Disclaimer - I don't necessarily think a lot of this will happen, but I'm writing a 2019 mock draft before the pre-season as begun. Cut me some slack.

 

Also note - this is not how I would rank these players. Strictly a mock draft.

 

1. Florida Panthers - Rasmus Dahlin

Florida finishes 2nd last, but wins the Dahlin lottery. They proceed to select the consensus number 1 guy in Rasmus Dahlin.

 

2. Anaheim Ducks - Andrei Svechnikov

The Ducks AGAIN lose the lottery, but they don't fall too far, and get their guy in Svechnikov.

 

3. Washington Capitals - Filip Zadina

Zadina has a huge year with Halifax or a 40 point year in Detroit. Combine that with the big name value and you have Leon's pick at 4.

 

4. Seattle Stoners - Evan Bouchard

Evan Bouchard cracks the Oilers, plays top 4 minutes, puts up 7 goals, 30 assists for 37 points. That proves to be just enough for Rex to take his beloved Oilers defenseman. 

 

5. San Jose Sharks - Jesperi Kotkaniemi

A Fin falls on Mika's lap again, this time he takes him. Kotkaniemi has a huge year in Finland, and Mika lucks out and snags him at 5.

 

6. Maple Leafs - Brady Tkachuk

Garrett debates which direction to go with his team at the beginning of the year, and ultimately decides to hit the tank button. He once again scoops up the highest drafted player available to him, and this time it's a real good one in Tkachuk.

 

7. Vancouver Canucks - Vitaly Kravtsov

The Canucks go with the super-skilled Russian at 7. Kravtsov proves he's going to be a high end NHL scorer with a great year in the KHL. It's enough to rise him up the BRHL draft a bit, and the Canucks add a real solid winger to slot alongside Hischier.

 

8. Edmonton Oilers - Quinn Hughes

Hughes has a great year in college, and it's enough to list him as Leon's BPA at pick 8. He happily scoops up another puck moving defenseman.

 

9. Buffalo Sabres - Oliver Wahlstrom

Wahlstrom has a great goal-scoring year at Boston College, and he's Jared's guy at 9. A future linemate for Vilardi, if you will.

 

10. Minnesota Wild - Martin Kaut

Minnesota is going to need help everywhere in a couple years. They add a really nice two way guy in Kaut at 10. Bryce proceeds to give Al an 'A' grade on his draft for this pick alone.

 

11. Arizona Coyotes - Adam Boqvist

Pretty simple here. Boqvist is the easy pick. Joel needs help on D, and Boqvist is still there for him at 11. He happily scoops him up.

 

12. Philadelphia Flyers - Joel Farabee

Anthony can't resist his Flyers forward, who went in this range in NHL. He's far from the BPA here, but good enough for Anthony, who almost spends his way into a playoff spot.

 

13. Vegas Golden Knights (via Pittsburgh) - Noah Dobson

Joe is sold on the smooth, offensive defenseman in Dobson here. He has another great year with this year's Memorial Cup champions. Joe then thanks Billy (and Devon) for the 1st round pick, as he got Wheeler for a 2 + 5 from Ducks, and flipped him for a 1.

 

14. Anaheim Ducks (via Winnipeg) - Barrett Hayton

There are many really nice options on the board here, but Devon sticks to his OHL bias and takes the safe pick Hound in Hayton.

 

15. Tampa Bay - Grigori Denisenko

If Eric picks at 15, Denisenko is one of the most talented guys on the board, and the Lightning scoop him up.

 

16. Ottawa Senators - Ty Smith

Kirk sticks to the WHL and picks up a good puck moving defenseman in Ty Smith. Smith has a clear path to big minutes in New Jersey if he comes anywhere close to living up to the expectations he has.

 

17. St. Louis Blues - Dominik Bokk

Whether Eric decides to keep his first this year remains to be seen. He's a fringe playoff team in a conference that is really not great. If he keeps it and picks at 17, he'll take a riser in Dominik Bokk. Bokk is a very skilled, playmaking winger who should have a big year in Sweden.

 

18. New York Rangers - Ty Dellandrea

Many didn't have Dellandrea in their first round this year, and if they did, it was in most cases as a late 1st. Ty will prove that being picked 13th was at least semi-deserved with a huge year in the OHL. That'll be enough to sell Ryan on taking him at 18.

