HF's 2004 Moderator Mock Draft

Here's the first round:
(There may be a 2nd round)

1. Washington Capitals [go kim johnsson] - Alexander Ovechkin
2. Pittsburgh Penguins [Evilo] - Evgeni Malkin
3. Chicago Blackhawks [DutchLeafsFan] - Rostislav Olesz
4. Columbus Blue Jackets [Aaron Vickers] - Cam Barker
5. Phoenix Coyotes [rbrooks] - Lauri Tukonen
6. New York Rangers [Draft Guru] - Andrew Ladd
7. Florida Panthers [Heimy] - Alexander Radulov
8. Carolina Hurricanes [Caniacforever] - Al Montoya
9. Anaheim Mighty Ducks [Jerky Leclerc] - AJ Thelen
10. Atlanta Thrashers - [b]Wojtek Wolski
11. Los Angeles Kings [kingsjohn] - Marek Schwartz
12. Minnesota Wild [theo6060] - Alexandre Picard
13. Buffalo Sabres [Chainshot] - Boris Valabik
14. Edmonton Oilers [Jim_Harnock] - Rob Schremp
15. Nashville Predators [nomorekids] - Kyle Chipchura
16. New York Islanders [Tom Liodice] - Mike Green
17. St. Louis Blues - [Irish Blues] - Lauri Korpikoski
18. Montreal Canadiens [Saku K.] - Drew Stafford
19. Calgary Flames- [Zoidberg] - Andrej Meszaros
20. Dallas Stars- [GLUhipfan] - Ladislav Smid
21. Colorado Avalanche [ensane] - Enver Lisin
22. New Jersey Devils- [Elias26] - Jeff Schultz
23. Ottawa Senators [Sensfan11]- Oscar Hedman
24. New York Rangers (from Toronto) [Draft Guru]-Wes O'Neill
25. Edmonton Oilers (from Philadelphia) [Jim_Harnock]- Travis Zajac
26. Vancouver Canucks [Kirk]- Dave Bolland
27. Washington Capitals (from Boston) [gkj]- Sami Lepisto
28. San Jose Sharks [Hero of Tragedy]- Bruce Graham
29. Washington Capitals (from Detroit) [gkj]- Petteri Norkelainen
30. Tampa Bay Lightning [Pangolin]- Jakub Sindel

The rules are simple- no trading of picks, and provide the rationale for your selection along with the pick. Only those mods that didn't take part in the staff mock draft, will be used (if possible).

The Washington Capitals select Magnus Akerlund.

Why? Because I can :D


Seriously, we all know #1 will be Alexander Ovechkin. He is ready for the NHL, bar none, and is the best player in the draft, and will definetaly create excitement including giving the Caps fans someone new to see, and watch their franchise build around.

Pittsburgh picks a no brainer, Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin is is easily the second-best talent in this draft, and fills a need for the Penguins in the process.

With their first pick, third overall, the Chicago Blackhawks are pleased to announce their selection of, from Sparta Praha, Rotislav Olesz.

While they overall have a pretty good prospect pool, they Hawks miss the top end offensive center to complement rookie Tuomo Ruutu. Olesz can be this center, and is a complete and mature player to boot who isn't afraid to use his body, has strong defensive awareness and can play in all situations. A future number one center if he can fulfill his potential.

Columbus is proud to select, from the Medicine Hat Tigers, Cam Barker. The organization really could use a blue chip defenseman, and Barker sees fit. Him being the best player available also helps.

The Coyotes with the 5th pick in the draft select Lauri Tukonen. The Coyotes need depth at the wings and Tukonen can give the Coyotes size up front.

Rangers select Andrew Ladd. The Rangers lack a true blue-chip prospect up front and Ladd fits the bill. Compared to Ryan Smyth, Ladd will bring his size, competitiveness and skill to an organization that needs a young player to build around.

On behalf of the Florida Panthers Hockey Club I'd like to thank the good people of Raleigh for their warm hospitality. You have great fans here, a splendid arena and a solid organization.

I'd also like to congratulate the Calgary Flames for winning the Stanley Cup in a thrilling 6 game series.

With the 7th overall pick, the Florida Panthers select Alexander Radulov.

This outstanding Russian from the highly regarded Dynamo organization will be a terrific addition to our young core. Alexander is among the youngest prospects in his draft class and has been one of the fastest risers over this season. None of our scouts knows just how high his upside could be but suffice to say his hard work in both ends of the rink and already proven scorer touch have us very excited. We had him ranked #3 overall and never dreamed he'd slip to us. We feel confident Alexander will be ready to contribute to our organization soon and for many years to come.

With the 8th Selection in thed 2004 NHL Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes select Al Montoya from the University of Michigan.

