Official HF.net 2018 Mock NHL Draft Order

[FD19372]

With the 10th pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, the Edmonton Oilers select Niklas Nordgren, RW, Lilga, HIFK. 

 

Nordgren had a ton of offensive skill, with a very good wrist shot, and a quick, accurate release. He is also a very good playmaker. Defensively, he The one thing that needs to be worked on in Nordgren's game is good at supporting back pressure against the rush, and does a good job supporting the defense versus the cycle.  The one thing that needs to be worked on is his skating. He is choppy, lack explosiveness and  has to improve his first step and acceleration. 

[yave1964]

8 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

With the 10th pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, the Edmonton Oilers select Niklas Nordgren, RW, Lilga, HIFK.

Wha...wha.??? Not on my radar, so I had to look the kid up.

 

Way out of the box pick, lots of offense and our first controversial draft pick. Lots of talent but several years away. That is okay, Mcdavid is young enough to wait on him.

@hobie you and your Islanders are on the clock for the next two picks.

[FD19372]

10 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

Wha...wha.??? Not on my radar, so I had to look the kid up.

 

Way out of the box pick, lots of offense and our first controversial draft pick. Lots of talent but several years away. That is okay, Mcdavid is young enough to wait on him.

@hobie you and your Islanders are on the clock for the next two picks.

 

Originally, I was going to pick Dobson, but pilldoc beat me to it. Thanks a lot, dude. 

[ruxpin]

23 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

Way out of the box pick, lots of offense and our first controversial draft pick. Lots of talent but several years away. That is okay, Mcdavid is young enough to wait on him.

 

McDavid, starring in "Waiting for Godot."

[CreaseAndAssist]

Nordgren...I think he's more of a 2nd round pick but hey, whatever floats your boat.  

[ruxpin]

29 minutes ago, CreaseAndAssist said:

Nordgren...I think he's more of a 2nd round pick but hey, whatever floats your boat.  

 

Generously, late 2nd round.  Like you said about floating boats, though.

[hobie]

I believe it's 1999, again. That was probably the worst draft ever outside of the first drafts where most prospects were already signed. Anyway 1999 produced the Sedins and Zetterberg so there's hope for all drafts.

 

What's wrong with this draft, well the d-men are for the most part small and this is considered a d-man draft. I can't imagine pretty well any of these d-men being able to handle an Ove or Malkin. The forwards are all light scoring and very difficult to get excited about.

 

For the above reasons Lou Lam is proud to select, with trepidation, Adam Boqvist.

 

He finished 2nd in the Hlinka tourney, among all scorers, with 8 points in 5 games. He's good with the puck and defensively proficient. At 5'11" and 170 lbs he might be one of the bigger d-men available with skill.

 

High IQ, yes

Skating, excellent

 

Of the d-men available Boqvist might be the best d-man after Dahlin however the drop off in talent after Dahlin is very steep.

 

And he's a righty which almost makes him worth his weight in gold. 

[ruxpin]

12 minutes ago, hobie said:

For the above reasons Lou Lam is proud to select, with trepidation, Adam Boqvist.

 

 

Good pick.  I think with one of the two picks, the Islanders have to go defenseman.  And he fell to the Islanders in this case, so win.

 

I'm a little more bullish on this year's draft class than you seem to be, though.

 

Looking forward to #12!!!

 

 

[FD19372]

If we're doing a proper simulation, I have to pick who Chiarelli probably would, don't I?  Hence, my Nordgren pick.

[ruxpin]

4 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

If we're doing a proper simulation, I have to pick who Chiarelli probably would, don't I?  Hence, my Nordgren pick.

 

LOL  Fair enough

[CreaseAndAssist]

48 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

 

Generously, late 2nd round.  Like you said about floating boats, though.

 

(shrugs)  I wouldn't go that far.  I think mid-to late 2nd round is where Nordgren is going to go.  But hey, we've seen this before.  A lot of people thought the Panthers were silly for talking a Borgstrom in the 1st round.  That kid looks like he has a pretty bright future...sometimes you just have to trust your scouts and not worry what the crowd says.  A lot of people felt the Wild reached big time when we drafted right winger Brent Burns.  

[CreaseAndAssist]

41 minutes ago, hobie said:

I believe it's 1999, again. That was probably the worst draft ever outside of the first drafts where most prospects were already signed. Anyway 1999 produced the Sedins and Zetterberg so there's hope for all drafts.

 

What's wrong with this draft, well the d-men are for the most part small and this is considered a d-man draft. I can't imagine pretty well any of these d-men being able to handle an Ove or Malkin. The forwards are all light scoring and very difficult to get excited about.

 

For the above reasons Lou Lam is proud to select, with trepidation, Adam Boqvist.

 

He finished 2nd in the Hlinka tourney, among all scorers, with 8 points in 5 games. He's good with the puck and defensively proficient. At 5'11" and 170 lbs he might be one of the bigger d-men available with skill.

