Hockey Lobby Mock Draft - Mastercard Memorial Cup 2013

ORDER	TEAM	PLAYER	SKINNY
1		Seth Jones (D) – Portland Winterhawks	Colorado picks the most coveted player of the draft. Growing up in Denver, Jones will play for his childhood team. Jones has great athleticism and work ethic, combined with a great talent and vision on ice. Kid’s potential is unlimited. NHL comparison: Alex Pietrangelo + Keith Yandle
2		Nathan MacKinnon (C) – Halifax Mooseheads	Dale Tallon will be ecstatic to pick MacKinnon, as he will be their go-to-guy with Huberdeau for years to come. He possesses the most explosive first 3 steps of the draft combined with a nose for the net. His defensive play is very well rounded as well. NHL comparison: Taylor Hall + Tyler Seguin
3		Jonathan Drouin (LW) – Halifax Mooseheads	With Marty St.-Louis not getting younger, Tampa Bay will have the perfect winger for Stamkos to reach the 70 goals plateau in the near future. Basically the prospect with the best hands of this year’s draft and the past previous ones. NHL comparison: Patrick Kane + Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
4		Aleksander Barkov (C) - Tappara	Nashville has been desperately in need of a franchise centerman and Barkov is a rare breed that fits the bill. The most well rounded prospect of the draft and considered as one of the best player not playing in the NHL right now. Possess a huge frame and unremarkable vision. NHL comparison: Joe Thornton
5		Sean Monahan (C) – Ottawa 67’s	The OHL’s top prospect will be a great top 6 addition to the Hurricanes. Sean did not have the progression everybody expected this year, but he was still a leader for the poor 67’s. His hockey IQ and two-way game is very well rounded. NHL comparison: Jordan Staal/ Sean Couturier
6		Max Domi (C) – London Knights	HL’s biggest riser. Max Domi has showed it all at the 2013 Memorial Cup. From the big hit on McColgan to the slickest pass between the leg leading to Horvat’s goal vs Portland. The 5ft10 - 194 lbs son of Tie Domi is the perfect combination of skill and grit for the Calgary Flames. Head coach Bob Hartley had plenty of time watching Domi closely as he was in Saskatoon all tournament long. NHL comparison: Zach Parise
7		Elias Lindholm (C) - Brynäs	With big names still available, Edmonton will go for the best Swedish prospect since Nicklas Backstrom. Lindholm is a great two way player with lots of grit. And competitiveness. He can play both wing and center positions and will provide the Oilers a completely dangerous top 6 for years to come. NHL Comparison: Poor man’s Peter Forsberg
8		Rasmus Ristolainen (D) – TPS Turku	Buffalo needs help at every position. Until Miller goes, the rebuild should be starting from the back end with their defense. Ristolainen has been praised as the Finnish-Pronger. His cerebral play combined with physical play makes him the 2nd best defenseman available for the draft. NHL comparison: Chris Pronger-lite
9		Valeri Nichushkin (LW) – Dynamo Moscow	Consider this the gift from above. With Parise’s departure, New Jersey cannot only rely on Kovy. We are talking about the potential steal of draft with the big, mean and lightning fast Russian winger. If he were North American, he would have challenged Nathan MacKinnon for the top forward of the draft class. NHL comparison: Ilya Kovalchuk
10		Alexander Wennberg (C) - Djurgardens	Since the departure of James Neal, the Stars have seen the rise of Jamie Benn. But their center position has been very thin and Wennberg’s addition is very positive for their future. His 2-way play is very well developed and it translated onto every international events he participated. NHL comparison: Henrik Zetterberg
11		Darnell Nurse (D) – Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds	Donovan McNabb’s nephew comes from great family genes and is a tireless athlete. He combines big frame and great all round abilities to become a key member of the Flyers. He’s not flashy but does everything well. Got great praises from his former NFL All-Star Quarterback uncle. NHL comparison: Braydon Coburn
12		Hunter Shinkaruk (LW) – Medicine Hat Tigers	Phoenix is in desperate need of offensive spark in front and drafting Hunter will be their best bet. Not only does he possess a knack for scoring, he has explosive skating and a very good stickhandling. Reminds a lot of Phil Kessel of the Maple Leafs.NHL comparison: Phil Kessel
13		Nikita Zadorov (D) – London Knights	There’s never enough defense, and the Jets will be settle with Zadorov and Trouba for many years to come as their top 2 pairing. The towering Russian defenseman combines strength and swift mobility. According to Dale Hunter, his head coach with the Knights, his potential is unlimited. NHL comparison: Victor Hedman
14		Bo Horvat (C) – London Knights	With their new management, John Davidson as the President and Jarmo Kekalainen as the new man in charge, the rebuild has begun. The addition of Horvat just makes sense. Horvat plays the game very efficiently and has a very good scoring touch to it. NHL comparison: Mike Richards/David Backes
15		Zachary Fucale (G) – Halifax Mooseheads	Fucale is the future of the Isles at the goaltending position. The Isles are already filled with top end prospects both in offense and defense but not between the pipes. Fucale is the premier goaltender of this draft, and his greatest strength is his calmness in adversity. NHL comparison: Cam Ward
