On Monday evening, The Puck Authority writers got together ahead of the NHL Draft in Vancouver on Friday, making their picks for this year’s selection as the top talents look to settle and place.
That being said, it has been a looming question for many months now, a battle between Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko that the New Jersey Devils will soon be establishing for the first overall pick at the Canucks’ Rogers Arena.
With this said, let’s get right into it and see how close the projections fall:
With the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Mock Draft, the New Jersey Devils, taken on by Justin, selected Jack Hughes with the first overall pick, an 18-year-old forward from Orlando, Florida, most recently seen with the USNTDP.
With the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Mock Draft, the New York Rangers, taken on by Martynas, selected Kappo Kakko with the second overall pick, an 18-year-old forward from Turku, Finland, most recently with TPS Turku of SM-Liiga.
With the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Mock Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks, taken on by Pierce, selected Bowen Byram with the third overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Cranbrook, B.C., most recently with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.
With the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Mock Draft, the Colorado Avalanche, taken on by Kyle O, selected Alex Turcotte with the fourth overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from Island Lake, Illinois, most recently with the USNTDP.
With the fifth overall pick, the Los Angeles Kings, taken on by David, selected Dylan Cozens with the fifth overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from Whitehorse, Yukon, most recently with the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes.
With the sixth overall pick, the Detroit Red Wings, taken on by Chase, selected Cole Caufield with the sixth overall pick, an 18-year-old right-winger from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, most recently with the USNTDP.
With the seventh overall pick, the Buffalo Sabres, taken on by Marcus, selected Trevor Zegras with the seventh overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from Bedford, New York, most recently with the USNTDP.
With the eighth overall pick, the Edmonton Oilers, taken on by Nick, selected Matthew Boldy with the eighth overall pick, an 18-year-old left-winger from Millis, Massachusetts, most recently with the USNTDP.
With the ninth overall pick, the Anaheim Ducks, taken on by Sam, selected Kirby Dach with the ninth overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, most recently with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades.
With the tenth overall pick, the Vancouver Canucks, taken on by Ted, selected Arthur Kaliyev with the tenth overall pick, a 17-year-old right-winger from Staten Island, New York, most recently with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs.
With the eleventh overall pick, the Philadelphia Flyers, taken on by Donavan, selected Peyton Krebs with the eleventh overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from Okotoks, Alberta, most recently with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice.
With the twelfth overall pick, the Minnesota Wild, taken on by Zeke, selected Vasili Podkolzin with the twelfth overall pick, a 17-year-old right-winger from Moscow, Russia, most recently with St. Petersburg SKA of the KHL.
With the thirteenth overall pick, the Florida Panthers, taken on by David L, selected Alex Newhook with the thirteenth overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from St. John’s, Newfoundland, most recently with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies.
With the fourteenth overall pick, the Arizona Coyotes, taken on by Costa, selected Victor Soderstrom with the fourteenth overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Skutskär, Sweden, most recently with Brynas IF Gavle of the Swedish Hockey League.
With the fifteenth overall pick, the Montreal Canadiens, taken on by Costa, selected Ville Heinola with the fifteenth overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Honkajoki, Finland, most recently with Lukko Rauma of SM-Liiga.
With the sixteenth overall pick, the Colorado Avalanche, taken on by Korey, selected Spencer Knight with the sixteenth overall pick, an 18-year-old goaltender from Darien, Connecticut, most recently with the USNTDP.
With the seventeenth overall pick, the Vegas Golden Knights, taken on by Johnny, selected Moritz Seider with the seventeenth overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Hell, Germany, most recently with the DEL’s Mannheim Eagles.
With the eighteenth overall pick, the Dallas Stars, taken on by Jordan, selected Ryan Suzuki with the eighteenth overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from London, Ontario, most recently with the OHL’s Barrie Colts.
With the nineteenth overall pick, the Ottawa Senators, taken on by Kyle H, selected Nils Hoglander with the nineteenth overall pick, an 18-year-old left-winger from Bockträsk, Sweden, most recently with the SHL’s Rögle BK.
With the twentieth overall pick, the New York Rangers, taken on by Mark, selected Cam York with the twentieth overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Anaheim Hills, California, most recently with the USNTDP.
With the twenty-first overall pick, the Pittsburgh Penguins, taken on by Spence, selected Philip Broberg with the twenty-first overall pick, a 17-year-old defensemen from Ōrebro, Sweden, most recently with AIK of the Swedish-1 Elite League.
