HF Team Board Mock Draft - 25th Overall
 

Please select the player you want the Blues to select 25th overall at the draft

Draft Results:
1) EDM - Nail Yakupov RW (Sarnia, OHL)
2) CBJ - Ryan Murray D (Everett, WHL) - 48.28%
3) MTL - Alex Galchenyuk C (Sarnia, OHL) - 51.57%
4) NYI - Mikhail Grigorenko RW (Quebec, QMJHL) - 32.10%
5) TOR - Filip Forsberg RW (Leksands, SWE) - 89.06%
6) ANA - Matt Dumba D (Red Deer, WHL) - 67.35%
7) MIN - Morgan Reilly D (Moose Jaw, WHL) - 40.91%
8) CAR - Teuvo Teräväinen RW (Jokerit, FIN) - 62.26%
9) WPG - Griffin Reinhart D (Edmonton, WHL) - 42.05%
10) TBL - Jacob Trouba D (USNDTP, USHL) - 81.25%
11) WSH - Radek Faksa C (Kitchener, OHL) - 58.11%
12) BUF - Zemgus Girgensons RW (Dubuque, USHL) - 37.76%
13) DAL - Sebastian Collberg LW (Frolunda, SWE) - 38.78%
14) CGY - Cody Ceci D (Ottawa, OHL) - 51.72%
15) OTT - Olli Määttä D (London, OHL) - 60.47%
16) WSH - Brendan Gaunce C (Belleville, OHL) - 44.26%
17) SJS - Hampus Lindholm D (Rögle, SWE) - 30.77%
18) CHI - Slater Koekkoek D (Peterborough, OHL) - 45.83%
19) TBL - Tomas Hertl C (Slavia Praha, CZE) - 21.43%
20) PHI - Matt Finn D (Guelph, OHL) - 47.14%
21) BUF - Scott Laughton C (Oshawa, OHL) - 25.00%
22) PIT - Pontus Åberg LW (Djurgården, SWE) - 61.54%
23) FLA - Derrick Pouliot D (Portland, WHL) - 33.33%
24) BOS - Brady Skjei D (USNDTP, USHL) - 39.68%
25) STL -
26) VAN -
27) PHX -
28) NYR -
29) NJD -
30) LAK -

For me, it's between Kerdiles and Thrower. But I'll go with Thrower.

What are the percentages?

Percentage of votes that player got by the responding fan base.

Kerdiles >>>> Thrower. Thrower's a good defensive defenseman, but he's a rght-handed shot, and it's going to be a logjam for him to try and crack the NHL lineup anytime in the next five years.

Kerdiles is a goal scorer with the size to play center in a Hitchcock system. He's going to Wisconsin next year, so he will be developing with an elite program.

You guys do realize that Thrower is a righty correct? My vote goes to Byström. AINEC.

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Of course, but I'm going BPA (which is going to be different for most people), not who will fit the team next season. If Thrower develops nicely, it's very possible Polak or Shattenkirk won't be here by the time he's ready. Come on, you know that.

As for Kerdiles being better than Thrower - maybe. I don't know. It was a tough choice for me. I think Kerdiles could be similar to Kreider (which would be very good).

Went with Bystrom. Funny that Thrower was the most recent add to that whole list and he's tied for the lead. He's a smaller, right handed Barret Jackman type. That he's on the right side means he won't crack the Blues' roster any time soon without a trade, and Hakanpaa is still ahead of him in line. I realize you draft BPA but let's not pretend these prospects aren't all in the same BPA category, there just isn't any real separation. Thrower is not a top-pair dman, he'd be a 4-5-6. Think the Blues can do better in the first round than that, no matter how tough he is.

I was between Kerdiles and Bystrom, went with Kerdiles.

I picked Henrik Samuelsson. I know he's a right wing and not an ideal fit. I just see him as a safe pick to be an NHL with his size and pedigree. Maybe he could be converted to a center eventually like Backes was. I do think after him though Bystrom would be a great pick.

Kerdiles. IMO, we need some good center prospects and he seems like a pretty safe pick.

I was really hoping Koekkoek would still be available but it looks like we were WAY too late for him. Voted for Kerdiles.

