2019 NHL Mock Draft – Many Question Marks after 1 and 2

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 14, 2019)

It’s NHL Draft time, and the previous NHL season just flew by. Congrats to the Blues on their first ever Stanley Cup. Now go party down Market Street. You’ve earned it. Back to the point, I felt like it was just last week that Buffalo took Rasmus Dahlin 1st overall. So, just like that, I have to make my next NHL mock draft. Please note that I will only be elaborating on the top 10 picks, as the ones past that are a total pick’em. Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?

1. New Jersey Devils – C Jack Hughes (USA U18)

I do not know why there is still debate at this point. Hughes is everything the Devils need and more. A franchise player for years to come, Jack Hughes broke several scoring records for Team USA’s 18 and under team. Records once held by players such as Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, and Auston Matthews. Jack Hughes has topped them all. New Jersey needs a center quite badly; Zajac is quite old and Nico is not developed enough to be a top line guy just now. Hughes will be the franchise savior that Devils fans have clamored for since Marty. Prudential Center will be known as The Hughes House for the foreseeable future.

2. New York Rangers – RW Kaapo Kakko (TPS)

Oh if you thought Hughes to the Devils was the best team-player match in this draft, than you are mistaken. That honor would go to Kaapo Kakko landing in the laps of the Rangers at 2. Kakko dominated the Finnish league and is exactly the type of sniper that the Rangers have been looking for. Elite wingers do not grow on trees, and Kaapo will be a great backup in case the Blueshirts fail to land Artemi Panarin. He will easily be on the top line next to Mika, and he should have no problem scoring goals in the mecca that is Madison Square Garden.

3. Chicago Blackhawks – C Alex Turcotte (USA U18)

Thanks to the benefit that is the NHL Draft Lottery, the Blackhawks have miraculously jumped up from pick 11 to pick 3. This is where the real debate begins as to who goes where. I’m gonna go on a limb and say that Chicago takes the best player available in Turcotte. There is only one problem with the Blackhawks’ core: they are old. Toews is not exactly the youngest pup in the dog show and Stan Bowman signed rentals last year in free agency. For a future guy to look forward to, Alex Turcotte will be the guy. Not exactly as flashy as Hughes or Kaako, but he is still a difference maker and will benefit greatly from playing with future NHL Hall of Famers.

4. Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa) – C Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge)

Colorado is in a very good position right now. The Avs fleeced the Senators in the Matt Duchene trade and got their first round pick this year. They also made it to the second round of the playoffs, bowing out to the Sharks in 7. However, this is not an Avalanche recap video, and we should be talking about their pick from Ottawa: Dylan Cozens. He scored 84 points in 64 games for the WHL’s Lethbridge Warriors, and playing with Nathan Mackinnon and Mikko Rantanen should work out really well for the 18 year old.

5. Los Angeles Kings – D Bowen Byram (Vancouver)

The LA Kings last season can be summed up in two words: total mess. Everything that could have gone wrong did. They are one of the oldest teams in the league, especially on defense. Besides Drew Doughty, who else is a difference maker on their defense, Dion Phaneuf? This is not 2009. Luckily for Rob Blake and crew, the best defenseman is this draft has fallen to them. Byram scored 71 points in 65 games and it should be little to no time before he gets paired with Doughty on the Kings top defensive pair.

6. Detroit Red Wings – RW Vasili Podkolzin (Russia U18)

If I did this draft last month, Vasili Podkolzin would have been a shoe in to go to Chicago at 3. However, after an abysmal performance at Worlds back in May, Podkolzin has been falling down the draft board much like Detroit’s once mighty NHL empire. The Wings snag Vasili with Yzerman’s first NHL draft with his old team under his belt. This will be several great drafts for the Wings in a row, with Detroit stealing Zadina last year and snagging one of the top players available this year in Podkolzin.

7. Buffalo Sabres – C Cole Caufield (USA U18)

From this year’s biggest faller in Podkolzin to this year’s biggest riser in Cole Caufield. The US center who absolutely dominated the competition at Worlds has him absolutely soaring up the draft rankings. The Sabres need a scorer along with the newly locked up Jeff Skinner, and Caufield fits the bill. Give it a couple of years before he is a regular contributor in Buffalo, and maybe the Sabres will be able to keep their hot streaks alive instead of flaming out in January like they did last year. I’m a huge Caufield fan, and this is a fit that is just too good to be true.

8. Edmonton Oilers – C Kirby Dach (Saskatoon)

How many Oilers prospects is it going to take to get this sinking ship back afloat again? Edmonton takes another young center in Dach, who absolutely lit up the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades. 84 points is solid enough for Ken Holland, who will take Dach if he slips down to 8. Connor McDavid needs all the help he can get, and Dach will work perfectly with the former Hart Trophy winner in a few seasons. Maybe next time before the ship sinks, Edmonton, try to steer away from the iceberg.

9. Anaheim Ducks – D Cam York (USA U18)

Notice a common theme with these first several picks? This USA U18 team has been absolutely stacked, with many prospects going in the first round of the draft. Anaheim needs some propsects, primarily on defense. Cam York will be their guy, as he will make a perfect pairing with a fellow Cam, Cam Fowler. I could even see York being a guy who makes the NHL right away, as the Ducks need all of the help they can get after a lackluster season. The Cams will be the future of the defense for years to come in Anaheim.

10. Vancouver Canucks – C Trevor Zegras (USA U18)

Oh look, another USA U18 guy in the top 10. Zegras has been the guy that the Canucks have been scouting for the past several months, and he will be able to fall to Vancouver at pick #10. The Canucks (who got hosed by the draft lottery again) would love to add some more prospects down the line to go with Petterson and Boeser. Zegras has already committed to Boston University for the 2019-2020 season, so it will be a little while before we see Trevor in the whale jersey, but the payoff will be oh so sweet in the Pacific Northwest.

The Rest of the Pack:

11. Philadelphia Flyers – LW Peyton Krebs (Kootenay)

12. Minnesota Wild – C Alex Newhook (Victoria)

13. Florida Panthers – D Victor Söderström (Brynäs IF J20)

14. Arizona Coyotes – LW Matthew Boldy (USA U18)

15. Montreal Canadiens – C Ryan Suzuki (Barrie)

16. Colorado Avalanche – D Philip Broberg (AIK J20)

17. Vegas Golden Knights – C Raphaël Lavoie (Halifax)

18. Dallas Stars – D Moritz Seider (Jungadler Mannheim)

19. Ottawa Senators (from Columbus) – LW Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton)

20. New York Rangers (from Winnipeg) – D Matthew Robertson (Edmonton)

21. Pittsburgh Penguins – D Ville Heinola (Lukko)

22. Los Angeles Kings (from Toronto) – RW Bobby Brink (Sioux City)

23. New York Islanders – D Thomas Harley (Mississauga)

24. Nashville Predators – C Phillip Tomasino (Niagara)

25. Washington Capitals – LW/C Jacob Pelletier (Moncton)

26. Calgary Flames – LW Nils Höglander (Rögle BK J20)

27. Tampa Bay Lightning – C Connor McMichael (London)

28. Carolina Hurricanes – G Spencer Knight (USA U18)

29. Anaheim Ducks (from San Jose via Buffalo) – LW Samuel Poulin

30. Boston Bruins – LW Pavel Dorofeyev (Magnitogorsk)

31. Buffalo Sabres (from St. Louis) – D Lassi Thomson (Kelowna)

Another mock draft is in the books. Friday we will find out how well I actually did and which picks I completely struck out on. I feel the same amount of  confidence in this year’s as I felt in last year’s – none at all. Be smart, NHL GMs. Be smart.