- All mock drafts are updated between 2am-6am each morning
- All mock drafts include all draft selections that every team currently owns
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| Round 1 | 8 | Alexandr Burmistrov | C | 5'10 | 172 | OHL |
| Round 1 | 25 | Quinton Howden | L | 6'3 | 185 | WHL |
| Round 2 | 55 | Tyler Toffoli | R | 6'0 | 185 | OHL |
| Round 3 | 72 | Andrew Yogan | C | 6'3 | 202 | OHL |
| Round 4 | 101 | Joonas Donskoi | L | 5'11 | 168 | FIN |
| Round 5 | 128 | Jordan DePape | R | 6'2 | 185 | WHL |
| Round 5 | 149 | Justin Feser | L | 5'09 | 173 | WHL |
| Round 6 | 158 | Matej Bene | F | 5'10 | 150 | SVK |
| Round 7 | 188 | Maxim Gryaznov | G | 6'0 | 148 | KAZ |
| Strengths: The Thrashers system features a pair of top-end prospects in goalie Ondrej Pavelec and defenseman Zach Bogosian. The defensive prospect depth is solid with both offensive and defensive-minded prospects. The center position is also a point of strength, featuring Riley Holzapfel, Daultan Leveille, and John Albert. Centers Angelo Esposito and Eric O'Dell have also been added through trades. |
| Weaknesses: On the wings, Spencer Machacek, and Vinny Saponari rank near the top of a relatively weak position. Depth on the left wing is especially lacking. The absence of a blue-chip forward is compounded by the question marks surrounding some of the Thrashers top forward prospects, such as Esposito and Brett Sterling. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Zach Bogosian, D, 2. Ondrej Pavelec, G, 3. Riley Holzapfel, C, 4. Spencer Machacek, RW, 5. Carl Klingberg, LW. Key losses to graduation: none |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 2 | Tyler Seguin | C | 6'0 | 170 | OHL |
| Round 1 | 17 | Joey Hishon | C | 5'10 | 166 | OHL |
| Round 2 | 32 | Jared Knight | C | 5'11 | 190 | OHL |
| Round 2 | 47 | Stephen Johns | D | 6'4 | 205 | NTDP |
| Round 4 | 107 | Troy Rutkowski | D | 6'1 | 200 | WHL |
| Round 5 | 137 | Kent Simpson | G | 6'1 | 183 | WHL |
| Round 6 | 167 | Caleb Herbert | F | 5'10 | 165 | USA |
| Round 7 | 197 | Lukas Cingel | F | 5'08 | 137 | SVK |
| Strengths: The Bruins have a stable of excellent prospects at center. University of Denver prospect Joe Colborne has the most potential of all of Boston's centers, but Brad Marchand and Zach Hamill are also potential top-six forwards. Additionally, the Providence Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask is one of the top goaltending prospects among the NHL teams. |
| Weaknesses: Boston's most glaring weakness is the lack of high-end prospects on the wing. After the recent graduations of both Blake Wheeler and Milan Lucic, there are only six wingers currently in the organization. None of those wingers have top-six potential. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Tuukka Rask, G, 2. Joe Colborne, C, 3. Brad Marchand, C, 4. Zach Hamill, C, 5. Yuri Alexandrov, D. Key losses to graduation: Blake Wheeler, Vladimir Sobotka. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 20 | Beau Bennett | R | 6'1 | 180 | BCHL |
| Round 3 | 68 | Guillaume Asselin | R | 5'11 | 192 | QMJHL |
| Round 3 | 77 | Brandon Hynes | C | 5'08 | 170 | QMJHL |
| Round 3 | 80 | Mark Alt | D | 6'4 | 195 | USHL |
| Round 4 | 98 | Joel Vienneau | G | 6'3 | 185 | OJAHL |
| Round 5 | 140 | Shane Sooth | F | 6'0 | 187 | NTDP |
| Round 6 | 170 | Martin Lefebvre | D | 5'10 | 165 | QMJHL |
| Round 7 | 200 | Viktor Naslund | D | 6'1 | 185 | SWE |
| Round 7 | 210 | Eetu Koski | F | 6'0 | 180 | FIN |
| Strengths: Forwards such as Tyler Ennis, Nathan Gerbe, and Tim Kennedy are the next generation of smallish, offensively minded forwards to come up through the Buffalo system. The Sabres also boast a wide array of defensive prospects including the puck-moving Chris Butler and the physical Tyler Myers. |
