7th Annual NHL Mock Draft: 2018, Round 6

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I do feel there is a talent drop-off and a thinning out from the fifth to the sixth round, generally speaking, with a lot of teams taking flyers outside of the top 150 — be it on long-term projects or a variety of over-agers. That’s typical of any year, so expect as many busts as booms — or steals — as we forge into the later stages of my mock.

Sixth Round

156) Buffalo Sabres — Patrick Giles (RW, USA, NTDP U18)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4.25, 201 pounds (Combine Official)

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 62 GP-11 G-11 A-22 PTS; 26 GP-2 G-4 A-6 PTS in USHL

Central Scouting: 47 NAS

ANALYSIS: For the third straight round, the Sabres start it off by selecting a forward from the National Team Development Program, with Giles joining Johnny Gruden (No. 94)and Jake Pivonka (No. 125). As much as each of them were in the mix among the best players available at those spots, I do feel this is a strategy that Buffalo could deploy since head coach Phil Housley has lots of connections within USA Hockeyand general manager Jason Botterill also played NCAA despite being Canadian. So they are familiar with that development path, and that particular program is producing more and more NHLers every year. It’s both an easy and a good default for prospects. The Sabres could do a lot worse than those three, with Giles a nice package of size and skill who will try to round out his game at Boston College.

157) Ottawa Senators — Xavier Bouchard (RHD, Canada, Baie-Comeau QMJHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3.5, 190 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: 5 GP-1 G-1 A-2 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 65 GP-3 G-18 A-21 PTS

Central Scouting: 74 NAS

ANALYSIS: The Senators go with their best-player-available (BPA), and you can’t go wrong when it’s a right-handed defenceman. The rarity of that position could bump this Bouchard — no relation to first-rounder Evan Bouchard — up the draft board, closer to the top 100. Some would consider Bouchard a faller at this spot, but I have him ranked right around here. Either way, Bouchard should be decent value for Ottawa at No. 157.

158) Arizona Coyotes — Mathias-Emilio Pettersen (C, Norway, Muskegon USHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 179 pounds

Playoff Stats: 3 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 60 GP-14 G-32 A-46 PTS

Central Scouting: 120 NAS

ANALYSIS: A pre-teen YouTube sensation with moves to match Oliver Wahlstrom back in those days, Pettersen was pegged as a prodigy from a young age and hasn’t quite lived up to that hype. I’m still a fan of Pettersen, he can still dangle with the best of them and has developed a decent shot too, but he’s no longer a first-round candidate, let alone a top-10 pick like Wahlstrom. I had Pettersen in my top 100 for much of his draft year — as a bubble guy who dropped off my list in the second half — so I would definitely be considering him a round or two earlier than this spot, but I do get the sense that Pettersen will be a faller by my standards for 2018 since several other USHL forwards seem to have surpassed him in the eyes of most. It could also be a case of overexposure for Pettersen, who has been in the spotlight much longer than his peers — for better and worse — and I’m afraid he’ll fall out of the top 150 in this year’s draft as a result. John Chayka and the Coyotes do seem to prioritize skill, taking chances on the likes of Nick Merkley and Conor Garland when they were falling. I can’t see Pettersen getting past Arizona here at No. 158.

159) Detroit Red Wings (from Montreal) — Filip Lindberg (G, Finland, TUTO U20, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 181 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 48 GP-2.69 GAA-.922 SaveP

Central Scouting: 13 EUG

ANALYSIS: Detroit has a draft-high 11 picks, so I could see the Red Wings using two of them on goaltenders. I already have Detroit taking Lukas Dostal in the third round (No. 81), but Lindberg looked like another good option at this spot. Lindberg enjoyed a breakout season as an over-ager after going undrafted in 2017, and now he’s coming overseas to continue his development at UMass Amherst (NCAA). Lindberg sounds Swedish, but he’s Finnish and a very intriguing prospect that Detroit would be wise to take a chance on here.

