Prospect Info: 2021 Devils-Centric Mock Draft, Final Version

[StevenToddIves]

Ives 2021 Devils-Centric Mock Draft, Final Version
Mock drafting is always difficult, but in 2021 it’s just ridiculous. There’s no lock for consensus #1, there’s not even a consensus top 3 or top 5 or top 10 which is remotely consistent. We haven’t gotten to see many of the prospects due to the pandemic craziness across the hockey world.
But I will say I’ve studied the players a lot, and I study all 31 (soon 32) NHL teams and their draft tendencies and organizational needs. Keep in mind, this is not a ranking — so if I left your favorite prospect out of the first round, it’s not that I don’t like them too, it’s just that I actually think they can drop out of the first round.

1. Buffalo: LD Owen Power, University of Michigan NCAA the Sabres have enough PR problems that they cannot afford to be passing up on a 6’6 defenseman with terrific skates and stratospheric two-way potential. Yes they need a center, but I sincerely feel Power is the pick here.
2. Seattle: C Matthew Beniers, University of Michigan NCAA the best place to start a new franchise is up the middle, and center is the toughest position to fill in the expansion draft. Beniers has the fiercest compete level in the draft and — though he might lack the 90+ point scoring upside you’d like out of a second overall pick — could be a dominant two-way force with great speed and near-PPG upside.
3. Anaheim: C Mason McTavish, EHC Olten Switzerland the Ducks love big and tough and McTavish is both in spades. He’s also a deadly offensive weapon with a cannon for a shot who plays extremely competitive and smart two-way hockey. The idea of McTavish combining with Trevor Zegras on a top line one day is tantalizing.
4. NEW JERSEY DEVILS: LD Luke Hughes, US-NTDP if the youngest Hughes brother is not taken in the top 3 — and he’s a very possible Anaheim pick — I feel the Devils will take him and run. Luke is 6’3 and the most electrifying skater in the entire 2021 class. He’s a long way off from the NHL and needs improvements in his overall game, but the skating/skill/size combination is rare and his upside is simply tremendous.
5. Columbus: LD Simon Edvinsson, Vasteras Allvenskan the loss of David Savard combined with the impending loss of Seth Jones leaves the Blue Jackets with big impending holes in a once-rock solid defense core. Edvinsson is a physical, high-compete, defensive defenseman. He also offers terrific skating ability and a great set of hands, fueling belief he can one day develop into a player who can offer some offensive production, as well.
6. Detroit: RD Brandt Clarke, Nove Zamky Slovakia GM Steve Yzerman traditionally values hockey IQ more than any other hockey executive, and the Red Wings lack a high-end pure offensive defenseman throughout their organization. Clarke hits all those marks dead on — the best offensive d-man with the highest hockey IQ among all 2021 draft-eligible blueliners.
7. San Jose: RW Dylan Guenther, Edmonton WHL the Sharks are off to a good start in their re-build efforts with an excellent 2020 draft, and Guenther would immediately become the most gifted forward in the system. He’s a do-it-all, highly intelligent hard worker — a two-way gem with high end skills across the board and great offensive capability.
8. Los Angeles: LW/C William Eklund, Djurgardens SHL the rich get richer — as the top prospect pool in the entire NHL adds a player who is arguably deserving of a top 3 pick. Eklund features the top hockey IQ in the draft and plays with extraordinary anticipation, awareness and effort. Though perhaps not possessing the greatest offensive ceiling in the draft, Eklund features a terrific floor as a top-six, all-situations winger.
9. Vancouver: C/RW Chaz Lucius, US-NTDP though the Canucks’ front office has taken some heat in recent years, there is no doubt they have been phenomenal at the draft table. Lucius might be the best pure goal-scorer in the 2021 class, and he adds an intelligent, two-way game. Lucius boasts high-end skills across the board, aside from his average skating.
