- 2019 NHL Mock Draft: Round 1
- 2019 NHL Mock Draft: Round 2
- 2019 NHL Mock Draft: Round 3
- 2019 NHL Mock Draft: Round 4
- 2019 NHL Mock Draft: Round 5
- 2019 NHL Mock Draft: Round 7
- 2019 NHL Mock Draft: Team Results
We’re now wading into the deep waters of this draft class, with a lot of longer-term projects expected in this round as teams try to reel in their late steals.
Those projects tend to be some of the youngest available prospects with the most development ahead of them, but teams also tend to take more overagers with each passing round.
Teams will be going all over the map — literally and figuratively — but look for those trends to develop the rest of the way.
Vancouver, the draft host, leads off the sixth round after previously acquiring this pick from Ottawa.
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Sixth Round
156) Vancouver Canucks (from Ottawa) — Alex Campbell (LW/LC, Canada, Victoria BCHL)
Height/Weight: 5-foot-10.25, 154 pounds (Combine Official)
Playoff Stats: 14 GP-8 G-7 A-15 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 53 GP-21 G-46 A-67 PTS
Central Scouting: 43 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 138
THW Ryan Pike: 106
THW Andrew Forbes: 98
ANALYSIS: The Canucks were tempted to take Campbell in the fifth round — but decided Jayden Struble’s potential was too great to pass up at No. 133 — so Vancouver is thrilled to see this particular target still available here. This pick is directly related to Vancouver’s first-round selection in my mock — that being Campbell’s league-MVP linemate in Victoria, Alex Newhook. They had terrific chemistry there and the Canucks are drafting Campbell with the hope that they can rekindle their magic in the future despite developing at different NCAA programs, with Campbell committed to Clarkson University and Newhook now bound for Boston College next season.
157) Los Angeles Kings — Cole Moberg (LD, Canada, Prince George WHL)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 198 pounds
Playoff Stats: N/A
Regular Season Stats: 61 GP-13 G-27 A-40 PTS
Central Scouting: 136 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 167
THW Ryan Pike: 67
THW Andrew Forbes: 114
ANALYSIS: The Kings go back to the WHL, grabbing their third defenceman from that league — and from the B.C. Division in particular — with Moberg following first-rounder Bowen Byram and second-rounder Kaedan Korczak in my mock. Moberg has good size and skill, putting up pretty big numbers on a pretty bad team during his draft year.
158) New Jersey Devils — Filip Lindberg (G, Finland, UMass Amherst NCAA, overager)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 187 pounds
Playoff Stats: N/A
Regular Season Stats: 17 GP-1.60 GAA-.934 SaveP
Central Scouting: Not Ranked
THW Larry Fisher: 195
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Devils take their second straight overager from UMass Amherst after selecting defenceman Marc Del Gaizo in the fifth round. Lindberg, who backstopped the Minutemen to the Frozen Four championship game in his NCAA debut, gives New Jersey another quality goaltending prospect to go with Mackenzie Blackwood — the leading candidate to be Cory Schneider’s successor — as well as 2016 fourth-rounder Evan Cormier, 2017 fifth-rounder Gilles Senn and 2018 fifth-rounder Akira Schmid. No real reason for New Jersey to target those UMass Amherst overagers, just going out on a limb there, but Lindberg should get drafted this year despite not being the biggest goalie available.
159) Detroit Red Wings — Nikola Pasic (LC, Sweden, Linkoping J20)
Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 181 pounds
Playoff Stats: 6 GP-2 G-3 A-5 PTS (SuperElit-J20)
Regular Season Stats: 15 GP-1 G-1 A-2 PTS (SHL), 2 GP-0 G-1 A-1 PTS (Allsvenskan), 33 GP-18 G-18 A-36 PTS (SuperElit-J20)
Central Scouting: 88 EUS
THW Larry Fisher: 150
THW Ryan Pike: 123
THW Andrew Forbes: 87
ANALYSIS: The Red Wings have always liked their Swedish forwards and they already got a good one in the third round of my mock with Karl Henriksson. Look for Detroit to take at least one Swede in the later rounds, likely more of a project type with significant upside. Pasic fits that bill, as would have Lucas Feuk, who I had going to Montreal in the fifth round, or any of the following options in Elmer Soderblom, Albin Sundsvik, Arvid Costmar, Max Wahlgren and Jacob Grönhagen as first-time eligibles or Filip Cederqvist and Carl Jakobsson as overagers still available here. Given his pick of that litter, I have Steve Yzerman selecting Pasic.
