Zemgus26's Mock Draft (1.0)

MackAttack26

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Jan 10, 2015
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I did a few of these last year and plan on doing even more this year. Starting with my first of the year, followed by likely one after WJC and so on. As it gets closer to the draft I will use the actual standings and probably do 2 or 3 rounds at least as well. But for the purpose of this starter one, I’m just going to use my predictions for the draft placements as it seems silly to put teams like Anaheim so low or Arizona so high. Anyways, here is 1.0.

1. :coyotes - Auston Matthews (C) - The hometown boy with skill that rivals last years "generational" players in McDavid and Eichel. Easy choice for whoever picks here.

2. :leafs - Jakob Chychrun (LD) - Toronto has 2 elite prospects up front in Marner and Nylander. In the back end they are lacking young elite talent outside Rielly. This combined with Chychrun being the BPA leads to another easy choice to start this draft.

3. :canes - Patrik Laine (RW) - A difficult choice here for Carolina between the two big Finns but in the end go with Laine who is being viewed as the better prospect by many scouts to his Finnish counterpart after a great start to his year.

4. :flames - Jesse Puljujarvi (RW) - Lacking the high end RW talent in their whole system in general, Puljujarvi brings everything you want in a high end player for Calgary. He oozes size and skill that has him in conversation as a top-3 pick for this draft.

5. :avs - Olli Juolevi (LD) - Have a nice young forward core, including their 2015 1st round pick Rantanen but still need D. On the right side they at least have Johnson and Barrie long term but on the left all they have is Zadorov in terms of likely top-4 talent. The smooth skating impressive Finn from the OHL is a great fit.

6: :devils - Matthew Tkachuk (LW) - Even after picking the massive and skilled Pavel Zacha last year they desperately need top-6 forward talent. Tkachuk is an elite playmaker and adds another dangerous piece to a formerly weak Devils offensive core.

7. :flyers - Julien Gauthier (RW) - Over the past few years Philly has put together a nice defensive prospect group but don't have many high end forward talents in their pool because of this. Although different stylistically, Gauthier brings much of the same size and scoring that Simmonds does for the Flyers and you can never have enough of that.

8. :edmonton - Dante Fabbro (RD) - I think we all know by this point that they have enough elite talent up front....but besides a few bright pieces on the back end, they are still a train wreck in that department. Fabbro brings a great two-way game to their blue line and could be a potential match for Nurse in the long-run.

9. :bruins – Max Jones (LW) – The Bruins loaded up with some good various types of D as well as scoring wingers last draft and continue to do so with their first pick here. They select the big power forward from London believing despite a slow start he will be able to bud into a big part of their top-6 someday.

10. :sabres – Alex Nylander (RW) –They have great young center depth along with some studs on RD. Their main need is a good LHD but since that isn’t available here without reaching they target another major need; skilled wingers to play alongside Eichel. Nylander possesses a high level skill that should mesh well in Buffalo’s long term top-6.

11. :cbj – Michael McLeod (C) –The Jackets have a lot of skilled forward prospect with the likes of Bjorkstrand, Milano, Karlsson, etc. but could use a little more grit with that skill up front. Although McLeod doesn’t have high end skills, he is a big, powerful center who would be a good fit in Columbus.

12. :nucks – Jake Bean (RD) – Vancouver selects the talented offensive D from the WHL. With an aging D group on their current roster and not much in their pipeline either, unless a top-5 forward somehow drops into their laps here it seems like a no brainer for them to take a defenseman here and Bean is the best of the bunch.

13. :panthers – Pierre Luc-Dubois (C/LW) – Florida has size and skill up the middle with Barkov and Bjugstad. In Luc-Dubois, they add even more of the same to from a scary center group for years to come.

14. :jets – Tyler Benson (LW) – A team with one of the top prospect pool in the league adds to it even more. Even with missing lots of time due to injury, Benson’s talent is undeniable and with the Jets group being strong at all positions they are in a position to go for BPA and at this point it’s the scoring winger.

15. :bruins (VIA SJS) – Mikhail Sergachyov (LD) – After going with a big, power forward earlier, Boston tries to balance out the group with a two-way D. Although raw, Sergachyov has great upside and the Bruins have quite a few close to NHL ready D allowing them to take on a bit of a project.

16. :isles – Chad Krys (LD) – They have some good offensive talent with the likes of Dal Colle, Ho-Sang, Beauvillier and while they have great depth on D, they lack top-pairing talent outside of potentially Pulock. Krys has a strong two-way game that should help stabilize a position that has been the Islanders weakness for quite a while.

17. :sens – Tyson Jost (C/W) - It's hard to judge how good Jost truly is, playing in the BCHL and all. But at the same time it's hard to ignore how often he is finding the back of the net. Ottawa takes a chance on the skilled scorer who is versatile enough to play any forward position that they need.

