Overall I'm very happy with the draft and give it an A-
Here's my opinion on every pick:
Zadina: A+ I think he'll be a star for us. Very high upside, high skill player. Awesome pick, the only real issue is our lack of D. He can do it all and is just a great choice. Can't wait to watch him dangle through two defenders before ripping a wrister by the goalie.
Veleno: A, I'm really happy with him at 30. He's going to be a 2C IMO. Still need D but you can't pass on BPA. He'll bring great speed and playmaking. He's got high-end vision, and is responsible all over the ice. Very high floor, and a decent ceiling. He's the type of center we lacked with his superb vision and playmaking.
Berggren: A+, I'm really high on Berggren. Once again we needed D, but Berggren was BPA. Ton of speed, hard-working and a skilled player. He'll be a solid top 6 forward for us. High floor and high ceiling. More than any other player in the draft, he'd steal my attention when I watched other prospects play. He finds a way to impact the game every time he steps on the ice.
McIsaac: B-, we needed D but I don't think McIsaac was the best available. He's a safe choice to play and round out our group of Hronek, Cholowski, and Saarijarvi well. We still need a leader on the back end, but McIsaac brings good speed, physicality and inconsistent offence. Solid but not great choice.
Regula: C+, similar to McIsaac I think there were better players available, but he's a solid choice. Great size and some untapped potential, but I don't see high end upside.
Barton: C+, don't know much about him, but he had a decent season in the BCHL. I think there were better players available but he could be a hidden gem.
Eliasson: B-, he's an unknown Hakan goalie. Wings usually do well with those, but there's nothing to go on with him. I'm fine with it.
ROR: B-, solid pick, great name and I think he has good upside for a pick this late. Strong and has some skill. I guess he's a pretty bad skater
Brattstrom: B, overager goalie that's been putting up solid numbers. He's huge. I like the pick.
Otto Kivenmaki: B+, tiny, skilled speedster. Exactly the type of player worth throwing a late-round flyer on. Probably turns into nothing, but he could be good.
Overall I'm very very happy with our first two rounds. I don't like our middle picks and think we didn't do well identifying the high potential D available. Then we finished the draft well throwing flyers at guys with some potential. I give this draft an A- overall. We really need to get a leader on defense somehow and we put that off again. I feel great about our forward group from here on out. We could still use a star 1C, but that's more of a luxury than a necessity at this point. A 1D remains a necessity.