10. Ottawa: G Sebastian Cossa, Edmonton WHL the Senators rebuild is starting to trend upwards, as the prospect pool is stacked at all positions except one — goaltending. Cossa is an athletic beast with a 6’6 frame, which has helped him rocket up draft boards to the current point where reportedly several NHL teams have him above Wallstedt as the top available goalie for the 2021 draft.
11. Arizona: FORFEIT It will unfortunately take the Coyotes several seasons to recover from ex-GM John Chayka’s historically disastrous reign of error.
12. Chicago: G Jesper Wallstedt, Lulea SHL the Hawks make it back-to-back netminders with the addition of Wallstedt, the consensus top goalie for 2021 until Cossa’s meteoric late rise. Wallstedt is seen as a franchise-level stopper, imperative for a Chicago return to contention.
13. Calgary: LW/C Kent Johnson, University of Michigan NCAA the Flames find themselves in a limbo — unable to compete with the current core, yet still reluctant to fully rebuild. The prospect pool is near the bottom of the league and lacking in high-end offensive prospects. Johnson is considered by some to have the most pure offensive upside of any forward in the draft — a magical combination of hands, vision and scoring ability.
14. Philadelphia: RD Corson Ceulemans, Brooks AJHL the Flyers blueline was exposed this year with a disappointing non-playoff campaign. Ceulemans oozes upside — big, extremely fast and offensively skilled. Questions surrounding his defensive play were answered in spades with a phenomenal U-18 tournament for the gold medal-winning Team Canada.
15. Dallas: C Fyodor Svechkov, Lada Togliatti VHL it is beyond me how this kid has not received the hype he deserves, because Svechkov is the best two-way forward in the draft after only Matt Beniers and also features elite passing vision which gives him enormous scoring upside. Dallas would benefit from this versatility, as well as Svechkov’s ability to shine on either LW or up the middle.
16. NY Rangers: C Aatu Raty, Karpat Finland the Rangers have built a prospect pool with depth at both wings and on the blueline, but aside from Mika Zibanajad they lack a top-two caliber center throughout their entire organization. Despite a rocky draft-eligible season, Raty offers a top-10 caliber combination of size, speed and skill up the middle, and the Rangers have enough overall talent in the pipeline to take a chance here.
17. St. Louis: LW/C Cole Sillinger, Sioux Falls USHL though I also think it’s quite possible the Blues use this pick for the blueline, it would be quite difficult for them to pass on the enormously skilled Sillinger, who also features the physicality and intensity to fit perfectly in Coach Craig Berube’s hard-hitting and forechecking system. Sillinger’s skill-set is higher than this, but his below-average skating could drop him just outside the top half of the first round.
18. Winnipeg: LD Carson Lambos, Winnipeg WHL the Jets have bled blueliners in recent years, losing backend stalwarts like Byfuglien, Trouba, Myers, Chiarot and more. Lambos offers size, great skating and a booming shot — he can shut it down defensively and has big offensive upside, as well. A rough draft-eligible campaign dropped him from his pre-season consensus spot in the top 5, but Lambos offers comparable upside to names like Hughes and Clarke.
19. Nashville: C Zachary Bolduc, Rimouski QMJHL the Preds lack a top-line caliber center at the NHL level, and although there is hope top prospect Philip Tomasino can develop into this type of player, there is certainly an organizational need up the middle. Bolduc is silky smooth offensively with terrific vision and also offers a top-notch two way acumen which is is a prerequisite for Nashville’s organizational philosophy.
20. Edmonton: RW Fabian Lysell, Lulea SHL Oilers’ GM Ken Holland has been trying to surround elite center duo McDavid/Draisaitl with speed and skill on the wing, and Lysell is one of the best skaters and scorers in the draft. If he can answer some questions about his 200-foot game, Lysell’s upside is star-quality.
21. Boston: LW Brennan Othmann, EHC Olten Switzerland the Bruins might have the thinnest prospect pool in the entire NHL, so they have needs everywhere. What they do traditionally covet is players like Othmann — a highly skilled two-way winger who plays with extreme edge and features the type of blistering sniping ability which gives him 30+ goal upside at the NHL level.