Montoya isn't expected to last this long in the real draft, but Carolina appears to have their heart set on him. With Arturs Irbe being traded to Columbus and Kevin Weekes with a chance to be moved, Carolina needs to draft a goalie for the future. Montoya is one of two sure fire prospects to come out this year and Carolina jumps all over the chance to take him.

Anaheim will take Thelen. The Ducks have made some solid selections the past two years, drafting kids from North America. Bryan Murray wanted to bring more grit and size to the team and I don't figure it to change despite his departure to Ottawa. The biggest need for Anaheim right now is finding a young stud on the blueline to replace Carney and/or Ozolinsh. Mark Popovic is the only legit prospect in the system but he figures to be a solid #4 guy. Thelen brings everything the Ducks are looking for right now. He has the size, the offensive skills, and the Ducks can wait a few years for him while guys like Skoula, Vishnevski, and Popovic become solid NHLers.

10. Wojtek Wolski Brampton OHL- Atlanta Thrashers

Was hoping Radulov or Thelen would fall to the 10 spot.

While C may be more of a need for the Thrashers right now at the NHL level, I still think the Thrashers want to get one more stud at the wing. Plus with Jim Slater's outstanding play at Michigan State, C is not as drastic a need as it could have been.

For me it came down to two players Stafford and Wolski. If this was Don Waddell, I think Stafford would have been the pick, just because of the Thrashers preference for the college hockey route. I just like Wolski though. He seems tougher, and should fit in to the style of play that Don Waddell has created this team for.

With the 11 pick in the draft the Los Angeles Kings are proud to select Marek Schwarz.

The Kings prospect pool is painfully thin between the pipes. Schwarz has the potential to become a franchise goaltender. He was also in the Kings opinion the best player available. The Kings were very happy that he was still available and expect him to be a valuable contributer for years to come.

With the 11 pick in the draft the Los Angeles Kings are proud to select Marek Schwarz.

The Kings prospect pool is painfully thin between the pipes. Schwarz has the potential to become a franchise goaltender. He was also in the Kings opinion the best player available.

nice :handclap: best option for the Kings...I like Valabik too if Schwarz is gone by then.

I'll be here for Minnesota's pick. I gotta work late tonight, so I'll be on tomorrow morning/afternoon pacific time to make the pick if it's Minnesota's turn by then.


Well, you're up

With the 12th overall selection in the draft, the Minnesota Wild select Alexandre Picard.

The Wild are drafting by need, and the team desperately needs some more natural goalscoring in the system. While some may be scared to take a player from the Q, the Wild feel that Picard is the best gifted goalscorer available at #12.

With the 13th selection in the 2004 entry draft, the Buffalo Sabres select, from the Kitchener Rangers, Boris Valabik.

The Sabres are particularly thin in their blueline prospects and will steer away from Schremp due to his history. With Barker and Thelen off the board, Buffalo goes with the hype and selects a big, tough (if of questionable skating and decision making) defender they have lacked for years. His detractors get the opportunity to proclaim that he has been selected far too high... :D

My caveat is of course that they will regret this selection.... :D

With the 14th oiverall pick, the Edmonton Oilers are please to select, from the OHL's London Knights, centre Rob Schremp.

With guys like Lynch, Woywitka, Greene, Semenov, Gilbert and Svensk, the Oilers seem to be in very good shape on the blueline. However, we have precious little top-end skill up front -- the closest thing we have is Pouliot. The team is desperate for potential game-breaking offense and Schremp can (hopefully) provide that. In addition, centre is Edmonton's weakest position by far, especially if the team is unable to re-sign Nedved.

With the 15th overall pick, the Nashville Predators are proud to select C Kyle Chipchura.

Chipchura fits a mold that the Predators have believed in since their inception, possessing strong two-way skills and a great deal of character. Kyle will strengthen our depth at center, a position that we are otherwise thin at. The Preds are happy to have another "future captain" kind of guy on the horizon.

For the 16th pick in the draft, the New York Islanders select defenseman Mike Green from the WHL's Saskatoon Blades. Despite playing on a dismal Blades team this year, Green was their second-leading scorer posting 14G and 25A and 92 PIM in only 59 games. With the Isles lacking on defensive depth, this two-way defenseman will fit in very well with the Isles organization.

Following Brian's suggestions (and *strong* hints via PM), the Blues take Lauri Korpikoski with the 17th overall pick.

http://www.hfboards.com/showpost.php?p=1504357&postcount=14

Essentially, the Blues really need a scorer with their defense sewn up for years to come and potential #1's in Barulin, Nissinen or Sanford (one of them *should* be the Blues goalie of the future - the question is, which one?) and Korpikowski seems to be the type of guy Blues head scout Jarmo Kelkainen would love to have.