160) Buffalo Sabres — Elmer Soderblom (LW, Sweden, Frölunda J20)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-7, 220 pounds
Playoff Stats: 6 GP-4 G-0 A-4 PTS (SuperElit-J20), 7 GP-4 G-2 A-6 PTS (Allsvenskan-J18)
Regular Season Stats: 44 GP-9 G-8 A-17 PTS (SuperElit-J20), 8 GP-2 G-1 A-3 PTS (Allsvenskan-J18)
Central Scouting: 55 EUS
THW Larry Fisher: 173
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Sabres like their Swedes too, with Soderblom already their fourth through five picks in my mock following defencemen Philip Broberg, in the first round, and Albert Johansson, in the third round, as well as smaller forward Nils Hoglander, with their second first-rounder. Buffalo goes for a giant forward here in Soderblom, who is about as raw but also as intriguing as they come in this year’s draft. Soderblom was a late addition to Sweden’s under-18 team that won gold, but he managed to make his presence felt in that tournament — standing out for his size, but also for his skills. The Sabres will have the full book on Soderblom, along with those other Swedes listed above as options for Detroit. Buffalo is a good bet to get one from that grouping too.
161) New York Rangers — Ilya Morozov (LD, Russia, Sibir Novosibirsk KHL, overager)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 207 pounds
Playoff Stats: N/A, 7 GP-1 G-1 A-2 PTS (WJC-20)
Regular Season Stats: 49 GP-1 G-4 A-5 PTS
Central Scouting: Not Ranked
THW Larry Fisher: 154
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Rangers have some good Russians on the way with 2018 first-round forward Vitali Kravtsov, 2014 fourth-round goaltender Igor Shesterkin and recently signed defenceman Yegor Rykov in addition to roster forwards Pavel Buchnevich and Vladislav Namestnikov and budding backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev. Enter Morozov, who was a big part of Russia’s bronze medal-winning team at this year’s World Juniors — named one of Russia’s top-three players by his coaching staff. That was a really big defence corps full of future NHLers and Morozov definitely didn’t look out of place as an undrafted double-overager. That showing should ensure that some team calls Morozov’s name this year and it might be the Rangers.
162) Edmonton Oilers — Taro Jentzsch (LW/RC, Germany, Sherbrooke QMJHL, overager)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 168 pounds
Playoff Stats: 9 GP-2 G-3 A-5 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 53 GP-18 G-24 A-42 PTS
Central Scouting: 102 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 163
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Oilers broaden their horizons from the WHL here — after previously picking four straight WHL forwards — but there are still a couple connections or trends of note with this selection. Jentzsch would give Edmonton another German for Leon Draisaitl to mentor and would be the Oilers’ second overager of my mock following Brett Leason in the second round. I don’t have any intel that suggests Edmonton will target older forwards in this year’s draft, but that strategy could make sense if the Oilers want to develop their depth sooner than later. Jentzsch isn’t as close to making an impact as Leason, but he’s coming off a successful North American debut and thus heading in the right direction.
163) Anaheim Ducks — Samuel Hlavaj (G, Slovakia, Lincoln USHL)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 194 pounds
Playoff Stats: N/A
Regular Season Stats: 22 GP-4.58 GAA-.862 SaveP
Central Scouting: 5 NAG
THW Larry Fisher: 156
THW Ryan Pike: Honourable Mention (126-135)
THW Andrew Forbes: 149
ANALYSIS: The Ducks go with their best available goaltender here in Hlavaj, adding another legit prospect to a positional pipeline that already includes 2018 third-rounder Lukas Dostal and 2017 fifth-rounder Olle Eriksson Ek behind current starter John Gibson and next season’s projected backup Kevin Boyle. Anaheim also selected another big Slovak netminder from the USHL last year in fifth-rounder Roman Durny, and previously took Garrett Metcalf as a 2015 sixth-rounder from the USHL, so there is some history in support of Anaheim picking Hlavaj.