160) Detroit Red Wings — Christian Lindberg (LHD, Sweden, Oskarshamn J20)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 161 pounds

Playoff Stats: 4 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in Allsvenskan; 1 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in U20

Regular Season Stats: 33 GP-11 G-24 A-35 PTS in U18; 13 GP-8 G-7 A-15 PTS in U20

Central Scouting: Not Ranked (NR)

ANALYSIS: Make it two Lindbergs in a row and this one is a Swede. With back-to-back picks here, I do expect Detroit to take at least one Swede. It could be a forward like Wassenius, but Lindberg is an enticing defenceman who put up impressive offensive numbers in his draft year. Numbers that, at first glance, look like a lock for a top-100 pick, especially when you consider how young he is — not turning 18 until Aug. 31 — but this Lindberg strangely wasn’t ranked by Central Scouting and may be a bit of a hidden gem. We all know Detroit has a history of digging those out of Sweden and Christian Lindberg could be another late-round steal, although the Red Wings could also reach for him much earlier.

161) Vancouver Canucks — Jack Lagerstrom (RHD, USA, Shattuck St. Mary’s High School)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 196 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 54 GP-15 G-34 A-49 PTS

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: Lagerstrom is another offensive-minded defender who put up big numbers in high school and is headed to the BCHL’s Penticton Vees for next season, then on to Cornell (NCAA) the year after. I also have the Canucks drafting Jonny Tychonick from the Vees in the second round and no tier-II team in Canada is producing more NHL prospects than Fred Harbinson in Penticton. That will be a good stepping stone for Lagerstrom and perhaps he can return to B.C. as a member of the Canucks in the future. Vancouver also took a high-school blueliner bound for an Ivy League program in last year’s draft — that being Jack Rathbone (fourth round, 95th overall), who is trending well and will attend Harvard — so this pick wouldn’t be unprecedented for Jim Benning and his scouting staff.

162) Chicago Blackhawks — Akira Schmid (G, Switzerland, Langnau U20)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 168 pounds

Playoff Stats: 1 GP-3.00 GAA-.912 SaveP in NLA; 5 GP-3.02 in U20

Regular Season Stats: 32 GP-2.60 GAA in U20

Central Scouting: 6 EUG

ANALYSIS: The Blackhawks, with eight picks in 2018, will probably draft a goalie at some point after not taking any netminders among their nine picks in 2017. Schmid is my top goalie available here and I wouldn’t be shocked if some team reached for him closer to the top 100. As per usual, the goaltenders are tough to rank amongst themselves let alone the entire draft class. Yet, I could see Schmid going in this range and Chicago seemed like a good fit for him at No. 162.

163) New York Rangers — Danil Zhuravlyov (LHD, Russia, Kazan MHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 163 pounds

Playoff Stats: 5 GP-0 G-1 A-1 PT in MHL

Regular Season Stats: 28 GP-9 G-9 A-18 PTS in MHL; 11 GP-1 G-1 A-2 PTS in VHL

Central Scouting: 50 EUS

ANALYSIS: The Rangers finish their draft with a run of three defencemen in a row after starting out with seven straight forwards. Zhuravlyov could be another steal here after shining at the under-18 tournament, with five assists in five games as an assistant captain. I just mentioned how hard it is to rank the goaltenders in 2018, but the Russian defencemen are a difficult bunch to slot as well. Alexander Romanov is the other one I considered here, but Zhuravlyov seems to be regarded as the better of the two and some think he could be long gone by this spot. If Zhuravlyov is still available at No. 163, the Rangers will have a happy ending.

164) Edmonton Oilers — Zach Solow (C/RW, USA, Northeastern NCAA, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-9, 183 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 38 GP-5 G-21 A-26 PTS

Central Scouting: 204 NAS

ANALYSIS: Don’t be surprised if the Oilers select an over-ager or two in 2018 since Edmonton wants to be in win-now mode and needs some scoring wingers sooner than later. I’m not saying Solow is NHL-ready by any means, but he should be closer than any of the first-time eligibles in this range. Solow deserved to be drafted in 2017 as a dominant USHL player, but he took the snub in stride and didn’t skip a beat in making the jump to college hockey. Now that he’s put up numbers in the NCAA, I can’t imagine Solow getting passed over again and I could totally see Edmonton taking him here at No. 164 if he lasts this long.

