Anaheim Ducks: 2019 First Round NHL Mock Draft
Denmark -- Medicine Hat. Mads Søgaard. player. 112. Scouting Report. Goaltender. 26. Pick Analysis
Firstly, let’s get the elephant out of the room. This is the coolest name in the entirety of the draft. Agreed? Agreed. Now, to the more pressing issue, is he worth a first round pick? I’m not sure he is, but Calgary doesn’t have a second round pick and I think their most pressing need is at goaltender. So, yes they’re likely reaching a bit here, but they are a team that has a young core and can risk going out to get someone who fits a team need a bit higher than they probably should.
Personally, I think Søgaard is a mid-late second round talent but unless Calgary makes a trade they risk missing out on the second best goalie in this draft in my opinion. A massive 6’7 giant with great athleticism even if he’s not the fastest. His size is something you can’t teach and it’s something that can help make up for his lack of speed. This isn’t the pick I’d make here, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Calgary go off the board and snag up a goalie as I think they’re not sold on David Rittich, Tyler Parsons, or Nick Schneider long term.
27th Overall: Tampa Bay Lightning
Defense. player. 23. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. USA -- USNTDP. Alex Vlasic. 27
Personally, with this pick, I think the Lightning should go with another defender, Matthew Robertson, but Vlasic seems to fit quite a few of the boxes Tampa covets in their draft picks. A big physical player with good puck skills and creativity, Vlasic’s biggest red flag is his inconsistency. He shows signs of brilliance often, but just as often makes critical errors that lead to breaks for the other team.
Vlasic is young and can learn from those moments, especially from someone like Victor Hedman or Ryan McDonagh. Tampa could definitely use a player of his caliber as their forward core is stacked but their defensive cupboard is starting to get kind of barren even if their big club defense is as promising as ever.