DJ Spinoza
Registered User
- Aug 7, 2003
- 25,321
- 3,851
I did one earlier of just picks 1-14, but my thoughts have changed some. This draft is different from most I've seen, but I'm willing to go out there and take a lot of stabs in the dark. I really do believe that after #2, this will be a wild ride. I think there will be at least a few trades but I did the mock as if there were none.
From viewing a few mock drafts, mine seems quite different. I'll cover my head from the rocks.
1. Washington - LW Alexander Ovechkin
They won’t take Malkin, and they aren’t trading this pick unless they get an absurd package. In the end, I think McPhee just takes the franchise player and start to cross his fingers for his later picks.
2. Pittsburgh - C Evgeni Malkin
Malkin is all you could want in a number 2 choice and more. Good frame, great skill set and hockey sense, and not a defensive liability. It may take a few years for Malkin to really come into his own, but Pittsburgh has found their offensive star.
3. Chicago - RW Lauri Tukonen
Chicago surprises some people by not taking Barker. They feel that Seabrooke, Berard, and Babchuk is a good enough core defensively, and decide to go for the power forward Tukonen. The fact that he is Finnish like Ruutu is an added bonus for them.
4. Columbus - D Cam Barker
Columbus is happy to select Barker here, despite some variations in reports about him. Columbus may swap picks with Chicago to secure Barker.
5. Phoenix - G Alvaro Montoya
Too early to pick Montoya, but Phoenix does it anyways even with LeNeveau. They may trade down.
6. New York - C Rostislav Olesz
Olesz, meet Jagr. Jagr, meet Olesz. Sather is thrilled to pick Olesz and brings him to the NHL as an 18 year old to play with Jagr.
7. Florida - C Robbie Schremp
Florida ignores some rumblings about Schremp's attitude to select the flashy center. He is very good in interviews and questions about his past can for the most part be explained away.
8. Carolina - LW Andrew Ladd
Carolina could certainly use a defensemen, but there's no way that they let Ladd slip by them.
9. Anaheim - D Boris Valabik
Some will think this is too high, but Anaheim is happy with this pick. Big, tough, mean, and whispers of Zdeno Chara.
10. Atlanta - LW Lauri Korpikoski
Atlanta has quite a few options. They could select a meat and potatoes player in Stafford, or sure up their defense with Thelen. In the end, they opt for the flashy, rising Finn and salivate over the possibility of Korpikoski and Kovalchuk on the same line.
11. Los Angelas - G Marek Schwarz
LA is happy to pick Schwarz here as their goalie for the future. He's still a couple years away, but he is far and away on the top of LA's list, above a few players selected ahead of him, including Montoya. LA may trade up with someone like Florida to make sure they get Schwarz.
12. Minnesota - RW Drew Stafford
Minnesota could use some top quality defensemen, and may opt for Thelen, but instead they choose to go with local boy Drew Stafford. His tough, smart two way play makes Lemaire like him, and even though it isn't the sexy pick, it's a smart one.
13. Buffalo - D AJ Thelen
Buffalo has a number of good prospects at every position, and a number of good young players on their current roster. They could use a top pairing defensemen to pair up with Dmitri Kalinin.
14. Edmonton - RW Alexander Radulov
Edmonton just goes BPA here. They have some good depth on the blueline but may be looking to add Thelen, but are not disappointed to add the gamebreaking talent of Radulov. He's a hard working player and that fits Edmonton's style of play.
15. Nashville - C Dave Bolland
Nashville has quite a few options here. A lot of people seem to like Chipchura going to them as they like WHL players, but instead Nashville opts for this high energy OHL riser. Surprises a few people, but not many of the GMs.
16. New York Islanders - D Andrej Meszaros
New York could opt for Picard here, but instead they look for a good defensemen and find one in Meszaros.
