StevenToddIves
Registered User
First off, don't hold me to this in June. A lot of hockey to be played, a lot of film to watch. Picks will be traded, prospect stocks will rise and fall. Things will certainly change a lot. But the Devils have two picks in the top 33 as of today, so I will go that far.
1 Colorado: C Jack Hughes -- a special player, simply dazzles every time he's on the ice. A future 100+ point scorer and fixture in the NHL scoring leaderboards.
2 New Jersey: RW/LW Kappo Kakko -- the rare physical power forward that can also dominate possession and play a highly intelligent two-way game. Just a star in the making. The idea of a future Devils power play with Hall/Hischier/Kakko/Palmieri/Smith is simply tantalizing.
3 Detroit: LD Bowen Byram -- the Wings get a kid who checks off every box in the #1D tool kit; skating, vision, intelligence, shot, physicality, compete level, you name it. If the Devils pick third overall, I would also bet on Byram being the pick.
4 Los Angeles: RW/LW Vasili Podkolzin -- the Kings have struggled for years to find wingers with the skill level to match Anze Kopitar, but Podkolzin is the complete package, mixing off-the-charts skill with a whole lot of intelligence and nastiness.
5 Anaheim: C/RW Dylan Cozens -- Big, physical and extremely skilled, Cozens fits in perfectly with the Anaheim model -- he's like a future version of Getzlaf/Perry.
6 Arizona: C Alex Turcotte -- even after several seasons of high draft positions, the Coyotes are thin beyond Barrett Hayton up the middle in the prospect pipeline. Turcotte mixes electrifying skating with a heady two-way game.
7 Florida: C Kirby Dach -- I think Florida's biggest organizational need is a defenseman, but there may not be a worthy top-10 candidate beyond Byram. Dach's game is comparable in many ways to Jonathan Toews, whom GM Dale Tallon is certainly glad he had in Chicago.
8 Chicago: C Trevor Zegras -- like Turcotte, Zegras has been overshadowed by Jack Hughes on the US-NTDP. Also like Turcotte, he is a tremendous skater with off-the-charts skills and a future 1C at the NHL level.
9 Edmonton: LW Matthew Boldy -- the Oilers desperately need wingers to pair with McDavid and Draisaitl. Boldy is a big, skilled finisher with the intelligence to compliment a superstar center.
10 Colorado: LW Peyton Krebs -- Joe Sakic said this week that Colorado is not trading either of their first-round picks. Krebs is infectious to watch -- not only is he talented, but he plays every moment of every shift with the ferocity and hustle of his very life depending on it.
11 NY Rangers: LD Philip Broberg -- one thing we can count on with the latest Rangers regime is that they will reach for a Euro skater with their first pick (see: Andersson over Mittelstadt, Kravtsov over Wahlstrom). I'm guessing they do the same in 2019.
12 Vancouver: LD Matthew Robertson -- the Canucks will certainly have their eye on the blueline at the 2019 draft. In my mind, the big, physical and silky-smooth Robertson is clearly the second-best D in the 2019 class after Byram.
13 Philadelphia: RW Raphael Lavoie -- before being fired, Ron Hextall built an extraordinary prospect pool in Philly. Their recent hot streak may lead current GM Chuck Fletcher to deal this pick for help making the playoffs. Lavoie is big, fast and can shoot the lights out.
14 St. Louis: C Ryan Suzuki -- like Philly, the Blues have recently gotten hot and dropped from the seller market for the coming trade deadline. Suzuki combines lightning-speed with extraordinary vision.
15 Minnesota: RW Cole Caufield -- in my mind, now that Peter Chiarelli is out of a job it's between Pierre Dorion and Paul Fenton for worst GM in the NHL. From the head-scratching Filip Johansson 2018 first-rounder to the absolutely baffling Niederreiter for Rask trade, he's displayed pretty much the opposite of vision. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt with Caufield, a lights-out shooter who will score at any level despite his modest size.
16 Buffalo: RD Victor Soderstrom -- even with the addition of the sublimely talented Rasmus Dahlin, the Sabres need help on the blueline. Soderstrom is a fast puckhandler who may have the most upside of any Swedish prospect in the class of 2019.
17 Carolina: G Spencer Knight -- goalies rarely get even a mention in the first round, but Knight is often compared to Carey Price and, over the past decade, no franchise has suffered more woes between the pipes as the Hurricanes.
18 Dallas: C Alex Newhook -- the Stars are on a seemingly neverending search for secondary scoring beyond the Seguin/Benn line. Newhook has blazing speed and, like Turcotte, mixes great tenacity with a spectacular skill set. It would not be surprising to see him go in the top 10.
19 Pittsburgh: LW Arthur Kaliyev -- speaking of never-ending searches, the Pens are always on the lookout for scorers to compliment Crosby and Malkin. Though there have been some questions about his compete level and consistency, the Staten Island native Kaliyev is quite possibly the best pure shooter in the 2019 draft class.
