2019 HF.net NHL Mock Draft and Discussion

[ruxpin]

2 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

I wanted to get @JR Ewing another D man to pair with Bouchard for the future but @hf101 stole him (Bowen Byram).

 

I was actually wondering if you were going for Byram or Broberg (or either).   Yeah, probably defense, but with both gone I think defense was a stretch at 8.  Boldy is really a good kid, I think.  I don't know enough about Zegras.

[Hale]

The Anaheim Ducks would like to thank Hockey Forums for hosting this year’s Fantasy draft and would like to announce a trade of the 9th overall pick to the Detroit Red wings for star winger Justin Abdelkader and top line defensive man Jonathan Ericcson … oh hold on … being told by HF101 to knock it off and make my pick….

 

The Anaheim Ducks are proud to select from the US National Development Team, From Bedford, NY, Trevor Zegras. At 6’ / 175lbs, Zegras deft passing, speed and sandpaper game will immediately place him as one of the top prospects in a deep Anaheim system as they are undergoing a transition from hulking pricks (sorry) prickly forwards to one of speedy skilled pricks. Zegras is your prototypical Anaheim Duck, he’ll get in the mix and get under your skin.

 

I joke but I absolutely love Zegras and at 9 he’s an absolute steal.

 

 

Slick playmaking center with exceptional hockey sense who last year took over the NTDP’s top line after Jack Hughes and Alex Turcotte were promoted, and spent a good chunk of this season as a left wing. Zegras, who is committed to Boston University, is very dangerous with the puck and appears quite comfortable handling the responsibilities inherent in leading a talented squad’s offense. He is both crafty and fancy with the puck, and his passes almost always are on the tape with authority. Zegras’s pass accuracy remains consistent anywhere on the ice and he’s just as dangerous threading the needle while manning the half wall as he is in open ice. His ability to stickhandle while keeping his head up allows him to be the first to identify trailers or back-door cutters, and Zegras will use no-look centering passes on the power play to exploit an open passing lane. He’s also capable of tricking goalies with a hard, accurate shot that he can tuck under the bar from bad angles.

Zegras plays engaged with or without the puck and stays in motion in all three zones. He locks in on the puck regardless of where it is or whether or not he’s in control. Once he’s corralled it, Zegras can use a variety of stutter steps, gear changes or pirouettes to motor past, around or through traffic. His agility is outstanding, and he always seems to make the right reads when anticipating puck travel. Zegras is a strong, agile skater with very good straight-line speed who can stay low to the ice and maintain his elite balance as he zips through the neutral zone into opposing territory. His zone entries are surgical and designed to create time and space while maintaining possession. He is very good on faceoffs and will play physical along the boards. Zegras also has a mean streak and will get involved in scrums after the whistle

 

Steve Kournianos

 

 

The Vancouver Canucks and @bbgarnett you're up next.

[bbgarnett]

Very tough decision here as the Canucks needed Boldy a LW and anything other LW seems like a stretch. Well in all actuality the Canucks need just about everything. So with the 10th pick the Canucks are proud to select

 

RW Vasili Podkolzin a.k.a. "Vasily Podkolzin

 

He's a tplayer who can make a difference in every game he plays. Smart, powerful and feisty, he earned the trust of world junior coach Valery Bragin in Vancouver and that should not be taken lightly. This kid is going to be a fan favorite when he comes over in a couple of years. So yes he's not coming over right away but he's worth the wait. 

Dynamic up and winger who can make a difference in every game he plays with his and ability to play a power game, get in tight, barreling through opponents to make plays. Lines up at the half wall from the right side and uses his left shot to fire blasts on the PP. Smart and always in motion, looking to have the puck returned to his possession. He captained the Russian Hlinka Tourney team by example. In the Bronze metal game, while on the PK, he worked the wall in his end to unearth a puck which he quickly got up ice giving his teammate a breakaway. His teammates attempt was stopped and as the USA team tried to exit their defensive end, he meets the exiting US player with contact, and the puck rolls to his teammate at the red line who advances it to him. he enters the zone near the left wall and as the US defender closes, he spins back around and fires a backhand pass to his teammate who got another chance. Always working, and has such quick hands and head. I chuckle at the various scribe's concerns about his "hunched over skating stride, kicking heels out; the same concerns were articulated to me about Mike Gartner in the 1979 draft, who was passed on by Colorado, St. Louis and Detroit and available to the Washington Capitals in slot four...it didn't stop him from scoring 40 plus goals in eight seasons for a total of 708 goals/ 1335 points. 
The year the Blues stole Tarasenko 16th overall, I commented in my mock (where I had Tarasenko "a gift dropping to slot ten", due to the "Russian factor") how this was a top five guy. I am going to go out on the line right now and say this kid is the best up and down winger in the class, and everyone should start praying their team doesn't pass him by, because he is the real deal, from Russia with love. 


