PICK | TEAM
| TEAM NEEDS
| PLAYER
|
---|
152 | BUFFALO | T6C/T6LW/PPQB | LHD DEVANTE STEPHENS: Rock-solid positional defender who played a big top-4 role in Kelowna’s WHL championship season. His offensive upside is still a mystery but he does possess a highly-active stick and can play a physical game despite being listed under 180 pounds. |
153 | TAMPA via ARIZONA | T4D/2WC/T6F | C HAYDEN MCCOOL: Power forward who was traded from a bad personal situation in Niagara to a bad team in Windsor. The production comes in spurts but his disastrous tail end of the season (one goal in last 18 games) kills his prospects. Tampa can gamble on a player who can be dominant when he wants to be. |
154 | EDMONTON | G/T2D/T6C | RW RADOVAN BONDRA: Big-bodied defensive stalwart who was a top scorer in the Slovak junior circuit before reinventing himself into a shutdown checker. Has difficulty burying his chances but he’s got enough size and strength to wear you down in close quarters. |
155 | TORONTO | T3C/T4D/G | LW ALEXANDRE GOULET: Had a solid season in his second go-around as a draft eligible, this time playing on Charlottetown’s top line with Filip Chlapik and Daniel Sprong. Has a great shot and elusive enough to earn prime scoring opportunities, but also reliable to cover up for linemates’ mistakes. |
156 | CAROLINA | T6RW/T6LW/T2D | RW JIRI FRONK: Overage Czech sniper who placed eighth in the USHL in goals despite a late-season slump (four goals in last 22 games). His scoring prowess, NHL build, and maturity level make him an appealing option for Carolina. |
157 | NEW JERSEY | T3C/G/T3RW | C KAMERON KIELLY: Two-way force for Charlottetown who ended his season on a strong note on both the scoring sheet and in the dot. He’s one of the QMJHL’s best at faceoffs (close to 60%) and can play the wing as well. |
158 | PHILADELPHIA | T6LW/G/T4D | C GIORGIO ESTEPHAN: Lethbridge’s playmaking center who was invisible the first third of the season before exploding for 47 points (22 goals, 25 assists) in his last 33 games. Former fourth overall pick in the WHL draft but his tale of two seasons makes him a worthy boom-or-bust gamble. |
159 | COLUMBUS | T3LW/T2D/G | RW DEVEN SIDEROFF: One of the WHL’s top rookies, Sideroff produced a solid wire-to-wire campaign playing top-6 minutes on a slumping Kamloops squad. He can skate, shoot and sure knows how to get into scoring position. Scored three goals and tied for team lead with 19 shots in seven games for Team Canada at U18’s. |
160 | SAN JOSE | T6C/T4D/T6LW | LHD DMITRI YUDIN: Classic positional defender with a heavy shot who plays an identical game to former SKA rearguard Fedor Tyutin, who like Yudin was 6’2/185 around draft day in 2001 before filling in with added muscle. |
161 | COLORADO | T6RW/T6 LW/T4D | RW MATT LUFF: Hard to imagine one of Belleville’s better offensive options remained on bottom-6 duty for most of their lost season, but Luff did his part well enough to receive OHL Rookie of the Year consideration. His production increased by over 10 percent over the last month of the season. |
162 | FLORIDA | G/T3RW/T3LW | LW ALEXANDRE FORTIN: Fourth-line duty didn’t stop this talented winger from a fine rookie season in which he averaged close to a point per game the last month of the campaign. Fortin is a three-zoner who plays the game with intensity and can be a load to handle despite being an average size. |
163 | DALLAS | T4D/G/2WF | LHD ZIYAT PAIGIN: Towering 6’6 defender who had a solid rookie season in the KHL and an even more impressive showing at the WJC. Has all the tools to be a top defender in any league. You just have to stomach the brutal turnovers. |
164 | CHICAGO via LOS ANGELES | T6C/T6LW/T6RW | LW KARCH BACHMAN: A very good showing at the 2014 Hlinka and knocking it out of the park at the combine has given this Miami (Ohio)-bound winger a legit chance to get drafted. Playing for Culver Academy creates questions about how he’ll fare against real competition, but I guess it didn’t hurt Culver alum Ryan Suter.. |
165 | BOSTON | T6LW/T6C/T2D | C BRENT GATES: A leg Injury likely costs him a higher draft position, but the Green Bay Gambler (and future Minnesota Gopher) still produced well enough in his half season (27 points in 33 games) despite playing for one of the USHL’s worst offensive teams. |
166 | CALGARY | T4D/T6LW/T6RW | C LUKE PHILP: Went undrafted in 2014 but won’t get overlooked the second time around. Philp is an explosive offensive talent with consecutive Top-25 scoring seasons for Kootenay. |
167 | PITTSBURGH | T3LW/T3RW/G | RHD LOIK LEVEILLE: Bulldozer on the blue line who quarterbacked Cape Brenton’s power play, topping all QMJHL defensemen in shots (198) and placing second with 31 even-strength points. His positional defense is very good; defending the rush is a nightmare. Foot speed is a major deterrent, and a big reason why he doesn’t get picked where he could have. Highly-skilled with the puck, nonetheless. |
