Golden Knights Learning Lessons From Mock Drafts

The doors shut, the monitors open and that's when the action starts.
Throughout this winter, this scenario has played out several times in the Golden Knights' Summerlin headquarters, where the team's hockey operations staff has conducted multiple dress rehearsals for this June's Expansion Draft.
The team's thought process is that by simulating the Expansion Draft in live time and mimicking every detail of how the actual draft will work, that they'll better be able to anticipate how things will play out this June.
Practice makes perfect, right?
It's not only that for the Golden Knights, though.

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With the rules varying so differently from the most recent Expansion Draft 17 years ago, holding several mock drafts has helped the Golden Knights become more aware of rules that aren't entirely clear in meaning.

And in the process, get clarity on these rules and fine tune the team's strategy.
"What we learned the first time through is that there was a lot of gray in the rules," general manager George McPhee said in a recent phone call with season ticket holders.
"We needed a lot of questions answered, and we got them. In subsequent drafts, it got clearer and clearer for us because our staff had been working together for several months, knew the players a little better than they did initially. They know the teams better. We were much more precise in what we thought might be available."
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When it comes to who the Golden Knights will select, there hasn't been much in the way of hints as to which direction the team is leaning.
Except after Wednesday's announcement, we do know that other teams' Protected/Available Lists will be made available to the public.
RELATED: Protected/Available Lists to be public prior to Expansion Draft
Teams will have two options of how many players to protect.
1). Protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie.
2). Protect eight skaters of any position and one goalie.
Information about when these lists will be public is not yet available and will be provided at a later date.