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Arctic Ice Hockey's 2013 NHL Mock Draft: Pick #16

2013 NHL Draft: Arctic Ice Hockey's Winnipeg Jets' Community Draft Board 11-15

Arctic Ice Hockey's 2013 NHL Mock Draft: Pick #15

Arctic Ice Hockey's 2013 NHL Mock Draft: Pick #14

Arctic Ice Hockey's 2013 NHL Mock Draft: Pick #13

Kevin Cheveldayoff in the Spotlight: Jets GMs Best and Worst Moves Through Year Two

Arctic Ice Hockey's 2013 NHL Mock Draft: Pick #12

Winnipeg Jets 2012-13 Season Review, Part 4: The Defensemen

Frederik Gauthier

Alexander Wennberg

Max Domi

Kerby Rychel

Anthony Mantha

Left Wing / Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)

Centre / Djurgarden (Allsvenskan)

Centre / London Knights (OHL)

Left Wing / Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

Chevy's Best Moves:

Chevy's Worst Moves:

Hold:

What does this all mean?

Right Wing / Val d'Or Forreurs (QMJHL)

The Stats, 5v5

Top Four

The Rest

Summary

Bonus Section, Myth Busting:

Who will the Buffalo Sabres' select with the sixeenth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft?

Instructions:

Friendly Reminders:

Who will the Columbus Blue Jackets' select with the fifteenth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft?

Frederik Gauthier

Alexander Wennberg

Nikita Zadorov

Valentin Zykov

Other (please specify in the comments section)

Who will the Columbus Blue Jackets' select with the fourteenth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft?

Frederik Gauthier

Ryan Pulock

Alexander Wennberg

Nikita Zadorov

Other (please specify in the comments section)

Who will the Winnipeg Jets' select with the thirteenth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft?

Frederik Gauthier

Anthony Mantha

Alexander Wennberg

Nikita Zadorov

Other (Please specify in the comments section)

Who will the Phoenix Coyotes' select with the twelfth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft?

Max Domi

Frederik Gauthier

Anthony Mantha

Nikita Zadorov

Other (please specify in the comments section)

2013-06-18T17:00:05Z

Hey all! Welcome to another instalment of Arctic Ice Hockey's annual NHL Mock Draft.

Over the next thirty days, we will attempt to telepathically channel the minds of NHL General Managers as they complete their final rankings in preparation for the 2012 NHL Draft being held June 30, 2012 in Newark, NJ.

Without further adieu, we present our loyal readers with the sixteenth overall pick of Arctic Ice Hockey's 2013 Mock Draft.

Darcy Reiger: With the sixteenth overall selection in this years draft, the Buffalo Sabres' are pleased to select...

Height: 6-3

Weight: 193

Born: April 26, 1995

Hometown: Mascouche, PQ

Shoots: Left

Rankings: CSS (8 NA), ISS (18), TSN (21), Hockey Prospectus (31)

The Skinny: After taking a defenceman with their first pick, the Buffalo Sabres should be looking at a forward with their second pick -- acquired as part of the Jason Pommonville trade. With Gauthier they will get a steady, competent player with offensive upside.

Hockey Prospectus:

"Gauthier experienced an up-and-down campaign. He showed significant flashes, but also lapsed offensively for long stretches. He measures at 6'5", 214 pounds, has some offensive talent, and shows advanced play for his age. He is an above-average skater, well above-average for a player his size, as he has a real easiness to his stride. He exerts little effort in his pushoffs, and he picks up speed very well. He is very agile, given his size."

AIH Draft Board

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Nationality	Amateur Club
1	Colorado Avalanche	Seth Jones	D	USA	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2	Florida Panthers	Jonathan Drouin	LW	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Nathan MacKinnon	C	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	Nashville Predators	Aleksander Barkov	C	FIN	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Sean Monahan	C	CAN	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Hunter Shinkaruk	LW	CAN	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
7	Edmonton Oilers	Elias Lindholm	C	SWE	Brynas (Elitserien)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Darnell Nurse	D	CAN	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
9	New Jersey Devils	Bo Horvat	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)
10	Dallas Stars	Valeri Nichushkin	RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk 2 (MHL)
11	Philadelphia Flyers	Rasmus Ristolainen	D	FIN	TPS (SM-liiga)
12	Phoenix Coyotes	Anthony Mantha	RW	CAN	Val d'Or Forreaurs (QMJHL)
13	Winnipeg Jets	Kerby Rychel	LW	CAN	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
14	Columbus Blue Jackets	Max Domi	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)
15	New York Islanders	Alexander Wennberg	C	SWE	Djurgaden (Allsvenskan)
16	Buffalo Sabres	Frederik Gauthier	LW	CAN	Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)