--Bill Placzek--

 

 

He’s a complete winger with all the qualities that you want in a player, Craig Button - TSN 2018

 

 

Very strong on the puck.. plays the hard way.. fierce but disciplined.. sound puck management.. possesses an effective move to his forehand, Draftin Europe 2018

 

@BobbyClarkeFan16 is up next. 

 

On a side note in real life if the Canucks don't get Boldy they should trade Virtanen for some LW help. 

 

Edited June 10, 2019 by bbgarnett

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

This was a tough decision for the Flyers. The forward depth is very good and the defense has some very good depth as well. It came down to who the best player available was and that was the direction the Flyers took. The Philadelphia Flyers are proud to select from Brynas of the Swedish Elite League, defenseman Victor Soderstrom.

 

After going forward the past few drafts, the Flyers decided to go with rebuilding the blueline pipeline and are very happy to select a potential number one defenseman in Soderstrom. At the combine, it should be noted that Soderstrom actually measured in at 6 feet and weighing 182 pounds, so there's one more growth spurt that should put Soderstrom to the 6'1, 6'2 mark. Add in the physical and mental ability and he might just end up being the best defenseman of this draft. Some of the scouting reports include:

 

Cam Robinson - Dobber ProspectsMay 15th: "A puck-moving and fast-paced blueliner who loves to create offence. Enjoys controlling the pace of play. Quick outlets, sharp edges and nice vision. Could use more power on his shot."

 

Sam Cosentino - SportsNetMay 8th: "Top-notched skating ability is the basis for a solid two-way game. Played big minutes in 44 SHL games this season."

 

Chris Peters - ESPNMay 6th: "A mature defender who skates well and plays a solid two-way game despite average size, Soderstrom impacts the game in simple, subtle ways while making his team better when he is on the ice."

 

Hannah Stuart - theScoreMay 1st: "His elite skating allows him to pivot quickly and transition from offense to defense - crucial in today's NHL. His vision and puck skills are also high end."

 

Sam Conentino - SportsNet

This was a tough decision for the Flyers. The forward depth is very good and the defense has some very good depth as well. It came down to who the best player available was and that was the direction the Flyers took. The Philadelphia Flyers are proud to select from Brynas of the Swedish Elite League, defenseman Victor Soderstrom.

After going forward the past few drafts, the Flyers decided to go with rebuilding the blueline pipeline and are very happy to select Soderstrom. At the combine, it should be noted that Soderstrom actually measured in at 6 feet and weighing 182 pounds, so there's one more growth spurt that should put Soderstrom to the 6'1, 6'2 mark. Add in the physical and mental ability and he might just end up being the best defenseman of this draft. Some of the scouting reports include:

 

Cam Robinson - Dobber Prospects: "A puck-moving and fast-paced blueliner who loves to create offence. Enjoys controlling the pace of play. Quick outlets, sharp edges and nice vision. Could use more power on his shot."

 

Sam Cosentino - SportsNet: "Top-notched skating ability is the basis for a solid two-way game. Played big minutes in 44 SHL games this season."

 

Chris Peters - ESPN: "A mature defender who skates well and plays a solid two-way game despite average size, Soderstrom impacts the game in simple, subtle ways while making his team better when he is on the ice."

 

Hannah Stuart - theScore: "His elite skating allows him to pivot quickly and transition from offense to defense - crucial in today's NHL. His vision and puck skills are also high end."

 

Sam Conentino - SportsNet: "A hybrid of Adam Boqvist and Nils Lundqvist from last year’s first round."

 

This is going to be the eventual right side defender that will play with Provorov and will play 28 to 30 minutes a night. His maturity is beyond his years. In a game earlier this year, coach Magnus Sundquist said “I forgot which game it was, but he came into the room during an intermission and told everyone, ‘Guys, this is how we will run the power play,’ and started to draw up plays.”

 

This is going to be the eventual right side defender that will play with Provorov and will play 28 to 30 minutes a night.

 

 

 

@CreaseAndAssist you're up

Edited June 10, 2019 by BobbyClarkeFan16

[OccamsRazor]

25 minutes ago, BobbyClarkeFan16 said:

Flyers decided to go with rebuilding the blueline pipeline and are very happy to select a potential number one defenseman in Soderstrom.

 

Nice pick. 

 

It is time to restock and I think he will be given the time to fill out and work on his game.

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

1 minute ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Nice pick. 

 

It is time to restock and I think he will be given the time to fill out and work on his game.

