NHL Draft Preview
This year’s 57th annual NHL draft takes place in beautiful Vancouver, BC, at Rogers Arena, with the first round going on Friday, June 21st, and rounds two through seven on Saturday, June 22nd. Prospects tend to see their stock value rise and fall with each week of play, but this year’s top prospect has been the cream of the crop for quite a while now. The gap has been closing recently though, thanks to the strong play of four or five players behind him. Below, we dig into our top 10 prospects as of today, but there is certainly going to be some more jockeying where two or three, or possibly even more of these players are displaced depending on how their team’s playoffs go – and the Memorial Cup can play a big factor as well, before the top analysts and scouts draw up their final list. We round out the first round of the NHL draft by adding in the other 21 players who have also earned a spot on our list.
1. Jack Hughes – The uber talented 5’10” 170-pound American center has had a sensational season and will be making a large impact in the NHL starting next season no matter where he plays. He plays with the Under-18 U.S. National Development team who have a hybrid schedule of sorts playing games against United States Hockey League competitors, NCAA college teams, and within international tournaments. Some scouts have said that he plays on another planet at times, and while most other players will see their spot change on the rankings – either for the better or worse, Hughes is expected to hear his name called first when the lucky lottery winning NHL team steps up to the microphone. Jack is destined for NHL greatness, and sooner rather than later.
2. Kaapo Kakko – The big, strong, and fast 6’2″, 194-pound winger played a key part in helping Finland win gold at the World Junior Championships and has been a solid player while playing on Turku in Finland’s top hockey league this season. While he’s mostly played the wing, he can also hold his own at center as well, making him an extra valuable talent for this year’s NHL draft. Expect him to go 2nd overall unless the next prospect on our list, Podkolzin, somehow overtakes him.
3. Vasili Podkolzin – The 6’1″, 190-pound Russian winger is an offensive dynamo, playing in the MHL for St. Petersburg. He has a great combination of hockey smarts, goal scoring ability, and is also a crafty playmaker as well.
4. Dylan Cozens – Strong, large, and a powerful center who plays for Lethbridge in the WHL. At 6’3″, and weighing in at 181 pounds, he boasts a superb shot, his skating is fantastic, and is an intelligent player.
5. Kirby Dach – The Saskatoon WHL center is a pass-first type of player, but also handles his own in the goal scoring department as well. He’s a 6’3″, 199 pound beast of a player who has elite skill, especially for his large-sized frame.
6. Matthew Boldy – The USA NTDP winger has a shoot-first mentality, and has excellent speed, skill, decent size at 6’1″ – 187 pounds and continues to grow. He will play for Boston College next season.
7. Bowen Byram – Byram is the top-ranked defenseman in this year’s draft. He plays for Vancouver in the WHL and is 6’1″ – 195 pounds. He loves handling the puck, plays a solid two way game with grit, and relies on his skating and break out passes to create offense. He’s a good power play quarterback who has a better than average shot.
8. Philip Broberg – For teams who are looking for offense from the back-end will highly covet this Swedish defenseman who plays for AIK in Sweden’s second-best hockey league. He’s a 6’3″, 200-pound player who has a fantastic offensive mind and possesses high-end skating skills.
9. Trevor Zegras – Another player who plays with the USA NTDP team – who’s a 6 footer, 166-pound center who prides himself on being a playmaker. He also has experience playing on Hughes’ wing, he plays with emotion, is dangerous in one on one situations, and thrives on the powerplay. He is committed to playing for Boston University next season.
10. Peyton Krebs – Is just a shade under 6 feet tall, and weighs in at 180 pounds while playing center for Kootenay in the WHL. He’s the clear cut best player on his weak team, and must really stand out to scouts when evaluating this franchise and their talent. He has a high hockey IQ, exudes energy, and is more of a playmaker than a scorer, but can still fill the net.