Community Draft Board

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Nationality	Amateur Club
1	Colorado Avalanche	Seth Jones	D	USA	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2	Florida Panthers	Nathan MacKinnon	C	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Jonathan Drouin	LW	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	Nashville Predators	Aleksander Barkov	C	FIN	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Valeri Nichushkin	RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk 2 (MHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Sean Monahan	C	CAN	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
7	Edmonton Oilers	Darnell Nurse	D	CAN	Sault Ste. Marie Grehyounds (OHL)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Elias Lindholm	C	SWE	Brynas (Elitserien)
9	New Jersey Devils	Hunter Shinkaruk	LW	CAN	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
10	Dallas Stars	Bo Horvat	C	CAN	London Kinghts (OHL)
11	Philadelphia Flyers	Rasmum Ristolainen	D	FIN	TPS (SM-liiga)
12	Phoenix Coyotes	Max Domi	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)
13	Winnipeg Jets	Anthony Mantha	RW	CAN	Val d'Or Forreurs (QMJHL)
14	Columbus Blue Jackets	Ryan Pulock	D	CAN	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
15	New York Islanders	Nikita Zadorov	D	RUS	London Knights (OHL)

Poll

2013-06-18T15:00:05Z

After week one, the results are in. With 22 votes being tallied, our AIH Big Board slots 6-10 are as follows:

Today, we continue with slots 16-20.

Use the spreadsheet below to rank the top five available players in this year's draft. Take into account each player's talent, value, need, and character into account when making your selections. If you wish to rank them in terms of "best player available" simply rank them as such, as is your wont.

Players will receive five (5) points for every first place vote, four (4) points for every second place vote, and so on. They will receive zero (0) points if they remain unranked. Total points from all ballots will be added, and the 5 players with the most points will be taken out of the pool of available players and put up on the big board.

This is not a mock draft. We are running an independent mock draft with community input in line with this endeavour.
Don't predict what Winnipeg will want to do with their pick, this is your chance to play armchair GM.
Assume that everyone you can vote for is available.
Don't worry about who other teams will draft.
Don't worry about who will available at the thirteenth overall selection.
Don't mind that everyone is a "quarterback"; this template was borrowed from our pals at Dawgs by Nature.
Please vote only once.

Happy draft boarding!

2013-06-17T17:00:03Z

Hey all! Welcome to another instalment of Arctic Ice Hockey's annual NHL Mock Draft.

Without further adieu, we present our loyal readers with the fifteenth overall pick of Arctic Ice Hockey's 2013 Mock Draft.

Garth Snow: With the fifteenth overall selection in this years draft, the New York Islanders' are pleased to select...

Height: 6-1

Weight: 174

Born: September 22, 1994

Hometown: Stockholm, SWE

Shoots: Left

Rankings: CSS (5 EUR), ISS (15), TSN (12), Hockey Prospectus (15)

The Skinny: The New York Islanders made big strides towards the future this season by qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2007. At the heart of this rebuild has been a young Isles roster which Garth Snow has been largely successful in building. In Wennberg, the Ilses get themselves another skilled centre to come in and take some pressure of Jonahthan Tavares.

Hockey Prospectus:

"Wennberg's development has been trending upward over the past year. By midseason, he was playing significant minutes in the SEL-2 pro league, and did not appear out of place for an 18-year-old in that role. He is a versatile player, capable of lining up at all three forward positions. One NHL executive described him as really hard to knock. His skating is above average, and some scouts have classified it as high end because of his speed and elusiveness. His offensive instincts stand out; one NHL head scout told me his hockey sense and creativity were strong."

AIH Draft Board

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Nationality	Amateur Club
1	Colorado Avalanche	Seth Jones	D	USA	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2	Florida Panthers	Jonathan Drouin	LW	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Nathan MacKinnon	C	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	Nashville Predators	Aleksander Barkov	C	FIN	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Sean Monahan	C	CAN	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Hunter Shinkaruk	LW	CAN	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
7	Edmonton Oilers	Elias Lindholm	C	SWE	Brynas (Elitserien)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Darnell Nurse	D	CAN	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
9	New Jersey Devils	Bo Horvat	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)
10	Dallas Stars	Valeri Nichushkin	RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk 2 (MHL)
11	Philadelphia Flyers	Rasmus Ristolainen	D	FIN	TPS (SM-liiga)
12	Phoenix Coyotes	Anthony Mantha	RW	CAN	Val d'Or Forreaurs (QMJHL)
13	Winnipeg Jets	Kerby Rychel	LW	CAN	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
14	Columbus Blue Jackets	Max Domi	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)
15	New York Islanders	Alexander Wennberg	C	SWE	Djurgaden (Allsvenskan)

