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 NHL Draft 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 twenty-sixth overall pick of Arctic Ice Hockey's 2012 Mock Draft.
Mike Gillis: With the twenty-sixth overall selection in this years draft, the Vancouver Canucks are pleased to select…
Rankings: CSS (14 NA), ISS (25), TSN (NR), Hockey Prospectus (77)
The Skinny: With the final picks of the first round, rankings become very convoluted. In Sissons, the Vancouver Canucks get a reliable centre who could be moved to wing should depth be an issue at the position.
Hockey Prospectus:
Sissons has had a fine second WHL season, and while he’s a decent prospect, it’s hard to see him having legit offensive upside at the highest level and he seems more like a bottom-six player. He can certainly skate and shoot, though, which will generate some offense. Sissons moves at a fine level showing solid speed; he looks technically sound and projects to certainly skate with pros. However, despite being a good skater who can distribute the puck fine, it’s hard to see him creating a whole lot of offense by himself. He isn’t the most gifted puckhandler or creative player. Sissons has fine hockey sense, though, and makes a lot of decent plays but doesn’t overly impress when it comes to scoring chance creation. He is a pretty gritty player who does a lot of good work along the boards, plays a nice power game and has a pretty bulky frame that should translate to the pro game well in two years. While I haven’t really seen him shoot that much, WHL scouts I’ve talked are impressed with his finishing ability. – Corey Pronman
AIH Draft Board
| Pick | Team | Player | Pos | Nationality | Amateur Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton Oilers | Nail Yakupov | LW | RUS | Sarnia Sting (OHL) |
| 2 | |
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| 3 | Montreal Canadiens | |
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Sarnia Sting (OHL) |
| 4 | New York Islanders | |
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Everett Silvertips (WHL) |
| 5 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
Filip Forsberg | RW | SWE | Leksands IF (Allsvenskan) |
| 6 | |
Matt Dumba | D | |
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| 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 | |
C | |
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) |
| 17 | San Jose Sharks | Brendan Gaunce | C | CAN | Belleville Bulls (OHL) |
| 18 | Chicago Blackhawks | Hampus Lindholm | D | SWE | Rogue Jr. (U18 Elit) |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Lightning (via DET)
|
Thomas Wilson | RW | CAN | Plymouth Whalers (OHL) |
| 20 | Philadelphia Flyers | Olli Maatta | D | FIN | London Knights (OHL) |
| 21 | Buffalo Sabres (via NSH) | Matt Finn | D | CAN | Guelph Storm (OHL) |
| 22 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Philip Di Giuseppe | LW | CAN | University of Michigan (CCHA) |
| 23 | Florida Panthers | Slater Koekkoek | D | CAN | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
| 24 | Boston Bruins | Scott Laughton | C | CAN | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 25 | St. Louis Blues | Derrick Pouliot | D | CAN | Portland Winterhawks (WHL) |
| 26 | Vancouver Canucks | Colton Sissons | C | CAN | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
Community Draft Board
| Pick | Team | Player | Pos | Nationality | Amateur Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton Oilers | Nail Yakupov | LW | RUS | Sarnia Sting (OHL) |
| 2 | Columbus Blue Jackets | |
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| 3 | Montreal Canadiens | |
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Sarnia Sting (OHL) |
| 4 | New York Islanders | |
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Everett Silvertips (WHL) |
| 5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Filip Forsberg | RW | SWE | Leksands IF (Allsvenskan) |
| 6 | Anaheim Ducks | Teuvo Teravainen | LW | |
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| 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 | |
C | |
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) |
| 16 | Washington Capitals | Zemgus Girgensons | C | LVA | Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) |
| 17 | San Jose Sharks | Brendan Gaunce | C | CAN | Belleville Bulls (OHL) |
| 18 | Chicago Blackhawks | Hampus Lindholm | D | SWE | Rogue Jr. (U18 Elit) |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Lightning (via DET) |
Matt Finn | D | CAN | Guelph Storm (OHL) |
| 20 | Philadelphia Flyers | Slater Koekkoek | D | CAN | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
| 21 | Buffalo Sabres (via NSH) | Tomas Hertl | C | CZE | HC Slavia Praha (Czech Extraliga) |
| 22 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Thomas Wilson | RW | CAN | Plymouth Whalers (OHL) |
| 23 | Florida Panthers | Derrick Pouliot | D | CAN | Portland Winterhawks (WHL) |
| 24 | Boston Bruins | Scott Laughton | C | CAN | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 25 | St. Louis Blues | Colton Sissons | C | CAN | Kelowna Rockets (OHL) |
| Option | Votes |
|---|---|
| Philip Di Giuseppe | 2 |
| Martin Frk | 2 |
| Henrik Samuelsson | 4 |
| Brady Skeji | 1 |
| Dalton Thrower | 0 |
| Other (provide name in comments) | 0 |
