NHL draft rankings 2018 by Simon St-Laurent

Simon St-Laurent 2018 NHL Draft Ranking

Last year was the first time I published my ranking for the draft and I really enjoyed the experience. That prompted me to repeat the process. Below lies my top 31 for this year draft and an explanation on each rank. It doesn’t include in-depth analysis since those guys are already well-known players and that kind of analysis tend to be too explicit for nothing. It is important to note that my judgment and ranking are solely based on full-game viewings, so I couldn’t rank Dominik Bokk nor Vitaly Kravstov since I’ve only seen highlights of them. I’ve seen most of those guys around 10 games. Ranking form 1 to 6 seems pretty much a given at this point and I’m confident in my ranking starting around the 17^th spot but the ones between 7 and 16 gave me my fair shares of headaches.

Rasmus Dahlin : Can be as effective as he is spectacular, and God knows how much of a human-highlight-reel he is. At the start of the year I shared the thought that he was at least as good as Matthews was back in 2016 so I’m a bit disappointed that he didn’t take part at this year World Championship so that we could have compare his performance against current NHLers like we did with Matthews and Laine two years ago. I’m not so sure about that statement anymore, still, Dahlin remains at the top of this class.
Andrei Svechnikov: Never were any doubts in my mind that he wasn’t the 2^nd best prospect for this year draft class (Ok, Hughes made it interesting at the end). He’s gonna be a top 5 player in the world at his position and will have an impact (although they play different style) similar to Taylor Hall as a winger. Would’ve went 1^st overall almost a year out of two. There’s quite a gap between him and the others forwards this year.
Quinn Hughes: Wasn’t his biggest fan at the start of the year due to a little lack of creativity in the offensive zone but he blew my mind in the NCAA against much older competition. One of the few players who can open up passing lanes of the PP simply with his east-west skating ability. I don’t agree with every decisions he makes with the puck, but I’ve seen him makes difficult passes looked easy fairly often. I don’t have any concerns on his play on the defensive side of the pucks since breaking the attack on the rush with his stick is one of his strength. A zone exits and entry machine. He may be not that far off from Dahlin.
Oliver Wahlstrom : I suggest this Fall that he may be a better scorer/player than Zadina. I think he can hurts you in more way than Zadina can, especially by his play along the board and his physicality. Throughout the year I started to have some concerns with him : he already plays in a NHL body and he may lost the advantage he has strength-wise currently in the USHL (but so does Svechnikov and it isn’t mention so I have to ignore that and consider it as a plus for him) and I was a little bit bother by the fact that he didn’t control the puck a lot (he tends to give the puck to a teammate rather quickly in order to get open for a shot). He has very good moves, I would like to see him be a little more daring with the puck, I wonder how much of that is influenced by the fact he plays on a line with Jack Hughes. I still rank him ahead Zadina because I think his ultimate upside is higher. When he turns that switch on and take a game in his hands as the go-to-guy he’s nearly unstoppable. I think he could have more value to a team going forward than Boqvist that I’m not 100% sure that he’s gonna be a dominant D1.
Filip Zadina : A really good scorer whom is a tad overrated. Hischier and Ehlers were more impressive (and younger) during their draft season in Halifax. I simply don’t understand people who have him in the same range as Svechnikov. Most of his goals came from the same spot but he’s far from being a one trick pony. It was rather difficult to choose between him and Boqvist since both of them excels as a shooter on the PP.
Adam Boqvist : Most of the concerns with him (strength and size) come with the fact that he’s actually one of the youngest in this draft. He’s difficult to slot because his upside is so high thanks to his shots and elusiveness with lateral movement everywhere on the ice and he’s always a menace when jumping into the rush, which he does often, but at the same time, you could look at the transition game of some of the lesser known/hype prospect like Lundkvist and there isn’t that much of a gap.
Grigori Denisenko : One of my favorite prospect this year. He was better than Svechnikov in some games at the 5-Nations. Not only I don’t recall ever seeing him made a bad play with the puck, but he always chooses the best option. Despite his lack of size, he’s one of the best players of this draft along the board thanks to his mind and skillset. His hockey IQ is already at an elite level and he makes a lot of ‘pro’ subtle plays that not everybody notices; one-touch passes, the way he uses is teammates to get open on a give-n-go, his play along the board like I mentioned earlier and so forth. He also works hard on the backcheck and he plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s the best playmaker of this draft, especially on the PP. I don’t have any concerns with him, his two-way games and his intangibles are being overlooked. He’s the next Panarin.