165) Los Angeles Kings (from N.Y. Islanders) — Jacob Ingham (G, Canada, Mississauga OHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3.75, 191 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: 5 GP-4.02 GAA-.870 SaveP

Regular Season Stats: 43 GP-3.65 GAA-.880 SaveP

Central Scouting: 13 NAG

ANALYSIS: The Kings got a good goalie out of the OHL last year in Matt Villalta — who they have since signed — so they might go back for more, with Ingham a seemingly good get at this spot despite mediocre stats in his draft year. Los Angeles could use another netminder in its prospect pool from the 2018 draft and Ingham could be a match here at No. 165.

166) Carolina Hurricanes — Ville Petman (C, Finland, Lukko U20)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 181 pounds

Playoff Stats: 3 GP-3 G-0 A-3 PTS in U18

Regular Season Stats: 48 GP-8 G-17 A-25 PTS in U20; 4 GP-1 G-0 A-1 PT in Mestis

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: All things being equal when it comes time to pick for Carolina, I tend to take the Finn and that’s the case here with Petman, who was productive with five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games for the gold medal-winning team at the under-18 tournament this spring. That performance probably ensured Petman gets drafted this year and he was likely already on Carolina’s list before that coming-out party. Petman would be my third Finn within five picks for the Hurricanes in 2018 — following fellow forwards Niklas Nordgren (No. 42) and Linus Nyman (No. 104) — but that’s not a bad thing. I like all three of them at those spots for Carolina, regardless of where they hail from.

167) Calgary Flames — Tristen Nielsen (LW/C, Canada, Calgary WHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 181 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 49 GP-19 G-16 A-35 PTS

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: Speaking of trends, this would be four straight WHL forwards for the Flames and their second from the WHL’s Hitmen after previously taking Riley Stotts at No. 105. That might be pushing it, to think Calgary would take two players from the junior team in Calgary, but both Stotts and now Nielsen would be good value in those spots. The pros of picking those teammates outweighed the cons for me, with Nielsen also coming on strong down the stretch in his draft year and looking like a kid who could really take off next season. Calgary should know that and could be lucky to get Nielsen here at No. 167.

168) Dallas Stars — Brodi Stuart (LW, Canada, Kamloops WHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 168 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 70 GP-16 G-22 A-38 PTS

Central Scouting: 129 NAS

ANALYSIS: I mentioned it earlier in my mock, but Tom Gaglardi, the Stars’ owner, also owns the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and he manages to stay quite involved with his hometown junior team. Stuart made an immediate impact at that level as a call-up in last year’s playoffs and carried that momentum into his draft year. Stuart’s numbers may not seem all that impressive, but the Blazers were a low-scoring, offensively challenged team this season. Stuart does have decent upside and sort of reminds me of Brendan Gallagher from his WHL days. That’s a lofty comparison, but don’t forget that Gallagher was a fifth-round pick (147th overall) back in 2010. Gaglardi and the Stars will know what Stuart is all about and what he could be capable of in the future.

169) St. Louis Blues — Brendan Budy (F, Canada, Langley BCHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 170 pounds

Playoff Stats: 6 GP-2 G-3 A-5 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 49 GP-22 G-34 A-56 PTS

Central Scouting: 125 NAS

ANALYSIS: Budy is another sleeper for me, committed to Denver but also a high pick (second overall) in this spring’s USHL draft, so he could be suiting up for the Tri-City Storm next season as a stepping stone to starring for the Pioneers (NCAA). St. Louis would have some say in that decision as the team drafting him, but the Blues would have no reason to rush Budy since they have plenty of forward prospects on the cusp of cracking their lineup. St. Louis could target a longer-range prospect with a high ceiling here, and Budy would fit that bill.

