NHL Entry Draft: GrandLarseny's 2 Round Mock Draft (2017) - 5th Annual

[GrandLarseny]

Wow, I can't believe I've been doing this for 5 years! As always, just a prospect loving fan and no expert here. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

# Team - Player

1. New Jersey Devils - Nico Hischier
2. Philadelphia Flyers - Nolan Patrick
3. Dallas Stars - Gabriel Vilardi
4. Colorado Avalanche - Miro Heiskanen
5. Vancouver Canucks - Elias Pettersson
6. Vegas Golden Knights - Cody Glass
7. Arizona Coyotes - Cale Makar
8. Buffalo Sabres - Casey Mittelstadt
9. Detroit Red Wings - Martin Necas
10. Florida Panthers - Owen Tippett
11. Los Angeles Kings - Michael Rasmussen
12. Carolina Hurricanes - Nick Suzuki
13. Vegas Golden Knights - Timothy Liljegren
14. Tampa Bay Lightning - Callan Foote
15. Vegas Golden Knights - Klim Kostin
16. Calgary Flames - Eeli Tolvanen
17. Toronto Maple Leafs - Robert Thomas
18. Boston Bruins - Ryan Poehling
19. San Jose Sharks - Urho Vaakanainen
20. St Louis Blues - Kole Lind
21. New York Rangers - Kristian Vesalainen
22. Edmonton Oilers - Lias Andersson
23. Arizona Coyotes - Kailer Yamamoto
24. Winnipeg Jets - Juuso Valimaki
25. Montreal Canadiens - Erik Brannstrom
26. Chicago Blackhawks - Filip Chytil
27. St Louis Blues - Conor Timmins
28. Ottawa Senators - Jason Robertson
29. Dallas Stars - Jake Oettinger
30. Nashville Predators - Morgan Frost
31. Pittsburgh Penguins - Nicolas Hague
    
    
32. Colorado Avalanche - Isaac Ratcliffe
33. Vancouver Canucks - Henri Jokiharju
34. Vegas Golden Knights - Pierre Oliver Joseph
35. Arizona Coyotes - Jaret Anderson Dolan
36. New Jersey Devils - Josh Norris
37. Buffalo Sabres - Alexei Lipanov
38. Detroit Red Wings - Michael DiPietro
39. Dallas Stars - Shane Bowers
40. Florida Panthers - Mackenzie Entwistle
41. Los Angeles Kings - Maxime Comtois
42. Carolina Hurricanes - Aleksi Heponiemi
43. Winnipeg Jets - Alex Formenton
44. Philadelphia Flyers - Matthew Strome
45. Tampa Bay Lightning - Marcus Davidsson
46. New York Islanders - Grant Mismash
47. Ottawa Senators - Joni Ikonen
48. Tampa Bay Lightning - Josh Brook
49. San Jose Sharks - Scott Reedy
50. Anaheim Ducks - Jonah Gadjovich
51. St Louis Blues - Ostap Safin
52. Carolina Hurricanes - Cale Fleury
53. Boston Bruins - Lukas Elvenes
54. Buffalo Sabres - Ukko Pekka Luukkonen
55. Vancouver Canucks - Jake Leschyshyn
56. Montreal Canadiens - Dylan Samberg
57. Chicago Blackhawks - Keith Petruzzelli
58. Montreal Canadiens - Morgan Geekie
59. Toronto Maple Leafs - Jesper Boqvist
60. Anaheim Ducks - Nikita Popugaev
61. Nashville Predators - Ivan Chekhovich
62. Vegas Golden Knights - Evan Barratt

Previous Years Results:

2013: 4/60
2014: 8/60
2015: 8/61
2016: 5/61 (I'm counting Logan Brown to OTT, lol)

Click to read more...

 

[LAKings88]

I'm indifferent about Rasmussen to LA. I see it a lot in mocks. Seems like a Lombardi player, not sure now with LAs new emphasis on speed.

I think he and Kostin are big wild cards.

 

[rt]

Makes me extreme happy as a Yotes fan.

 

[GrandLarseny]

I'm indifferent about Rasmussen to LA. I see it a lot in mocks. Seems like a Lombardi player, not sure now with LAs new emphasis on speed.

I think he and Kostin are big wild cards.

I've heard that LA is looking at BPA, and I'm a higher on Rasmussen than most people. He's not a bad skater by any means and he's got talent, but of course the lack of 5v5 production is worrisome.

Agreed on them both being wild cards, that plus the wide openness of the draft makes for an exciting time.

Makes me extreme happy as a Yotes fan.

I like the direction the Coyotes are heading in, and adding Makar + Yams will only add to that depth. JAD's familiarity is a bonus but I think he could anchor the third line one day behind Dvorak/Strome.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I'd be pretty mad if the Sharks took Vaakanainen over Vesalainen or Anderssen. Reedy is okay in the 2nd but I'd rather Boqvist.

 

[GrandLarseny]

I'd be pretty mad if the Sharks took Vaakanainen over Vesalainen or Anderssen. Reedy is okay in the 2nd but I'd rather Boqvist.