Joe Veleno : His placing during the year was kind of ironic, I was probably one of the few who weren’t infatuated by his play at the Ivan Hlkinka in a leading role. I was one the first to put him out of my top 10, and once he dropped in everybody’s ranking, I was one the first to put him back in. His edgework and agility alone make him a top 10 prospect. Doubts on his upside are fully dissipates for me since his trade to Drummondville, his production in that span rivaled Zadina’s and Veleno is younger, although he’s at his third QMJHL season. Will be a solid 2C. Solid work ethic and one of the best playmakers of this year draft. I’m gonna make a gutsy move by ranking Veleno ahead of Tkachuk because I think he drives the play more and I was disappointed with Tkachuk’s lack of development (so to speak) and offensive ceiling. It was difficult to decide whether I would rank him or Kupari as the best center of the draft. Kupari has a higher upside, a better shot (Veleno’s shot is very lackluster) and plays more like a hunter but Veleno makes his teammates better at a greater extent and for that reason I put him ahead.
Rasmus Kupari : Probably the fastest skater in the draft. Often compares with fellow Finnish centreman Jesperi Kotkaniemi. To me there’s no doubt that Kupari is the better of the two. He plays at a much higher pace (he’s a way better skater), he’s better at making plays on the rush and I also prefer his game on the forecheck where he rather uses his stick effectively instead of getting himself out of position by playing the body. His play away from the puck an in his own end is sufficiently sound to me that it makes absolutely no sense to give the nod to Kotkaniemi simply for that reason. Kupari brings a lot more ‘jump’ to the game, he has good dangle and edgework, his sole purpose when on the ice is to create offense. He and Hayton (Delandera is a darkhorse in that regard) are the only players that has the potential to be a number 1 center in this draft, but I wonder in Kupari’s case if he’ll make his teammates around him better enough to suggest such thing.
Jonatan Berggren : I have him ahead Lundestrom because he has better hands/deke, is more creative and daring with the puck and is a better playmaker. He’s not a sure bet and one could argue that Lundestrom has a higher floor and could be more effective for a team, but I think Berggren speed and tenacity on the forecheck will be way more problematic for the opposing team’s defensemen than Lundestrom’s play along the board and behind the net. That was my scouting report after the 5-Nations but as the U-18 went along, I start to wonder how high he can climb in my ranking. He was a real standout, he plays like a wrecking-ball (which can scare scouts since his body isn’t suit for that game) and has similar intangibles to Farabee (it was very close between the two of them, almost a coin flip), I even put him ahead Kotkaniemi. The latter is involve in scoring chances but Berggren creates them.
Joel Farabee: Took me a while to appreciate him at his fair value. Saw him more a middle-of-the-lineup guy most of the year since he didn’t have any weaknesses but nothing really pop up in his skillset either but he’s one of those guys you have to watch many times to fully understand the subtility of his skills and smart. He’s a very good playmaker and owns a very good release and what is enticing about him is that he produces and plays in the dirty area despite a low BMI so there’s still a lot in room for growth in his game. He’s like a Swiss-knife and shouldn’t be far off from Tkachuk in people’s evaluation. Similar in a way that both could play a complement role in a top 6 as well as playing PK minutes, Tkachuk’s gonna have more chances since he will be draft higher and has a pedigree (better hands too) but I wouldn’t be surprise when it’s all said and done (end of career) that their stats and implication on a team are close. I give the nod to Farabee thanks to his release even if Tkachuck has better hands and size.
Ty Dellandrea: One of my favorite players of this draft alongside Denisenko. Think he can become as a good as a number 1 centre in the NHL. Everything in his skillset is at a very high level, nothing elite but everything is arguably quite high compare to the other players in this draft : Shot, skating, hands, hockey IQ, etc. Add to the mix good strength level, strong two-way game and loads of creativity. His game translates very well, I was very tempted to rank him even higher (as high as 8th!).
Barrett Hayton : Also one of my favorite players of the draft. Don’t know why we don’t talk more about his offensive ceiling. He has one of the best shots amongst forwards in this draft. He’s an expert at creating lane by delaying his shot toe-dragging the puck. He has a better hands/deke, vision than Kotkaniemi and is better at carrying and shielding the puck. He was more impressive at the Ivan Hlinka and in the OHL playoffs than Kotkaniemi was at the 5-Nations and the U-18. Some pointed out that his stats aren’t that great playing for a powerhouse, but he didn’t play much at 5 on 5 with either Frost or Katchouk. His skating isn’t an issue for me.
Brady Tkachuk : He was a real puzzle to rank. I was really high on him at the start of the year. Sometimes, players drop in our ranking because we didn’t have much intel on the other prospect so as we start to like the other players more, we don’t have any choice but to drop them, I wander if that was the case with him, so I had to go back and watched some game of his TRUE 17 years old season with the NTDP. I was underwhelmed with him during the year, he always has looked like a stud when suiting up in International events but he was almost invisible when I saw him in the NCAA . I didn’t saw any of the great puck skills that he showed at the 2017’s U-18. His brother Matthew is WAY better and albeit bigger, I don’t know where people saw that Brady’s edgier… (I had Matthew as the 3rd best prospect in 2016 BTW). If we ignore his name and where he was ranked most of the year, I think he has a similar profile that what Timo Meier had to offer in 2015. A big DOB with enough skills to complement great players but not worthy of a top-10 selection. (I’m not necessarily comparing them, I still think that Tkachuk is a better prospect, in parts due to an edge on the vision, puck skills, skating and IQ department, Meier having the better shot).
