ADAM KIMELMAN'S MOCK DRAFT IV

RELATED ITEMS:
 
Morreale | Hoffner | Persaud | Your thoughts?

* Note: Final draft order to be determined at conclusion of Stanley Cup Final


1
Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Red Deer (WHL)
SKINNY: Drafted goal-scorer last year in Hall; this year they find his set-up man

2
Colorado Avalanche
Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Kitchener (OHL)
SKINNY: Fearsome forechecker will clear lots of room for Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny

3
Florida Panthers
Sean Couturier, C, Drummondville (QMJHL)
SKINNY: GM Dale Tallon loves big, talented players and they don't get much better than Couturier

4
New Jersey Devils
Adam Larsson, D, Skelleftea (SWE)
SKINNY: Big Swede (6-3, 200) could be franchise's best defenseman since Scott Niedermayer

5
New York Islanders
Dougie Hamilton, D, Niagara (OHL)
SKINNY: Big blueliner (6-4, 187) not afraid to get physical, and can chip in offensively

6
Ottawa Senators
Jonathan Huberdeau, C, Saint John (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Senators need scoring and Huberdeau filled the nets this season -- 43 goals in 67 games

7
Atlanta Thrashers
Ryan Strome, C, Niagara (OHL)
SKINNY: Thrashers add to their offensive arsenal with this high-scoring forward

8
Columbus Blue Jackets
Ryan Murphy, D, Kitchener (OHL)
SKINNY: Elite puck-mover has potential to be big-time power-play quarterback

9
Boston Bruins (via TOR)
Nathan Beaulieu, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Has good size (6-2, 174) and high level of offensive skill, very good in own end

10
Minnesota Wild
Mika Zibanejad, C, Djurgarden (SWE)
SKINNY: Power forward lauded for good hands, vision and skating ability

11
Colorado Avalanche (via STL)
Duncan Siemens, D, Saskatoon (WHL)
SKINNY: Avs add a big (6-2, 192), snarly blueliner with a good helping of offensive skill

12
Carolina Hurricanes
Joel Armia, RW, Assat (FIN)
SKINNY: Big forward played a major role on first line of one of top teams in Finland

13
Calgary Flames
Sven Baertschi, LW, Portland (WHL)
SKINNY: Flames need to get younger, more athletic up front, and Swiss star will fill that bill

14
Dallas Stars
Mark McNeill, C, Prince Albert (WHL)
SKINNY: Stars could be in the market for a big-time center, and McNeill has big-time potential

15
New York Rangers
Vladislav Namestnikov, C, London (OHL)
SKINNY: Flashy Russian showed no problems adapting in first North American season

16
Buffalo Sabres
Zack Phillips, C, Saint John (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Coach called him Adam Oates-like, but was top 10 in Q in goals and assists

17
Montreal Canadiens
Boone Jenner, C, Oshawa (OHL)
SKINNY: Big center skilled in all phases of the game, from offense to killing penalties

18
Chicago Blackhawks
Tomas Jurco, RW, Saint John (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Hawks fans will find Jurco is more than just the guy with the fancy puck skills in all those videos

19
Edmonton Oilers (via LAK)
Christopher Gibson, G, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
SKINNY: On losing team, led league with .920 save percentage, was second with 2.42 GAA, 4 shutouts

20
Phoenix Coyotes
Mark Scheifele, C, Barrie (OHL)
SKINNY: Center's obvious skills only will get better with coaching from Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk

21
Ottawa Senators (via NSH)
Brandon Saad, LW, Saginaw (OHL)
SKINNY: Power forward adds size and skill; scored 27 goals in first OHL season

22
Anaheim Ducks
John Gibson, G, USA U-18 (USHL)
SKINNY: At 6-3, covers a lot of net; backstopped Team USA to World U-18 gold

23
Pittsburgh Penguins
Phillip Danault, LW, Victoriaville (QMJHL)
SKINNY: Offensively skilled and defensively reliable; tied for third in Q with 4 shorthanded goals

24
Detroit Red Wings
Joseph Morrow, D, Portland (WHL)
SKINNY: Offensive-minded blueliner got big minutes ahead of NHL-drafted prospects this season

25
Toronto Maple Leafs (via PHI)
Jonathan Miller, C, USA U-18 (USHL)
SKINNY: Maple Leafs need help up the middle, and USNTDP star is a nice piece to build around

26
Washington Capitals
Nicklas Jensen, LW/RW, Oshawa (OHL)
SKINNY: Big, versatile forward skates well, and got better as the season went on

27
Tampa Bay Lightning
Jonas Brodin, D, Farjestad (SWE)
SKINNY: GM Steve Yzerman knows better than most how important a quality Swedish blueliner can be

28
Toronto Maple Leafs (via BOS)
Tyler Biggs, RW, USA U-18 (USHL)
SKINNY: Big (6-2, 210), nasty power forward showed skill (19 goals in 55 games) and truculence (161 PIM)

29
San Jose Sharks
Jamieson Oleksiak, D, Northeastern (HE)
SKINNY: Chara-type size (6-7, 244) will get time to refine his offensive game in college

30
Vancouver Canucks
Alexander Khokhlachev, C/LW, Windsor (OHL)
SKINNY: Outstanding first season in North America; led OHL rookies in playoff scoring