With the 2019 NHL Entry Draft four weeks away, this will be the first of two mock drafts RotoWire will publish. The second and final one will be posted just a couple days prior to the June 21st proceedings in Vancouver, as will our draft rankings.
1) New Jersey Devils - Jack Hughes (C, US U18-NTDP): While there is legitimate debate in regards to whom New Jersey should select, we have yet to see any indication that the Devils will select anyone other than Hughes. He's been the presumptive first-overall selection for the past couple years and I don't see GM Ray Shero deviating from the plan this late in the game.
2) New York Rangers - Kaapo Kakko (RW, TPS Turku-Finland): This is the easiest decision soon-to-be-named President John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton will ever have to make. Kappo is currently making a mockery of the World Championship in Slovakia and if for some reason the Devils pivot and select the big Finn, the Rangers simply take Hughes. The separation between the two players is virtually non existent.
3) Chicago Blackhawks - Alex Turcotte (C, US U18-NTDP): Turcotte may very well have been a lock for the third-overall selection had he not been banged up for most of the season. He is a terrific two-way player who earns high marks for his work ethic.
4) Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa) - Vasili Podkolzin (RW, SKA St. Petersburg-KHL): Colorado is already one of the better teams in the NHL and
With the 2019 NHL Entry Draft four weeks away, this will be the first of two mock drafts RotoWire will publish. The second and final one will be posted just a couple days prior to the June 21st proceedings in Vancouver, as will our draft rankings.
1) New Jersey Devils - Jack Hughes (C, US U18-NTDP): While there is legitimate debate in regards to whom New Jersey should select, we have yet to see any indication that the Devils will select anyone other than Hughes. He's been the presumptive first-overall selection for the past couple years and I don't see GM Ray Shero deviating from the plan this late in the game.
2) New York Rangers - Kaapo Kakko (RW, TPS Turku-Finland): This is the easiest decision soon-to-be-named President John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton will ever have to make. Kappo is currently making a mockery of the World Championship in Slovakia and if for some reason the Devils pivot and select the big Finn, the Rangers simply take Hughes. The separation between the two players is virtually non existent.
3) Chicago Blackhawks - Alex Turcotte (C, US U18-NTDP): Turcotte may very well have been a lock for the third-overall selection had he not been banged up for most of the season. He is a terrific two-way player who earns high marks for his work ethic.
4) Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa) - Vasili Podkolzin (RW, SKA St. Petersburg-KHL): Colorado is already one of the better teams in the NHL and for that reason and that reason alone they can take this risk. Podkolzin is immensely talented but there are concerns regarding his all-around game and his willingness to come to North America. The Avalanche are the only team in the top 10 who can take this plunge.
5) Los Angeles Kings - Bowen Byram (D, Vancouver-WHL): This is a best-case scenario for the Kings. Drew Doughty isn't getting any younger and it's abundantly clear they need help on the back end. The only issue is Byram could easily be gone by this spot.
6) Detroit Red Wings - Dylan Cozens (C, Lethbridge-WHL): Cozens's consistency needs some work but when he is on his game he projects as a dominant, physical first-line center. The pay off here could be through the roof.
7) Buffalo Sabres - Kirby Dach (C, Saskatoon-WHL): Dach is one of a handful of players who could seemingly go anywhere from third to about tenth. His ultimate role is probably that of an effective second-liner but he displays flashes of high-end skill at times.
8) Edmonton Oilers - Cole Caufield (RW, US U18-NTDP): The most gifted pure goal scorer in the draft, Caufield's lack of size is the only thing keeping him from being a top-five selection. He would fit in perfectly alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
9) Anaheim Ducks - Trevor Zegras (C, US U18-NTDP): Spoiler Alert: Zegras will be ranked a lot higher than ninth when my final draft rankings are posted on the site. He's the best passer in the draft (Hughes included) and can play both center and wing.
10) Vancouver Canucks - Philip Broberg (D, AIK-Sweden): From their NHL club to their AHL club to their prospect pool, the Canucks defensive group needs an overhaul and Broberg is a good place to start. A first-unit tandem of Broberg and the oft-injured Olli Juolevi could give Vancouver the anchors they are so desperately seeking if Juolevi can simply remain healthy.
11) Philadelphia Flyers - Peyton Krebs (C, Kootenay-WHL): Krebs earned some bonus points from scouts for having a respectable season while playing for a lousy, lousy team. He's a talented player who has captained Team Canada internationally. The Flyers have drafted well recently and are in a position to simply take the best available player.
12) Minnesota Wild - Victor Soderstrom (D, Brynas-SHL): Minnesota's 2018 first-round selection (24th overall) Filip Johansson looks like one of the worst picks in the draft just a year later so the Wild may double down and add another Swedish defenseman to the mix. Soderstrom is far steadier than Johansson and thus a much better selection.
13) Florida Panthers - Matthew Boldy (LW, US U18-NTDP): Boldy would be a steal for the Panthers if he fell this far. His ceiling is through the roof, but you simply don't get the same effort level from the Boston College commit on a nightly basis. If he can correct that issue, look out.