Jesperi Kotkaniemi : I can see why people are high on him lately, he has progressed in each events he took part this year. I’m colder on him than most and he may make me look bad in a couple of years, but I will gladly accept it if it happens. Overall, I like him but I’m not a fan of him carrying the puck in the neutral zone and his play along the boards is average for a guy his size. He may be a better PP player than Kupari, especially when he plays along the left half-wall (note that I didn’t like Finland’s coaching staff decision to put Kupari in the crease where he can’t utilize his creativity nor his shot). He brings good skillset but when you look at each ability one by one, none of them are head and shoulders above other guy’s same skillset. His shot is his best asset, especially coming from the left side. There are some talks (mostly by media) that Montreal could take him at 3, people says that Pierre-Luc Dubois was a reach at 3 in 2016 and it is a very good pick today, but I was (much) higher on PLD two years ago that I am today of Kotkaniemi. I don’t see him as a first line center. People also need to take into account that he was playing with Kappo Kakko at the U-18 and it was him who was driving the line.
Noah Dobson : An efficient defenseman at even strength, make quality decision with the puck and rushes it out of danger zone with authority. I prefer his hockey IQ and selection of plays to Wilde. I don’t see him as a powerplay quarterback at the next level (in fact there are very few defensemen in this draft that I see on a first PP unit in the NHL, think most of the D are overrated offensively this year). His shot is very lackluster from the games I’ve seen, it will limit his production at the next level. Despite being a great puck-carrier, his transition game is surprisingly ordinary, often makes error on short outlet passes. I’m not his biggest fan (not that I hate him, simply think he’s overrated) but I like his bold style of play. My ranking may seem harsh on him but in 2013 Shea Theodore was a fantastic puck-carrier (in my mind a better prospect too) and nobody was as high on him as people are on Dobson (granted, they are different as well).
Bode Wilde : One of the most gifted athlete of this year draft, he’s strong and is a very powerful skater, reminds me a bit of Jacob Trouba minus the nastiness and physical edge. I think he has a higher ceiling than Dobson and Smith but I’m concern about his lack of edgework on his skates and I wonder if his puck skills will be sufficient at the next level, also take some weird decisions with the puck and is surprisingly easy to overflow by on the wing despite his skating ability. I still rank him ahead Ty Smith because, even though safer, the latter lack a dynamic component to his game that Wilde have.
Ty Smith : Smart puck distributor, very good skater, very elusive against forechecker thanks to his skating ability and his poise (plays with ice in his veins) but I simply don’t see the offensive ceiling that has people drooling for him. I think he’s being overrated there (which seems to be a common trend for this year’s defensemen). For a prospect with his pedigree, he didn’t display any (or too many) flashes of high-end offensive skills. Yes, he did put up an impressive number of points but that happens in junior. At the same stage in their career, I was much higher on Josh Morrissey (both undersized D playing in the Dub).
Rasmus Sandin : Isn’t as effective as Ty Smith carrying the puck but in terms of coast-to-coast and zone entries he does it with more authority than Smith. Offensively he has a better shot and better one-on-one move (amongst the best for a defenseman in this draft) but trails behind in puck moving abilities. I really like his style, playing like a 4th forward but I wonder how much his coach are gonna let him play like that in the NHL. He’s pretty strong physically when initiating contact but seems to fall rather easily when being push or hit, don’t know if he lack balance or strength but I give the nod to Smith. . . (Note that at this point in the draft there’s a drop in talent/ceiling. This year draft depth is below average in my opinion) . .
Isac Lundestrom : Just like Veleno, Lunderstrom’s placing in my ranking throughout the year was kinda ironic, I had him higher that most at first just to be one of the first to make him drop. He has good puck skills and he’s very effective down low and along the boards but he lacks peripheral vision and I think it will limits his upside at the next level. He remains very easy to project at the next level however and will be a good middle-of-the-lineup guy.
K’Andre Miller: Have somewhat of a unique package being such a good skater on a 6’5 frame. I think his offensive upside is limited but he’s still a very valuable defenseman who can lunch lots of minutes and skate the puck out of danger or into the offensive zone. Will be a good complement on a 2nd pair. Has the ability as a defenseman to slow down the pace when the pressure of the opposing forward is too heavy. Similar profile to McIsaac but definitely better, is more engaged in the play than Tychonick and carry the puck with more authority and purpose than Lundkvist. Lots of people will wonder why I have him ranked ahead Bouchard but sometimes I prefer the odds of a player becoming a good complement rather than the odds of a player carring his own line or D pair.