18. :wings – Charlie McAvoy (RD) - Detroit seems to be able to find steals for forward at any position in the draft which is why they have a constant abundance of them. Their D selections however have not been near as strong so they decide to go with the two-way NCAA kid in hopes he can help them out in this department.

19. :nashville - Logan Brown (C) - Wingers, check. Defense, CHECK! Goalie, Rinne - Check. Centers, ehhhh. The one thing Nashville is lacking, and has been for years, is a true 1C. Although Brown is a long way from becoming that, his combo of size and playmaking ability is intriguing to any team this late in the 1st round.

20. :leafs (VIA PIT) - Sam Steel (C) – Toronto has started putting together a nice prospect group of C but center is a position it's best to have really deep. Steel brings offense, defense and leadership with his game and at the 20th pick, he could be a real “steal” for the Leafs.

21. :hawks – Kieffer Bellows (C/RW) - Despite constantly being a competitor for the cup, Chicago has kept quite an impressive and balanced prospect group which puts them into a position to target solely BPA. Bellows is a fantastic scorer (15 goals in 16 games this year) and has the potential to be good fit in Chicago’s top-6 as more of a complimentary offensive piece.

22. :stars – Kale Clague (LD) – Clague has been a great stabilizing force on an impressive Wheat Kings blue line, shutting down his competition. On a Dallas Stars squad that is known for scoring now only with its forwards, but its defense as well, Clague could be a perfect adding a much needed defensive component to an otherwise strong group in Texas.

23. :canes (VIA LAK) – Clayton Keller (C) – They went for offense at #4 and will happily do it again here seeing as they have a great D core led by the likes of top prospects Hanifin and Fleury. The American center is a skilled playmaker that would help Carlolina’s seeming youth movement quite a bit.

24. :wild – Rasmus Asplund (C/LW) – Playing in the SHL at 17/18 won’t give you the best looking stats, but it will prepare you for the top NA leagues much faster. Asplund has all the skills necessary to be a top round pick and after taking a SHL player (Eriksson-Ek) with their 1st round pick last year, Minnesota doesn’t hesitate to go back here again.

25. :coyotes (VIA NYR) – Sean Day (LD) – Obviously Day has fallen off a lot since being granted exceptional status into the OHL a while back but he still has the potential to be a high end player. He’s got size, skills and so late in the 1st the Coyotes, who have loads of young skill up front, would be happy to take a risk on the kid.

26. :habs - Dmitri Sokolov (C) - Sokolov was originally expected to be a top-10 pick but after a slow start to the year he has been surpassed by many. It's still not enough to let Montreal, a team with great looking D and Carey Price, to pass up on such a skilled and high potential player.

27. :ducks – Dillion Dube (C) – In the NHL they have Getzlaf and Kesler leading the way at C. In their prospect group they have the likes of Troy Terry and Michael Sgarbossa. The Ducks are well balanced throughout their whole system, except at C and Dube is a great offensive center who is putting up top numbers in the WHL so far.

28. :caps – Vitali Abramov (LW/RW) – Capitals have had success with their offensive Russians in the past and with Abramov’s ability to rack up points in the Q makes him an intriguing selection at this point. Whether he reaches it is another question but he has high end skill, and if he reaches his ceiling a top future line of Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – Abramov could be a terror to defend.

29. :blues – Libor Hajek (LD) – St. Louis has plenty of offensive oriented defenseman both at the NHL and in their system, including their first selection last year, Vince Dunn. This year, they go for a little more defense oriented guy in Hajek. The big Czech defenseman can shutdown his opponents and is playing a large role in Saskatoon’s top-4 this year.

30. :bolts – Alex DeBrincat (LW) - We all know Tampa isn't afraid to take a gamble on the little guy (Johnson, Point, etc) and it seems to be paying off for them. DeBrincat is on pace to score a crazy amount of goals this year and if he drops even this far, it may be a big mistake by other teams.
 
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LaPlante94

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Apr 12, 2011
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That Pittsburgh pick is the Leafs if the Penguins make the playoffs. I don't know if that changes your selection there.
 

tigervixxxen

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The Avs arent going to draft D in the first round. They have Bigras who is developing nicely, I'm not sure why everyone forgets about him. They desperately need scoring wingers. They typically go F/D with their first two picks.
 

edguy

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Feb 5, 2014
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Wouldn't hate Jost to Ottawa. But personal preference would go to Steel or Brown.
But lets be honest Ottawa always takes the quick riser haha so we wont know who they pick until after the WJC at least.

Good mock though! Like the effort
 
Jul 10, 2003
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The Avs arent going to draft D in the first round. They have Bigras who is developing nicely, I'm not sure why everyone forgets about him. They desperately need scoring wingers. They typically go F/D with their first two picks.

Never a good idea to say a team won't draft a player based on position. We really have no idea who they will deem bpa. Take a look at the comments in previous mocks where fans say my team would never draft said player cuz we're all set at said position.
 

