NHL Draft Thread

[defense]

I am an Islanders fan, so you can imagine that I am excited for the draft since we have the 1st overall pick, the 26th overall pick(per San Jose), the 31st overall pick, Toronto's second round pick, Boston's second round pick, our own third round pick, and Pittsburgh third round pick.

Tomorrow I will begin what my mock first round. I'll try to do one pick per day.

The draft will be held June 26th and 27th.

[gosensgo101]

Wow, 6 picks in the first 3 rounds. I'd be pumped too. Any indication that they'll try to trade up or just deal any of them in general.

[defense]

Yeah, and it is said to be one of the most loaded drafts in recent memory.

Well no team is going to state what their plans are in terms of trading at the draft as it would decrease their bargaining power in trades, but we've selected complimentary players, or better known as "depth" or "quantity" players in rounds 2-6 last year. Players such as Aaron Ness(our second round last year) have bottom middle pairing peaks. I am not complaining about it, as we need complimentary players, but now this is the draft to get two cornerstones. We have the first overall to get one corner stone, but we have to trade up to get the second one. So yeah, there is no doubt in my mind we will use the 26th overall, and a couple of our various other selections to get back into the top 15. I could picture a trade with the Buffalo Sabres in which we acquire the 13th overall for the 26th overall, Toronto's second rounder(I believe it is 37th overall), and either Boston's second rounder or our third rounder. I'd love to get a Ryan Ellis or if they fall, a Dmitry Kulikov or Jared Cowen(highly highly highly unlikely Cowen falls to the 10-15 range, though)

[defense]

Mock Draft
1. New York Islanders-John Tavares-foward-6', 199lb-OHL-Despite recent reports from various media outlets that Tavares isn't as talented as fellow OHL forward Matt Duchene, that is simply untrue. Tavares' overall game is ahead of Duchene's, and should be the consensus best forward in the draft. The only player who should be able to challenge Tavares for the top spot is Sweden's Victor Hedman, who is the complete package defenseman. However, Tavares' finisher skill level should make him the first player selected. Contrary to popular media belief that Tavares isn't a two way player, that in fact, is unfounded. He plays defense, at an average to above-average level. Tavares has above average play making ability. With all that said, his best asset are his shots. This kid is just a pure sniper, and can score on any goalie with ease. He is superior to everyone in goal scoring ability, evidenced by him taking the OHL all time scoring title this year. He's averaged well over 50 goals per season in the OHL. I will be very surprised if he isn't in the top 5 in goals every season by his third year in the NHL.
Top Peak: Poor man's Sidney Crosby
Realistic Comparison: Dany Heatley, Mike Bossy
77.78% of poll voters agreed with this mock selection(7 out of 9)



Second pick should be up tommorow

[etothep]

Maybe you could post the team making said pick of the draft? Just a suggestion

[defense]

Edit: On second thought, I will....

[defense]

Time for continuation of the mock draft. Pick 2!

Mock Draft
2. Tampa Bay Lightning-Victor Hedman-defenseman-6'6", 230lb-Sweden MODO- Usually I don't like to make these mock draft based upon team needs, but this one fits perfect. This player is not only the best remaining player in the draft since Tavares was taken, but he also fills the Lightning's biggest need: defense. With Vincent Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos, and Martin St. Louis with first line or franchise potential on their forward list, the blue line rock known as Sweden's Victor Hedman makes complete sense here. Hedman may be one of the best defensemen to be come to the NHL in years. The hype is for real. This kid has it all. He is only 18 years old, but even at this young age, his 6'6", 230lb body frame would make him one of the biggest defensemen in the league. And he even has the potential to grow another inch or two. Logic would say that he is too big to be mobile and fast, but that is so far from the truth. In fact, his skating and mobility are phenomenal, and is one of the fastest defensemen in the draft. He has great vision, and play making ability, and an above-average shot, making him a no question power play quarter back for the Lightning in the future. He doesn't get beat on the defensive end much, due to his sound defensive positioning. Hedman has 21 points in this season for his club in the MODO hockey league. Unlike other hyped draftees like John Tavares and Matt Duchene, Victor Hedman succeeds in a men's league in Sweden, while the previous two play in a youth league in Canada. Although it is unclear if he will play next year in the Swedish league, or transfer over to the NHL right away, this kid should go number two at latest. All in all, he is a rock on the blue line, and should be the next generational defenseman to hit the league
Top Peak: Chris Pronger plus, Zdeno Chara plus
Realistic Comparison: Chris Pronger, Zdeno Chara
85.71% of poll voters agreed with this mock selection(6 out of 7)

Vote here: http://www.sportsmogul.com/vbulletin...d.php?t=194997

[defense]

Pick 3!

Mock Draft
3. Colorado Avalanche-Matt Duchene-forward-5'10", 190lb-OHL-Similar to the selection above, this one also seems to be a match made in heaven. The Avalanche need needs in all three areas: offense, defense, and goaltending, and Duchene helps in the first two areas. But what makes this a perfect match is not that Duchene is one level above the rest of the available competition, but that he grew up as an Avalanche fan! Duchene is one of the fastest, if not the fastest, forwards in the draft. He has an excellent pair of wheels. He is a very smart hockey player, and utilizes those smarts along with his skills to be a force on the ice. Matt is only second to the aforementioned John Tavares in shot ability and shot release rate. Although his 61 goals in approximately 120 OHL regular season games might seem unimpressive to some, he has demonstrated his shooting talents in the OHL playoffs, scoring 13 goals in 19 games. He is an above-average checker, and plays defense pretty well. His passing does leave a little to be desired, but he is miles ahead of where he once was in passing, and should continue to develop it to an average to above-average attribute. And scouts aren't fond of his size. But those two negatives shouldn't drop this character, talented 18 year old from the third spot.
Top Peak: Zach Parise
Realistic Comparison: Mike Modano, Paul Kariya, Simon Gagne
http://www.sportsmogul.com/vbulletin...d.php?t=195049

[defense]

Notice

From now on, with some draft picks that I feel may be traded, I will post a "possible trades" list. That will indicate that I think that the pick may be traded, and will also indicate the potential interested teams. I didn't do that for the first three because...well...I don't think they will be traded. Let's see how close I can get to what actually happens!