[dannibalcorpse]

The draft lottery had some big surprises - the New Jersey Devils, who were the last team to miss the playoffs, pulled out a huge upset and won the #1 overall pick! Carolina jumped from 5th to 2nd, and Minnesota from 7th to 3rd. This bumped the Canucks, the team with the worst record overall, down to 4th, and Boston to 5th despite the Bruins having the second most ping-pong balls. Vegas dropped from a presumptive 6th overall to 8th. Here’s how the top 5 shook out, with each player’s Central Scouting ranking included:

DRAFT ORDER
1 - New Jersey - D Ryan Lemieux, 17, Victoria (OHL) #3 NA Skater
2 - Carolina - LW James Venasky, 18, Chicoutimi (QMJHL) #1 NA Skater
3 - Minnesota - D Azat Vyakhirev, 17, IF Frisk Asker #1 EU Skater
4 - Vancouver - C Joel Foglia, 18, Rimouski (QMJHL) #2 NA Skater
5 - Boston - D Thatcher Rahilly, 17, USNTDP #17 NA Skater

Many pundits joked that the Devils reached a bit because they didn’t expect to have a pick that high; the truth is they need more help on the blue line than anywhere else on the roster. James Venasky, touted as the top prospect all season long, went to an excited Carolina team. Vyakhirev is a young Russian D prospect with great playmaking ability. Folia streaked up the boards this year after starting the year pegged as a late first rounder. Rahilly is considered a stretch for the Bruins - a player who has looked good against inferior competition, but without a ton of tape to show what he can do against bigger and faster players.

Vegas GM Dan Hampton once again focused on his “best player available” philosophy - the team grabbed the player they liked the most at their pick, regardless of if it filled a need on the team. Hampton got creative with some of his later picks, using the late rounds to gamble on some high-risk/high-reward players.

Round 1, Pick 8: D Daniel Trevelyan, 18, 6’0”, 193, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL): Trevelyan is regarded as an exciting two-way defenseman with great puck handling skills, and an amazingly even temperament. In his age-17 season in the Q, he played 66 games, scoring 10 goals and 43 points. He’s a left-shooting defenseman who’s versatile enough to play either side on the blue-line. Scouts say he needs to bulk up a little bit to play at the NHL level, but should be ready to play fairly quickly once he gets there.

Round 2, Pick 38: C Alexis LaFreniere, 18, 6’2”, 195, Baie-Comeau (QMJHL):
With their second pick, Vegas grabs a player considered to be one of the best playmakers available in this year’s draft. LaFreniere put up 92 points in his age-17 season this past season, and that was a step down from his 101 point year at 16. He has 126 total assists in 130 career games in the QMJHL, and his size projects well at the NHL level. Could stand to work on his face-offs a bit, but his speed and his ability to see plays before they develop make him a dangerous threat.

Round 3, Pick 70: G Vladimir Veretennikov, 18, 6’2”, 208, Toros (VHL): Veretennikov found some time in the KHL’s top minor league as an 18 year old last season, and wound up shooting up the draft board due to that, ending up the #4 ranked European goalie by Central Scouting. Scouts picked up on his strong ability to find himself in the right position time after time, and his strong ability to poke check the puck out of harm’s way. He still needs to work on his blocker side, but will have some time in Russia to refine those skills before coming over to the NHL.

Round 3, Pick 79: LW Rickard Nilsson, 17, 6’2”, 194, Lulea HF (SHL): Nilsson spent the last year training with Lulea in Sweden’s top league, not getting any regular season game play. Scouts who did see him play in juniors tournaments raved about his defensive ability, and his knack for using his size to his advantage in front of the net. This is seen by many as more of a “stash” pick for the Golden Knights, using the extra 3rd round pick they received in the Mikko Koskinen trade to pick a high-upside player who might never come over to the US.

Round 4, Pick 117: LW Leandre Thibodeau, 17, 5’11”, 196, Saint John (QMJHL): Thibodeau earned himself a reputation as a pest in his first season in the QMJHL, but also backed it up offensively, scoring 33 goals and 76 points to go with his 152 PIMs. He profiles as a Brad Marchand-type, playing a very physical style but augmenting it with good puck handling skills and a decent wrist shot. He will need to work on his skating if he wants to have any shot at being more than a fringe player in the NHL.

Round 5, Pick 134: D Daniel Kovarik, 18, 6’2”, 199, BIK Karlskoga (ALL): Kovarik earned a reputation as a defense-first defenseman, only putting up 6 points in 52 games in the second-highest level of Swedish hockey. The Czech-born defenseman is almost never out of position, and has a great knack for breaking up plays before they even begin. He also has the conditioning to play big minutes every night.

Round 6, Pick 166: C David McNinch, 19, 5’11”, 199, Augsbuger U19 (DEL2): McNinch is a guy who’s spent a lot of time in the German juniors system, finally getting a handful of games in the DEL this year. His offensive game definitely needs some developing, but in terms of raw skating ability, he’s near the tops of this year’s class. The hope is that some seasoning in the ECHL will help develop the other parts of his game, and that McNinch will be a late-blooming prospect who can contribute in a few years.

Round 7, Pick 208: C Hayden Fowler, 18, 5’11”, 202, Niagara (OHL): Fowler has earned a reputation as a very chippy player, racking up 352 PIMs in just 131 OHL games. He’s got a good scouring touch too, adding 46 goals and 121 points in that same timeframe. Fowler will need to tone down some of his act to have a hope of making an impact at the NHL level - but if he does make it that far, he’ll be bringing a strong work ethic and great stick handling to the big show.