170) Florida Panthers — Jack St. Ivany (RHD, USA, Sioux Falls USHL, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 198 pounds

Playoff Stats: 3 GP-1 G-2 A-3 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 54 GP-6 G-30 A-36 PTS

Central Scouting: 119 NAS

ANALYSIS: The Panthers like their USHL defencemen and I think they take at least one more in 2018. Florida previously took Mike Matheson in 2012 and Ian McCoshen in 2013, then stole reigning USHL defenceman of the year Ben Finkelstein in the seventh round in 2016. I debated a handful of names for this pick — also including Marc Del Gaizo, a first-time eligible lefty who led all USHL defencemen in goals, with 12; Hugo Blixt, the big Swedish over-ager who netted 11 as a USHL newcomer; Spencer Meier, another good-sized over-ager from USHL champion Fargo; and Graham Lillibridge, who had a league-high 45 points as an under-sized over-ager — but settled on St. Ivany, who I already liked for last year’s draft despite only producing 10 points, with one goal, that season. St. Ivany more than tripled his production as a USHL sophomore, plus he’s big and right-handed, so those factors made him my pick for Florida at No. 170.

171) Colorado Avalanche — Arttu Nevasaari (RW, Finland, Karpat U20)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 179 pounds

Playoff Stats: 10 GP-2 G-2 A-4 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 46 GP-18 G-8 A-26 PTS

Central Scouting: 58 EUS

ANALYSIS: I led off Colorado’s draft with a Finnish forward in the first round, Rasmus Kupari, and I’m going with another here in Nevasaari. They have been teammates coming up the ranks in Karpat’s system, so that made Nevasaari tempting for the Avs based on my mock. Nevasaari is more of a scorer than a playmaker — according to his stat-lines the past couple seasons — and Colorado is in need of secondary scoring for the years to come.

172) New Jersey Devils — Carl Wassenius (C/LW, Sweden, Orebro J20)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 201 pounds

Playoff Stats: 7 GP-4 G-8 A-12 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 34 GP-16 G-24 A-40 PTS

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: Wassenius has been better than a point-per-game player at every level in Sweden dating back to 2013-14, but he strangely doesn’t have any international experience on his resume. That could hinder his draft stock a little, but Wassenius’ numbers suggest he should get selected closer to the top 100. Time will tell, but if he’s available this late as a faller, I doubt Wassenius would slip past New Jersey here. The Devils stole Jesper Bratt in the sixth round (162nd overall) in 2016 and Wassenius could be another stellar pick at No. 172.

173) Columbus Blue Jackets — Nikita Shashkov (F, Russia, Sibirskie Snaipery MHL, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 179 pounds

Playoff Stats: 3 GP-1 G-0 A-1 PT

Regular Season Stats: 58 GP-32 G-21 A-53 PTS

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: After reaping the benefits of Artemi Panarin’s acquisition, I have a feeling Columbus will pick at least one Russian forward in 2018. Panarin was a late-bloomer — he was never drafted — and it appears Shashkov could be the same, exploding in his over-age season as somebody who wasn’t really on the draft radar for 2017. Several teams will now have Shashkov on their lists for 2018 — it’s just a matter of where — and the Blue Jackets should be among those interested.

174) Philadelphia Flyers — Paul Cotter (F, USA, Lincoln USHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 185 pounds

Playoff Stats: 7 GP-4 G-4 A-8 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 51 GP-18 G-21 A-39 PTS

Central Scouting: 112 NAS

ANALYSIS: Cotter has put up impressive numbers in both the NAHL — 60 points in 59 games last season — and the USHL. He also plays with a bit of an edge, racking up 103 and 64 penalty minutes the past two campaigns, respectively. All in all, Cotter has done enough to get drafted — perhaps closer to 100 than 200 — and Philadelphia could take him as arguably the best player available here at No. 174.

175) Los Angeles Kings — Eli Zummack (RW/C, Canada, Spokane WHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-9, 165 pounds

Playoff Stats: 7 GP-2 G-3 A-5 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 58 GP-15 G-26 A-41 PTS

Central Scouting: 184 NAS

ANALYSIS: Here’s another kid that I’m probably higher on than most scouts. If I were a GM, I’d consider reaching for Zummack at least a round earlier. I think he’s got a high offensive ceiling and that his production will shoot up next season. Zummack could eventually get to a level where he’s among the WHL’s leading scorers — reminding me a bit of this season’s league-leader Jayden Halbgewachs, who went undrafted last year but has since signed with San Jose as a free agent. If a team is going to take Zummack in this year’s draft, it could be Los Angeles since the Kings would have been watching Spokane closer than most with 2017 second-rounder Jaret Anderson-Dolan developing there and leading the Chiefs in scoring this season.