BacklundtoBartschi*

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Puljujarvi is a stud. Would be ecstatic if Calgary got him!
 

landy92mack29

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May 5, 2014
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Not only is Juolevi a reach at 5 but the Avs don't need Defence. They'd take Tkachuk at 5 with an outside chance of Gauthier, Dubois, Mcleod there.
 

MackAttack26

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I think Clague is way too low. By the end of the year I think he'd be an option for Buffalo at 10 if that's where we ended up.

It's early on but in my limited vieweings of him so far the stats kind of reflect what Ive been noticing; really solid defensively but with some work to do offensively. Maybe he will change my mind but I don't see him as a top-15 pick yet and if Buffalo is picking at 10 and selects him I wouldn't be a fan of that honestly.
 

MackAttack26

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The Avs arent going to draft D in the first round. They have Bigras who is developing nicely, I'm not sure why everyone forgets about him. They desperately need scoring wingers. They typically go F/D with their first two picks.

The Avs very well may not draft a D in the 1st round, but lets not act like that's a sure thing. I think LD is a big weakness for them and think Juolevi would be a good way to address that. I love Zadorov but am not confident he will be a true top pairing guy ever and personally I'm just not a big fan of Bigras. I don't see a top pair LD which I think Juoelvi would become. Wingers is clearly also an issue of need for Colorado so I could definitely see them taking that route too but they still have Landy and Rantanen as young, long term top line potential wingers so it's not like they are bone dry there either.

Not only is Juolevi a reach at 5 but the Avs don't need Defence. They'd take Tkachuk at 5 with an outside chance of Gauthier, Dubois, Mcleod there.

As said above I can see the winger argument but I don't buy the "Avs don't need D" argument either. They do, and also IMO Juolevi isn't a reach at all at 5. I have him ranked 6 right now and think he's the 2nd best defenseman in the draft and think we will see that be a more common opinion in a few months from now.

But Avs need wingers badly too, noted. Thanks.
 

tigervixxxen

Optimism=Delusional
Jul 7, 2013
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Never a good idea to say a team won't draft a player based on position. We really have no idea who they will deem bpa. Take a look at the comments in previous mocks where fans say my team would never draft said player cuz we're all set at said position.

Well no I'm certainly not psychic and I understand any number of things can happen on draft day, just trying to say as a fan of the team where their needs and depth issues lie. The perception out there that they are desperate for defense and have a surplus of forward talent just isn't accurate. I understand this is one person's opinion and that's fine. Roy has said they like the second round for defense because the development of good defenseman is more volatile. Plus the higher they pick the more likely that a forward could help right away. If it's ~5 or ~10 I just don't see them passing up any of those high end wingers (unless they can get Chychrun). At pick ~15 or lower I could see a defenseman might catch their eye.
 

OilTastic

Embrace The Hate
Oct 5, 2009
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bang on for the Oilers! i'd be disappointed if the Oilers didn't take Fabbro if he was still there. right shooting, puck moving and talented. exactly what they need.
 

My Cozen Dylan

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Feb 21, 2014
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It's early on but in my limited vieweings of him so far the stats kind of reflect what Ive been noticing; really solid defensively but with some work to do offensively. Maybe he will change my mind but I don't see him as a top-15 pick yet and if Buffalo is picking at 10 and selects him I wouldn't be a fan of that honestly.

It's a good thing he's a defenseman then...
 

MackAttack26

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It's a good thing he's a defenseman then...

Yes, and theres nothing wrong with that. But you cant honestly lead me to believe the offensive capabilities, even of a defenseman, wont affect where they get drafted. Carlo was an example of this last year, and fell to the 2nd round. I guess I just prefer better two-way guys with a top-15 or so pick.
 

My Cozen Dylan

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Yes, and theres nothing wrong with that. But you cant honestly lead me to believe the offensive capabilities, even of a defenseman, wont affect where they get drafted. Carlo was an example of this last year, and fell to the 2nd round. I guess I just prefer better two-way guys with a top-15 or so pick.

I understand that. But you can be a really good defensive defenseman and be drafted high, though I'll admit it doesn't happen often. I'd rather have a guy like Clague than a defenseman who can't play defense (Franson, for example). A defenseman's priority should always be defense. Sadly true stay-at-home guys are not common in the game anymore.
 

MackAttack26

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I understand that. But you can be a really good defensive defenseman and be drafted high, though I'll admit it doesn't happen often. I'd rather have a guy like Clague than a defenseman who can't play defense (Franson, for example). A defenseman's priority should always be defense. Sadly true stay-at-home guys are not common in the game anymore.

Oh of course I'd rather Clague over a guy like Franson :laugh: who produces only offense and no defense. However, I think all 7 D I had going ahead of Clague are all solid defensively as well while also adding the offensive aspect of their game. I see Clague's upside along the like of Methot, a guy who can be a good stable defenseman in a 2/3 role but will never be THE guy. Again, nothing wrong with that but the potential of those listed above wins out for me.
 

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