2015 NHL Draft: Mock Draft Update

With the Oilers winning the draft lottery on Saturday, we now know the draft order for the first 14 picks. The remaining order is based off of current standings. I’ll post my final mock draft after the Stanley Cup is awarded.

Notes on the picks:

1) Oilers – C Connor McDavid: Edmonton has done a brutal job of building around their glut of top picks recently. McDavid is the best of the bunch, can the Oilers finally figure out how to build a team around him?

2) Sabres – C Jack Eichel: Buffalo fans shouldn’t be too disappointed. Eichel is an elite center who gives them a potent 1-2 punch with 2014 top pick Sam Reinhart.

3) Coyotes – C Dylan Strome: Strome + Anthony Duclair + Max Domi = bright future in the desert.

4) Maple Leafs – RW Mitch Marner: The first new building block for the Leafs as they embark on their rebuild. The kid can flat-out score.

5) Hurricanes – D Noah Hanifin: He and ’14 first rounder Haydn Fleury would lead the ‘Canes prospect group. A future top pairing.

6) Devils – D Zach Werenski: Werenski can do it all, and would give a huge boost to a so-so Devil blueline.

7) Flyers – LW Lawson Crouse: He seems like a Flyer, doesn’t he? Rugged, some offense, and good size. He may give the Flyers what they lost in Scott Hartnell down the line.

8) Blue Jackets – D Ivan Provorov: A minor steal if he’s still around at 8th, Provorov has a ready-made mentor in Fedor Tyutin, and improves an organizational weakness.

9) Sharks – RW Mikko Rantanen: Here’s another kid who should probably go higher. Rantanen is a power forward, and man, would he look good on a line with Logan Couture or Joe Pavelski.

10) Avalanche – LW Kyle Connor: The Avs are loaded with talented forwards, but they can be patient with Connor as he heads off to Michigan.

11) Panthers – RW Timo Meier: He plays tough and has a nose for the net. The Panthers are slowing building a group of terrific young forwards, and a line with Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Meier would be lethal.

12) Stars – C Pavel Zacha: Scouts seem divided on Zacha. Some have him top-ten, others not even a first rounder. There’s enough here for me that I have him in the middle of the first round.

13) Kings – D Thomas Chabot: A fast-riser, Chabot will give the Kings a boost to their future blueline, which at the moment looks bleak.

14) Bruins – RW Brock Boeser: He’ll be at North Dakota for the near future. Boeser is a sniper in every sense of the word.

15) Flames – C Mathew Barzal: Would be a steal at 15. The Flames are assembling a fantastic group of young forwards in Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett and Johnny Gaudreau. Barzal would give the team anchors for two scoring lines for years to come.

16) Oilers – D Jakub Zboril: Outside of Darnell Nurse, the Oilers are paper-thin in the defensive pipeline. After getting McDavid, Zboril fills an organizational need. Good skater, good with the puck.

17) Jets – RW Daniel Sprong: A year after taking Nikolaj Ehlers, the Jets go back to the “Q” for another dangler in Sprong. These two arguably have the best hands in the QMJHL.

18) Senators – C Travis Konecny: Has local ties to the Sens. Is a coach’s dream like Boone Jenner. He and Curtis Lazar would be the heart and soul of the team.

19) Red Wings – D Oliver Kylington: Kylington’s stock has dropped more than any other prospect, but if there’s a team to get him back on the rails it’s the Wings.

20) Wild – D Brandon Carlo: A shutdown blueliner who fills an organizational need on defense.

21) Sabres – LW Anthony Beauvillier: A not-so-big scorer who may be a future linemate for Eichel.

22) Capitals – C Nick Merkley: The Caps have scorers-a-plenty, but Merkley would give them more of a two-way guy to even out the lineup.

23) Canucks – C Jansen Harkins: Has NHL bloodlines, good playmaker who’s defensively responsible. Like Merkley he compliments the offensive forwards with his two-way play.

24) Coyotes – D Jeremy Roy: After adding Strome earlier in the draft, the ‘Dogs grab smart blueliner Jeremy Roy. He’s good in all zones.

25) Maple Leafs – D Noah Juulsen: A two-way defender with decent size, good with the puck.

26) Flyers – D Vince Dunn: An offensive defenseman who drives possession.

27) Jets – RW Paul Bittner: With Ehlers and now Sprong in the organization, Bittner gives them a more rugged player (in the mold of Scott Hartnell) to help build the future forward group.

28) Ducks – LW Jake Debrusk: A two-way winger that can chip in offensively. He and Nick Ritchie (2014 first rounder) fit the Anaheim mold of toughness blended with skill.

29) Canadiens – C Filip Chlapik: An offensive forward who finished tied for most goals by a QMJHL rookie this season with 33.

30) Lightning – RW Evgeni Svechnikov: Another Russian for the Lightning would not be a bad thing. Svechnikov is the total package, and would be a steal at 30.