Community Draft Board

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Nationality	Amateur Club
1	Colorado Avalanche	Seth Jones	D	USA	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2	Florida Panthers	Nathan MacKinnon	C	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Jonathan Drouin	LW	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	Nashville Predators	Aleksander Barkov	C	FIN	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Valeri Nichushkin	RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk 2 (MHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Sean Monahan	C	CAN	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
7	Edmonton Oilers	Darnell Nurse	D	CAN	Sault Ste. Marie Grehyounds (OHL)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Elias Lindholm	C	SWE	Brynas (Elitserien)
9	New Jersey Devils	Hunter Shinkaruk	LW	CAN	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
10	Dallas Stars	Bo Horvat	C	CAN	London Kinghts (OHL)
11	Philadelphia Flyers	Rasmum Ristolainen	D	FIN	TPS (SM-liiga)
12	Phoenix Coyotes	Max Domi	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)
13	Winnipeg Jets	Anthony Mantha	RW	CAN	Val d'Or Forreurs (QMJHL)
14	Columbus Blue Jackets	Ryan Pulock	D	CAN	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

Poll

8 votes

2 votes

18 votes

5 votes

1 votes

34 votes | Poll has closed

2013-06-16T17:00:36Z

Hey all! Welcome to another instalment of Arctic Ice Hockey's annual NHL Mock Draft.

Without further adieu, we present our loyal readers with the fourteenth overall pick of Arctic Ice Hockey's 2013 Mock Draft.

Jarmo Kekäläinen: With the fourteenth overall selection in this years draft, the Columbus Blue Jackets' are pleased to select...

Height: 5-9

Weight: 185

Born: March 2, 1995

Hometown: Winnipeg, MB

Shoots: Left

Rankings: CSS (19 NA), ISS (25), TSN (10), Hockey Prospectus (9)

The Skinny: For only the third time in since their inception in 2000, the Columbus Blue Jackets will make their first selection of the draft outside of the top ten. In Domi, they will add more young skill to a core that now seems poised to shed a decades' worth of failure under new management.

Hockey Prospectus:

"Max is the son of former enforcer Tie Domi, but he differs completely from his father in talent level. Max is a highly-skilled player who can impact an offense in multiple ways. One NHL source said he possesses clearly high-end playmaking abilities. He controls the puck, and he can make quality passes in a multitude of ways: slowing the game from the sideboards, through tight spaces in pressure, or saucers over a defender's stick. Although he is undersized at 5'9", he has very quick feet, and he displays a good level of speed and agility."

AIH Draft Board

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Nationality	Amateur Club
1	Colorado Avalanche	Seth Jones	D	USA	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2	Florida Panthers	Jonathan Drouin	LW	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Nathan MacKinnon	C	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	Nashville Predators	Aleksander Barkov	C	FIN	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Sean Monahan	C	CAN	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Hunter Shinkaruk	LW	CAN	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
7	Edmonton Oilers	Elias Lindholm	C	SWE	Brynas (Elitserien)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Darnell Nurse	D	CAN	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
9	New Jersey Devils	Bo Horvat	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)
10	Dallas Stars	Valeri Nichushkin	RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk 2 (MHL)
11	Philadelphia Flyers	Rasmus Ristolainen	D	FIN	TPS (SM-liiga)
12	Phoenix Coyotes	Anthony Mantha	RW	CAN	Val d'Or Forreaurs (QMJHL)
13	Winnipeg Jets	Kerby Rychel	LW	CAN	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
14	Columbus Blue Jackets	Max Domi	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)

Community Draft Board

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Nationality	Amateur Club
1	Colorado Avalanche	Seth Jones	D	USA	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2	Florida Panthers	Nathan MacKinnon	C	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Jonathan Drouin	LW	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	Nashville Predators	Aleksander Barkov	C	FIN	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Valeri Nichushkin	RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk 2 (MHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Sean Monahan	C	CAN	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
7	Edmonton Oilers	Darnell Nurse	D	CAN	Sault Ste. Marie Grehyounds (OHL)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Elias Lindholm	C	SWE	Brynas (Elitserien)
9	New Jersey Devils	Hunter Shinkaruk	LW	CAN	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
10	Dallas Stars	Bo Horvat	C	CAN	London Kinghts (OHL)
11	Philadelphia Flyers	Rasmum Ristolainen	D	FIN	TPS (SM-liiga)
12	Phoenix Coyotes	Max Domi	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)
13	Winnipeg Jets	Anthony Mantha	RW	CAN	Val d'Or Forreurs (QMJHL)

Poll

4 votes

12 votes

11 votes

10 votes

2 votes

39 votes | Poll has closed

2013-06-15T17:00:03Z

Hey all! Welcome to another instalment of Arctic Ice Hockey's annual NHL Mock Draft.

Without further adieu, we present our loyal readers with the thirteenth overall pick of Arctic Ice Hockey's 2013 Mock Draft.

Kevin Cheveldayoff: With the thirteenth overall selection in this years draft, the Winnipeg Jets' are pleased to select...

