Griffin Reinhart (D) of the Edmonton Oil Kings going 5th overall to Toronto Maple Leafs.
1. RW Nail YAKUPOV (5’10 – 170 lbs) Sarnia Sting - OHLConsensus #1 prospect of this year’s draft, Yakupov’s thrive and cocky attitude will well complete the Oil Change in Edmonton.
2. C Alex GALCHENYUK (6’1 – 185 lbs) Sarnia Sting - OHLYoung Alex showed great promises in his OHL rookie year. A good showing at the Combine seems to tell the teams that his knee is fully recovered.
3. C/RW Mikhail GRIGORENKO (6’2 – 192 lbs) Quebec Remparts - QMJHLDespite having a really good rookie year in his 1st year in North America, Patrick Roy’s star player received enough criticism but his cerebral game along with his skill set is just too much to pass up. He is the prospect with the highest upside of this draft class.
4. LW Filip FORSBERG (6’0 – 176 lbs) Leksand - SELHead on his shoulders, comes from great family, Forsberg gives it 100% on every shift. He will complement very well John Tavares for years to come on a young Islanders team.
5. D Griffin REINHART (6’3 – 190 lbs) Edmonton Oil Kings - WHLWith Murray still on the boards, Burke will go for a big and mean defenseman that is comparable to Shea Weber. Comes from a good hockey family, Griffin surprisingly plays a very well rounded game at both ends, along with very good lateral step.
6. D Ryan MURRAY (6’0 – 185 lbs) Everett Silvetips - WHLTouted as the best defenseman of this year’s draft, what a better way to reinforce the Ducks blueline for years to come with the prospect that has been compared to the great Scott Niedermayer all year long.
7. RW Teuvo TERÄVÄINEN (5'11 – 165 lbs) Jokerit – SM-LIIGAFastest riser in the rankings thanks to his good performance with Jokerit in the Finnish Elite league and at the World Under-18s, he will complete well the Finnish trio in Minnesota with Koivu and Granlund.
8. D Morgan RIELLY (6’0 – 190 lbs) Moose Jaw Warriors – WHLKnown for drafting only North Americans in the 1st round, Jim Rutherford will gladly stack up his defense with the addition of Rielly. Great puck moving defenseman with high offensive awareness, he’s gonna be there for a long time in Carolina.
9. D Mathew DUMBA (6’0 – 166 lbs) Red Deer Rebels - WHLSeismic hits from Dumba should fit in well for this Winnipeg team that needs to upgrade its defense. He plays a very offensive game but sometimes can make defensive mistakes. He gets his power from having a great lower body and lower core, as demonstrated at the Combine.
10. D Cody CECI (6’2 – 203 lbs) Ottawa 67’s - OHLCeci is the most underrated high-end defenseman of the top 10. Plays with great poise, great shot along with a great frame. However, does not use his size that much for physical plays, but seems to find a way to get out of the corners with the puck. Like he said, he does not want to get penalties when he can be effective in a different way.
11. D Jacob TROUBA (6’1 – 183 lbs) USA NTDP U17 - USHL
Big American
defenseman showed great poise and physical strength at the World Under-18s
alongside 2013 projected top 2 pick Seth Jones. He will bring stability to a
weak Washington defense.
12. C Radek FAKSA (6’2 – 183 lbs) Kitchener Rangers - OHL
With trade
rumors surrounding Derek Roy, the Sabres will gladly pick a big centerman to
replace him, and Faksa will fit in perfectly with Hodgson to make a 1-2 center
punch in the future.
13. D Olli MÄÄTTÄ (6’2 – 192 lbs) London Knights – OHL
What bother at
this point, Dallas goes with the best player available and they will happily
pick Maatta, former 1st overall of the 2011 CHL Import Draft.
14. C Zemgus GIRGENSONS (6’1 – 182 lbs) Dubuque Fighting Saints - USHL
With one of the
weakest prospects pool in the league, the Flames needs to add size and scoring.
Girgensons will do just that, as he will translate well in the NHL with his
style of play and physical presence.
15. RW Sebastian COLLBERG (6’1 – 176 lbs) Frolunda - SEL
With Ottawa
filling their prospect pool with lots of Swede, why not pick on of the purest
snipers in this draft and it happens to be a young Swede, Collberg. Had a
tremendous tournament at the WJCs for Sweden as they grabbed their 1st
Gold medal since 1981.