17. St. Louis - LW Alexandre Picard
St Louis just goes BPA. Picard has been ranked higher than this for most of the year, and probably falls a little too low. St. Louis likes what they see in Picard enough to completely ignore questions about his skating style.
18. Montreal - LW Wojtek Wolski
This is a tough pick to project. I think Montreal could jump on Lisin here, but instead they go for Wolski, despite Wolski being accused of assault. They feel he's much too talented to pass up and are happy with the selection.
19. Calgary - C Kyle Chipchura
Chipchura is a little underrated offensively, I think. He's a good all around player who will do what you ask of him. He will fit into Calgary's system easily and may blossom into a little better of an offensive player than many people project if he plays with the right players.
20. Dallas - D Ladislav Smid
Vagner faltered and was not signed, leaving Dallas with somewhat of a need for defensemen. They could use talent up front too, but Smid is their BPA at this pick and is a very safe choice in most people's minds.
21. Colorado - C Petteri Nokelainen
Simply put, Colorado could use just about everything. The defense is aging and they may instead go for Mike Green, but in the end they decide to go for Nokelainen with this pick.
22. New Jersey - D Mike Green
New Jersey picks Green, a smart and safe pick to add to a pretty nice group of prospects. Martin and Hale stand out as pretty good young blue liners, and New Jersey adds Green to that. They may trade up like last year to pick someone like Wolski or Picard who are dropping.
23. Ottawa - D Jeff Schultz
Ottawa could use a few things here, but do have some nice forward prospects and good goaltending depth. They choose to go for Schultz, a big defensemen who has a lot of qualities to like about him. They could also opt for a similar sized forward with this pick in Bruce Graham.
24. New York Rangers - RW Jakub Sindel
New York is disappointed to have Schultz taken right ahead of them. They want a good defensemen, but are enamoured with Sindel's offensive talent and turn a few heads by taking Sindel with the 24th.
25. Edmonton - C Bruce Graham
Some have Edmonton taking a goalie with one of their first rounders, but I don't think they will. They like Graham's size and the fact that he can still skate very well and are content to take another forward at 25.
26. Vancouver - Roman Voloshenko
Vancouver has a lot of options with this pick, and chooses to go with Voloshenko, who is a very good pick at this spot. They could opt for a defensemen, but Voloshenko is such a good talent that they won’t pass him up. They could choose a very safe pick like Lyamin here as well.
27. Washington - D Wes O'Neil
Washinton has no need for a goaltender, but could definitely use some defensive depth. They take a bit of a risk on O'Neil, but it could pay off very well if they are lucky.
28. San Jose - G Devan Dubnyk
I feel I have Dubnyk too low. The Sharks already have some pretty good goaltending prospects, but they choose to go BPA here and are very happy with this pick.
29. Washington - D Johan Fransson
Washington is very happy to make this pick. Fransson is a smart two way defensemen and adding O'Neil and Fransson, Washinton really sures up their major prospect weakness.
30. Tampa Bay - G Cory Schneider
Again, I feel I have this goalie too low. Tampa needs a top end goalie prospect and Schneider could very well be just that. They could also use some talent up front and may opt for any number of the wildcard European offensive players.
And, I'll do #31 too for Pens fans.
31. Pittsburgh - RW Blake Wheeler
I think this is too high, but the Penguins don't and that's what matters. Wheeler is a big player from Breck High School in Minnesota. He's a RW, which is a major hole in the Penguins prospect system. He also possesses the ability to score well, another whole in the Penguins system, but he must prove this at higher levels. The Penguins like Wheeler a lot and choose to opt for the college bound high school kid over the several European wild cards that are left.
*note, if Lisin, Kaspar, Salmonsson, and Alexandrov are all available at this pick, I will be disappointed with this selection.
I think Lisin will fall out of the first round. One of the teams near the end may take him, but he's this year's Glazachev.
I think there will be quite a few trades. Some teams may maneuver well up into the draft to get one of Montoya or Schwarz. I see Radulov, Valabik, and Korpikoski as the major risers, and all it will take is three teams who like one of them to see them picked this high.
