16.
Ottawa John McFarland (LW). McFarland has offensive talent similar to Hall and Seguin but other factors drop him in the rankings and even this spot is probably a bit high for the enigmatic winger. He was the top pick in the OHL at the 2008 Draft but attitude problems have affected his career with Sudbury. Still, some team is going to take a chance with the future power forward and hopefully be rewarded.
17.
Colorado Alexander Burmistrov (C). A terrific skater and very good playmaker, the Russian made a smart move as far as an NHL career is concerned when he came to the OHL last season and scored 22 goals and 65 points with Barrie. Burmistrov may be wooed by the KHL and that could drop his stock as far as the draft is concerned, but he definitely is a top-15 talent in this draft.
18.
Nashville Austin Watson (LW). Watson is a very good two-way player. His stock rose when he was traded from Windsor to Peterborough as he had an opportunity to show his offensive skill, something that he had trouble with in Windsor as they had such an outstanding team, winning the Memorial Cup. He managed 20 points in his last ten games with the Petes, giving him 20 goals and 54 points in 52 games last season.
19.
Los Angeles Beau Bennett (RW). The Kings are getting a native Californian who went to the BCJHL to play for Penticton this season. Bennett is a project physically, along the lines of fellow BCJHL grad
Kyle Turris and playing college hockey will allow him to mature physically. He has terrific offensive skills and should be a top-six forward when he finally cracks an NHL lineup.
20.
Pittsburgh Riley Sheahan (C). Sheahan played for Notre Dame last season as a seventeen-year old. He acquitted himself quite well as there were players as old as 23 in college hockey. The playmaking center could eventually be a captain in the NHL, but likely not in Pittsburgh as they have some guy named Crosby.
21.
Detroit Jarred Tinordi (D) The son of Mark who played for the Rangers, North Stars and Capitals in a 12-year NHL career, Tinordi is a six-foot, six-inch behemoth on the blueline. He is a defensive defenseman but has improving offensive skills. Will be a solid NHL player but not a fantasy asset offensively.
22.
Phoenix Jaden Schwartz (C). An outstanding offensive prospect, Schwartz is a bit on the small side at five-foot, ten inches, which makes it harder for him to be drafted higher. A very smart hockey player with excellent playmaking skills, Schwartz should be a first or second line center when he finally makes the NHL in four-five years.
23.
Buffalo Marek Pysyk (D) Pysyk was hampered by playing for an expansion team the last two years in Edmonton, so he had a hard time showing off all of his assets. He will eventually be a solid defenseman with some nice offensive skills. He is a bit slight at this time as he is only 175 pounds but look for him to add some bulk in the next couple of seasons.
24.
Atlanta (via New Jersey) Derek Forbort. Should he have a good camp, Forbort is the one player who could crack an NHL lineup despite being drafted this late in the first round. He is physically ready at six-feet, five inches and 200 pounds. He lacks offensive skills to become a great player but his physical strength will make him a top-four defenseman in the NHL.
25.
Vancouver Jonathon Merrill (D). Merrill is an offensively talented defenseman. He has a good shot from the point and his puck handling and skating abilities are above average. He needs to improve defensively and will attend the University of Michigan next season.
26.
Washington Alexandre Petrovic (D). A solid all-around defenseman, Petrovic will spend a couple of more seasons with Red Deer of the WHL and then play a couple of seasons in the minors before he makes his NHL debut. He can play well at both ends of the rink and will be a solid top-four defenseman in his prime.
27.
Montreal Nick Bjugstad (C) Won Minnesota's Mr. Hockey award as the top high school player. Bjudstad is a good skater and playmaker and will likely be a very good third center because of his six-foot, four inch frame. He should be able to add 30-40 pounds eventually to the 190 he already weighs.
28.
San Jose Calvin Pickard (G). Brother of Nashville prospect Chet, Pickard should be chosen by the Sharks who definitely need a top goaltending prospect with
Evgeni Nabokov getting older. Is the second ranked goalie in the draft behind Jack Campbell.
29.
Anaheim (via Philadelphia) Ludvig Rensfeldt (LW). An inconsistent player at this stage of his career, Rensfeldt can be a top-six NHL forward who can average a point a game, or he could bomb out completely. Has a good shot and can play a tough hard game. The native of Sweden had 21 goals and 50 points in 39 games for Brynas Jr. of the Swedish League.
30.
Chicago Evgeni Kuznetsov (C). A terrific talent, Kuznetsov has amazing skills in handling the puck and scoring. His draft slot will be hurt by the fact that there is no agreement between the NHL and the Russians, otherwise he is a top-15 talent.
Other players who could jump into the first round are: Charlie Coyle (C), Tyler Pitlick (C), Brock Nelson (C), Tyler Toffoli (RW) Quinton Howden (C).
