The following mock draft comes from Red Line Report, an independent scouting service.
Note that the mock draft has a number of significant differences from Red Line’s own value board. Red Line Report is a pure scouting service and ultimately ranks prospects in the order we would select available players if we lived in a vacuum where needs and other outside forces never entered the equation.
This mock draft merely represents a fun exercise in scenarios that we think might happen on draft day.
The top half of the first round is strong — Macklin Celebrini will step into the lineup immediately as a top six forward — but depth is lacking in this year's draft.
Center Macklin Celebrini, Boston University. With Will Smith already in the fold, the Sharks now have one of the best young center tandems in the NHL. This is a marketing bonanza as well because Celebrini once played for the Junior Sharks when his father, Rick, worked for the Golden State Warriors.
Winger Ivan Demidov, SKA St. Petersburg. Some scouts see him as a potential 50-goal scorer or 100-point producer. He’s signed in the Kontinental Hockey League for another season, but you can’t worry about when he’s coming across the pond. You take him because ultimately he might have as much impact as Celebrini.
Defenseman Artyom Levshunov, Michigan State. The Ducks made a trade earlier this season to land an elite forward prospect in Cutter Gauthier. They gave up young defenseman Jamie Drysdale to get him. In Levshunov, they can get a big minute-munching defenseman, and coaches will love his playing style.
Center Cayden Lindstrom, Medicine Hat. Every NHL team is looking for a big center, and Lindstrom is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds. One person we know in the NHL scouting community said Lindstrom has an Eric Lindros-like vibe. That’s a comparison that will make you stand up and take notice.
Forward Tij Iginla, Kelowna. He’s the son of Hall of Fame player Jarome Iginla. That's all you really need to know. Don't underestimate what he can do. He's a confident player who netted 47 goals in 64 games.
Defenseman Anton Silayev, Nizhny Novgorod. He’s 6-foot-7 and can skate. Visions of Zdeno Chara are dancing in everyone’s head. He hits and knows how to take advantage of his extended reach.
Defenseman Zayne Parekh, Saginaw. He’s a pure offensive defenseman and great power play quarterback, as his numbers (38 goals, 96 points) would suggest. He has much work to do on his defensive play.
Defenseman Zeev Buium, Denver University. Quality skater, smart player, very good offensive instincts. Rearguards who register 50 points as collegiate freshmen are exceedingly rare.
Defenseman Sam Dickinson, London. He has size (6-foot-3), skill and a quality shot. He looks and plays like a pro player.
Winger Cole Eiserman, U.S. National Team Development Program. If there’s a player who is going to outperform his draft ranking, it’s Eiserman. Big winger has the skill to be a top-notch NHL goal scorer.
Center Berkly Catton, Spokane. He’s under 6 foot, but his skill package is difficult to ignore. He has the offensive ability to mature into a top six NHL forward.
Defenseman Carter Yakemchuk, Calgary. He’s a heavy hitter with a big shot. High end, 6-foot-3 offensive defenseman. However, he takes too many penalties. You would hope he’d grow out of that.
Winger Beckett Sennecke, Oshawa. He put up 68 points in 63 games in the regular season and then produced well in the postseason with 10 goals and 22 points in 16 games. Has hands and an inner drive.
Center Konsta Helenius, Jukurit. He plays an NHL-style game with emphasis on possessing the puck. He competes hard. Certain to play as a center on the top two lines.
Center Michael Hage, Chicago. He’s a creative offensive player with some grit to his game. He competes hard and is heading to Michigan, which will make it easy for the Red Wings to watch him on a regular basis.
Winger Terik Parascak, Prince George. He’s not big or an exceptional skater, but he knows how to take advantage of his offensive instincts. He had 105 points in 68 regular-season games, and added 14 more in 12 postseason games.
Winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Mora. He’s a hard-driving Norwegian winger who went to Sweden to improve his game. He picked up valuable experience by playing for Norway at the world championships. He could go in the top 15.
Winger Igor Chernyshov, Dynamo. He's 6-foot-2 and already has played for parts of two seasons in the KHL. Perhaps the presence of Maxim Tsyplakov and Russian goalies Igor Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov will persuade Chernyshov to come to North America quicker.
Defenseman Adam Jiricek, Plzen. His injury at the world junior championships hurt his draft status, but he is Blue Jackets defenseman David Jiricek’s younger brother. That certainly will help. He’s 6-foot-2, can skate, and boasts good offensive tools.
Winger Cole Beaudoin, Barrie. Scouts like him because he works hard and plays a responsible game. You can debate whether his 67 junior points will translate to the NHL, but if you watch him enough, you become convinced he will figure out how to be successful in the show.
Center Sacha Boisvert, Muskegon. He’s a scoring center who is headed to North Dakota to play college hockey. Boisvert is 6-foot-2 and competes hard.
Center Lucas Pettersson, MoDo. His skill package is enticing. He skates extremely well with a turbocharge boost that seems to give him an extra gear. Plus he has a scoring touch.
Winger Ryder Ritchie, Prince Albert. His playmaking and skating make him an attractive option late in the first round. He posted 44 points in 47 games.
Winger Trevor Connelly, Tri-City. The Avalanche are always willing to gamble on high skill players, and nobody left in the draft has more of it than this stickhandling wizard.
Center Jett Luchanko, Guelph. Has a high hockey IQ and his 74 points show he knows how to use it to be productive.
Defenseman Stian Solberg, Valerenga. He played in Norway’s top pairing at the world championships. He’s a rugged defensive battler and a noteworthy open ice hitter. Those guys are hard to find.
Defenseman E.J. Emery, U.S. National Team Development Program. He’s a 6-foot-3, defense-first blueliner who will play his college hockey at North Dakota. He has some offensive upside, but you’re drafting him now for his defensive prowess.
Defenseman Dominik Badinka, Malmo. He’s already playing a dependable game in the Swedish Hockey League. He’s tall, can skate and shows glimpses of offensive ability.
Winger Julius Miettinen, Everett. He’s a Finn playing in the Western Hockey League and is benefiting from the experience. He has a big body and scored 31 goals this season. He was a steady riser in most teams' ratings this season.
Center Dean Letourneau, St. Andrews College. He’s 6-foot-7 and that alone makes him intriguing. He put up 127 points this season. Isn’t this where you always draft the biggest player with the most potential?
Winger Liam Greentree, Windsor. While NHL scouts were busy debating whether his speed was good enough, Greentree was busy scoring 36 goals and 90 points. He always seems to find a way to get into the middle of the action.
Winger Emil Hemming, TPS Turku. He boasts one of the best shots in this year’s draft class. Hemming has the natural scoring touch you usually see in a top six NHL winger.
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