DNVR NHL Mock Draft: Final Edition

Here’s our final swing at a mock draft for the 2020 NHL Draft. It’s the same mock we did on this week’s Free Skate Friday but not in video form!

If you want to watch it all unfold and us explain our picks, here’s the YouTube link.

Otherwise, he’s our final mock draft for the 2020 draft class.

1. NY Rangers (Rudo) – Alexis Lafreniere, F, QMJHL

The easiest pick of the draft. The star forward has been dominating the Q for the last couple years and will easily transition immediately into the Rangers lineup. He should have a significantly better rookie season than Kappo Kakko did.

2. Los Angeles  (AJ) – Quinton Byfield, F, OHL

A 6’5″ center who skates like the wind and is very offensively gifted? What’s the problem here? Byfield’s incredible combination of size and speed is truly once-in-a-generation but but its his use of that size that holds him back. If he was more assertive with his size, he would probably be the first player taken and compared to Eric Lindros or Peter Forsberg. He doesn’t play with that tenacity, however, so his ceiling is a little lower. If he ever fully merges his body type with an aggressive mindset, he could be the most dominant player in the league. No way I was passing up that chance for the Kings.

3. Ottawa (from SJS) [Dario] – Tim Stutzle, F, Germany

Stutzle is an electric skater and wizard with the puck on his stick. He’s an outrageous playmaker with a great shot and profiles very similarly to Patrick Kane except he’s a little bigger. He could just as easily go to LA and nobody would blame them for making that decision. He’s an electric talent with a chance to be one of the league’s dazzling playmakers.

4. Detroit (Rudo) – Lucas Raymond, F, Sweden

Raymond and Detroit seems like a natural marriage. The Red Wings love their Swedes and Raymond is viewed as a very good two-way player with a high offensive ceiling. He’s the kind of high-IQ player who will be a perfect fit alongside Dylan Larkin as the Red Wings look to rebuild the offensive punch on their NHL squad.

5. Ottawa (Dario) – Yaroslav Askarov, G, Russia

The first shocker of the draft. Dario went all-in on Askarov because of Ottawa’s unique position to have two picks in the top five. With Thomas Chabot proving himself plenty capable of 1D duties and having just drafted Stutzle to be their 1C, they roll the dice with Askarov at five and get the best goaltender to enter the draft since Carey Price. Askarov is already playing very well in the KHL as a teenager and has the entire package teams look for in a goaltender. He could be an All-Star for many years to come.

6. Anaheim (Rudo) – Jake Sanderson, D, United States

Rudo began rebuilding the depleted D corps of the Ducks with Sanderson, the swift-skating defender from the USNTDP. While Sanderson’s offensive upside has been a consistent question mark, there’s strong belief that even if he doesn’t turn into a high-end point producer that he’ll be a very good defender in the NHL. The Ducks have traded a bunch of good young defenders over the years and it’s time they begin to invest at the position once again.

7. New Jersey (AJ) – Cole Perfetti, F, OHL

I wanted a defenseman here for New Jersey and Drysdale is on the board but Perfetti could be a special offensive talent. He’s a dynamic player with a great shot, great vision, and very high offensive ceiling. This wasn’t my plan at the pick but I rolled with the punches and Perfetti was too good to pass up. He can slot in on wing next to either Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes as the Devils start to build the kind of offensive juggernaut they haven’t had since their early 2000’s Staney Cup days.

8. Buffalo (AJ) – Jamie Drysdale, D, OHL

Drysdale could go second to the Kings (which I considered) but ultimately ends up falling here as teams just go in different directions. Buffalo finally has something go well for them in this area of the draft as they take Drysdale and hope to eventually pair him on the right side next to Rasmus Dahlin. If that pans out, the Sabres could finally start to make serious moves back towards the postseason. For real this time. Maybe.

9. Minnesota (Rudo) – Marco Rossi, F, OHL

From a Central Division perspective, this is a nightmare for everyone else. The Wild have been looking for impact centers for seemingly their entire existence and with the only good one they’ve ever had (Mikko Koivu) finally moving on and having already traded Eric Staal to Buffalo, they are restarting at the position from the ground up. Rossi’s ultra mature two-way game is a great fit here and he could low-key threaten the make the NHL right away with his style of game. He’s very small, though, and that played a role in him getting to the ninth pick.

10. Winnipeg (AJ) – Hendrix Lapierre, F, QMJHL

I have to get this one right or my better half will have harsh language waiting for me. Instead of getting another high-scoring winger like Holtz or Quinn, I decided to take the home run swing for the Jets. They’re desperate for a quality 2C and Lapierre was a potential frontline talent before an injury-plagued season seemed to dampen the excitement around him. Concussions scared a lot of folks away but when it was learned that his injury was more of a neck problem than a concussion problem, it changed the conversation dramatically. I have no consequences as the fake GM so I went big and bold with this selection.

11. Nashville (Rudo) – Kaiden Guhle, D, WHL

Rudo loves Guhle and even though he admits this is a bit of a reach, he saw the Predators’ farm system as desperately in need of an infusion of talent on the back end. He’s right and Guhle is a safe projection to make the NHL as a good skater with great size and solid all-around ability. His upside may not be special but he should be a fast-riser in Nashville’s system who begins paying dividends in the NHL sooner than later.

12. Florida (Dario) – Braden Schneider, D, WHL

Another team with a desperate need for defensive help, the Panthers eschew taking yet another forward and reach on the defense here. Schneider is a big, physical presence who can bring the thunder to a defense and may have a little offensive punch in the NHL, though he certainly won’t get PP1 time like he did on a weak Brandon team this past year. Dario saw a need for defense and addressed it with the best defender remaining.

13. Carolina (from TOR)  [Rudo] – Alexander Holtz, F, Sweden

This was “get out of my way” time for Rudo as he sprinted to the stage to select Holtz on behalf of the Hurricanes. With other teams filling needs, the Hurricanes play it smart and don’t get too cute on draft day. They take a player who many believe could go in the top eight picks because of his elite shot and ability to find the soft spots in the zone to score. He is a goal-scoring fiend and if he pans out, the Hurricanes are going to be a holy terror with Holtz and Svechnikov on the wings.

14. Edmonton (Dario) – Jack Quinn, F, OHL

Dario follows suit with Edmonton getting a draft-day dream with 50-goal scorer Jack Quinn. Quinn is an excellent two-way player who just pumped in goals in the OHL this year and is a perfect fit when trying to find help for Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. If he ends up on a line with those two, I look forward to Canadian media voting him number three for the Hart Trophy in a few years behind his two linemates.

15. Toronto (from PIT) [Dario] – Anton Lundell, F, Finland

In one of my favorite picks of our entire mock draft, Dario takes a perfect fit for the Maple Leafs. Toronto doesn’t need Lundell to be a star and any team selecting him to be in their top six might be setting themselves up for disappointment. He has heavy feet and questionable offensive upside but he’s been very successful at a very young age in Finland’s top pro league. That success has been very translatable in recent years for other young Finns. Toronto can afford to let him do the dirty work as a high-end 3C with Selke potential.

16. Montreal (AJ) – Seth Jarvis, F, WHL

I won’t toot my own horn too much but I love this fit. Jarvis is a dynamic playmaker who just makes things happen for the Winterhawks. He’s an electric offensive talent who just kept rising as the year went on. My only concern is his size and it being another very small player for the Canadiens, who selected 5’7″ Cole Caufield in the first round last year.

17. Chicago (Dario) – Dawson Mercer, F, QMJHL

Dario might have this draft thing mastered. Once again, he just takes the best player on the board and doesn’t worry about anything else. The highly-motivated Mercer plays with an edge on every single shift and despite being a touch on the small side he is a gifted offensive player. He should find a home next to Kirby Dach eventually to create a very physical combination.

18. New Jersey (from ARI) [AJ] – Rodion Amirov, F, Russia

Amirov moved around a bit in Russia’s different leagues but one thing stayed consistent: Amirov is an electric playmaker and a wizard with the puck. How that translates to the smaller ice in North America, we’ll see, but this is a roll of the dice on his upside. He can combine with Perfetti to remake New Jersey’s top six entirely and take it to the next level.

19. Calgary (Rudo) – Jacob Perreault, F, OHL

Rudo’s reasoning here is simple: The Flames need to do something big. Taking a chance on Perreault’s upside, which is that of a 30-goal scorer in the NHL, is certainly big. Perreault is a high-risk, high-reward player. The Flames badly need the high reward.

20. New Jersey (from VAN via TBL) [AJ] – Justin Barron, D, QMJHL

With three picks in the top 20, I played it smart and took the forwards who fell to me. At 20, I’m throwing the safe playbook out the window and taking a chance on a defenseman who could be a big-time player if he lives up to his potential. Blood clotting issues have caused a lot of questions but the talent is certainly there.