164) Vancouver Canucks — Braden Doyle (LD, USA, Lawrence Academy U.S. High School)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 168 pounds
Playoff Stats: N/A
Regular Season Stats: 5 GP-0 G-1 A-1 PTS (USHL), 41 GP-5 G-27 A-32 PTS (USHS)
Central Scouting: 40 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 170
THW Ryan Pike: 116
THW Andrew Forbes: 119
ANALYSIS: The Canucks are drawn to another high school defender, getting Doyle here after previously picking Struble in the fifth round. Getting both would be a big boost for Vancouver’s prospect pool on defence. Struble had the better stats during their draft year, but they are similar in size, playing style and age — with their August birthdates making them amongst the youngest prospects available for 2019, a draft class that cuts off at Sept. 15.
165) Philadelphia Flyers — Ondrej Psenicka (RW/LW, Czech Republic, Sparta Praha U19)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 198 pounds
Playoff Stats: 9 GP-7 G-10 A-17 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 45 GP-30 G-40 A-70 PTS
Central Scouting: 53 EUS
THW Larry Fisher: 152
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: 134
ANALYSIS: The Flyers like their big forwards with big skill and Psenicka certainly meets that criteria. I don’t know if he’s got as much upside as Isaac Ratcliffe — a 2017 second-rounder for Philadelphia — but Psenicka does have a high ceiling. There is lots to like about his package of size and skill, which could result in a team reaching for Psenicka in the earlier rounds. Psenicka dominated at the level he played during his draft year and needs a bigger challenge next season, which might mean coming overseas as a CHL import draft pick. Psenicka already went in this year’s USHL draft, to Waterloo, which suggests he could be contemplating the option of crossing the pond to continue his development like another comparable in Edmonton prospect Ostap Safin. Philadelphia would like that idea.
166) Minnesota Wild — Rhett Pitlick (LW, USA, Chaska U.S. High School)
Height/Weight: 5-foot-9, 161 pounds
Playoff Stats: 5 GP-5 G-3 A-8 PTS (USHS)
Regular Season Stats: 7 GP-1 G-4 A-5 PTS (USHL), 46 GP-41 G-51 A-92 PTS
Central Scouting: 98 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 158
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: Minnesota takes a Minnesota product, keeping Pitlick in the State of Hockey where he’ll continue to develop at the University of Minnesota starting in 2020-21. But Pitlick — the son of former NHLer Lance, cousin of current NHLer Tyler, and brother of Nashville prospect Rem — could go much higher than here as another talented high-schooler who is tough to rank and even tougher to mock. Pitlick was pretty much unstoppable in high school and continued to put up points in his USHL debut, with Omaha, so he’s clearly got a ton of potential. The Wild should be all over this kid. Worth noting, Minnesota GM Paul Fenton was still in Nashville when the Predators drafted Rem in 2016, so Fenton would be familiar with the family.
167) Chicago Blackhawks — Brady Meyer (LC, USA, Green Bay USHL)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 190 pounds
Playoff Stats: N/A
Regular Season Stats: 56 GP-4 G-4 A-8 PTS
Central Scouting: Not Ranked
THW Larry Fisher: 157
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: Meyer didn’t have a great draft year — at least not statistically — but he’s got the size and skating ability that NHL teams covet. Remember, teams are drafting these teenagers not for next season but for what they could become in three to five years. Meyer does appear to have big-league upside despite his lack of offence this season, so some team is going to take a chance on him in the later rounds. It could be Chicago, with the hope that he’ll develop along the lines of current Blackhawk John Hayden. That may seem like I’m setting the bar low for Meyer, but the Hawks would be happy to get that type of player in the sixth round. Hayden was a third-round pick after all.
