look out
66 DET: LW Vladislav Firstov: Russian sniper tore up the USHL for Waterloo with a blistering shot and incredible skating ability; no one unearths these mid-round gems like Steve Yzerman
67 BUF: RW/C Shane Pinto Franklin Square, NY native is 6’2-195 and lives to crash the crease, has a blistering shot and NHL skill set but is tremendously raw and will need a few years to develop at the University of North Dakota
68 NYR: W Samuel Fagemo overaged winger improved his speed enough to allow his laser-like shot to shine and prove his offensive mettle in the SHL
69 FLA: RD Ronnie Attard overaged 6’3 exploded for an eye-popping 30 goals for Tri-City of the USHL; combines plus size and skating with a nasty, physical edge
70 NEW JERSEY: C John Farinacci this NJ-native will not be selected out of a sense of homer-ism — he’s a terrific skater with a monster shot who dominates the face off circle and likes to play with a nasty edge. He’s certainly a project in need of refinement in the nuances of the game, but he will likely get that in the next few years, playing for his uncle Ted Donato at Harvard. If he can put some muscle on his 6’0 frame and refine his play without the puck, he has serious upside as a high-scoring NHL 2C.
END OF MY MOCK DRAFTING UNTIL 2020
Deepest apologies for using the words "outstanding", "tremendous" and "dynamic" too much. Also, "the" and "so". Please file this away until the day after the draft so you can make outstandingly tremendous fun of me for anything I was dynamically wrong about.
1 NEW JERSEY: C Jack Hughes the Devils get a marquee superstar. Hughes’ generational combination of skating/vision/hockey IQ/zone-entry skills are unmatched by any draft eligible this decade not named "Connor McDavid". He’s the kind of player who inflates the stats of anyone on his line, and he is ready to make a huge impact on the Devils offensive production right away.
2 NYR: W Kappo Kakko looking for a flaw in Kakko’s game? You won’t find it. This two-way power forward is sublime in every facet of the game and will be a superstar on Broadway for many seasons to come.
3 CHI: LD Bowen Byram in my opinion, the toughest decision of the draft comes with the #3 pick: do the Hawks take a Chicago-native top-line stud at C in Alex Turcotte, or do they go for a surefire #1D with blazing speed, high-octane offense and intense physicality? I’m guessing they cannot pass up on Byram’s ceiling as a perennial Norris candidate.
4 COL: C Alex Turcotte with incredibly strong finishes to their draft-eligible seasons, Turcotte and Byram separated themselves as the next tier behind Hughes and Kakko in the class of 2019. Turcotte is the best two-way forward available and plays with a ferocious compete level which sometimes obscures the fact that he possesses elite skating and offensive skills.
5 LAK: C/RW Dylan Cozens the Kings value size and Cozens has it and uses it in a dominant power game which also features tremendous speed, a powerful shot, and an overflowing offensive tool-box.
6 DET: C/W Trevor Zegras passing ability and hockey IQ surpassed by only Hughes in the 2019 draft class; his creativity and offensive skill are off-the-charts; another player who changes the pace of the game every time he hits the ice, simply dynamic
7 BUF: W Matthew Boldy silky-smooth winger will be exactly what Eichel needs on his top line; Boldy combines high-end size/scoring/two-way acumen/vision and is adept at either wing
8 EDM: LW/C Peyton Krebs the Oilers need high end wingers to compliment an elite center trio headlined by McDavid; Krebs has speed and skill for days and his compete level is matched only by Turcotte in this draft class
9 ANH: C Kirby Dach huge center with high-end passing ability and physical edge is very reminiscent of a young Ryan Getzlaf; Anaheim would be over the moon if he fell here
10 VAN: W Vasili Podkolzin questions about production and tourney play drop him from consensus #3, but let’s not forget that this kid is a Tkachuk-like two-way player who competes with unrelenting tenacity and is almost unstoppable down low with the puck; rumors persist about Vancouver going for positional need at D here, but would be a tremendous mistake with the high-end Fs inevitably left on the draft board at #10
11 PHI: RD Victor Soderstrom ex-GM Hextall left the Flyers with a deep prospect pool but they need help at RD; Soderstrom is an excellent skater and defensive player; positionally and mentally mature beyond his years
12 MIN: C Alex Newhook Minnesota has had great F depth for years but have lacked a marquee scoring stud; Newhook is one of the top skaters in the draft with insane scoring skills and could potentially fill that void. Solidified his draft status with an impressive U18 tourney
13 FLA: LD Cam York speaking of the U18s, York was the best D in the tourney by a long shot. Not the biggest or fastest or most athletic player, he makes up for it with off-the-charts hockey IQ and intricate puck-handling skill. The Panthers seem certain to draft D in the first.
