NHL Entry Draft: My Mock Draft (1st round only)

Chris Phifer

Registered User
Oct 16, 2006
127
0
This is my first time posting a mock, so don't be too harsh. At this point most of us know what these players bring to the table and I will try to limit my write ups to what I think the team should be looking for or why I chose a particular player over certain others.

1. Edmonton - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Red Deer Rebels - C
Lots of debate over who the Oilers will take and there's still the option of moving down, but should they make the selection I think they should go with Nugent-Hopkins over Larsson. Future 1st line center for the plethora of young wingers they have.

2. Colorado - Adam Larsson - Skelleftea - D
Once again, a debate over whether to take the forward or the defenseman, either way at this point he is very likely to be Swedish. Adam Larsson's all-around game should be too hard to pass up and they can worry about drafting a forward with the number 11 pick.

3. Florida - Jonathan Huberdeau - Saint John Sea Dogs - C
Dale Tallon said they are looking for skill going into the draft and Jonathan Huberdeau, the MVP of the Memorial Cup, brings that in a big way. His hands and hockey sense should gel well with the good, young talent Florida has stockpiled in the past few drafts.

4. New Jersey - Gabriel Landeskog - Kitchener Rangers - LW
I think they would have loved to have been able to nab Adam Larsson with this pick but they get a very good player none the less in Landeskog. He is skilled, powerful and oozes character. I'm always impressed with his calmness when he's doing interviews, he's a pro already.

5. New York Islanders - Ryan Murphy - Kitchener Rangers - D
The biggest need in the Isles' depth chart in my eyes is another good top 4 d-man. There are plenty of options here and while they may like the package that a Hamilton, Siemens or Beaulieu can bring to the table, I think the game breaking abilities of Ryan Murphy will sucker them in. Useless fact, this would mark the second year that their 5th overall pick was a teammate of the player selected 4th.

6. Ottawa - Sean Couturier - Drummondville Voltigeurs - C
Ottawa needs talent up front and lots of it. Murray will be spitting mad that Huberdeau didn't fall to him but will suck it up and take Sean Couturier. Although he may have slipped in rankings, he's still a hell of a talent and his size and defensive awareness make him a pretty safe pick.

7. Winnipeg - Ryan Strome - Niagara Ice Dogs - C
Winnipeg is already the most excited NHL city in the league (ok, maybe Boston is pretty pumped too), and adding a dynamic offensive player like Strome will only add to that excitement. His incredible puck skills and creativity would look great alongside players like Ladd, Kane and Burmistrov.

8. Columbus - Dougie Hamilton - Niagara Ice Dogs - D
Again, back to back teammates selected, Columbus takes the second Ice Dog and takes the very large Dougie Hamilton. His strong 2-way game will really help make Steve Mason's life easier someday soon and will help complement the young talent they've amassed up front.

9. Boston - Nathan Beaulieu - Saint John Sea Dogs - D
Boston's franchise is in a great place right now. They just won a Stanley Cup and the core of their team is still relatively young. One place they are lacking is high quality young d-men and with the selection of Nathan Beaulieu they are getting a powerplay specialist with a very adequate frame.

10. Minnesota - Mika Zibanejad - Djurgarden - C
The Wild need more top 6 forwards and adding one with size and a great defensive acumen as well is just a bonus. The high rising Mika Zibanejad seems to have only scratched the surface of his potential and would look well with guys like Granlund, Koivu, Larsson and Zucker in a few years.

11. Colorado - Sven Bartschi - Portland Winterhawks - LW
Still gleaming from landing Larsson at #2, the Avalanche come in looking for a skilled winger to line up with the great young talent down the middle they currently have. The highly skilled, Swiss born Bartschi would be a very great pick at this spot.

12. Carolina - Joel Armia - Assat - RW
The 'Canes could go either forward or defense with this pick but in the end, I love the potential that guys like Dumoulin and Faulk have, and I think they could use a forward more. More specifically someone with great size to go with this skill and that is where the Finn, Joel Armia, comes in.