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Born: October 7, 1994

Hometown: Torrance, CA

Shoots: Left

Rankings: CSS (17 NA), ISS (20), TSN (27), Hockey Prospectus (44)

The Skinny: Coming off back-to-back forty goal seasons, Kerby Rychel is a player who has been lauded for his shot and scoring sense as well as the sandpaper aspect he brings to the game. With NHL bloodlines, Rychel is no doubt fits the TNSE mold and his two-way two-way game could evolve him into a quality top-six option.

Hockey Prospectus:

"Rychel, the son of former NHL player Warren Rychel, has been a productive OHL forward the past two seasons, averaging over a point per game during that span. He has above-average puck skills, good offensive instincts, and a great shot. While he has good skill, I would not define him as a creative player. The Spitfires used him on the right point of their power play, where he was free to unleash his big one-timer. He can be effective in front of the net, as he has good hand-eye coordination, and a quality power game that helps him establish body position. He projects as a good secondary scoring option, with skill and physicality adding to his value. His skating is roughly average; he has some poor mechanics, but decent speed. He also needs to work on his defensive game."

AIH Draft Board

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Nationality	Amateur Club
1	Colorado Avalanche	Seth Jones	D	USA	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2	Florida Panthers	Jonathan Drouin	LW	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Nathan MacKinnon	C	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	Nashville Predators	Aleksander Barkov	C	FIN	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Sean Monahan	C	CAN	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Hunter Shinkaruk	LW	CAN	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
7	Edmonton Oilers	Elias Lindholm	C	SWE	Brynas (Elitserien)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Darnell Nurse	D	CAN	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
9	New Jersey Devils	Bo Horvat	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)
10	Dallas Stars	Valeri Nichushkin	RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk 2 (MHL)
11	Philadelphia Flyers	Rasmus Ristolainen	D	FIN	TPS (SM-liiga)
12	Phoenix Coyotes	Anthony Mantha	RW	CAN	Val d'Or Forreaurs (QMJHL)
13	Winnipeg Jets	Kerby Rychel	LW	CAN	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

Community Draft Board

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Nationality	Amateur Club
1	Colorado Avalanche	Seth Jones	D	USA	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2	Florida Panthers	Nathan MacKinnon	C	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Jonathan Drouin	LW	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	Nashville Predators	Aleksander Barkov	C	FIN	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Valeri Nichushkin	RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk 2 (MHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Sean Monahan	C	CAN	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
7	Edmonton Oilers	Darnell Nurse	D	CAN	Sault Ste. Marie Grehyounds (OHL)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Elias Lindholm	C	SWE	Brynas (Elitserien)
9	New Jersey Devils	Hunter Shinkaruk	LW	CAN	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
10	Dallas Stars	Bo Horvat	C	CAN	London Kinghts (OHL)
11	Philadelphia Flyers	Rasmum Ristolainen	D	FIN	TPS (SM-liiga)
12	Phoenix Coyotes	Max Domi	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)

Poll

14 votes

16 votes

10 votes

15 votes

6 votes

61 votes | Poll has closed

2013-06-14T19:00:06Z

>The Winnipeg Jets are entering a vital off-season as it pertains to the future success of the franchise. Young players are developing, big name players are rumored to be on the trade block and the Jets are loaded up with 10 draft picks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

As the Winnipeg Jets General Manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff is on the hot seat to handle these moves. In light of his busy summer, lets take a look at some of the moves he's made to date and for the sake of making people mad, we will rank them and judge them.

1) Delivering The Pizza Man?

Johnny Oduya has found a new home and he is fitting in quite well. He is better suited to the system in Chicago and I highly doubt their is any buyer's remorse on the Chicago end. That said, moving Oduya was still very much the right move. A 2nd and 3rd round pick was a very solid return. It sucks that those picks are going to be at the very bottom of their respective rounds, but they are still great value for a player that was going to walk anyways.

2) Joining #TeamWelly

Kyle Wellwood was picked up for pennies (relatively speaking) and played in a beyond serviceable middle six role for the Jets in his first year. Welly added scoring punch that otherwise would not have existed and was among the best value signings in the league. Year two saw Welly's production slow (thanks to a fatter stack of cash), but the year one signing was a savvy pickup.

3) Finding The Clit

Chevy found it! Grant Clitsome was a bit of an unknown when he was signed. Clitty had posted decent possession and scoring numbers while playing limited ice time in Columbus, but he was unpolished and the defensive side of his game was a little sloppy. Still, he was free and their was no real risk in adding him.

The timing of Clitty's signing helped offset the loss of Johnny Oduya and he turned out to be a really solid contributor in his second season with the Jets. Clitsome is still far from a world beater and he would be a 5th or 6th depth defender / powerplay specialist on most teams, but he was able to step up and fill in next to Buff this year. Playing with Buff isn't easy and Clitsome did well.

4) Pulling a Yank

Early Returns on Jacob Trouba look very very good. There was some debate about who the Jets should have taken with the 9th overall pick in the 2012 Draft and while the story is far from written Trouba looks like a gooder. Of course it is still possible that Mikhail Grigorenko or Filip Forsberg will be superstar forwards, but seriously guys - f*** 'em. Trouba is going to smash them. BIG HITS!! TRUCULENCE!!!

5) Locking Up Ladd For Little

Chevy's first order of business as the GM of the Winnipeg Jets was to lock up the team's captain. Ladd was coming off a career year and was going to be a key cog for the team moving forward. Chevy locked him up quickly and at a very cap friendly rate. Ladd has since out-played his deal. This was Chevy's first big win as the GM of the Jets.

6) @ALowsyPlayer17 Is Not A Lowsy Player

Adam Lowry exploded this year and won all sorts of awards in the WHL as Lowry was without a doubt one of the leagues best players. He carried his team on his back and put them in the playoffs. He was even given a "C" for team WHL in the Canada / Russia Subway Series. On top of all this, the Left Wing prospect was moved to Centre and found success in his new (and in my opinion more important position). Lowry has shot up the ranks of Jets prospects.

7) The Finn Is Finnished

Olli Jokinen's awful year has been well documented, but the signing was widely looked at as a positive. Jokinen was far and away the top Centre on the market and Chevy got him. While it is too bad that Olli has disappointed, I consider the signing a win. The dollars and term of the were reasonable and the pickup was made based on solid logic. Olli busting isn't on Chevy.

1) Fehr Is Still Fairly Fair

Eric Fehr had an awful 2011-12 season as a member of the Winnipeg Jets, spending most of the season toiling in 4th line hell while receiving next to no puck luck before injury troubles resurfaced. The season was an undoubted disappointment, but I thought Fehr had proved he was worth bringing back during the lockout.

During his stint in SM-liiga, Fehr outscored Kyle Turris, Jussi Jokinen, Mikko Koivu, Craig Smith, Mathieu Perreault and Lars Eller. Obviously, the Washington Capitals took notice as they signed him. They also retained former Jets prospect Daultan Leveille and used the draft pick that the Jets traded for Fehr the previous June.

As a team that is / was desperate for depth, the Winnipeg Jets could have used Eric Fehr this season. Perhaps, Fehr wanted out. Perhaps moving away was his decision, but he wasn't exactly flush with offers. Chevy probably could have lured him back on the cheap.

2) Ondrej's Giant Contract

I am not going to rant about how bad of a goalie Ondrej Pavelec is, but I will say his contract is a massive financial hurdle. Pavelec is making quality starter money despite being nowhere near that caliber of player. Even most of his believers are suggesting the Jets should bring in a 1B goalie to push him. The problem with this is; 1B goalies aren't cheap. The Jets may well find themselves spending $6MM a year on netminders within the next year or two. It may be even more than that if Pavelec falls out of favor.

3) Holding Hainsey

This is purely a hindsight criticism as I wasn't really for or against the moving Ron Hainsey at the deadline. Bottom line is the Jets kept Ron and still missed the playoffs. Chevy gambled and lost. Was the bet worth while? That is debatable, but the Jets did not maximize their assets in this situation. The fact that losing streaks by the Islanders, Senators, Rangers or Caps would have turned it into a plus makes me consider this a minimal mark against Chevy.

4) Because He's A Sutter

It is probably unfair to pick on a kid one year after he was drafted when he hasn't played a lick of pro hockey, but I didn't like Lukas Sutter as a 2nd round draft pick. His pre-draft play wasn't really up to snuff. He had little chance of becoming a scorer, but he had intangibles and he was a Sutter (still is). Sutter's play this past year was really really bad.

I really hope Sutter can turn things around, but 19 year old prospects that fall to the 4th line of their junior teams don't generally have a great success rate. It will be interesting to see what happens with him next year. Sutter will be eligible to play in St. John's, but he may be sent back to junior for his overage season.

1) Scheifele Down

Mark Scheifele was considered by most to be a bit of a reach as the first pick of the Jets 2.0 and while Mark has grown a ton as a player since he was drafted there are still question marks. There is no doubt that Scheifele is a top notch prospect with loads of offensive upside. The question is about how he will transition to pro hockey.

Add to the mix the success that Sean Couturier, Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Brodin have had and there is still reason to question this pick. Scheifele's upside looks great, but there are still a load of question marks, that's why I left this as a hold.

2) Can You Win Without Yuen?

Of course you can, but letting Yuen walk was still puzzling. Many non-Jets scouts thought he had progressed well, but evidently Chevy and Co. disagree. Time will tell who was right, but there was very little risk in signing Yuen to an ELC - especially considering how few prospects the Jets have in the system. Long term this probably amounts to nothing, but it was an odd move in my opinion.