| Weaknesses: The Sabres lack size at center and skill along the wing. The prospect pool is decidedly top-heavy as many players towards the bottom are not NHL quality prospects. Depth in net is also a concern as there is little after Jhonas Enroth. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Tyler Myers, D, 2. Jhonas Enroth, D, 3. Tyler Ennis, C, 4. Chris Butler, D, 5. Zack Kassian, RW. Key losses to graduation: none. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 7 | Jeff Skinner | L | 5'10 | 190 | OHL |
| Round 2 | 37 | Justin Faulk | D | 5'11 | 185 | USHL |
| Round 2 | 48 | Jacob Berglund | L | 6'1 | 200 | SWE |
| Round 3 | 67 | Kevin Lind | D | 6'3 | 200 | USHL |
| Round 3 | 87 | Austin Levi | D | 6'4 | 195 | OHL |
| Round 4 | 97 | Matthew Bissonnette | C | 6'3 | 176 | QMJHL |
| Round 5 | 141 | Johan Lundmark | F | 6'6 | 194 | SWE |
| Round 6 | 157 | Christian Isackson | R | 5'10 | 173 | USA |
| Round 6 | 169 | Ricard Blidstrand | D | 6'3 | 196 | SWE |
| Round 7 | 187 | Philipp Grubauer | G | 6'0 | 165 | OHL |
| Round 7 | 206 | Jakub Strand | F | 5'11 | 165 | CZE |
| Strengths: The club's top three forwards could be in the NHL opening-day lineup next season. Sutter's already proven he belongs, and Boychuk and Bowman could join him. Between the pipes, the club has the rights to the OHL's top goaltender, Mike Murphy, who displayed game-stealing talent throughout the year, along with Justin Peters to back up 25-year-old Cam Ward. The Hurricanes have great flexibility between the pipes. |
| Weaknesses: Overall quality. After the first few prospects, the talent really dips markedly. The organization is does not have a mine of quality players from which to build for the future. Many of the club's prospects are marginal at best, and beyond the aforementioned players, game-breakers or even premium-quality players are lacking. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Zach Boychuk, C, 2. Brandon Sutter, C, 3. Drayson Bowman, LW, 4. Jamie McBain, D, 5. Zac Dalpe, C. Key losses to graduation: none. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 3 | Erik Gudbranson | D | 6'4 | 198 | OHL |
| Round 2 | 33 | John McFarland | C | 6'0 | 192 | OHL |
| Round 2 | 36 | Alex Petrovic | D | 6'4 | 193 | WHL |
| Round 2 | 53 | Adam Pettersson | C | 6'0 | 185 | SWE |
| Round 4 | 92 | Nolan Zajac | D | 6'0 | 185 | USHL |
| Round 4 | 93 | Taylor Carnevale | C | 6'0 | 195 | OHL |
| Round 5 | 123 | Vitaly Zotov | D | 6'0 | 162 | RUS |
| Round 6 | 153 | Joe Rogalski | D | 6'2 | 180 | OHL |
| Round 7 | 183 | Brooks Macek | R | 5'11 | 170 | WHL |
| Strengths: The Panthers possess a balanced group of prospects. Matthias's power forward style and Michal Repik's skill and finesse complement one another nicely. The Panthers are probably best equipped along the blue line, with Keaton Ellerby, Colby Robak, and the addition of Jason Garrison as a free agent. Even though Matthias resides at the top of the list, it is Jacob Markstrom, one of the top goaltending prospects worldwide, who anchors the organization's future. |
| Weaknesses: The forward position is undeniably not the team's strongpoint. With the Panthers hungry for offense, natural goal scorers are scarce in the system. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Jacob Markstrom, G, 2. Dmitry Kulikov, D, 3. Shawn Matthias, C, 4. Michal Repik, RW, 5. Keaton Ellerby, D. Key losses to graduation: Michael Frolik. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 12 | Cam Fowler | D | 6'2 | 192 | OHL |
| Round 2 | 42 | Devante Smith-Pelly | L | 5'11 | 180 | OHL |
| Round 4 | 102 | Justin Shugg | R | 5'11 | 187 | OHL |
| Round 5 | 132 | Aaron Harstad | D | 6'2 | 175 | USHL |
| Round 7 | 192 | Greg McKegg | C | 6'0 | 185 | OHL |
| Strengths: The club has quality depth at both forward and along the blue line, with players of diverse styles. This gives the club incredible flexibility for the future. The defensive prospects remain the greatest asset, with McDonagh and Subban highlighting a dynamic collection of players. Up front, Pacioretty is the best of a solid group of forwards that come with some size - long a weakness for the club. |
