Round 1

11^th overall – Dylan Cozens – Calgary Flames

I had Cozens higher on my list, so naturally I have to give Kevin credit here as he was able to snag him away. I had Cozens ranked 7^th, ahead of Podkolzin, Newhook, Knight and Seider who all went before him.

17^th overall – Matthew Boldy – Vancouver Canucks

Boldy and Tomasino were my targets at #20, so it’s a shame they went #17 and #18. I was very high on Boldy coming into the draft so I really like this pick. To add insult to injury, Rob and I discussed moving #17 for #23, in hind sight, I should have taken it.

18^th overall – Philip Tomasino – Chicago Blackhawks

As mentioned above, I really thought Tomasino would fall into my lap at #20. He doesn’t have that flair to his game that GMs love, instead he’s a solid two way player with tons of speed. He’s a typical Nashville player, and should fit into their lineup nicely. I can see Nashville being really patient with him so this may not be a pick that pays dividends right away.

22^nd overall – Arthur Kaliyev – Chicago Blackhawks

Given this was the range I was selecting, I went hard on my draft list this year. I wanted to walk away in the first round with both Kaliyev and Robertson but that did not happen. The Kings won the 2019 draft in the NHL, and a big part of it were their two 2^nd round picks in Kaliyev and Fagemo. I can see him landing a spot next season with the Kings, who will really need his goal scoring ability.

Round 2

#34 – Samuel Fagemo – Seattle Stoners

Love this pick for Rex, or Bryce, whoever made it. I loved the Kings draft in the NHL and Fagemo was very impressive at the WJC. His SHL numbers actually dropped a bit this year but I am not concerned about it. Fagemo could be a few years away from the NHL, but should be a solid contributer to the Kings offense.

#38 – Adam Beckman – Tampa Bay Lightning

Hate to toot my own horn, but this was my favorite pick of mine in the draft. I moved up to make it, despite the fact that Beckman was a 3^rd rounder. Even though I only moved up 8 spots, I had a feeling he wasn’t going to make it to 46. Beckman, in my opinion, had one of the most impressive D+1 seasons in the entire draft relative to where he was taken. He was a first round talent on my draft list.

#46 – Matias Maccelli – Philadelphia Flyers

It looks as if Anthony was dead-set on taking Maccelli, so decided to move down in order to do it. Smart move. I had Maccelli ranked 38^th on my list so I do like this pick. Like Beckman above, Maccelli had one of the more impressive D+1 seasons relative to where he was taken in the 4^th round. He has a good opportunity playing on the Coyotes. My only concern with Maccelli is he started so hot out of the gate for Ilves and slowed down as the season progressed.

#63 – Hugo Alnefelt – Washington Capitals

Interestingly enough, this was my pick that I traded to Larry for #67. At this point of the draft, I wanted a goalie and still saw my main targets (Alnefelt, Kotchekov, Parik and Konovalov) still available. Alnefelt would have been my pick, but figured with 4 solid goalies, 5 if you include Wolf still available, I would roll the dice on a defensemen instead. Larry ended up taking Alnefelt, who I feel will be one of the better goalies in this draft.

Round 3

#65 – Vladislav Kolyachonok – Calgary Flames

As mentioned above, I needed a defensemen and it was between Kolyachonok and Thrun. With Kevin taking the former, it made my decision easier. I really like what the NHL Panthers did in this draft with their picks of Kolyachonok and Ludvig. Kevin has a future great two way, minute eating defensemen here. Whether it’s playing on a terrible Belarus team, or bad Flint Firebirds team, Kolyachonok has always got the short end of the stick and it should make him a better player because of it.

#74 – Pyotr Kotchekov – Montreal Canadiens

Kotchekov was one of the goalies I targeted to draft this season. I figured with three third round picks, it would be a good opportunity to draft one. Unfortunately, all my targets where gone before pick #88 came around. I don’t believe we’ve seen this many goalies drafted in the third round before, but I like the value Steve got out of Kotchekov here who will be supplanting Nedelkovic as the teams #1 goaltending prospect.

#75 – Dmitri Voronkov – Colorado Avalanche

Everyone talked about Bryce grabbing Broberg (who I’m not a fan of by the way), but it was Voronkov who was the most impressive faller. Voronkov did not look out of place in his KHL stint this passed season. He is a big body with a decent offensive game. While he won’t ever set the world on fire, he looks to be a safe pick as a future NHL’r in a middle six role. Good value in the third round.

#82 – Tyce Thompson – Washington Capitals

What a great D+1 season for Thompson who went from 25 points in 42 games to 44 points in 34 games with Providence College. Like Maccelli, Thompson greatly benefited from a hot start and cooled down a little towards the end of the college season. His offense not only improved, but his defensive game rounded out as well. Given that this is a New Jersey pick, he’s almost sure to get every chance to be a future NHL regular.