2013 NHL Draft Results: Top 10 Team Performances

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The 2013 NHL Entry Draft is now in the books and what a marathon day of emotional and strategical ups and downs it was. It was a day of intrigue and building excitement. From Cory Schneider getting traded to the hosts New Jersey Devils for the 9th overall pick (ultimately Bo Harvat), to Seth Jones falling to the Nashville Predators at pick number 4, to offensive dynamo Hunter Shinkaruk slipping to the Vancouver Canucks at  number 24. Shinkaruk’s hometown Calgary Flames passed on him just two picks before – a team desperate to find that shiny new forward they can call their own new franchise player.

Hunter Shinkaruk
Hunter Shinkaruk (Shoot the Breeze Photography)

While it is way too soon to tell if picks like Emile Poirier by the Flames is a winner or a swing and a miss, early impressions are in and here are the early perceived 2013 NHL Draft Top 10 Team Performances.

In most instances it will be three to five years or longer to truly evaluate how teams did at the draft table this year.

Early Impression: 2013 NHL Draft Results – Top 10 Team Performances

(Selection information from NHL.com)

1. Buffalo Sabres

From the onset to the conclusion, from round 1 through to round 7, from Ristolainen to Locke, no team had a better overall draft than the Sabres. Each pick presented really good value from the respective draft position. While Ristolainen and Zadorov add the obvious size, skill and skating ability to the blueline every team covets, the true gold mine was in the second round, where Cup contenders often find key contributors (see Blackhawks and Bruins lineups).

Rasmus Ristolainen
Rasmus Ristolainen [photo: Teemu Saarinen, HC TPS]
J.T. Compher has the skill and will to be a winner. Connor Hurley possesses an impressive offensive skill-set; the youngest player drafted will need some time to develop before being NHL ready, but should be well worth the wait. Justin Bailey, son of former Buffalo Bills linebacker Carlton Bailey, has immense potential, but was slowed by injuries this past season. Eastern hockey bird dog Eldon MacDonald has stated that Bailey reminds him somewhat of former NHL great – the gentleman and ultra-smooth Jean Beliveau.

Buffalo Sabres
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 8 RASMUS RISTOLAINEN D FIN 6′ 4″ 207 FINLAND
1 16 NIKITA ZADOROV D RUS 6′ 5″ 221 OHL
2 35 J.T. COMPHER LW USA 5′ 10″ 184 USHL
2 38 CONNOR HURLEY C USA 6′ 1″ 174 HIGH-MN
2 52 JUSTIN BAILEY RW USA 6′ 3″ 186 OHL
3 69 NICHOLAS BAPTISTE RW CAN 6′ 0″ 189 OHL
5 129 CALVIN PETERSEN G USA 6′ 2″ 183 USHL
5 130 GUSTAV POSSLER RW SWE 6′ 0″ 183 SWEDEN-JR.
5 143 ANTHONY FLORENTINO D USA 6′ 1″ 227 HIGH-CT
6 159 SEAN MALONE C USA 5′ 11″ 183 USHL
7 189 ERIC LOCKE C USA 5′ 10″ 184 OHL

2. Vancouver Canucks

While the Cory Schneider trade made the draft almost stand still and stole many of the headlines,  the Canucks scouting squad made a killing on the draft floor. While some perceive Bo Horvat as too little a return for the star netminder, the all-around Ryan Kesler 2.0 type forward has a bright NHL future ahead of him and will not be denied.

Hunter Shinkaruk is perhaps the biggest draft day steal, despite being drafted in the first round. The Canucks committed Grand Theft Hunter, after his hometown Calgary Flames opted for Emile Poirier at 22nd.

Cole Cassels, son of former NHLer Andrew, was a solid 3rd round choice, but maybe taken slightly higher than projected. Jordan Subban could very well prove to be a 4th round steal with many projecting him to be a second rounder. Size is the issue; skill certainly is not. Anton Cederholm is definitely 5th round worthy and Miles Liberati is one to watch for the 2013-14 season.

