2021 NHL Entry Draft: Predicting all first-round picks
The 2021 NHL Entry Draft is just over a month away. With most draft positions locked in, we predict the entire first-round selections.
The 2021 NHL Entry Draft figures to be one of the more interesting drafts in quite some time. Draft rankings around the scouting world have been more interchangeable than a mid-game Darryl Sutter line mixer.
Most of the time, the first few picks of the selection process are easily identifiable. But this year, the first pick seems to be the only real confident prediction mocks have, and even that is being generous.
Owen Power. 12. Scouting Report. D. NCAA - Univ. of Michigan. 1. player. Pick Analysis
With all the uncertainty heading into the 2021 draft, the number one overall selection should be an easy decision for the Buffalo Sabres. Owen Power has all the makings to be an anchor on the left side of the Sabres blueline for years to come.
C. NCAA - Univ. of Michigan. 2. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Matthew Beniers. 2255
The center position is considered to be one of the most important positions on the ice. What better way to start a franchise than to nab the best centerman in the draft. Matty Beniers is fun to watch, and he will quickly become a player that fans in Seattle will come to love.
William Eklund. 3. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. LW. SHL - Djurgårdens IF. 105
The Ducks are in the middle of a rebuild, and the pieces are starting to come together. They have their superstar playmaker in Trevor Zegras ready to make his name known in Anaheim. Pairing Zegras with another creative forward and finisher like Eklund, the rebuild could be at its end soon.
Pick Analysis. D. SVK - HC Nove Zamky. player. Scouting Report. Brandt Clarke. 4. 85
Owen Power is the best all-around defenseman in the draft, but Brandt Clarke is not far behind. The Devils got some great returns from Ty Smith’s rookie season this past year on the left side, and with Clarke’s brother Graeme already in the fold, solidifying the right side of the defense should be the move.
D. 5. player. 113. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. U.S. National U18 Team. Luke Hughes
Luke Hughes continues the Hughes bloodline and has some real potential to be better than Jack or Quinn. Columbus has a lot of questions to answer on defense. With the potential departure of Seth Jones and Zach Werenski in need of a new contract, bringing Hughes in will help to alleviate any big loss on the blueline.
72. G. player. 6. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. SHL - Lulea HF. Jesper Wallstedt
The Detroit Red Wings are building a solid core for the future. With Moritz Seider looking like a future number one defenseman and a nice crop of young forward talent, drafting one of the best goalie prospects since Carey Price should be a no-brainer for General Manager Steve Yzerman.
Scouting Report. C. 7. 120. Pick Analysis. NCAA - Univ. of Michigan. Kent Johnson. player
I believe Kent Johnson has the most upside out of all the forwards in this draft. He’s a skilled and entertaining player to watch that will fill in nicely with San Jose’s talented group of young forwards. GM Doug Wilson goes with best available for his pick at seventh overall.
Scouting Report. RW. USHL - Edmonton Oil Kings. Dylan Guenther. Pick Analysis. 8. player. 67
First, I believe there is a strong chance that this pick gets traded. However, GM Rob Blake could find some great talent at 8th overall, with the best goal scorer in the draft falling to him. Guenther is a north-south type of forward. He’s somewhat one-dimensional, but that one dimension is scoring a lot of goals. Adding his finishing capabilities with playmakers like Kopitar and Byfield, the Kings get a great addition to the number one prospect pool.
SL - EHC Olten. 9. 104. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. C. Mason McTavish. player
Vancouver has done pretty well drafting some good playmakers such as Podkolzin and Hoglander in the last couple of drafts. Adding a goal-scoring center like McTavish will help down the middle. Mason has good size at 6’2″ and showed some of that scoring touch during the U-18s in Texas wearing the “C” for Team Canada.
Fabian Lysell. player. Scouting Report. SHL - Lulea HF. 10. 91. Pick Analysis. RW
Right behind Los Angeles in the prospect pool rankings are the Ottawa Senators. Tim Stutzle figures to be a superstar in the making, and adding the potential of Lysell, who was ranked as high as number one in some draft rankings earlier in the year, helps grow that outstanding prospect pool even more.
D. SHL - Frolunda. Simon Edvinsson. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 11. player. 94
112. Liiga - Karpat. player. 12. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. C. Atu Räty
Pick Analysis. player. 13. 68. Scouting Report. C. USHL - Sioux Falls Stampede. Cole Sillinger
Pick Analysis. U.S. National U18 Team. 119. Scouting Report. C. Chaz Lucius. 14. player
95. Nikita Chibrikov. 15. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. LW. KHL - SKA St. Petersburg
Scouting Report. 99. Zachary L’Heureux. 16. player. Pick Analysis. C. QMJHL - Halifax Mooseheads
17. 107. Scouting Report. LW. USHL - Chicago Steel. Matthew Coronato . player. Pick Analysis
Corson Ceulemans . player. 18. 151. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. D. AJHL - Brooks Bandits
148. 19. Sebastian Cossa. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. G. WHL - Edmonton Oil Kings
Pick Analysis. D. KHL - CSKA Moskva. 20. 70. Scouting Report. Daniil Chayka . player
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. RW. SHL - Skellefteå AIK. 98. Simon Robertsson. 21. player
D. Pick Analysis. U20 SM-sarja - JYP. Carson Lambos. 22. player. Scouting Report. 72
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. D. Czech - HC Kometo Brno. Stanislov Svozil . 23. player. 97
24. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QMJHL - Shawinigan Cataractes. 113. C. Xavier Bourgault. player
25. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. MHL - Ladia Togliatti. 98. C. Fyodor Svechkov
Scouting Report. SUI - Olten. player. 109. Pick Analysis. LW. Brennan Othmann . 26
C. QMJHL - Rimouski Océanic. player. 103. Zachary Bolduc. 27. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Scouting Report. Francesco Pinelli . player. 152. Pick Analysis. C. SLO - Jesenice. 28
Scouting Report. RW. 29. player. Pick Analysis. SHL - Leksands. Isak Rosen. 23
Scouting Report. SWE J20 - HV71. Oskar Olausson. 30. player. 942. Pick Analysis. RW
Zach Dean. 31. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 106. C. QMJHL - Gatineau Olympiques