Red Wings - Alexis Lafreniere

This time last year if anyone mentioned Laf going 2nd overall people would have lost their shit. At this point in time it's not out of the question. I believe Dan does go with the safe bet here, unless he wants to stick it to Steph.

Devils - Tim Stuetzle

Impressed this year and proved to be the most NHL ready prospect of the bunch. I do believe both Laf and Byfield even the score next season. Tim does have a hard decision here as I do believe you could slot Byfield here as well and no one would bat an eye.

Kraken - Quinton Byfield

Rex lucks out and gets the last of the tier 1 players in the draft. Byfield will dominate soon and has every opportunity to do so in a major market such as LA. The top three are filthy this year.

Panthers - Jamie Drysdale

While Ty does miss out on the tier 1 players, he does get the best defensemen in the draft by a fair margin. Drysdale is in a tier of his own and should be an outstanding #1 defensemen in the near future.

Penguins - Cole Perfetti

Perfetti is here because Toby made his decisions clear. He has nothing to worry about as I don't believe Ty selects him at #4. Perfetti wouldn't be my personal choice here, but it's not a reach by any means. He's a solid player worthy of a top 5 pick.

Sabres - Lucas Raymond

This is where things get a bit interesting. There are a few players on my radar that could land at #6 and neither of them would be a bad pick in my eyes. Raymond does stand out a bit as he seems to be the clear front runner offensively then the other guys I had in mind. Regardless, Raymond should be a top 5 pick and Jared gets a great player here who tops the 'Tier 2' of players for me.

Flames - Anton Lundell

Lundell should be able to step in next season and provide the Panthers with some much needed two way play in the top 6. He has one of the best to learn from in Sasha Barkov so there is no denying Lundell will be one of the perennial Selke nominees throughout his career. I could see Jared going this route as well. I do not believe Lundell slides out of the top 7.


Canucks - Yaroslav Askarov

We all know goalies tend to take some time to develop which is why they are rarely taken this high anymore. With that said, Rob has the luxury of waiting on Askarov since the Canucks no doubt will be taking their place at the bottom of the standings yet again. Askarov is a no doubt future starting goaltender.

Rangers - Marco Rossi

Both mocks up to this point have Rossi dropping to Al at #10, but I believe the Rangers go with a forward here as opposed to defensemen. Rossi in my opinion is the best forward left on the board and perhaps the most skilled in the whole draft. His COVID season is a bit worrisome, but he's a top tier athlete. He will recover.

Wild - Jake Sanderson

Al shakes things up here and grabs the next best defensemen on the board. Sanderson should be a mainstay in the top 4 throughout his career. While he will never match the offensive output of Jamie Drysdale, he is a safe bet to play a ton of minutes for the Sens. If there is anything to nitpick about, he may never be that PP Quarterback that you'd hope out of a defensemen taken this high.

Lightning - Jack Quinn

All three mocks to this point have Holtz going to #11. I could see myself taking Holtz at this position. With that said, I prefer the upside of Jack Quinn. Despite the Sabres turning some heads with his selection, Quinn has proved the naysayers wrong. Undersized shoot first goal scorers are here to stay in the NHL.

Penguins - Alexander Holtz

Holtz drops a bit in the draft, mainly because he didn't seperate himself from his D1 season in the SHL. It may end up being a toss up between Holtz/Quinn at these two spots and I don't feel there is a wrong decision. Holtz should be a great goal scorer in the NHL despite being the early faller of the 2020 draft.

Penguins - Rodion Amirov

Another potential homer pick, but Amirov has lived up to the expectations when the Leafs took him 15th overall. He has shown to be responsible defensively while being able to provide some offense. His 13 pts in the KHL this year were solid for a player his age, and his WJC performance was a success as well.

Panthers - Seth Jarvis

Jarvis looked real impressive this year in the AHL where he put up 7 goals in only 9 games for the Chicago Wolves. A bit of a late bloomer, Jarvis has potential to be the steal of the first round. Ty should be thrilled if he falls here.

Predators - Dylan Holloway

The Oilers made a solid pick when they selected Holloway at #14. His WJC showing wasn't great, but he dominated the NCAA this season and showed flashes of brilliance on both ends of the ice as well as physically. He is one of those safe bet players who you can't go wrong with in this range. He has a great motor with top six potential.