Vancouver Canucks
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 9 BO HORVAT C CAN 6′ 0″ 206 OHL
1 24 HUNTER SHINKARUK C LW CAN 5′ 10″ 181 WHL
3 85 COLE CASSELS C USA 6′ 0″ 178 OHL
4 115 JORDAN SUBBAN D CAN 5′ 9″ 175 OHL
5 145 ANTON CEDERHOLM D SWE 6′ 1″ 204 SWEDEN-JR.
6 175 MIKE WILLIAMSON D CAN 6′ 2″ 187 AJHL
7 205 MILES LIBERATI D USA 5′ 11″ 195 OHL

3. Winnipeg Jets

Some thought Morrissey was a reach at 13th, but The Next Ones had him ranked 12th overall. Morrissey has been called a blend of Kris Letang and Niklas Lidstrom by NHL scouts – decent praise indeed.

Josh Morrissey
Josh Morrissey was one of the top puckmoving defenseman available for the 2013 NHL draft. [photo: David Chan]
Eric Comrie was one of the best goalies available in this draft class. Jimmy Lodge was a steal of a 3rd round pick. He had an outstanding second half of the season and some thought he might even squeeze into the latter part of the 1st round, or at the very least a surefire 2nd round pick.

Third time eligible J.C. Lipon should be able to find a role as a bottom six forward in the big league. Andrew Copp was slotted as a sleeper pick by more than a few hockey scouts. Jan Kostalek is a solid and mature two-way who has 2nd-3rd round talent, making him a very crafty 4th round pick.

Winnipeg Jets
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 13 JOSHUA MORRISSEY D CAN 5′ 11″ 186 WHL
2 43 NICOLAS PETAN C CAN 5′ 8″ 165 WHL
2 59 ERIC COMRIE G CAN 6′ 0″ 167 WHL
3 84 JAMES LODGE C USA 6′ 0″ 166 OHL
3 91 J.C. LIPON RW CAN 5′ 11″ 180 WHL
4 104 ANDREW COPP C USA 6′ 0″ 188 CCHA
4 114 JAN KOSTALEK D CZE 6′ 0″ 181 QMJHL
5 127 TUCKER POOLMAN D USA 6′ 2″ 199 USHL
7 190 BRENDEN KICHTON D CAN 5′ 10″ 175 WHL
7 194 MARCUS KARLSTROM D SWE 6′ 2″ 181 SWEDEN-JR. U18

4. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets continue to add tons of talent, now under the direction of GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Alexander Wennberg projects to be an all around super effective 2nd line center. Kerby Rychel adds a physcial goal-scouring presence. Agitating, but skilled two-way Slovakian forward, Marko Dano, was taken a little earlier than projected, but Kekelainen and staff obviously could not want to say, “Book ’em, Dano!”

Heatherington was a very astute 2nd round pick; he is a tantalizing combination of size, very good skating ability and defensive acumen. Bjorkstrand is a very talented forward pegged by many to be a 2nd rounder himself. Nick Moutrey has plenty of upside and presented outstanding 4th round value.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 14 ALEXANDER WENNBERG C SWE 6′ 1″ 190 SWEDEN-2
1 19 KERBY RYCHEL LW USA 6′ 0″ 205 OHL
1 27 MARKO DANO C AUT 5′ 11″ 183 KHL
2 50 DILLON HEATHERINGTON D CAN 6′ 3″ 196 WHL
3 89 OLIVER BJORKSTRAND RW DNK 5′ 10″ 166 WHL
4 105 NICK MOUTREY C LW CAN 6′ 2″ 208 OHL
6 165 MARKUS SOBERG RW NOR 6′ 0″ 187 SWEDEN-JR.
7 195 PETER QUENNEVILLE C; RW CAN 5′ 11″ 183 USHL

5. Colorado Avalanche

The Avs draft was more than about the explosive and supremely talented Nate MacKinnon. Chris Bigras is an ultra-steady blueliner who will help solidify any blueline he is a part of with his reliable, mistake-free play.

