Anaheim Ducks: Final Ranking of Top 15 2019 NHL Draft Prospects #9-1
The NHL Entry Draft is one of the most exciting times for NHL hockey fans, it’s one of the only events of the year where every team has a chance to get better despite how their last season ended. That day is quickly approaching and the Anaheim Ducks have 2 picks in the first round.
The first round of the NHL draft, the first day of free agency, and the trade deadline are my 3 favorite hockey days of the year. We’re now only 11 short days from the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and my excitement cannot be contained. The Anaheim Ducks have two picks in the first round this year and a chance to change the course of the franchise.
I’ve spent a lot of time watching draft-eligible prospects and, while I’m no expert, I don’t claim to be and these are just my personal thoughts and analysis based on my amateur opinion. I’ve ranked the Top 35 prospects in the draft, last article we covered 15-10 this article we’ll be covering the top 9 starting with 1 and 2, as they are fairly obvious.
I’ll be ranking these players based on overall ability and potential rather than where they would rank as a potential Duck and this is not a mock draft. I will be doing a final mock draft before the draft. If you’re interested in an early mock draft here is one from a month ago, and make sure to stay tuned for my final mock draft within the next 2 weeks.
1- Jack Hughes-C-USNTDP
Jack Hughes is, in my opinion, the best prospect in this entire draft. A smaller stature player standing 5’10 and a diminutive 166lbs Jack Hughes doesn’t let his size stop him from dominating his opponents, using his incredibly fast skating, his incredible vision, and off-the-charts hockey IQ to make his opponents look like children.
Jack Hughes is the next big thing and has every chance to join the ranks of Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, John Tavares, and Patrick Kane as a franchise-altering player. Hughes game reminds me quite a bit of Patrick Kane in the juniors as a pass first center with a sneaky good shot. Playing in the NHL he could keep that trajectory, but it would not surprise me at all if he used his silky smooth puck handling ability to be a big-time goal scorer in the NHL.
2- Kaapo Kakko-RW- TPS (SM-liiga)
Honestly, you could easily have Kaapo Kakko over Hughes and it wouldn’t be a reach. Kakko is just as franchise changing of a player as Hughes. He has a bigger frame, standing 6’2 and almost 200lbs. There’s nothing on the ice that Kakko doesn’t do well, he’s good on the puck, he’s good off the puck, he can shoot, he can pass, he has great hockey IQ, he has good vision, he’s not a slouch defensively, he’s a good skater.
The list goes on and on. I would not be surprised in the slightest if this draft followed in the footsteps of the 2004 draft with Hughes being Malkin and Kakko being Ovechkin as two wildly successful players who go 1 and 2. The only thing that really puts Hughes over Kakko to me is that Hughes is a center which adds just a bit more value to him.
Now that we’ve covered the two most obvious choices in the draft, we’ll start with #9 and count down to #3.
9- Kirby Dach-C-Saskatoon (WHL)
Kirby Dach isn’t the flashiest prospect in the draft, standing 6’4 and a lanky 200lbs, Dach isn’t the fastest prospect, he doesn’t have the best hands or the best shot. But total package wise he might be one of the most consistently good players to come out of this draft if he reaches his potential.
It’s no mistake that any time you hear Kirby Dach brought up, the first name as a comparison is Ryan Getzlaf. It’s not hard to see why, and Dach himself has said he modeled his game after the Anaheim Ducks centerman.
Dach isn’t going to win you style points often but that’s not his job, his job is to get results and get the puck on the stick of goal-scorers and he does it exceptionally well. He shares a lot of the same strengths as Getzlaf has, however, there are some concerns over his play in the defensive zone.
While he’s not opposed to using his size, he doesn’t quite use it enough which is not exactly a red-flag for an 18-year-old who is still likely to add another 10-15 pounds which will enable him to use his body more (which will help in the offensive and defensive zones.)
8- Dylan Cozens-C-Lethbridge (WHL)
Dylan Cozens is a similar size to Kirby Dach, standing roughly 6’3 and 180lbs. Cozens could benfit from putting on a few pounds, as one of his weaker points is his ability to stave off pressure when carrying the puck. While Dach is a pass-first guy, Cozens has a bit more of a shoot first tendency.
He moves very quickly for a player of his size and uses that speed and some impressive agility to create open space where none should be available. Cozens is also a better 3 zone player than Dach as his defensive ability (aided immensely by his skating ability) is great and could find himself cut from the same cloth as a Ryan Kesler or Anze Kopitar.
Cozens has all the tools to be a key piece for a team moving forward, but like Dach, he doesn’t quite possess that “it” factor that makes him a dynamic, must-watch player, rather going about things in a more subtle way.