| Weaknesses: While the Canadiens have a solid young tandem at the NHL level, their organizational depth in net has pretty much been mined. Cedrick Desjardins is a career backup at best and Jason Missiaen stumbled badly in his first opportunity as the lead man between the pipes. While the organization's size has improved - especially on the blue line - they're still missing a cache of sizable centers and power forwards. |
| Top 5 Prospects: Top 5 prospects: 1. Max Pacioretty, LW, 2. Ben Maxwell, C, 3. P.K. Subban, D, 4. Yannick Weber, D, 5. Louis Leblanc, C. Key losses to graduation: Ryan O'Byrne, Jaroslav Halak. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 2 | 38 | Jon Merrill | D | 6'4 | 185 | USHL |
| Round 3 | 85 | Alexey Marchenko | D | 6'2 | 180 | RUS |
| Round 4 | 115 | Brody Sutter | R | 6'4 | 190 | WHL |
| Round 6 | 175 | Michal Vachovec | F | 6'0 | 145 | CZE |
| Round 7 | 205 | Daniel Ruzicka | D | 5'11 | 191 | CZE |
| Strengths: The biggest strength in the organization is 2008 first rounder Mattias Tedenby. He adds dynamic skill that the Devils have not had in awhile. The Devils possess decent forward depth and customarily, a good number gritty and responsible defensively. Matt Corrente and Brandon Burlon are valuable future pieces to the Devils blueline. |
| Weaknesses: There are no elite prospects in the system outside of Tedenby. Goaltending depth is a big concern as there is only one netminding prospect in the pipeline. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Mattias Tedenby, LW, 2. Jacob Josefson, C, 3. Nicklas Bergfors, RW, 4. Matt Corrente, D, 5. Patrice Cormier, C. Key loss to graduation: Rod Pelley. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 5 | Nino Niederreiter | R | 6'2 | 203 | WHL |
| Round 2 | 35 | Ludvig Rensfeldt | C | 6'3 | 194 | SWE |
| Round 3 | 65 | Fredric Weigel | C | 5'10 | 154 | SWE |
| Round 3 | 88 | Riku Harma | G | 5'07 | 139 | SM-Liiga |
| Round 4 | 95 | Calvin Pickard | G | 6'0 | 207 | WHL |
| Round 5 | 125 | Roman Berdnikov | C | 6'0 | 180 | RUS |
| Round 6 | 155 | Mathieu Brisson | D | 6'1 | 186 | USHL |
| Round 7 | 185 | Graham Hood | L | 6'0 | 160 | WHL |
| Strengths: The team has solid depth in all three forward positions with Kirill Petrov, Jesse Joensuu, Corey Trivino, and Robin Figren. They also have defensive depth with Aaron Ness, Travis Hamonic and Jyri Niemi leading the way. |
| Weaknesses: While the Islanders may have depth in forward and defense, they lack any sort of impact prospect in the system. The organization is also very thin in net. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. John Tavares, C, 2. Calvin de Haan, D, 3. Kirill Petrov, RW, 4. Mikko Koskinen, G, 5. Jesse Joensuu, LW. Key losses to graduation: Kyle Okposo, Joshua Bailey, Frans Nielsen, Blake Comeau. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 10 | Dylan McIlrath | D | 6'5 | 215 | WHL |
| Round 2 | 40 | Christian Thomas | R | 5'09 | 171 | OHL |
| Round 4 | 100 | Rob Flick | C | 6'3 | 196 | OHL |
| Round 5 | 130 | Freddie Hamilton | C | 6'1 | 184 | OHL |
| Round 6 | 160 | Radovan Pulis | C | 6'1 | 187 | QMJHL |
| Round 7 | 190 | Blake Gal | R | 6'0 | 170 | WHL |
| Strengths: The Rangers had an outstanding 2008 NHL Entry Draft, obtaining a top offensive defenseman prospect in Michael Del Zotto, as well as a potential first line winger in Evgeny Grachev. In addition, Derek Stepan has second line center potential, and Tomas Kundratek could prove to be a second pairing defensive blueliner. When added to the existing crop of 2006 and 2007 draftees, and free agent prospects such as Matt Gilroy, New York has a formidable group of prospects. |
| Weaknesses: The loss of Alexei Cherepanov last fall was a huge blow to the Rangers' organization. There are no prospects in the current group who can match his creativity with the puck and finesse in the offensive zone. Additionally, the Rangers have no potential first-line playmaking centers in the organization. And although Matt Zaba and Mikka Wiikman are both Top 20 prospects, neither projects to be a consistent No. 1 netminder in the NHL. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Evgeny Grachev, C, 2. Artem Anisimov, C, 3. Ryan McDonagh, D, 4. Derek Stepan, C, 5. Michael Del Zotto, D. Key losses to graduation: Lauri Korpikoski. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 18 | Austin Watson | L | 6'3 | 178 | OHL |
