StevenToddIves
Registered User
2020 NHL Draft — Ives Final Top 75 Rankings
Okay, this is really important. If, in 2027, you want to argue with me about something we disagree on, make sure to reference everything I was wrong about here. Thanks!
[AUTHOR’S NOTE: the author did not include goalies in his rankings, because the author admits to knowing something between diddly and squat about scouting goaltenders. But yes, Askarov will be drafted in the first round.]
ROUND TWO:
32) LW Lukas Reichel, Eisbaren Berlin DEL incredibly smart winger and the king of the garbage goal, gets the most of his abilities
33) RW Sam Colangelo, Chicago USHL huge power forward with great shot and complete game
34) RW/C Tyson Foerster, Barrie OHL huge winger with an incredible shot plays a power game down low
35) C Evan Vierling, Barrie OHL most underrated forward in the draft, high-end offensive skills and fierce compete level give him big-time upside as a top 6 C; I can’t give this kid enough love and wish I could rank him higher
36) C Roni Hirvonen, Assat FIN undersized center is extremely fast, skilled and competitive, can be a high scoring NHL 2C if he stays up the middle
37) C Ridly Grieg, Brandon WHL the kid you least want to bet against, overcomes every inhibiting factor to dominate every shift
38) RW Tyler Tullio, Oshawa OHL smallish winger who just so happens to excel at every aspect of hockey you can think of
39) RW Ozzy Wiesblatt, Prince Albert WHL incredible skates mixed with incredible hustle and smarts make this kid a future second-line fan favorite
40) LD Emil Andrae, HV71 SWE Jr. cerebral defenseman defies size limitation with high compete-level and mature understanding of the game
41) C/W Tristen Robins, Saskatoon WHL speedy, skilled and smart and painfully overlooked, potential mid-round steal
42) LD Shakir Mukhamadullin, Salavat Ufa KHL combination of skating/shot/physicality only matched by Guhle, potentially a huge reward for the risk
43) LW Sean Farrell, Chicago USHL undersized winger features a ridiculous shot and tantalizing offensive skills, complete game needs development
44) RD Topi Niemela, Karpat FIN fast, offensively gifted blueliner draws parallels to 2019 first-rounder Lassi Thomson
45) C Vasily Ponomarev, Shawinigan QMJHL razor-sharp pivot with advanced understanding of the game, could have another offensive gear to hit
46) LD Tyler Kleven, US-NTDP USHL one can never go wrong with a huge, mobile, shut-down physical defenseman in the second round
47) RW/C Justin Sourdif, Vancouver WHL high-intellect forward excels in every respect but for straight-ahead speed
48) RD Donovan Sebrango, Kitchener OHL your prototypical two-way, all-situations defenseman with high-level smarts and skates
49) LD Daemon Hunt, Moose Jaw WHL a big defenseman with near-elite skating and excellent defensive acumen, can be more assertive offensively
50) C Brendan Brisson, Chicago USHL shifty, playmaking center is superlative at zone entries and reminds me a bit of Scott Gomez at the same age
51) LD Mitch Miller, Tri-City USHL skilled, offensive defenseman can fly and plays with an edge
52) RD Ian Moore, St. Mark’s USHS 6’2 defensemen who skate this well are extremely rare, so this raw prospect will go higher than most anticipate
53) LW Daniel Torgersson, Frolunda SWE Jr. huge with a good shot and complete game, could have untapped offensive upside
54) RW Luke Evangelista, London OHL two-way player with smarts and sneaky offensive skills, weight room would do wonders for him
55) C Ty Smilanic, US-NTDP USHL rare combination of elite skating and terrific size, dazzles in spurts, can be top-6 with more consistency
56) LW Brett Berard, US-NTDP USHL first round caliber offensive skill-set but 7th round size and needs to play less on the perimeter, high risk/reward
57) RD William Villeneuve, Saint John QMJHL finesse blueliner has a fully stocked tool box and NHL mid-pairing upside
58) LD Jeremie Poirier, Saint John QMJHL second-highest offensive upside among 2020 D hopefuls behind Drysdale, but needs to improve dramatically in his own zone and exponentially cut down the turnovers
59) LW Will Cuylle, Windsor OHL power forward can be the Zack Kassian of the 2020 class — super tough with requisite offense to skate with scorers
60) RW/C Jean-Luc Foudy, Windsor OHL one of the top skaters in the draft and a phenomenal passer; needs to refine his game around these elite tools
