NHL Comparable – Nikita Kucherov
Gavin McKenna LW1 Penn State NCAA
NHL Comparable – Nikita Kucherov
Throughout this season, I have been back and forth on who the top prospect of this draft is. However, since the Under 20 World Junior Championships, McKenna’s play has really elevated, and he has really started to pull away from the other prospects in this draft for me personally. The offensive flare has really hit another level recently, making it really hard for teams to pass up on him at the number one spot in the draft. His 200-foot play has improved, which has led to his ice time increasing and more trust from his coaching staff. The hockey IQ is off the charts and he has elite puck skills. He is the type of player that can create high danger chances out of nothing. I can see any team passing on McKenna really coming to regret it in the future.
NHL Comparable – Lucas Raymond
Stenberg has been having an incredible season in the SHL. His 33 points in 43 games ranks amongst some of the top draft eligible seasons out of the SHL. To put this into perspective a little more, Leo Carlson’s 25 points in 44 games was enough to get him drafted second overall ahead of young NHL stars like Adam Fantilli, Will Smith, Matvei Michkov, etc.
Stenberg is very effective down the boards. He uses he frame and skating effectively to win board battles and protect the puck when on his stick. His compete stands out defensively, and he positions his stick well to break up passes. He is very deceptive with his movements and has showcased some flashy playmaking throughout this season. The lack of flaws in his game, compete, projectability, and NHL readiness reminds me a little bit of Michael Misa in his draft eligible season, last year. While I don’t see Stenberg having the offensive upside that McKenna does, I think there is an outside chance he can go first overall as a very safe pick to be a top line winger that is capable of playing in all situations.
NHL Comparables – Roman Josi
Chase Reid is the closest thing to Matthew Schaefer in this draft class. The mobility, ability to break the puck out, and the way he walks the blue line all stand out. He holds his own on defense and has a good frame standing at 6’2”, 187 pounds. While I don’t think it’s likely, I wouldn’t count him out of going first overall depending on what team wins the draft lottery.
NHL Comparable – Moritz Seider
Smits has stood out in his international play for Latvia. I was impressed with his play in the Olympics, where he played his offside a bit. Smits is a big defenseman, that moves very well for his size. He has high hockey IQ and is good at getting pucks through traffic. At 6’4”, 205 pounds, Smits does not shy away from contact. With the puck, he is not afraid to run oppositions over, and off the puck he is aggressive, looking to jump at any loose pucks. In the defensive zone at times, he chases a bit much, which isn’t super uncommon for young defenseman. I think Smits has all the tools to be a physical shutdown defenseman, that contributes offensively.
NHL Comparable – Noah Hanifin
Carson Carels is a strong skater, who isn’t afraid to drive play from the backend. Carels has a strong shot, and solid offensive instincts. While he’s not an overly physically punishing defenseman, he is very reliable defensively. I see him projecting as a solid all around, top 4 defenseman.
NHL comparable – Dmitri Voronkov
Ethan Belchetz has strong power forward potential. He uses his body effectively with the puck and in the corners. He has solid vision and is a goal scorer. He is a good net front presence as well. The physicality is inconsistent, and I would like to see him become more punishing in that department, considering his large frame. The skating is a bit of a limiter and can use some work.
NHL Comparable – David Krejci
I see Bjork as the number one center in this draft. While he is on the smaller side of things, he makes up for it. He is strong for his size and makes the most of every inch of his frame. He plays the center position remarkably well. While skating isn’t a strength of his, and you would like better for a player his size, I still have a lot of belief in him. He is a very intelligent player, that makes very good decisions with and without the puck. The compete is high end. Due to his size, I can see Bjork falling to the 10-15 range of the draft. If so, one team will come away with a steal.
NHL Comparable – Alex Pietrangelo
Like Smits, Verhoeff is not afraid to use his big frame for physicality. While a bit inconsistent, he has shown some flashes offensively, and I can see some upside there. He doesn’t always make the best decisions, and I somewhat question the hockey IQ at times. On top of that the skating is a bit clunky, and the footspeed can definitely use sone work. Despite still being quite raw at this stage in his development, I still see strong upside with Verhoeff because of some great tools. I believe that his floor is high enough, that he’ll be an NHLer one day.
NHL Comparable – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Caleb Malhotra is an intelligent, skilled center. He is a playmaker, that drives with his puck skills. Defensively, he is smart with his positioning and how he uses his stick to break up passes. I would like to see him put on some more muscle. With the lack of high-end centers in this draft, Malhotra finds himself amongst the best, making him a tempting option for teams looking to improve down the middle.