21. Columbus (Dario) – Dylan Holloway, F, NCAA

Dario just takes the falling player again here with Holloway. At one time seen as a potential high-end forward, that ceiling came under question after he looked just downright mediocre in his freshman year at Wisconsin. He has all the tools and he plays with the right attitude, he simply struggles to produce results. If it all comes together, Columbus gets a freight train of a player.

22. NY Rangers (from CAR) [Rudo] – Lukas Reichel, F, Germany

Rudo just going out of my way to hurt me here as he knows I love Reichel. The Rangers are kind of an odd fit as they have a ton of wing talent already and just added Lafreniere to go along with Kakko, Chris Kreider, and Artemi Panarin. Reichel has some physical maturing to do and will take a little time but he plays an incredibly smart game at a high pace. The Rangers are officially jacked at forward with this pick.

23. Philadelphia (Dario) – Mavrik Bourque, F, QMJHL

Bourque is an undersized but slick playmaker. His skating isn’t amazing but he’s a smart player who plays at his own pace and controls the game when he’s out there. Philadelphia just gets another good forward here.

24. Washington (AJ) – Connor Zary, F, WHL

I was more tempted by some of the high-ceiling forwards hanging around but went with the ultra tryhard in Zary. His polished two-way game and playmaking ability should see him drafted maybe even higher than this come draft day but the Caps would be celebrating to add him to their prospect pipeline to go along with last year’s top pick, Connor McMichael.

25. Colorado (Dario) – J.J. Peterka, F, Germany

Dario makes the wise decision and brings Peterka’s mature game to Colorado. A good shot and a strong physical game are hallmarks of Peterka’s effectiveness. He’s more physically mature than Reichel and could theoretically head to the AHL right away if the Avs wanted but exploring CHL options would be a more prudent move in my opinion. Peterka would be a great fit and a similar type of pick as Martin Kaut – safe but a great fit.

26. St. Louis (Dario) – William Wallinder, D, Sweden

Wallinder is a lanky defender with great feet. His hockey IQ has come under fire but the Blues have basically nothing on the back end right now and literally anyone will improve their prospect depth at this point.

27. Anaheim (from BOS) [Rudo] – Noel Gunler, F, Sweden

A classic Ducks pick. Rudo takes the chance on one of the draft’s biggest boom-or-bust prospects in Gunler. His skills say he’s a top 15 player while his effort and commitment to the game say he might not even be worth taking in the top rounds. The Ducks don’t shy away from guys with attitude questions and have excelled at developing this archetype of player. A great fit.

28. Ottawa (from NYI) [Dario] – Brendan Brisson, C, United States

Brisson, the son of power agent Pat, is an intriguing talent. He reminds me a lot of Tyson Jost but with a much better shot, especially his one-timer. A smart player who has a consistent approach to the game, Brisson’s biggest deficiency is his skating, which needs some real work. His size is a problem today but after two years in college (he’s headed to Michigan) he should be filled out enough to handle the pro game. Ottawa finishes the first round with a high-end center, goaltender, and a quality forward prospect who projects to play somewhere in the top nine. A good day for the Sens in this mock draft.

29. Vegas (AJ) – Murat Khusnutdinov, F, Russia

He’s an electric talent and I think is getting overlooked because getting quality looks at guys in Russia’s various leagues was a lot harder this year. Video viewings are great and all but there’s a huge emphasis on live viewings and I think that’s a reason this kid is even still here. He’s an electric offensive talent and while he’s a little on the small side, most of these players are right now.

30. Dallas (Rudo) – Jake Neighbours, F, WHL

A perfect stylistic fit right here. Neighbours is a big, bruising forward who plays a heavy game and could slot quickly into the Stars’ aging lineup. While his offensive upside is a major question mark as the raw skill appears pretty limited, the rest of his game projects very easily to the NHL as a physical presence in a team’s bottom six.

31. San Jose (from TBL) [AJ] – Luke Evangelista, F, OHL

With the last pick of the round, I wanted to get a little spicy with the Sharks and went with Evangelista. Given a ton of responsibility in London, he’s a complete player who I keep hearing a lot of late-first round buzz on. I like the playmaking and the creativity he brings to the game as well as a commitment to playing in his own zone. The Sharks just need talent. He’s a good start.