Calgary Flames: First-Round Mock Draft

Winnipeg Jets fans should try their luck at the Lotto’s on the weekend, as no team was luckier then the Jets who rose up four spots to draft potentially the best pure-goal scorer since Alex Ovechkin. Laine has the size and speed to dominate the NHL, but also possesses underrated hockey sense and skill. Laine can immediately help the Jets as his deadly release would be perfect on a line with <a href=. Winger. Winnipeg. Patrik Laine. 2. player. 30

Matthew Tkachuk. 4. player. 148. The Oilers still need young defence-men, so trading down in the draft should be an option for the club. Trading down to the 6-10 range would still give the Oilers a crack at one of the top-three defence-man available and accumulate some assets in the process. If the Oilers keep the pick, then expect them to take Tkachuk as he would give the Oilers the sandpaper lacking in their top-six, and would form a potent duo as <a href=. Left-Wing. Edmonton

104. Who knows what Canucks GM  <a href=. Center. Vancouver. Pierre-Luc Dubois. 5. player

player. 112. This pick probably will come down to three players: Olli Juolevi, Logan Brown, and Alexander Nylander. The Flames could use the size of Logan Brown, and likely find it hard to pass-up the hockey-sense Olli Juolevi possesses, but instead they take locally born forward Alex Nylander. Nylander is a right-shot who would instantly become the top right-handed forward in the organization, and would bring a much-needed dose of skill into the Flames winger corps. With two great centre-men in <a href=. Winger. Calgary. Alexander Nylander. 6

121. Arizona fans should be ecstatic with this pick as they get another talented youngster into their core. The Coyotes are top-heavy with forwards like <a href=. Defence. Arizona. Olli Juolevi. 7. player

Mikhail Sergachev. 8. player. 12. Sabres GM Tim Murray has no issue with taking the player he thinks is the best available, regardless of rankings or nationalities. So taking Russian defence-man Mikhail Sergachev makes sense for Buffalo who also happen to be in the market for a young defence-man. In terms of raw talent and offensive capabilities, Sergachev is at the top of the class for defence-man. He is one of the most NHL-ready prospects in terms of size, and could go on to be the best defence-man taken in the draft. His defensive game is still a work in progress, so expect him to need at least another year of junior, although his defensive progression has been rapid thus far.. Defence. Buffalo

Logan Brown. 9. player. 152. Some thought given to two-way stud Jakob Chychrun, but the habs instead take the number-one center with size fans have been craving for years. Brown has the potential to become one of the best players taken in this year’s draft, but he also is the riskiest player taken thus far in the draft. His skill and hockey-sense are almost unheard of in a player of his size, and his sky-high potential could very well cause a team to take him much-earlier in the draft.. Center. Montreal

103. After hitting a home-run last year with <a href=. Defence. Colorado. Jakob Chychrun. 10. player

Clayton Keller. 11. player. 85. The Devils have one of the most anemic offence’s in the game, so expect them to take Clayton Keller who has drawn comparisons to <a href=. Center. New Jersey

The Senators need a number-one center and they might just get it in Tyson Jost. Jost is a two-way stud with excellent character and leadership, garnering comparisons to another Chicago Blackhawk in <a href=. Center. Ottawa. Tyson Jost. 12. player. 91

109. Nasty, physical, truculent, all great adjectives to describe Max Jones. Despite great size, Jones has really good speed and foot-work, not to mention soft hands. Carolina hopes he can blossom with more playing time next season on a London Knights team that could lose both Mitch Marner and Christian Dvorak.. Left-Wing. Carolina. Max Jones. 13. player

player. 70. Trading <a href=. Defence. Boston. Charlie McAvoy. 14

15. player. 98. Kieffer Bellows has one of the best releases in this year’s draft, and while he is somewhat of a one-dimensional player, goal-scorers are hard to come by. Skating and consistency is an issue for Bellows, but his size and shot make him an intriguing player for the Wild.. Left-Winger. Minnesota. Kieffer Bellows

17. player. 151. One of the most athletic players in this year’s draft, Kunin has average size, but can do everything well during the game. Kunin has good offensive skills and is a solid two-way player. He played well despite being weaker than most of his NCAA counterparts, and the Predators hope Kunin will dominate college hockey once he adds muscle to his frame.. Center. Nashville. Luke Kunin