20 Columbus: C Brett Leason -- among his other myriad complaints, Tortorella has complained quite vocally about his need for more center on the Blue Jackets roster. The overaged Leason has shown remarkable improvements in his skating over the past two seasons and could be close to NHL-ready.
21 Vegas: LD Thomas Harley -- a fast riser up many draft boards, Harley is big and mobile and pouring in points for the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads.
22 Washington: C Ilya Nikolayev -- the Caps are never afraid to take a chance on high-upside European forwards.
23 Boston: LW Samuel Poulin -- they like to ice big teams in Boston, and Poulin has soft hands to go along with projectable size.
24 Montreal: LD Mikko Kokkonen -- there is an intriguing discrepancy with how scouts view this slick-passing puck-mover. Some have him ranked just outside the top 10, while others have him outside of the first round altogether.
25 NY Islanders: C Connor McMichael -- the latest future NHL-er out of the London Knights prospect factory is projectable as the ideal 2C behind young star Mathew Barzal.
26 Los Angeles: LD Cam York -- after taking a stud forward with their own pick, the Kings could look D with the pick acquired from Toronto in the Muzzin trade. York is the prototypical new NHL offensive defenseman -- a tape-to-tape passer with high-end skating and puck handling skills.
27 Nashville: C John Beecher -- the most David Backes-like prospect available, projects to a big, middle-six force with physicality, smarts and decent offensive acumen.
28 San Jose: RD Moritz Seider -- no one drafts from Central Europe as much as Sharks' GM Doug Wilson, who would be thrilled to find this do-it-all, two-way minute-muncher available in the late first round.
29 Winnipeg: LD Alex Vlasic -- GM Kevin Chevaldayoff loves the big defensemen, and Vlasic's 6'6 frame belies very good mobility and capable offensive instincts.
30 Calgary: C Phillip Tomasino -- a team can never be too deep up the middle, and Tomasino's emergence for Niagara this season has many believing he has top-6 NHL potential.
31 Tampa Bay: RD Anttoni Honka -- the younger brother of Dallas' Julius Honka, Anttoni also has great skates and explosive offensive upside.
32 Ottawa: LW Nolan Foote -- the most hapless organization in hockey could wind up having turned Jack Hughes, Kyle Turris and Shane Bowers into a year-and-a-half playoff-less rental of Matt Duchene. That's not just bad, it's "Mike Milbury Bad".
33 New Jersey: RD Billy Constantinou -- the Devils are certain to draft the best available player with their early first-round pick, regardless of position. With their later picks, I expect them to concentrate on fortifying the prospect pool at C and D. Constantinou has good size and blazing speed to go along with excellent offensive instincts. He needs some work in his own zone but certainly fits in with the Shero-model of very fast, puck-rushing defensemen.
1 Colorado: C Jack Hughes -- a special player, simply dazzles every time he's on the ice. A future 100+ point scorer and fixture in the NHL scoring leaderboards.
2 New Jersey: RW/LW Kappo Kakko -- the rare physical power forward that can also dominate possession and play a highly intelligent two-way game. Just a star in the making. The idea of a future Devils power play with Hall/Hischier/Kakko/Palmieri/Smith is simply tantalizing.
3 Detroit: LD Bowen Byram -- the Wings get a kid who checks off every box in the #1D tool kit; skating, vision, intelligence, shot, physicality, compete level, you name it. If the Devils pick third overall, I would also bet on Byram being the pick.
4 Los Angeles: RW/LW Vasili Podkolzin -- the Kings have struggled for years to find wingers with the skill level to match Anze Kopitar, but Podkolzin is the complete package, mixing off-the-charts skill with a whole lot of intelligence and nastiness.
5 Anaheim: C/RW Dylan Cozens -- Big, physical and extremely skilled, Cozens fits in perfectly with the Anaheim model -- he's like a future version of Getzlaf/Perry.
6 Arizona: C Alex Turcotte -- even after several seasons of high draft positions, the Coyotes are thin beyond Barrett Hayton up the middle in the prospect pipeline. Turcotte mixes electrifying skating with a heady two-way game.
7 Florida: C Kirby Dach -- I think Florida's biggest organizational need is a defenseman, but there may not be a worthy top-10 candidate beyond Byram. Dach's game is comparable in many ways to Jonathan Toews, whom GM Dale Tallon is certainly glad he had in Chicago.
8 Chicago: C Trevor Zegras -- like Turcotte, Zegras has been overshadowed by Jack Hughes on the US-NTDP. Also like Turcotte, he is a tremendous skater with off-the-charts skills and a future 1C at the NHL level.
9 Edmonton: LW Matthew Boldy -- the Oilers desperately need wingers to pair with McDavid and Draisaitl. Boldy is a big, skilled finisher with the intelligence to compliment a superstar center.
10 Colorado: LW Peyton Krebs -- Joe Sakic said this week that Colorado is not trading either of their first-round picks. Krebs is infectious to watch -- not only is he talented, but he plays every moment of every shift with the ferocity and hustle of his very life depending on it.