The NHL Entry Draft takes place on Friday June 25. The big question seems to be who will go first,
Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin. Personally I think that there is no doubt as to who will go first.
The best overall guide to the Draft has to be McKeen's. If you get a chance, buy it as their coverage is outstanding and in depth as far as their top 90 players are concerned.
Rotoworld will have a live chat starting at 7:00 ET on Friday for the Draft as well as up to the minute coverage on the first round. Please join us.
I'm wearing a mock turtle neck in honor of this mock draft.
1.
Edmonton: Taylor Hall (LW). I personally think that it is no contest and barring injury, we shall see that the sniper is the best pick five years from now. He is a natural goal scorer with a knack for big goals. He'll fit in nicely with the Oilers.
2.
Boston: (via Toronto) Tyler Seguin(C). Do not be surprised if the Bruins trade down as they really want Hall. If they do not get him, someone will jump up to take Seguin. Seguin is a playmaking center who was forced to shoot more often with the Whalers due to a lack of talent around him. He is a bit soft but has outstanding offensive skills.
3.
Florida: Erik Gudbranson (D). Florida is another team that is fielding a lot of calls to trade their pick. If they hold onto it, Gudbranson will more than replace
Jay Bouwmeester who they dealt to Calgary last off-season. Gudbranson is skillful both offensively and defensively and has the size to be a top defenseman.
4.
Columbus Brandon Gormley (D). Columbus is looking for a defenseman to quarterback the power play. While he does not have a tremendous shot, his offensive prowess is what the Blue Jackets are lacking at this time.
5.
New York Islanders Jack Campbell (G). While I have not heard any talk of Campbell in this spot, the Islanders cannot rely on a return from
Rick DiPietro who has missed most of the last two seasons with injury. Campbell is a stud and proved it at the World Junior Championships and the Under-18 as he led the United States to gold in both tournaments.
6.
Tampa Bay Cam Fowler (D). Fowler's stock seems to be dropping as he is not a physical presence on the blueline. This is a nice spot for him as Tampa Bay is still looking for more offense from their rearguards and Fowler definitely has offensive flair.
7.
Carolina Nino Niederreiter (RW). The Swiss native played his first season in North America with the Portland Winterhawks and starred for Switzerland at the World Junior Championships as his overtime goal eliminated Russia in the quarter-finals. Will eventually play on the top line.
8.
Atlanta Ryan Johansen (C). Another Winterhawk, Johansen is an excellent playmaker and two-way player. He needs to add weight and muscle but looks to be a top-six forward when he finally makes the NHL.
9.
Minnesota Brett Connolly (LW). Connolly lost some of his value as he played only 16 games for Prince George of the WHL this season due to a couple of hip injuries. He is outstanding offensive skills. The Wild are severely lacking in offensive talent so the choice of Connolly, who could easily have been the third overall pick, is a good one.
10.
New York Rangers Vladimir Tarasenko (RW). Tarasenko has a lot of offensive talent as he managed to play in the KHL as a top-six forward at the tender age of 18. His major drawback is that the Russian Federation and the NHL do not have an agreement, but look for the Rangers to go back to Russia despite the Cherepanov tragedy in 2008.
11.
Dallas Mikael Granlund (C). Granlund is a play-making center with outstanding offensive skills. He first played for the Finnish World Junior team at the age of 16. The only knock against him is his size as he is listed at five-feet, ten inches, 180 pounds. If the Stars get him at this spot, players like
Loui Eriksson and
James Neal will benefit from his play-making abilities.
12.
Anaheim Emerson Etem (RW). The California-born forward could be coming home. Etem played his first season in the WHL in 2009-10 and potted 37 goals, enhancing his value as a goal scorer. He tends to play on the perimeter and does not like the rough going as his 26 penalty minutes in 72 games in the rough WHL indicates. He is however, a goal scorer and any team could use his abilites.
13.
Phoenix (via Calgary) Jeffrey Skinner (C). Skinner scored 50 times in his second season in the OHL and then scored another 20 in the playoffs as he shot up the rankings on all NHL teams' lists. Skinner is improving on the defensive side of the game and should be a top-six forward in the NHL as well as playing on the top power play.
14.
St. Louis Dylan McIlrath (D). McIlrath will never be a fantasy stud but will be the type of defenseman every team needs to win the Stanley Cup. McIlrath is a tough defenseman who is not afraid to fight. At six-feet, four inches, 210 pounds, he will only fill out more and take care of clearing the front of the net. He does not have above average offensive skills at this time.
15.
Boston Teemu Pulkkinen (LW). Winner of the Top Forward award at the recently completed under-18 World Championships with 15 points in six games, Pulkkinen is another European with outstanding offensive skills, something the Bruins could use after trading
Phil Kessel. He is a bit small at this time and not a great skater, but certainly his offensive skill should make him a mid-first round pick. He suffered some injuries this past season as he only played 17 games for Jokerit. He had 20 goals and 41 points in league play.