| Round 2 | 60 | Ben Duffy | C | 5'10 | 178 | QMJHL |
| Round 3 | 78 | Ryan Harrison | C | 5'10 | 185 | WHL |
| Round 4 | 108 | Corey Durocher | L | 6'3 | 175 | OHL |
| Round 6 | 180 | Denis Kindl | C | 5'11 | 178 | QMJHL |
| Round 7 | 198 | Johan Larsson | L | 6'0 | 203 | SWE |
| Strengths: The Senators have a jewel of a defender in Erik Karlsson. Behind Karlsson is a nice collection of defenders in Brian Lee, Patrick Wiercioch, Kirill Lyamin, and Vitaly Anikeyenko. Cody Bass, Jim O'Brien and Zach Smith project to be strong character forwards for the Senators in the near future. |
| Weaknesses: Though Andre Petersson, Peter Regin and Ilya Zubov project to be top-six forwards, the Senators could still use skilled forward depth to compliment their current squad. The same could be said for their defensive depth. Even with the depth the Senators do have, there are question marks with their Russian prospects and if they will ever make the jump over to North America. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Erik Karlsson, D, 2. Jared Cowen, D, 3. Brian Lee, D, 4. Brian Elliott, G, 5. Peter Regin, C. Key losses to graduation: Jesse Winchester. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 3 | 73 | Geoffrey Schemitsch | D | 6'1 | 180 | OHL |
| Round 4 | 103 | Sam Carrick | C | 5'11 | 174 | OHL |
| Round 5 | 133 | Bill Arnold | F | 6'0 | 215 | USA |
| Round 6 | 163 | Pontus Netterberg | L | 6'0 | 195 | SWE |
| Round 7 | 193 | John Parker | R | 5'10 | 185 | USHL |
| Strengths: Outstanding depth at forward with Claude Giroux and James vanRiemsdyk who are both first-line prospects. Following them is Andreas Nodl and Patrick Maroon who both possess second-line potential. The team is also deep on defense, with Luca Sbisa and Kevin Marshall the top prospects at that position. When viewed in combination with the youth already on the club's NHL roster, the Flyers boast a formidable stable of prospects. |
| Weaknesses: Philadelphia is without a top goaltending prospect, which is made all the more important by the NHL team's long-term weaknesses at that position. The top netminding prospects in the system, Joacim Eriksson and Jacob Deserres, do not project to be NHL starters. Additionally, the organization lacks a first- or second-line prospect at center. Over the last few years, Philadelphia has favored wingers over centers. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Claude Giroux, RW, 2. James vanRiemsdyk, LW, 3. Ryan Parent, D, 4. Kevin Marshall, D, 5. Patrick Maroon, LW. Key losses to graduation: none |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 23 | Mark Pysyk | D | 6'1 | 181 | WHL |
| Round 3 | 83 | Brandon Archibald | D | 6'3 | 205 | OHL |
| Round 4 | 113 | Dan Milan | D | 6'3 | 190 | HS |
| Round 5 | 143 | Danny Biega | D | 5'11 | 184 | HS |
| Round 6 | 152 | Matt Mackenzie | D | 6'1 | 185 | WHL |
| Round 6 | 162 | Olivier Croteau | C | 6'2 | 185 | QMJHL |
| Round 6 | 173 | Ivan Gavrilenko | D | 5'11 | 174 | RUS |
| Round 7 | 203 | Alex Theriau | D | 6'1 | 185 | WHL |
| Strengths: The Penguins have a quality mix of prospects from every position and almost every type. The acquisition of Eric Tangradi and the emergence of Alex Goligoski provide the Penguins with two players with game-breaking ability. The organization is also rich with depth defensemen. Forwards Keven Veilleux and Casey Pierro-Zabotel possess upside that suggests they could develop into top-six forwards. Role players like Dustin Jeffrey and Joe Vitale assure that the Penguins will remain well stocked with bottom-six forwards. |