11 NY Rangers: LD Philip Broberg -- one thing we can count on with the latest Rangers regime is that they will reach for a Euro skater with their first pick (see: Andersson over Mittelstadt, Kravtsov over Wahlstrom). I'm guessing they do the same in 2019.
12 Vancouver: LD Matthew Robertson -- the Canucks will certainly have their eye on the blueline at the 2019 draft. In my mind, the big, physical and silky-smooth Robertson is clearly the second-best D in the 2019 class after Byram.
13 Philadelphia: RW Raphael Lavoie -- before being fired, Ron Hextall built an extraordinary prospect pool in Philly. Their recent hot streak may lead current GM Chuck Fletcher to deal this pick for help making the playoffs. Lavoie is big, fast and can shoot the lights out.
14 St. Louis: C Ryan Suzuki -- like Philly, the Blues have recently gotten hot and dropped from the seller market for the coming trade deadline. Suzuki combines lightning-speed with extraordinary vision.
15 Minnesota: RW Cole Caufield -- in my mind, now that Peter Chiarelli is out of a job it's between Pierre Dorion and Paul Fenton for worst GM in the NHL. From the head-scratching Filip Johansson 2018 first-rounder to the absolutely baffling Niederreiter for Rask trade, he's displayed pretty much the opposite of vision. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt with Caufield, a lights-out shooter who will score at any level despite his modest size.
16 Buffalo: RD Victor Soderstrom -- even with the addition of the sublimely talented Rasmus Dahlin, the Sabres need help on the blueline. Soderstrom is a fast puckhandler who may have the most upside of any Swedish prospect in the class of 2019.
17 Carolina: G Spencer Knight -- goalies rarely get even a mention in the first round, but Knight is often compared to Carey Price and, over the past decade, no franchise has suffered more woes between the pipes as the Hurricanes.
18 Dallas: C Alex Newhook -- the Stars are on a seemingly neverending search for secondary scoring beyond the Seguin/Benn line. Newhook has blazing speed and, like Turcotte, mixes great tenacity with a spectacular skill set. It would not be surprising to see him go in the top 10.
19 Pittsburgh: LW Arthur Kaliyev -- speaking of never-ending searches, the Pens are always on the lookout for scorers to compliment Crosby and Malkin. Though there have been some questions about his compete level and consistency, the Staten Island native Kaliyev is quite possibly the best pure shooter in the 2019 draft class.
20 Columbus: C Brett Leason -- among his other myriad complaints, Tortorella has complained quite vocally about his need for more center on the Blue Jackets roster. The overaged Leason has shown remarkable improvements in his skating over the past two seasons and could be close to NHL-ready.
21 Vegas: LD Thomas Harley -- a fast riser up many draft boards, Harley is big and mobile and pouring in points for the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads.
22 Washington: C Ilya Nikolayev -- the Caps are never afraid to take a chance on high-upside European forwards.
23 Boston: LW Samuel Poulin -- they like to ice big teams in Boston, and Poulin has soft hands to go along with projectable size.
24 Montreal: LD Mikko Kokkonen -- there is an intriguing discrepancy with how scouts view this slick-passing puck-mover. Some have him ranked just outside the top 10, while others have him outside of the first round altogether.
25 NY Islanders: C Connor McMichael -- the latest future NHL-er out of the London Knights prospect factory is projectable as the ideal 2C behind young star Mathew Barzal.
26 Los Angeles: LD Cam York -- after taking a stud forward with their own pick, the Kings could look D with the pick acquired from Toronto in the Muzzin trade. York is the prototypical new NHL offensive defenseman -- a tape-to-tape passer with high-end skating and puck handling skills.
27 Nashville: C John Beecher -- the most David Backes-like prospect available, projects to a big, middle-six force with physicality, smarts and decent offensive acumen.
28 San Jose: RD Moritz Seider -- no one drafts from Central Europe as much as Sharks' GM Doug Wilson, who would be thrilled to find this do-it-all, two-way minute-muncher available in the late first round.
29 Winnipeg: LD Alex Vlasic -- GM Kevin Chevaldayoff loves the big defensemen, and Vlasic's 6'6 frame belies very good mobility and capable offensive instincts.
30 Calgary: C Phillip Tomasino -- a team can never be too deep up the middle, and Tomasino's emergence for Niagara this season has many believing he has top-6 NHL potential.
31 Tampa Bay: RD Anttoni Honka -- the younger brother of Dallas' Julius Honka, Anttoni also has great skates and explosive offensive upside.
32 Ottawa: LW Nolan Foote -- the most hapless organization in hockey could wind up having turned Jack Hughes, Kyle Turris and Shane Bowers into a year-and-a-half playoff-less rental of Matt Duchene. That's not just bad, it's "Mike Milbury Bad".
33 New Jersey: RD Billy Constantinou -- the Devils are certain to draft the best available player with their early first-round pick, regardless of position. With their later picks, I expect them to concentrate on fortifying the prospect pool at C and D. Constantinou has good size and blazing speed to go along with excellent offensive instincts. He needs some work in his own zone but certainly fits in with the Shero-model of very fast, puck-rushing defensemen.
Last edited:
