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Jun. 26—GRAND FORKS — There are some NHL Drafts where the top few picks are easy to predict.
That is not the case this year.
The Herald has polled scouts throughout the season, and their opinions on the top players vary significantly. That's especially true for the top five defensemen, an area of particular interest to UND fans.
UND defenseman Keaton Verhoeff and incoming freshman defenseman Carson Carels are in that group.
Both will likely go in the top 10, making them among the highest-drafted UND players of all time. Right now, the top three are Jonathan Toews (No. 3, Chicago Blackhawks, 2006), Jake Sanderson (No. 5, Ottawa Senators, 2020) and Jason Herter (No. 8, Vancouver Canucks, 1989).
If
new commits Liam Ruck or Markus Ruck
go in the first round, UND could match or break a program record for first-round picks in a single draft. In 2005, UND had three first-rounders — Brian Lee (No. 9 Ottawa), T.J. Oshie (No. 24, St. Louis) and Joe Finley (No. 27, Washington).
Here is the Grand Forks Herald's first-round mock draft, compiled by using our own viewings and conversations with NHL personnel.
McKenna is an extremely smart player with incredible vision. He makes plays at a high pace and is going to be a big producer at the NHL level. The only question teams have is whether that production will carry over to the playoffs, when things get harder. But there's little doubt he's going to put up big points.
With the Sharks acquiring the No. 9 pick this week, they now have multiple options. The first is to use this pick on a forward, knowing one of the draft's top five defensemen will be waiting for them at No. 9. The second option is taking two defensemen to build their thin defensive corps.
There's a belief in scouting circles that Vancouver has zeroed in on Caleb Malhotra, but that just became significantly more complicated because the Canucks hired his father, Manny, as the team's head coach. If they don't want that dynamic, this is a potential landing spot for Verhoeff. If Verhoeff doesn't go here, New York or Winnipeg are possible fits.
Malhotra has become the consensus top center in this draft class. He had a terrific playoff run for Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League. He's extremely dangerous off the rush and projects as a 200-foot center.
Carels can do a little bit of everything — skate, pass, shoot, add offense and crush opponents with big hits. There's not much variation in opinion on Carels. He's going to go high in this draft.
Björck is just 5-foot-9, but he's so quick and dynamic that he will go high in the draft. Björck's brother, Wilson, plays at Colorado College, but Viggo opted to stay in Sweden and play professionally. He was excellent at the World Championships, which may have solidified him as a top-10 pick.
Reid has made a meteoric rise over the last two seasons, going from the Bismarck Bobcats in the North American Hockey League to a consensus top-10 pick.
The Winnipeg Jets seem likely to look toward a defenseman with their first pick. There will be plenty of options. The question is who will be available. Rudolph is an offense-producing defenseman who thrived in the Western Hockey League playoffs.
Šmits is as polished as any defenseman in the group. The Latvian played professionally in Germany's top league this season. He might not have the offensive upside as the other top defensemen, but he's got an NHL-ready game and some swagger to boot.
Lawrence joined Boston University at the start of the second semester. He struggled out of the gate. By the end of the season, he was one of the Terriers' best players, even if the point total never showed it.
The center from Sweden has incredible hands and hits everything that moves. Think T.J. Oshie. He has signed to play professionally in Sweden for the next two years.
Gustafsson, a 6-foot-4 defenseman from Sweden, was impressive at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, solidifying himself as a top pick.
Cullen has gone through some injuries the last couple of years, but it hasn't slowed him down at all. The son of three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen was the most dynamic player on the U.S. Under-18 Team this season.
Like Lawrence, Hemming joined college at semester time. It did not take Hemming long to get going. He looked the part of a big, NHL-bound power forward.
Belchetz is a big power forward who can score off the wing. The main concern with teams is whether he skates well enough to be a top-end NHL producer, but the package is intriguing.
At 5-foot-11, Lin doesn't have the typical size of an NHL defenseman, but his smarts and offensive instincts are special. He will join Rudolph on Denver's blue line this season.
The goal-scoring winger from Czechia led the Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes in goals (34) and points (65).
The Michigan State-bound winger led the Ontario Hockey League in scoring this season with 97 points in 67 games.
Suvanto, a 6-foot-3 Finnish World Junior player, has big potential down the line. He's strong, powerful and goes to the net.
