CaniacForever's Mock Draft 2004

[Vagrant]

1. Washington – Alexander Ovechkin
2. Pittsburgh – Evgeny Malkin:
3. Chicago – Cam Barker
4. Columbus – Wes O’Neil:
5. Phoenix – Lauri Tukonen
6. New York Rangers- Rob Schremp
7. Florida- Rotislav Olesz
8. Carolina- Wojtec Wolski
9. Anaheim- Mike Green
10. Atlanta- A.J. Thelen
11. Los Angeles- Marek Shwarz
12. Minnesota- Andrew Ladd
13. Buffalo- Drew Stafford
14. Edmonton- Evan McGrath
15. Nashville- Dave Bolland
16. New York Islanders- Alexander Radulov
17. St. Louis- Alvaro Montoya
18. Montreal- Alexander Picard
19. Calgary- Enver Lisin
20. Dallas- Ladislav Smid
21. Colorado- Jakub Sindel
22. New Jersey- Andy Rogers
23. Edmonton- Petr Pohl
24. Vancouver- Oscar Hedman
25. Ottawa- Kyle Chipchura
26. New York Rangers- Devan Dubnyk
27. Washington- Johannes Salomonsson
28. San Jose- Boris Valabik
29. Tampa Bay- Brian Bickell
30. Washington- Adam Berti



Before everybody puts their opinions, i'll give a little bit of reasoning behind a few of the more risky predictions:

- Wes O'Neil is the second best defenseman in the draft, on my board. He has the high end potential to be a top pairing defenseman, and Columbus needs a quarterback for what will be one of the league's top talent powerplays. While #4 is a bit high for O'Neil, Columbus still takes him there.

- Phoenix takes Tukonen over Schremp for the simple fact that the Coyotes already have a shifty, undersized center in the form of Mike Comrie. Gretzky and company have shown the tendancy to like speed in their prospects and Tukonen fits the bill.

- New Jersey usually surprises with their selection, and I think Andy Rogers has the skill set that Lamorello will notice and jump on. Rogers put up very impressive numbers in the Prospect Skills Competition, which included a 101.7 MPH slapshot. At 6'5, Rogers is considered more of a defensive defenseman right now but he's unpolished. He could be a sleeper.

- Edmonton has two first round selections this year, which almost gives them the authority to take a risky type pick at 14. Evan McGrath, prior to this season, was a consensus top 10 selection. Possibly even top 5. Edmonton will take the risk for the reward with McGrath.

- Colorado needs offensive punch out of their prospects. The cupboards are quite bare and Jakub Sindel is the type of sniper prospect that LaCroix could be interested in. He has amazing upside, but needs to put the whole package together. On offensive ability alone, Sindel is in the top 15 in the draft.



Well, that's my mock draft. Have fun tearing it apart.


Edited: Made a few changes. Forgot Ladd.

Click to read more...

 

[xander]

where's ladd?

 

[Vagrant]

where's ladd?

Ouch, you're right. That one simple oversight of one of the best prospects available totally wrecked the credability of my mock.

 

[Seachd]

Ouch, you're right. That one simple oversight of one of the best prospects available totally wrecked the credability of my mock.

I know I lost what little respect I had for you in the first place.

Good job. I'm not a big fan of the Oiler picks, though. I'd rather see them go for Picard or Montoya with the first one, and then maybe if McGrath is available later, he'd be a good choice for the second.

 

[st_roland]

I think if Fransson is available at 27 and Lyamin is available at 30, George Mcphee won't pass those two up.

 

[btn]

Considering that former Thrashers first round pick Jim Slater plays with Thelen at Michigan State, I am certain the Thrashers would be tickled pink if he is around at the 10th pick. Either one of Green or Thelen would be just fine.

 

[PanthersRule96]

I love it with FLA getting Olesz at #7, but is that possible realistically? I dunno but how far will Olesz drop?

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

I dunno but how far will Olesz drop?

I would be really surprised if Olesz was bypassed by the Coyotes. But Tukonen could be an option as predicted here.

 

[Ghost of jas]

With the good news on Blackburn...

and the Rangers attempting to bring Lundquist over from Sweden, I doubt the rangers will take a goalie with their second # 1 pick. The Rangers will either take a d-man like Valabik (if he lasts that long), or forward, say a Drew Stafford, if he drops. They might take a goalie with one of their second round picks.

 

[Bad News Benning]

Can anyone tell me about Oscar Hedman? A lot of people think the Canucks will pick him. Is he similar to Mattias Ohlund ?

 

[Brock]

I'm probably one of Mcgrath's biggest fans on this board (besides maybe OneSpeedOnly and Charlie'sGirl), but I think Mcgrath will be available at the Oilers second pick in the first round, so I'm not sure they need to draft him 14th overall.

He's had a really rough and inconsistent season. I just don't see him going that high.

A few other things would be that I don't see Pohl being a first rounder anymore (as I had him in my mock that I did a while ago...lol). As good offensively as he could be...I think his inconsistency could do him in. I'd expect him to be a mid-late second rounder.

Also I don't see Boris Valabik lasting till 28th. I actually think he has a very serious chance of cracking the top 20, maybe somewhere between 15-20. He's a very big kid, who can throw his weight around, who can skate, and who has offensive abilities.

But pretty good job.

 

[Kick Save]

Caniac: It's virtually impossible to do a Mock Draft without having a few people sniping at you. Please don't take this personally. I get the impression that Mike Green is over-rated. As a Ducks fan, I can tell you that if Thelen is still on the board at #9, I can't see them passing on him. Andrew Ladd and Drew Stafford also will be of great interest to the Ducks. Radulov also would be worthy of consideration.

 

[Pwnasaurus]

As a Ducks fan, I can tell you that if Thelen is still on the board at #9, I can't see them passing on him.

I would agree

 

[Vagrant]

- As far as McGrath is concerned, I'm possitive that he has top 5 talent this year. Players that long don't sit on the boards unless they're really undersized like Jiri Hudler a few years back or Zack Parise. McGrath was a consensus top 5 North American skater before this season, but his stock has taken a dive. I honestly can't see him dropping out of the top 15 selections, but that's just me. With Edmonton having two 1st's this year, the risk is a little less on their shoulders if their other pick can pan out. Edmonton needs an impact forward, and McGrath is either a homerun or a strike out. His talent alone makes him worth the risk, IMO.

- Mike Green has been a more solid bet than Thelen for the majority of the year. Thelen is a quick riser, but teams often shy away from those type of selections when there is a more established pick still left on the board. Green is a safer bet to me. Honestly, I love Thelen's size and overall game though. He's just not quite as secure to me as Green, and NHL teams covet that. With Slater being a fellow MSU Product, Atlanta has an inside edge. Chances are their scouts would be all over Thelen at 10.

- Adam Berti's decent all around game is what brings him to Washington, in my opinion. With Semin and Ovechkin, they need to stock a few wingers who aren't all flash and bring a few intangibles to the table. I think Washington likes him here.


Oh well, just my take on things. I've been wrong before and i'll be wrong again. No hurt feelings, it's all in fun

 

[fullmetalninja]

Most chicago fans will be very surprised if we go D with the #3 pick.

Tallon hasn't acted like barker was a 25 minute a night, ass kicker- which is what we need in the system.

Contrary to popular belief on HF... The hawks have a real nice blueline depth.

Babchuk
Seabrook

Our last two first rounders

McCarthy
Vandermeer

In chicago

Duncan Keith
James Wisniewski

offensive guys in the next couple years.

Michael Barinka
lasse Kukkoen

Both looked good in their stints in the NHL(barinka was 19 and ended up playing more minutes than our NHL dmen....of course they sucked)

And wild cards like Bubba Byfuglien, and we just signed the other College Umass dman- Nick Kuiper.

Anyway-

Tallon on www.chicagoblackhawks.com basically said they know already who they are selecting with the #3 pick. He said they weren't looking to trade down, but "you never know" if someone comes with an offer you "can't refuse". In other words, don't count on the hawks moving down.

It looks more and more like Olesz will go #3, is basically the point here What I acutally see happening, is a minor deal with Columbus, ensuring that they get Barker at #4(or maybe switch spots with us...)

-fullmetalninja

 

[thestonedkoala]

Nice pick for the Wild, they are weak on the left side...