The 2019 NHL Entry Draft is just over two weeks away, and Nashville—pending any future moves—will pick six times (New Jersey holds their 2nd round pick). Before I get to potential selections for Nashville, I want to share my ranking of the top 93 players eligible for this draft. We’ll start with players 93 through 63, but first, I want to establish some parameters:
- This is by no means a mock draft. I find those often to be exercises in silliness as I am not inside the minds of team executives. This is a ranking of who I think will have the 93 best chances at a successful NHL career.
- I’ve been crafting this list all season long. There will certainly be disputes in how you and I view players, but almost all of these entries have been given after several viewings of each player.
- While there is no definitive numerical system to my ranking, I’ve based my choices off the following criteria: age, league, offensive production, team context, NHLeScores, and observation of strengths and weaknesses among other things./
With that said, I hope you dive into these rankings and are curious enough to do your own homework. I’ve started things below with number 93.
Players No. 93 through 63 – 2019 NHL Draft
| No. | Player | Team | League | Year | Pos. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93 | Pyotr Kochetkov | HK Ryaza | VHL | 1999 | G | Kochetkov put his name on the map at the WJC this year, and his lateral movements are good/ cover the crease well. |
| 92 | Marcus Kallionkieli | Sioux City Musketeers | USHL | 2001 | F | Kallionkieli is a good shooter who utilizes a half-slapshot and a snap shot well. A complimentary player not a leader. |
| 91 | Yaroslav Likhachyov | Gatineau Olympiques | QMJHL | 2001 | RW | I could see LIkhachyov going undrafted this year, but I anticipate a monster season in the QMJHL in 2019. He’s a smart player who passes well from any distance. |
| 90 | Ilya Altybarmakyan | SKA-Varyagi im. Morozova | MHL | 2000 | F | Altybarmakyan scores goals, scores them well and loves the offensive zone between the half-wall and the net. He’s a patient puck-carrier, too. |
| 89 | Adam Beckman | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 2001 | C | Beckman is a project pick of sorts, but he has excellent finish around the net and can work for pucks well with a good reach. |
| 88 | Kaedan Korczak | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 2001 | D | Korczak is a good shooter with good offensive instinct, but I don’t think he retrieves pucks well enough and controlled zone exits are off the table too often for him. |
| 87 | Harrison Blaisdell | Chilliwack Chiefs | BCHL | 2001 | C | Blaisdell really impressed me at the World Junior A Challenge this year, and his quick hands were on full display. He comes equipped with a deceptive shot, too. He’ll be at North Dakota next season. |
| 86 | Michael Vukojevic | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 2001 | D | Vukojevic uses the boards well in the neutral zone for clean passes to advance the puck but isn’t careless with possession. His offense is likely limited, but he skates okay. |
| 85 | Ronnie Attard | Tri-City Storm | USHL | 1999 | D | Attard is already 20 and going to the NCAA next season, but he dominated the USHL from the blueline this year. He’s unnecessarily physical at times but has a good shot. |
| 84 | Mikhail Abramov | Victoriaville Tigres | QMJHL | 2001 | F | Abramov plays to find open time and space and is a cerebral skater in that regard with a good wrist shot. |
| 83 | Henry Thrun | U.S. NTDP | USHL | 2001 | D | I’m not sold on Thrun who I think benifited well from playing on such an elite team. He’s a sound puck mover but his skating isn’t impressive. |
| 82 | Karl Henriksson | Frolunda HC J20 | SuperElit | 2001 | C | Henriksson uses a good snap shot to beat goalies and is good in the faceoff dot. Smaller player at 5’9″ |
| 81 | Samuel Bolduc | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | 2000 | D | You won’t see him move often from the point in the offensive zone, but his shots create rebounds and chaos better than most. Average skater with room to mature. |
| 80 | Jackson LaCombe | Shattuck St. Mary’s | USHS | 2001 | D | Solid defender with excellent closeness on gaps. More of a dump-and-chase player but can rush the puck, too. |
| 79 | Drew Helleson | U.S. NTDP | USHL | 2001 | D | Helleson is good with his stick and pivots well on his skates when defending below the goal line. His upper limit potential-wise is likely low though. |
| 78 | Aliaksei Protas | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 2001 | C | Protas is huge at 6’5″, and he has a hard wrist shot that he can keep low on goalies. His skating leaves more to be desired, but he has surprising awareness. |
| 77 | John Farinacci | Dexter School | USHS | 2001 | C | I don’t think the game Farinacci likes to play will translate well to the NHL, but he’s reliable with the puck despite below-average speed. |
| 76 | Mads Sogaard | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 2000 | G | Sogaard is huge at 6’7″ and maintains an aggressive stance. Technically he is okay but has room to grow (skills wise, probably not any taller). |
| 75 | Jordan Spence | Moncton Wildcats | QMJHL | 2001 | D | Spence excels in the space from the top of his own circles to the opposite blueline with smart decision-making and sound puck skills. A minutes eater at 17, too. |
| 74 | Vladislav Kolyachonok | Flint Firebirds | OHL | 2001 | D | Kolyachonok has a very solid base and positioning to be a good defender. He’s a decent skater, too. At times I saw him oddly positioned in the offensive zone, and I’m not certain how high his ceiling is. |
| 73 | Antti Tuomisto | Assat U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 2001 | D | Another reliable player with the puck who has shown skill at evading good puck protection positioning held by opposing forwards. His skating stride has an awkward kick-out. |
| 72 | Nikola Pasic | Linkoping HC J20 | SuperElit | 2000 | F | He won’t necessarily deke through defenders, but he can maintain control well when challenged. He has a quick shot but a choppy stride. Smart player all around. |
| 71 | Semyon Chistyakov | Tolpar Ufa | MHL | 2001 | D | Chistyakov is good for a reliable transition up to the blue line often; his pivots up ice with the puck were very impressive. But he doesn’t bring much else to the table besides a tendency to hit often. |
| 70 | Shane Pinto | Lincoln Stars | USHL | 2000 | F | Pinto is a player I’ve liked for some time and reminds me of Jachym Kondelik in a sense. He’s a patient player with his zone entries and isn’t overloaded with skill but has a good shot and a good nose for the puck. |
| 69 | Antti Saarela | Lukko U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 2001 | W | Saarela could round out to be a good depth option with his strengths being possession and maintaining a quick turnaround on shooting when a lane presents itself. |
| 68 | Artemi Knyazev | Chicoutimi Sagueneens | QMJHL | 2001 | D | Knyazev has a long, drawn-out skating stride and a good wrist shot. He showed a good ability to move the puck from the blueline to below the dots with possession. |
| 67 | Rhett Pitlick | Chaska High | USHS | 2001 | LW | Pitlick plays a remarkably similar game to his brother. Fast, good accelerator, and a quick shooter. He’s a project but the talent is there. |
| 66 | Zachary Jones | Tri-City Storm | USHL | 2000 | D | Jones reminds me a bit of the Devils’ Ty Smith. He is intelligent as could be with the puck and loves showing it off. He has a good understanding of cycles and how to exploit defenses in them. He’ll need to be less stagnant to make a good jump to the next level. |
| 65 | Daniil Gutik | Loko Yaroslavl | MHL | 2001 | LW | Gutik is a tall skater with an awkward, short stride. He’s got an excellent pair of hands but wasn’t consistent at forcing controlled zone entries this season. |
| 64 | Leevi Aaltonen | KalPa U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 2001 | LW | One thing I noticed about Aaltonen is his forechecking. He’s a good lateral mover and has a decent crossover He won’t drive a line, but he’s got excellent acceleration to be a weapon on one. |
| 63 | Tuukka Tieksola | Karpat U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 2001 | RW | Tieksola is a good skater who identifies passing lanes well. He isn’t overally elite at anything but has good awareness. Consistency at higher levels is a concern. |
Check back tomorrow for rankings 62 through 32.