Seth Jones is the consensus #1 ranked prospect for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft
1. D Seth Jones Portland Winterhawks - WHL
Consensus #1 pick goes to his
hometown team where he first met Joe Sakic. Jones will bring stability in the
back end for Colorado when paired up with fellow American and former 1st
overall pick in 2006, Erik Johnson.
2. LW/C Jonathan Drouin Halifax Mooseheads - QMJHL
Losing the 1st overall
pick? No problem for Dale Tallon. Now he’s stuck with the biggest decision of
the draft: which Moosehead to pick? Well, he should not hesitate when picking
Jonathan Drouin, arguably the most creative and offensive juggernaut of the
draft. Tallon will be able to recreate his Toews-Kane duo in Florida.
3. C Nathan MacKinnon Halifax Mooseheads - QMJHL
Easy task for the Tampa Bay crew,
they will be happy with whatever is left from the big 3. MacKinnon is an
offensive force and is the best skater of the draft. The Cole Harbor native
could have gone 1st overall also, but he will be well welcomed in
Tampa Bay. He will be the perfect linemate to Stamkos, replacing the aging 2013
Art Ross winner, Martin St-Louis.
4. C Elias Lindholm Brynäs - Elisterien
Swedish phenom has been low profiled
the whole year but it did not stop him from having a very strong year in the
Elisterien with Brynas. He reminds a lot of Peter Forsberg. His vision is only
2nd best to Jonathan Drouin in this draft but plays a much more
physical game than the Moosehead player. Arguably the best Swedish prospect
since Nick Backstrom.
5. LW Valeri Nichuschkin Traktor Chelyabinsk - KHL
Carolina needs a big and nasty
forward with a complete offensive toolset and Nichushkin is their guy. Being a
late to the party, Nichushkin put on a show at the WJC and in the KHL playoffs.
Despite having 2 more years with Dynamo Moscow in the KHL, he is a Rick Nash type of
player and should become a dangerous threat once he comes to the big league.
6. C Aleksander “Sasha” Barkov Jr Tappara - SM-liiga
Barkov is the most NHL ready of all
the prospect of the 2013 draft. He has been playing in the SM-liiga since the
age of 16 years old. Becoming the youngest goal scorer at the U20 IIHF World
Championship, Barkov has been dominating the SM-liiga this past year, recording
almost a PPG season. He brings a new dimension to the Flames, who are in
desperate need of a franchise center.
7. D Darnell Nurse Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds - OHL
After 3 consecutives years picking 1st
overall, without GM Tambellini, the Oilers will be happy to pick Sault Ste.
Mary star defenseman, Darnell Nurse. He’s a very well rounded defenseman and
has great bloodlines and a great guidance from his uncle Donovan McNabb, former
NFL quarterback.
8. C Sean Monahan Ottawa 67's - OHL
OHL top forward will give the Sabres
the center that they lost in Derek Roy. Monahan has a great work ethic and
plays a great 2-way game. Along with Mikhail Grigorenko and Cody Hodgson, the
Sabres middle position is set for the future.
9. G Zachary Fucale Halifax Mooseheads - QMJHL
Although Martin Brodeur ages like
wine, he won’t be there forever. Having no strong replacement in their system,
the New Jersey Devils have to look at the best goaltender prospect since Carey
Price and that player is Halifax 3rd high-end prospect, Zachary
Fucale. The Rosemère native is very calm between the pipes and always shows up
on every given night.
10. D Rasmus Ristolainen TPS - SM-liiga
The Stars will gladly pick the best
defenseman available at this point. Rasmus is a great 2-way puck moving
defenseman and has shown his entire arsenal at the WJC playing for Finland and
putting up 6 points in 6 games.
11. D Nikita Zadorov London Knights - OHL
Big and nasty London Knights
defenseman has been rocketing up the charts this past year. He showed flashes
of offensive flair, but his main attribute is his physical game. He is a
punishing force in the back end with an excellent skating for a 6ft5 - 228 lbs
Russian.
12. LW Hunter Shinkaruk Medicine Hat Tigers - WHL
Despite a weak start to the season, Shinkaruk
has demonstrated that he still has that offensive flair in the offensive zone,
netting 37 goals in 64 games without Emerson Etem by his side. He will bring
more offensive up front to the desperates Yotes. Think Phil Kessel.
13. D Ryan Pulock Brandon Wheat Kings - WHL
Picking in their own backyard is
easy when you have the chance to pick a tremendous player like Pulock. Ryan has
worked really hard to get where he is now and has a very strong character and
courage after the loss of his younger brother in a car accident. It is a well
deserved gift for him and his family.
The Jets are set for their top 2 pairing with Pulock and Trouba on their blue
line.
14. C Frédérik Gauthier Rimouski Océanic - QMJHL
Columbus has been a complete
overhaul since the arrival of new GM Jarmo Kekäläinen. Adding a big centerman
like Gauthier will definitely help in
their rebuilding, especially with their 3 1st rounders. Gauthier has
demonstrated good upside combine with a big physique.