14 ARI: RW Cole Caufield the Coyotes were the only team in the NHL without a 20-goal scorer in 2018-19 — it would make a ton of sense for them to grab the best pure scorer in the draft in Caufield, a kid who would clearly go much higher were he not under 5’7
15 MTL: RD Moritz Seider the Habs seem a near-certainty to draft a D, and in my mind Seider is the best in this draft after only Byram. At 6’4 with terrific skating ability, Seider also plays physically with wonderful offensive skill. He has top-pairing upside, which was proven with a remarkably impressive WHC tourney for his native Germany.
16 COL: G Spencer Knight boom, here it is. Though goaltenders getting drafted in the top 20 is now considered a prehistoric ritual, Knight is not your ordinary netminder. Scouts consider him the best goaltending prospect since Carey Price, whom he is most-often compared to. The Avs need a puckstopper for the future, and with two-first rounders to play with they could afford to take a chance on the young goalie prodigy.
17 VEG: LD Matthew Robertson big, physical shut-down D with high-end skating and 40+ point offensive upside? Yes, please. After dealing their top D prospect in Erik Brannstrom in order to acquire Mark Stone, I expect Vegas to concentrate on the blueline early on draft day.
18 DAL: LD Philip Broberg the most athletic defenseman in the 2019 draft is also the most polarizing — will his tantalizing mix of size and elite skating make up for the questions about his hockey IQ and puck-handling? GM Jim Nill is not afraid to take high-upside chances on draft day (Gurianov, Nichushkin), and can afford to roll the dice on Broberg with Miro Heiskanen firmly entrenched as his #1 LD for the foreseeable future.
19 OTT: RW Rafael Lavoie high-scoring 6’4 power Fs with excellent skating ability are very difficult to find, and Ottawa needs young snipers for their rebuild. Lavoie’s consistency was questioned somewhat during his season for Halifax of the QMJHL, but he firmly answered this with an eye-popping 20 goals in 23 playoff games.
20 NYR: C Ryan Suzuki okay, let’s face it. The silliest thing about the media-fabricated fiction about the Devils potentially drafting Kakko first overall is the even-more fabricated notion that the Rangers would rather have Kakko. The Rangers foremost need for their rebuild is unquestionably a #1 center. The Rangers would fall all over themselves with joy if they had the opportunity to draft Jack Hughes. They are almost a certainty to try to find a top C with the #20 pick, and Suzuki combines excellent skating with sublime passing skills matched by very few in the class of 2019.
21 PIT: LD Thomas Harley the Pens have not had a first-round pick since Kasperi Kapanen in 2014, they need an infusion of high-upside youngsters, particularly on the blueline. Harley has insane potential — at 6’3 with elite skating ability an offensive tools, he has a far higher ceiling than many defensemen routinely ranked above him. He’s a project in his own zone, but with the right development Harley has home-run potential at this stage of the draft.
