Colorado Avalanche: 2018 NHL Mock Draft of the First Round

Picks 6 Through 10

The Detroit Red Wings need help on both defense and with wingers. This is a draft class for both those types of players. If the order goes as directed above, Deroit could land right wing Oliver Wahlstrom. The beefy teen scored a ridiculous 47 goals last season. He’s known for being dangerous with the puck and a wicked competitor. If opponents have a weakness, he’ll exploit it.

The Vancouver Canucks need a set of twins to replace the Sedins, but that’s not happening. And if the Senators take Quinn Hughes, they can’t even draft into that family. They need some two-way defense, and Noah Dobson could be that guy. He’s reliable and consistent while being a good skater.

The Chicago Blackhawks are going to want a player who can make an impact sooner rather than later, considering they have a couple of aging superstars. They’re not going to want to wait three years or so. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is a two-way center with good hockey IQ whose stock has risen lately.

The New York Rangers are truly going to draft the best player available, and at this point, that player would be Adam Boqvist. The Swedish teen is the new style defenseman — speedy puck mover. And he’s got fantastic puck-moving skills, and he can play some defense.

The Edmonton Oilers aren’t going to want to be responsible and draft for need, but let’s pretend they’ll overcome their impulse to reach for the shiniest player left on the draft board. Evan Bouchard is a good-sized defenseman who plays an all-around, physical game.

Picks 11 Through 15

The New York Islanders may need to look at moving on without the face of their franchise, captain and leading scorer John Tavares. He looks suspiciously like he might want to test free agency. Center Joe Veleno is in now ways going to replace Tavares, but he would be the best forward still available in this draft scenario.

Whether the Islanders think they’re keeping Tavares or not, they’re going to want to keep bolstering their forward depth. Though Barrett Hayton is the next highest-rated forward, I think the Islanders might go for flash — the player I wanted for the Colorado Avalanche, Vitali Kravtsov. He’s the third-rated skater after Dahlin and Svechnikov among Europeans.

Note: This pick is from a trade the Islanders made with the Calgary Flames.

If Barrett Hayton is still available when the Dallas Stars take the podium, I think they’re going to snap him up as best available. They’ve got their top line set with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn with a side of Alex Radulov. All those are flashy scorers. I think they’d like the complement of a crafty, responsible player like Hayton.

The Philadelphia Flyers have always favored a big, bruising style of hockey. I don’t think they’re going to be able to resist a winger who’s 6-foot-5, 205 pounds as a 17-year-old. Noel also has the power forward tendencies to back up his size.

*Note: This pick is from a trade the Islanders made with St. Louis.

The Florida Panthers just acquired a winger — rumor-laden Mike Hoffman — from Ottawa by way of San Jose. No telling if they’ll keep him or keep playing hot potato. That said, they’ll still need some wing help. Denisenko is a talented, skilled winger who can eventually augment their forward corps.

Picks 16 Through 20

I went back and forth between winger Joel Farabee and defenseman Ty Lewis because they’re essentially the same player in different positions. They’re both small, speedy puck movers with elite stick skills who think the game fast — right up the Colorado Avalanche’s alley, in other words. The deciding factor for me was that the Avs need more help on offensive depth than defensive depth.

The New Jersey Devils stole our first-overall pick and our defenseman (Will Butcher, though we got Alexander Kerfoot, and that’s better). I hope the Avs steal whatever player they wanted — ie. Farabee. But Smith is a good consolation prize.

By this point in the draft, teams might start picking more heavily based on need since the talent/skill level starts leveling out. Martin Kaut is a skilled but responsible playmaker with elite scoring abilities. The Jackets are stacked on defense — they’d like to get some offense generated.

The Flyers may have already chosen their big-boy forward. Now they might like a big-boy defenseman. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Miller is the Dustin Byfuglien of the 2018 NHL Draft — big, mean, has played both forward and defense. He’s right up the Flyers’ alley.

