2016 NHL mock draft - the lottery teams

With the conclusion of the NHL Draft Lottery last weekend, the Colorado Avalanche are locked into the 10th draft pick. Just like year, we start our peak into this year’s draft by doing a quick mock draft of just the lottery selections. Stay tuned here at BSNDenver.com for much, much more on the NHL Draft as we begin our prospect profiles, more mock drafts, and lots more! For now, our first shot at the top 14!

1. Toronto Maple Leafs – Auston Matthews, Zurich Lions (NLA)

Cole says: Trading established 30 goal scorers? Sacrificing the captain to Ottawa? Buying up every career ending injury and bad contract in the NHL? That’s what this was all for right? The Toronto Maple Leafs tanked harder than any other team in the NHL and Auston Matthews is the fruit of that labor. He’s the complete package at center, and one that Lou Lamoriello will happily work to build the franchise around. Now about that goaltending….

2. Winnipeg Jets – Patrik Laine, RW, Tappara (Liiga)

AJ says: He’s a superstar waiting to happen. He averaged over six shots per game in a league where offense is historically scarce and has been said to be the best Finnish prospect since Teemu Selanne. He’s going to be a potentially transformative star for the Jets and next to Nikolaj Ehlers or Mark Scheifele, Laine represents the kind of good fortune in the draft lottery that makes it such an exciting experience.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets – Jesse Puljujarvi, RW, Karpat (Liiga)

Cole says: Through the second half, this draft really turned into a two horse race, but don’t blame Jesse Puljujarvi for that, the Finnish winger is a clear cut above everyone remaining in this draft. Puljujarvi was absolutely dominant at the World Junior Championship and the Blue Jacket’s Finnish general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen will be ecstatic to inject some young talent into a forward corps that hasn’t been able to establish their identity as a group.

4. Edmonton Oilers – Jakob Chychrun, D, Sarnia (OHL)

AJ says: For once, Edmonton lost a draft lottery that might actually allow it to do something other than get out of its own way and get better. Instead of drafting another forward to sign to a long-term contract and eventually put up on the auction block, the Oilers draft the top defenseman available. They take the versatile and highly skilled Chychrun and hope he eventually pairs with Darnell Nurse to form the foundation of the blueline they haven’t had since Chris Pronger’s wife decided Edmonton was hell on earth.

5. Vancouver Canucks – Pierre-Luc Dubois, LW, Cape Breton (QMJHL)

Cole says: Without the usual glut of centers available on the top end, this is a tough year for the Vancouver Canucks to get their shot near the top of the draft. Not too big a concern though since they should be back here again next season. In the meantime, Dubois’s ability to play both wing and center makes him an especially attractive piece for a team that needs to rebuild most of its forward corps in the near future.

6. Calgary Flames – Matthew Tkachuk, RW, London Knights (OHL)

AJ says: The toughest pick of the draft so far, the Flames keep building out their forward corps with the selection of Tkachuk. The pesky, but skilled, forward with NHL bloodlines might have fallen in the eyes of some because of his number of secondary assists this season but he’s still a premium talent and the Flames snatch him up to bring some sandpaper to a lineup that already features plenty of skill up front.

7. Arizona Coyotes – Olli Juolevi, D, London (OHL)

Cole says: With no GM in place yet it’s difficult to predict what type of player the Arizona Coyotes will like in this position. Given that challenge I’m taking the next highest player on my draft board in Olli Juolevi. Juolevi drew a lot of attention for his explosive offense with team Finland at WJC, but make no mistake he’s a the kind of well-rounded defenseman that Arizona needs to compliment Oliver Ekman-Larsson moving forward.

8. Buffalo Sabres – Alexander Nylander, RW, Mississauga (OHL)

AJ says: There was a temptation to bolster the defensive depth here with Sergachev but Nylander was the best player left on my board and he’s too dynamic of a talent to pass up here. An explosive offensive player, he should combine with Eichel, O’Reilly, Kane, and Reinhart to create a potential offensive juggernaut down the road.

9. Montreal Canadiens – Logan Brown, C, Windsor (OHL)

Cole says: The toughest pick so far, which is always the nature of this section of the draft. After Noah Juulsen’s down post-draft year there has to be a real temptation to take Mikhail Sergachev in this position, but center remains the largest point of need in the Montreal organization. The team that’s been criticized for their size for years picks an enormous 6’6” center in Logan Brown in hopes that he and Alex Galchenyuk can give the team a strong 1-2 punch up the middle.

10. Colorado Avalanche – Clayton Keller, C, NDTP U18

AJ says: In the first mock draft of the season, I’m picking who I want Colorado to take, not who I think they actually will. A high-level offensive talent at the pivot, the Avalanche could certainly use another quality center in a pipeline sorely lacking in them. Keller would certainly go against the Avalanche grain because he’s under six foot and doesn’t play in the QMJHL but he’s a high-effort player whose play style would seem counter-intuitive to his size but he maximizes every ounce of his significant talent. He could be the steal of the draft when.

11. New Jersey Devils – Tyson Jost, C, Penticton (BCHL)

Cole says: The New Jersey Devils have been plenty willing to reach into the rosters of High Schools and the USHL in recent years, so while some teams might shy away from Tyson Jost’s BCHL success, New Jersey will take their chances in hopes of landing the creative explosive forward that their team needs so desperately.

12. Ottawa Senators – Julien Gauthier, RW, Val-d’Or (QMJHL)

AJ says: Ottawa has a decent prospect at basically every position but no real depth to speak of so I just snag who I think is the best player left on the board. Gauthier is a big-bodied winger with skill who put up 40 goals this season. Why is he still here? Because he had 16 whole assists. Seriously. His drop down the draft boards could see him slide out of the top 10 but his draft day stock will be among the most interesting to keep track of.

13. Carolina Hurricanes – Michael McLeod, C, Mississauga (OHL)

Cole says: The Eric Staal era is over in Carolina and with a nice crop of young defenseman showing extremely well it doesn’t make sense for the Hurricanes to take Sergachev. That leaves Michael McLeod as the best forward on the board. There are some concerns about how well McLeod’s offense will translate at the next level, but he’s already a high-end skater and that makes him a good fit for what’s becoming an extremely mobile Hurricanes roster.

14. Boston Bruins – Mikhail Sergachev, D, Windsor (OHL)

AJ says: When dumb NHL GMs hand you a top-10 pick at 14th overall, you shut up and take it. Knowing Don Sweeney is making this selection, though, who knows what could honestly happen here. I should probably scour the top of the second round for the real pick but right now I’m showing Sweeney how it’s done so I’m taking the hulking Russian blueliner from the OHL. He’s the best player on the board by a wide margin and instead of finding reasons to screw this up, I’m turning the card in and calling it a day.