I have a feeling that a team not many expect will make a splash by jumping up into the top 10.
From viewing a few mock drafts, mine seems quite different. I'll cover my head from the rocks.
1. Washington - LW Alexander Ovechkin
They won’t take Malkin, and they aren’t trading this pick unless they get an absurd package. In the end, I think McPhee just takes the franchise player and start to cross his fingers for his later picks.
2. Pittsburgh - C Evgeni Malkin
Malkin is all you could want in a number 2 choice and more. Good frame, great skill set and hockey sense, and not a defensive liability. It may take a few years for Malkin to really come into his own, but Pittsburgh has found their offensive star.
3. Chicago - RW Lauri Tukonen
Chicago surprises some people by not taking Barker. They feel that Seabrooke, Berard, and Babchuk is a good enough core defensively, and decide to go for the power forward Tukonen. The fact that he is Finnish like Ruutu is an added bonus for them.
4. Columbus - D Cam Barker
Columbus is happy to select Barker here, despite some variations in reports about him. Columbus may swap picks with Chicago to secure Barker.
5. Phoenix - G Alvaro Montoya
Too early to pick Montoya, but Phoenix does it anyways even with LeNeveau. They may trade down.
6. New York - C Rostislav Olesz
Olesz, meet Jagr. Jagr, meet Olesz. Sather is thrilled to pick Olesz and brings him to the NHL as an 18 year old to play with Jagr.
7. Florida - C Robbie Schremp
Florida ignores some rumblings about Schremp's attitude to select the flashy center. He is very good in interviews and questions about his past can for the most part be explained away.
8. Carolina - LW Andrew Ladd
Carolina could certainly use a defensemen, but there's no way that they let Ladd slip by them.
9. Anaheim - D Boris Valabik
Some will think this is too high, but Anaheim is happy with this pick. Big, tough, mean, and whispers of Zdeno Chara.
10. Atlanta - LW Lauri Korpikoski
Atlanta has quite a few options. They could select a meat and potatoes player in Stafford, or sure up their defense with Thelen. In the end, they opt for the flashy, rising Finn and salivate over the possibility of Korpikoski and Kovalchuk on the same line.
11. Los Angelas - G Marek Schwarz
LA is happy to pick Schwarz here as their goalie for the future. He's still a couple years away, but he is far and away on the top of LA's list, above a few players selected ahead of him, including Montoya. LA may trade up with someone like Florida to make sure they get Schwarz.
12. Minnesota - RW Drew Stafford
Minnesota could use some top quality defensemen, and may opt for Thelen, but instead they choose to go with local boy Drew Stafford. His tough, smart two way play makes Lemaire like him, and even though it isn't the sexy pick, it's a smart one.
13. Buffalo - D AJ Thelen
Buffalo has a number of good prospects at every position, and a number of good young players on their current roster. They could use a top pairing defensemen to pair up with Dmitri Kalinin.
14. Edmonton - RW Alexander Radulov
Edmonton just goes BPA here. They have some good depth on the blueline but may be looking to add Thelen, but are not disappointed to add the gamebreaking talent of Radulov. He's a hard working player and that fits Edmonton's style of play.
15. Nashville - C Dave Bolland
Nashville has quite a few options here. A lot of people seem to like Chipchura going to them as they like WHL players, but instead Nashville opts for this high energy OHL riser. Surprises a few people, but not many of the GMs.
16. New York Islanders - D Andrej Meszaros
New York could opt for Picard here, but instead they look for a good defensemen and find one in Meszaros.
17. St. Louis - LW Alexandre Picard
St Louis just goes BPA. Picard has been ranked higher than this for most of the year, and probably falls a little too low. St. Louis likes what they see in Picard enough to completely ignore questions about his skating style.
