NHL Mock Draft: Who Will Go Where?

It’s that time of year again! The NHL Draft is just around the corner, and we all know what that means. That’s right, it’s time to start speculating about who will go where! In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the top prospects and make some predictions about where they’ll end up.

Introduction

The 2019 NHL Entry Draft will be held on June 21–22 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. It will be the first time that Vancouver has hosted the NHL Entry Draft and the second time that the city has hosted the event (after the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft).

This year’s Draft Class is headlined by American center Jack Hughes, who is widely considered to be the top prospect available. Hughes is joined by a number of other highly-touted prospects, including Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko, Canadian defenseman Bowen Byram, and American goalie Spencer Knight.

Who will go where in this year’s draft? Here’s a look at my latest mock draft

1. New Jersey Devils Jack Hughes, C, USA U-18 (NTDP)
2. New York Rangers Kaapo Kakko, RW, TPS (Liiga)
3. Chicago Blackhawks Bowen Byram, D, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
4. Colorado Avalanche Dylan Cozens, C/RW, Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
5. Los Angeles Kings Peyton Krebs, C/LW Kootenay ICE (WHL)
6. Detroit Red Wings Trevor Zegras, C/LW USA U-18 (NTDP)
7. Buffalo Sabres Vasili Podkolzin , RW SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL) Russia 8. Edmonton Oilers Matthew Boldy , LW USA U-18 (NTDP)
9. Anaheim Ducks*: Alex Turcotte , C USA U-18 (NTDP)
10. Vancouver Canucks** : Spencer Knight , G USA U-18 (NTDP)

Top 10 Prospects

NHL scouts have been traveling the world to watch the top prospects play, and they’ve finally reached a consensus on who the top 10 prospects are.

The NHL Draft will be held on June 21st and 22nd, and these are the 10 players who are expected to go in the first round.

1. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Frolunda (SHL)
2. Andrei Svechnikov, RW, Barrie (OHL)
3. Filip Zadina, LW, Halifax (QMJHL)
4. Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, USA U-18 (NTDP)
5. Quinn Hughes, D, USA U-18 (NTDP)
6. Adam Boqvist, D, Brynas (SWE-J20)
7. Evan Bouchard, D, London (OHL)
8. Noah Dobson, D, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)
9. Ty Smith, D, Spokane (WHL)
10. Joe Veleno, C/RW Drummondville (QMJHL)

Sleepers

With the Stanley Cup playoffs in Full Swing all 31 NHL Teams have been eliminated and are now turning their attention to the offseason. The first order of business for all teams is the NHL Entry Draft which will be held on June 22-23 in Vancouver.

As always, there will be a lot of speculation leading up to the draft about who will go where. Here are some potential sleepers who could be taken in the first round:

Mason Millman, D, Saginaw (OHL): A smooth-skating defenseman with good passing ability and hockey sense. Could be a steal if he slips to the second round.

Dylan Coghlan, D, Tri-City (WHL): A physical defenseman with a good shot and decent skating ability. Could go late in the first round or early in the second.

Artemi Knyazev, D, Chicoutimi (QMJHL): A puck-moving defenseman with good vision and offensive instincts. Could be a late first-round pick or early second-rounder.

Potential Busts

There is always a risk when taking any player in the NHL Draft That risk is even greater when taking a player in the first round. While every team hopes they are drafting the next superstar, the reality is that many first-round picks never amount to much in the NHL. In fact, many of them never even make it to the NHL.

So who are some of the players that teams should be wary of taking in this year’s draft? Here are a few potential busts:

name, position, nationality

Andres Charles- Bureau, Center, Canada

Bureau is a big center with good offensive potential. He’s also been known to be lazy and undisciplined on the ice. If he can’t put it all together, he could be a bust.

Grigori Denisenko, Left Wing, Russia

Denisenko has good offensive skills and is a creative playmaker. However, he’s been known to take shifts off and can be lazy at times. If he can’t play more consistent hockey, he could be a bust.

Best Players by Position

There is a lot of talent in the NHL Draft this year, but some positions are stronger than others. Here’s a look at the best players by position.