22 LAK: W Arthur Kaliyev the best pure offensive winger in the 2019 draft is also the most polarizing — his shooting is only second to Caufield and he adds elite vision to that, but will he silence the critics who slam his effort level and 200-foot game? With a pair of picks in the first round and a trio of picks in the top 33, the Kings can afford to take this gamble
23 NYI: C John Beecher often undervalued due to his role as a checking center on the absurdly talented US-NTDP squad, many overlook that Beecher is an incredibly strong, two-way power pivot blessed with outstanding speed, athleticism and scoring ability. He would be a feature player on most CHL teams, and compares very closely to a young Ryan Kesler or David Backes. Isles GM Lou Lamoriello (it still feels weird to type that) loves this ilk of player and needs a 2C to slot behind Mat Barzal in the foreseeable future.
24 NSH: C Philip Tomasino the Predators lack for a 1C prospect in their system and, make no doubt about it, Tomasino has that type of upside. The kid is a brilliant skater with a deadly shot and tremendous puck skills; he has dynamic offensive ability and a penchant for scoring breathtaking highlight-reel goals.
25 WSH: LW Pavel Dorofeyev having not drafted a F in the first round since Jakub Vrana in 2014, I expect the Caps to address that area. They almost always use their high picks on Europeans, and I expect that to continue here. This organization is still aching from the foolhardy trade of Filip Forsberg and Dorofeyev is the player in the 2019 draft who resembles him the most — a big, skilled two-way winger with NHL first-line upside.
26 CGY: RW Bobby Brink loaded with young talent at every position except RW, the Flames find a terrific one in Brink; the Sioux City standout’s scoring touch is only eclipsed by Caufield among 2019-eligible right-shooting wingers, and his hockey IQ and offensive tool-box are elite
27 TB: RD Lassi Thomson the Lightning could lose as many as three D to free agency this year and have only one potential top-4 D on the way in Cal Foote. Thomson is an exceptional skater with a terrific shot and offensive skill-set; his positioning needs work but his compete level and willingness to engage physically suggest potential as an outstanding two-way force
28 CAR: RW Brett Leason the Canes boast a phenomenal blueline and great skill at F, but they are soft up front and stand to lose their most physical winger in Michael Ferland to free agency. Enter the 6’5 powerhouse Leason, who adds to his brute physicality very good complimentary offensive skills and near-NHL readiness.
29 ANH: LD Alex Vlasic no NHL organization values size as much as the Ducks; Vlasic is a giant at 6’6 and skates extremely fluidly. His overall game needs a good deal of development, but with the right coaching the Tyler Myers comparisons could become apropos
30 BUF: LD Tobias Bjornfot after finding a wing-man for Eichel with their lottery pick, expect the Sabres to find the perfect pairing for Rasmus Dahlin with their pick acquired from St. Louis in the Ryan O’Reilly deal. Bjornfot is an extremely mobile defense-first stud with an excellent outlet pass and leadership qualities which were all on display in the U18 tourney, where he shined as the best defenseman on Team Sweden
31 BOS: LW Samuel Poulin the B’s love the players who play a “heavy game” and Poulin is certainly a prime example; the Sherbrooke power forward is 6’1-210 and can snipe and muck with the best of them
END OF FIRST ROUND
32 OTT: C Jamieson Rees perhaps the most underrated player in the 2019 draft, Rees can absolutely fly, has elite vision and extraordinary compete level and two-way acumen. Were it not for an injury and suspension marred draft-eligible year, he might have been a top 15 pick. Make no mistake about it, for a value pick with NHL 1C upside, Rees has no peer in the 2019 draft.
33 LAK: LD Vladislav Kolyachonok Belarussian D combines high-end skating with terrific size; showed flashes of high-end skill at U18 tourney
34 NEW JERSEY: RD Kaeden Korczak here is an example of a team getting precisely what they need — Korczak is big and projectable at 6’3/195, incredibly strong and physical, with the upside as a powerful shut-down D to pair with your top offensive D to free him up to create. He clears creases, dominates in corners and lays out opponents with big hits. While not a burner, he skates well enough to keep up with opposing skill forwards, and features a very hard shot from the point.
