NHL Mock Draft 2016: The First Round
We’re getting closer and closer to the 2016 NHL Draft, so it’s NHL Mock Draft time at Editor In Leaf.
The first three selections are almost set in stone for the 2016 NHL Draft, but starting at four is where it’s going to begin to get interesting.
There are a lot of rumors surrounding picks three, four and five being available – but with a chance for Jarmo Kekkalainen to draft an elite Finnish forward for his Blue Jackets it’s a hard sell.
The Edmonton Oilers should absolutely be willing to trade their pick, but for the right price. They certainly can’t just give the pick away.
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Who knows what the Vancouver Canucks are going to do with Jim Benning in charge. Benning is doing a nice job of diminishing a prospect pool that wasn’t great to start with, but that’s about all he’s doing on the West Coast.
In this two round NHL Mock Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have four selections:
1st
30th
31st
57th
The top needs – outside of the obvious top center they are getting at number one – are defense and goaltending.
This post will focus on the first round of the NHL mock draft, with the second round to come at a later date.
Let’s get started.
Next: NHL Mock Draft Round One: Picks 1-5
NHL Mock Draft Round One 1-5
Here are the selections at 1-5 for the NHL Mock Draft.
Patrik Laine. 2. player. 30. The Jets are the real winners of the lottery, moving up all the way to second and falling into Patrik Laine. The Ovechkin-like Finn is going to be a huge impact player in the NHL for many years.. Left Wing. Tappara (SM-liiga)
Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL). Pierre-Luc Dubois. 4. player. 148. Dubois was the top ranked player after the “big-three” by the end of the season. There’s a reason for that: he’s a beast. Tkachuk gets more press and more popular vote because all Toronto Maple Leafs fans were watching the London Knights run. Make no mistake, after watching several of his games in Q this year, Dubois is one hell of a hockey player.. Center/Wing
104. Tkachuk is a big body player with a lot of talent. He’s probably going to be just as good as his old man, Keith, was in the NHL. Drafting Tkachuk might also save Benning from himself in free agency before he can offer Milan Lucic a 7 year deal.. Left wing. London Knights (OHL). Matthew Tkachuk. 5. player
Next: NHL Mock Draft Round One: 6-10
NHL Mock Draft Round One 6-10
Here are the selections at 6-10 for the NHL Mock Draft.
112. Calgary needs more offense – and not just random players who shoot miles above normal shooting percentage for one season. They need more stable players like Gaudreau and Monahan up front. Nylander fills a massive hole for the Flames.. Right Wing. Mississauga Steel Heads (OHL). Alexander Nylander. 6. player
121. Chychrun is passed by some because of Juolevi’s lengthy playoff run, but he’s still the best defender in this draft. He is the real deal. A great two-way defender that can dominate the puck. The new analytic-led Coyotes could have a monster pairing in a year or two with Chychrun and Ekman-Larsson.. Defence. Sarnia Sting (OHL). Jakob Chychrun. 7. player
Juolevi is a great puck moving defender at the junior level and his stock rose as the London Knights kept playing deep into May. He’s got potential to be the Sabres top possession defender down the road playing a similar style to Erik Karlsson.. Defence. London Knights (OHL). Olli Juolevi. 8. player. 12
Windsor Spitfires (OHL). Logan Brown. 9. player. 152. Losing Carey Price sent the Canadiens season on a predictably horrific path, but they get a nice prize in huge 6’6″ center Logan Brown that will help boost a stagnant offense.. Center
player. 103. With rumors surrounding a Tyson Barrie trade, the Avalanche have to select a defender. Losing Barrie isn’t simply losing a 5-6 defender like Patrick Roy thinks, you’re losing a top four guy. Sergachev is a solid defender with a bright future ahead in the NHL.. Defence. Windsor Spitfires (OHL). Mikhail Sergachev. 10
Next: NHL Mock Draft Round One 11-15
NHL Mock Draft Round One 11-15
Here are the selections at 11-15 for the NHL Mock Draft.
player. 85. The Devils get a top-ten talent, just outside at 11. Jost is going to be a solid top-six player in the National Hockey League and the Devils get a great wingman for Pavel Zacha.. Right Wing. Penticton Vees (BCHL). Tyson Jost. 11
Ottawa gets a big centerman who can take some pressure off of Kyle Turris, and possibly supplant him as the number one guy down the middle for the Ottawa Senators a couple years down the road.. Center. Mississauga Steel Heads (OHL). Michael McLeod. 12. player. 91
Clayton Keller. 13. player. 109. The Hurricanes need help down the middle. Keller gives them a potential future top line center, or a great 1-2 punch with Lindholm if they ever shift him to the middle. This team is on their way back to relevance and Keller will be a big part of that.. Center. NTDP USA Under-18
14. player. 70. The Bruins need more defence. After shipping out Dougie Hamilton and Johnny Boychuk as well as watching the decline of Zdeno Chara rapidly increase, Boston is depleted. They need to re-stock and McAvoy is a good fit. . Defence. Boston University (Hockey East). Charlie McAvoy
Left Wing. London Knights (OHL). Max Jones. 15. player. 98. The Wild have one of the strangest forward groups in the league, and a pretty weak prospect system. Jones gives them potential top-six youth – and some hope for the future.