Spencer Martin was one of the better netminders available. Mason Geertsen is extremely tough and has very good size – the potential is there. Will Butcher’s stock dropped this season, but the undersized blueliner was well worth a 5th round selection. Swedish blueliner Wilhelm Westlund was slated to be a 3rd rounder by many, but fell to the 7th round.

Colorado Avalanche
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 1 NATHAN MACKINNON C CAN 6′ 0″ 182 QMJHL
2 32 CHRIS BIGRAS D CAN 6′ 0″ 186 OHL
3 63 SPENCER MARTIN G CAN 6′ 2″ 198 OHL
4 93 MASON GEERTSEN D CAN 6′ 3″ 199 WHL
5 123 WILL BUTCHER D USA 5′ 9″ 191 USHL
6 153 BEN STORM D USA 6′ 6″ 216 USHL
7 183 WILHELM WESTLUND D SWE 5′ 11″ 184 SWEDEN-JR.

6. Edmonton Oilers

The nephew of former NFL QB Donovan McNabb and son of former CFLer Richard Nurse, the athletic, talented and nasty two-way blueliner Darnell Nurse was the obvious cornerstone of the Oilers 2013 draft class, but a team already full of young guns added plenty of talent in New Jersey.

Marc-Olivier Roy possesses plenty of upside as an offensive, gritty and defensively responsive forward. Yakimov and Slepyshev are talented and intriguing Russian forwards who are 3rd round worthy.

Houck was a nice 4th round find – he had a tremendous second half for the Dub’s Vancouver Giants. Kyle Platzer is a forward who is a candidate by many hockey bird dogs to be a breakout player next season. When you can get a player with 3rd round talent in the 7th round, like Calgary Hitmen forward Greg Chase, you do so without blinking. Chase’s drop was a curious one, as the two-way extremely competitive forward has really good upside.

Edmonton Oilers
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 7 DARNELL NURSE D CAN 6′ 3″ 185 OHL
2 56 MARC-OLIVIER ROY C CAN 6′ 0″ 175 QMJHL
3 83 BOGDAN YAKIMOV C RUS 6′ 5″ 202 RUSSIA-JR.
3 88 ANTON SLEPYSHEV LW RUS 6′ 2″ 194 RUSSIA
4 94 JACKSON HOUCK RW CAN 6′ 0″ 186 WHL
4 96 KYLE PLATZER C CAN 5′ 11″ 185 OHL
4 113 AIDAN MUIR LW RW CAN 6′ 3″ 182 MWEHL
5 128 EVAN CAMPBELL LW CAN 6′ 1″ 175 BCHL
6 158 BEN BETKER D CAN 6′ 5″ 200 WHL
7 188 GREGORY CHASE C RW CAN 6′ 0″ 195 WHL

7. Montréal Canadiens

A power forward, a surefire two-way 2nd or 3rd line NHL all-around forward, the best goalie in the draft, an accomplished Finnish sniper along with a couple of slippery diminutive forwards from the Q – a Swiss and a Czech. Bergevin  along with Trevor Timmins and staff do their thing.

Montréal Canadiens
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 25 MICHAEL MCCARRON RW USA 6′ 5″ 228 USHL
2 34 JACOB DE LA ROSE LW SWE 6′ 2″ 190 SWEDEN-2
2 36 ZACHARY FUCALE G CAN 6′ 1″ 181 QMJHL
2 55 ARTTURI LEHKONEN LW FIN 5′ 11″ 163 FINLAND
3 71 CONNOR CRISP LW CAN 6′ 3″ 225 OHL
3 86 SVEN ANDRIGHETTO RW CHE 5′ 9″ 175 QMJHL
4 116 MARTIN REWAY LW CZE 5′ 8″ 158 QMJHL
6 176 JEREMY GREGOIRE C CAN 5′ 11″ 190 QMJHL

8. Nashville Predators

If Grand Theft Seth at 4th overall wasn’t enough, the Preds added another huge blueliner who can skate and has intriguing upside in Diaby. They were not done there as they were able to land the #1 rated European goaltender (NHL CS), the undersized Juuse Saros, in the 4th round. Forward Felix Girard had a breakthrough season after going undrafted last year – he is a two-way centre who is difficult to play against. Puckmoving defender Kivihalme was amongst some of their other stealth-like picks throughout the draft.

