Well, it seems that I have once again bounced on to another endeavor on my journey to being a Sports Journalist. I enjoy writing about sport, it's a huge passion of mine, so I decided to handcraft this site (I use handcraft loosely, Weebly is the real MVP) to allow myself a place to write about whatever my twisted mind desires. I'll try to keep the Oscar Klefbom fan-fiction to a minimal....
Anyways, what better way to break in a brand new blog with a good ol' fashioned mock draft! This is a very interesting draft year to say the least, as it's not as strong as the 2015 class, yet it isn't as weak as others, such as the Yakupov year. This is very much a 'wait and see' type of draft that we will look back on saying either "jeez, what an underrated year" or "jeez, what a year to forget". Either way it goes, I better cash in on pre-draft hype with what will be, in my biased opinion, a pretty intriguing mock draft. This will be the first of 3 parts of my mock draft. So, enough with my nonsensical rambling, let's get right into it:
#1 - Toronto Maple Leafs -- Auston Mathews
Don't ever say I wasn't bold.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will almost certainly take kid outta Scottsdale, Arizona. His talent level is far and ahead of everyone below him and the Leafs will love having this kid lead the way through their ongoing rebuild. Matthews is this years consensus top pick, and the Leafs would be foolish not to take him at #1.
#2 - Winnipeg Jets -- Patrik Laine
The Jets will go with the flashy Finn.
The real winners of this years draft was the Winnipeg Jets. One year removed from an a playoff berth, the Jets came off a disappointing 2015/16 campaign. But, after coming out as big winners at the Draft Lottery, the Jets should be ecstatic to have the chance to take an impact player like Laine. He is the only player that rivals Matthews' skill in this draft and, with no doubt, is the obvious choice at #2.
#3 - Columbus Blue Jackets -- Jesse Pulijijarvi
Out of the headlines lately, but the big Finn has done nothing to lower his stock.
Another big winner of the NHL Draft Lottery was the Columbus Blue Jackets. They are in the market for a center but that will not deter them from taking Pulijiarvi. A big, dynamic winger that projects as a dominant playmaking center, Columbus will happily take JP at #3.
#4 - Edmonton Oilers -- Pierre-Luc Dubois
This is where it gets difficult, but Dubois is the guy.
I had to think about this one hard. I was on the Tkachuk bandwagon for quite sometime, however, Dubois is the perfect fit for Edmonton. A strong two-way power forward that is exceptional in his own end, Dubois can play both center and the wing. Lots of options are available for Edmonton, but Dubois is my guy at #4.
#5 - Vancouver Canucks -- Matthew Tkachuk
Dubois was there guy, so they'll take the next best thing.
Lots has been said about the Canuck's desire to get Dubois but, with the Oilers taking him at 4, the Canucks will take the Memorial Cup hero with Matthew Tkachuk. This is no slight on Tkachuk at all, he and Dubois are almost even in my books. His Brendan Gallagher-esque mix of skill and agitation is something that would make Vancouver a harder team to play against. Tkachuk at #5 for me.
#6 - Calgary Flames -- Alexander Nylander
Calgary will continue to stock up on skilled forwards.
We all know the depth that Calgary has on defence and, because of that reason, the Flames will continue to work on improving up front in their offensive department. Alex Nylander has excellent speed and top notch offensive instincts, and Calgary will love having him and Gaudreau on the same team together. Nylander will be a Flame at #6.
#7 - Arizona Coyotes -- Olli Juolevi
The first defenceman off the board.
The Arizona Coyotes already have one of the best young defenceman in the game with Oliver Ekman-Larsson but, besides him, they are rather thin on D. They will bulk up their defensive prospect pool with a tremendous defenceman in Olli Juolevi. the fact that he plays a well rounded game and can be utilized in all situations makes Juolevi the best D in this years draft and therefore the choice at #7.
#8 - Buffalo Sabres -- Jakob Chychrun
Chychrun drops, but is still a good bet to succeed in Buffalo.
Buffalo already has a defensive gem with Rasmus Ristolainen, so they will continue to stock the shelf on the blue line with Jakob Chychrun. Falling in his draft ranking, this shouldn't deter the Sabres from taking a fantastic blueliner who can easily quarterback a powerplay with a helluva shot. Chychrun is in at #8
#9 - Montreal Canadiens -- Tyson Jost
The BCHL player nabs a top 10 positioning.
Last years epic collapse of the Montreal Canadiens is still fresh in the minds of managements, and they will look to take a guy who can provide energy to a struggling team. Jost has the potential to be a very good complimentary player to guys like Galchenyuk and Gallagher, and it would not surprise me at all if Jost went at #9.
#10 - Colorado Avalanche -- Mikhail Sergachev
The Russian Defenceman has been rising in value.
If the rumours are true, and the Avalanche are openly trying to trade Tyson Barrie, they are about to get very thin on defence. Selecting Mikhail Sergachev would help fill the void a bit. Being described as one of the more NHL-ready, Sergachev is 6 foot 2 and 220lbs. He plays with plenty of poise and confidence, and he would be a smart pick at #1o.