The Sabres could use some help in the middle of their lineup. Morozov is a few years out but showed flashes early last season of how good he can be.
The Youngstown Phantom forward can play center or wing and is a 200-foot player. He would be a terrific fit with the Flyers organization.
The Texas product was dominant for Kamloops in the WHL this season. He's dynamic with the puck and has a natural goal-scoring ability.
The Boston Bruins have loaded up on draft picks from Boston College in recent years (Andre Gasseau, Oskar Jellvik, Kristian Kostadinski, Dean Letourneau, James Hagens and Will Moore since 2021). Why not one more? Mutryn is a 6-foot-3 center from the U.S. Under-18 Team. He's headed to Chestnut Hill this fall.
The 6-foot-7 forward is a longterm play — he's not going to Michigan State until 2027 — but the Canucks are in rebuild mode.
The two-way center averaged a point per game this season in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Cover grew up in the Cayman Islands playing roller hockey. He is now thriving in the OHL and has a ton of upside. He is scheduled to go to Penn State in 2027.
As stated earlier, the Sharks need help on defense. If they use the No. 9 pick to get Šmits, who is a big two-way defenseman, it could open the door for them to take a swing at a small, dynamic, offensive blue liner like Villeneuve, who plays a bit like the Hutson brothers.
Will a goaltender sneak into the first round? If so, Trejbal is an intriguing option. The 6-foot-4, right-handed catching goalie posted a .916 save percentage for Youngstown.
Di Iorio, who plays in the OHL, might not have big-time offensive upside, but he plays a hard, two-way game and gets to the inside with frequency.
The Ruck twins have told teams they want to play together. If NHL teams abide by their wishes, it will have to be a team with a lot of second-round picks. Enter the Calgary Flames, who have four picks in the second round, including Nos. 35 and 36.
The Carolina Hurricanes have a type. They like swinging for home runs on high-skilled players. Preston's skill level is high enough to justify a top-10 pick, but he also was inconsistent this season and sometimes struggled to get to the inside. If he rounds his game out, he'll be a steal.
Vanhanen has exceptional vision and playmaking ability. He's among the best passers in the draft. He should thrive at the NHL level.
Continue reading...
That is not the case this year.
The Herald has polled scouts throughout the season, and their opinions on the top players vary significantly. That's especially true for the top five defensemen, an area of particular interest to UND fans.
UND defenseman Keaton Verhoeff and incoming freshman defenseman Carson Carels are in that group.
Both will likely go in the top 10, making them among the highest-drafted UND players of all time. Right now, the top three are Jonathan Toews (No. 3, Chicago Blackhawks, 2006), Jake Sanderson (No. 5, Ottawa Senators, 2020) and Jason Herter (No. 8, Vancouver Canucks, 1989).
If
new commits Liam Ruck or Markus Ruck
go in the first round, UND could match or break a program record for first-round picks in a single draft. In 2005, UND had three first-rounders — Brian Lee (No. 9 Ottawa), T.J. Oshie (No. 24, St. Louis) and Joe Finley (No. 27, Washington).
Here is the Grand Forks Herald's first-round mock draft, compiled by using our own viewings and conversations with NHL personnel.
McKenna is an extremely smart player with incredible vision. He makes plays at a high pace and is going to be a big producer at the NHL level. The only question teams have is whether that production will carry over to the playoffs, when things get harder. But there's little doubt he's going to put up big points.
With the Sharks acquiring the No. 9 pick this week, they now have multiple options. The first is to use this pick on a forward, knowing one of the draft's top five defensemen will be waiting for them at No. 9. The second option is taking two defensemen to build their thin defensive corps.
There's a belief in scouting circles that Vancouver has zeroed in on Caleb Malhotra, but that just became significantly more complicated because the Canucks hired his father, Manny, as the team's head coach. If they don't want that dynamic, this is a potential landing spot for Verhoeff. If Verhoeff doesn't go here, New York or Winnipeg are possible fits.
Malhotra has become the consensus top center in this draft class. He had a terrific playoff run for Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League. He's extremely dangerous off the rush and projects as a 200-foot center.
Carels can do a little bit of everything — skate, pass, shoot, add offense and crush opponents with big hits. There's not much variation in opinion on Carels. He's going to go high in this draft.
