There are risers and fallers for every NHL draft and 2018 is no exception.
My midseason rankings, published in early February following the World Juniors and the CHL Top Prospects Game, identified several risers, including the likes of Martin Kaut, Aidan Dudas and Jonny Tychonick. Evan Bouchard and Oliver Wahlstrom also continued their ascent into the top 10, while Joe Veleno, Ryan Merkley and Jared McIsaac were some of the fallers from my preseason rankings, along with intriguing types like Alexander Khovanov, Dmitry Zavgorodniy, Samuel Fagemo and Mathias-Emilio Pettersen.
My latest rankings, released this past week once the prospects had finished their regular seasons and following the Five Nations tournament, featured more risers and fallers thanks to impressive finishing kicks by some while others faded down the stretch.
2018 NHL Draft: Fisher’s Top 100 Following Regular Season https://t.co/RbOBtUYbJ2 #THW #NHLDraft #NHLProspects #NHL pic.twitter.com/R7ofYLcPaA
— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) March 30, 2018
Expect that trend to continue, perhaps to a lesser degree, for my final rankings in May following the World Under-18 Championship in Russia and as the playoffs progress in the various leagues and countries.
By then, the NHL Draft Lottery will be held and I’ll be hard at work on my seventh annual mock draft to be published in June — typically the morning after the Stanley Cup is awarded — where I’ll attempt to predict all seven rounds, all 217 selections.
(RELATED: 10 Fallers From Fisher’s Top 100 Rankings)
As for the risers from my latest rankings, here are 10 significant prospects that fit the bill as well as 10 honourable mentions:
1) Nils Lundkvist (RHD, Sweden, Lulea SHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: Not Ranked (outside top 100)
APRIL RANKING: 24
VARIATION: +77
ANALYSIS: Remember this name because Lundkvist is not only rising, he’s soaring up the rankings. He was terrific at the Five Nations tourney, with some scouts saying he was every bit as good, if not better than top-10 prospect Adam Boqvist. That was a coming-out party for Lundkvist, and although he’s unlikely to crack the top 10, he could sneak into the top 20 or even the top 15 similar to Erik Brannstrom last year. Swedish puck-moving defenders are always in demand and Lundkvist could be another good one.
https://twitter.com/simonsnake70/status/971782695100538882
2) Nicolas Beaudin (LHD, Canada, Drummondville QMJHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 84
APRIL RANKING: 26
VARIATION: +58
ANALYSIS: An undersized point-per-game defender from the Q, Beaudin’s draft stock should benefit from the success of Samuel Girard in Colorado. Not to say Beaudin is as good as Girard, but there are similarities between them and Beaudin surged in the second half to become a legitimate first-round candidate.
3) Jake Wise (C, USA, NTDP U18)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 73
APRIL RANKING: 39
VARIATION: +34
ANALYSIS: Wise is a high-skill forward who was hurt for the first half but made up for that lost time by producing at better than a point-per-game pace. Seemingly more of a playmaker than a scorer, scouts were scrambling to see Wise and, by all accounts, he’s climbing towards the top 31.
NTDP-18 fwd Jake Wise earned USHL Player of Week honors. BU commit has 5-8-13 in last 6gp. #2018NHLDraft prospect has had solid growth since missing 1st half of season w/ injury. Playing with confidence.
— Russ Bitely (@russbites) March 19, 2018
4) Vitali Kravtsov (RW, Russia, Chelyabinsk KHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 42
APRIL RANKING: 16
VARIATION: +26
ANALYSIS: Kravtsov has been a big mover for me — I debuted him at No. 19 in my September rankings — but I’ve always been a fan and he’s winning everybody over now by tearing up the KHL playoffs. Certainly a boom or bust type and the Russian factor may hinder him a bit, but based on talent alone, a case can be made for Kravtsov cracking the top 10.
Vitaly Kravtsov is 18. He has 6 goals in 7 KHL playoff games this year. 🆗🆒💥 pic.twitter.com/T5RVq8Lxo5
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) March 17, 2018
5) K’Andre Miller (LHD, USA, NTDP U18)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 49
APRIL RANKING: 23
VARIATION: +26
ANALYSIS: Another standout from the Five Nations, Miller flashed more offensive upside in that showcase and he’s even been described to me as a poor man’s Seth Jones. Darnell Nurse may be a better comparison, but Miller has a ton of potential and some team could take him in the top 20.
