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Wheeler: Ranking every team’s Day 2 at the 2019 NHL Draft
By Scott Wheeler Jun 22, 2019 39
It’s over. Years worth of work by hundreds of people concludes in 24 hours of name-calling and dreams fulfilled for more than 200 kids.
Here’s a comprehensive analysis of how all 31 teams did in Rounds 2-7 (it excludes the first round), including a team-by-team rating versus my ranking and evaluations of almost every player chosen.
As with my of the first round, I have broken down the ranking into relative tiers as best I can, while recognizing the fluidity of their trajectories and how early it still is in each of their developmental curves.
Winners: Teams I believe won out of their competition with sleuth selections throughout the draft.
Overtime winners: Teams I believe did well with their available picks, even if they might not have picked the exact players I would have.
Overtime losers: Teams I believe could have done better but might, in time, be happy with their picks regardless.
Losers: Teams I believe will regret taking the players they took.
The analysis will not evaluate any of the trades that occurred. Instead, it will focus strictly on the players and the ranges they were selected within.
For more context on my evaluation process for each of the players, see my guide to scouting and final top-100 ranking.
Winners
Carolina Hurricanes
Pyotr Kochetkov was always going to be defendable once the first round was over. He’s in the conversation as the second-best goalie prospect in the draft, played exceedingly well as an overage goalie in Russia, and earned his place as a second or third round option. Give him two or three years and he may take North America by storm (pun intended).
They followed the Kochetkov pick by taking Jamieson Rees at the exact slot I had him ranked on my board (No. 44), which is a nice combination of luck and coincidence. I like Rees. His puck handling skill is ridiculously high-end. Let him finish his junior career and go from there.
The Patrik Puistola pick at No. 73 was one of if not the value pick of Day 2 for me too. I love Puistola. He’s a top-six-or-bust talent but he could become a true star. Makes plays out of nothing like few players in this draft.
If the Puistola pick wasn’t enough, the Hurricanes taking Anttoni Honka 83rdstole my heart. It was as if they were drafting from my list. Honka’s great. The biggest risk-reward pick in the draft and that’s exactly what you want in the back half of the third round. He’s either going to fizzle out due to attitude and D-zone issues or be a dynamic offensive defenceman. Swing for the fences. He was No. 20 on my board.
I mean, Dom Fensore at No. 90 (No. 54 on my list)… The Canes killed it. Fensore is a boom or bust, 5-foot-7 defenceman who plays as strong in transition as almost any D in the class.
Hell, I even liked the Tuuka Tieksola pick at No. 121, the Kirill Slepets pick at No. 152, the Blake Murray pick at No. 183 (he was 77thon my board) and Massimo Rizzo at No. 216.
In six years of doing this, I have never been as impressed with a team’s performance at the draft as I am by Carolina’s this weekend.
Los Angeles Kings
Arthur Kaliyev at No. 33 could be remembered as one of the better picks on the weekend in a few years. He has some warts but the upside is huge and he’s got the second best release in the draft class. He was my best player available to kick off Day 2 and ranked at No. 13 on my final list.
To follow the Kaliyev pick up with Samuel Fagemo is an excellent haul, too. Fagemo probably slipped further than he should have because he’s an overager but he was excellent in the SHL last season and can really score.
Jordan Spence is a kid I recently highlighted as a potential sleeper, so I’m a huge fan of the value the Kings may get at No. 95. Last year was his first year in the QMJHL and he wowed me in a number of viewings with his pace and effectiveness. He’s on the smaller side but he’s going to dominate the Q next year and could become a really nice defenceman in time.
Those three picks alone are enough to make Day 2 a success for L.A.
Philadelphia Flyers
Bobby Brink has a chance to make a lot of NHL general managers look very silly and the Flyers very, very good (a lot like Cam York does). If he can pick up even half a step, he’s going to be a star. The Flyers killed it with their first two picks. They just did. Brink was my best player available at No. 34 and ranked at No. 14 on my final list.
Ronnie Attard’s another USHL kid with some risk but potential reward. He’s an overager whose skating hasn’t come as far as you’d hope but he was also the best offensive defenceman in a good junior league.
I don’t mind Egor Sedyuk in the front half of the sixth round either. I watched a lot of Victoriaville’s games this season and he showed some nice flashes of playmaking ability. If he gets stronger (he’s really thin for a kid who is 5-foot-11) he might have a shot. I suspect his underwhelming World Jr. A Challenge resulted in him falling to No. 165.