22. Minnesota: RW/LW Matthew Coronato, Chicago USHL every team covets more scoring, and all Coronato does is score. Despite lack of great size or skating, Coronato absolutely lit up the USHL with his ridiculous sniping ability, elusiveness with the puck and tremendous passing vision.
23. Detroit: LW Isak Rosen, Leksands SHL I’ve been criticized a bit for saying this, but Isak Rosen might have the most scoring upside of any player in the 2021 draft. He features blazing speed, elite passing vision and an electrifying shot for his size. However, it’s his size which has knocked him further down draft boards than he deserves — he probably weighs between 150-155 and is very physically immature. However, I feel Yzerman will realize this is eclipsed by his mental maturity — as Rosen is also a high-compete, two-way winger who dazzles on both the PP and PK.
24. Columbus: C Francesco Pinelli, HDD Jesenice Slovenia the Blue Jackets have been on a seemingly perennial search for top six centers. Pinelli entered the draft year around many top 10 lists, but no one saw as he just played a handful of games in Slovenia. However, his brilliant U-18 tournament for the gold medalling Team Canada raised a ton of eyebrows in the greater scouting community.
25. Minnesota: C Mackie Samoskevich, Chicago USHL in this scenario, the Wild reunite the top two forwards on the top USHL team, selecting a center with magical hands and seemingly psychic passing vision with their #22 pick of scoring sensation Coronato.
26. Florida: LD Daniil Chayka, Moskva KHL the Panthers are widely rumored to be leaning towards defense with their first-round pick. Chayka offers an elite combination of size, skating and skill — though he has sometimes lacked in intensity and scoring statistics, dropping him to the back end of the first round.
27. Carolina: RW/C Xavier Bourgault, Shawinigan QMJHL the Canes are positioned to contend in the Eastern Conference for years to come, and here they solidify the future of their top 6 with a devastating goal-scorer who checks off all the boxes of size, skating and skill.
28. Colorado: RW Tyler Boucher, US-NTDP the Avs feel they were bullied a bit in a traumatizing fall-from-ahead playoff loss to Vegas. Boucher could be a cure — one of the most underrated power forwards of the 2021 class, he combines great skating with extreme physicality and a huge compete level. There are questions about his scoring upside, but if Boucher can chip in offensively at a middle-6 level, Colorado is not exactly short on scoring options.
29. NEW JERSEY DEVILS: LW Zachary L’Heureux, Halifax the Devils are as desperate as any team in the league for physicality and net-front presence in their top 6. L’Heureux is the Tkachukiest player in the 2021 draft, but he’s also gained a reputation as a loose cannon who takes penalties — and suspensions — at the detriment of his team. However, this is also a player with high end offensive upside and borderline elite sniping ability. His talent is undeniable, and if he can iron out his penchant for almost sociopathic mental lapses, L’Heureux can be a huge steal this late in the first round.
30. Vegas: LD Shai Buium, Sioux City USHL another heavily underrated prospect, Buium is a 6’3-215 bruiser who also features a combination of hands/passing ability on the level of surefire top 10 picks Power and Edvinsson. Though his average skating holds him out of the top 20, Buium is a strong bet to surprise as a late first round pick and pay off in spades for seasons to come.
31. Montreal: C Zach Dean, Gatineau QMJHL the Habs brilliant Stanley Cup Final run ended in no small part because of an inability to score with the high-powered Lightning; Dean is a tall, rangy, smooth-skating, dual-threat center with a ton of upside for an NHL top 6.
32. Columbus: RD Aleksi Heimosalmi, Assat Fin Jr. the first round concludes with a hyper-intelligent, two-way defenseman who, along with surefire top 10 pick Brandt Clarke, was in the conversation for best defenseman in the U-18 tournament. His cerebral style makes him better defensively than his 5’11 size and good-but-not-great skating would indicate, and his slick hands and precision passing make Heimosalmi dangerous on end-to-end rushes and deadly in the offensive zone.