Seth Jones
Seth Jones – did the Nashville Predators commit “Grand Theft Seth” at the 2013 NHL Draft? (Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports)

Nashville Predators
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 4 SETH JONES D USA 6′ 3″ 205 WHL
3 64 JONATHAN-ISMAEL DIABY D CAN 6′ 5″ 223 QMJHL
4 95 FELIX GIRARD C CAN 5′ 11″ 190 QMJHL
4 99 JUUSE SAROS G FIN 5′ 10″ 178 FINLAND-JR.
5 125 SAKU MAENALANEN RW FIN 6′ 3″ 176 FINLAND-JR.
5 140 TEEMU KIVIHALME D USA 5′ 11″ 161 HIGH-MN
6 155 EMIL PETTERSSON C SWE 6′ 1″ 158 SWEDEN-JR.
6 171 TOMMY VEILLEUX LW CAN 6′ 0″ 188 QMJHL
7 185 WADE MURPHY RW CAN 5′ 11″ 176 BCHL
7 203 JANNE JUVONEN G FIN 6′ 1″ 183 FINLAND-JR.

9. Phoenix Coyotes

The Coyotes get an offensive centrepiece in Domi and a Patrice Bergeron clone in Dauphin. Laplante is a good skating versatile forward with offensive upside. Redl Line Report’s Kirk Luedeke had Clifton as a draft day sleeper (New England Hockey Journal).  Netminder project Brendan Burke goes to the team for which his father is the goaltending coach – one of the best of his trade on the planet.

Phoenix Coyotes
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 12 MAX DOMI C LW CAN 5′ 9″ 197 OHL
2 39 LAURENT DAUPHIN C CAN 6′ 0″ 165 QMJHL
3 62 YAN PAVEL LAPLANTE C CAN 6′ 0″ 178 QMJHL
5 133 CONNOR CLIFTON D USA 5′ 10″ 175 USHL
6 163 BRENDAN BURKE G USA 6′ 3″ 176 WHL
7 193 JEDD SOLEWAY C CAN 6′ 2″ 208 BCHL

10. (t) Detroit Red Wings

In tenth place, we have a tie between the Red Wings and Flames. Neither team knocked it out of the park with each and every pick. Each team raised more than a few eyebrows with some selections early on. Both teams, on the whole, however, added some intriguing talent.

When you can get the only draft eligible 50 goal scorer, 6’3″ winger Anthony Mantha, at 20th overall, you’re doing okay. Some scouts would like him to give a more consistent effort, but he has the ability to dissect goalies in multiple ways. It’s not easy to teach that.

Nastasiuk kept raising his stock as the season went on. Tyler Bertuzzi has the obvious good hockey bloodlines as the nephew of Todd. He was widely regarded as more of a late round talent. Mattias Janmark-Nylen was a bit of an unknown, but can anyone really doubt when Detroit ventures to Sweden for their draft choice?

Pope, Wheaton and McNulty were very good value picks for where the Red Wings landed them.

Detroit Red Wings
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 20 ANTHONY MANTHA RW CAN 6′ 3″ 190 QMJHL
2 48 ZACH NASTASIUK RW CAN 6′ 1″ 190 OHL
2 58 TYLER BERTUZZI LW CAN 6′ 0″ 178 OHL
3 79 MATTIAS JANMARK-NYLEN C SWE 6′ 1″ 189 SWEDEN
4 109 DAVID POPE LW CAN 6′ 2″ 187 BCHL
5 139 MITCHELL WHEATON D CAN 6′ 4″ 228 WHL
6 169 MARC MCNULTY D CAN 6′ 5″ 185 WHL
7 199 HAMPUS MELEN RW SWE 6′ 2″ 165 SWE JR

10. (t) Calgary Flames

What could have been versus what will be…the curious draft day of the Calgary Flames:

Sean Monahan was a smart money pick for the Flames.  The perplexity came with the 22nd overall pick, Emile Poirier. Poirier bring speed, offensive potential and much needed grit. Then what was the problem? Although some had him ranked as a 1st rounder, the consensus seems to be that he was more of a second round talent. But the Flames see more and view him differently than most. That’s okay – isn’t it?

Emile Poirier
Emile Poirier (Gatineau Olympiques)

The major issue with hockey fans and specifically local Flames fans was the fact that one of the draft’s potent offensive threats was still available – Calgary’s own Hunter Shinkaruk. Some question his attitude; in my dealings and observations, Shinkaruk always gives maximum effort and is a very composed, confident and articulate young man. He is always dangerous on the ice. In my opinion, he was a top ten talent in this deep draft class.

The fact that he was snatched up just two picks later by the rival Canucks makes it all the more bitter for Flames fans – potentially, of course. I’m not sure why Flames brass would take the chance at this point in the rebuild phase – if Shinkaruk, for some strange reason, does not excel at the next level, no one would fault them for taking him 22nd. Poirier, on the other hand, has to turn out or this pick will be yet another that haunts the scouting staff.

They did strike gold at 28th with the selection of hometown kid Morgan Klimchuk, an all around very talented forward who should develop into a top six forward.

The Flames made a mammoth splash in the 3rd round selecting collossal blueliner Keegan Kanzig, the biggest player drafted who is deemed to be a project with skating and puck skill issues that need development.

The 5th round saw Calgary getting a probable steal in defenseman Eric Roy. Many projected him as a 2nd/3rd round pick. He is an extremely intelligent young man with obvious offensive upside and in definite need of refining his defensive game.

Ironically, I would have more favourably view the Flames draft had they had taken Eric Roy in the 3rd and Kanzig in the 5th. It’s odd how things works out sometimes.

Calgary Flames
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 6 Sean Monahan C CAN 6′ 2″ 187 OHL
1 22 Emile Poirier LW CAN 6′ 0″ 183 QMJHL
1 28 Morgan Klimchuk LW CAN 5′ 11″ 180 WHL
3 67 Keegan Kanzig D CAN 6′ 7″ 241 WHL
5 135 Eric Roy D CAN 6′ 2″ 180 WHL
6 157 Tim Harrison RW USA 6′ 3″ 175 HIGH-MA
7 187 Rushan Rafikov D RUS 6′ 2″ 181 RUSSIA-JR.
7 198 John Gilmour D CAN 5′ 11″ 173 H-EAST

Honourable Mentions

A) New York Islanders

Ryan “The Rifle” Pulock adds another weapon to the Isles’ attack. McAdam was a solid 3rd round goaltender to take. Cammarata is undersized but very talented. Crus Rydberg may prove to be a very savvy 5th round selection.

New York Islanders
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 15 Ryan Pulock D CAN 6′ 0″ 211 WHL
3 70 Eamon McAdam G USA 6′ 2″ 188 USHL
3 76 Taylor Cammarata C LW USA 5′ 7″ 156 USHL
4 106 Stephon Williams G USA 6′ 1″ 194 WCHA
5 136 Viktor Crus Rydberg C SWE 5′ 11″ 190 SWEDEN-JR.
6 166 Alan Quine C CAN 5′ 11″ 188 OHL
7 196 Kyle Burroughs D CAN 5′ 11″ 182 WHL

B) New York Rangers

Despite not having any 1st or 2nd round selections, the Rangers came away with a very solid haul. Tambellini, Buchnevich and Duclair were three outstanding 3rd round selections with all three pegged by most to be second round talents. All three may, in fact, have 1st round skill level, but each have their own respective obstacles to overcome.