10. Tynan Lawrence C3 Boston University NCAA
NHL Comparable – Charlie Coyle
The decision to turn to the NCAA has really hurt Tynan Lawrence’s draft stock. He didn’t really find his retheme until the final few games of Boston College’s season. While he seemed a bit overwhelmed throughout his time in the NCAA, he still showed flashes of the strengths he had in the USHL. He’s a good skater, that is good on the wall. I think he stood out offensively most in the cycle game. He plays the center position pretty well, coming back hard on defense and using his speed effectively when going after lose pucks. While the NCAA game has risen some concerns for his offensive ceiling, being one of the youngest players in this coming draft should work in his favor quite a bit.
11. Mathis Preston RW1 Vancouver Giants WHL
NHL Comparable – Nikolaj Ehlers
Mathis Preston is one of the more unfortunate stories this season. While his play has been a bit underwhelming at times, bouncing between bad teams and an injury that sidelined him for a few weeks did not help the cause. Preston’s draft stock is currently on the decline, however I see some really interesting tools that lead me to believe he can be a strong upside pick. I also think his play is better than what his stats may suggest.
12. Nikita Klepov LW4 Saginaw Spirit OHL
NHL Comparable – Alex Killorn
Nikita Klepov is a very projectable player. He is tenacious on the forecheck and absorbs contact well. He has a solid shot, and good vision. I see him settling in as a solid middle six winger.
13. Xavier Villeneuve LD3 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
NHL Comparable – Lane Hutson
Xavier Villeneuve is often overlooked because of a lack of size and strength. He reminds me a lot of Lane Hutson. I think Villeneuve is a bit better than Hutson was in his draft season. Will NHL teams make the same mistake, letting these smaller, skilled defenseman slide in the draft? I think he’ll very likely fall at least to the early to mid 20s.
Villeneuve has strong puck skills and great vision. He is a great skater, that walks the blue line very well. He is a good power play quarterback as well. While the defensive game is inconsistent, he competes hard, which leads me to believe that he will get better.
14. Ryan Lin RD3 Vancouver Giants WHL
NHL Comparable – Justin Faulk
Ryan Lin plays with great creativity. He's a good skater, and makes things happen offensively. While he is on the smaller side, at under 6 feet tall, he doesn’t play like it. Lin fights hard in puck battles and isn’t afraid of throwing his body around. He also makes good decisions on defense and uses his 4-way mobility well to defend against the rush.
15. Marcus Nordmark RW2 Djurgardens IF SHL
NHL Comparable – Beckett Sennecke
Marcus Nordmark is a big player, with electrifying skill. He uses his anticipation and his puck skills to be very dangerous. He’s a good passer and has some nice moves to get past defenders. However, there are some concerns I have with his compete. He coasts more than I would like to see and isn’t the most reliable defensive player. Despite this, I can see some teams gambling on the size and skill, kind of like how the Ducks did with Sennecke.
NHL Comparable – Lucas Raymond
Stenberg has been having an incredible season in the SHL. His 33 points in 43 games ranks amongst some of the top draft eligible seasons out of the SHL. To put this into perspective a little more, Leo Carlson’s 25 points in 44 games was enough to get him drafted second overall ahead of young NHL stars like Adam Fantilli, Will Smith, Matvei Michkov, etc.
Stenberg is very effective down the boards. He uses he frame and skating effectively to win board battles and protect the puck when on his stick. His compete stands out defensively, and he positions his stick well to break up passes. He is very deceptive with his movements and has showcased some flashy playmaking throughout this season. The lack of flaws in his game, compete, projectability, and NHL readiness reminds me a little bit of Michael Misa in his draft eligible season, last year. While I don’t see Stenberg having the offensive upside that McKenna does, I think there is an outside chance he can go first overall as a very safe pick to be a top line winger that is capable of playing in all situations.
NHL Comparables – Roman Josi
Chase Reid is the closest thing to Matthew Schaefer in this draft class. The mobility, ability to break the puck out, and the way he walks the blue line all stand out. He holds his own on defense and has a good frame standing at 6’2”, 187 pounds. While I don’t think it’s likely, I wouldn’t count him out of going first overall depending on what team wins the draft lottery.
NHL Comparable – Moritz Seider
Smits has stood out in his international play for Latvia. I was impressed with his play in the Olympics, where he played his offside a bit. Smits is a big defenseman, that moves very well for his size. He has high hockey IQ and is good at getting pucks through traffic. At 6’4”, 205 pounds, Smits does not shy away from contact. With the puck, he is not afraid to run oppositions over, and off the puck he is aggressive, looking to jump at any loose pucks. In the defensive zone at times, he chases a bit much, which isn’t super uncommon for young defenseman. I think Smits has all the tools to be a physical shutdown defenseman, that contributes offensively.