6) Jonatan Berggren (C/W, Sweden, Skelleftea J20)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 54
APRIL RANKING: 29
VARIATION: +25
ANALYSIS: Reminds me a bit of Nashville’s Calle Jarnkrok, but Berggren may have more upside in terms of his playmaking ability and offensive ceiling. A nice prospect who is gaining momentum towards becoming a first-round pick.
7) Jacob Bernard-Docker (RHD, Canada, Okotoks AJHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 68
APRIL RANKING: 48
VARIATION: +20
ANALYSIS: He’s no Cale Makar, but Bernard-Docker is the best prospect coming out of the AJHL this year and Makar’s success could give him a good boost. I prefer Tychonick in the BCHL, but both those Junior-A blueliners from Western Canada could go higher than expected.
8) Dominik Bokk (RW, Germany, Vaxjo J20)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 31
APRIL RANKING: 20
VARIATION: +11
ANALYSIS: Very dynamic offensively, Bokk reminds me a bit of Filip Chytil in terms of skill-set. Bokk is no longer a sleeper and scouts are taking notice of German prospects after that nation’s strong showing at the Olympics. Leon Draisaitl has helped pave the way too, and Bokk could be the next big thing from Germany.
9) Milos Roman (C, Slovakia, Vancouver WHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 46
APRIL RANKING: 36
VARIATION: +10
ANALYSIS: Roman didn’t make the smoothest of transitions to North America, due in part to injuries, but now he’s healthy and coming on strong in the WHL playoffs. He’s had a couple eye-opening games recently and also looked pretty good at the World Juniors as an under-ager. Roman will be on the radar and some team might even reach for him late in the first round.
10) Noah Dobson (RHD, Canada, Acadie Bathurst QMJHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 18
APRIL RANKING: 9
VARIATION: +9
ANALYSIS: I’m a little late to the Dobson party, but better late than never, right? He’s been in the top 10 on other scouting lists for some time but took a little longer to win me over. I eventually saw the light, but I’m still reluctant to call Dobson a lock for the top 10 on draft day. He’s no secret, no surprise in the top 10 for most, but Dobson was worthy of a shout-out based on that variation from my February rankings.
Honourable Mentions
1) Filip Hallander (C/W, Sweden, Timra)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 55
APRIL RANKING: 35
VARIATION: +20
2) Adam Ginning (LHD, Sweden, Linkoping J20)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 58
APRIL RANKING: 44
VARIATION: +14
3) Kirill Marchenko (F, Russia, Mamonty MHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: NR
APRIL RANKING: 66
VARIATION: +35
4) Ivan Morozov (C, Russia, Mamonty Yugry, MHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: NR
APRIL RANKING: 67
VARIATION: +34
5) Bulat Shafigullin (F, Russia, Nizhnekamsk MHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: NR
APRIL RANKING: 70
VARIATION: +31
6) Niklas Nordgren (RW, Finland, HIFK Liiga)
FEBRUARY RANKING: NR
APRIL RANKING: 71
VARIATION: +30
7) Adam Samuelsson (LHD, USA/Sweden, NTDP U18)
FEBRUARY RANKING: NR
APRIL RANKING: 75
VARIATION: +26
8) Lukas Dostal (G, Czech Republic, Kometa Brno U20)
FEBRUARY RANKING: NR
APRIL RANKING: 79
VARIATION: +22
9) Vladislav Kotkov (LW/RW, Russia, Chicoutimi QMJHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 89
APRIL RANKING: 68
VARIATION: +21
10) Kirill Nizhnikov (RW, Russia, Sudbury OHL)
FEBRUARY RANKING: 90
APRIL RANKING: 69
VARIATION: +21
Larry Fisher is a senior writer and head scout for The Hockey Writers, having been an at-large contributor for THW since August 2014. Fisher covers both the NHL and the WHL, specializing in prospects and NHL draft content, including his annual mock drafts that date back to 2012. Fisher has also been a beat writer for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets since 2008, formerly working as a sports reporter/editor for The Daily Courier in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada from 2008-2019. Follow him on Twitter: @LarryFisher_KDC.