New York Rangers
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
3 65 Adam Tambellini C CAN 6′ 2″ 169 BCHL
3 75 Pavel Buchnevich LW RUS 6′ 1″ 176 RUSSIA-JR.
3 80 Anthony Duclair LW CAN 5′ 11″ 177 QMJHL
4 110 Ryan Graves D CAN 6′ 4″ 220 QMJHL
6 170 MacKenzie Skapski G CAN 6′ 2″ 186 WHL

C) Tampa Bay Lightning

When it’s all said and done, the Lightning may very well have the best player out of this draft class in Jonathan Drouin, the Human Hockey Highlight Film.

Jonathan Drouin
The secret is out – Halifax Mooseheads forward Jonathan Drouin is a sensational talent in his own right and now sits atop The Next Ones 2013 NHL Draft Final Rankings – Photo Mike Dembeck

To get 1st round talent Adam Erne in the 2nd round was a bonus for Yzerman and crew.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Rnd Overall Player Pos Country Height Weight Amateur League
1 3 Jonathan Drouin LW CAN 5′ 10″ 186 QMJHL
2 33 Adam Erne LW USA 6′ 0″ 210 QMJHL
5 124 Kristers Gudlevskis G LVA 6′ 4″ 190 RUSSIA-JR.
6 154 Henri Ikonen LW FIN 5′ 11″ 184 OHL
7 184 Saku Salminen C FIN 6′ 3″ 198 FINLAND-2
7 186 Joel Vermin RW CHE 5′ 11″ 192 SWISS

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Let’s reconvene in 3 to 5 years and revisit this discussion, shall we? How do you think your team did in Newark, NJ on June 30th, 2013?

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[NHL 2013 Draft Guide – The Next Ones Draft Headquarters

Your quintessential draft resource]

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[THW The Next Ones Rankings – Final Top 210]

5 thoughts on “2013 NHL Draft Results: Top 10 Team Performances”

  1. The reason the Flames took Poirier when they did was because they felt Montreal would take him @25 as per the Redline report who predicted he would be the steal of the draft. He was a borderline concensus 2nd round pick at most. In addition to RLR, Craig Button had him going in the first round as well.

    As for Hunter Shinkaruk, he was definitely rated as a top ten talent, but look how late he was picked. Detroit passed over him as well and no one scouts players better than they do. The Flames have a better insight into Hunter than anyone however, because his father is the Calgary Hitmen’s dentist.

    They had their reasons for both passing him over and picking Poirier. I agree Emile could be the steal of the draft. His skill set really aligns well with Monahan’s too, although that is probably just coincidence.

    I agree about the curious third-round selection of Kanzig, although they didn’t have a 4th rounder and perhaps felt they wouldn’t get him in the 5th. He must have been high on the list. Medium risk/high reward pick. If he pans out, this guy will be unlike anyone in the league.

    A couple of over age draft picks were somewhat unexpected as well, but these guys really show a lot of faith in their scouts and work their list without regard for outside criticism. I respect that a lot.

    Just my .02c.

  2. Thanks Steven – enjoyed your unique take as well!

    re: Stars: I guess for me Nichushkin went about where he should have as I rated him 9th in my rankings. I like him, but simply like others better. While I liked many of the players the Stars drafted, I thought they may have selected them a little earlier (Dickinson, Elie) than I would. But…like the Flames with Poirier, their scouts obviously liked what they saw.

    I felt like including Jersey, but for me it was more about players the respective team actually drafted. For feel good stories also can’t really beat the Brodeur moment.

  3. terrific column as always, Chris. I think Dallas deserves a nod, simply for the Grand Theft Nichushkin. That kid would have likely gone first overall in the last three drafts and they get him at #10? Unreal fortune there.

    If we are including trade acquisitions, it is difficult to discount New Jersey. When Schneider is added onto their three terrific value picks of Santini (should’ve went in the first), Kujawinski (should’ve went in the second) and Bell (should’ve went in 2011) — well, it’s one hell of a draft-day haul.

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