Nothing really. Chevy hasn't really done a lot. There haven't been any defining moves or major screw ups. As one of our twitter friends (@gm0ney) said regarding Chevy "all he's done with the on-ice talent so far as a GM is shuffle the bottom six deck chairs."

This off season has potential to be a big one, so let's hope Chevy adds a few move moves to the "Best Moves" section.

Remember, this is just one man's opinion. Did I miss anything? Did I rank them wrong? Tell me in the comment section.

2013-06-14T17:00:08Z

Hey all! Welcome to another instalment of Arctic Ice Hockey's annual NHL Mock Draft.

Without further adieu, we present our loyal readers with the twelfth overall pick of Arctic Ice Hockey's 2013 Mock Draft.

Don Maloney: With the twelfth overall selection in this years draft, the Phoenix Coyotes' are pleased to select...

Height: 6-4

Weight: 190

Born: September 16, 1994

Hometown: Longueuil, QC

Shoots: Left

Rankings: CSS (10 NA), ISS (24), TSN (22), Hockey Prospectus (16)

The Skinny: Anthony Mantha is a blend of size and scoring, lighting up the QMJHL for 50 goals this past year. Though a project, Mantha has the tools necessary to be successful in the NHL.

Hockey Prospectus:

"Mantha made significant strides over the last year, aided by his late birthdate, which gave him an extra year of development. He is a well above-average skater for a big man. He picks up speed quickly, with a certain smoothness in his skating technique. That skating ability, combined with his 6'4" frame, makes him an intriguing physical package. He does possess some skill, but he is more of a good thinker than a fancy puck handler."

AIH Draft Board

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Nationality	Amateur Club
1	Colorado Avalanche	Seth Jones	D	USA	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2	Florida Panthers	Jonathan Drouin	LW	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Nathan MacKinnon	C	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	Nashville Predators	Aleksander Barkov	C	FIN	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Sean Monahan	C	CAN	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Hunter Shinkaruk	LW	CAN	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
7	Edmonton Oilers	Elias Lindholm	C	SWE	Brynas (Elitserien)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Darnell Nurse	D	CAN	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
9	New Jersey Devils	Bo Horvat	C	CAN	London Knights (OHL)
10	Dallas Stars	Valeri Nichushkin	RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk 2 (MHL)
11	Philadelphia Flyers	Rasmus Ristolainen	D	FIN	TPS (SM-liiga)
12	Phoenix Coyotes	Anthony Mantha	RW	CAN	Val d'Or Forreaurs (QMJHL)

Community Draft Board

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Nationality	Amateur Club
1	Colorado Avalanche	Seth Jones	D	USA	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2	Florida Panthers	Nathan MacKinnon	C	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Jonathan Drouin	LW	CAN	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4	Nashville Predators	Aleksander Barkov	C	FIN	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Valeri Nichushkin	RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk 2 (MHL)
6	Calgary Flames	Sean Monahan	C	CAN	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
7	Edmonton Oilers	Darnell Nurse	D	CAN	Sault Ste. Marie Grehyounds (OHL)
8	Buffalo Sabres	Elias Lindholm	C	SWE	Brynas (Elitserien)
9	New Jersey Devils	Hunter Shinkaruk	LW	CAN	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
10	Dallas Stars	Bo Horvat	C	CAN	London Kinghts (OHL)
11	Philadelphia Flyers	Rasmum Ristolainen	D	FIN	TPS (SM-liiga)

Poll

12 votes

2 votes

6 votes

8 votes

0 votes

28 votes | Poll has closed

2013-06-13T18:51:05Z

The regular season is over, Kevin Chevaldayoff has given his end of the season press conference, and the players have dispersed from Winnipeg to warmer spring cities. It's a perfect time to review the season and delve into what the on ice results say about this season's Winnipeg Jets. Here is a look at where the Winnipeg Jets came from and where are they going.

In part three of the series, we finished off discussing the 2012-13 Jets forwards. Now we shall look at the Jets backend (insert Byfuglien/Wellwood/Pavelec overweight joke here).

In most cases, defensemen are predominately focused on reducing scoring chances against their own team. Offering secondary scoring and point shots during an offensive zone puck cycle would both be lesser in importance, although still having value in itself.

One of my all time favourite quotes in regards to defensemen comes from one of the most defensive coaches in the league. 2010 Jack Adams winner Dave Tippett has only missed the playoffs twice in his entire career as a NHL Head Coach. Tippett has always been a strong supporter in how analytics can help clear the murkiness created by the narrative seeking conventional hockey wisdom. In an interview he once stated something we should keep in mind:

"We had a player that was supposed to be a great, shut-down defenseman. He was supposedly the be-all, end-all of defensemen. But when you did a 10-game analysis of him, you found out he was defending all the time because he can't move the puck.