Next: NHL Mock Draft Round One 16-20
NHL Mock Draft Round One 16-20
Here are the selections at 16-20 for the NHL Mock Draft.
Defence. Penticton Vees (BCHL). Dante Fabbro. 17. player. 151. The Predators could use a defender at 17 after losing a couple system players at the position already. Fabbro helps re-stock a position the Predators were oozing talent at. When Fabbro is NHL ready, Weber will only be a top four by previous reputation.
Julien Gauthier. 18. player. 68. The 6’3″, 225lb, Gauthier fits the Flyers mold. He’s a big, strong winger with a lot of offensive talent. They might just be getting a younger Wayne Simmonds, which is nothing to scoff at.. Right Wing. Val-d'Or (QMJHL)
Kieffer Bellows. 19. player. 106. The Islanders need some more high-end offensive talent in their system. Bellows might end up being even better than 2014 fifth overall pick Michael Dal Colle. He’ll be a very good power forward for the Islanders in a few years.. Left Wing. NTDP USA Under-18
20. player. 121. After getting the top defender in Chychrun, the Coyotes can go back to stocking their already talented forward pool with the New York Rangers first rounder. Rubstov is an interesting prospect who has a lot of skill.. Center. Russia MHL 98. German Rubstov
Next: NHL Mock Draft Round One 21-25
NHL Mock Draft Round One 21-25
Here are the selections at 21-25 for the NHL Mock Draft.
21. player. 109. The Hurricanes add their second forward of the first round in Kunin with the Los Angeles Kings pick. He’s the best player available at this point and the Hurricanes need to continue to work on an offense that was among the worst in the league.. Right Wing. . Luke Kunin
30. After getting the luck of the draw in Patrick Laine, the Jets add another top-notch forward piece in Brett Howden, with Chicago’s pick, a player they’ve likely seen a lot of in the Western Hockey League this year. Howden adds to an already nice future forward pool for Winnipeg that includes Kyle Connor from last year’s draft.. Center. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL). Brett Howden. 22. player
87. The Panthers get a chance to draft a good puck moving defender to start to build their defensive system in the right direction. The Panthers are razor thin on the blueline in their system right now.. Defence. Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL). Dennis Cholowski. 23. player
Riley Tufte. 24. player. 105. The Ducks need to continue to prepare for the end of the Perry-Getzlaf era. Tufte is a great talent near the end of the first round that will give the Ducks offence a boost for a long time. . Left Wing. Blaine High (USHS)
25. player. 119. Stanley is a massive defender that moves the puck well for a player his size. His smart two-way game will help out the Stars blueline in the rough and tumble Western Conference.. Defence. Windsor Spitfires (OHL). Logan Stanley
Next: NHL Mock Draft Round One 26-30
NHL Mock Draft Round One 26-30
Here are the selections at 26-30 for the NHL Mock Draft.
Lucas Johansen. 26. player. 19. Johansen joins a prospect pool for the Capitals that mostly features forwards. The Capitals need Johansen to be a top-four puck moving defender for them down the road before they’re left signing Brooks Orpik to another contract he doesn’t deserve.. Defence. Kelowna Rockets
23. The Lightning may be losing Stamkos, and they are going to have a hard time fitting everyone else under the cap up front with all the talent they have. Getting a talented ELC forward for three years down the road might not be a bad idea.. Center. University of Conneticut (Hockey East). Tage Thompson. 27. player
Left Wing. Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL). Vitali Abramov. 28. player. 99. The St. Louis Blues have some good young players on the roster already, but they also have a lot of aging players. Abramov tore up the QMJHL this year and gives the Blues some offensive punch to go with Fabbri and Schwartz in a few years.
29. player. 70. After grabbing McAvoy earlier, the Bruins pick up a hybrid center/winger in Laberge who plays a two-way game with flashes of Bergeron in him. The Bruins aren’t going to be in a good place down the middle in five years, Laberge alleviates that pressure.. Center/Wing. Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL). Pascal Laberge
Next: Is David Savard An Option From Columbus?
That finishes up the first round of the two round NHL mock draft here at Editor In Leaf. How do you think the draft played out? Check back for the second round of the NHL Mock Draft.