35 DET: LD Ville Heinola the Wings need potential top-4 D more than anything, despite the lack of a standout skill, Heinola offers an incredibly high level of smarts and advanced positional play/gap control for a player his age
36 CAR: W Albin Grewe perhaps the most fearless player in the 2019 draft, Grewe will hit anyone or anything at anytime with the reckless abandon of a cornered honey badger. He plays with as much hate for the opposition as any draft-eligible I have ever seen, and he adds to this tremendous skating speed and a very good scoring touch.
37 CAR: G Mads Sogaard 6’7 goaltenders do not grow on trees but they certainly resemble them
38 EDM: RW Nathan Legare the Oilers will use the 2019 draft to stockpile weapons on the wing for McDavid & co.; Legare plays a power game and can shoot the lights out, if he can improve his skating and stick handling a notch, he can be a top-6 NHL stud
39 ANH: W Simon Holmstrom steal potential here — Holmstrom has ideal size and big time skating/offensive skill in his arsenal; if injuries did not derail his draft eligible season, he’d be a likely first-round target
40 VAN: LD Ryan Johnson expect the Canucks to spend much of the 2019 draft bolstering their prospect pipeline at D; Johnson is a blindingly fast skater who thinks the game at a high level and handles the puck with extraordinary calm and composure
41 PHI: LW Nils Hoglander undersized Swedish winger oozes skill and speed and plays much bigger than his 5’9 size
42 MIN: RD Anttoni Honka boom/bust D is brilliant with the puck on his stick but baffling without it; will GM Paul Fenton learn from his disastrous 2018 draft?
43 CHI: LW Nick Robertson 5’9 winger is fearless, has top-line caliber skill and can shoot the lights out; if he can improve his skating a notch will be a humongous steal, a la Alex DeBrincat in 2016
44 OTT: RD Drew Helleson big, smart US-NTDP blueliner is calm with the puck and can really skate; lacks high-end offensive tools but can be terrific two-way, mid-pairing D
45 ARI: LD Mikko Kokkonen GM John Chayka had opted for D with his second pick in the past three drafts; Kokkonen is a jack-of-all-trades but master-of-none with a high floor but not the highest ceiling
46 MTL: C Connor McMichael extremely fast skater who checks every tool on the scouting sheet and has NHL 2C written all over him
47 COL: LW Nolan Foote in what would be an extremely popular pick, the Avs grab former team legend Adam Foote’s son, a power forward with good offensive tools and great upside as a middle-six stalwart
48 MTL: LD Artemi Knyazev a high-upside pick, Knyazev is a terrific skater and puck-handler who always gets the shot on net despite its lacking power; needs to up his defensive game but oozes potential
49 NYR: C Ilya Nikolayev the Rangers take another stab at landing a top 6 C; Nikolayev is strangely polarizing in that, while no one questions his heart, some believe he is a top-line talent while other scouts relegate him to a future checking role
50 VEG: G Pyotr Kotchetkov the Knights are certain to try to find a future netminder in the mid-rounds, and some scouts consider this 6’3 exceptional athlete the best Russian goalie prospect since Samsonov
51 WPG: LW Robert Mastrosimone no one has drafted better than Kevin Chevaldayoff’s Winnipeg Jets in the past decade and with no first-rounder they are likely to go high-upside; Mastrosimone has first-round-caliber scoring ability but will need several seasons to develop
at Boston U.