| Weaknesses: The quality of prospects has naturally slipped with graduations to the NHL roster. The prospect pool also lacks elite talent. The goaltending depth past John Curry leaves a lot to be desired. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Eric Tangradi, LW, 2. Alex Goligoski, D, 3. Alex Grant, D, 4. Luca Caputi, LW, 5. Dustin Jeffrey, C. Key loss to graduation: Tyler Kennedy. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 6 | Brett Connolly | L | 6'2 | 184 | WHL |
| Round 3 | 63 | Dalton Prout | D | 6'2 | 201 | OHL |
| Round 3 | 66 | Ryan Spooner | C | 5'10 | 177 | OHL |
| Round 3 | 74 | Curtis Hamilton | L | 6'2 | 200 | WHL |
| Round 4 | 96 | Kevin Clare | D | 6'1 | 189 | NTDP |
| Round 4 | 120 | Ryan O'Connor | D | 5'09 | 176 | OHL |
| Round 6 | 156 | Ben Marshall | D | 5'10 | 165 | HS |
| Round 7 | 186 | Brendan Gallagher | R | 5'06 | 150 | WHL |
| Strengths: The unpredictable Steve Downie is now the organization's top prospect up front. The Lightning boast a wide array of forwards from Dana Tyrell to Mitch Fadden at center and Luca Cunti to Alex Killorn on left wing. With scoring ability, a two-way presence, the collective corps of forwards is plenty diverse. |
| Weaknesses: The Lightning are fairly solid in goal with Dustin Tokarski, Karri Ramo, and Riku Helenius, though the two Finnish-born netminders' stocks have slipped some. Helenius in particular has not yet met expectations as a first-round pick in 2006. Natural right wingers are lacking in the Lightning Top 20. The Lightning are also thin along the blue line. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Victor Hedman, D, 2. Carter Ashton, RW, 3. Richard Panik, C, 4. Matt Lashoff, D, 5. Dana Tyrell, C. Key graduates: Steven Stamkos. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 3 | 62 | Connor Redmond | L | 6'1 | 180 | WHL |
| Round 4 | 118 | Adam Sedlak | D | 6'2 | 190 | OHL |
| Round 5 | 122 | Petr Straka | L | 6'1 | 186 | QMJHL |
| Round 5 | 145 | Josh Nicholls | C | 6'2 | 170 | WHL |
| Round 7 | 182 | Christopher Giroux | C | 5'11 | 175 | QMJHL |
| Round 7 | 208 | Miro Hovinen | D | 6'3 | 190 | FIN |
| Strengths: Although they graduated many of their top forward prospects, the Maple Leafs still have several players with top-six potential. Forwards such as Tyler Bozak, Jimmy Hayes, and Mikhail Stefanovich bring a scoring presence to the system while others like Victor Stalberg bring a mix of grit and character. There are also several intriguing prospects such as Chris DiDomenico and Joel Champagne who could develop into top-six forwards. |
| Weaknesses: Considering their top defensive prospect, Dmitri Vorobiev, may never play hockey in North America, the Leafs are extremely thin along the blue line. There is also little goaltending depth behind Justin Pogge. |
| Top 5 Prospects: 1. Nazem Kadri, C, 2. Jonas Gustavsson, G, 3. Mikhail Stefanovich, C, 4. Tyler Bozak, C, 5. Viktor Stalberg, LW. Key losses to graduation: Luke Schenn, Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 26 | Evgeny Kuznetsov | L | 5'11 | 165 | RUS |
| Round 3 | 86 | Tom Kuhnhackl | L | 6'2 | 168 | GER |
| Round 4 | 116 | Gregg Sutch | R | 6'1 | 190 | OHL |
| Round 5 | 146 | Michal Murcek | F | 5'08 | 144 | SVK |
| Round 5 | 148 | Brendan Ranford | L | 5'09 | 160 | WHL |
| Round 6 | 176 | Stefan Fournier | R | 6'2 | 170 | QMJHL |
| Strengths: Even with the Capitals recent on-ice success, the prospect depth remains very good as a whole. Karl Alzner and Simeon Varlamov are well on their way to becoming fixtures in the talented Washington lineup. Varlamov heads up a very talented group of goalies that includes Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth. The Caps have a myriad of offensively capable blueliners. Two-way defenseman John Carlson, slick Sami Lepisto, and creative playmaker Keith Seabrook will help to keep Washington's power play churning on all cylinders for years to come. |
| Weaknesses: Many of the top-tier forward prospects have graduated. Outside of Alzner, there are not enough defensively responsible defensemen. |
| Top 5 Prospects: Top 5 prospects: 1. Karl Alzner, D, 2. Anton Gustafsson, C, 3. Simeon Varlamov, G, 4. John Carlson, D, 5. Oskar Osala, LW. Key loss to graduation: Eric Fehr. |