For the last time before the 2019 NHL Entry Draft tomorrow in Vancouver, Bill and Joe give what they predict the first round will look like.
For reference at the previous two mock drafts:
Lets get right into the picks!
Bill:
1. NJD C Jack Hughes (NTDP)
2. NYR RW Kaapo Kakko (Liiga)
3. CHI C Alex Turcotte (NTDP)
4. COL (OTT) C Dylan Cozens (WHL)
5. LAK D Bowen Byram (WHL)
6. DET C Trevor Zegras (NTDP)
7. BUF RW Cole Caufield (NTDP)
8. EDM D Philip Broberg (SHL)
9. ANA C Kirby Dach (WHL)
10. VAN D Victor Soderstrom (SHL)
11. PHI LW Matthew Boldy (NTDP)
12. MIN RW Vasili Podkolzin (KHL)
13. FLA C Peyton Krebs (WHL)
14. ARI D Thomas Harley (OHL)
15. MTL C Alex Newhook (BCHL)
16. COL D Moritz Seider (DEL)
17. VGK D Cam York (NTDP)
18. DAL C Philip Tomasino (OHL)
19. OTT (CBJ) RW Arthur Kaliyev (OHL)
20. WPG C Ryan Suzuki (OHL)
21. PIT C Raphael Lavoie (QMJHL)
22. LAK (TOR) RW Bobby Brink (USHL)
23. NYI C Connor McMichael (OHL)
24. NSH LW Nils Hoglander (SHL)
25. WSH D Ville Heinola (Liiga)
26. CGY LW Jakob Pelletier (QMJHL)
27. TBL C Brayden Tracy (WHL)
28. ANA (SJS) LW Nick Robertson
29. CAR G Spencer Knight (NTDP)
30. BOS D Alex Vlasic (NTDP)
31. BUF (STL) D Lassi Thomson
Evaluating Rasmus Ristolainen and His Future in Buffalo
Joe:
1. NJD C Jack Hughes (NTDP)
2. NYR RW Kaapo Kakko (Liiga)
3. CHI C Alex Turcotte (NTDP)
4. COL (OTT) C Dylan Cozens (WHL)
5. LAK D Bowen Byram (WHL)
6. DET C Kirby Dach (WHL)
7. BUF C Trevor Zegras (NTDP)
8. EDM RW Cole Caufield (NTDP)
9. ANA LW Matthew Boldy (NTDP)
10. VAN D Philip Broberg (SHL)
11. PHI D Victor Soderstrom (SHL)
12. MIN RW Vasili Podkolzin (KHL)
13. FLA G Spencer Knight (NTDP)
14. ARI C Peyton Krebs (WHL)
15. MTL D Cam York (NTDP)
16. COL D Moritz Seider (DEL)
17. VGK C Alex Newhook (BCHL)
18. DAL D Thomas Harley (OHL)
19. OTT (CBJ) C Ryan Suzuki (OHL)
20. WPG RW Arthur Kaliyev (OHL)
21. PIT C Raphael Lavoie (QMJHL)
22. LAK (TOR) LW Jakob Pelletier (QMJHL)
23. NYI C Philip Tomasino (OHL)
24. NSH RW Bobby Brink (USHL)
25. WSH LW Nils Hoglander (SHL)
26. CGY C Connor McMichael (OHL)
27. TBL D Alex Vlasic (NTDP)
28. ANA (SJS) D Ville Heinola (Liiga)
29. CAR LW Samuel Poulin (QMJHL)
30. BOS RW Brett Leason (WHL)
31. BUF (STL) C Nick Roberston (OHL)
Bill’s Picks
7th – Cole Caulfied
I think the Sabres want Zegras here, but I don’t think Detroit will pull the trigger on Podkolzin. The Sabres still get a high ceiling prospect that fills the net. It’s very obvious the Sabres need that, but they’ll have to wait on Caufield to develop some more in Wisconsin. He fits what you are looking for in the wingers of playmaking centers like Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt.
31st – Lassi Thomson
I’ve been high on Lassi Thomson for a while now. He’s offensively gifted, potting 17 goals and 24 assists in the WHL for Kelowna. He posses a great shot and strong skating abilities. He’s solid against the rush, but needs some work on his positioning in the defensive end. He’s more of a project, but his potential can be a top four defenseman.
Joe’s Picks
7th – Trevor Zegras
From my final draft rankings
Jason Botterill has said on multiple occasions since the season ended that they need to add more speed, skill, and goal scoring into their lineup, and Zegras would no doubt help the Sabres in those departments.
Zegras is one of the best playmakers in the draft class and it would be a huge win for the Sabres if they could add an offensive weapon like Zegras into their pipeline. Zegras can also play on the wing, adding a versatile player is only an added bonus for the Sabres.
31st – Nick Robertson
Robertson is an undersized wrecking ball with a great motor. He’ll hound defenders on the forecheck, cause turnovers and has a nice skillset that lets him setup teammates or get a quick wrister off. While his playmaking and shooting aren’t top notch, it’s enough to be a great compliment to his dog-on-raw-meat mentality.
Defensively, Roberston shows the same effort, but that effort can actually get him in trouble. At times he can get caught puck chasing and out of position. As with almost all prospects, he’ll need to round out his defensive positioning.