168) Florida Panthers — Michael Gildon (LW, USA, NTDP U18)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 194 pounds
Playoff Stats: 7 GP-0 G-1 A-1 PTS (WJC-18)
Regular Season Stats: 61 GP-18 G-27 A-45 PTS (NTDP), 26 GP-13 G-16 A-29 PTS (USHL)
Central Scouting: 110 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 159
THW Ryan Pike: 92
THW Andrew Forbes: 123
ANALYSIS: Gildon’s brother Max, a defenceman, is already a Panthers prospect as a third-round pick from 2017, so Florida has familiarity with this family. Max is trending well in college, which could make Michael, a forward, more appealing to Florida than to other teams. Michael got the chance to flank projected first overall pick Jack Hughes for part of the draft year and looked like a solid complementary player. The Panthers might see more upside in this Gildon than most.
169) Philadelphia Flyers (from Arizona) — Quinn Schmiemann (LD, Canada, Kamloops WHL)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds
Playoff Stats: 6 GP-0 G-2 A-2 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 58 GP-5 G-23 A-28 PTS
Central Scouting: 94 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 166
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Flyers’ future on defence features two prominent WHL products in Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim, but Philadelphia has also been finding some under-the-radar gems from that junior league in free-agent signing Egor Zamula and 2018 fifth-rounder Wyatte Wylie. The Flyers have done well in identifying those latter two talents and that same scout could see significant upside in Schmiemann — a good-sized late-bloomer with some offensive tools and strong skating. Philadelphia could also look to Everett again for Wylie’s teammate Gianni Fairbrother, who really blossomed during his draft year.
170) Montreal Canadiens — Adam Liska (LW, Slovakia, Slovan Bratislava KHL, overager)
Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 187 pounds
Playoff Stats: N/A, 5 GP-2 G-3 A-5 PTS (WJC-20), 7 GP-2 G-1 A-3 PTS (WC-Men)
Regular Season Stats: 52 GP-4 G-6 A-10 PTS
Central Scouting: Not Ranked
THW Larry Fisher: 188
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: A Slovak winger made a real splash in Montreal this season — that being Tomas Tatar — and the Canadiens could see a similar skill-set in Liska, who looked good again at the men’s world championship tournament after a strong showing at this year’s World Juniors. Liska also enjoyed some success in the KHL as a teenager, so his full body of work should get him drafted this time around.
171) Colorado Avalanche — Cameron Rowe (G, USA, NTDP U18)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2.5, 208 pounds (CO)
Playoff Stats: 2 GP-4.14 GAA-.868 SaveP (WJC-18)
Regular Season Stats: 30 GP-3.40 GAA-.875 SaveP (NTDP), 16 GP-3.05 GAA-.884 SaveP (USHL)
Central Scouting: 4 NAG
THW Larry Fisher: 147
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Avs already took this draft’s top goaltending prospect in Spencer Knight — with their second first-round pick in my mock — and Colorado is now selecting his partner in Rowe to keep that tandem together for the future. Knight overshadowed Rowe during their draft year, but Rowe seemed to make the most of his opportunities in that backup role. By picking both, the Avalanche would be shoring up an organizational weakness in the present — with Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz the current placeholders at the NHL level. Colorado doesn’t have a surefire goaltender of the future in its system as of today, but Knight would instantly become that guy and Rowe could be the best fit to play behind him in the years to come. Colorado did take two goalies in last year’s draft — Justus Annunen, in the third round, and Shamil Shmakov, in the seventh round — but I wouldn’t rule out that happening again, especially if the potential is there to unite Knight and Rowe.
172) Minnesota Wild (from Vegas) — Roope Taponen (G, Finland, HIFK U20)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 165 pounds
Playoff Stats: 3 GP-2.00 GAA-.943 SaveP
Regular Season Stats: 26 GP-N/A GAA-.905 SaveP
Central Scouting: 6 EUG
THW Larry Fisher: 204
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: Minnesota is another team that could be taking two goaltenders this year, having previously picked Mads Sogaard in the third round of my mock. Taponen was Finland’s starter at the under-18 worlds and for other international tournaments throughout the draft year. The Wild have another Finn in their system, with 2014 fourth-rounder Kaapo Kähkönen coming off a solid North American debut in the AHL. Minnesota still has starter Devan Dubnyk under contract for two more seasons and backup Alex Stalock is locked in for three years, so there isn’t a pressing need to find a successor, but it’s definitely time to start developing a few options. Sogaard and Taponen both have promising upside — arguably more so than current Wild prospects Kähkönen, Mat Robson and Déreck Baribeau.