Blues - Lukas Reichel

I don't know why, but Reichel seems to be an Eric type of pick. I will be honest and say I haven't watched him much at all this season as the DEL ain't my thing, but Eric has taken picks in the past of players that were off my radar and proven to be good. With that said, Reichel ends up here for that reason.

Capitals - Braden Schneider

Homer pick maybe, but I'm sure Larry would like to add another defensemen to his prospect list. Schneider is the next best defensemen available so it makes perfect sense that he falls into Larry's lap. He won't ever be an offensive catalyst at the NHL level but will be a smart two way dependable defensemen.

Blues - Tyson Foerster

Maybe my first reach of the draft. I will admit I may like Foerster more then most, but I almost look at him in the same vein that I do Seth Jarvis. It would not surprise me to see Eric reach even more and take him at #16. The guy can flat out score and to me looks like a big game player.

Penguins - Dawson Mercer

Hard to believe Mercer drops a spot from his NHL draft position in a year where he did nothing wrong. A solid performer at the WJC, as well as a beast in the Q, Mercer could be a player that lands anywhere from #15-#20 on this list. Worst case scenario, he doesn't get by Toby at #19 and it becomes a great pick.

Oilers - Connor Zary

Would Leon ever draft a rival prospect?. I'm not quite sure and could be way off on this pick. Regardless, another Canadian WJC player, Zary showed a solid defensive game in the World Juniors and followed it up with an impressive AHL showing of 7 points in 9 games. A solid player that isn't crazy good at any one thing, but isn't bad at anything either.

Sharks - Yegor Chinakov

Sumit is a wild card here, no idea what goes through his mind. I will take my best guess and say he selects Yegor Chinakov here simply because he has 'China' in his name and that should bring him luck on his NIO stocks.

Jets - Kaiden Guhle

I believe Doc goes with the best remaining defensemen on the board and selects the big, bruising defensemen. Guhle may never show any offensive promise at the next level, but should be a main-stay on the Habs blue line in the future receiving some valuable PK time.

Red Wings - Jacob Perreault

With Dan's second pick he goes with a high upside player in Perreault. Another great goal scorer, Perreault could become one of the best scorers from the bottom of this 1st round, and is a true testament to how deep this draft really is. His 17 points in 27 AHL games for the San Diego Gulls was impressive and increases his draft stock a bit.

Predators - Hendrix Lapierre

Another swing for the fence type of player. Lapierre is a player with a ton of upside. Injuries have plagued him a bit, but if he gets healthy he could be an offensive catalyst for the Washington Capitals in the near future, perhaps replacing Ovie on the Power Play.

Blackhawks - Mavrik Bourque

We are seeing a bit of a trend here, more flashy offensive players who are only seperated from the top of the draft by their "Hit and Miss" probability. I do see players such as Perreault, Lapierre and Bourque being amoungst the leaders of this draft if things work out for them. Unfortunately they aren't sure-fire things making them a bit risky. A lot of upside here as displayed by his small sample size of 5 points in 6 AHL games.

Flames - Justin Barron

Kevin changes things up and goes with a solid all around defensemen in Justin Barron. A safe pick in my mind, Barron played well at the World Juniors this year and looked solid in his brief stint with the Colorad Eagles in the AHL posting 4 points in 7 games.

Panthers - Roby Jarventie

I bet Ty hopes one of Perreault, Lapierre or Bourque drop to him, but if not he goes with Roby Jarventie, a solid power forward who is the first NHL 2nd round pick to make it to the BRHL 1st round. Jarventie had a very good first year in Liiga and followed it up with a modest 3 points in 4 AHL games for Belleville. The Senators had a hell of a 2020 draft and Jarventie is a big part of that.

Golden Knights - J.J. Peterka

Another NHL 2nd round pick sneaks his way into round 1. I didn't get to watch too much of Peterka this year, but his WJC showing was nothing short of impressive and his DEL numbers 'look' good. I believe Joe takes a bit of a chance here and possibly unearth's himself a gem.

Flyers - Ridly Greig

Ran out of time. Very feisty.

Islanders - Jake Neighbours

Ran out of time. Good forecheck.

Lightning - Thomas Bordeleau

Ran out of time. Much upside.