16	*	Valentin Zykov (RW) – Baie-Comeau Drakkar	Baie-Comeau is pretty far from St. Petersburg, but Zykov has made the commitment to go to NA to get more ice time and exposure. And his effort both on and off the ice has brought up all he deserved. Head on his shoulders, Zykov has made a name for him by winning the QMJHL ROY award and scored 40 goals in his 1st season in America. NHL comparison: Johan Franzen
17		Frédérik Gauthier (C) – Rimouski Océanic	Since his days with the Phénix of College Esther-Blondin in midget AAA, we knew that Gauthier was to become something special. After his first season with the Océanic, he has become a great 2-way 6ft5 center with great all-around play. He might not become the next Lecavalier, but will be a great top 6 NHLer. NHL comparison: Sean Couturier
18		Ryan Hartman (RW) – Plymouth Whalers	Hartman was part of this year’s Gold medal USA team at the IIHF U20 WJC. He does everything well, in all 3 zones and possesses a very good skating. Although he’s only 5ft11 for now, expect him to grow a few inches because his uncle and dad are respectively 6ft6 and 6ft2. NHL comparison: Ryan Callahan
19	*	Curtis Lazar (C) – Edmonton Oil Kings	Lazar was touted at the beginning of the season as a lottery pick but he had a rough year with the Oil Kings after a tremendous 2012 playoff run to the Memorial Cup. However, Lazar is a player that breathers and lives for hockey. He will never take a shift off, and has a tendency to show up when it matters the most. Very clutch type player. NHL comparison: Patrice Bergeron
20	*	Ryan Pulock (D) – Brandon Wheat Kings	The Grandview, MB native has seen his stock fall a bit this year, but he remains an offensive dynamo on the blueline, combining a violent shot from the point with a physical type of play to his game. The Flames will be ecstatic to have Boowmeester’s replacement. NHL comparison: Keith Yandle
21		Anthony Mantha (LW) – Val d’Or Foreurs	The lone 50 goals scorer from the QMHJL, Mantha emerged as a dominant force in this year’s draft. However, he showed the bad tendency to not show up every night and a lack of physical play in his game despite a 6ft4 frame. If he makes the right adjustments, he’ll become a dangerous threat in the NHL for the Leafs. NHL comparison: James Neal
22		Adam Erne (RW) – Quebec Remparts	Adam Erne has chosen to not commit to Boston College in order to be coached by the one and only Patrick Roy. He enjoyed 2 great seasons, turning him into a premier powerforward for this year’s draft. Something that the Sharks have been missing for a long time. NHL comparison: Todd Bertuzzi
23		Ian McCoshen (D) – Waterloo Black Hawks	Something has to change in Washington, but one thing remains, after last year’s surprise pick of Forsberg, Washington made a huge mistake sending him off to Nashville for absolutely nothing. With the addition of McCoshen, the Caps will have in their hands a similar defenseman than their playoff rivals Rangers, Ryan McDonagh. NHL comparison: Ryan McDonagh
24		Nicolas Petan (C) – Portland Winterhawks	Vancouver native will be glad to be pick by Vancouver. Same thing goes for Vancouver, things are going to change a lot this following offseason. Despite his small size, Petan plays the game at a very high pace and possesses a great skillset. Size doesn’t matter in this league anymore, talk to Calder finalist and Vancouver Giants alumni, Brendan Gallagher. NHL comparison: Pierre-Marc Bouchard
25		Josh Morrissey (D) – Prince Albert Raiders	After the loss of Emelin on April 6th, everybody saw how defenseless were the Habs. After a quick exit in the playoffs, it’s time to rebuild. By taking the gold medalist with team Canada at the IIHF U18, Montreal will have one of the best blueline prospect pool of the league. Morrissey plays the game on the edge, with speed and mobility and possesses a hard shot from the blueline. Consider him the Morgan Rielly of the 2013 Draft. NHL comparison: Morgan Rielly
26		Kerby Rychel (LW) – Windsor Spitfires	Warren Rychel played 2 seasons for the Ducks, but his son will probably play a few more than him and more importantly, be a key player for the Ducks in the future. Where his dad lack off Kerby has it all. Size, skill and a knack for scoring. NHL comparison: Andrew Ladd
27	*	André Burakovsky (LW/RW) – Malmö IF	With the 3rd of their 3 1st round picks, Kekalainen will definitely love to pick the Swedish sniper, Burakovsky. He is the typical pick of Kekalainen and will become an important top 6 winger for the rebuilding Jackets. The future is brighter in Columbus under Kekalainen and Davidson’s guidance. NHL comparison: Alexander Semin
28		Samuel Morin (D) – Rimouski Océanic	It’s hard to pass up on Morin, especially when he reminds a lot of Chara. He is very raw at this point in his career, but the 6ft7 has untapped potential and is already ahead of Chara at the same age. Plus, he is a punishing force with his hits and his punches, something Montreal Canadiens fans will hate when facing Morin with a Bruins jersey on him. Let the rivalry continue. NHL comparison: Tyler Myers
29	*	Shea Theodore (D) – Seattle Thunderbirds	And with their final pick of their 3 1st rounders, the Flames will gladly pick Theodore from the Seattle Thunderbirds. Theodore, along with Pulock should be their top 2 pairing dmen for years to come. Offensive minded defenseman are very valuable and Calgary might just have two excellent ones, along with their franchise player, Max Domi Mark Jankowski. NHL comparison: Mike Green
30		Morgan Klimchuk (C) – Regina Pats	Finally, with the 30th pick overall, the Blackhawks will pick Klimchuk, a key sniper in this year’s gold medal winning Canadian team at the IIHF U18 tournament. NHL comparison: Patrick Sharp