61) LD Alexander Nikishin, Spartak KHL best open-ice hitter in the entire 2020 class is also a good skater with a bomb of a shot; needs a lot of refinement but high-end upside as a physical, shut-down 20+ minute stalwart
62) LD Lucas Cormier, Charlottetown QMJHL speedy, small defender is terrific with the puck and in need of improvements without it
Honorable Mention:
63) C/LW Thomas Bordeleau, US-NTDP USHL exceptional offensive skill will shine at NHL level if less time is spent on the perimeter
64) LD Yan Kuznetsov, University of Connecticut NCAA what you see is what you get, a physical and huge shut-down, stay at home D; Mr. Old School
65) C Jaromir Pytlik, Sault Ste. Marie OHL huge body up the middle, a heavy shot and face-off force but middle-6 upside
66) RD Eamon Powell, US-NTDP USHL maybe the best skater of any D in the draft, very good offensively but could improve other dimensions of his game
67) LW Antonio Stranges, London OHL a human highlight reel with his insane skating and puckhandling, but also makes his coaches’ hair fall out
68) RD Helge Grans, Malmo SWE Jr. incredible combination of size and speed, big upside if he can refine several aspects of his game
69) LD Joni Jurmo, Jokerit FIN Jr. incredible combination of size and speed, big upside if he can refine several aspects of his game
70) LW Luke Tuch, US-NTDP USHL high floor as a cannonball net-crasher for your third line; does he share his brother’s offensive upside?
71) RW Ryder Rolston, Waterloo USHL high floor as a speed demon forechecker for your third line; does he share his father’s offensive upside?
72) RW Alex Laferriere, Des Moines USHL New Jersey native features an absolutely elite shot, if he makes strides in his game around it, look out
73) C Jack Finley, Spokane WHL 6’6 giant has NHL bloodlines and is one of the younger players in the draft class, extremely smart and has decent skill
74) C Cameron Tolnai, Ottawa OHL very intelligent player with terrific skates and skill just needs a chance to prove his ability
75) RD Mason Langenbrunner, Eden Prairie USHS flying under the radar is another NHL legacy, one that’s 6’2 and blindingly fast on his skates
P.S.
I’m saying this is my final rankings, but 2020 is insane so maybe I’ll update them right before the draft. Enjoy the playoffs, guys!
Okay, this is really important. If, in 2027, you want to argue with me about something we disagree on, make sure to reference everything I was wrong about here. Thanks!
[AUTHOR’S NOTE: the author did not include goalies in his rankings, because the author admits to knowing something between diddly and squat about scouting goaltenders. But yes, Askarov will be drafted in the first round.]
- LW Alex Lafreniere, Rimouski QMJHL future franchise stud with no weakness and historically impressive understanding of the game
- C Quinton Byfield, Sudbury OHL best athlete in the draft has generational combination of size/skating/skill
- C/LW Tim Stutzle, Adler Mannheim DEL best skater in the draft and perhaps the best set of hands
- C Marco Rossi, Ottawa OHL best two-way F in the draft is actually underrated in his dynamic offensive skill-set
- RD Jamie Drysdale, Erie OHL electrifying offensive defenseman is eerily comparable to Cale Makar
- LD Jake Sanderson, US-NTDP USHL best defensive defenseman in draft is also elite skater; dominates all three zones essentially every shift
- LW/RW Lucas Raymond, Frolunda SHL speed/hands/vision combo only matched by Stutzle, immense Marner-like upside
- LW/C Cole Perfetti, Saginaw OHL hands/hockey IQ both top 3 in draft, will score at any level
- RW Alexander Holtz, Djurgardens SHL hands-down the best shooter in the draft, could win a Rocket Richard Trophy at NHL level
- RW Jack Quinn, Ottawa OHL pure sniper also features a complete game, could be the Hossa of the 2020 class
- RW/C Dawson Mercer, Chicoutimi QMJHL incredible puckhandling ability matched with complete, power game — a can’t miss top-6 stud
- C Hendrix Lapierre, Chicoutimi QMJHL jaw-dropping, dynamic offensive skill-set, but injury woes knock him just out of top 10
- RW/C Seth Jarvis, Portland WHL a scoring machine who is scary good in the open ice
- LW Rodion Amirov, Salavat Ufa KHL pure goalscorer also features complete, 200-foot game and high compete level
- RW Jacob Perreault, Sarnia OHL combination of speed/shot/vision tops all the 2020 RWs — even Holtz, Quinn, Mercer, Jarvis and Gunler. But questions surrounding his complete game need to be answered.
