The man-child with excellent vision has continued his unprecedented run as a 17-year-old in Finland’s top league, where he has his team on the cusp of the semifinal. With that in mind, here are my latest draft ranking predictions. Since last season, I’ve always been impressed by Ristolainen. Even with a new lottery that expands the number of teams with the potential to select first overall, the NHL basement is still your starting reference point. Lehkonen knows when to move and where to be for scoring opportunities. Skating is elite with the left winger, who is still ironing out his defensive responsibilities. Not a subscriber? Nurse is a player you love to have on your team, and one you hate to play against. His first pass is excellent and he seems to find the open man more often than not. Nevertheless, the kid has great hockey sense and uses his big frame to protect the puck with authority. Previous Entry Draft Next Entry Draft. It was six months ago to the day that my Top 90 midseason rankings came out. He went from being a probable Top 30 pick to a surefire Top 15 pick. He’s already developed physically and mentally, but he can dominate with his moves and his creativity. He reminds me of a John LeClair.Adam Erne [photo: David Chan], The first and only goalie in the Top 30, Fucale will likely be the best goalie drafted this season. Jones can also play the shutdown game and his size makes him a load to handle. The draft order is based off of points percentage as of April 19th Profile pages have been updated with stats, with most having written notes. The top three prospects remain the same and all of them are off to a quick start this season. He’s got the size, poise, awareness, positioning, and great instincts you’d want from a defenseman of his caliber. A phenomenal wrist shot and super quick release has left goalies stone cold in the crease. For someone like me, who follows prospects during their most important year, articles like this always tend to be my favorite to write. While many are labeled “soft”, Nichushkin is quite the opposite. While he’s still very raw, he does have a great deal of potential moving forward. [Photo: David Chan], Despite his team losing in the Memorial Cup Final to his friend, Nathan MacKinnon, Jones continues to leave scouts in awe of the mixture of size and skill. Plano, TX, 3-Oct-94 He’s a tall, yet lanky defenseman who is considered an offensive-defenseman. He’s an adept skater and has a cannon of a shot from the point.Nikita Zadorov [David Chan], Another riser up my list was Frederik Gauthier. He clears the area around the net and uses his long reach for pokechecking. He’s a player I’ve admired and always liked to watch. The archives of THW contain over 30 000 posts on all things hockey. He drives the net frequently and has a very powerful release. I had him ranked 55th in my midseason rankings, but he’s shot up the list with a strong performance this year for Djurgårdens and in the U18’s. With a quick shot and fast release, Gauthier can flourish in the NHL offensively, but his defensive skills are something he prides himself on also.Frederik Gauthier (Rimouski Oceanic), The best puck-moving defenseman in the draft, Pulock is a very talented defenseman who isn’t afraid to take chances. Mock Draft - 1st round - updated on Apr. In fact, he’s the best shutdown defensemen in this year’s draft crop. Shinkaruk thinks the game at a very high speed, which helps since that is precisely what his game is built around. 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