"Then we had another guy, who supposedly couldn't defend a lick. Well, he was defending only 20 percent of the time because he's making good plays out of our end. He may not be the strongest defender, but he's only doing it 20 percent of the time. So the equation works out better the other way. I ended up trading the other defenseman."

This touches on the source of miscommunication between those who use possession statistics. Often the so-called "stat nerds" are ridiculed for thinking certain defensemen are good defensemen. The so-called "traditionalists" will point out too singular events in where a defenseman has made a mistake, misunderstanding the real point. The true reason the "stat nerds" are saying particular defensemen are good defenders is not due to excelling in one particular subset in the game in defending but rather the players net contribution to the team and the final results.

Name	RelQoC	OZS	Corsi	RelCorsi	SF/60	SA/60	Shot Diff	G/60	A1/60	P/60
Dustin Byfuglien	0.608	50.1	1.21	4.7	28.0	28.8	-0.8	0.14	0.36	1.00
Zach Bogosian	1.115	45.3	-3.29	-5.0	25.3	27.8	-2.5	0.48	0.10	1.06
Ron Hainsey	1.144	44.2	-6.53	-8.7	25.9	27.5	-1.6	0.00	0.34	0.75
Tobias Enstrom	0.719	51.0	-1.31	-2.3	28.9	26.9	2.0	0.33	0.16	0.98
Zach Redmond	-1.443	50.0	19.54	21.3	28.8	16.7	12.1	0.00	0.47	0.93
Grant Clitsome	0.113	49.4	0.35	2.3	25.1	28.4	-3.3	0.17	0.52	0.95
Mark Stuart	-0.073	48.9	-3.39	-2.9	22.0	23.3	-1.3	0.20	0.10	0.40
Derek Meech	-0.720	53.4	-8.43	-7.1	21.2	30.5	-9.3	0.00	0.27	0.27
Paul Postma	-0.650	60.9	6.17	9.9	25.8	24.9	0.9	0.27	0.27	0.69

NHL Median	0.233	49.3	-0.5	-0.4	26.2	26.2	0.0	0.14	0.21	0.69

All numbers are from behindthenet.ca or stats.hockeyanalysis.com

It's no surprise that all four are above the NHL defenseman median offensively, as they all perform fairly well at either puck distribution, moving the play forward, and shooting. It is however a little worrisome that only one has a positive possession and only one has a positive shot differential. Much of that could be blamed on injuries and non-optimal usage, but ideally you want your big minutes players landing in the plus.

For the second year in a row, the Jets lost around 25% of their man games with their four best defensemen. This season was worse in many ways as the percent lost from their fourth best defensemen, Hainsey, moved to one of their best, Enstrom. There were also multiple domino effects, time without both Bogosian and Byfuglien forced Noel to create an Enstrom-Hainsey pairing. The pair then carried the weight that was normally distributed between all top 4 defensemen. This hammered both of their possession numbers, early in the year -- at the time they were hovering around the negative twenties for RelCorsi--. Another issue is that Noel wasn't able to give the same offensive zone push to Enstrom and Byfuglien as he did the season prior.

So, how good were the Jets top 4 when together? Well let's look at how they performed as a pair for all their time together in Jets 2.0 history. The following is their goal and Corsi stats for close games and adjusted for zone starts, only looking when the game was within two points and removing any events within 10 seconds of puck drop in the defensive or offensive zone:

	TOI	GF/20	GA/20	GF%	CF/20	CA/20	CF%
Tobi-Buff	544	0.919	0.773	54.3%	21.8	17.3	55.7%
Ron-Bogo	388	0.825	0.876	48.5%	21.3	19.6	52.1%

Having a lower GF% than your CF% is pretty normal when your team sports one of the worst SV% in the league. It's very impressive that the Jets sported two pairs that can push the play forward with positive possession. Many in MSM (mainstream media) and the Jets fanbase have stated that these pairings don't work; however, all evidence is that they work best with each other. The truth is the four have spent much of the last two seasons playing predominantly against the leagues best AND they have beaten them.

If you break it down it makes sense:

* Byfuglien is amazing offensively but has problems creating chances against with getting caught up in the play, while Enstrom is one of the best Jets' defenders for reducing shots and scoring chances against (two years running), even with his small stature he does this via the same method mentioned in the Tippett quote.

* Bogosian is strong at pushing the play forward with his skating and is catching up to Byfuglien offensively but has been well known for getting lost positionally in the defensive zone and can run around a bit, while Hainsey is strong positionally and very vocal in directing defensive zone traffic but can't skate the puck out very well. He also doesn't have a great shot.

This is likely the last season we see this top 4 together, as Hainsey will most likely depart from the Jets. Hainsey may be in demand and the cap is falling. The Jets also have a bit of a youth movement on the way. While some see this as addition by subtraction, we should keep in mind that Ron faced some of the toughest minutes in the entire NHL. He may not have looked great all the time, but few do in these minutes and he generally was able to avoid drowning.