Ryan Merkley: Didn’t looked as bad defensively when suiting up for Team Canada that he did in Guelph. He obviously needs a lot of work there, but I think most of it come from a lack of will. I hate the parallels established between him and Ryan Murphy. The latter was dynamic with his puck-rushing abilities and his booming shot, Merkley is way more cerebral. He’s the only defenseman except Dahlin, Hughes and Boqvist that I can envision on a first PP unit. He’s such a fantastic playmaker and he doesn’t leave anything to hazard, every move he makes on the PP be it faking a shot, overflowing a defenseman along the board, cutting through the middle, everything he makes is in order to open a passing lane. Rarely seen a player that look like a chess-player like he does.
Jake Wise : Looked great in some games, barely noticeable in other, I still like him enough to rank him that high. A dynamic playmaker.
Evan Bouchard : The most overrated prospect of this year for me. His numbers were damn impressive but he’s already at his third season in the OHL and benefits from playing A LOT of minutes. Offensively, he isn’t the catalyst that people likes to describe. He has a very good shot, which he’s good at finding lanes to uses it but other than that he doesn’t have any dynamism in his game. He’s an efficient passer but nothing exceptional, he’s smart, yes, but not any more than the other defensemen in this draft. Defensively, he has looked awful whenever I saw him, he often went for a swim in front of his own net on the PK. I’m doubtful a defenseman can excel in 2018 when lacking edgework. Still think he could end up as a 4th D-man in the NHL and he’s gonna play rather quickly. That worth something but he’s gonna get overdraft, that’s for sure. If I would work for an NHL team, I wouldn’t include his name on my list since he would be taken long before I would start considering drafting him.
Nils Lundkvist: His strongest assets is his transition game. He’s quite skilled but I don’t think his skillset is sufficient enough to play on a PP unit in the NHL but still could be an efficient 5-on-5 puck mover. He doesn’t shy away of the physical play like Boqvist does.
Ryan McLeod : He plays a similar game to his brother and he may have more raw abilities. He has a better hockey sense, a better shot, better hands and he’s a better playmaker. But people needs to be careful here, having more raw abilities doesn’t necessarily translate in being a better hockey player or being more impactful on the ice. He doesn’t have the size and the work ethic of his brother. He was soft from time to time when I saw him in the playoffs. Being only one week from being a 2017 draftee and with his lack of production I’m kinda concern.
Kiril Marchenko : Very intriguing prospect, is generally low on people’s list but he has abilities that scream 1st rounder to me. He already plays a two-way game and he’s very strong on his stick. His game is more driven, hard-nose and better suited to the NHL than Nordgren but with Marchenko it will all come down to one thing : can his skating improve sufficiently enough ? And I will also add his conditioning, he seems to lack energy rather quickly during his shifts on the ice. It was point out to me that his BMI is very low, so that’s promising.
Liam Foudy: A riser just like Forementon last year. Think the game like a pro already, brings a lot of speed and excellent puck support in the offensive zone. Good middle of the line up guy. At this point his upside isn’t any lower than the riskier players that remains on the board. Should breakout offensively next year.
Niklas Nordgren : Wasn’t a big fan after the 5-Nations. I thought he was simply opportunistic, but he definitely grew on me at the U-18 where he was started creating plays by himself and he isn’t only beneficiating from quality minutes with good line mates, he actually has a really good goal scoring instinct, he knows where to go to get open and when to use his shots.
Jesse Ylonen : Being a late DOB, I only saw him at last year’s U-18 but he’s still a first rounder in my books since I didn’t saw 31 better individual performance in this year U-18 (most top prospect were there). Great puck skills and speed. His flaws are that he often only plays at the same pace and that is pedal to the metal all the time, he’s a pretty north-south guy too and he needs to bulk up a ton.
Tyler Weiss : My wildcard for this year draft, I wouldn’t draft him with that pick since I know he would be available in the latter round but I think that in a couple years from now he will look like a steal. I could play safe and put better-known prospect here but history showed us that only around 40-50 players from a draft becomes NHLer so I would rather swing for the fences with a player that I really like than going along with the consensus. He didn’t benefits form quality ice time (Top 6, PP, good linemates,etc) but he displays good speed, edgework, hands, take quality decision with the puck and always try to create something on the ice. (Note that I didn’t saw Kravstov and Bokk this year and I didn’t watched a lot (almost none) of the WHL, otherwise I wouldn’t have included him there but it reminds a statement of how much I like him and think he could become an effective NHLer)