13. Calgary - Mark Mcneill - Prince Albert Raiders - C
It is tempting to go defense with this pick, especially with the loss of Tim Erixon and with Duncan Siemens on board still, but I think the Flames' primary focus should be on a top 6 forward. Mark Mcneill and his power game look like they would be a perfect fit in Calgary.

14. Dallas - Mark Scheifele - Barrie Colts - C
Like Calgary, Dallas strongly considers Siemens with this pick just to pas shim up for a center named Mark. Scheifele put up great numbers on a very poor team, and for a team losing a player like Brad Richards, it makes this pick make even more sense.

15. New York Rangers - John Gibson - USNTDP - G
The Rangers' defense pipeline got a lot deeper with the acquisition of Tim Erixon and with forwards like Stepan, Dubinsky, Callahan, Anisimov and Kreider, picking the best goalie in the draft is never a bad idea.
King Henrik still has many good years left, and that will give Gibson time to develop properly.

16. Buffalo - Zack Phillips - Saint John Sea Dogs - C
Buffalo could use more skill up front and the Sabres go ahead and take the 3rd of 4 Sea Dogs to be selected in my mock draft. There are concerns over Phillips' skating but it should improve as he gets stronger and if it does, Buffalo will have a real good player on their hands.

17. Montreal - Matt Puempel - Peterborough Petes - LW
It's tempting to take Siemens once again and had he been American I likely would have put him here but instead Montreal goes with a gritty, goal scorer in Matt Puempel. Season ending hip surgery doesn't hurt his draft status at all and Montreal are grateful for someone with his size and skill.

18. Chicago - Duncan Siemens - Saskatoon Blades - D
Chicago doesn't exactly "need" anything, but depth is always a good thing. At this point they can go with the best player available and with the players remaining, adding a second Duncan to their team seems like a great idea. His size and toughness will be much appreciated and he also has leadership abilities.

19. Edmonton - Jonas Brodin - Farjestad - D
After taking RNH with the 1st overall pick, Edmonton are now looking for a big, future top pairing d-man to add to the mix. My decision came down to two Farjestad teammates and I ended up taking the one who seemed like the safer bet.

20. Phoenix - Jonathan Miller - USNTDP - C
Phoenix could use more skill and adding someone who knows how to take care of his zone is someone that would appeal highly to the Coyotes at this pick as well. Miller really helped his case this season with the USNTDP and at the Under 18's and he earned getting selected this high in the draft.

21. Ottawa - Tomas Jurco - Saint John Sea Dogs - RW
Ottawa continues to draft talent and in following Huberdeau around all year they would have seen a lot of what makes Jurco special. His youtube videos have drawn much attention to his incredible puck handling skills and Ottawa fans will fall in love with them too.

22. Anaheim - Niklas Jensen - Oshawa Generals - RW
The Ducks have great young d-men in their system and currently have lots of highly skilled forwards to boot. So picking the big Dane from Oshawa seems like a great fit. Exceptional at no one thing but good at almost everything, the 6'3 winger will help create space for his Anaheim teammates.

23. Pittsburgh - Brandon Saad - Saginaw Spirit - LW
The Pens again will be looking to pick up a potential top 6 forward to line up alongside Centers like Crosby, Malkin and Staal. Saad may not have met expectations this year but there is still a lot to like in what he brings to the table and is a Pennsylvania native to boot.

24. Detroit - Oscar Klefbom - Farjestad - D
Losing Rafalski is a significant blow to the Wings' defense and with Lidstrom not getting any younger, now is a good time to continue stocking the shelves defensivly for Detroit. In sticking to their Swedish roots, Detroit selects the big, all-around Farjestad defenseman, who has drawn comparisons to Jonathan Ericsson, Oscar Klefbom.