With the 18th overall pick, the Habs are proud to select Right Winger Drew Stafford. Even if the Habs already have a strong forward group with the Perezhogins, Plekanecs, Higgins and Kastsitsyns, Stafford gives the Habs a much needed good-sized character player, who at worst, could end up as a key third line forward. He has a tremendous work ethic and the Habs feel he could develop as a scoring winger with a power game. He doesn't have any big weaknesses beside not having the offensive star potential. Skating, work ethic and size are all on Stafford's side. Stafford gives exactly what the Habs need in a forward prospect IMO.

With pick #19, the Flames succumbed to the theory of 'take the best player available,' and the one that fit the bill most was Andrej Meszaros, who in my opinion is the second best defenseman in the draft, second only to Barker of course. We feel he's a great puck mover and will join the stable of talented Flames defensemen, Phaneuf, Ramholt, in the prospects, and Regehr, Leopold, and the rest of the young Flames d-core. He's a physical player, too, and has garnered some comparisons to Zubov. And let me tell you, we like Zubov. So we feel we got a great player.

With the twentieth selection, the Dallas Stars are proud to select defenseman Ladislav Smid. Not only is he the best player available (IMO), but he also fills the Stars glaring need for quality defensive prospects. Smid has the skill and frame to be a very good NHL defenseman, and his selection will give the Stars a second high quality defensive prospect to complement Trevor Daley.

And with the Belgian one's wish is the Avs selection of RW Enver Lisin.

With a prospect cabinet nearly empty of top end forwards, the Avs are proud to use the 21st selection on Lisin. Lisin is above average in size, arguably the fastest player in the draft, and quite responsible on the backcheck. We're confident that the Avs development system can round out any rough edges Enver might have holding him back from becoming a solid NHL forward.

The Devils will be taking a chance on the Dman with a good upside but is a gamble......Jeff Schultz

The Ottawa Senators select Oscar Hedman


The Senators are going by the best player available strategy, while at the same time Hedman fills the need for a blue-chipper on defense.

With the 24th selection, the Rangers select D Wes O'Neill.

Other than Fedor Tyutin and Ivan Baranka, the Rangers lack potential top four defensive prospects. O'Neill will be a project, but defensemen with his combination of size and skill are always in demand. With seven picks in the top 51, the Rangers can afford to take a chance O'Neill and hope that in three to four years he can emerge as a stud on their blueline.

With the 25th overall pick, Edmonton selects, from Salmon Arm of the BCHL, centre Travis Zajac.

Again, the Oilers move to address the dearth of skilled offensive centres/forwards in the organisation. Initially inclined to select a defenseman with this pick, the team could not overlook the enormous potential of Zajac and the chance to improve on the shallow offensive talent pool we have down the middle. Perhaps a risky selection, given that Zajac played Junior A rather than Major Junior, but he's proven he has great offensive instincts and he'll be heading into a solid hockey program at North Dakota in the fall, which should help his development.

With the 26th overall pick Vancouver approaches the podium and is thrilled to select from London of the OHL, centre Dave Bolland.

This is a no-brainer pick for the Canucks, who grab the best player left in the talented, fearless Bolland. Their system is more or less devoid of any prospects with offensive ability, so Vancouver is very pleased with their selection.

For the Caps I want Sami Lepisto. The Caps could use some help on D as well and I think Lepisto is severely underrated, and I think will be a good PP QB in the future, a #3 d-man. I think his WJC performance was for real, and I think his playmaking skills are better than Steve Eminger and it's hard to miss on Finnish draftees ;)

The San Jose Sharks select from Moncton C Bruce Graham

I got a lil nervous when the Devs made their pick...thank goodness for Schultz. San Jose lacks size among their forwards and Graham definitely has that. His skill level is huge as well and could be a big force if he puts it all together. He has good speed and a great work ethic which are key traits among Shark forwards. Teammate of Shark prospect Steve Bernier...the Sharks definitely know who they are getting in Graham.

The Caps are suddenly up again, this time we will take Petteri Norkelainen, not because I like Finns this time, but because he hadds size down the middle and is solid both ways with and without the puck. I think he can get his offensive skills together, and if he starts producing more, look out.

With the 30th pick, the Tampa Bay Lightning select Czech forward Jakub Sindel.

Sindel gives the Bolts a fast and skilled forward who can score. Something they don't have a lot of in their prospect pool. Sindel seems to be a high risk, high return type of prospect. The Bolts have such a young and deep team that they can afford to take the risk.

People can comment if they like...I know my pick of Sami Lepisto will not be all that popular.

People can comment if they like...I know my pick of Sami Lepisto will not be all that popular.

I just think it's a little early that's all. You could probably snag him in the second round. But hey, every year a team makes a bit of a "reach" pick. You were this year's, I guess.

Well, hopefully the HF staff knows their players, because in this mock first round, the Capitals come away from the draft with FIVE players HF staff called first rounders:

Alexander Ovechkin
Mike Green
Jeff Schultz
Oscar Hedman (taken in the fifth round, #132!?)
Sami Lepisto (taken in the third round, #66)