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APRIL MOCK DRAFT |
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This Mock Draft
was compiled by a 4 person panel. 1. Toronto (from Calgary): Nathan Horton C. Big Canadian. Falls right into the Leafs M.O. 2. Tampa Bay: Marc-Andre Fleury G. The Lightning need help at every position; unfortunately the biggest hole is at the position that is hardest to fill. You cannot get a goalie in this league without having a significant one to give in return. The Lightning could grab one of the potential high scoring forwards, but they will never be successful until something is done in net. Skudra and Tugnutt are hardly even worthy backups. Sebastien Caron, Sebastien Centomo and Maxime Daigneault have potential, but not to be a legitimate #1 like Fleury. Fleury is the best goalie Canada has seen since Roberto Luongo. The team will have to be patient with him, but it is a commitment to fill the team's biggest need. 3. Washington: Nikolai Zherdev RW. With the lack of a true forward prospect and with top notch defensive talent along with Stefan Liv and Bacashihua, Zherdev is exactly what the Caps need. His great year in the Russian Super League suggests he will be ready for NHL action sooner than other similar prospects might be. 4. San Jose (from Minnesota): Eric Staal C. San Jose, like Tampa Bay needs help every where on their roster, they go with the best available player. 5. Ottawa (from Anaheim): Milan Michalek RW. Could have been first overall. Was very good at the World Juniors. He is a safer pick than at least a couple that have gone already. 6. Chicago (from New Jersey): Dustin Brown RW. Hawks have a ton of NHL talent. Brown is a deadly sniper. Ranked the #2 Domestic skater at the mid-term ranking, Brown fits the Bill. 7. Calgary (from Pittsburgh): Thomas Vanek - With the lack of high ranked offensive defensemen (which Calgary lacks) in this year's draft, Calgary should boltster their team with AAA (All-Around Austrian). Really came on in the NCAA. Could be a huge steal at 7th. 8. Edmonton: Zach Parise: Great WJC showing, Parise has good bloodlines, had a strong NCAA year. 9. Detroit: Patrick O'Sullivan C. The Wings are solid in net and on defense, but offense is in short supply. Patrick O'Sullivan is a dangerous pick, but his upside is terrific. He could be a suprise in the NHL draft, but many scouts are also afraid of him. Seems like a Mike Comrie type. 10. Montreal: Braydon Coburn D.The MTL system is allready stacked with promising young Dmen to go along with great trio allready at the NHL level. But the Habs just can not afford to pass on this talent, with some more development he could turn into a huge steal. Komisarek fell to 11th in the UFHL draft a couple years ago because GMs always undervalue the defensemen. The Habs are thrilled to get Coburn at 10. 11. Calgary (from Ottawa): Dion Phaneuf D. With taking sure thing in Vanek, the Flames will now "gamble" in selecting Dion Phaneuf, it will allow the Flames to have another decent two way dman to add to their roster. Phaneuf is a warrior; the kind of guy who fights in all-star games. Great hitter too. 12. Cup Winner: Robert Nilsson. An offensive reward for the Cup winner. Quite a reward! 13. Buffalo: Konstantin Glazachev LW. Not a big guy, but Glazachev is an aggressive sniper who some compare to Igor Grigorenko. 14. Philadelphia: Ryan Getzlaf C. A pure scoring machine is somthing philly can use. He will fit in perfectly with the blend of players drafted in the past and currently playing in Philly. 15. Carolina: Igor Mirnov RW. The Canes are blessed with a decent goaltending future as well as decent defensive prospects, "Mirnov is a solid two-way forward with a consistent scoring touch in his arsenal." 16. Buffalo (from Phoenix): Ryan Suter D. As sure-fire an NHLer as there is in the first round. 17. Anaheim (from Florida): Steve Bernier RW. Has power-forward's makeup and great understanding of the game. Bernier has good hands and creativity and isn't afraid to mix it up along the boards. A complete package. 18. Dallas: Marc-Antoine Pouliot C. Ranked fourth among North American skaters in the CSB mid term rankings, Pouliot has put up points and PIM 19. Washington (from Long Island): Eric Fehr. is a gamble at this pick rated below his Brandon teammate Ryan Stone, however Eric is a large winger who will sit his 6-3 frame and score rebound goals from the ones Zherdev misses. 20. Minnesota (from San Jose): Danny Fritsche. Minny has good prospect depth at all positions, can't pass up on Fritsche this low despite past injury trouble. 21. Toronto: Anthony Stewart: Big Canadian. Fits the mold. 22. Minnesota (from Chicago): Mark Stuart D. A fluid skater with a booming shot and good understanding of the game. Has a large frame and doesn't shy away from contact. A hard worker and plays with intensity. 23. Ottawa (from Colorado): Konstantin Barulin G. Young Forwards, Young Defense, the Senators need a franchise goaltender to solidify the team. Barulin should be able to do that. Konstantin has the tools to go very high in the hockey world. He is a solid hybrid goaltender with a solid mental and physical foundation. 24. Buffalo (from New York): Andrei Kastsitsyn RW. Belarussian impressed many scouts at the World Juniors. Talented winger with good skills and shot, who needs to mature his overall game, improve his strength and shore up his defensive lapses. 25. Vancouver: Hugh Jessiman LW. Everyone knows that Hocking loves the big men. Now he loves the Big Green Men. Jessiman is a giant at 6'5", 202 lbs. The Dartmouth College freshman had 23 goals and 47 points in 34 games for the Big Green (Men). 26. Boston: Jeff Carter C. From Sault Ste. Marie in the OHL, Jeff Carter is a solid centerman who has come on in recent months. He has started to play intense every night and his work ethic has seen a marked improvement. Brings good size (6'3") and solid offensive numbers. 27. Los Angeles: Jiri Drtina D. Considered by many scouts as the best puck handling dman in the draft, the Kings rebuild their team's biggest need a future offensive dman. 28. Washington (from St. Louis): Petr Vrana. |
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