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[Blackjack]

I was very curious who you'd have Anaheim selecting. I think your top 4 seems very realistic, but I'm still holding out hope for Clarke.

 

[Lou is God]

Great stuff as always Steve.

 

[Nubmer6]

Cossa before Walstedt is pretty ballsy.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I was very curious who you'd have Anaheim selecting. I think your top 4 seems very realistic, but I'm still holding out hope for Clarke.

I also want Clarke, but to be honest I feel he's the second most likely option after Hughes.

If Anaheim goes defense, I think we also need to consider the possibility that the Devils could take McTavish -- he's actually a similar prospect to Dawson Mercer in some ways -- a high-IQ, high-compete physical forward who can play center or wing and offers high end scoring upside. Both share the singular flaw of average to above-average skating, but both are tremendous old-school forwards. It's important to note that this would give the Devils tremendous flexibility -- as Mercer could function as a 3rd line C behind Hughes/Hischier or a top 6 RW, while McTavish could function as a third line C behind Hughes/Hischier or a top 6 LW. McTavish is even more physical than Mercer and is a better shooter, while Mercer is a better forechecker and possesses elite hands, clearly superior to McTavish.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Cossa before Walstedt is pretty ballsy.

I'm nothing if not ballsy. I went Cossa because Ottawa covets size more than any NHL franchise save perhaps Anaheim, and they also are one of those teams with the "when in doubt go Canadian" tendency. When I combined that with Cossa's meteoric late rise, I pulled the trigger on it in my mock draft. But believe me, I thought about it a lot.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

I see NJD drafting L’Pew and I get happy but then I think of Kadri and his antics and I get sad but then I think of rowdy scoring and I get happy again, but then I think of Tom Wilson and I get sad but then I think of a cat riding a unicorn and well, I don’t know how the cat got there.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I see NJD drafting L’Pew and I get happy but then I think of Kadri and his antics and I get sad but then I think of rowdy scoring and I get happy again, but then I think of Tom Wilson and I get sad but then I think of a cat riding a unicorn and well, I don’t know how the cat got there.

Maybe it was just that the unicorn really wanted a pet cat.

 

[Nubmer6]

I see NJD drafting L’Pew and I get happy but then I think of Kadri and his antics and I get sad but then I think of rowdy scoring and I get happy again, but then I think of Tom Wilson and I get sad but then I think of a cat riding a unicorn and well, I don’t know how the cat got there.

I'd prefer to have to tame a player than having to incite him.

And... How do you know the unicorn didn't crawl under the cat?

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

Maybe it was just that the unicorn really wanted a pet cat.

I'd prefer to have to tame a player than having to incite him.

And... How do you know the unicorn didn't crawl under the cat?

Cats, unicorns and claims of “this draft is weak, maaaaan” aside, Rosen, Chibirikov, Othmann, L’Her…Pew, Ham and Salami, I want them all! But I’ll take any one of these! No sketchy left field, short porch picks Fitzy. Hook me up!

@Guttersniped convince me to keep my knickers untied with the RDs in the ‘22 draft but Hammy looked great at the Juniors Globals. But a rough and tumble pick now means he can be contributing in 2-3 years and that would be great for Nico and that pirate, Disgraceful Jack.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I'd prefer to have to tame a player than having to incite him.

And... How do you know the unicorn didn't crawl under the cat?

Zachary L'Heureux is a flawed player on multiple levels. Aside from the disciplinary concerns, there is a wavering compete level which is uncommon. Usually compete level is simple -- you have the intense competitors, you have the lazy wait-for-the-puck-to-come guys, and then you have everything in between. Sometimes you'll have a guy who is ultra-competitive in the offense zone and lazy in the defensive zone, or vise versa.

With L'Heureux, it's a complete enigma. I've seen games where he was the hardest working player on the ice. And I've also seen games where he doesn't seem to care very much either way. With a player I like as much as L'Heureux, this is maddening. If he had the compete level of, say, Matt Beniers or Dawson Mercer? He'd be a top 15 pick, even with the disciplinary concerns. This kid needs to keep his head in the game, and he needs to keep his heart in every single shift.

But we also need to consider this -- L'Heureux has extremely high end offensive upside. He is an elite shooter with high end vision and puckhandling ability. He is havoc incarnate around the net and regularly outmuscles defensemen, regardless of how big they are. He's an absolute beast, and when he's playing with controlled ferocity and utmost engagement, he is an absolutely dominating force out there.

I feel Zachary L'Heureux can be the next Matt Tkachuk, plain and simple. But Tkachuk is always engaged and extremely intelligent. If L'Heureux is given a good mentor and coaching? I feel the sky is the limit here. As such, I'm willing to take a chance in the late first round -- especially considering the disciplinary concerns could very feasibly drop him into that range.