15. LW Anthony Mantha Val-d'Or Foreurs - QMJHL
The Islanders are making their first
playoffs appearance this year since 2007. They have shown this past season that
they are a very tough team to play against this year and a lot came from their
franchise player John Tavares. Adding a sniper like Mantha, a league high 50
goals scorer, will only be beneficial to the Islanders in the future.
16. RW Valentin Zykov Baie-Comeau Drakkar - QMHJL
Last year, the Sabres weren’t scared
of taking Russian star Grigorenko. This year, they will have the chance to add
a very strong and physical winger in Zykov. In his first year in North America,
Zykov managed to put up a 40 goals campaign while helping his team reach the
President’s Cup final against the Halifax Mooseheads.
17. C/LW Alexander Wennberg Djurgården - Allsvenskan
With their aging players, the Red
Wings will be ecstatic to pick speedy winger Wennberg. He enjoyed a great campaign with
Djurgarden in the Allsvenskan racking up 32 points in 46 games.
18. D Josh Morrissey Prince Albert Raiders - WHL
The Senators are stacked up in front
but in the back end, they will need Morrissey’s help. Josh Morrissey a 2-way
defenseman with a high offensive flair. He has shown his talent at the IIHF U18
World Championship where he was given the “A” and helped Canada win the gold
medal vs USA.
19. C Curtis Lazar Edmonton Oil Kings - WHL
With Johansen and now Gauthier, the
addition of Lazar will only be beneficial for the rebuilding of the Jackets.
Lazar is a player that is known for being a clutch player and presents himself
during the playoffs. He had a tough start to the season but managed a 38 goals
campaign.
20. RW Adam Erne Quebec Remparts - QMJHL
Erne is exactly what the Sharks
need. A true powerforward. Patrick Roy’s top prospect for this year’s draft has
shown great flashes of a NHL powerforward and he possesses great hands as well.
21. C/LW Max Domi London Knights - OHL
Well, the bloodlines were there and
Max Domi fits perfectly well with the Maple Leafs. Unlike his dad, Max is an
offensive threat and not a grinder. Max is enjoying a great season with the
London Knights and will try to bring his team to the Memorial Cup.
22. LW/RW André Burakovsky Malmö - Allsvenskan
At this year’s trade deadline, the
Capitals pulled off a last minute deal sending one of their top prospects,
Filip Forsberg. Now, they will have the chance to add another Swedish winger
who’s upside is pretty high.
23. C/LW Bo Horvat London Knights - OHL
Columbus needs offense and now they
will pick their 3rd forward with Bo Horvat. Max Domi’s linemate
plays more of a grinder game then him and possesses a bigger frame as well.
Horvat will definitely be a great addition to the Jackets in their top 9.
24. LW Kerby Rychel Windsor Sptifire - OHL
Vancouver needs scoring, then they
will have scoring by adding Kerby Rychel. For the past 2 seasons, Rychel
managed to score 40 and 41 goals respectively for the Windsor Spitfires. The
left winger might be a solution next to the Sedins in the future.
25. D Robert Hägg MODO - Elisterien
Calgary got their franchise
centerman, now they will add a very steady 2-way defenseman in Hägg. Although
he had a poor U18, he showed great poise at the IIHF U20 World Championships
this past January.
26. RW Ryan Hartman Plymouth Whalers - OHL
Ryan Hartman is a perfect fit with
the Bruins. The American player has demonstrated great 2-way play when he
helped team USA win the 2013 IIHF U20 World Championship. He plays with great
speed and with a lot of grit.
27. C Laurent Dauphin Chicoutimi Saguenéens - QMJHL
Who is Laurent Dauphin? Nobody knew
who he was before the CHL Top Prospects game where he put on a show while being
a late invite after Hunter Shinkaruk’s injury. Dauphin was voted the MVP of the
game after he put on 1g 1a performance and played with energy all night long.
Playing alongside OHL 16 years old phenom Connor McDavid at the IIHF World U18
Championship in Sochi, Laurent helped team Canada win the gold medal game
versus the 4-time in row defending champion Americans. He was also named the
game’s MVP. He reminds a lot of Claude Giroux. He’s a long project as he still
have room to grow, standing 6ft tall and weighing only 165 lbs.
28. C Nicolas Petan Portland Winterhawks - WHL
The Ducks will add the CHL scoring
champion in their system. Despite his small stature of 5ft9, Petan has a very
high offensive potential and loves to score.
29. G Philippe Desrosiers Rimouski Océanic - QMJHL
Barkov at center, Hägg at defense,
now the Calgary Flames will be stronger in the middle with the addition of
Philippe Desrosiers. Desrosiers has put up a show at the IIHF U18 World
Championship with a GAA of 0.80 and a SVS% of 0.970 in 5 games. He played a
crucial part in team Canada’s gold medal conquest.
30. D Samuel Morin Rimouski Océanic - QMJHL
Finally, the Blackhawks never seemed
worry to pick in the QMJHL. Samuel Morin is a big and mean defenseman with
fluid skating that can be a very high reward player.
HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS BIG 3
JONATHAN DROUIN
NATHAN MACKINNON
ZACHARY FUCALE
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