After spending a good part of the day reading scouting reports, I would rank the guys in this order:
Nicolas Kerdiles
Henrik Samuelsson
Ludvig Byström

http://www.nhlmockdraft.org/ has a good draft guide. You have to signup for their newsletter via e-mail on their homepage.

Bystrom reminds me a good bit of Kevin Shattenkirk but from the left side.

Big offensive upside, a little on the smaller side, strong hockey sense, good passer but with a weaker shot.

Bystrom has the best potential of the group, IMO, plus he is a lefty. So BPA plus fills a need.

Gotta go with Bystrom.

Glad to see Nicolas Kerdiles getting some votes. I brought him up the other day and didn't get much of a response on this board. I think he is the perfect player for the blues system. We have a surplus of forwards so its not like we would have to rush him to the NHL. He can take his time to develop at Univ of Wisc. He is projected to be more of a very late 1st to early 2nd rounder but I wouldn't be suprised if a team grabs him in the 20-26 range. His stock seems to be rising and I think he will make a great power forward.

Kerdiles is the forward I'd choose from the group available on this board. It was between Bystrom and Kerdiles for me and could have gone either way, just leaned slightly toward LD rather than LW as we don't really have top offense on the left side of the D after Fairchild, and Bystrom has a likely higher ceiling – our LD prospects are towering physical guys. Glad to see these two are leading right now and think either would be a fine choice. If Kerdiles were projected as an NHL center I'd probably have picked him. (I still hope it's Laughton. New Blues assistant Gary Agnew was his coach this past season in Oshawa and he certainly should know the OHL.)

It was between Kerdiles and Bystrom for me, as well, but I, too, went with Bystrom. Just sounds like he has better upside than Kerdiles, but I only get to read scouting reports, I haven't been able to watch these guys.

From what I've been reading Kerdiles is a C who also has played LW. I understand you're saying that he isn't a projected Center in the NHL, but he obviously knows the position well.

I went with Kerdiles bt I'd probably be ok with any of the players that have gotten votes so far.

Hmmmm.... I narrowed it down like others Byström and Kerdiles, and went with Kerdiles, You can not have enough Centerman, going to a excellent Wisconsin Hockey program, a safe pick IMO.

I guess I didn't get to this poll quick enough to vote, but I probably would've gone with Byström. I see him developing into a good #3-4 d-man in time. I like his two-way game.

I also really like Kerdiles as well though. He has a motor that doesn't quit and plays a good "200 ft game" as Hitch likes to say. I see him as a safe bet to become a 3rd line winger with the potential to maybe be a 2nd line winger. I don't see him being a center as a pro. He's the type of player that teams love to have though as he'll add a lot more to a roster than just pts.

I also like Samuelsson and his all-around game. He's also very physical and I think he'll be a good 3rd liner in time.

One guy nobody seems to have talked about yet is Mark Jankowski. Like pretty much everyone else, I've never seen him play (not exactly a ton of Quebec HS games on tv) but he seems to be the epitome of a boom or bust pick. It's nearly impossible to get a good read on a kid playing against inferior competition but he seems to ooze skill and is headed for the NCAA next season. Jankowski also just made the age cutoff for this year's draft by 2 days so with him pretty much being the youngest guy in the draft, that makes it that much harder to project his future. I'd probably pass on him at 25 (assuming some of the above options are still around) but I'll be interested to see how he develops. Some team could really end up with a steal if this kid reaches his potential.

The last guy that I like who I think is being a bit underrated is Di Giuseppe. I watched a couple of U of Mich games this season and this kid seemed to be very skilled with a very high hockey IQ (something the Blues seem to really value highly). I would be absolutely fine if the Blues drafted Phil.

Another player not listed on this poll who I like is Tanner Pearson. He's a late bloomer who has gone undrafted twice already but he put up a very impressive 91 pts in the OHL this season and was a very solid player for Canada in the WJC. He's also a very smart player. He's a risky player to take in the 1st rd but the Blues haven't been shy before with taking players who have gone undrafted in previous drafts - Perron,Wannstrom, Shattock, Eronin, etc.

Kerdiles!
 

Voted for Kerdiles!