It will take quite a very large jump in development from either Redmond, Trouba, Clitsome or Postma in order to do what Hainsey did.

Developing a tough minutes beater takes time. It took Shea Weber and Ryan Suter a year splitting AHL and NHL plus a full season of soft NHL minutes before they could handle toughs. It took Drew Doughty 3 years struggling under tough minutes, and Bogosian 4 years under tough minutes to finally break out... Those are top tier players. Clitsome, Redmond and Postma are not.

Stuart improved over last season, predominately due to Noel avoiding any tough assignments for Mark. Playing some easy minutes with two former AHL All-Stars also likely helped lift Stu's possession stats. His weak offensive production is fine given that the Jets have plenty who can bring the O. Stu's inability to get the puck out of the defensive zone and properly decide when to go for a hit still causes issues. These are likely big contributors to the Jets poor shot differential with Stu on the ice.

The remaining four cycled in and out of the press box throughout the season.

Clitsome would likely beat out Stuart for most improved player. He started off the season under similar minutes and usage as Postma but with far worse results, but as the season moved along he improved his defensive zone play to supplement his already above average offensive abilities. As a 28 year old UFA this season, he could be a low cost stop-gap taking that 2nd pair left side spot until one of Redmond, Postma or Trouba (or Arturs Kulda) is ready for top four minutes.

Meanwhile, Redmond and Postma handled themselves quite well for rookies, destroying sheltered competition. It comes as no surprise, since the two were both former AHL All-Stars and beating fourth line players is pretty similar to beating AHL lifers. Someone once argued against advanced statistics using Postma as an example, saying advanced statistics point to Paul to being one of the best defensemen in the league. Postma's problem is that he had a few very visible giveaways early (lets call it the Johnny Oduya effect), because of this he was heavily critisize an people looked for holes instead of the good. Bottom line is, Postma and Redmond handled themselvess quite well through most of the season, but the context is important. The stats were impressive, but destroying sheltered minutes isn't the same as beating tough match-ups. Still there is plenty of promise for both the future.

Finally we come to Meech, who was pretty terrible. His possession and shot differentials were second worst and worst respectively, all while facing the second easiest minutes on the team. There were many moments where the pair of Meech and Stuart would be stuck in their own zone for minutes, resembling the infamous 5v5 GST penalty kill. Meech also has a tendency to over pinch like Byfuglien, although Meech does it with nearly 1/4 of the offensive production. Meech works fine as an AHL call-up in extreme circumstances, but hopefully we don't see him in our top 6 next season. Redmond and / or Postma should be getting those minutes.

The Jets were hurt for the second season due to massive games lost with-in their top 4 defensemen. While they are not the leagues best defensmen they are far above average overall in pushing the play forward, sustaining pressure and creating offense. Ultimately these are the things that amount to wins when it comes to the game of hockey. Hainsey will likely be leaving for UFA and will likely be a temporary step back for the Jets defensive core, ignoring any historically large possible development from Postma, Trouba or Redmond. Clitsome improved his game immensely and could be used as a short term gap until one of those three players are ready to face tougher minutes.

Player Name

1st place votes

2nd place votes

3rd place votes

4th place votes

5th place votes

Total points

Max Domi, C, London Knights

Bo Horvat, C, London Knights

Nikita Zadorov, D, London Knights

Anthony Mantha, RW, Val d'Or Forreuers

Adam Erne, LW, Quebec Remparts

Enstrom is too small for Western Conference / No team has done well in playoffs with smaller players/defensemen like Enstrom / Enstrom gets injured too much (because he's small):

Well, no. WC is not any larger than the EC, some teams have done well in playoffs with smaller players, and also Enstrom has played 88% of his NHL games since entering the league thus far.

Byfuglien plays more defensively/better when away from Enstrom or with Clitsome:

Well, no.

GA/20 CA/20 CF%

Tobi-Buff 0.773 17.3 55.7%

Clit-Buff 1.052 19.4 51.7%

Ron-Buff 2.193 26.6 42.2%

Stu-Buff 2.210 28.7 39.7%

Jets have too many passive, soft, etc. defensemen who let too many opposing forwards get into the slot:

Actually, yes and no...

Yes Jets' defensemen may not be stylistically of your personal preference, but you don't get points for style, heart, or (insert narrative here). In the end it's the results that matter. This is why the eye test can fail against stats, as it can be swayed by personal preferences (and also how we are psychologically wired to remember large, sudden outlying events and not averages).

In the end the Jets defense have pushed the play out of their zone and outside of areas of high scoring chances... but more on this in the next article...

Next up, the supreme finale, a deeper look into the Jets' goaltending...

As always, feel free to comment below with your thoughts!