176) San Jose Sharks — Cole Krygier (LHD, USA, Lincoln USHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds

Playoff Stats: 7 GP-1 G-1 A-2 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 58 GP-3 G-14 A-17 PTS

Central Scouting: 149 NAS

ANALYSIS: San Jose was due for a defenceman — following three forwards to start my mock — and Krygier was topping my list for the Sharks at this spot. The better of the Krygier twins — brother Christian, also a left-handed defender, wound up as an honourable mention for me — Cole could go a lot higher than here. He strikes me as one of those USHL sleepers who might surprisingly show up in the top 100, although depending who you talk to, that might not be much of a surprise. There are Cole Krygier fans and boosters out there — some who feel he’s got more upside than Michael Callahan, another left-handed defenceman from the USHL who I have going in the fourth round (107th overall). There may not be much separating them, which speaks to how close a lot of these prospects are in the mid-to-late rounds. San Jose would be addressing a positional need and also getting arguably the best player available in Krygier at No. 176.

177) Pittsburgh Penguins — Jack Gorniak (F, USA, West Salem High School, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-10.75, 181 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: 3 GP-2 G-3 A-5 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 24 GP-28 G-28 A-56 PTS; 2 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS with USHL Lincoln

Central Scouting: 87 NAS

ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh is another team — thanks to its organizational depth — that can look longer-term in the later rounds and target some real boom-or-bust type prospects such as a high-schooler like Gorniak. I don’t have a great scouting report on Gorniak, but I’ve heard he’s got top-six upside with speed and goal-scoring ability among his best attributes. My mock has the Penguins using their top pick, in the second round, on another high-schooler in the highly touted Jay O’Brien, who is also a shoot-first scorer. It’s a longshot that O’Brien and Gorniak will become the next Phil Kessel or Jake Guentzel, but it’s worth that shot for Pittsburgh, which can afford the odd miss.

178) Anaheim Ducks — Matej Blumel (LW, Czech Republic, Waterloo USHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 179 pounds

Playoff Stats: 2 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 50 GP-8 G-10 A-18 PTS

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: Somebody made the comparison, to me, between Blumel and Anaheim’s Ondrej Kase, a fellow Czech forward who broke out for 20 goals this season despite being a seventh-round pick (205th overall) in 2014. That mention stuck in my mind and now here Blumel is joining Kase in the Ducks’ organization. When it comes to these sixth- and seventh-rounders, there are no sure things, but Blumel does sound like a kid with a good amount of upside.

179) Minnesota Wild — Jack Perbix (RW, USA, Elk River USHS)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 176 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: 2 GP-2 G-5 A-7 PTS; 2 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS with USHL Green Bay

Regular Season Stats: 25 GP-19 G-42 A-61 PTS; 17 GP-1 G-3 A-4 PTS with USHL Green Bay

Central Scouting: 96 NAS

ANALYSIS: Minnesota grabs a high-schooler from within the State of Hockey, with Perbix also possessing a ton of potential as a scoring forward down the road. These last few kids are draft-and-develop projects that may or may not pan out. Yet, that potential is worth the risk for the Wild at this spot.

180) Vegas Golden Knights (from Toronto) — Austin Wong (C/RW, Canada, Okotoks AJHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 190 pounds

Playoff Stats: 15 GP-3 G-7 A-10 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 55 GP-25 G-29 A-54 PTS

Central Scouting: 174 NAS

ANALYSIS: Wong’s older brother Tyler is already in the Golden Knights’ system, earning a contract from Vegas as a standout in the preseason. Tyler was a dominant force in the WHL with Lethbridge — which also traded for Austin’s rights last summer — but Austin is committed to Harvard and going the college route. Austin is quite similar to Tyler, feisty and fearless for his size — racking up 235 penalty minutes as a physical presence in his draft year — but also relentless around the net and capable of finishing off his chances. Tyler Wong was a pleasant surprise for Vegas and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Golden Knights are now targeting Austin Wong as well.