 

[Eggtimer]

Senators have 3-4 goalie prospects already that all looks very promising . I can’t see them take a goalie that high .
Also with the Canucks pick I think they go with Johnson the home town kid.
Very nice job ! Thanks for posting , it’s a very good read

 

[StevenToddIves]

Senators have 3-4 goalie prospects already that all looks very promising . I can’t see them take a goalie that high .
Also with the Canucks pick I think they go with Johnson the home town kid.
Very nice job ! Thanks for posting , it’s a very good read

Thanks for the kind words!

I'll agree to disagree on Ottawa -- their top goaltending prospect is Mads Sogaard, who is a nice prospect but I would not consider him in the top tier of NHL goaltending prospects with names like Askarov, Knight, Primeau, Wolf, Luukkonen etc. I doubt the Senators have anyone who would make most NHL top 10 goaltending prospects lists. Cossa would give them a guy who would certainly contend for that top 3.

Funny you'd mention Kent Johnson, because my Vancouver choice came down to pretty much Lucius vs. Johnson. It was essentially a coin flip for me, but I went Lucius because Vancouver likes players with a bit more edge and Lucius plays a more interior game.

 

[Guttersniped]

Cats, unicorns and claims of “this draft is weak, maaaaan” aside, Rosen, Chibirikov, Othmann, L’Her…Pew, Ham and Salami, I want them all! But I’ll take any one of these! No sketchy left field, short porch picks Fitzy. Hook me up!

@Guttersniped convince me to keep my knickers untied with the RDs in the ‘22 draft but Hammy looked great at the Juniors Globals. But a rough and tumble pick now means he can be contributing in 2-3 years and that would be great for Nico and that pirate, Disgraceful Jack.

I feel little like I’m reading Clockwork Orange except the narrator is a good-natured Devils fan instead of Alex, who is not good-natured.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

I feel little like I’m reading Clockwork Orange except the narrator is a good-natured Devils fan instead of Alex, who is not good-natured.

Good-natured? Questionable but thank you.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Good job.....If it turns out that way it will be good day.....ZL at 29 is a steal.....We need that grit

 

[HobokenIrish]

Thanks for the kind words!

I'll agree to disagree on Ottawa -- their top goaltending prospect is Mads Sogaard, who is a nice prospect but I would not consider him in the top tier of NHL goaltending prospects with names like Askarov, Knight, Primeau, Wolf, Luukkonen etc. I doubt the Senators have anyone who would make most NHL top 10 goaltending prospects lists. Cossa would give them a guy who would certainly contend for that top 3.

Funny you'd mention Kent Johnson, because my Vancouver choice came down to pretty much Lucius vs. Johnson. It was essentially a coin flip for me, but I went Lucius because Vancouver likes players with a bit more edge and Lucius plays a more interior game.

STI,

Thank you for all the time you took working on this. Always love the perspective.

Regarding Luke Hughes you mentioned he is a "long way off from the NHL". What are you thinking? 2 years at least at Michigan?

 

[StevenToddIves]

STI,

Thank you for all the time you took working on this. Always love the perspective.

Regarding Luke Hughes you mentioned he is a "long way off from the NHL". What are you thinking? 2 years at least at Michigan?

Thanks for the warm regards, I sincerely appreciate them.

Yes, I would say "at least two years at Michigan" would be my prognostication for Luke Hughes.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

We do need a good sociopath. Hoping L'Heureux is on the board.

 

[Call Me Al]

yeah we could use a tom wilson type honestly

 

[LeedsMonster]

We do need a good sociopath. Hoping L'Heureux is on the board.

I like the mini Claude Lemieux comps. I agree that would be a cool pick.

 

[LeedsMonster]

Thanks for all the material this year man. Quality stuff. Thought provoking and informative. You're threads were always the chillest

 

[StevenToddIves]

Thanks for all the material this year man. Quality stuff. Thought provoking and informative. You're threads were always the chillest

Check out the draft thread created by @thethinglonger -- they combine my rankings and write-ups with his terrific prospect shift-by-shift videos -- it's a great resource.

 

[LeedsMonster]

Check out the draft thread created by @thethinglonger -- they combine my rankings and write-ups with his terrific prospect shift-by-shift videos -- it's a great resource.

Will do. Thanks for the heads up.