|
RANK |
TEAM |
PLAYER |
|
1 |
New York Islanders |
John Tavares
(C, London, OHL) |
|
The Islanders need a star, and John Tavares is
just that. He'll bring fans back to Nassau Coliseum and hopefully he can
help the team in its attempts to secure a new building. |
|
2 |
Tampa Bay Lightning |
Victor Hedman
(D, MoDo, Sweden) |
|
Almost a blessing in disguise, the Lightning
should be select Hedman at No.2. The Bolts need a top defenseman, and they
should get one here. Perhaps this will ease the pain of possibly trading
away Mr. Lecavalier? |
|
3 |
Colorado Avalanche |
Matt Duchene
(C, Brampton, OHL) |
|
The Avalanche has had success drafting players
from Brampton (just look at Wojtek Wolski). This pick is a no-brainer for
the Avs. |
|
4 |
Atlanta Thrashers |
Evander Kane
(C, Vancouver Giants, WHL) |
|
Atlanta needs a star up the middle and Kane
should be able to step in very nicely. |
|
5 |
Los Angeles Kings |
Brayden Schenn
(C, Brandon, WHL) |
|
The Kings are very high on Schenn, but don't
be surprised if the Maple Leafs try to move up to draft pick. |
|
6 |
Phoenix Coyotes |
Jared Cowen
(D, Spokane, WHL) |
|
The Coyotes have a solid core of young talent
up front, and drafting Cowen would help solidify their blueline. |
|
7 |
Toronto Maple Leafs |
Nazem Kadri
(C, London, OHL) |
|
We don't expect the Leafs to remain at the
No.7 spot, but if they do, Kadri brings quick offense to a team desperately
in need of it. |
|
8 |
Dallas Stars |
Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson
(LW, Timra, Sweden) |
|
Dallas needs fire power, and this kid gets the
job done at both ends of the rink. |
|
9 |
Ottawa Senators |
Jordan Schroeder
(C, University of Minnesota) |
|
He might not be the biggest kid in the draft,
but he can get the job done. |
|
10 |
Edmonton Oilers |
Scott Glennie
(C, Brandon, WHL) |
|
He's an offensive player with a bit of an
edge, and he should fit in very well in Edmonton. |
|
11 |
Nashville Predators |
Chris Kreider
(C, Andover, Mass.) |
|
Kreider will spend next season in College, but
the Predators are used to that, having picked Colin Wilson last year. |
|
12 |
Minnesota Wild |
Ryan Ellis
(D, Windsor, OHL) |
|
The Wild could use some help in the back end
and Ellis might be available for them to grab. |
|
13 |
Buffalo Sabres |
Dimitri Kulikov
(D, Drummondville, QMJHL) |
|
Buffalo has a solid amount of ammunition up
front, and drafting a kid like Kulikov should pay dividends. |
|
14 |
Florida Panthers |
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
(D, Leksand, Sweden) |
|
With Jay Bouwmeester leaving, the Panthers
need to focus on strengthening their blueline. |
|
15 |
Anaheim Ducks |
John Moore
(D, Chicago, USHL) |
|
Moore possesses good size and strength,
something that fits very well in Anaheim. |
|
16 |
Columbus Blue Jackets |
David Rundblad
(D, Skelleftea, Sweden) |
|
A great skater, Rundblad should compliment the
Blue Jackets' young goal-scorers when he joins them on the rush. |
|
17 |
St. Louis Blues |
Jacob Josefson
(C, Djurgarden, Sweden) |
|
Josefson's a very talented, two-way hockey
player with a lot of upside. If he's still around at No.17, the Blues will
take him. |
|
18 |
Montreal Canadiens |
Zach Kassian
(RW, Peterborough, OHL) |
|
As much as everyone wants the Canadiens to
pick Louis LeBlanc, if Kassian's up for grabs, the Habs will pounce. He's a
big, physical scorer... something the Canadiens lack. |
|
19 |
New York Rangers |
Landon Ferraro
(RW, Red Deer, WHL) |
|
Landon Ferraro's a gifted goal-scorer with a
great shot. The Rangers can't go wrong with this pick. |
|
20 |
Calgary Flames |
Louis Leblanc
(C, Omaha, USHL) |
|
He could go higher, but if
he's still available, Calgary will take a seriously hard look. |
|
21 |
Philadelphia Flyers |
Jordan Caron
(F, Rimouski, QMJHL) |
|
Similar style to former Flyer John Leclair,
Caron is something the Flyers are interested in. |
|
22 |
Vancouver Canucks |
Peter Holland
(C, Guelph, OHL) |
|
Holland's an intelligent player, and the
Canucks could benefit from another stud up the middle. |
|
23 |
New Jersey Devils |
Calvin de Haan
(D, Oshawa, OHL) |
|
The Devils could use some offense stemming
from the blueline, and de Haan should fit in nicely. |
|
24 |
Washington Capitals |
Carter Ashton
(F, Lethbridge, WHL) |
|
He's a big 6-foot-5 kid who can skate and
create havoc... just something the Capitals have been looking to add to an
already deep roster. |
|
25 |
Boston Bruins |
Dylan Olsen
(D, Camrose, CJAHL) |
|
The Bruins will like this two-way, physical
defenseman. |
|
26 |
New York Islanders (from OTT through SJ) |
Stefan Elliott
(D, Saskatoon, WHL) |
|
The strengthened themselves up front, now it's
time to bolster the blueline. |
|
27 |
Carolina Hurricanes |
Nick Leddy
(D, Eden Prairie, Minn.) |
|
A solid defenseman Carolina could use to get
the puck up to the forwards on the rush. |
|
28 |
Chicago Blackhawks |
Kyle Palmieri
(RW, U.S. Dev' team) |
|
Another talented college student... the Hawks
don't need to rush anyone up to the pros, and they can allow Palmieri to
develop nicely. |
|
29 |
Detroit Red Wings |
Carl Klingberg
(F, Sweden) |
|
Detroit... Swedes... why not? Klingberg's a
solid, physical forward who fits very well into the Red Wings' system. |
|
30 |
Pittsburgh Penguins |
Tim Erixon
(D, Skelleftea, Sweden) |
|
The Penguins have plenty of depth up front,
but need some extra punch on the blueline. |