Forwards:

1. Alexis Lafreniere, Rimouski (QMJHL)
2. Quinton Byfield, Sudbury (OHL)
3. Tim Stutzle, Adler Mannheim (DEL)
4. Cole Perfetti, Saginaw (OHL)
5. Jake Sanderson USA U-18 (NTDP)
6. Anton Lundell, HIFK (Liiga)
7. Marco Rossi, Ottawa (OHL)
8. Yaroslav Askarov, SKA-Neva (VHL)
9 Dylan Holloway, Wisconsin (NCAA)
10 Jack Quinn Ottawa (OHL)

Teams with the Most Needs

The NHL Draft is coming up on June 21-22, and there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding which teams will be picking which players. With that in mind, here is a look at three teams who have the most needs heading into the draft.

The Carolina Hurricanes are in dire need of help on offense, as they ranked 29th in the league in goals scored last season. The Hurricanes have the 11th overall pick in the draft, and they should use it to take the best available forward.

The Nashville Predators also need help on offense, as they ranked 23rd in the league in goals scored last season. The Predators have two first-round picks (Nos. 17 and 30), and they should use them both to take forwards who can help scoring right away.

The Anaheim Ducks are another team that could use some help on offense, as they ranked 22nd in the league in goals scored last season. The Ducks have the 9th overall pick in the draft, and they should use it to take a forward who can make an impact right away.

Teams with the Least Needs

NHL teams are no different than any other business in that they want to draft the best possible talent available to them. That being said, each team also has specific needs that they are looking to address with their draft picks In order to get a better understanding of which teams are in the best position heading into the draft, we have compiled a list of the teams with the least needs.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning The reigning Stanley Cup champions have very few holes to fill on their roster. They will likely use their first-round pick on a defenseman who can help shore up their blue line for years to come.
2. Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche are another team that is built for long-term success. They have a number of young players who are already making an impact at the NHL level and should use their first-round pick to add even more depth to their organization.
3. Vegas Golden Knights The Golden Knights have quickly established themselves as one of the premier teams in the NHL. They don’t have many needs heading into the draft and will likely use their first-round pick on a player who can help them compete for a Stanley Cup in the near future.

Mock Draft

NHL teams will make their picks for the upcoming NHL Draft on June 21-22, 2018. Here is a Mock Draft of who could go where, based on NHL team needs and various mock drafts from around the internet.

1. Buffalo Sabres – Rasmus Dahlin, D, Frolunda (SHL)
2. Carolina Hurricanes – Andrei Svechnikov, RW, Barrie (OHL)
3. Montreal Canadiens – Filip Zadina, LW, Halifax (QMJHL)
4. Ottawa Senators – Quinn Hughes, D, University of Michigan (NCAA)
5. Arizona Coyotes – Noah Dobson, D, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)
6. Detroit Red Wings – Oliver Wahlstrom, RW/C, USA U18 (NTDP)
7. Vancouver Canucks – Adam Boqvist, D, Brynas Jr. (SWE-JR)
8. Chicago Blackhawks – Evan Bouchard, D, London (OHL)
9. New York Rangers – Brady Tkachuk, LW/C Boston University (NCAA)
10. Edmonton Oilers – Jesperi Kotkaniemi C/LW Assat (Liiga)
11. New York Islanders – Ty Smith D Spokane Chiefs (WHL)

Conclusion

We have now come to the end of our NHL Mock Draft We hope you enjoyed reading it and that it gave you a good idea of who might be drafted where in the upcoming NHL Draft As always, there is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the NHL Draft so we encourage you to do your own research and come to your own conclusions about who will be drafted where. Thanks for reading!

FAQs

Q: What is the NHL Mock Draft?
A:The NHL mock draft is a way for us to predict which players will be drafted to which teams. It’s based on our analysis of each team’s needs and the available talent.

Q: When is the NHL Mock Draft?
A:The NHL Mock Draft will take place on June 21, 2018.

Q: Who will be in the NHL Mock Draft?
A:The NHL Mock Draft will include the top 31 prospects for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft