Grand Larsson-y: NHL 2011 Mock Draft – Holiday Edition

Added by Christopher Ralph on December 19, 2010.

Christopher Ralph

is THW’s prospect and draft analyst

Is Adam Larsson destined for first overall in 2011? (Photo: Wikimedia Commons - CanadaHky)

As I summed up in my preliminary 2011 Draft Rankings before the puck dropped in the regular season:

Is it ever too early to think about the NHL’s next entry draft?

Many shots will be taken. Many saves will be made. Many hits will be dished out. Many battles for loose pucks will be fought. Many passes will be delivered. Many savvy puck moves will be executed. Many coach tirades will fall on deaf ears.

All before the 2011 NHL Entry Draft takes place on June 24-25 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Once again, I love the dates – the 24th and 25th representing hockey’s version of Christmas!

Today’s article embarks on my first mock draft of the season – Holiday Edition. The first-round results are revealed in this article, with the second round to follow.

Notes:

  • At this point in the season, the mock is, for the most part, based upon teams taking best player available (BPA).
  • Draft order is based on the NHL standings as of the morning of Dec. 17. Standings and thus team drafting positions will obviously fluctuate on a day-to-day basis from here on end.
  • Shots From The Slot is a brief rationale for each selection.
  • The table is “sortable” – that is, if you click on any of the headings it will sort them.
  • The table is also searchable (top right hand corner of table).
  • Just under the title, you can click “Show” and change the quantity you show on one page or you can simply click on the bottom right-hand corner of table to scroll through the rankings.

 

PickTeamNamePos.DOBLeagueNationShots From The Slot (Rationale)
1NYIAdam LarssonD12-Nov-92ElitserienSWETotal package potential franchise blueliner; Oilers likely offer #5 pick plus young forward
2NJDSean CouturierF07-Dec-92QMJHLCANBig and talented center is a blend of Eric & Jordan Staal; skills will be on display at WJCs
3BOS*Ryan MurphyD31-Mar-93OHLCANExceptionally gifted smallish blueliner has a magical aura about him; going to Bruins - seems fitting
4FLORyan Nugent-HopkinsF12-Apr-93WHLCANPanthers get gift; RNH "has some Sakic in him." Crafty puckhandling and playmaking ability
5EDMDuncan SiemensD11-Sep-93WHLCANOilers hope to strike gold with big & skilled d-man from the Dub.
6BUFGabriel LandeskogF24-Nov-92OHLSWETalented Swede plays North American pro game; could go top 3
7MINJoel ArmiaF31-May-93U20FINBig forward is lighting up Finlands top league; Wild hope he follow's Koivu's footsteps
8CGYRyan StromeF11-Jul-93OHLCANMaking exponential leaps and bounds this season; dynamic player Flames in desparate need for
9OTTBrandon SaadF27-Oct-92OHLUSABudding prototypical power forward
10CARDougie HamiltonD17-Jun-93OHLCANCanes normally don't draft d-men in first round but make exception for this blue chip blueliner
11CLBMark McNeillF22-Feb-93WHLCANMaybe not the "sexy pick" but 2-way potential power forward has NHL calibre shot release
12PHXSven BärtschiF05-Oct-92WHLSUIPortland beomcing factory for talented Swiss forwards; shifty forward made smooth trasition to NA game
13STLVictor RaskF01-Mar-93Allsven.SWETwo-way skilled forward has dropped some in rankings, but Blues jump on chance to land him.
14LAKJonathan HuberdeauF04-Jun-93QMJHLCANNeeds to develop physically, extremely smart and talented player; could move into top 10 by season's end
15BOSMatt PuempelF24-Jan-93OHLCANOne of best pure goal scorers available in the draft would fit nice on Seguin's flank
16CHIAlexander KhokhlachevF09-Sep-93OHLRUSOne of the youngest prospects eligible; impressive offensive talent.
17SJSDavid MusilD09-Apr-93WHLCZESon of Frank; skilled big and mobile stalwart on the back end.
18ANHJamie OleksiakD21-Dec-92USHLUSAFrom Valabik to Chara: Ducks hope they uncover a closer to Chara/Myers type blueliner; +6 on a mostly minus Northeastern squad
19TBLMyles BellD13-Aug-93WHLCANStocky puck moving d-man can get it done in his own zone as well; 24 Pts in 34 games thus far
20VANAdam ClendeningD26-Oct-92NCAAUSASlightly undersized mobile 2-way QB blueliner
21ATLMichael St. CroixF10-Apr-93WHLCAN43 Pts in 33 Games & +14 in Dub thus far; Slick & talented forward slightly undersized but high hockey IQ
22DALNathan BeaulieuD05-Dec-92QMJHLCANWell-rounded smooth skating blueliner has upped his physical game this year
23WSHDaniel CatenacciF09-Mar-93OHLCANSuper quick and tenacious; prehaps the most complete forward in draft next to Landeskog
24COLTy RattieF05-Feb-93WHLCANOffensive strengths likely outweigh weaknesses but has bouts with inconsistency and intensity
25MTLSeth AmbrozF01-Apr-93USHLUSAStrong prototypical power forward has great size with a cannon shot; skating needs work; stock slipping
26NSHVladislav NamestnikovF22-Nov-92OHLRUSExcellent skater, ultra-skilled playmaker and productive finisher
27NYRTomas JurcoF28-Dec-92QMJHLSVKDazzling puckhandler has to work on consistency
28DETOscar KlefbomD20-Jul-93SWE-3SWEBig blueliner is an excellent skater who has a penchant for the offensive game; defensive play needs work
29PITDmitrij JaskinF23-Mar-93Extraliga U20CZEBig frame with tremendous offensive upside
30PHIBoone JennerF15-Jun-93OHLCAN"Complete" forward with good size and skating averaging nearly a PPG in OHL

* Boston received Toronto’s 2011 First-Round Pick, 2010 First- and Second-Round Picks for Phil Kessel


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This document is the intellectual property of Christopher Ralph and cannot be used or duplicated in any way without expressed written consent. Any use of this document without the expressed written consent of Christopher Ralph will result in public exposure and legal prosecution.

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  • Joe P-Funk

    Chris Gibson should be on that list. No way he slips past the Avs

    • http://hockeyspy.blogspot.com Christopher Ralph

      Thanks for comment Joe. “No way” is a strong statement at this point. If you follow much of my draft material, you’ll notice I’m not big on drafting goalies in first round. Jack Campbell and those like him I make exceptions for. I’m really big on Christopher Gibson and right now he’s my fav goalie available, but my personal feeling would be that he’s a 2nd rounder. I would not draft any goalie in the first round this year, at least at this point in time.

  • http://hockeyspy.blogspot.com Chris Ralph

    If Iggy is still a Flame, it’s true that by the time RNH is ready to make an impact, Jarome will be a fading star.
    I wasn’t meaning that the Flames draft RNH just to play with Iggy; more referring to the fact the Flames have not had a true #1 center for such an eternity it seems…

  • http://thehockeywriters.com/author/cralph Christopher Ralph

    Flames are definitely heading in the direction of contending for a top 3 pick! Landeskog could be a reality. RNH would also be a good fit. The playmaking pivot Iggy never had.

    • Phil

      Iggy won’t be around when RNH is ready. It seems like Landeskog could replace Iggy. He is a very good leader too.

  • Vince

    If Flames cannot get into top 3, hope they can draft Landeskog. Apparently he models his game after Iggy.

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