52 FLA: C Yegor Spiridonov underrated two-way C is huge and skates well, oozes character and was one of Russia’s best players in the U18 tournament
53 TOR: W Yegor Afanaseyev with no first-rounder, Leafs swing for the fences with this 6’4 scoring machine who dominated the USHL at all three forward positions
54 DET: RD Antti Tuomisto potential huge payoff in this 6’4 D with very good skates and intriguing offensive upside to juxtapose with a physical edge
55 NEW JERSEY: LW Jakob Pelletier though it’s well known that Devils do not exactly lack for high-skilled, undersized left wings in the organization, few are better at picking them than Paul Castron (see: Bratt, Boqvist). Though just 5’9-160, Pelletier is an explosive skater with excellent hands, creative scoring instincts and a non-stop motor. The only knock on his game is his size and weight, but this is certainly a prospect with the competitive fire and character to outshine expectation.
56 WSH: RW Michal Teply lanky 6’3 Czech export is a pure scorer who knows exactly what to do with the puck, especially down low — with improvement in skating, could pay huge dividends
57 NYI: RW Ryder Donovan extremely raw prospect, but when you combine “6’4” with “NHL-caliber shot” with “excellent skating speed”, the scouts will notice
58 NYR: LD Albert Johansson offensively inclined D has elite skating from the back end and plays with surprising physicality and tenacity for his slim, 5’11 frame
59 CAR: LW Patrik Puistola pure sniper was by far the most dangerous F for Finland in the U18, needs to round out his all-around game but has 30+ goal type upside
60 DET: RW Maxim Cajkovic winger had QMJHL stats hampered by playing for an awful Saint John team but has magic hands and high-end scoring potential
61 STL: RD Billy Constantinou with no first-round pick the Blues aim big with this lightning-fast riverboat gambler of a defenseman — Constantinou’s combination of skating and puck skills give him gamebreaking upside, but his penchant for turnovers will have to be harnessed
62 NEW JERSEY: RD Case McCarthy extremely similar in playing style and tool-set to Korczak but, let’s face it — Ty Smith and Jeremy Davies and Will Butcher are all offensive-minded LDs who are going to need more physical and defensive minded RD partners in the future; McCarthy is one of my favorite prospects: freakishly strong and physical, deceptively polished with his outlet passing, and incredibly smart. Perhaps the most underrated D in the 2019 draft.
END OF SECOND ROUND
63 COL: LD Samuel Bolduc another freakish athlete, Bolduc is the rare 6’3 who mixes near-elite skating, punishing physicality and an absolute bomb of a shot — he’s got some warts on his overall game but just immense upside
64 LAK: LW Brayden Tracey 81 points for a draft eligible in the WHL is quite impressive, and Tracey just exploded on the scene this season for Moose Jaw; just a kid who knows how to play with and without the puck and has radar for finding the scoring seams
65 PHI: RW Bryce Brodzinski Minnesota HS winger is a moose on skates, an immovable object in the crease and a threat to score from anywhere in the offensive zone; if he can improve his skating, look out
66 DET: LW Vladislav Firstov: Russian sniper tore up the USHL for Waterloo with a blistering shot and incredible skating ability; no one unearths these mid-round gems like Steve Yzerman
67 BUF: RW/C Shane Pinto Franklin Square, NY native is 6’2-195 and lives to crash the crease, has a blistering shot and NHL skill set but is tremendously raw and will need a few years to develop at the University of North Dakota
68 NYR: W Samuel Fagemo overaged winger improved his speed enough to allow his laser-like shot to shine and prove his offensive mettle in the SHL
69 FLA: RD Ronnie Attard overaged 6’3 exploded for an eye-popping 30 goals for Tri-City of the USHL; combines plus size and skating with a nasty, physical edge
70 NEW JERSEY: C John Farinacci this NJ-native will not be selected out of a sense of homer-ism — he’s a terrific skater with a monster shot who dominates the face off circle and likes to play with a nasty edge. He’s certainly a project in need of refinement in the nuances of the game, but he will likely get that in the next few years, playing for his uncle Ted Donato at Harvard. If he can put some muscle on his 6’0 frame and refine his play without the puck, he has serious upside as a high-scoring NHL 2C.
END OF MY MOCK DRAFTING UNTIL 2020
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