Bryce Brodzinski, who was the final player to crack my top 100, also has small odds at becoming a depth NHL player, which would be a win in the seventh round.
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas has drafted well since inception and has shown a willingness to go to the WHL fountain, so the Kaedan Korczak pick shouldn’t surprise anyone. And while I think he’s a late-second rather than an early second, he’s a smart, patient defender with lukewarm offensive upside and a mature game defensively.
The Pavel Dorofeyev pick is the kind of swing for the fences pick I always endorse. My best player available at No. 79, Dorofeyev has legit second-line upside and PP1 potential. I ranked him No. 15 because of his skill level but there are risks associated with his game, driven primarily by the fact that he can get caught playing on the perimeter a bit too often. The kid can make plays though and this pick has a chance to be one we look back on as a home run.
Ryder Donavan at No. 110 could prove valuable if the Golden Knights play the long game. I liked his tools a lot heading into the year and though he ultimately settled just outside my top 100 as an honourable mention after struggling in the USHL, the right role at the University of Wisconsin may result in a decent bottom-six centre.
The Golden Knights were smart throughout the draft, too. Marcus Kalionkielli really needs to work on his skating to merit where I ranked him (No. 76) but at 139thoverall that’s a risk worth taking on a big guy with talent.
Isaiah Saville is close to equal (or better) than some of the goalies taken in the first few rounds in my opinion as well.
Toronto Maple Leafs
A little birdy told me in the winter that if Nick Robertson was available in the second round that he would push hard to make that pick happen, even if he feared he might be gone in the first. So the Leafs got their guy. Fans are going to love Robertson. Like Semyon Der-Arguchintsev last year, he’s one of the youngest players in the draft. He doesn’t play like it though. Fast. Physical. Tenacious. Versatile.
The Leafs killed it with the Mikko Kokkonen pick. He’s beyond his years as a defender, more talented than people give him credit for offensively, and just darn smart with the puck (like Rasmus Sandin was a year ago). At No. 84, he was the best player available on my list (ranked 23rdin my final top 100).
If the Leafs picking my BPA with Kokkonen was a coincidence, then the fact that they did it again with Mikhail Abramov (my No. 53) at No. 115 is weird. He can really make plays as a passer, and one of the 10 players I wrote about as a sleeper ahead of the draft.
I struggled to get a real feel for Nick Abruzzese, who the Leafs took with the final pick of the fourth round. He led the USHL in scoring but he’s really tiny and he played alongside Robert Mastrosimone, who is really good. Plus he’s a double overager. Ultimately, he didn’t crack my final top 100. The talent is there though. I’m looking forward to watching him at Harvard in the fall.
If this draft were going to be an indicator of Kyle Dubas’ approach, there was one theme: They’re going to draft skill, size be damned. That was true once again with the Mike Koster pick at No. 146 (he was No. 84 on my board). He’s a little defenceman with a ton of untapped talent who will need three or four years at the University of Minnesota but has a chance to be dynamic once he figures things out against tougher competition. He terrorized the American high school hockey circuit before looking pedestrian in the USHL.
Kalle Loponen is interesting too, as a seventh rounder who can move the puck and play in transition defensively, but he’s definitely a long shot. I have no issues with any of the Leafs’ pick after being critical of their record in recent years.
Nick Robertson. (Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)
Overtime Winners
New York Rangers
I was really high on Matthew Roberston heading into the season (like late first round high) and then he never really took the big steps I was expecting out of a long defenceman with his skillset. There’s a TON to work with there though. A worthwhile project.
The Karl Henriksson pick at No. 58 fits that same mould too. He’s a little guy with loads of talent as a passer. If he can get a little stronger and learn to go to the net, he’ll be good.
I love Zachary Jones, too. He ranked No. 63 on my board and I debated having him several slots higher. He was a kid who I recently wrote about as a potential sleeper and I think that’s true at No. 68.
All told, I liked what the Rangers did on Day 2. The Leevi Aaltonen pick really jumped out at me in the fifth round. He ranked at No. 92 in my final ranking and I included him as one of my 10 sleepers of the draft for his fearlessness (he’s 5-foot-9 but he doesn’t play like it). That’s a great pick 130thoverall. A worthwhile swing on talent (as most swings on talent tend to be).