I was iffy on Soderstrom at first, but he's really grown on me. One of the things that caught my attention was how calm and composed he is. You can just see how smart he is. And then the skating, wow. I know this will drive people insane, but his skating is Rasmus Dahlin good. I have no doubt in my mind that if he were 6'2, 6'3 he'd easily be top 5. This is a really good defenseman. Like Provorov good. 

[bbgarnett]

Yeah I was torn between Soderstrom and Podkolzin at #10 but went with the more offensive player. 

[OccamsRazor]

7 hours ago, BobbyClarkeFan16 said:

I have no doubt in my mind that if he were 6'2, 6'3 he'd easily be top 5.

 

I agree.

 

He still has time to get there i had my last growth spurts put on about 15 pounds of muscle when i was about 18 1/2 to when i turned 20.

 

Maybe he has a Carson Wentz growth spurt.

 

It is how he ended up at North Dakota State...he enrolled as a freshman at 5-8 by the time his junior year rolled around he was 6-5. But it won't truly matter if the Flyers don't land him.

 

Something in my gut tells me they might trade the pick.

[CreaseAndAssist]

With the 12th Selection in the 2019 HF Mock Draft, the Minnesota Wild are proud to select from the Kootenay (now Winnipeg) Ice of the Western Hockey League, Peyton Krebs!  

 

We are well aware of Peyton's recent Achilles injury and our medical team over at TRIA (the Wild's official orthopedic clinic) is confident he'll make a full recovery and will make every resource available to help him do so.  We like the fact he still produced despite having no help around him which will make him a perfect fit for the dysfunctional and aging Minnesota Wild squad.  

 

“He’s the heart and soul guy of this draft class. I think he's going to go high and some people will think it’s a bad pick and then he's going to prove that he was worthy of going as high as he did.” - He has nothing with him on that team.” - NHL Scout, January 2019

 

“I like Krebs, he works his ass off. He’s my next guy after Byram from out west.” - NHL Scout, March 2019

 

A two-way center who has has a tremendous work ethic and a high skill level to match it.  Future Top 6 player for the Wild for years to come.  Compared to Matt Barzal by the Hockey News Draft Issue.  

 

 

Edited June 10, 2019 by CreaseAndAssist

[pilldoc]

2 minutes ago, CreaseAndAssist said:

With the 12th Selection in the 2019 HF Mock Draft, the Minnesota Wild are proud to select from the Kootenay (now Winnipeg) Ice of the Western Hockey League, Peyton Krebs!  

 

We are well aware of Peyton's recent Achilles injury and our medical team over at TRIA (the Wild's official orthopedic clinic) is confident he'll make a full recovery and will make every resource available to help him do so.  We like the fact he still produced despite having no help around him which will make him a perfect fit for the dysfunctional and aging Minnesota Wild squad.  

 

“He’s the heart and soul guy of this draft class. I think he's going to go high and some people will think it’s a bad pick and then he's going to prove that he was worthy of going as high as he did.” - He has nothing with him on that team.” - NHL Scout, January 2019

 

“I like Krebs, he works his ass off. He’s my next guy after Byram from out west.” - NHL Scout, March 2019

 

A two-way center who has has a tremendous work ethic and a high skill level to match it.  Future Top 6 player for the Wild for years to come.  Compared to Matt Barzal by the Hockey News Draft Issue.  

 

 

 

Great pick ..... however, in real life, I wonder how his injury affects his draft status.  What a shame.  I did read that his Achilles tendon was just cut and not fully severed and that he is expected to make a full recovery. Regardless, it is a significant injury.

[hf101]

Next up is @FD19372 with the Florida Panthers pick. 

[yave1964]

14 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

I wanted to get @JR Ewing another D man to pair with Bouchard for the future but @hf101 stole him (Bowen Byram).

 

I thought he might fall but after leading the CHL in the playoffs his draft year i kind of knew he wouldn't slide.

 

As much as I love the tape on Cozens and was thrilled to draft him for the Wings in this mock, if Byram had fallen to six, no way no how would I have passed on him, and I truly think he is the guy the Wings are targeting. anyone who is drafting from seven on who wants him would have to trade up. Defense is a meh area of this draft and IMHO Byram is clearly the head of the class by a considerable amount. In real life I wouldnt be surprised if Colorado trades out of four to a team wanting to move up and nab him. 

[FD19372]

With the 13th pick in the 2019 NHL Mock Draft, The Florida Panthers proudly select Cam York from the University of Michigan, defenseman. Calm defender, two-way player, puck moving defenseman who has a high hockey sense. The one thing he needs to work on is finding a way to get his shots on the net.

 

Edited June 10, 2019 by FD19372

[OccamsRazor]

2 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Defense is a meh area of this draft and IMHO Byram is clearly the head of the class by a considerable amount.

 

Yep and when is the last time a defenseman has lead the league in scoring during the playoffs his draft year?