16.
Ottawa John McFarland (LW). McFarland has offensive talent similar to Hall and Seguin but other factors drop him in the rankings and even this spot is probably a bit high for the enigmatic winger. He was the top pick in the OHL at the 2008 Draft but attitude problems have affected his career with Sudbury. Still, some team is going to take a chance with the future power forward and hopefully be rewarded.
17.
Colorado Alexander Burmistrov (C). A terrific skater and very good playmaker, the Russian made a smart move as far as an NHL career is concerned when he came to the OHL last season and scored 22 goals and 65 points with Barrie. Burmistrov may be wooed by the KHL and that could drop his stock as far as the draft is concerned, but he definitely is a top-15 talent in this draft.
18.
Nashville Austin Watson (LW). Watson is a very good two-way player. His stock rose when he was traded from Windsor to Peterborough as he had an opportunity to show his offensive skill, something that he had trouble with in Windsor as they had such an outstanding team, winning the Memorial Cup. He managed 20 points in his last ten games with the Petes, giving him 20 goals and 54 points in 52 games last season.
19.
Los Angeles Beau Bennett (RW). The Kings are getting a native Californian who went to the BCJHL to play for Penticton this season. Bennett is a project physically, along the lines of fellow BCJHL grad
Kyle Turris and playing college hockey will allow him to mature physically. He has terrific offensive skills and should be a top-six forward when he finally cracks an NHL lineup.
20.
Pittsburgh Riley Sheahan (C). Sheahan played for Notre Dame last season as a seventeen-year old. He acquitted himself quite well as there were players as old as 23 in college hockey. The playmaking center could eventually be a captain in the NHL, but likely not in Pittsburgh as they have some guy named Crosby.
21.
Detroit Jarred Tinordi (D) The son of Mark who played for the Rangers, North Stars and Capitals in a 12-year NHL career, Tinordi is a six-foot, six-inch behemoth on the blueline. He is a defensive defenseman but has improving offensive skills. Will be a solid NHL player but not a fantasy asset offensively.
22.
Phoenix Jaden Schwartz (C). An outstanding offensive prospect, Schwartz is a bit on the small side at five-foot, ten inches, which makes it harder for him to be drafted higher. A very smart hockey player with excellent playmaking skills, Schwartz should be a first or second line center when he finally makes the NHL in four-five years.
23.
Buffalo Marek Pysyk (D) Pysyk was hampered by playing for an expansion team the last two years in Edmonton, so he had a hard time showing off all of his assets. He will eventually be a solid defenseman with some nice offensive skills. He is a bit slight at this time as he is only 175 pounds but look for him to add some bulk in the next couple of seasons.
24.
Atlanta (via New Jersey) Derek Forbort. Should he have a good camp, Forbort is the one player who could crack an NHL lineup despite being drafted this late in the first round. He is physically ready at six-feet, five inches and 200 pounds. He lacks offensive skills to become a great player but his physical strength will make him a top-four defenseman in the NHL.
25.
Vancouver Jonathon Merrill (D). Merrill is an offensively talented defenseman. He has a good shot from the point and his puck handling and skating abilities are above average. He needs to improve defensively and will attend the University of Michigan next season.
26.
Washington Alexandre Petrovic (D). A solid all-around defenseman, Petrovic will spend a couple of more seasons with Red Deer of the WHL and then play a couple of seasons in the minors before he makes his NHL debut. He can play well at both ends of the rink and will be a solid top-four defenseman in his prime.
27.
Montreal Nick Bjugstad (C) Won Minnesota's Mr. Hockey award as the top high school player. Bjudstad is a good skater and playmaker and will likely be a very good third center because of his six-foot, four inch frame. He should be able to add 30-40 pounds eventually to the 190 he already weighs.
28.
San Jose Calvin Pickard (G). Brother of Nashville prospect Chet, Pickard should be chosen by the Sharks who definitely need a top goaltending prospect with
Evgeni Nabokov getting older. Is the second ranked goalie in the draft behind Jack Campbell.
29.
Anaheim (via Philadelphia) Ludvig Rensfeldt (LW). An inconsistent player at this stage of his career, Rensfeldt can be a top-six NHL forward who can average a point a game, or he could bomb out completely. Has a good shot and can play a tough hard game. The native of Sweden had 21 goals and 50 points in 39 games for Brynas Jr. of the Swedish League.
30.
Chicago Evgeni Kuznetsov (C). A terrific talent, Kuznetsov has amazing skills in handling the puck and scoring. His draft slot will be hurt by the fact that there is no agreement between the NHL and the Russians, otherwise he is a top-15 talent.
Other players who could jump into the first round are: Charlie Coyle (C), Tyler Pitlick (C), Brock Nelson (C), Tyler Toffoli (RW) Quinton Howden (C).