The Devils and Rangers technically hold the first two picks of the 2019 NHL Draft, which begins Friday at 7 p.m. CT.
But the draft realistically may begin with the Blackhawks at No. 3. The Devils’ and Rangers’ selections are all but certain; the Hawks’ choice could vary among a sizable handful of possibilities.
The man chosen to headline the Hawks’ next generation will launch a domino effect of decisions that reverberate throughout the first round, lasting hours into the Vancouver night.
With three days left until teams announce their selections, we predict all 31 picks of the first round (with significant changes since our last mock in April):
1. Devils — C Jack Hughes, U.S. National Team Development Program. The best prospect to enter the NHL draft in three years, Hughes is a franchise-transforming player for the Devils, who also landed Nico Hischier first overall in 2017.
Hughes headlines what is potentially the United States’ best age group of hockey players ever.
2. Rangers — RW Kaapo Kakko, TPS (Finland). Kakko dominated the World Championships this spring, helping Finland win the gold medal, shortly after scoring 38 points in 45 games in the SHL. In both competitions, the 18-year-old star was facing professionals in the primes of their careers. He’s a slam-duck second overall choice.
3. BLACKHAWKS — C Alex Turcotte, U.S. National Team Development Program.
The fanbase is definitively leaning towards defenseman Bowen Byram, even though it’s really a 50-50 decision between Byram and Turcotte.
But forwards are more guaranteed bets at this stage, and Turcotte plays at the most valuable forward position — plus boasts a well-rounded skillset and insatiable tenacity that many liken to Jonathan Toews.
Sure, Byram might be able to play in the NHL immediately, while the University of Wisconsin-bound Turcotte is likely at least a year away. But the Hawks need to plan for their future.
4. Avalanche — C Trevor Zegras, U.S. National Team Development Program. Arguably the most electric player in the draft based on YouTube highlight reels alone, Zegras is a dazzling, creative playmaker who would fit perfectly in Colorado’s high-octane, offense-first system.
5. Kings — D Bowen Byram, Vancouver (WHL). The Kings are in a bad spot: they’re old, slow, and just finished with the second-worst record in the league.
But they have two first-rounders to start turning things around. Byram, the consensus top defenseman with an especial knack for moving the puck up the ice, falling to fifth would be a stroke of good fortune.
6. Red Wings — C Dylan Cozens, Lethbridge (WHL). Detroit has selected a player out of a Canadian junior league with each of its last five first-round picks. Cozens has received much attention for his journey from the Yukon Territory to a projected top-10 pick, but he’s more than just a good story: he combines great skating and speed with old-school size and build.
7. Sabres — RW Cole Caufield, U.S. National Team Development Program. Diminutive Cole Caufield, who was excited to measure in just above 5-foot-7 at the combine, could go anywhere from fifth to 15th Friday night. Buffalo has an affinity for smaller forwards, though, and Caufield brings elite skill and shooting ability.
8. Oilers — C Kirby Dach, Saskatoon (WHL). Edmonton is reportedly leaning towards a defenseman, but Dach dropping to eighth could be too juicy to pass up.
Dach is more of a project than the typical top-10 pick — his draft year scoring totals weren’t as gaudy as some — but he’s a 6-foot-4 power forward who does everything well.
9. Ducks — LW Matthew Boldy, U.S. National Team Development Program. Another organization struggling to adjust to the speed and dynamism of the modern NHL, the Ducks desperately need a playmaking winger like Boldy, who can both shoot and pass with the best of them.
10. Canucks — RW Vasili Podkolzin, SKA (Russia). Podkolzin’s stock has plummeted in recent months. We projected him going third to the Hawks in April; now, some mocks put him in the high teens.
But the host Canucks are just starting their rebuild, and can wait for the net-crashing Podkolzin to finish his two-year contract in Russia. He was clear in his dedication to a North American future at the combine.
11. Flyers — D Philip Broberg, AIK (Sweden). Broberg slipping outside the top 10 could push a number of other defensemen further down the board than expected.
Broberg is an athletic yet defensively responsible Swedish rearguard with high upside, but this is overall a forward-centric draft. Philadelphia, which has enjoyed five first-round selections the past three years and chosen attackers with all five, is one of the few exceptions.
12. Wild — RW Arthur Kaliyev, Hamilton (OHL). Kaliyev is an acquired taste: he’s an absolutely dominant OHL superstar, tallying 51 points and 102 points in 67 games, saddled with some doubts about his ability to translate that production to the professional game. Minnesota could be the team to take the gamble.
13. Panthers — G Spencer Knight, U.S. National Team Development Program. Goalies are rarely first-round selections, since even the best usually need four to six more years of development, but Knight is a special one. With Roberto Luongo now 40, James Reimer likely on his way out and no “A-grade” goalie prospect in the system, Florida is a perfect match.