7- Trevor Zegras-C-USNTDP
Trevor Zegras is one of the more intriguing prospects in this draft to me. A smaller center standing 6’0 but an incredibly lanky 166lbs. Zegras plays a game much bigger than his stature, it wouldn’t be wrong to give Zegras the “pitbull” moniker that accompanies players. He pressures puck carriers and gets into scrums and battles hard for loose pucks.
He’s a great playmaker and has a good shot. His skating is top notch and might have the highest level of creativity out of anyone in the draft. He is never afraid to make plays that make you ask “why did he do that?” and more importantly, “how did he make it work?!”
Overall Zegras doesn’t have quite as high a ceiling as the players above him but he likely has a higher floor due to his creativity and his smarts.
6- Cole Caufield-RW-USNTDP
Cole Caufield is one of the fastest risers in the draft and it’s no secret that he is my personal favorite draftee and has been since the beginning of the season. He’s a diminutive player standing only 5’7, and what he lacks in size he more than makes up for with tenacity, creativity, and dynamic play.
While Caufield isn’t a top-notch defensive player, he doesn’t have to be. He’s adequate and you don’t draft a player like Caufield to be Patrice Bergeron, you draft him to score goals, and score goals he does.
He has an elite level shot, great skating ability, is not afraid to push for loose pucks and get into the dirty areas, and has great puckhandling ability. Caufield has all the potential in the world to be a 35+ goal scorer and be the highest goal scorer out of this draft. Caufield has game-breaking ability and will be a big-time fan favorite wherever he ends up.
5- Alex Turcotte-C-USNTDP
If you were to draw up a prototypical top line center in the NHL, you’re drawing Alex Turcotte. Outside of the top 2, Turcotte is quite possibly the most well rounded forward in the draft. He plays a responsible game leading to being quite possibly the best defensive forward in the draft, paired with incredible vision and top end playmaking ability. Turcotte pairs all of that with a package that also includes great skating ability and phenomenal strength that makes knocking him off the puck nigh-impossible.
When you think about comparisons for Alex Turcotte, and you try to envision what the best case scenario is should he reach his full potential, you come up with two cornerstones on the teams currently duking it out in the Stanley Cup finals. Turcotte has consistently drawn comparisons to Ryan O’Reilly and Patrice Bergeron and that’s some great company to share. Turcotte is the best center in the draft in my opinion.
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4- Vasili Podkolzin-RW-SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
A reminder, one last time, this is not a mock draft. This is based solely on the player’s ability and potential and based on ability and potential Vasili Podkolzin is not far off from Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko in terms of skill.
A dynamic 6’1 power forward who is leagues ahead of where most power forwards are coming into the draft. He already has good size standing 6’1 and 196lbs and has his skillset is well beyond his years. He has all the tools to be an elite player in the NHL. The only real concerns regarding his tool-set are his play in the few bigger scale games he’s played in.
A question of whether him being relatively invisible at the U18s and U20 championships are due to him not having the “clutch” gene to elevate his game when it matters the most, or simply growing pains for a young player on a bigger stage than they expected.
Podkolzin is one of the most polarizing prospects in quite some time but very little of that is due to his actual playing ability and more to do with other potential roadblocks to him being an everyday NHL player (which I will discuss more in the mock draft coming soon.)
3- Bowen Byram-D-Vancouver(WHL)
Bowen Byram is special. Byram has all the tools to be a top end defender in the NHL someday (likely soon.) Possessing a veritable plethora of skills and traits that make him a future number 1 guy on the blue line of a very lucky team. Byram’s play reminds me a lot more of a Hampus Lindholm than an Erik Karlsson, and that’s not a knock at all.
Both Karlsson and Lindholm do phenomenal things for their teams, Karlsson’s great plays get noticed a lot more because he’s usually the one directly facilitating, be it a home run pass from blue line to blue line, or carrying the puck up the ice and shooting himself. Hampus Lindholm does just as many things right, they’re usually preventing someone else from making a play, or making a play that allows someone else to make another play, equally important, one just doesn’t get the glory of the other.
Don’t get me wrong, Byram has the ability to make those home run plays, he has quite possibly the best shot I’ve seen a defender have entering the draft in the past 5 years, but that’s not his bread and butter. He does it all, and is just as successful as being the guy behind the play cutting off a passing lane or pressuring the puck carrier into a turnover as he generating offense.
Byram has elite skating ability, and I don’t even want to put the label of “puck moving defenseman” on him because that in a way minimizes his defensive capabilities. He is a text-book two-way defenseman who has more offensive upside than most pure “puck moving defenders” and more defensive upside than most “shutdown defenders”. Byram will very likely be someone’s franchise DMan for many years to come.
Final Prospect Rankings 15-10. dark. Next
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