Edmonton Oilers
Raphael Lavoie was one of the best players available on my board with the Oilers’ second-round pick. He’s one of the older players in the draft (days away from being eligible in last year’s class) so that’s worth understanding when evaluating his exceptional playoff run with the Halifax Mooseheads. He’s huge and his talent has begun to play catch-up.
Ilya Konovalov is a twice overager but the Oilers needed depth in net and his numbers are eye-popping. He may be a real solution once he wraps things up in the KHL.
I didn’t love their last three picks, particularly Matej Blumel at No. 100 (he’s got decent skill but he’s an overager and nothing about him wows me, while a few others who were still available there do), but I’m not going to hold their feet to the fire for it.
Vancouver Canucks
Once Brink and Kaliyev were gone, Nils Hoglander was the second-highest player on my board (No. 18) when the Canucks plucked him 40thoverall. He’s got a real chance to be a middle six forward who can play with pace and challenge defenders offensively. Saw some real flashes of high-end skill with him in spurts this season.
And though I didn’t love their mass of selections in Rounds 6 and 7, Ethan Keppen (No. 94 on my board) and Carson Focht both have chances to become depth forwards at the NHL level, so I like the value they may get out of them at 122 and 133.
Arizona Coyotes
I was honestly pretty low on Matias Macelli early in the year, and questioned the ability of his skill to translate if he didn’t learn to play a little faster. But then I watched him more and more and he just kept producing, before finishing at No. 69 on my final ranking. He has middle-six upside and that could be real value at No. 98.
He wasn’t the only Coyotes pick I liked either. John Farinacci went exactly where I expected he would and has a chance to be a good player if the Coyotes can play the long game. And Anthony Romano and Valentin Nussbaumer were worthwhile gambles late in the draft.
Colorado Avalanche
After crushing it on Day 1, the Avs played it a little safer with their first pick of Day 2. Drew Helleson projects as a bottom pairing defenceman but he’s athletic and there are translatable tools beyond just his 6-foot-3 size.
Alex Beaucage, ranked No. 52 on my final ranking, could be a really nice player at 78th-overall. He played on an excellent team in Rouyn-Noranda and that inflated some of his numbers but he hasn’t yet turned 18 and he scored 44 goals in a combined 84 games between the regular season and the playoffs last year and he hasn’t even turned 18 yet, plus he already has an NHL frame.
The Avalanche were probably the team that didn’t blow me away with any of their picks that also somehow managed to pick really consistently well for where they were. Players like Sasha Mutala and Luka Burzan aren’t my favourite prospects in the world but I respect what they offer, even if they didn’t crack my list. Matthew Stienburg is probably the lone pick that left me scratching my head (it was just a couple of rounds early). I didn’t hate any of their picks though.
Pittsburgh Penguins
I was honestly surprised that Nathan Legare didn’t go much higher. He’s a wonderful kid, that would have come across in interviews, and he has pro size and skill, as well as one of the better shots in the draft. If he can get into a little better shape, he’ll be an excellent pick in hindsight.
Judd Caulfield, who was an honourable mention for my top 100, is one of the players I fear I may regret not ranking. It was hard for him to shine given the role he played with the NTDP this year. He’s a good pick at No. 145. Even if he grabs hold of it at the University of North Dakota he’s probably a depth player at the next level though.
I’m not going to sit here and knock two seventh-round lottery ticket picks. With what they have, the Penguins did well.
Calgary Flames
I have traditionally liked the Flames’ approach at the draft in recent years so I was waiting for them on Day 2 to take someone I really liked at No. 88 with their first pick then they plucked Ilya Nikolayev, who ranked 26 slots higher on my board. Nikolayev hasn’t quite put it all together but he’s also really young in the context of the draft (he hasn’t turned 18 yet) but the talent level is there and I have faith that he’ll figure it out. If he does, he’ll be good.
Mix in a swing on my second-ranked goaltender, Dustin Wolf, in the seventh round and I think the Flames’ scouting staff may have done a lot with a little.
St. Louis Blues
Nikita Alexandrov is one of my favourites. If you’ve read my draft coverage, you already know this. He finished at No. 32 on my board. He’s just darn good. Electric offensively sometimes, even. He was one of the only available players with true second-line upside.
If the Blues were intent on taking a goalie, Colten Ellis at No. 93 was a fine choice. He wasn’t my best goalie available but Ellis has played at a high level everywhere he has ever played and goalies are tough to project.
