2019 NHL Draft Preview



2019 NHL Draft

2019 NHL Draft Preview

Steve Kournianos  |  06/07/2018 |  Nashville  |  [hupso]

Finland’s Kappo Kakko was one of the top under-18 players at several IIHF events and should be a top-10 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft (Photo: Leijonat.Fi)

NASHVILLE (The Draft Analyst) — As the scouting community starts wrapping up its work for the 2018 NHL Draft, the early summer is the perfect time to begin the slow transition towards shifting focus on the prominent prospects for next year’s draft in Vancouver. Once considered a topic not ripe for discussion, the 2019 draft season is only a few weeks away from darting out the gate, both in terms of individual assessments and an analysis of the group as a collective.

In about a month, scouting the 2019 draft crop will move up the priority list from “secondary” to “primary”. Still, there’s enough evidence right now from this past season to make coherent analyses on the group of players who should either challenge or cement a spot in one of the first two rounds of next year’s draft in Vancouver.

Although it’s still early, there already are several story lines pertaining to next year’s group that began percolating last season, beginning with American-born super center Jack Hughes, whose brother Quinn in about three weeks should be a top pick in this year’s draft. Hughes is both dynamic and explosive, and he clearly was the best offensive threat as he split the season between the U.S. National Team Development Program’s under-17 and under-18 squads. Most importantly, however, is that the young Orlando native became the first player since Auston Matthews in 2015 to lead the under-18 world championship in scoring before being draft eligible.

Hughes, however, wasn’t the only 2019 draft prospect that tore up the international circuit. Power forward Raphael Lavoie of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads scored five goals in five games for Team Canada, while Slovak Maxim Cajkovic and Finland’s Kappo Kakko joined Hughes as the three 2019 eligibles who cracked the tournament’s top five in scoring. But not every notable prospect for next year’s draft was on display at the under-18’s, as many teams were involved in their league postseasons and could not afford to release their top players to the national teams.

In terms of defensemen, the 2019 draft is loaded on the left side, beginning with WHL’er Bowen Byram of the Vancouver Giants. The Finns should return at least two defensemen to the draft’s first round in Anttoni Honka and Mikko Kokkonen, while the Americans have a quartet of quality blueliners who should play in the big international events in Drew Helleson, Cam York, Case McCarthy and Alex Vlasic.

Ranked Players (1-31)

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