25. Toronto - Tyler Biggs - USNTDP - RW
In my opinion Toronto should be focusing their attention on picking up some more forwards for the future with the 2, 1st round selections this year. With the first of the two, Toronto are pleased to have such a Brian Burke type of player fall to them at this pick and take no time selecting Tyler Biggs.

26. Washington - Alexander Khokhlachev - Windsor Spitfires - C
Washington, who have lots of cash tied up in their core, will start feeling the effects of the salary cap in due time and thus should continue to add more talent to their organization. Khokhlachev is a great addition in that he is highly skilled, has some grit to his game and will fit in well with Washington's ever
growing Russian Contingent.

27. Tampa Bay - Vladislav Namestnikov - London Knights - C
Another team in search of more skill up front, Tampa Bay selects another highly skilled Russian who was playing junior in North America. Also like Khohklachev, Namestnikov has showed that he is not afraid to go into the corners and had a very solid season in a somewhat down year for the often prolific Knights.

28. San Jose - Jamieson Oleksiak - Northeastern U. - D
My initial feeling coming into this selection was that while San Jose's defensive prospects aren't the best in the league, their primary need was more for another forward. But when Jamieson Oleksiak was still on board, I couldn't resist, and neither should San Jose. He's a smooth skater for someone 6'7 and has
tons of upside.

29. Vancouver - Rocco Grimaldi - USNTDP - C
Fresh off a Stanley Cup Finals that saw them shutdown by the incredible play of Tim Thomas, Vancouver selects a player with a skill level that is off the charts. Grimaldi is as talented and creative as they come and we might have been talking about him as a potential top 10 pick if it weren't for the fact that he is 5'6.

30. Toronto - Ty Rattie - Portland Winterhawks - RW
While Biggs is the type of player to who overpowers you and battles all over the ice to help win a game, the Leafs' next pick helps take care of the offensive side of the equation. Ty Rattie is another high end offensive talent to come out of the Winterhawks' organization and will join Portland teammate Brad Ross as a selection of the Maple Leafs.
 

OrangeZebra

Unregistered User
Mar 3, 2011
3,102
1
New York
-Switch NYI and CBJ
-I have no idea why the Rangers would pick a goalie. Lundy isn't going anywhere. and if you say its their goalie of the future, hes probably gonna have to wait 6-7 years to even sniff starting
 

HatTrick Swayze

Just Be Nice
Jun 16, 2006
16,832
9,655
Chicago
-Switch NYI and CBJ
-I have no idea why the Rangers would pick a goalie. Lundy isn't going anywhere. and if you say its their goalie of the future, hes probably gonna have to wait 6-7 years to even sniff starting

This, I highly doubt the Rangers are going to use their only pick in the first 3 rounds to reach for a goalie. If they do I will be furious.
 

Ghost of jas

Unsatisfied
Feb 27, 2002
27,188
13,601
NJ
This, I highly doubt the Rangers are going to use their only pick in the first 3 rounds to reach for a goalie. If they do I will be furious.

Someone always pulls the "Rangers will take a goalie" in these mocks....last year, plenty of them had the Rangers taking Campbell, while I believe the year before , a few had the Rangers taking one of the Pickards. After the Lafleur debacle, I don't think we'll see the Rangers taking a goalie before the 4th round for quite a while.
 

Lion Hound

@JoeTucc26
Mar 12, 2007
8,239
3,612
Montauk NY
Stopped reading right here...

15. New York Rangers - John Gibson - USNTDP - G
The Rangers' defense pipeline got a lot deeper with the acquisition of Tim Erixon and with forwards like Stepan, Dubinsky, Callahan, Anisimov and Kreider, picking the best goalie in the draft is never a bad idea.
King Henrik still has many good years left, and that will give Gibson time to develop properly.
 

HanSolo

DJ Crazy Times
Apr 7, 2008
96,405
30,656
Las Vegas
I like us picking Jensen, but as much as Murray will probably pass on D this year (in waiting for next year) I don't think he can pass up Oleksiak. He brings what no one else in our defensive farm can bring, and that's size and physicality.
 

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