1st Round Traded Draft Picks

•    16 - Buffalo receives Minnesota's 2013 1st round pick, 2014 2nd round pick, G Matt Hackett and LW Johan Larsson for Jason Pominville and a 2014 4th round pick.

•    19 - Columbus receives the NY Rangers 2013 1st round pick, Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixon and Artem Anisimov for Rick Nash, Steve Delisle and a conditional 3rd round pick (If the Rangers make it to the Stanley Cup finals, the Blue Jackets keep the pick).

•    20 - Calgary receives St. Louis' 2013 1st round pick, D Mark Cundari and G Reto Berra for D Jay Bouwmeester. The 2013 1st round pick could become a 2013 4th round pick and 2014 1st round pick if the Blues miss the playoffs this season.

•    27 - Columbus receives Los Angeles' 2013 1st round pick (Columbus decided not to use the pick 2012) and Jack Johnson for Jeff Carter.

•    29 - Calgary receives Pittsburgh's 2013 1st round pick, Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski for Jarome Iginla.

•    
* - New Jersey must forfeit their 1st round pick in either 2013 or 2014 as a penalty from the NHL for circumventing the cap when signing Ilya Kovalchuk. They also forfeited their 2011 3rd round pick and $3 million.

Nathan MacKinnon's goal vs Seth Jones

Max Domi's slick saucer pass between the legs to Bo Horvat

Top 3 ranked prospects: Nathan MacKinnon (Left) - Seth Jones (Center) - Jonathan Drouin (Right)