Fan In Van

Draft Countdown: Post Your Mock!

The NHL Entry Draft will begin on Friday at 4PM on TSN. And it seems evident that the only sure thing is that the Tampa Bay Lightning will keep the first overall selection and use it to draft Steven Stamkos. But after that, it’s a complete mystery. Will Los Angeles select Drew Doughty or Zach Bogosian? How low will Kyle Beach go? Which goalie will be selected first? I’m handing out my mock draft. If you’re up to the challenge, post your top 30 in the comments section!

There are three key things to keep in mind when creating a mock draft. Smart experts do the following:

1. Analyze the top 60 prospects available. Check TSN.ca and Bob McKenzie’s rankings for this source.
2. Analyzing team needs. For example, the Vancouver Canucks are in no business to select a goaltender with Corey Schneider in the fold, but desperately need help at centre.
3. Analyze player statistics. I’m not saying strictly the numbers alone, but where a player is from and where he has played can be factors. Example: Kyle Beach was born in Kelowna and would like to play in Vancouver, Minnesota-born defenceman Aaron Ness has been linked to the Wild, and Joe Colborne played in the Alberta league and could head to Calgary.

Good luck! The person with the most correct predictions will place first!

1. Tampa Bay Lightning - Steven Stamkos (C)
2. Los Angeles Kings - Drew Doughty (D)
3. Atlanta Thrashers - Zach Bogosian (D)
4. St Louis Blues - Luke Schenn (D)
5. NY Islanders - Alex Pietrangelo (D)
6. Columbus Blue Jackets - Tyler Myers (D)
7. Toronto Maple Leafs - Nikita Filatov (LW)
8. Phoenix Coyotes - Colin Wilson (C)
9. Nashville Predators - Mikkel Boedker (LW)
10. Vancouver Canucks - Kyle Beach (C)
11. Chicago Blackhawks - Michael Del Zotto (D)
12. Anaheim Ducks (Edmonton) - Cody Hodgson (C)
13. Buffalo Sabres - Colten Teubert (D)
14. Carolina Hurricanes - Zach Boychuk (C)
15. Nashville Predators - Tyler Cuma (D)
16. Boston Bruins - Joshua Bailey (C)
17. Calgary Flames - Joe Colborne (C)
18. Ottawa Senators - Jordan Eberle (C)
19. Columbus Blue Jackets (Colorado) - Mattias Tedenby (LW)
20. NY Rangers - Luca Sbisa (D)
21. New Jersey Devils - Colby Robak (D)
22. Edmonton Oilers (Anaheim) - Daultan Leveille (C)
23. Washington Capitals - Zac Dalpe (RW)
24. Minnesota Wild - Aaron Ness (D)
25. Montreal Canadiens - Mikhail Stefanovich (C)
26. Buffalo Sabres (SJ) - Chet Pickard (G)
27. Philadelphia Flyers - John Carlson (D)
28. Los Angeles Kings (Dallas) - Erik Karlsson (D)
29. Atlanta Thrashers (Pittsburgh) - Jake Gardiner (D)
30. Detroit Red Wings - Anton Gustafsson (C)