173) Dallas Stars — Kristian Tanus (LC/LW, Finland, LeKi Mestis, overager)
Height/Weight: 5-foot-8, 159 pounds
Playoff Stats: 8 GP-0 G-4 A-4 PTS (Mestis)
Regular Season Stats: 23 GP-4 G-2 A-6 PTS (Liiga), 33 GP-13 G-31 A-44 PTS (Mestis), 5 GP-2 G-2 A-4 PTS (U20-Liiga)
Central Scouting: 74 EUS
THW Larry Fisher: 161
THW Ryan Pike: 117
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: Dallas only has four picks in this year’s draft and decides to use its final selection on Tanus, adding another Finn to a franchise that benefitted greatly from the efforts of Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell during the Stars’ return to the playoffs this season. Tanus is a small-but-skilled overager, more like Mats Zuccarello, who also had a big impact in Dallas advancing to the second round.
If not Tanus here, look for Dallas to take one of those remaining Swedish forwards in Sundsvik, Costmar, Wahlgren or Grönhagen among first-time eligibles or perhaps Cederqvist or Jakobsson as overagers. If Feuk, Pasic or Soderblom were still available, one of them would probably be the Stars’ pick.
174) Arizona Coyotes (from Columbus) — Trent Miner (G, Canada, Vancouver WHL)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 187 pounds (CO)
Playoff Stats: 6 GP-2.73 GAA-.885 SaveP
Regular Season Stats: 32 GP-1.98 GAA-.924 SaveP
Central Scouting: 6 NAG
THW Larry Fisher: 136
THW Ryan Pike: 100
THW Andrew Forbes: 111
ANALYSIS: The Coyotes become the third team to complete a prospect tandem in this year’s mock, with Miner’s junior partner David Tendeck also a sixth-rounder for Arizona in 2018. The other two teams are Colorado, with Knight and Rowe, and Philadelphia, which selected Carter Hart’s former junior partner Dustin Wolf in my third round.
Those weren’t coincidences — it was intentional in all three cases — but let it be known that Miner is taken here on merit, having been a first-round bantam draft pick in the WHL and having staged a healthy competition with Tendeck all season long. Miner stole the crease for stretches during his draft year — which the Coyotes would be well aware of — before Tendeck took over in the playoffs, backstopping Vancouver to within one win of a WHL championship (losing in overtime of Game 7 in the final round). They pushed each other to be better every step of the way and could continue to do that in Arizona’s system.
175) Buffalo Sabres (from Winnipeg) — Erik Portillo (G, Sweden, Frölunda J20, overager)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 207 pounds
Playoff Stats: 4 GP-2.02 GAA-.933 SaveP
Regular Season Stats: 26 GP-1.99 GAA-.931 SaveP
Central Scouting: Not Ranked
THW Larry Fisher: 193
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Sabres seem to have their goaltender of the future in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who backstopped Finland to world-junior gold and was also named the OHL’s most valuable player this season, but Buffalo could use another prospect between the pipes. And it may as well be another Swede, to join current backup Linus Ullmark, the soon-to-be 26-year-old who was a sixth-rounder back in 2012, and Jonas Johansson, a 2014 third-rounder who will turn 24 prior to next season. The Sabres do have a lack of goalies in their system in general, with only four under contract for next season — Luukkonen, who will be recovering from surgery to begin the campaign, and current starter Carter Hutton being the other two, while AHLers Scott Wedgewood and Adam Wilcox are both pending unrestricted free agents.
Based on that, Buffalo could be looking for an overager who is closer to being pro-ready. Portillo, Adam Ahman and Jesper Myrenberg are the Swedes of potential interest, while Lassi Lehtinen is an intriguing Finnish option still available in my mock and Lindberg, who went to New Jersey earlier this round, would have been the other Finn to target. As for first-time eligibles, Victor Ostman is another Swede of note, but Portillo is the best of that bunch for the Sabres.