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Thus ends part one of my mock draft!
Part 2 will feature picks 11-20 and I'll get that out sometime this week, maybe next.
Thanks for reading!
Follow me on Twitter @PrestonKixFM
Anyways, what better way to break in a brand new blog with a good ol' fashioned mock draft! This is a very interesting draft year to say the least, as it's not as strong as the 2015 class, yet it isn't as weak as others, such as the Yakupov year. This is very much a 'wait and see' type of draft that we will look back on saying either "jeez, what an underrated year" or "jeez, what a year to forget". Either way it goes, I better cash in on pre-draft hype with what will be, in my biased opinion, a pretty intriguing mock draft. This will be the first of 3 parts of my mock draft. So, enough with my nonsensical rambling, let's get right into it:
#1 - Toronto Maple Leafs -- Auston Mathews
Don't ever say I wasn't bold.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will almost certainly take kid outta Scottsdale, Arizona. His talent level is far and ahead of everyone below him and the Leafs will love having this kid lead the way through their ongoing rebuild. Matthews is this years consensus top pick, and the Leafs would be foolish not to take him at #1.
#2 - Winnipeg Jets -- Patrik Laine
The Jets will go with the flashy Finn.
The real winners of this years draft was the Winnipeg Jets. One year removed from an a playoff berth, the Jets came off a disappointing 2015/16 campaign. But, after coming out as big winners at the Draft Lottery, the Jets should be ecstatic to have the chance to take an impact player like Laine. He is the only player that rivals Matthews' skill in this draft and, with no doubt, is the obvious choice at #2.
#3 - Columbus Blue Jackets -- Jesse Pulijijarvi
Out of the headlines lately, but the big Finn has done nothing to lower his stock.
Another big winner of the NHL Draft Lottery was the Columbus Blue Jackets. They are in the market for a center but that will not deter them from taking Pulijiarvi. A big, dynamic winger that projects as a dominant playmaking center, Columbus will happily take JP at #3.
#4 - Edmonton Oilers -- Pierre-Luc Dubois
This is where it gets difficult, but Dubois is the guy.
I had to think about this one hard. I was on the Tkachuk bandwagon for quite sometime, however, Dubois is the perfect fit for Edmonton. A strong two-way power forward that is exceptional in his own end, Dubois can play both center and the wing. Lots of options are available for Edmonton, but Dubois is my guy at #4.
#5 - Vancouver Canucks -- Matthew Tkachuk
Dubois was there guy, so they'll take the next best thing.
Lots has been said about the Canuck's desire to get Dubois but, with the Oilers taking him at 4, the Canucks will take the Memorial Cup hero with Matthew Tkachuk. This is no slight on Tkachuk at all, he and Dubois are almost even in my books. His Brendan Gallagher-esque mix of skill and agitation is something that would make Vancouver a harder team to play against. Tkachuk at #5 for me.
#6 - Calgary Flames -- Alexander Nylander
Calgary will continue to stock up on skilled forwards.
We all know the depth that Calgary has on defence and, because of that reason, the Flames will continue to work on improving up front in their offensive department. Alex Nylander has excellent speed and top notch offensive instincts, and Calgary will love having him and Gaudreau on the same team together. Nylander will be a Flame at #6.
#7 - Arizona Coyotes -- Olli Juolevi
The first defenceman off the board.
The Arizona Coyotes already have one of the best young defenceman in the game with Oliver Ekman-Larsson but, besides him, they are rather thin on D. They will bulk up their defensive prospect pool with a tremendous defenceman in Olli Juolevi. the fact that he plays a well rounded game and can be utilized in all situations makes Juolevi the best D in this years draft and therefore the choice at #7.
#8 - Buffalo Sabres -- Jakob Chychrun
Chychrun drops, but is still a good bet to succeed in Buffalo.
Buffalo already has a defensive gem with Rasmus Ristolainen, so they will continue to stock the shelf on the blue line with Jakob Chychrun. Falling in his draft ranking, this shouldn't deter the Sabres from taking a fantastic blueliner who can easily quarterback a powerplay with a helluva shot. Chychrun is in at #8
#9 - Montreal Canadiens -- Tyson Jost
The BCHL player nabs a top 10 positioning.
Last years epic collapse of the Montreal Canadiens is still fresh in the minds of managements, and they will look to take a guy who can provide energy to a struggling team. Jost has the potential to be a very good complimentary player to guys like Galchenyuk and Gallagher, and it would not surprise me at all if Jost went at #9.
#10 - Colorado Avalanche -- Mikhail Sergachev
The Russian Defenceman has been rising in value.
If the rumours are true, and the Avalanche are openly trying to trade Tyson Barrie, they are about to get very thin on defence. Selecting Mikhail Sergachev would help fill the void a bit. Being described as one of the more NHL-ready, Sergachev is 6 foot 2 and 220lbs. He plays with plenty of poise and confidence, and he would be a smart pick at #1o.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thus ends part one of my mock draft!
Part 2 will feature picks 11-20 and I'll get that out sometime this week, maybe next.
Thanks for reading!
Follow me on Twitter @PrestonKixFM