11. Ryan Suzuki – Barrie (OHL), C, 6’0″, 178 lbs – Excellent passer, but one of the smartest OHL prospects in years.
12. Arthur Kaliyev – Hamilton (OHL), RW, 6’1″, 190 lbs – A shoot-first winger who knows how to find the back of the net. Somewhat one-dimensional at times (Read More)
13. Alex Turcotte – USA NTDP (USHL), C, 5’11”, 189 lbs – Exciting to watch, plays at high speed and tempo, plays confident, – ISS Hockey 2017
14. Cam York – USA NTDP (USHL), D, 5’11”, 171 lbs – Smooth-skating defenceman who can make a difference at both ends of the ice (Read More)
15. Raphael Lavoie – Halifax (QMJHL), C, 6’3″, 191 lbs – A puck-possessing machine with speed, size and excellent awareness in the offensive zone. (Read More)
16. Cole Caufield – USA NTDP (USHL), RW, 5’7″, 155 lbs – Size may hold him back, but Caufield’s shot is blistering and can hit anywhere in the net. Few players can shoot has hard and accurate as him. (Read More)
17. Victor Soderstrom – Brynas (SWE J20), D, 5’11”, 179 lbs – Mobile two-way defenceman, a smooth skater that makes good decisions in all three zones.
18. Matthew Robertson – Edmonton (WHL), D, 6’3″, 201 lbs – Named to Hockey Canada’s roster for the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Robertson played a strong role on home ice as Canada won the gold in Edmonton. Interesting prospect, (Read More)
19. Alex Newhook – Victoria (BCHL), C, 5’10”, 195 lbs – Spent two years with the York Simcoe Express, captaining the Minor Midget AAA team in 2016-17, posting 74 points in 33 games and catching the eye of Major Junior scouts – he was selected 41st overall by the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL Entry Draft. Another interesting prospect with upside (Read More)
20. Spencer Knight – USA NTDP (USHL), G, 6’3″, 197 lbs – Solid butterfly goaltender that keeps his movements tight. He’s explosive from side to side.
21. Alex Vlasic – USA NTDP (USHL), 6’5″, 193 lbs – Alex has an interesting story and could be flying under the radar (Read More)
22. Moritz Seider – Mannheim (DEL), D, 6’3″, 183 lbs – Two-way defenseman with great size.
23. Thomas Harley – Mississauga (OHL), D, 6’3″, 188 lbs – Rarely, if ever, pressured into making mistakes, Harley owns incredible composure and boasts the ability to out-wait the forecheck of opposing forwards in order to complete safe and calculated breakouts passes. (Read More)
24. Brett Leason – Prince Albert (WHL), C, 6’4″, 200 lbs – Known more for speed and skill than toughness, but a rising star nonetheless.
25. Ville Heinola – Lukko (SM Liiga), D, 5’11”, 178 lbs – Smart player with good vision and passing skills. However, he isn’t known for his speed, which could hurt him considering his size.
26. Nolan Foote – Kelowna (WHL), LW, 6’3″, 190 lbs – His shot is at an elite level, but may need time to grow and develop his skills.
27. Connor McMichael – London (OHL), C, 5’11” 172 lbs – Excellent vision and hockey IQ allowing him to make the correct play when needed. (Read More)
28. Ryan Johnson – Sioux Falls (USHL), D, 6’0″, 173 lbs –
29. Samuel Poulin – Sherbrooke (QMJHL), RW, 6’1″, 206 lbs
30. Nils Hoglander – Rogle (SHL), LW, 5’9″, 185 lbs
31. Jakob Pelletier – Moncton (QMJHL), LW, 5’9″, 161 lbs
The future of the NHL always relies on its draft for the next generation to come through its doors, and this year is no different. Many analysts believe that after the top 20 or so prospects, that the quality of the players falls off dramatically – this may be why the Toronto Maple Leafs were comfortable in trading their 1st round pick in 2019 in return for Jake Muzzin. Expect more Stanley Cup contending teams to deal their top picks in this draft as well to get the pieces they need to improve their chances of winning a championship. Once the NHL season has wrapped up, everyone turns their focus to the draft, and we are very excited to see how this year’s edition plays out.