Keean Washkurak is intriguing, if nothing else, at 155. He can really wheel and he plays aggressively. It’s not hard to imagine him becoming a bottom-six guy. Alexandrov is the real get here though.
Tampa Bay Lightning
I didn’t love the Lightning taking Nolan Foote as high as they did on Friday but the Maxim Cajkovic pick at No. 89 (he was No. 26 on my board) has the chance to be really special. Cajkovic was criminally underrated by virtue of playing on one of the worst QMJHL teams in recent memory but he has high-end skill with the puck.
Hugo Alnefelt is a fine goalie prospect but he would have been a late-round guy for me. Mikhail Shalagin made the MHL look silly as a 19-year-old in ways that few ever have and he’s a giant while lacking strength so I can’t wait to see what he looks like if/when he adds some muscle.
I don’t think much of the other three but the Cajkovic pick was outstanding and that makes them half-winners for me.
Nils Hoglander. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Overtime Losers
San Jose Sharks
Artemi Kniazev was one of the better draft-eligible defencemen in the QMJHL this year and his game really rounded out in the second half. He’s not going to wow anyone with his skill level but he’s also not afraid to activate to make a play on net.
Dillon Hamaliuk is a bit of a wild card. He was No. 35 on my preliminary ranking before falling all the way to No. 80 on my final list due to a combination of major injury troubles and the fact that he’s one of the older players in the draft.
The decision to move up to grab the 108thpick and take Yegor Spiridonov in the fourth round was sneaky-smart. Spiridonov has excellent vision and length and he already looks like an NHLer in terms of the way he’s built, which propelled him to No. 56 on my board by the end of the year.
I was fine with all three of the Sharks picks that mattered and if moderate displeasure with a couple of six-round picks is my biggest complaint then I’m not going to call it a bad draft. They passed on some excellent players though.
Chicago Blackhawks
I recently warned against taking Alex Vlasic in the late first/early second when I wrote my analysis of 10 players worth potentially avoiding. That isn’t to say I don’t like Vlasic’s game. He’s big, he can keep up, he can penalty kill, and some of the other issues have begun to turn the corner. I just don’t think he’s going to be more than a third-pairing guy. His puck skills need some work.
I liked Michal Teply to the Blackhawks at No. 105 though. He’s got a ways to go to become a middle-six winger and I soured on his upside as the year progressed but he’s talented and ranked at No. 74 on my final board. Probably more of a bottom-six guy for me at this point but I think he has medium odds at becoming a decent NHLer.
Antti Saarela has mid-level skill and managed to stick in a good pro league before his 18th birthday.
The Blackhawks may end up with an NHLer from their five picks but there were some missed opportunities they may regret, I suspect.
New Jersey Devils
I debated Michael Vukojevic as an honourable mention on my final ranking, so I can’t really knock the Devis for going that route at No. 82, even if there were much higher-end guys available. My concern with Vukojevic is that people see the NHL size and physicality and tend to ignore that his talent level isn’t quite there, at least not offensively. He was good in the OHL this season in large part due to how much stronger he was than everyone else. Decent defender though.
While a lot of the Devils’ picks on Day 2 left me scratching my head, Patrick Moynihan in the sixth round is interesting. I ranked him as an honourable mention on my final list but after talking to his teammates at the combine about who on this year’s stacked NTDP team had flown most under the radar, they all said Moynihan. He could have been a by-product of the lack of opportunities he was given.
Nikola Pasic was my favourite Devils pick of the day – I wrote about him as one of my 10 sleepers. He’s uber-skilled, he just needs to learn to play less passively. That’s the kind of player you want to work with as a seventh-round pick though.
My problem with the Devil’s draft is one of volume and low upside decision-making. Graeme Clarke, Case McCarthy and Daniil Misyul don’t get me excited, even though the former was ranked at No. 96 and No. 97 on my board. They had a chance to make this draft one for the ages and I didn’t strongly dislike any of their picks but it just felt like a missed opportunity at a number of slots.
Like the Leafs’ underwhelming Auston Matthews draft, though, nobody will really care if it’s bad 10 years from now because of Mr. Hughes.
Detroit Red Wings
I don’t mind the Antti Tuomisto pick. The Red Wings probably could have got him at No. 54 or No. 60 so it was maybe a bit too high for my liking but he fits the mould they went with with Moritz Seider as a huge defender with some nice touch and ability who has some kinks to work out. Tuomisto was one of the better offensive threats in Finland’s top junior league last season.