14) Arizona Coyotes - Arthur Kaliyev (LW, Hamilton-OHL): Coyotes GM John Chayka is never afraid of making an off-the-board selection, and while Kaliyev certainly wouldn't be defined as such, the fact that he is a one-dimensional goal-scorer makes him a risky pick. Kaliyev scored 51 goals this past season for Hamilton as a 17-year-old and has one of the highest ceilings in the entire draft.
15) Montreal Canadiens - Thomas Harley (D, Mississauga-OHL): Common wisdom would lead you to believe Montreal is zeroing in on a defenseman and Harley has been racing up draft boards over the past several months. He's a big, mobile kid with an underrated offensive skill set.
16) Colorado Avalanche - Alex Newhook (C, Victoria-BCHL): If Colorado does indeed roll the dice on Podkolzin as I have predicted above, selecting Newhook here would give the club two potential top-six forwards added to their prospect pool. Newhook had a massive season but he did so against poor competition in the BCHL. Collegiate hockey next year will be a great test for him.
17) Vegas Golden Knights - Cam York (D, US U18-NTDP): York's game is based upon speed and hockey sense. The vast majority of Vegas' top prospects are forwards (Cody Glass, Nikita Gusev, Ivan Morozov, Lucas Elvenes) and selecting York would give them a potential building block on the back end.
18) Dallas Stars - Ryan Suzuki (C, Barrie-OHL): Had Dallas defeated the Blues in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals, their pick would belong to the Rangers. They certainly wish they were giving the selection up, but Suzuki is a nice consolation prize. He had an inconsistent season for a poor Barrie team, but he's an offensive wizard with the puck.
19) Ottawa Senators (from Columbus) - Moritz Seider (D, Adler Manheim-Germany): Seider gained massive amounts of experience playing for his home country in both the World Juniors and World Championship. He could be a top-four defenseman with just minimal improvements to his game.
20) New York Rangers (from Winnipeg) - Bobby Brink (RW, Sioux City-USHL): Brink is an easy top-15 talent who has been held back by a lack of foot speed. He's all over the ice whenever you watch him play and he has solid puck skills. If he can clean up his skating stride a bit, he could be a star.
21) Pittsburgh Penguins - Ville Heinola (D, Lukko-Finland): It was a productive season for Heinola. He played exceptionally well for Finland at the World Juniors before an injury ended his tournament and he earned more playing time with Lukko as the season progressed. There's a lack of "wow factor" to his game, but his hockey IQ is through the roof.
22) Los Angeles Kings (from Toronto) - Spencer Knight (G, US U18-NTDP): Based on talent alone, Knight should be selected higher than this, but NHL clubs refuse to spend premium picks on goaltenders these days. The Kings, with an aging Jonathan Quick and little behind him in the system, could be the exception.
23) New York Islanders - Philip Tomasino (C, Niagara-OHL): The Islanders's prospect pool is full of big-bodied goal scorers (Oliver Wahlstrom, Kieffer Bellows, Otto Koivula) and Tomasino brings a different element to the table. His game is based upon speed and movement as opposed to size and strength.
24) Nashville Predators - Raphael Lavoie (C, Halifax-QMJHL): Lavoie's range is seemingly anywhere from the later stages of the lottery to the end of the first round. He played better as an underager than he did in his draft season but he had a strong QMJHL playoff.
25) Washington Capitals - Pavel Dorofeyev (LW, Magnitogorsk-MHL/KHL): Washington isn't afraid to roll the dice on talented Russians and Dorofeyev fits that mold. He received limited KHL ice time this past season and remains largely an unknown quantity as the draft approaches.
26) Calgary Flames - Matthew Robertson (D, Edmonton-WHL): Robertson is a massive (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) mobile defender with decent offensive skill that he rarely seems to put to use. He will probably have a long NHL career as a third-pairing guy as is, but he could be a top-three defender if he gains the confidence to join the play offensively a bit more frequently.
27) Tampa Bay Lightning - Tobias Bjornfot (D, Djurgardens-SHL): Bjornfot had a nice season and finished it with a very strong showing for Sweden at the World U18's. He keeps it simple and doesn't try to do too much. He has a high floor and a low ceiling.
28) Anaheim Ducks (from St. Louis) - Lassi Thomson (D, Kelowna-WHL): Anaheim is never afraid to dip into the international market and Thomson, a native Finn who spent this past season playing in the WHL, could be their latest import. Thomson's one-on-one play in his own end needs some work, but there is a lot of ability here.
29) Carolina Hurricanes - Jakob Pelletier (LW, Moncton-QMJHL): Carolina's roster is built around smaller skilled players and that's what Pelletier is all about. He would be an easy mid-first-rounder if he was two inches taller and 20 pounds heavier.
30) Buffalo Sabres (from San Jose) - Brett Leason (C, Prince Albert-WHL): An overage player who wasn't selected in the 2018 draft despite being eligible, Leason is your typical high-risk, high-reward pick. If the strides he made this past season are legitimate, he could develop into a top-six forward in a few years. If not, it's a wasted selection.
31) Boston Bruins - Albin Grewe (RW, Djurgardens-SHL): If you're trying to picture Grewe's game, imagine Brad Marchand minus the top-six offensive ability. Grewe plays his tail off and annoys the heck out of opposing defenders, but finishing doesn't come naturally for the Swede. He's still a useful player and would make for a fine addition to any prospect pool this late in Round 1.