- C Anton Lundell, HIFK Helsinki FIN complete two-way, high-intelligence big center also features a heavy shot and nice vision
- C/LW Jan Mysak, Hamilton OHL lights-out shooter also features outstanding vision, a high compete-level and enviable two-way game
- LD Kaiden Guhle, Prince Albert WHL physical, shut-down defenseman also can fly and features cannon from the point
- C Marat Khusnutdinov, SKA-St. Pete MHL ferocious and relentless center combines elite speed/skill mix and only lacks for size
- C Connor Zary, Kamloops WHL sure bet as a two-way, second line NHL center, maybe not dynamic but very offensively effective a la Bo Horvat
- RD Braden Schneider, Brandon WHL best combination of shut-down defensive/physicality in the 2020 class and also skates extremely well
- LW JJ Peterka, Munich DEL sick hands and goal-scoring instincts give him first-line NHL upside
- LW/C Dylan Holloway, University of Wisconsin NCAA prototypical power forward can fly and steamrolls anything in between himself and the net
- LD Ryan O’Rourke, Sault Ste. Marie OHL incredibly effective at every aspect of the game, an all-situations stud with great skates/physicality
- C/RW Mavrik Bourque, Shawinigan QMJHL his arsenal of shots are unstoppable and his vision is great; an improvement in his decent but unremarkable skating could see him become a star
- RW Martin Chromiak, Kingston OHL best Slovakian in 2020 class features mix of shooting/skating/size which is first-round worthy even in competitive draft year
- RW Noel Gunler, Lulea SHL the “Kaliyev” of 2020; rare shooting/skating combo only held back by attitude concerns and consistency issues
- RD Justin Barron, Halifax QMJHL do-it-all defenseman with great size/skating would go higher if not for injury-riddled draft-eligible campaign
- LW Jake Neighbours, Edmonton WHL wolverine on skates plays every shift like his life depends on it and also features high-end vision
- LW Carter Savoie, Sherwood Park AJHL average size and skating are alleviated by ridiculous shot and on-ice awareness. This kid can shoot a pot roast through a lion’s den.
- RD Brock Faber, US-NTDP USHL most underrated defenseman in the entire draft by far, shut-down stalwart with great skates and offensive tools
ROUND TWO:
32) LW Lukas Reichel, Eisbaren Berlin DEL incredibly smart winger and the king of the garbage goal, gets the most of his abilities
33) RW Sam Colangelo, Chicago USHL huge power forward with great shot and complete game
34) RW/C Tyson Foerster, Barrie OHL huge winger with an incredible shot plays a power game down low
35) C Evan Vierling, Barrie OHL most underrated forward in the draft, high-end offensive skills and fierce compete level give him big-time upside as a top 6 C; I can’t give this kid enough love and wish I could rank him higher
36) C Roni Hirvonen, Assat FIN undersized center is extremely fast, skilled and competitive, can be a high scoring NHL 2C if he stays up the middle
37) C Ridly Grieg, Brandon WHL the kid you least want to bet against, overcomes every inhibiting factor to dominate every shift
38) RW Tyler Tullio, Oshawa OHL smallish winger who just so happens to excel at every aspect of hockey you can think of
39) RW Ozzy Wiesblatt, Prince Albert WHL incredible skates mixed with incredible hustle and smarts make this kid a future second-line fan favorite
40) LD Emil Andrae, HV71 SWE Jr. cerebral defenseman defies size limitation with high compete-level and mature understanding of the game
41) C/W Tristen Robins, Saskatoon WHL speedy, skilled and smart and painfully overlooked, potential mid-round steal
42) LD Shakir Mukhamadullin, Salavat Ufa KHL combination of skating/shot/physicality only matched by Guhle, potentially a huge reward for the risk
43) LW Sean Farrell, Chicago USHL undersized winger features a ridiculous shot and tantalizing offensive skills, complete game needs development
44) RD Topi Niemela, Karpat FIN fast, offensively gifted blueliner draws parallels to 2019 first-rounder Lassi Thomson
45) C Vasily Ponomarev, Shawinigan QMJHL razor-sharp pivot with advanced understanding of the game, could have another offensive gear to hit
46) LD Tyler Kleven, US-NTDP USHL one can never go wrong with a huge, mobile, shut-down physical defenseman in the second round