 

High IQ, yes

Skating, excellent

 

Of the d-men available Boqvist might be the best d-man after Dahlin however the drop off in talent after Dahlin is very steep.

 

And he's a righty which almost makes him worth his weight in gold. 

 

Lou Lamiorello would be absolutely THRILLED to draft Boqvist at this point.  

[hobie]

Pick #12, again for the NYI, Isac Lundestrom from Lulea of the SHL.

 

He's competitive, reliable, a 2 way force which makes him a safe choice but safe with upside as he's been playing for the last year in a man's league. He's a center on the 2nd line for his team and got a ton of minutes but like all teenage prospects coming out of Europe his offensive stats are light, 42 gp, 6g, 9a, 15 pts with 14 penalty minutes.

 

He played against his peers in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Michigan, yes there is such a thing, and his 2 way game and offense were very noticeable, reminded some of Lias Andersson who was drafted 7th by the Rangers last year.

 

At 6' and 185 lbs, he has decent size and as a center, well, no team can have enough of them so he's probably the best choice of what's left.

[CreaseAndAssist]

Interesting picks...two Swedes.  

[ruxpin]

@Davey J, you and the Dallas Stars have the podium.

[hobie]

If the Islanders didn't already have problem child Ho-Sang I would've chosen Merkley with their 2nd choice. Merkley is a wizard with the puck but a total black hole defensively with attitude. No organization should have 2 of those types. 

[CreaseAndAssist]

6 minutes ago, hobie said:

If the Islanders didn't already have problem child Ho-Sang I would've chosen Merkley with their 2nd choice. Merkley is a wizard with the puck but a total black hole defensively with attitude. No organization should have 2 of those types. 

 

This is true...I think Merkley has Anthony DeAngelo written all over him...

[Davey J]

With the 13th pick in the 2018 NHL draft, the Dallas Stars are proud to select...from the Oshawa Generals, RW Serron Noel.

 

Dallas might have to wait a few years to reap the benefits of this monster RW, but he will be worth it.  He has raw, untapped ability to become an absolute star power forward in the NHL. His skating has improved greatly this past season.  He is a menace in the corners and in front of the net and an absolute nightmare matchup for defensemen everywhere.  Some will say Dallas should have traded down to acquire Noel's services, but when you know the player you want, you don't take chances and grab him when you can.

 

Rankings

• NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term: 9th
• Future Considerations: 31st
• McKeen’s Hockey: 22nd
• ISS Hockey: 21st
• HockeyProspect.com: 28th

 

[Davey J]

@ruxpin you are on the clock.

[hobie]

6 minutes ago, CreaseAndAssist said:

 

This is true...I think Merkley has Anthony DeAngelo written all over him...

 

DeAngelo is an interesting case, his offense has never been questioned but his hockey IQ defensively especially is definitely lacking. I think he's one of those players who needs the right coach to help him realize his true potential. I think a lot of coaches over coach and try to suppress some player's aptitudes to mold them into their concept of what they want. I really liked what I heard of Gallant who empowered a team comprised of rejects into becoming a superior NHL team. His major tool was positivity and allowing them to fail but expecting them to learn which I don't think would have been possible in a negative environment, screw up and your benched or demoted. 

[hf101]

58 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

If we're doing a proper simulation, I have to pick who Chiarelli probably would, don't I?  Hence, my Nordgren pick.

 

Well a few years ago Boston chose off the board picks with Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, and Zachary-Senyshy.  DeBrusk did quite well this year...

[pilldoc]

3 hours ago, FD19372 said:

With the 10th pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, the Edmonton Oilers select Niklas Nordgren, RW, Lilga, HIFK. 

 

Nordgren had a ton of offensive skill, with a very good wrist shot, and a quick, accurate release. He is also a very good playmaker. Defensively, he The one thing that needs to be worked on in Nordgren's game is good at supporting back pressure against the rush, and does a good job supporting the defense versus the cycle.  The one thing that needs to be worked on is his skating. He is choppy, lack explosiveness and  has to improve his first step and acceleration. 

 

Wow .. never saw this coming.  Like @yave1964 said, I had to look him up also.  Compares to Alex Debrincat.

[pilldoc]

7 minutes ago, hf101 said:

 

Well a few years ago Boston chose off the board picks with Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, and Zachary-Senyshy.  DeBrusk did quite well this year...

 

Yup and that domino effect allowed  the Flyers to trade up and snag Konecny.

[pilldoc]

3 hours ago, FD19372 said:

 

Originally, I was going to pick Dobson, but pilldoc beat me to it. Thanks a lot, dude. 

 

Anytime .. ... I have that knack of snagging picks that others want. 