Björck is just 5-foot-9, but he's so quick and dynamic that he will go high in the draft. Björck's brother, Wilson, plays at Colorado College, but Viggo opted to stay in Sweden and play professionally. He was excellent at the World Championships, which may have solidified him as a top-10 pick.
Reid has made a meteoric rise over the last two seasons, going from the Bismarck Bobcats in the North American Hockey League to a consensus top-10 pick.
The Winnipeg Jets seem likely to look toward a defenseman with their first pick. There will be plenty of options. The question is who will be available. Rudolph is an offense-producing defenseman who thrived in the Western Hockey League playoffs.
Šmits is as polished as any defenseman in the group. The Latvian played professionally in Germany's top league this season. He might not have the offensive upside as the other top defensemen, but he's got an NHL-ready game and some swagger to boot.
Lawrence joined Boston University at the start of the second semester. He struggled out of the gate. By the end of the season, he was one of the Terriers' best players, even if the point total never showed it.
The center from Sweden has incredible hands and hits everything that moves. Think T.J. Oshie. He has signed to play professionally in Sweden for the next two years.
Gustafsson, a 6-foot-4 defenseman from Sweden, was impressive at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, solidifying himself as a top pick.
Cullen has gone through some injuries the last couple of years, but it hasn't slowed him down at all. The son of three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen was the most dynamic player on the U.S. Under-18 Team this season.
Like Lawrence, Hemming joined college at semester time. It did not take Hemming long to get going. He looked the part of a big, NHL-bound power forward.
Belchetz is a big power forward who can score off the wing. The main concern with teams is whether he skates well enough to be a top-end NHL producer, but the package is intriguing.
At 5-foot-11, Lin doesn't have the typical size of an NHL defenseman, but his smarts and offensive instincts are special. He will join Rudolph on Denver's blue line this season.
The goal-scoring winger from Czechia led the Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes in goals (34) and points (65).
The Michigan State-bound winger led the Ontario Hockey League in scoring this season with 97 points in 67 games.
Suvanto, a 6-foot-3 Finnish World Junior player, has big potential down the line. He's strong, powerful and goes to the net.
The Sabres could use some help in the middle of their lineup. Morozov is a few years out but showed flashes early last season of how good he can be.
The Youngstown Phantom forward can play center or wing and is a 200-foot player. He would be a terrific fit with the Flyers organization.
The Texas product was dominant for Kamloops in the WHL this season. He's dynamic with the puck and has a natural goal-scoring ability.
The Boston Bruins have loaded up on draft picks from Boston College in recent years (Andre Gasseau, Oskar Jellvik, Kristian Kostadinski, Dean Letourneau, James Hagens and Will Moore since 2021). Why not one more? Mutryn is a 6-foot-3 center from the U.S. Under-18 Team. He's headed to Chestnut Hill this fall.
The 6-foot-7 forward is a longterm play — he's not going to Michigan State until 2027 — but the Canucks are in rebuild mode.
The two-way center averaged a point per game this season in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Cover grew up in the Cayman Islands playing roller hockey. He is now thriving in the OHL and has a ton of upside. He is scheduled to go to Penn State in 2027.
As stated earlier, the Sharks need help on defense. If they use the No. 9 pick to get Šmits, who is a big two-way defenseman, it could open the door for them to take a swing at a small, dynamic, offensive blue liner like Villeneuve, who plays a bit like the Hutson brothers.
Will a goaltender sneak into the first round? If so, Trejbal is an intriguing option. The 6-foot-4, right-handed catching goalie posted a .916 save percentage for Youngstown.
Di Iorio, who plays in the OHL, might not have big-time offensive upside, but he plays a hard, two-way game and gets to the inside with frequency.
The Ruck twins have told teams they want to play together. If NHL teams abide by their wishes, it will have to be a team with a lot of second-round picks. Enter the Calgary Flames, who have four picks in the second round, including Nos. 35 and 36.
The Carolina Hurricanes have a type. They like swinging for home runs on high-skilled players. Preston's skill level is high enough to justify a top-10 pick, but he also was inconsistent this season and sometimes struggled to get to the inside. If he rounds his game out, he'll be a steal.
Vanhanen has exceptional vision and playmaking ability. He's among the best passers in the draft. He should thrive at the NHL level.
Continue reading...
