Team Board Mock Draft Pick #31

[Static]

I didn't read up enough on vanacker; I've really liked what I have seen. Tough injury as well, sounds like he played injured for awhile. It would be surprising if he made it to 31, but that would be a great choice as well.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

I didn't read up enough on vanacker; I've really liked what I have seen. Tough injury as well, sounds like he played injured for awhile. It would be surprising if he made it to 31, but that would be a great choice as well.

NHL.com's Morreale has Vanacker projected to go 29th to Dallas. Wheeler has Vanacker as an alternate player for the Ducks at 31. No one else has him in the first round that I've looked online (there could be one or two, but didn't see one out of the bigger ones). Tankathon has him going 40th overall.

From Morreale:

Marek Vanacker, LW, Brantford (OHL): Vanacker (6-0, 178) is a 200-foot left-handed shot who is a strong skater and can dig in on the forecheck or backcheck. He had 82 points (36 goals, 46 assists), 22 power-play points (four goals, 18 assists) and five short-handed goals in 68 regular-season games, and had seven points (three goals, four assists) in six OHL playoff games. He did it while playing with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, an injury sustained in November. He had surgery in June and is expected to need 4-6 months to recover.​

Drysdale had a torn labrum in 2022-23 season. The earliest Vanacker can recover would be October and the latest is Dec. That's probably why he's not in the first round conversations often.

Picking Vanacker at 31 wouldn't be as a surprise as picking Maytovic at 33. He's got a long ways to go to put on a lot of meat on his bones, though. His build reminds me of Brayden Tracey, but better offensively than Tracey in juniors.

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

Vanacker was pretty fantastic for the Bulldogs last year. Really hard to get off the puck and does everything well.

I don't know enough about torn labrum's to judge how it'll effect where he's drafted though. I thought he'd make it to round 2 but maybe that was wishful thinking that the ducks could get him with their 2nd

 

[Hasbro]

Stiga it is.

Thanks everyone.