Comments / New

Arctic Ice Hockey’s First Annual NHL Mock Draft: Pick #16

Hey all! Welcome to Arctic Ice Hockey's first annual NHL Mock Draft. Over the next thirty days, Ryan, Tim and myself will attempt to telepathically channel the minds of NHL General Managers as they complete their final rankings in preparation for the 2012 NHLDraft being held June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, PA.

In some instances, our analysis will require less insight than others *cough* *Edmonton* *cough*.

So without further adieu, we present our loyal readers with the sixteenth overall pick of Arctic Ice Hockey's 2012 Mock Draft.

George McPhee: With the sixteenth overall selection in this years draft, the Washington Capitals are pleased to select…


Tomas Hertl

Centre / HC Slavia Praha – Czech Extraliga

6-2

November 12 1993
Hometown: Prague, CZE

Shoots: Left



GP G A P +/- PIM
2011-12 HC Slavia Praha (Czech Extraliga) 38 12 13 25 22

Rankings: CSS (5 EUR), ISS (30), TSN (22), Hockey Prospectus (18)

The Skinny: With the Capitals selecting defenseman Griffin Reinhart at the eleventh pick, it makes sense for them to go with a forward with their second first rounder. Evgeny Kuznetsov has recently signed a two-year extension with Traktor of the KHL, which could make them think twice about selecting another Russian like Anton Slepyshev in the first round. The Capitals could also go with Brendan Gaunce with this pick, another two-way centre, although Hertl projects as a more complete player offensively.

Hockey Prospectus:

Hertl had a strong showing in his first full professional season in the Czech Republic and an impressive World Juniors, although while playing overseas his ice time was up and down with scouts telling me there were some games where he barely got a handful of shifts. Hertl is a gifted puck-handler who is above-average to plus in that area with good creativity and hand-eye coordination. He has a nice frame and is pretty hard to strip the puck from in the cycle game due to his hands and puck protection abilities. Hertl's physical game is pretty solid all-around as he is strong, with a good sized frame, will go to the net, and doesn't mind getting a little chippy. He thinks the game at an above-average level as he's a gifted playmaker who is instinctual with his vision, and his off-the-puck instincts. He's also a pretty sound defensive forward. Hertl certainly needs work on his skating as he's below average on a good day, but that part of his game usually looks replacement level—especially his first few steps—although his standstill agility and balance are solid. If he cleans up his skating, his raw possession skills are first-line worthy, so if his development goes well, he could be a nice value pick. – Corey Pronman

AIH Draft Board

Pick Team Player Pos Nationality Amateur Club
1 Edmonton Oilers Nail Yakupov LW RUS Sarnia Sting (OHL)
2 Columbus Blue Jackets Mikhail Grigorenko C RUS Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
3 Montreal Canadiens Alex Galchenyuk C USA Sarnia Sting (OHL)
4 New York Islanders Ryan Murray D CAN Everett Silvertips (WHL)
5 Toronto Maple Leafs Filip Forsberg RW SWE Leksands IF (Allsvenskan)
6 Anaheim Ducks Matt Dumba D CAN Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
7 Minnesota Wild Teuvo Teravainen LW FIN Jokerit Jr. (SM Liiga)
8 Carolina Hurricanes Morgan Rielly D CAN Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
9 Winnipeg Jets Radek Faksa C CZE Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
10 Tampa Bay Lightning Cody Ceci D CAN Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
11 Washington Capitals (via COL) Griffin Reinhart D CAN Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
12 Buffalo Sabres Zemgus Girgensons C LVA Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
13 Dallas Stars Sebastian Collberg RW SWE Frolunda Jr. (SuperElit)
14 Calgary Flames Jacob Trouba D USA USA U-18 (USNTDP)
15 Ottawa Senators Pontus Aberg LW SWE Djurgardens IF (Allsvenskan)
16 Washington Capitals Tomas Hertl C CZE HC Slavia Praha (Czech Extraliga)

Community Draft Board

Pick Team Player Pos Nationality Amateur Club
1 Edmonton Oilers Nail Yakupov LW RUS Sarnia Sting (OHL)
2 Columbus Blue Jackets Mikhail Grigorenko C RUS Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
3 Montreal Canadiens Alex Galchenyuk C USA Sarnia Sting (OHL)
4 New York Islanders Ryan Murray D CAN Everett Silvertips (WHL)
5 Toronto Maple Leafs Filip Forsberg RW SWE Leksands IF (Allsvenskan)
6 Anaheim Ducks Teuvo Teravainen LW FIN Jokerit Jr. (SM Liiga)

7 Minnesota Wild Matt Dumba D CAN Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
8 Carolina Hurricanes Morgan Rielly D CAN Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
9 Winnipeg Jets Radek Faksa C CZE Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
10 Tampa Bay Lightning Cody Ceci D CAN Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
11 Washington Capitals (via COL) Jacob Trouba D USA USA U-18 (USNTDP)
12 Buffalo Sabres Griffin Reinhart D CAN Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
13 Dallas Stars Pontus Aberg LW SWE Djurgardens IF (Allsvenskan)
14 Calgary Flames Olli Maatta D FIN London Knights (OHL)
15 Ottawa Senators Sebastian Collberg RW SWE Frolunda Jr. (SuperElit)

Option Votes
Matt Finn 0
Brendan Gaunce 8
Zemgus Girgensons 12
Tomas Hertl 4
Hampus Lindholm 4
Looking for an easy way to support Arctic Ice Hockey?
Use our Affiliate Link when shopping hockey merch this holiday season!

Talking Points