[ruxpin]

As Ron Hextall strides to the podium, the room notices a special guest in tow.   Upon taking the podium, Hextall begins,

 

"The Philadelphia Flyers would like to thank Dallas for your warm hospitality in hosting this event.  We would also like to take a moment to congratulate the Washington Capitals for winning the 2018 Stanley Cup.  The Russian collusion investigation regarding the Cup will begin shortly.  We would also be remiss if we didn’t congratulate the Vegas Golden Knights on an outstanding and unforgettable inaugural season.  Well done!

 

In honor of the 2018 Suuuuupeeeer  Booowl Champion Philaaaaadelphia Eagles, I’d like to introduce our honorary guest to announce the Flyers' first pick:  Philadelphia Eagles’ starting center and part time Mummer’s Band member, Jason Kelce!"

 

Kelce:  "Thank you, Ron.  It’s awesome to be here to announce the 14^th overall pick for the Philadelphia Flyers.  Here’s to hoping the Flyers can help us make parades on Broad Street a habit!  Before I get to the pick, I’d just like to say one thing in my best Robert De Niro voice: 'F### Dallas!!!!'"

 

[pauses for boos to subside]

 

"With the 14^th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers welcome Vitali Kravtsov to the City of Brotherly Love!"

 

-----

 

Okay, so I went a little off the reservation, but I don’t think I’ve strayed very far.  On the Flyers board I have professed my love for Kupari, whom I still like.  While offensively  gifted, he is currently a liability on the defensive side and someone I don’t think Hextall will go for.  I looked long and hard at Farabee, but with his being committed to playing at Boston University, I kind of want nearer term with a #14 pick.  Other than that, I think picks 12-24ish have players at similar levels and value and with varying flaws, so clear BPA is out the window to me.   The Flyers have slightly more need at LW, which was my interest in Farabee, but it’s not a huge concern.   So, Kravtsov it is.

 

Quote

A big, skilled winger that can play up and down the lineup and provide scoring in a number of roles. He brings grit and physical size, but could be more assertive in throwing his weight around more. Displays excellent speed on the rush and in zone entry, but could backcheck quicker. Plays well in his own end and takes away lanes. Very good hands and awareness. Kravtsov has the potential to develop into a staple top six forward that can produce at the next level. 

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/379749/vitali-kravtsov

 

Quote

 

Kuznetsov-Like Potential

Kravtsov is currently ranked 24th by Hockey Prospect. A six-foot-two, 189-pound forward hailing from Vladivosotok, Russia, he is a skilled winger that can fit anywhere in the lineup and provide scoring in a number of roles. He plays with an edge and has a big body, but could definitely throw his weight around more.

Kravtsov is a very fast skater with the ability to gain zone entries with ease, but he’s not very strong on the back-check – an area in need of improvement. However, he’s good in his own end and is capable of taking away passing lanes. He has quick hands and possesses a lethal wrist shot. Terrific play-making abilities allow him to see time on the power play as well. Simply put, Kravtsov has the potential to become a top-six forward in the NHL.

 

Kravtsov began the 2016-17 season with Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk of the MHL, a Russian junior league. That season, he put up 36 points in 41 games with Belye before being called up to Chelmet Chelyabinsk of the VHL, the minor league in Russia. The VHL is similar to the AHL in North America, as it develops players for the KHL, the top professional league in the country.

With Chelmet, Kravtsov tallied four points in six games, and then was called up to play for Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL. He only played three regular-season games with Traktor and failed to put up a point. However, he dressed for six playoff games and became the youngest player to score in a KHL playoff game at the age of 17, a record held previously by Evgeny Kuznetsov.

 

Playoff Performer

This season, he started with Belye just like the previous year, playing just one game and scoring one goal with two assists. Chelmet brought him up again where he would tally seven points in nine games before being called up once again to Traktor. Kravtsov played 35 games with the big club, where he scored four goals and three assists in mostly a third-line checking role.

 

 

It was in this year’s KHL playoffs where Kravtsov began to grab the attention of NHL scouts. Scoring six goals in his first seven games, he tied Valeri Nichuskin’s record for most playoff goals by an 18-year-old, but it took Nichuskin 25 games to do so. Of his six goals, five came on the power play, and one was an overtime winner. He was named best rookie in the first round of the KHL playoffs.

Kravtsov also had a five-game point streak where he had eight points and thirteen shots on goal during the stretch. Finishing the playoffs with eleven points in sixteen games, he became the all-time playoff points leader by a player under the age of 20 in the KHL. In comparison, Evgeny Kuznetsov had ten points in sixteen playoff games before the age of 20.

 

A Player to Watch

Vitali Kravtsov has earned his spot in the first round and could be drafted in the top-20. After his remarkable KHL playoff run, he has proven to be a player many fans want to watch. I believe Kravtsov is still a couple of years away from making the NHL, and could use more development with Traktor in the KHL. He needs to play more minutes, including more time on the power play and penalty kill to develop his complete game.

 

 

 

https://thehockeywriters.com/vitali-kravtsov-steal-2018-draft/

 

 

 

@yave1964, time is yours.