Over the past couple days I’ve covered players one-through-20 of my top-30 that I like the best in this year’s draft. And as a side note, this isn’t who I think will be the first 30 players selected, but more who I think the best 30 NHL players will be when it’s all said and done.
Enjoy. Here are 21-to-30 of the list.
21- Nick Merkley, RW, Kelowna
He’s a little undersized, but he should find a way to score in the NHL – most likely on the power-play. His defensive game also won’t hurt his team and his on-ice-vision is amongst the best in the draft.
22- Jakub Zboril, D, Saint John
He’s a real smooth player that should slot in nicely as a No. 3 or No. 4 defenceman. He does a lot of things well – skating, passing and positional play – but nothing exceptional.
23- Daniel Vladar, G, Kladno
He’s the only goalie in the draft that I feel has NHL starter potential. Rarely do you find six-foot-five goalies with his reflexes and athletic ability. The one knock right now might be his positioning, but being with NHL goalie coaches down the road should help with that.
24- Jordan Greenway, LW, USA U-18
He might be the most physically imposing player in this year’s draft. The six-foot-five, 223-pound winger moves pretty well for his size and has decent offensive ability. He should be a very good top-9 guy that hits like a truck down the road.
25- Pavel Karnaukhov, LW/C, Calgary
This is a biased pick for me because I’ve watch him a ton, but he has all the skills you look for in a player if you want to play a “heavy game”. He protects the puck well, has good skill and should play at around six-foot-three, 225-pounds one day. He is a project, but a project worth investing in.
26- Austin Wagner, LW, Regina
He’s a dynamic skater that can flat out fly. Add in that he’s got good size, work ethic and a decent set of hands, and I see him as a solid top-9 option that can play a greasy style in the NHL.
27- Evgeny Svechnikov, LW, Cape Breton
He’s got everything you look for in a first-line player – great skill in traffic, size, speed and hockey sense. The one problem is he doesn’t always bring it all the time. I have this odd feeling he might be a poor man’s Alex Kovalev – great one game, missing for two games.
28- Rasmus Andersson, D, Barrie
He already has NHL level size and he makes good passes from his zone up the ice. I’d like to see him use his size a bit more, but he should be a good No. 3 or No. 4 defenceman down the road that can play on the power-play.
29- Mitchell Stephens, C, Saginaw
This kid is just all heart and his skills aren’t too bad either. He should be able to play up or down an NHL team’s lineup as either a shutdown player or a complimentary scorer on the top line – ala Alex Burrows.
30- Nicolas Meloche, D, Baie-Comeau
He has some consistency issues in his game, but when he’s on, he might just be the best defenceman in the draft. He has a great shot, NHL size and loves to ply the body. If he puts it all together, look out.
Thanks for reading
Ian
Enjoy. Here are 21-to-30 of the list.
21- Nick Merkley, RW, Kelowna
He’s a little undersized, but he should find a way to score in the NHL – most likely on the power-play. His defensive game also won’t hurt his team and his on-ice-vision is amongst the best in the draft.
22- Jakub Zboril, D, Saint John
He’s a real smooth player that should slot in nicely as a No. 3 or No. 4 defenceman. He does a lot of things well – skating, passing and positional play – but nothing exceptional.
23- Daniel Vladar, G, Kladno
He’s the only goalie in the draft that I feel has NHL starter potential. Rarely do you find six-foot-five goalies with his reflexes and athletic ability. The one knock right now might be his positioning, but being with NHL goalie coaches down the road should help with that.
24- Jordan Greenway, LW, USA U-18
He might be the most physically imposing player in this year’s draft. The six-foot-five, 223-pound winger moves pretty well for his size and has decent offensive ability. He should be a very good top-9 guy that hits like a truck down the road.
25- Pavel Karnaukhov, LW/C, Calgary
This is a biased pick for me because I’ve watch him a ton, but he has all the skills you look for in a player if you want to play a “heavy game”. He protects the puck well, has good skill and should play at around six-foot-three, 225-pounds one day. He is a project, but a project worth investing in.
26- Austin Wagner, LW, Regina
He’s a dynamic skater that can flat out fly. Add in that he’s got good size, work ethic and a decent set of hands, and I see him as a solid top-9 option that can play a greasy style in the NHL.
27- Evgeny Svechnikov, LW, Cape Breton
He’s got everything you look for in a first-line player – great skill in traffic, size, speed and hockey sense. The one problem is he doesn’t always bring it all the time. I have this odd feeling he might be a poor man’s Alex Kovalev – great one game, missing for two games.
28- Rasmus Andersson, D, Barrie
He already has NHL level size and he makes good passes from his zone up the ice. I’d like to see him use his size a bit more, but he should be a good No. 3 or No. 4 defenceman down the road that can play on the power-play.
29- Mitchell Stephens, C, Saginaw
This kid is just all heart and his skills aren’t too bad either. He should be able to play up or down an NHL team’s lineup as either a shutdown player or a complimentary scorer on the top line – ala Alex Burrows.
30- Nicolas Meloche, D, Baie-Comeau
He has some consistency issues in his game, but when he’s on, he might just be the best defenceman in the draft. He has a great shot, NHL size and loves to ply the body. If he puts it all together, look out.
Thanks for reading
Ian