STEVEN HOFFNER'S MOCK DRAFT

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1
New Jersey Devils
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Red Deer (WHL)
SKINNY: Great hockey sense; at RDO camp Ken Hitchcock called him "next Joe Sakic."

2
N.Y. Islanders
 Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Kitchener (OHL)
SKINNY: Power forward, great leadership; would look good on top line with John Tavares.

3
Edmonton Oilers
 Adam Larsson, D, Skelleftea (SWE)
SKINNY: Big defenseman will go a long way in helping Oilers keep puck out of its net.

4
Boston Bruins (from TOR)
 Sean Couturier, C, Drummondville (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Pegged as a top-three prospect, the Bruins pick up another skilled forward.

5
Ottawa Senators
 Jonathan Huberdeau, C, Saint John (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Offensive-minded forward racking up big numbers could be exactly what's needed.

6
Florida Panthers
 Brandon Saad, LW, Saginaw (OHL)
SKINNY: Putting up good numbers in the OHL after developing with USNTDP.

7
Calgary Flames
 Zack Phillips, C, Saint John (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Big centers with a right shot are hard to come by, and what the Flames could use.

8
Buffalo Sabres
 Tyler Biggs, LW, U.S. U-18 (USHL)
SKINNY: Big right wing (6-2, 210) complements a small-ish offense in Buffalo.

9
Columbus Blue Jackets
 Ryan Murphy, D, Kitchener (OHL)
SKINNY: Speedy defenseman can move the puck, has great hands and is on pace for 100 points.

10
Carolina Hurricanes
 Dougie Hamilton, D, Niagara (OHL)
SKINNY: Defensive-minded d-man responsible in his own zone; think a bigger Luke Schenn.

11
St. Louis Blues
 Ty Rattie, RW, Portland (WHL)
SKINNY: Energetic forward plays on a team full of draft picks and still stands out.

12
San Jose Sharks
 Nathan Beaulieu, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
SKINNY: A good fit for a team suddenly having trouble keeping the puck out of its net.

13
Minnesota Wild
 Max Friberg, LW, Skovde (SWE)
SKINNY: Speedy forward looked great for Sweden at World Juniors

14
Phoenix Coyotes
 Tomas Jurco, RW, Saint John (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Jurco could dangle his way into the top 15 and add depth to the Phoenix offense.

15
Los Angeles Kings
 Vladislav Namestnikov, C, London (OHL)
SKINNY: Russian-born center can add flair and scoring touch to young forward crop.

16
Colorado Avalanche
 Sven Baertschi, LW, Portland (WHL)
SKINNY: Smaller skilled Swiss forward would be solid addition to Avs' youth movement.

17
Chicago Blackhawks
 John Gibson, G, U.S. U-18 (USHL)
SKINNY: Gibson doing solid job backstopping U.S. under-18 team.

18
Montréal Canadiens
 Boone Jenner, C, Oshawa (OHL)
SKINNY: Hard-working, grinding forward could make space for the smaller forwards.

19
Boston Bruins
 Ryan Strome, C, Niagara (OHL)
SKINNY: Dazzling center would add more skill up front for a team in need of goals.

20
Anaheim Ducks
 Mark Scheifele, C, Barrie (OHL)
SKINNY: Forward would be a good fit for an aging Ducks offensive unit.

21
Nashville Predators
 Scott Mayfield, D, Youngstown (USHL)
SKINNY: Big defenseman who eventually will be able to learn from Shea Weber.

22
Atlanta Thrashers
 Seth Ambroz, RW, Omaha (USHL)
SKINNY: Big power forward would complement some of Thrashers' small forwards.

23
New York Rangers
 Matthew Puempel, LW, Peterborough (OHL)
SKINNY: Forward would be a good addition to a team always in need of offensive depth.

24
Washington Capitals
 Duncan Siemens, D, Saskatoon (WHL)
SKINNY: Reliable shut-down d-man can backstop Caps' offensive-minded juggernaut.

25
Dallas Stars
 Daniel Catenacci, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
SKINNY: Impressed many at summer RDO camp; has great hands and speed.

26
Tampa Bay Lightning
 Jamieson Oleksiak, D, Northeastern (HE)
SKINNY: Good-skating defenseman with size (6-7, 245) impossible to resist.

27
Pittsburgh Penguins
 David Musil, D, Vancouver (WHL)
SKINNY: Czech native with hard shot could work well in a unit with Orpik and Letang.

28
Philadelphia Flyers
 Christopher Gibson, G, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Gibson could be next great goalie to come out of Finland.

29
Detroit Red Wings
 Joel Armia, RW, Assat Pori (FIN)
SKINNY: Finnish forward would be a nice addition to European contingent in Detroit.

30
Vancouver Canucks
 Mark McNeill, C, Prince Albert (WHL)
SKINNY: Big, tough center could be a protector to Vancouver's Swedish investment.