If “don’t mind” was where I was at on Tuomisto, “very happy” would be where I would recommend Red Wings be at with Robert Mastrosimone at No. 54. He’s an exciting centre who can score and pass, or carry and get open. Love this pick.
Albert Johansson is a fine pick (he actually went exactly where I had him ranked, though there were several players I liked better at that slot) and may become a No. 4-5 D.
Honestly, I liked what the Red Wings did by going with Albin Grewe at No. 66 as well. When he puts his head down and drives the net, he’s a lot to handle. A bit of a linear player (he’s not going to break teams down laterally) but he projects fairly safely as a third-line forward.
It was the six picks after Grewe that pushed them into OTL territory instead of OTW territory.
Anaheim Ducks
Jackson Lacombe wouldn’t have been among the players I would have considered at No. 39 but it’s by no means a bad pick. He was an honourable mention on my final ranking and has No. 4-5 upside if he can put together some exciting raw tools with four years of experience against tougher competition. There’s some risk involved but he’s interesting.
If defence was the theme for the Ducks on Day 2, they did well to go after Henry Thrun as well. I’ve been admittedly higher on him than most all year long. He doesn’t have any one high-end skill but he does it all well and sometimes that’s enough. He was my BPA (ranked No. 38 on my final ranking) when the Ducks took him at 101.
I don’t think much of one of the other three kids they picked and if both of the aforementioned D who I like are third-pairing guys at the next level and only one makes it, then it’s a mediocre Day 2 outcome after a good Day 1.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild picked a lot of players where I shrugged my shoulders and said “I like him just fine there” without picking anyone where I said “That could be huge for them.” They might have deserved to be in the OTW category but here were are.
I like Vladislav Firstov a lot. He’s got skill, he can make plays, he was No. 48 on my board, he only just turned 18, and once he adds some physicality and a little more strength there could be borderline second-line upside to his game at the NHL level.
Of the top goalies available in this draft, Hunter Jones is one of the kids I’m not particularly high on. But he’s also a goalie and they’re extremely hard to pin down at this age.
The Adam Beckman pick in the third round is fine. I had him No. 83 on my final board. He’s more of a shooter than a passer and I’d like to see him use his linemates a little more but he can finish around the net and he has the strength to get there.
Marshall Warren fell further than I expected he would and may be a good third-pairing option in four years. Matvei Guskov has always had talent but I soured on him a ton this season before ultimately taking him out of my top 100 to make him an honourable mention.
Dallas Stars
The Stars only had three picks on Day 2 and I didn’t like the first two (I don’t think Samuel Sjolund and Nicholas Porco are legit NHL prospects, honestly) but I love the Ben Brinkman choice at No. 173. Brinkman ranked at No. 72 on my final list and was one of the best players available on my board for that pick. The long and short of it: He didn’t put up big points as a freshman defenceman at the University of Minnesota last season but he did everything for that team defensively, almost immediately. There are some tools that should eventually blossom with more confidence too.
Ottawa Senators
Shane Pinto has tons of talent. He’ll need some time but there’s middle-six upside there and he can hang onto the puck to make plays in transition with a variety of different types of linemates. The reward, if the Senators are willing to be patient, could be significant.
Mads Sogaard pick is good, too. If you’re going to take a goalie at No. 37, he’s one of the two I would have considered. His blend of size and control is truly unique. If he makes it, he’ll become the tallest goalie in the NHL when he does.
I didn’t like their final three picks though and Pinto and Sogaard went just a bit too high for me.
New York Islanders
I didn’t like where the Islanders took Samuel Bolduc (a decent defenceman with limited upside who finished 85th on my board but went 57th) to get things going on Day 2 but their next pick, which wasn’t until No. 147, was Reece Newkirk, a centre that I quite like (and who I ranked No. 70 on my final list). Newkirk’s not going to be more than a third-liner but I could see him having a big year in the WHL next season and surprising people.
In Cole Coskey and Felix Bibeau you’re looking at two overagers who are long shots to become NHLers but probably settle in as decent AHL depth.
Meh.
Nashville Predators
I like Egor Afansyev’s blend of size and skill a lot. Big men who can make plays still have huge value and he has all the tools to be a productive power forward at the next level. I’m looking forward to watching him in the OHL next season, where he has committed to play with the Windsor Spitfires. He could be a home run.