176) Arizona Coyotes (from Pittsburgh) — Max Crozier (RD, Canada, Sioux Falls USHL, overager)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds
Playoff Stats: 12 GP-4 G-7 A-11 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 60 GP-10 G-33 A-43 PTS
Central Scouting: 85 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 168
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: Crozier got passed over last year, but that won’t likely happen again — not after putting up big numbers across the board in his USHL debut, then playing a key role in leading Sioux Falls to a playoff championship. Crozier could go a couple rounds higher for those reasons, especially for his strong finish and the fact he’s right-handed, but the Coyotes would gladly take him here.
177) Buffalo Sabres (from Toronto) — Anthony Romano (RW, Canada, Sioux Falls USHL)
Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 174 pounds
Playoff Stats: 10 GP-1 G-2 A-3 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 60 GP-26 G-21 A-47 PTS
Central Scouting: 52 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 177
THW Ryan Pike: Honourable Mention (126-135)
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: By total coincidence, the Sabres take Crozier’s teammate here in a sequence of copycatting with alternating picks — Arizona and Buffalo both took goalies, then skaters from USHL champion Sioux Falls. In Romano, the Sabres get a forward who scored well in the regular season but slumped in the playoffs to perhaps hinder his stock. But Romano was highly regarded by some scouts throughout the draft year and could certainly become a steal for Buffalo at this spot.
178) New York Islanders — Arseni Gritsyuk (F, Russia, Omskie Yastreby MHL)
Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 168 pounds
Playoff Stats: 8 GP-3 G-2 A-5 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 30 GP-12 G-9 A-21 PTS
Central Scouting: 49 EUS
THW Larry Fisher: 142
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: Gritsyuk is the kind of Russian forward that some team could reach on in the earlier rounds — him and Yegor Chinakhov, who I have going to Detroit in the fifth round, are both candidates to go sooner because of their upside. They have high-level offensive instincts that could translate to NHL success, but both are boom-or-bust prospects. The Islanders are hoping for a boom with Gritsyuk.
179) Nashville Predators — Lassi Lehtinen (G, Finland, Lukko Liiga, overager)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 176 pounds
Playoff Stats: 6 GP-2.17 GAA-.885 SaveP
Regular Season Stats: 38 GP-2.21 GAA-.903 SaveP
Central Scouting: Not Ranked
THW Larry Fisher: 196
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Predators are presently backstopped by a pair of Finns in the 6-foot-5 Pekka Rinne and the 5-foot-11 Juuse Saros. The latter’s stature suggests Nashville wouldn’t be afraid to take Lehtinen, a fellow Finn considered to be undersized by today’s goalie standards. Strangely, despite that success with Finnish netminders, Nashville hasn’t drafted any more in recent years — taking three Czechs, a Russian and an American since 2015, none of them under 6-foot-3. Tomas Vomacka, a 2017 fifth-rounder developing at the University of Connecticut, is looking like the best of those five. But the Predators could be the team to take a chance on Lehtinen this year. Lehtinen or Lindberg if he hadn’t gone earlier this round.
180) Vancouver Canucks (from Washington) — Carter Berger (LD, Canada, Victoria BCHL, overager)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 201 pounds
Playoff Stats: 15 GP-5 G-13 A-18 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 54 GP-27 G-36 A-63 PTS
Central Scouting: 157 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 169
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Canucks circle back to Victoria again — for the third time in my mock and the second time in this round — to complete a trifecta of offensive catalysts, with Berger having had a big hand in the success of Newhook and Campbell as a smaller puck-mover comparable to Troy Stecher. They finished as that team’s top-three scorers and Berger became part of Vancouver’s draft plan based on that familiarity.
Berger also has a fair bit in common with Struble and Doyle, as a trio of left-handed defencemen — all similar in size and skill, with offensive upside. That may seem redundant, with the Canucks using three of their past four picks on comparable prospects, but Berger still made a lot of sense here. He’s two years older than the other two and should be turning pro ahead of time after taking his talents to the University of Connecticut for a couple seasons.