181) Winnipeg Jets — Kristian Reichel (C, Czech Republic, Red Deer WHL, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1.25, 176 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: 5 GP-3 G-2 A-5 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 63 GP-34 G-23 A-57 PTS

Central Scouting: 53 NAS

ANALYSIS: A Czech forward lighting it up in Red Deer, that won’t go unnoticed by Winnipeg, which had prospect Michael Spacek developing there the previous two seasons. The Rebels hoped that Reichel could replace Spacek’s offence when he turned pro this season and Reichel didn’t disappoint. He probably exceeded Brent Sutter’s expectations in making such a smooth transition to the North American game, but Reichel isn’t a total foreigner since his father, Robert, had a decade-long NHL career before retiring in 2004. This second-generation Reichel is looking like a pro player in the making — Kristian’s skill-set is reminiscent of Robert’s in a lot of ways — and you can bet that he’s on the Jets’ radar this year, if he wasn’t already last year while playing back home.

182) San Jose Sharks (from Nashville) — Ivan Prosvetov (G, Russia, Youngstown USHL, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 185 pounds

Playoff Stats: 11 GP-2.58 GAA-.921 SaveP

Regular Season Stats: 36 GP-2.90 GAA-.913 SaveP

Central Scouting: 14 NAG

ANALYSIS: Prosvetov nearly backstopped Youngstown to a championship, getting the Phantoms to the USHL final before falling to Fargo. That playoff run boosted Prosvetov’s stock, but he’s been consistently good since coming over to develop in North America, previously starring in the NAHL with a .928 save percentage during his draft year. That wasn’t enough to get drafted, but Prosvetov’s encore — highlighted by his .921 save percentage in the USHL playoffs — should ensure he’s not overlooked again. I had a few teams considering Prosvetov in this round, but San Jose has two picks in this range and the Sharks could use another goalie in their prospect pool.

183) Tampa Bay Lightning — Georgi Ivanov (C, Russia, Loko MHL, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 192 pounds

Playoff Stats: 9 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in KHL; 11 GP-3 G-1 A-4 PTS in MHL

Regular Season Stats: 19 GP-1 G-2 A-3 PTS in KHL; 16 GP-5 G-3 A-8 PTS in MHL

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: Ivanov was surprisingly passed over in 2017, but I can’t see that happening again. There are so many over-agers to consider in these later rounds and Ivanov is one that I’m still high on from last year. He didn’t gain much traction as a rookie in the KHL this season, but teenagers rarely do. Ivanov will turn 20 in September and I’m expecting much better numbers out of him as a sophomore in Russia’s top league. A team like Tampa Bay may also be anticipating that breakout from Ivanov, with plans to call dibs on him in this year’s draft.

184) Winnipeg Jets (from Boston) — Max Crozier (RHD, Canada, Nanaimo BCHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 161 pounds

Playoff Stats: 6 GP-0 G-2 A-2 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 49 GP-6 G-23 A-29 PTS

Central Scouting: 207 NAS

ANALYSIS: I’m not sure how closely Winnipeg scouts the BCHL in particular, but the Jets do draft their share of tier-II juniors in general. That’s no longer counting the USHL, which is now close to on par with the three CHL leagues. Regardless, Crozier is a kid that has been brought to my attention on a few occasions throughout the draft year as somebody to watch from the BCHL. One scout didn’t think his skill-set was too far off from first-round candidate Tychonick, but Crozier didn’t get nearly as much hype, nor exposure. It would take the right team who saw Crozier on the right nights for him to get picked in this year’s draft, and that team could possibly be Winnipeg.

185) Vegas Golden Knights — Isaac Johnson (LW, Tri-City, WHL, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 183 pounds

Playoff Stats: 14 GP-5 G-8 A-13 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 68 GP-17 G-31 A-48 PTS

Central Scouting: 140 NAS

ANALYSIS: Johnson was in beast mode during the WHL playoffs, especially in Tri-City’s first-round sweep of Kelowna where I witnessed his impact first-hand. I remember liking the second-hand reviews on Johnson even last year when he was playing in the USHL — I had him as a sixth-round pick (168th overall) in my 2017 mock — but seeing him step up in that series convinced me that Johnson is still draft-worthy the second time around. Vegas has quality scouts watching over the WHL and would have also been watching signed defence prospect Dylan Coghlan with Tri-City. So the Golden Knights are one of the teams that may have Johnson in their sights for the later rounds and for their final pick.