NHL Comparable – Noah Hanifin
Carson Carels is a strong skater, who isn’t afraid to drive play from the backend. Carels has a strong shot, and solid offensive instincts. While he’s not an overly physically punishing defenseman, he is very reliable defensively. I see him projecting as a solid all around, top 4 defenseman.
NHL comparable – Dmitri Voronokov
Ethan Belchetz has strong power forward potential. He uses his body effectively with the puck and in the corners. He has solid vision and is a goal scorer. He is a good net front presence as well. The physicality is inconsistent, and I would like to see him become more punishing in that department, considering his large frame. The skating is a bit of a limiter and can use some work.
NHL Comparable – David Krejci
I see Bjork as the number one center in this draft. While he is on the smaller side of things, he makes up for it. He is strong for his size and makes the most of every inch of his frame. He plays the center position remarkably well. While skating isn’t a strength of his, and you would like better for a player his size, I still have a lot of belief in him. He is a very intelligent player, that makes very good decisions with and without the puck. The compete is high end. Due to his size, I can see Bjork falling to the 10-15 range of the draft. If so, one team will come away with a steal.
NHL Comparable – Alex Pietrangelo
Like Smits, Verhoeff is not afraid to use his big frame for physicality. While a bit inconsistent, he has shown some flashes offensively, and I can see some upside there. He doesn’t always make the best decisions, and I somewhat question the hockey IQ at times. On top of that the skating is a bit clunky, and the footspeed can definitely use sone work. Despite still being quite raw at this stage in his development, I still see strong upside with Verhoeff because of some great tools. I believe that his floor is high enough, that he’ll be an NHLer one day.
NHL Comparable – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Caleb Malhotra is an intelligent, skilled center. He is a playmaker, that drives with his puck skills. Defensively, he is smart with his positioning and how he uses his stick to break up passes. I would like to see him put on some more muscle. With the lack of high-end centers in this draft, Malhotra finds himself amongst the best, making him a tempting option for teams looking to improve down the middle.
10. Tynan Lawrence C3 Boston University NCAA
NHL Comparable – Charlie Coyle
The decision to turn to the NCAA has really hurt Tynan Lawrence’s draft stock. He didn’t really find his retheme until the final few games of Boston College’s season. While he seemed a bit overwhelmed throughout his time in the NCAA, he still showed flashes of the strengths he had in the USHL. He’s a good skater, that is good on the wall. I think he stood out offensively most in the cycle game. He plays the center position pretty well, coming back hard on defense and using his speed effectively when going after lose pucks. While the NCAA game has risen some concerns for his offensive ceiling, being one of the youngest players in this coming draft should work in his favor quite a bit.
11. Mathis Preston RW1 Vancouver Giants WHL
NHL Comparable – Nikolaj Ehlers
Mathis Preston is one of the more unfortunate stories this season. While his play has been a bit underwhelming at times, bouncing between bad teams and an injury that sidelined him for a few weeks did not help the cause. Preston’s draft stock is currently on the decline, however I see some really interesting tools that lead me to believe he can be a strong upside pick. I also think his play is better than what his stats may suggest.
12. Nikita Klepov LW4 Sanginaw Spirit OHL
NHL Comparable – Alex Killorn
Nikita Klepov is a very projectable player. He is tenacious on the forecheck and absorbs contact well. He has a solid shot, and good vision. I see him settling in as a solid middle six winger.
13. Xavier Villeneuve LD3 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
NHL Comparable – Lane Hutson
Xavier Villeneuve is often overlooked because of a lack of size and strength. He reminds me a lot of Lane Hutson. I think Villeneuve is a bit better than Hutson was in his draft season. Will NHL teams make the same mistake, letting these smaller, skilled defenseman slide in the draft? I think he’ll very likely fall at least to the early to mid 20s.
Villeneuve has strong puck skills and great vision. He is a great skater, that walks the blue line very well. He is a good power play quarterback as well. While the defensive game is inconsistent, he competes hard, which leads me to believe that he will get better.
14. Ryan Lin RD3 Vancouver Giants WHL
NHL Comparable – Justin Faulk
Ryan Lin plays with great creativity. He's a good skater, and makes things happen offensively. While he is on the smaller side, at under 6 feet tall, he doesn’t play like it. Lin fights hard in puck battles and isn’t afraid of throwing his body around. He also makes good decisions on defense and uses his 4-way mobility well to defend against the rush.
15. Marcus Nordmark RW2 Djurgardens IF SHL
NHL Comparable – Beckett Sennecke
Marcus Nordmark is a big player, with electrifying skill. He uses his anticipation and his puck skills to be very dangerous. He’s a good passer and has some nice moves to get past defenders. However, there are some concerns I have with his compete. He coasts more than I would like to see and isn’t the most reliable defensive player. Despite this, I can see some teams gambling on the size and skill, kind of like how the Ducks did with Sennecke.