Julien Gauthier. 18. player. 68. Philly has some great D prospects, but could use help up-front. I think they will go with Gauthier who is far and away the strongest player available in the draft (he comes from a body-building family) and is excellent at putting the puck in the net. Questions surround him however as he is an older player in the draft who was physically stronger than a lot of his peers, but he still projects to be a goal-scoring power winger in the NHL.. Right-Wing. Philadelphia

player. 106. Michael McLeod isn’t the flashiest player in the draft and has limited offensive upside, but scouts love his speed and compete level. Since the Isles have great depth everywhere, they take the best player available in McLeod who is one of the fastest players in the draft, and has great size. Projects to be a solid two-way second or third-line center.. Center. New York. Michael McLeod. 19

Arizona. Dante Fabbro. 20. player. 121. The Coyotes grab another great defender in Fabbro who thinks the game incredibly well and has great two-way abilities. While not physically dominant like some of his peers, Fabbro will rely more on his hockey-IQ to have success. With Juolevi and now Fabbro, the Coyotes now boast excellent depth on defence.. Defence

The Hurricanes take behemoth defence-man Logan Stanley who has great physical tools, and has improved his skating a great deal. Stanley has limited offensive upside, and sometimes suffers from poor-decision making, but some scouts like his potential and progression.. Defence. Carolina. Logan Stanley. 21. player. 109

Winnipeg. Riley Tufte. 22. player. 30. After taking power-forward Patrik Laine, the Jets take another power-forward in Tufte who dominated High School hockey. Pretty raw player who has drawn comparisons to <a href=. Left-Wing

23. player. 87. Florida has no real holes, so they can afford to take a chance on a player in DeBrincat who has dynamic offensive capabilities but is under-sized. He has proven he can score with and without great players, and has put up back to back 100 point seasons in the OHL.. Right-Wing. Florida. Alex DeBrincat

105. Howden is a true 200 foot player who has good size and skating, although not a ton of offence. He did get better as the year wore on, and had a great U-18 for Team Canada. Howden projects to be a two-way third-line center, but some believe Howden has more upside then he has shown thus far.. Center. Anaheim. Brett Howden. 24. player

Dallas. Pascal Laberge. 25. player. 119. Despite possessing average size, Laberge plays the game with an edge that scouts love. He has a good shot and is a good skater, but tends to get out-muscled because of his weaker frame. How much better will he become once he adds muscle? The jury is still out on that one, but he certainly has lots of potential.. Center

German Rubtsov. 26. player. 19. The Capitals have no qualms about taking Russians, so it makes sense that they take a player in Rubtsov who is kind of an unknown commodity since scouts haven’t seen a whole lot of him. Washington will be getting a competitive two-way center with good upside, and since the Caps know how to develop Russian players, Rubtsov will be a good fit in Washington.. Center. Washington

player. 23. Niemelainen has tremoudnous potential with his huge frame, and has impressed in about every facet of the game, but has struggled with consistency. Scouts love his progression, and Tampa is no stranger for making high-risk/high-reward picks at the draft, so taking a guy like Niemelainen makes sense.. Defence. Tampa Bay. Markus Niemelainen. 27

28. player. 99. Tage Thompson has incredible size and put up great numbers as a freshman in college, so why is he ranked so low? Most of his points came on the power-play, and he doesn’t always compete as hard as other players. But with his frame and potential, it would be hard to see him slip much farther in the draft.. Right-Wing. St. Louis. Tage Thompson

Cliff Pu had an excellent OHL playoff run for the Memorial Cup champions, the London Knights. He was a key penalty killer, and produced offensively despite limited minutes. Pu has excellent skating, size, and has soft hands. Like Max Jones, Pu will benefit from more ice-time next season as the London Knights will likely lose their top-players.. Center. Boston. Cliff Pu. 29. player. 70

Center. Anaheim. Rasmus Asplund. 30. player. 105. Smallish, but competitive, Asplund had scouts divided with his strong two-way game and playmaking, while some didn’t see what all the fuss was about. Anaheim has had recent success with Swede’s, and can afford to take a few chances thanks to their depth at the forward position.