186) Washington Capitals — Alexander Romanov (LHD, Russia, Krasnaya Armiya MHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 183 pounds

Playoff Stats: 4 GP-0 G-1 A-1 PT in MHL

Regular Season Stats: 37 GP-7 G-7 A-14 PTS in MHL; 3 GP-2 G-1 A-3 PTS in U18

Central Scouting: 115 EUS

ANALYSIS: Another Russian for Washington, the third in a row. That may seem stereotypical but, reality is, it’s a very deep draft year for Russian prospects and it would be surprising if the Capitals didn’t take at least a couple among their six picks in 2018. Romanov wouldn’t be a reach in this range and he could be topping the list for other teams at this spot as well. So this isn’t about picking a Russian for the sake of picking a Russian, just because it’s Washington. I legitimately like Romanov for the Capitals here and feel like he’d be a good value pick for anybody at the end of the sixth round.

Recapping Sixth Round

156) Buffalo Sabres — Patrick Giles (RW, USA, NTDP U18)

157) Ottawa Senators — Xavier Bouchard (RHD, Canada, Baie-Comeau QMJHL)

158) Arizona Coyotes — Mathias-Emilio Pettersen (C, Norway, Muskegon USHL)

159) Detroit Red Wings (from Montreal) — Filip Lindberg (G, Finland, TUTO U20, over-ager)

160) Detroit Red Wings — Christian Lindberg (LHD, Sweden, Oskarshamn J20)

161) Vancouver Canucks — Jack Lagerstrom (RHD, USA, Shattuck St. Mary’s High School)

162) Chicago Blackhawks — Akira Schmid (G, Switzerland, Langnau U20)

163) New York Rangers — Danil Zhuravlyov (LHD, Russia, Kazan MHL)

164) Edmonton Oilers — Zach Solow (C/RW, USA, Northeastern NCAA, over-ager)

165) Los Angeles Kings (from N.Y. Islanders) — Jacob Ingham (G, Canada, Mississauga OHL)

166) Carolina Hurricanes — Ville Petman (C, Finland, Lukko U20)

167) Calgary Flames — Tristen Nielsen (LW/C, Canada, Calgary WHL)

168) Dallas Stars — Brodi Stuart (LW, Canada, Kamloops WHL)

169) St. Louis Blues — Brendan Budy (F, Canada, Langley BCHL)

170) Florida Panthers — Jack St. Ivany (RHD, USA, Sioux Falls USHL, over-ager)

171) Colorado Avalanche — Arttu Nevasaari (RW, Finland, Karpat U20)

172) New Jersey Devils — Carl Wassenius (C/LW, Sweden, Orebro J20)

173) Columbus Blue Jackets — Nikita Shashkov (F, Russia, Sibirskie Snaipery MHL, over-ager)

174) Philadelphia Flyers — Paul Cotter (F, USA, Lincoln USHL)

175) Los Angeles Kings — Eli Zummack (RW/C, Canada, Spokane WHL)

176) San Jose Sharks — Cole Krygier (LHD, USA, Lincoln USHL)

177) Pittsburgh Penguins — Jack Gorniak (F, USA, West Salem High School, over-ager)

178) Anaheim Ducks — Matej Blumel (LW, Czech Republic, Waterloo USHL)

179) Minnesota Wild — Jack Perbix (RW, USA, Elk River USHS)

180) Vegas Golden Knights (from Toronto) — Austin Wong (C/RW, Canada, Okotoks AJHL)

181) Winnipeg Jets (from Boston) — Kristian Reichel (C, Czech Republic, Red Deer WHL, over-ager)

182) San Jose Sharks (from Nashville) — Ivan Prosvetov (G, Russia, Youngstown USHL, over-ager)

183) Tampa Bay Lightning — Georgi Ivanov (C, Russia, Loko MHL, over-ager)

184) Winnipeg Jets — Max Crozier (RHD, Canada, Nanaimo BCHL)

185) Vegas Golden Knights — Isaac Johnson (LW, Tri-City, WHL, over-ager)

186) Washington Capitals — Alexander Romanov (LHD, Russia, Krasnaya Armiya MHL)