With the twenty-second overall pick, the Los Angeles Kings, taken on by Justin, selected Jakob Pelletier with the twenty-second overall pick, an 18-year-old left-winger from Quebec City, Quebec, most recently with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats.
With the twenty-third overall pick, the New York Islanders, taken on by Sam, selected Bobby Brink with the twenty-third overall pick, a 17-year-old right-winger from Minnetonka, Minnesota, most recently with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL.
With the twenty-fourth overall pick, the Nashville Predators, taken on by Pierce, selected Patrick Puistola with the twenty-fourth overall pick, an 18-year-old forward from Tampere, Finland, most recently with LeKi Lempaala of Mestis.
With the twenty-fifth overall pick, the Washington Capitals, taken on by Kyle O, selected Philip Tomasino with the twenty-fifth overall pick, a 17-year-old centreman from Mississauga, Ontario, most recently with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs.
With the twenty-sixth overall pick, the Calgary Flames, taken on by David, selected Nathan Legare with the twenty-sixth overall pick, an 18-year-old right-winger from Montreal, Quebec, most recently with Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL.
With the twenty-seventh overall pick, the Tampa Bay Lightning, taken on by Chase, have selected Pavel Dorofeyev with the twenty-seventh overall pick, an 18-year-old forward from Nizhny Tagil, Russia, most recently with Magnitogorsk Metallurg of the Kontinential Hockey League.
With the twenty-eighth overall pick, the Carolina Hurricanes, taken on by David C, select Dustin Wolf with the twenty-eighth overall pick, an 18-year-old goaltender from Tustin, California, most recently with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL.
With the twenty-ninth overall pick, the Anaheim Ducks, taken on by Nick, select Raphael Lavoie with the twenty-ninth overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from Chambly, Quebec, most recently with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL.
With the thirtieth overall pick, the Boston Bruins, taken on by Sam, selected Thomas Harley with the thirtieth overall pick, a 17-year-old defensemen from Syracuse, New York, most recently with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads.
With the thirty-first overall pick, the Buffalo Sabres, taken on by David L, selected Tobias Bjornfot with the thirty-first overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Upplands Väsby, Sweden, most recently with Djurgardens IF of the SHL.
With the thirty-second overall pick, the Ottawa Senators, taken on by Jordan, selected Nick Robertson with the thirty-second overall pick, a 17-year-old left-winger from Arcadia, California, most recently with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes.
With the thirty-third overall pick, the Los Angeles Kings, taken on by Costa, select Lassi Thomson with the thirty-third overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Tempere, Finland, most recently with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL.
With the thirty-fourth overall pick, the New Jersey Devils, taken on by Sam, selected Conor McMichael with the thirty-fourth overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from Ajax, Ontario, most recently with the OHL’s London Knights.
With the thirty-fifth overall pick, the Detroit Red Wings, taken on by David L, select Mikko Kokkonen with the thirty-fifth overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Mikkeli, Finland, most recently with Jukurit Mikkeli of SM-Liiga.
With the thirty-sixth overall pick, the Carolina Hurricanes, taken on by Kyle H, selected Robert Mastrosimone with the thirty-sixth overall pick, an 18-year-old left-winger from East Islip, New York, most recently with the USHL’s Chicago Steel.
With the thirty-seventh overall pick, the Carolina Hurricanes, taken on by David C, selected Samuel Poulin with the thirty-seventh overall pick, an 18-year-old right-winger from Blainville, Quebec, most recently with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL.
With the thirty-eighth overall pick, the Edmonton Oilers, taken on by Johnny, selected Brayden Tracey with the thirty-eighth overall pick, an 18-year-old left-winger from Calgary, Alberta, most recently with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors.
With the thirty-ninth overall pick, the Anaheim Ducks, taken on by Spence, selected Antonni Honka with the thirty-ninth overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Jyvaskyla, Finland, most recently with KeuPa HT of Mestis.
With the fortieth overall pick, the Vancouver Canucks, taken on by Mark, selected Brett Leason with the fortieth overall pick, a 20-year-old right-winger from Calgary, Alberta, most recently with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL.
With the forty-first overall pick, the Philadelphia Flyers, taken on by Korey, selected Ilya Nikolayev with the forty-first overall pick, a 25-year-old right-winger from Saratov, Russia, most recently with Khabarovsk Amur of the KHL.
With the forty-second overall pick, the Minnesota Wild, taken on by Nick, selected Nolan Foote with the forty-second overall pick, an 18-year-old left-winger from Engelwood, Colorado, most recently with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL.