14. Coyotes — C Peyton Krebs, Winnipeg (WHL). Thought mere weeks ago to be an outside candidate for even the Hawks’ pick, Krebs’ newly torn Achilles is enough to bump him far down this loaded draft class. When healthy, Krebs is a high-energy, play-driving center.
15. Canadiens — D Moritz Seider, Mannheim (Germany). It would be a splendid narrative if the Habs snagged Montreal native Raphael Lavoie, projected to go in this range. But in the NHL draft, narratives rarely work out. Seider could become only the third German ever to go top 15.
16. Avalanche — D Victor Soderstrom, Brynas (Sweden). With Zegras already in tow, the Avalanche might as well take a defenseman this time, and Soderstrom’s quick stick and impressive vision make him a good target.
17. Golden Knights — C Ryan Suzuki, Barrie (OHL). So maybe one narrative will work out — Ryan Suzuki’s brother Nick was the Knights’ 13th overall selection two years ago. The younger Suzuki is an elusive pass-first center.
18. Stars — RW Raphael Lavoie, Halifax (QMJHL). Lavoie is one of the riskier players in the draft — he needs to improve his consistency and put some more weight on his 6-foot-4 frame — but Dallas, which churns out internal talent at a very impressive rate, would be an ideal suitor.
19. Senators — C Philip Tomasino, Niagara (OHL). Rebuilding Ottawa needs more young centers in its system, particularly one who can complement Matthew Tkachuk for the next decade. Tomasino can skate, handle the puck and orchestrate an offense well, even if he’s not elite.
20. Jets — C Alex Newhook, Victoria (BCHL). Newhook is several years away from NHL competition — the BCHL isn’t at the same tier of Canadian junior hockey as the OHL, WHL and QMJHL — but he has terrific potential. After trading Jacob Trouba to the Rangers for this pick Monday, the Jets should go with the best player on the board.
21. Penguins — D Thomas Harley, Mississauga (OHL). The Pens haven’t made a single first-round pick since 2014, and haven’t picked a defenseman who has since appeared in an NHL game since 2012. They’ll hope Harley can break both trends.
22. Kings — LW Nils Hoglander, Rogle (Sweden). Newhook going to Winnipeg begins a section of the draft, stretching through the remainder of the first round, with a dearth of centers. Cam York is probably the best player available here, but L.A. can’t afford to not get one forward out of their two picks.
23. Islanders — D Cam York, U.S. National Team Development Program. The Islanders will happily lap up York instead. York projects as a second- rather than first-pair defenseman, but he has an exceptionally high floor for a 23rd overall choice.
24. Predators — LW Patrik Puistola, Taapara (Finland). Puistola is pushing up draft boards swiftly after a surprisingly great 2018-19 season in Finland. Nashville has exactly one good forward prospect right now (Eeli Tolvanen); they need more.
25. Capitals — RW Bobby Brink, Sioux City (USHL). At 5-foot-8, 163 pounds, Brink is naturally the poor man’s Cole Caufield in this draft. But talent-wise, Brink is certainly no poor man. He has soft hands, excellent hockey I.Q. and racks up points.
26. Flames — D Ville Heinola, Luukko (Finland). Calgary didn’t pick a single defenseman in all of last year’s draft, and only one in 2017. Alex Vlasic, the cousin of Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, has more name recognition, but Heinola is the better player.
27. Lightning — LW Nicholas Robertson, Peterborough (OHL). Robertson is the kind of forward that always becomes a star in Tampa Bay, even when other teams don’t bat an eye on draft day. He’s a deke and snipe machine is modeled after Brayden Point.
28. Hurricanes — LW Jakob Pelletier, Moncton (QMJHL). Much like Robertson in Tampa Bay, Pelletier’s intelligence, work ethic and net drive meshes perfectly with Carolina’s franchise identity. He’s small and not really fast or flashy, but nonetheless effective in all three zones.
29. Ducks — D Alex Vlasic, U.S. National Team Development Program. Anaheim makes it a pair of USNTDP products, adding Vlasic alongside Boldy to complete their first-round haul. Vlasic’s stock dropped some on the loaded American team this year, but this is a fair slot for him.
30. Bruins — LW Brayden Tracey, Moose Jaw (WHL). The Bruins have used their first selection in each of the past four drafts on defensemen. That changes with Tracey, who they’ll be lucky to land at 30th.
31. Sabres — D Lassi Thomson, Kelowna (WHL). Four-forward, one-defenseman power play units may be the rage right now, but when the Sabres trot out Thomson alongside Rasmus Dahlin in a couple years, no one will question it. Thomson is a pure offensive defenseman with a rocket shot.
Best of the Rest: RW Samuel Poulin, D Ryan Johnson, C Connor McMichael, D Tobias Bjornfot, C Jamieson Rees, LW Egor Afanasyev, LW Robert Mastrosimone, RW Nathan Legare