16. D Derrick POULIOT (5’11 – 192 lbs) Portland Winterhawks - WHL
With their
earlier pick of Trouba, Washington goes with another defenseman, but this one a
more offensive and dynamic defenseman in Pouliot. It should cover the Caps
defense for the future along with Carlson and Alzner.
17. C Brendan GAUNCE (6’2 – 205 lbs) Belleville Bulls - OHL
The Sharks
needs size and grit. Gaunce will give them that plus an untapped offense that
Gaunce hasn’t been able to break out this past season. He is only falling
because of lack of offensive upside but in a right environment, he might
surprise.
18. D Hampus LINDHOLM (6’2 – 185 lbs) Rögle - SuperElit
Had a very
impressive performance at the World Junior Championship as well as for team Sweden
in the World U18s, Lindholm is one of the highest risers of the draft and could
be a steal at this spot.
19. G Malcolm SUBBAN (6’0 – 165 lbs) Belleville Bulls - OHL
Since
Khabibulin’s departure from Tampa Bay, the Bolts haven’t found their franchise
goalie, as Mike Smith has turned into a great #1 netminder for the Yotes. With
Stamkos and cie in front, they will bolstered that back end with the addition
of the very athletic Subban, and Cody Ceci with the earlier pick.
20. D Matt FINN (6' - 185 lbs) Guelph Storm - OHL
With Pronger’s
uncertainty and Matt Carle’s possible departure, the Flyers will try to
rejuvenate their defense with Matt Finn.
21. RW Tom WILSON (6'4 - 194 lbs) Plymouth Whalers - OHLWhen they’ve traded for Cody Hogdson, they payed a steep price by seeing their future enforcer Zach Kassian go back the other way. Tom Wilson is the meanest and toughest forward of this draft and he can also bring offense.
22. D Slater KOEKKOEK (6’2 – 183 lbs) Peterborough Petes - OHL
Sidelined with
a shoulder injury, Koekkoek will be happy to slide to Pittsburgh. He brings
offense and puck moving ability and will be a great complement to Letang in the
future.
23. D Michael MATHESON (6’1 – 179 lbs) Dubuque Fighting Saints - USHLWith one of the best prospects pool in the league, the Panthers will add a big piece for their future defense. Matheson chose to go the NCAA route instead of playing in the Q and it has been working great for him. Smooth skating and poise, he ressembles a lot of Gormley.
24. RW Martin FRK (6’0 – 198 lbs) Halifax Mooseheads - QMJHL
With Hamilton
as their upcoming blueliner, Frk will bring thrive and a in-your-face type of
game, just like Bruins Brad Marchand. If he can improve his skating, he’ll turn
out a steal for the Bruins.
25. RW Pontus ÅBERG (5’11 – 183 lbs) Dujgarden - SEL
Injured during
an exhibition game at the WJC, Aberg was once considered a top draft pick along
with Forsberg. He brings size and a very underrated scoring ability.
26. D Dalton THROWER (5’11” – 179 lbs) Saskatoon Blades - WHLCanucks are proud to select Thrower as he brings size and mobility to their blueline. Something they’ve lost in Luc Bourdon, such a promising player.
27. C Tomas HERTL (6’0 – 187 lbs) HC Slavia Praha - CzechWith the success of Radim Vrbata, why not draft a young Czech player in Hertl. He showed great flashes of high potential during the WJC and it has made him a riser in this draft.
28. LW Stefan MATTEAU (6’1 – 207 lbs) USA NTDP U17 - USHL
“Matteau,
Matteau, Matteau, Stéphane Matteau!” is all we need to say.
29. G Andrei VASILEVSKI (6’3 – 190 lbs) Tolpar Ufa - MHL
It is hard to project when will Vasilevski come to
North America as he’s projected to get drafted by the Saint John Sea Dogs in
the 2012 CHL Import Draft. But one thing is for sure, he has size and quick
reflexes more than any goalie prospect of this draft.
30. C Nicolas KERDILES (6’1 – 183 lbs) USA NTDP U17 - USHL
To finish the 1st
round, the Stanley Cup champions will have a great centerman for their
organization with Kerdiles. He brings size and offense and plays for a great
USNDTP and won Gold at the most recent World U18s. A good Californian kid for the Kings.
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