Alexander Campbell is one of the biggest projects in the draft. He wasn’t expected to get drafted at the beginning of the season and worked his way toward it by impressing scouts with his play alongside Alex Newhook in Victoria. He can really wheel but the rest will take some time and patience.
Marc Del Gaizo is one of the more intriguing overagers in the draft. He was excellent as a freshman at UMass last year so I understand the willingness to take him in the fourth round, even if he wasn’t my guy there and he’s a 5-foot-9 defenceman. He can really shoot it.
I didn’t like the four picks that followed and Campbell was too high, so that’s why they’re in the OTL group instead of the OTW group.
Washington Capitals
Brett Leason’s a good late-second round pick. He’s a great kid with unique size, excellent puck protection skills, and enough talent to maybe become a middle-six forward.
I don’t think much of Alexei Protas and Martin Hugo Has other than “he’s really big.” I don’t see NHL talent in either.
Artemi Kniazev. (Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
Losers
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres had four picks and one of them is a double overager putting up OK numbers in a sub-par European pro league (Lukas Rousek), another (Aaron Huglen) is a high school forward who got pushed around when I watched him in the USHL, one (Erik Portillo) is a standout Swedish goalie who has yet to make the jump to pro, and the other (Filip Cederqvist) is an overager who didn’t wow me in the SHL this season.
I love the Dylan Cozens pick though!
Florida Panthers
Vladislav Kolyachonok was one of the biggest risers on my board all season and ultimately landed as high as No. 43, so there’s value in him at No. 52. If he continues at his current rate of progression he may become a second-pairing guy. If he doesn’t, I’m confident he’s talented enough with and without the puck to settle in as a third-pairing guy.
I didn’t like a single of the seven picks that followed, though Owen Lindmark is semi-interesting at No. 137. The Panthers are the team that most often left me scratching my head.
Montreal Canadiens
After their home run with Caufield on Day 1, I didn’t love the Jayden Struble pick at No. 46. I considered him for the honourable mentions of my top 100 though. He’s got a ton of talent but it’s raw and it’s going to be a long time before the Canadiens know what they have there. The good news is that his August birthday allows them to wait. He’s young but there’s some upside there.
I did love the Rhett Pitlick selection at No. 131. Pitlick was my BPA at the time; I ranked him No. 58 and recently wrote about him as a potential faller who could have real value. He’s small but boy is he crafty.
Gianni Fairbrother is interesting but he’s on the older side and he plays too undisciplined. Rafael Harvey-Pinard is interesting but he’s also an overager and he played on a damn-good team in Rouyn-Noranda.
Considering the opportunity they had with nine picks on Day 2, I think there was a much better outcome than the one they walked away with.
Winnipeg Jets
Simon Lundmark’s a kid who I’m pretty low on relative to most. He’s a mature defender for his age, has an NHL frame, and doesn’t shy away defensively. But there were a lot of times this season where I came away from a viewing disappointed in his ability to make plays and keep tempo high.
Henri Nikkanen, ranked No. 93 on my board, is an interesting prospect whose talent level doesn’t quite match his on-ice production. He’s a fine pick in the fourth round though. I’ll be interested to see if he can earn some Liiga minutes next year or if he’s destined for another season of Jr. A. He’s a strong kid with decent skill.
Their two fifth-rounders are BCHL long shots who never really impressed me enough to merit consideration for my top 100. I recognize the Jets didn’t have many chances at it this year, so this ranking is predominantly driven by the fact that I’m low on Lundmark and that was an important pick at No. 51.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins only had one pick in Rounds 2-4 on Day 2 so this was always going to be hard but they didn’t take a single player on my board and Quinn Olson, who I semi-considered, was a bit high at No. 92 with players like Jordan Spence and Henry Thrun plucked in the picks that followed. They just made it to Game 7 of the Cup final so I doubt they’re super worried about the viability of their late-round picks as more than lottery balls that they found moderately interesting.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets drafted an old kid who was a depth player in second-tier pro hockey in Russia (Dmitri Voronkov), an old kid who is small and almost certainly doesn’t have the skill to overcome it (Tyler Angle), and a super talented defenceman who played four games last year (Eric Hjorth). I know I said I wouldn’t blame them for the number of picks they had but…
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