181) Carolina Hurricanes (from Calgary) — Eli Zummack (RW/RC, Canada, Spokane WHL, overager)
Height/Weight: 5-foot-9, 179 pounds
Playoff Stats: 15 GP-4 G-10 A-14 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 61 GP-15 G-53 A-68 PTS
Central Scouting: Not Ranked
THW Larry Fisher: 199
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Hurricanes have drafted a few WHL forwards in recent years and seem to scout that league’s U.S. Division quite closely, so Zummack could certainly be on Carolina’s radar as an overager. The Hurricanes took Hudson Elynuik from Spokane back in 2016 but weren’t able to get him signed. That shouldn’t deter Carolina from taking Zummack, who was Elynuik’s teammate for two seasons before really breaking out as an offensive catalyst after Elynuik graduated from the Dub.
182) Tampa Bay Lightning — Christopher Merisier-Ortiz (LD, Canada, Baie-Comeau QMJHL)
Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 165 pounds
Playoff Stats: 7 GP-0 G-4 A-4 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 66 GP-5 G-28 A-33 PTS
Central Scouting: Not Ranked
THW Larry Fisher: 164
THW Ryan Pike: 99
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: Tampa takes its first defenceman of my mock here, seeing significant upside in Merisier-Ortiz. Some scouts are very high on this player, suggesting he could a steal anywhere below the third round. The Lightning are good at getting steals, so this seems like a solid match.
183) Carolina Hurricanes — Iivari Rasanen (LD, Finland, Tappara U20)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 205 pounds
Playoff Stats: 3 GP-0 G-1 A-1 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 49 GP-6 G-25 A-31 PTS
Central Scouting: 120 EUS
THW Larry Fisher: 185
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: 126
ANALYSIS: The Hurricanes couldn’t resist selecting another Finn here, making Rasanen their sixth through nine picks but only their second defender of the draft. Rasanen’s stat-line is impressive and suggests he should be considered in the higher rounds, so it’s understandable that Carolina would have a hard time passing on him at this spot despite the perceived bias and tunnel vision towards Finns in my mock.
184) San Jose Sharks — Gianni Fairbrother (LD, Canada, Everett WHL)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 194 pounds
Playoff Stats: 10 GP-0 G-4 A-4 PTS
Regular Season Stats: 64 GP-10 G-26 A-36 PTS
Central Scouting: 50 NAS
THW Larry Fisher: 181
THW Ryan Pike: 95
THW Andrew Forbes: 153
ANALYSIS: As mentioned, Fairbrother broke out during his draft year and you can bet San Jose took notice. The Sharks keep a close watch on the U.S. Division of the WHL — worth noting, they drafted Mirco Mueller out of Everett as a 2013 first-rounder — so this could be a good fit for Fairbrother. He’s not an overly flashy defender, but Fairbrother is very efficient for his size with a good all-around skill-set.
185) Boston Bruins — Zdenek Sedlak (RW/RC, Czech Republic, Kärpät U20, overager)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 194 pounds
Playoff Stats: 6 GP-1 G-2 A-3 PTS (Mestis)
Regular Season Stats: 11 GP-2 G-3 A-5 PTS (Mestis), 37 GP-17 G-16 A-33 PTS (U20-Liiga)
Central Scouting: 127 EUS
THW Larry Fisher: 191
THW Ryan Pike: Not Ranked
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Bruins have had success drafting and developing Czech forwards — most notably David Pastrnak and David Krejci, with 2018 third-rounder Jakub Lauko looking like another good one on the way — so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Boston go back to that well with no shortage of options still on the board. Psenicka went earlier this round, but the Bruins could consider a handful of overagers or as many as eight different first-time eligibles. The overagers include Sedlak, Karel Plasek and Lukas Rousek as well as two developing in North America in Matej Blumel and Krystof Hrabik. The first-time eligibles include two more CHL imports in Martin Lang and Filip Prikryl, plus domestics Jan Bambula, Filip Koffer, Martin Beranek, Premysl Svoboda, Marek Berka and Jan Bernovsky. All those names are likely on Boston’s radar to some degree, but Sedlak really stood out to me at the World Junior A Challenge as a kid with next-level talent. He’s developing in Finland, similar to how Pastrnak developed in Sweden, which might also be appealing to the Bruins.