Understandable. I feel as though Vaakanainen is a good fit for the Sharks with Paul Martin getting up there in age, and not much upside of the Sharks LHD (Joakim Ryan's solid but at 25 I doubt he'll be anything more than a 5-6, and I believe Jeremy Roy & Julius Bergman play RHD). That's just my rationale, and I also want Andersson on the Oilers

 

[edguy]

For Ottawa:

at 28:

Jokiharju/Joseph/Oettinger (sens won't pick him but I'm high on him)/Norris/Comtois would all be guys I'd pick ahead of Robertson, who is a bad skater and not good defensively.. Ottawa said they'd be going for a safer pick, Robertson isn't that.. Look for someone with great 2-way game

At 47:

I wouldn't despise the Ikonen pick, but he is an undersized guy. Could see us going for someone like Reedy, or if we go Dman, Josh Brook maybe. again just a bigger 2-way guy

Don't mean to tear your work apart, cause it's appreciated, just trying to give some constructive criticism

 

[GrandLarseny]

For Ottawa:

at 28:

Jokiharju/Joseph/Oettinger (sens won't pick him but I'm high on him)/Norris/Comtois would all be guys I'd pick ahead of Robertson, who is a bad skater and not good defensively.. Ottawa said they'd be going for a safer pick, Robertson isn't that.. Look for someone with great 2-way game

At 47:

I wouldn't despise the Ikonen pick, but he is an undersized guy. Could see us going for someone like Reedy, or if we go Dman, Josh Brook maybe. again just a bigger 2-way guy

Don't mean to tear your work apart, cause it's appreciated, just trying to give some constructive criticism

Firstly, I want to say no worries, I appreciate any and all criticism.

I picture Robertson burying passes from Logan Brown years ahead and I figured the Senators wouldn't shy away from him and his bad skating since they've taken guys like Mark Stone, Filip Ahl, Jonathan Dahlen in the past. Picking up someone that buried 42 goals and carried the offense for their team at 28 ovr feels like a potential steal despite his shortcomings.

Jokiharju was another guy I considered since he would definitely shore up their right side, but I question his skating. I feel like Ottawa targets defenders who can skate if they're more offensive minded, like Chabot and Lajoie. Of course, that's just what I think.

I think I may have been a bit harsh on safer players like Norris, Comtois, Reedy etc. since I feel this draft is wide open and teams should swing for the fences so that's why I went for Ikonen instead.

I strongly considered Oettinger at 28 too.

Thanks for lookin'!

 

[Juxtaposer]

Understandable. I feel as though Vaakanainen is a good fit for the Sharks with Paul Martin getting up there in age, and not much upside of the Sharks LHD (Joakim Ryan's solid but at 25 I doubt he'll be anything more than a 5-6, and I believe Jeremy Roy & Julius Bergman play RHD). That's just my rationale, and I also want Andersson on the Oilers

I think that's your real rationale.

I think top-4 D are much easier to get than true top-6 forwards. I don't see Vaakanainen as having top pairing potential. And presumably Vlasic is about to sign his last big contract so with Vlasic and Burns around I'm not really seeing the need to draft D unless someone like Liljegren falls to us.

Sharks have a lot of bottom-4 D hanging out in the org. Too many, actually, which is why Schlemko was unprotected (for right or wrong). Unless there's a D with real top pairing two-way potential, a forward will be the right choice. And especially if Andersson is that forward.

 

[TNT87]

I would really like Hague to the Pens.

 

[Ship It To Vegas]

Glass at 6 and Liljegren at 13 is my dream scenario for Vegas although I think Liljegren will be gone by then.
If we get both of those guys I would go for a boom/bust in Yamamoto at 15.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Firstly, I want to say no worries, I appreciate any and all criticism.

I picture Robertson burying passes from Logan Brown years ahead and I figured the Senators wouldn't shy away from him and his bad skating since they've taken guys like Mark Stone, Filip Ahl, Jonathan Dahlen in the past. Picking up someone that buried 42 goals and carried the offense for their team at 28 ovr feels like a potential steal despite his shortcomings.

Jokiharju was another guy I considered since he would definitely shore up their right side, but I question his skating. I feel like Ottawa targets defenders who can skate if they're more offensive minded, like Chabot and Lajoie. Of course, that's just what I think.

I think I may have been a bit harsh on safer players like Norris, Comtois, Reedy etc. since I feel this draft is wide open and teams should swing for the fences so that's why I went for Ikonen instead.

I strongly considered Oettinger at 28 too.

Thanks for lookin'!

I like Robertson but would rather have Jokiharju or Joseph there
I agree with Edguy on the direction. Everything I've seen on Jokiharju says skating is a strength
I would have no issues taking him in the first

 

[GrandLarseny]

I like Robertson but would rather have Jokiharju or Joseph there
I agree with Edguy on the direction. Everything I've seen on Jokiharju says skating is a strength
I would have no issues taking him in the first

Fair enough. I'm going off what I've seen, and now reading other scouting reports it looks like I might be off the mark. Whatever the case, I do think he's a solid prospect and would also be a good addition to the Senators.




Now that there's a 1st round trade, I think the Rangers will go with either Makar or Mittelstadt.