Bonus Round Num1 : Sleeper picks (In no particular order)

Jonathan Gruden: I like his game quite a bit and I like his chance of becoming a good depth player in the NHL but he may go overdraft.

Nikita Rtischev: Only saw him at the WJAC but he was way better than Jack McBain at this tournament. Responsible defensively and has some upside.

Samuel Fagemo : Looked like a one-trick pony when I first saw him, started to look like an hockey player at the 5-Nations but it was at the U-18 that he really impressed me. His game grew tremendously. He offers quality two-way game along a creative east-west offensive game, good hands and evasive move and a heavy shot. Identified as a high-risk high-rewards kinda pick but he brings intangibles to the table, so I don’t see any risks and, anyway, past the 15^th pick there is never any guarantee with those prospects.

Spencer Stastney : After Bode Wilde and Miller he’s the first defenseman out of the NTDP that I would draft. Good poise, puck-moving skills and always made the best play available.

Bonus Round num2 : Why they didn’t figure in my top 31 (In no particular order)

Jonny Tychonick : He was so impressive at the WJAC that I mentioned at the time that he was a far better prospect than fellow Pentincton Vees alumni Danta Fabbro, even said that he wasn’t far off from Ty Smith but he was very underwhelming at the U-18.

Akil Thomas: He’s a good junior player but he’s not a 1^st rounder to me simply because he isn’t skilled enough for the type of game that he plays. He plays a little bit like Barzal or Ho-Sang where he keeps the puck for an extended period of time in the offensive zone, but his skillset is world apart from those guys and will not translate to the NHL.

Serron Noel : Difficult to ignore such a great skater at his size but other than a couple of smart plays along the board I don’t think his skillset is worthy of a 1^st round pick.

Callen Adisson : Really liked him at the Ivan Hlinka but it was the only viewings I had of him. Impressed me at first but most of those eye-opening plays wouldn’t work at the next level. With more viewings he could had jump in my first round. Same could be tell with Luka Burzan.

Jared McIsaac : I liked him a lot at the start of the year, I thought that he had (and it still may be the case) an untapped offensive potential. On top of that, I liked his chances of being a good complimentary D on a top 4 better than the chances of other guys being a driver on a top-4 pair. For those two reasons, I had Ghule (2015) and Lindgren (2016) as first rounders. He’s the best open ice hitter of the draft thanks to good skating ability and perfect timing. But at the U-18 he was constantly stuck in his own zone (not always his faults and he isn’t the only player on the ice) and was kinda shy carrying the puck, never brought it in the offensive zone.