186) Anaheim Ducks (from St. Louis) — Albin Sundsvik (LC, Sweden, Skelleftea J20)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 187 pounds
Playoff Stats: 6 GP-4 G-4 A-8 PTS (Allsvenskan-J18)
Regular Season Stats: 12 GP-1 G-0 A-1 PTS (SHL), 42 GP-17 G-24 A-41 PTS (SuperElit-J20)
Central Scouting: 123 EUS
THW Larry Fisher: 174
THW Ryan Pike: 118
THW Andrew Forbes: Not Ranked
ANALYSIS: The Ducks will have two Swedish centres on their roster next season in Rickard Rakell and Isac Lundestrom — albeit both first-rounders — so Anaheim should probably trust its scouts in that region into the deeper rounds too. Sundsvik could be a quality pick in this range, maybe more so in the mould of former Duck Sammy Pahlsson, who was a seventh-rounder way back in 1996. Sundsvik’s offensive upside is questionable, but he’s got a good frame and decent skills to develop into a two-way forward.
Recapping Sixth Round
156) Vancouver Canucks (from Ottawa) — Alex Campbell (LW/LC, Canada, Victoria BCHL)
157) Los Angeles Kings — Cole Moberg (LD, Canada, Prince George WHL)
158) New Jersey Devils — Filip Lindberg (G, Finland, UMass Amherst NCAA, overager)
159) Detroit Red Wings — Nikola Pasic (LC, Sweden, Linkoping J20)
160) Buffalo Sabres — Elmer Soderblom (LW, Sweden, Frölunda J20)
161) New York Rangers — Ilya Morozov (LD, Russia, Sibir Novosibirsk KHL, overager)
162) Edmonton Oilers — Taro Jentzsch (LW/RC, Germany, Sherbrooke QMJHL, overager)
163) Anaheim Ducks — Samuel Hlavaj (G, Slovakia, Lincoln USHL)
164) Vancouver Canucks — Braden Doyle (LD, USA, Lawrence Academy U.S. High School)
165) Philadelphia Flyers — Ondrej Psenicka (RW/LW, Czech Republic, Sparta Praha U19)
166) Minnesota Wild — Rhett Pitlick (LW, USA, Chaska U.S. High School)
167) Chicago Blackhawks — Brady Meyer (LC, USA, Green Bay USHL)
168) Florida Panthers — Michael Gildon (LW, USA, NTDP U18)
169) Philadelphia Flyers (from Arizona) — Quinn Schmiemann (LD, Canada, Kamloops WHL)
170) Montreal Canadiens — Adam Liska (LW, Slovakia, Slovan Bratislava KHL, overager)
171) Colorado Avalanche — Cameron Rowe (G, USA, NTDP U18)
172) Minnesota Wild (from Vegas) — Roope Taponen (G, Finland, HIFK U20)
173) Dallas Stars — Kristian Tanus (LC/LW, Finland, LeKi Mestis, overager)
174) Arizona Coyotes (from Columbus) — Trent Miner (G, Canada, Vancouver WHL)
175) Buffalo Sabres (from Winnipeg) — Erik Portillo (G, Sweden, Frölunda J20, overager)
176) Arizona Coyotes (from Pittsburgh) — Max Crozier (RD, Canada, Sioux Falls USHL, overager)
177) Buffalo Sabres (from Toronto) — Anthony Romano (RW, Canada, Sioux Falls USHL)
178) New York Islanders — Arseni Gritsyuk (F, Russia, Omskie Yastreby MHL)
179) Nashville Predators — Lassi Lehtinen (G, Finland, Lukko Liiga, overager)
180) Vancouver Canucks (from Washington) — Carter Berger (LD, Canada, Victoria BCHL, overager)
181) Carolina Hurricanes (from Calgary) — Eli Zummack (RW/RC, Canada, Spokane WHL, overager)
182) Tampa Bay Lightning — Christopher Merisier-Ortiz (LD, Canada, Baie-Comeau QMJHL)
183) Carolina Hurricanes — Iivari Rasanen (LD, Finland, Tappara U20)
184) San Jose Sharks — Gianni Fairbrother (LD, Canada, Everett WHL)
185) Boston Bruins — Zdenek Sedlak (RW/RC, Czech Republic, Kärpät U20, overager)
186) Anaheim Ducks (from St. Louis) — Albin Sundsvik (LC, Sweden, Skelleftea J20)