 

 

Edited June 10, 2019 by OccamsRazor

[hf101]

Next up is @AJgoal with the pick for the Arizona Coyotes. 

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

2 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Defense is a meh area of this draft and IMHO Byram is clearly the head of the class by a considerable amount. In real life I wouldnt be surprised if Colorado trades out of four to a team wanting to move up and nab him. 

 

I don't think defense is a meh area of this draft as much as the forward depth in this draft is greater than the defense depth. There's potentially five top pairing defensemen in the first round and a high number of quality second pairing throughout. 

[AJgoal]

Sorry folks, I know I was on the clock but I've barely been able to look at anything. I will try to get Arizona's pick up by midnight.

[pilldoc]

35 minutes ago, AJgoal said:

Sorry folks, I know I was on the clock but I've barely been able to look at anything. I will try to get Arizona's pick up by midnight.

 

No worries ... all is good.

[ruxpin]

9 hours ago, CreaseAndAssist said:

With the 12th Selection in the 2019 HF Mock Draft, the Minnesota Wild are proud to select from the Kootenay (now Winnipeg) Ice of the Western Hockey League, Peyton Krebs! 

 

That's a great pick at #12.   The ACL thing aside, if he's there at 12 in the NHL draft you have to be ecstatic, right?   Gotta hope Fenton is as smart with his pick.   Really good player.

[CreaseAndAssist]

1 hour ago, ruxpin said:

 

That's a great pick at #12.   The ACL thing aside, if he's there at 12 in the NHL draft you have to be ecstatic, right?   Gotta hope Fenton is as smart with his pick.   Really good player.

 

Hope and Fenton do not compute.  We only hope he doesn't F%ck it up as bad as he did last year.  

[ruxpin]

27 minutes ago, CreaseAndAssist said:

 

Hope and Fenton do not compute.  We only hope he doesn't F%ck it up as bad as he did last year.  

 

No offense.  I'm hesitant to say this to a fan of another team (it's one thing to say it about your own team; it's another when someone else says it), but I was completely dumbfounded by that pick last year.

 

If it's any consolation, it pales in comparison to the NY Giants' #6 pick this year.

[CreaseAndAssist]

29 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

 

No offense.  I'm hesitant to say this to a fan of another team (it's one thing to say it about your own team; it's another when someone else says it), but I was completely dumbfounded by that pick last year.

 

If it's any consolation, it pales in comparison to the NY Giants' #6 pick this year.

 

Zero offense taken.  The only that should be offended is Fenton, for being so obtuse to make the pick.  It was initially kind of indicated that Brett Flahr made the pick, but just recently...we found out it was mostly Fenton.  But the fact we guess he floated that story to cast away blame from his horrific selection tells you all you need to know.  

 

Fenton thinks he's the smartest guy in the room.  Now his son is running the draft table.  Trust me, all of the Wild draft junkies were irate that he made such an irresponsible 1st round pick.  The sad part is in retrospect, it embarrassed the hell out of the kid that got drafted because he didn't come even remotely close to showing any promise and it only heaped a ton of pressure on him to deliver what he probably couldn't in the first place.  The kid he drafted even said he felt the pressure to deliver because it was such an unexpected selection and he had a rancid year in Sweden's 2nd tier league.  

[ruxpin]

7 minutes ago, CreaseAndAssist said:

 

Zero offense taken.  The only that should be offended is Fenton, for being so obtuse to make the pick.  It was initially kind of indicated that Brett Flahr made the pick, but just recently...we found out it was mostly Fenton.  But the fact we guess he floated that story to cast away blame from his horrific selection tells you all you need to know.  

 

Fenton thinks he's the smartest guy in the room.  Now his son is running the draft table.  Trust me, all of the Wild draft junkies were irate that he made such an irresponsible 1st round pick.  The sad part is in retrospect, it embarrassed the hell out of the kid that got drafted because he didn't come even remotely close to showing any promise and it only heaped a ton of pressure on him to deliver what he probably couldn't in the first place.  The kid he drafted even said he felt the pressure to deliver because it was such an unexpected selection and he had a rancid year in Sweden's 2nd tier league.  

The part about the kid really is a shame.  I'm ashamed to say I never really thought about it from that angle, but you gotta feel for the kid. 

[OccamsRazor]

3 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

That's a great pick at #12.   The ACL thing aside, if he's there at 12 in the NHL draft you have to be ecstatic, right?   Gotta hope Fenton is as smart with his pick.   Really good player.

 

It was a partial Achilles tear not ACL.

 

So nowhere as bad as a complete rupture.

[ruxpin]

38 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

It was a partial Achilles tear not ACL.

 

So nowhere as bad as a complete rupture.

Yeah, Achilles.  I knew that, but good catch!