Right wing Dominik Bokk is another sleeper — he’s quietly crept up the draft rankings. He’s from Germany but has transferred over to the Swedish league. There, he has shown himself to be a highly talented winger with quick hands. He’s big enough to be a King — 6-foot-1 — but could add that electricity to their style.

Picks 21 Through 25

The San Jose Sharks, who were the middlemen, just turned Mikkel Boedker (and a prospect/draft pick) into a defensive prospect and four draft picks via the Mike Hoffman trade. They might pull off a little magic again if they draft center Akil Thomas at the #21 spot. The speedy stick handling wiz would be a good complement to San Jose’s aging core.

I don’t know that Ottawa has used the r-word yet (rebuild), but they’re a team that needs to bolster all aspects of their game. Rasmus Sandin is a gifted, two-way player who shows well in all three zones. He’s certainly not going to replace Erik Karlsson, if the team goes in that direction, but he can help soften the blow.

Note: This pick is from a trade the Senators made with Pittsburgh.

The Anaheim Ducks might be looking to turn over a new leaf from the big, heavy style they’ve been playing for years. But if the big, aggressive Finnish winger, Rasmus Kupari, is still available at #23, I think they’re going to snap him up. He’s a creative speedster who’s aggressive on the forecheck — he’d be a good complement to the team.

GM Paul Fenton and the rest of the Minnesota Wild are out enjoying happy hour and miss making their pick completely, thus forfeiting their first rounder.

Failing that ideal situation, I think Bode Wilde is just… weird enough for them. Born in Quebec, but enjoys dual citizenship. Plays in the USNTDP. Committed then de-committed to the University of Michigan. Plus, he’s an exciting defenseman who can take over when Ryan Suter’s contract finally expires in 20 years.

Also, you know, his last name is Wilde, so playing for the Wild would be funny… Finally, a countable Wilde!

Isac Lundestrom is a smart center who plays smart hockey. This year’s draft isn’t great for centers, But Lundestrom is one of the better options. He’s very versatile in all forward positions and on both special teams situations. Toronto would like such a building block in their system.

Picks 25 Through 31

Defenseman Jett Woo appears to be a sleeper pick. He was plagued with injuries last season, so he didn’t get to show as much of his potential in his draft year. He looks to play a skilled, all-around game. With the Rangers in rebuild mode, they’d like a piece like this for their foundation.

Note: This pick is from a trade the Rangers made with Boston.

The Chicago Blackhawks will have already picked up Kotkaniemi in this draft scenario, but I think they’ll still be looking for scoring help. Ty Dellandrea played on a bad team last season, but he’s an electric player who plays a responsible two-way game.

Note: This pick is from a trade the Blackhawks made with Nashville.

The Rangers have an impressive three picks in the first round. With this one, I think they’ll go for some size to shore up their defense. Described as a “very large man child who is still growing,” Samuelsson could be a pretty versatile depth defenseman in the future.

Note: This pick is from a trade the Rangers made with Tampa Bay.

The St. Louis Blues may need some scoring help moving forward, and they’r going to want someone to contribute sooner rather than later. McLeod plays the aggressive, gritty style St. Louis favors. He’s also a good skaters and strong on the faceoffs, which they lost when they traded Paul Stastny.

Note: This pick is from the trade the Blues made with Winnipeg.

Offensive defenseman Jared McIsaac is projected to go a little higher than #30. But if the draft plays out that he’s still available at #30, the Wings are sure to pick him up. He’s a good skater who, for being an offensive defenseman, plays well in his own end.

Note: This pick is from a trade the Wings made with Vegas.

I’m not saying the Capitals favor big Russians, but they certainly have no reason to dis-favor them. Alexeyev has the power skating and aggressive stick skills typical of Russian players. What’s more, he’s played the last two seasons in the WHL, so he’s already used to the North American game.

Next: 3 Winger Choices

That concludes the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft, in mock form anyway. The real draft takes place June 22 at 5:30 PM MT in Dallas.