With the forty-third overall pick, the Chicago Blackhawks, taken on by Jordan, selected John Beecher with the forty-third overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from Elmira, New York, most recently with the USNTDP.
With the forty-forth overall pick, the Ottawa Senators, taken on by Costa, selected Jamieson Rees with the forty-forth overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from Hamilton, Ontario, most recently with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting.
With the forty-fifth overall pick, the Arizona Coyotes, taken on by Sam, selected Sam Fagemo with the forty-fifth overall pick, a 19-year-old right-winger from Göteborg, Sweden, most recently with Frolunda HC of the SHL.
With the forty-sixth overall pick, the Montreal Canadiens, taken on by David L, selected Albin Grewe with the forty-sixth overall pick, an 18-year-old left-winger from Märsta, Sweden, most recently with Djurgardens IF of the SHL.
With the forty-seventh overall pick, the Colorado Avalanche, taken on by Kyle H, selected Matias Maccelli with the forty-seventh overall pick, an 18-year-old left-winger from Turku, Finland, most recently with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL.
With the forty-eighth overall pick, the Vegas Golden Knights, taken on by David C, selected Domenick Fensore with the forty-eighth overall pick, a 17-year-old defensemen from Thornwood, New York, most recently with the USNTDP.
With the forty-ninth overall pick, the New York Rangers, taken on by Johnny, selected Ryan Johnson with the forty-ninth overall pick, a 17-year-old defensemen from Irvine, California, most recently with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.
With the fiftieth overall pick, the Montreal Canadiens, taken on by Spence, selected Simon Holmstrom with the fiftieth overall pick, an 18-year-old right-winger from Tranás, Sweden, most recently with HV71 Jonkoping of the SHL.
With the fifty-first overall pick, the Winnipeg Jets, taken on by Korey, selected Alex Beaucage with the fifty-first overall pick, a 17-year-old right-winger from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, most recently with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL.
With the fifty-second overall pick, the Florida Panthers, taken on by Nick, selected Alex Vlasic with the fifty-second overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Wilmette, Illinois, most recently with the USNTDP.
With the fifty-third overall pick, the Toronto Maple Leafs, taken on by Jordan, selected Nando Eggenberger with the fifty-third overall pick, a 19-year-old left-winger from Chur Switzerland, most recently with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL.
With the fifty-forth overall pick, the Detroit Red Wings, taken on by Costa, selected Jordan Spence with the fifty-forth overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Cornwall, Ontario, most recently with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL.
With the fifty-fifth overall pick, the New Jersey Devils, taken on by Sam, selected Matthew Robertson with the fifty-fifth overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Sherwood Park, Alberta, most recently with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings.
With the fifty-sixth overall pick, the Washington Capitals, taken on by David L, selected Sasha Mutala with the fifty-sixth overall pick, an 18-year-old right-winger from Vancouver, B.C., most recently with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL.
With the fifty-seventh overall pick, the New York Islanders, taken on by Kyle H, selected Nikita Alexandrov with the fifty-seventh overall pick, an 18-year-old centreman from Burgwedel, Germany, most recently with the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL.
With the fifty-eighth overall pick, the New York Rangers, taken on by David C, selected Dmitri Sheshin with the fifty-eighth overall pick, an 18-year-old left-winger from Chelyabinsk, Russia, most recently with Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk of the MHL.
With the fifty-ninth overall pick, the Carolina Hurricanes, taken on by Johnny, selected Vladislav Kolyachonok with the fifty-ninth overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Minsk, Belarus, most recently with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds.
With the sixtieth overall pick, the Detroit Red Wings, taken on by Spence, selected Marshall Warren with the sixtieth overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Laurel Hollow, New York, most recently with the USNTDP.
With the sixty-first overall pick, the St. Louis Blues, taken on by Korey, selected Maxim Cajkovic with the sixty-first overall pick, an 18-year-old right-winger from Bratislava, Slovakia, most recently with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.
And last, but not least, with the sixty-second and final overall pick, the New Jersey Devils, taken on by Nick, select Samuel Bolduc with the sixty-second overall pick, an 18-year-old defensemen from Laval, Quebec, most recently with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL.
That does it for us on the eve before draft night in Vancouver. Feel free to refer to this list as players are selected through Friday night and Saturday. The draft will be airing LIVE on NBCSN and NHL Network, meanwhile, for Canadians, it will be available for viewing on Sportsnet.
If you are not doing so already, give our very own Armand Klisivitch a follow on Twitter (@AKlisivitch) as he will be covering the NHL Draft for The Puck Authority starting tomorrow night at 8:00pmET at Rogers Arena.