47) RW/C Justin Sourdif, Vancouver WHL high-intellect forward excels in every respect but for straight-ahead speed
48) RD Donovan Sebrango, Kitchener OHL your prototypical two-way, all-situations defenseman with high-level smarts and skates
49) LD Daemon Hunt, Moose Jaw WHL a big defenseman with near-elite skating and excellent defensive acumen, can be more assertive offensively
50) C Brendan Brisson, Chicago USHL shifty, playmaking center is superlative at zone entries and reminds me a bit of Scott Gomez at the same age
51) LD Mitch Miller, Tri-City USHL skilled, offensive defenseman can fly and plays with an edge
52) RD Ian Moore, St. Mark’s USHS 6’2 defensemen who skate this well are extremely rare, so this raw prospect will go higher than most anticipate
53) LW Daniel Torgersson, Frolunda SWE Jr. huge with a good shot and complete game, could have untapped offensive upside
54) RW Luke Evangelista, London OHL two-way player with smarts and sneaky offensive skills, weight room would do wonders for him
55) C Ty Smilanic, US-NTDP USHL rare combination of elite skating and terrific size, dazzles in spurts, can be top-6 with more consistency
56) LW Brett Berard, US-NTDP USHL first round caliber offensive skill-set but 7th round size and needs to play less on the perimeter, high risk/reward
57) RD William Villeneuve, Saint John QMJHL finesse blueliner has a fully stocked tool box and NHL mid-pairing upside
58) LD Jeremie Poirier, Saint John QMJHL second-highest offensive upside among 2020 D hopefuls behind Drysdale, but needs to improve dramatically in his own zone and exponentially cut down the turnovers
59) LW Will Cuylle, Windsor OHL power forward can be the Zack Kassian of the 2020 class — super tough with requisite offense to skate with scorers
60) RW/C Jean-Luc Foudy, Windsor OHL one of the top skaters in the draft and a phenomenal passer; needs to refine his game around these elite tools
61) LD Alexander Nikishin, Spartak KHL best open-ice hitter in the entire 2020 class is also a good skater with a bomb of a shot; needs a lot of refinement but high-end upside as a physical, shut-down 20+ minute stalwart
62) LD Lucas Cormier, Charlottetown QMJHL speedy, small defender is terrific with the puck and in need of improvements without it
Honorable Mention:
63) C/LW Thomas Bordeleau, US-NTDP USHL exceptional offensive skill will shine at NHL level if less time is spent on the perimeter
64) LD Yan Kuznetsov, University of Connecticut NCAA what you see is what you get, a physical and huge shut-down, stay at home D; Mr. Old School
65) C Jaromir Pytlik, Sault Ste. Marie OHL huge body up the middle, a heavy shot and face-off force but middle-6 upside
66) RD Eamon Powell, US-NTDP USHL maybe the best skater of any D in the draft, very good offensively but could improve other dimensions of his game
67) LW Antonio Stranges, London OHL a human highlight reel with his insane skating and puckhandling, but also makes his coaches’ hair fall out
68) RD Helge Grans, Malmo SWE Jr. incredible combination of size and speed, big upside if he can refine several aspects of his game
69) LD Joni Jurmo, Jokerit FIN Jr. incredible combination of size and speed, big upside if he can refine several aspects of his game
70) LW Luke Tuch, US-NTDP USHL high floor as a cannonball net-crasher for your third line; does he share his brother’s offensive upside?
71) RW Ryder Rolston, Waterloo USHL high floor as a speed demon forechecker for your third line; does he share his father’s offensive upside?
72) RW Alex Laferriere, Des Moines USHL New Jersey native features an absolutely elite shot, if he makes strides in his game around it, look out
73) C Jack Finley, Spokane WHL 6’6 giant has NHL bloodlines and is one of the younger players in the draft class, extremely smart and has decent skill
74) C Cameron Tolnai, Ottawa OHL very intelligent player with terrific skates and skill just needs a chance to prove his ability
75) RD Mason Langenbrunner, Eden Prairie USHS flying under the radar is another NHL legacy, one that’s 6’2 and blindingly fast on his skates
P.S.
I’m saying this is my final rankings, but 2020 is insane so maybe I’ll update them right before the draft. Enjoy the playoffs, guys!