168 | WINNIPEG | G/T4D/2WC | RW MATHIEU JOSEPH: Steady climber who worked his way up from flanking Sam Dove-McFalls as a depth player to manning the wall on the Sea Dogs’ top power play unit. Not a very strong winger, Joseph needs to hit he gym so he can become even tougher to play against. |
169 | CAROLINA via WIN/OTT | T6RW/T6LW/T2D | C TIM McGAULEY: Hard to see the WHL’s top scorer at even strength (71 ES points in 72 gp) go this low, but he’s 19, not the greatest skater, and played for a powerhouse in Brandon. His playmaking ability is excellent, and his 42 goals shows he can be decisive and not look for the perfect play every shift. At 6’0/178, he has the size/upside for depth center consideration. |
170 | DETROIT | T2D/T6C/PMD | RHD GRANT GABRIELLE: Puck-moving blueliner who’s headed to Western Michigan in the fall. Gabrielle has you wanting more from his overall game, but he’s an accurate passer and good at avoiding trouble. Like most blueliners on the U.S. U-18 team, he had to acquiesce to the super-talented forwards for kick-starting the offense. |
171 | MINNESOTA | T3C/T6RW/T6LW | C JAKE JAREMKO: Super-skilled pivot who is headed to Mankato after he was named Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey. Looked a bit out of place in his 11-game stint in the USHL but he’s strong enough in all three zones to be considered a good prospect for his hometown Wild’s heavy-pressure system. |
172 | NEW YORK ISLANDERS | G/PMD/2WC | C MARCUS VELA: Power center who was added to New Hampshire’s long list of BCHL-trained skill forwards. Struggles with inconsistency, but at 6’1/200 and growing, he makes perfect sense for a team looking for size down the middle. |
173 | WASHINGTON | T6C/T6LW/T3RW | C ALEXANDER SHAROV: Defensive wizard with size is part of a strong group of Russian overagers who have been overlooked the last few drafts. Sharov had several positive double-take moments at the WJC, and his high-reward appeal as a two-way center ensures he gets drafted this go-around. |
174 | VANCOUVER | T2D/T3RW/T3C | LHD KEONI TEXEIRA: SoCal-born and trained top-4 defenseman for Portland who screams sleeper. Had a slight improvement statistically but took a huge leap in his defensive play. Considering he was logging big minutes down the stretch on a defense corps averaging close to 20 years old tells you how much potential he’s got. |
175 | NASHVILLE | T3C/T6LW/T6RW | RW HENRIK TORNQVIST: Speedy two-way winger who played on Linkopings’ fourth line most of the season but whose development is on a typical trajectory for a Swedish depth winger. He went undrafted last year as a late-96’er but his solid postseason likely earns him a selection. |
176 | ST. LOUIS | T6LW/T6RW/2WF | C CAMERON ASKEW: Several off-ice red flags and bouts of inconsistency prevent this previous blue chip prospect from becoming anything more than a shot in the dark. The talent and body type makes Askew appealing, but he’s turned his back on commitments to so many teams across so many leagues that you have to wonder the motivation behind suiting up every night. He had a solid season for Moncton, but the Boston-area center is really raw and needs a team to be both patient and delicate with the way he’s developed. |
177 | MONTREAL | T3C/T4D/G | LHD JASON BELL: Talented blueliner with size who suffered free fall in production after midseason trade from Cape Brenton to Saint John. Understandable to a degree since Chabot and Zboril shared the same blueline, so the Habs take a gamble he breaks out with more responsibility and less of a logjam. |
178 | ANAHEIM | T6C/2WF/G | C ADAM GAUDETTE: A fearless center who can play the wing, the future Northeastern Husky dominated the Massachussets prep school circuit while at Thayer but took a lesser role at Cedar Rapids. Gaudette can make plays at either high speeds or during chest-to-chest combat. |
179 | NEW YORK RANGERS | T4D/T6LW/T6RW | RW LUKAS JASEK: One of the many talented draft-eligible Czech forwards who for whatever reason are only consistent at being inconsistent. Once considered an “A” prospect by CSB (likely from a strong ’14 Hlinka), Jasek vanished at the U18’s and did not display his powerful shot, underrated vision and strong skating as he had in Czech League play. He’s a BPA type who could be a hidden gem if he ever strings together half a season of effort and desire to become a better player. |
180 | TAMPA BAY | T4D/2WC/T6F | RHD SERGEI ZBOROVSKIY: Highly-regarded Russian stay-at-home type who had a solid season defending for Regina but won’t provide much on the offensive side of the house. He’s got some filling in to do, but at 6’4 he offers the kind of reach and shot-altering ability suitable for a team lacking in that regard. |
181 | CHICAGO | T6C/T6LW/T6RW | C CAMERON HUGHES: Edmontonian who was one of the NCAA’s top recruits but saw his stock drop after he went rather unoticed during Wisconsin’s nightmarish season. An exceptional playmaker with top-end speed, you have to expect the rebuilding Badgers to continue feeding him with big minutes. The Hawks draft him now to avoid an expected bidding war if/when Hughes goes undrafted after what should be a stellar collegiate career. |