18. Montreal - LW Wojtek Wolski
This is a tough pick to project. I think Montreal could jump on Lisin here, but instead they go for Wolski, despite Wolski being accused of assault. They feel he's much too talented to pass up and are happy with the selection.
19. Calgary - C Kyle Chipchura
Chipchura is a little underrated offensively, I think. He's a good all around player who will do what you ask of him. He will fit into Calgary's system easily and may blossom into a little better of an offensive player than many people project if he plays with the right players.
20. Dallas - D Ladislav Smid
Vagner faltered and was not signed, leaving Dallas with somewhat of a need for defensemen. They could use talent up front too, but Smid is their BPA at this pick and is a very safe choice in most people's minds.
21. Colorado - C Petteri Nokelainen
Simply put, Colorado could use just about everything. The defense is aging and they may instead go for Mike Green, but in the end they decide to go for Nokelainen with this pick.
22. New Jersey - D Mike Green
New Jersey picks Green, a smart and safe pick to add to a pretty nice group of prospects. Martin and Hale stand out as pretty good young blue liners, and New Jersey adds Green to that. They may trade up like last year to pick someone like Wolski or Picard who are dropping.
23. Ottawa - D Jeff Schultz
Ottawa could use a few things here, but do have some nice forward prospects and good goaltending depth. They choose to go for Schultz, a big defensemen who has a lot of qualities to like about him. They could also opt for a similar sized forward with this pick in Bruce Graham.
24. New York Rangers - RW Jakub Sindel
New York is disappointed to have Schultz taken right ahead of them. They want a good defensemen, but are enamoured with Sindel's offensive talent and turn a few heads by taking Sindel with the 24th.
25. Edmonton - C Bruce Graham
Some have Edmonton taking a goalie with one of their first rounders, but I don't think they will. They like Graham's size and the fact that he can still skate very well and are content to take another forward at 25.
26. Vancouver - Roman Voloshenko
Vancouver has a lot of options with this pick, and chooses to go with Voloshenko, who is a very good pick at this spot. They could opt for a defensemen, but Voloshenko is such a good talent that they won’t pass him up. They could choose a very safe pick like Lyamin here as well.
27. Washington - D Wes O'Neil
Washinton has no need for a goaltender, but could definitely use some defensive depth. They take a bit of a risk on O'Neil, but it could pay off very well if they are lucky.
28. San Jose - G Devan Dubnyk
I feel I have Dubnyk too low. The Sharks already have some pretty good goaltending prospects, but they choose to go BPA here and are very happy with this pick.
29. Washington - D Johan Fransson
Washington is very happy to make this pick. Fransson is a smart two way defensemen and adding O'Neil and Fransson, Washinton really sures up their major prospect weakness.
30. Tampa Bay - G Cory Schneider
Again, I feel I have this goalie too low. Tampa needs a top end goalie prospect and Schneider could very well be just that. They could also use some talent up front and may opt for any number of the wildcard European offensive players.
And, I'll do #31 too for Pens fans.
31. Pittsburgh - RW Blake Wheeler
I think this is too high, but the Penguins don't and that's what matters. Wheeler is a big player from Breck High School in Minnesota. He's a RW, which is a major hole in the Penguins prospect system. He also possesses the ability to score well, another whole in the Penguins system, but he must prove this at higher levels. The Penguins like Wheeler a lot and choose to opt for the college bound high school kid over the several European wild cards that are left.
*note, if Lisin, Kaspar, Salmonsson, and Alexandrov are all available at this pick, I will be disappointed with this selection.
I think Lisin will fall out of the first round. One of the teams near the end may take him, but he's this year's Glazachev.
I think there will be quite a few trades. Some teams may maneuver well up into the draft to get one of Montoya or Schwarz. I see Radulov, Valabik, and Korpikoski as the major risers, and all it will take is three teams who like one of them to see them picked this high.
I have a feeling that a team not many expect will make a splash by jumping up into the top 10.