 

19. Dallas Stars - Rasmus Kupari

Junya has a decision to make on his BRHL season. He's talked about rebuilding - or at least retooling - openly in the chat. With that said, the West blows this year, once again, and it'll be tough for him not to make the playoffs. He's currently in line for a first round playoff exit, and if he picks at 19 he'll grab a pretty skilled player in Kupari. This year will be a big one for Kupari's development, and if he proves he can improve offensively, he'll be a steal at 19 if he's available here.

 

20. Columbus Blue Jackets - Nils Lundkvist

The NHL Rangers had a very strong draft. At 28, they took a guy with a lot of upside in Lundkvist. Maybe it was the pronounciation of his last name that baited them into taking him, but probably not. Lundkvist was taking a regular shift in the Swedish league last year as a 17 year old defenseman. He should only grow this year and should be a solid top 4 defenseman for years to come. Jesse scoops him up at 20.

 

21. Vegas Golden Knights - Liam Foudy

The combine freak Foudy takes a huge step forward offensively this year with London, and the Knights Fan Joe decides to scoop him up at 21.

 

22. Montreal Canadiens - Ryan Merkley

The Habs should take a small step backwards this year in the BRHL standings. They find themselves at 22 and swing for the fences, grabbing offensive dynamo Ryan Merkley at 22. If he can right the ship defensively, he could be a steal at 22, but that's a big if to say the least.

 

23. Edmonton Oilers (via Carolina Hurricanes) - K'Andre Miller

Miller is poised to show his well rounded game at the U of Wisconsin next season. Leon happily picks him at 23 and adds a big piece to his future D core.

 

24. Arizona Coyotes (via Blackhawks) - Isac Lunderstrom

With his 2nd pick in the 1st round, Joel takes the safe pick in Lunderstrom at 24. All but a guarantee to play in the NHL, Lunderstrom is poised to join a solid Ducks forward core consisting of many fellow Swedes. Isac should take a step forward offensively this year in the Swedish league, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the NHL by 2020.

 

25. Boston Bruins - Bode Wilde

Greg lives up to his word and keeps his 1st round pick this year. At 25, he goes with Bode Wilde. Wilde slipped into the second round of the NHL draft, but has a good chance to work himself back into 1st round position in BRHL. It'll be interesting to see whether Wilde winds up reporting to Saginaw in the OHL, after decommitting from both Harvard and Michigan within the last year. Wilde is a great skater, and though his decision making and defensive game and do need work, he should become a good NHL defenseman.

 

26. Calgary Flames - Jonatan Berggren

Man, did the NHL Wings ever have a great draft. Berggren should prove to be a big part of that. He's got a nonstop motor and has a lot of offensive upside as well. He's a little undersized, and will likely need another two years of development, but he should be a top 6 forward with Detroit for years to come. Another solid Kevin pick here, if Berggren is it.

 

27. Los Angeles Kings (via New Jersey Devils) - Joe Veleno

Rumpy finally makes his mark on the draft at 27 (but not with his own pick...?) and takes Joe Veleno, who seems like a pretty safe pick with some upside. A better offensive season in the Q would do wonders for the Veleno skeptics, and he may prove to be a steal at 27 for Rumpy.

 

28. Nashville Predators - Nicolas Beaudin

Beaudin is a little on the smaller side, but carries lots of upside. He's also made strides defensively in recent months. At 28, Ty is more than comfortable taking a chance on the Hawks 1st rounder. Hmmm... Ty taking a smallish Blackhawks pick with upside... where have I seen that before?

 

29. Detroit Red Wings - Rasmus Sandin

Part of me doubts that Nolan will keep his first rounder, but who knows? I'll slot Sandin in here (same spot as he went in NHL) because he's a high quality player and like many defensemen in this draft, he carries a fair amount of upside with him as well. Great value at 29.

 

30. Los Angeles Kings - Axel Andersson

This is a reach, but he's the first player that the NHL Bruins took in the 2018 NHL draft. Andersson is a good skater, and a pretty high upside guy. He could definitely rise the BRHL draft ranks, and I can't see Rumpy risking losing him. Will he do enough to justify Rumpy taking him at 30? Probably not, but it's certainly possible.

 

31. New York Islanders - Alexander Alexeyev

If anyone in this league has a need for young defensemen, this is the draft to have picks in. Holy smokes. I'll slot Alexeyev into this spot for now, but I can't see Joe keeping this pick with a team as good as his is. I expect he'll turn it into a good NHL defenseman. Unfortunately, I can't predict who will land the pick, so the solid two way defenseman Alexeyev sits in this spot.

 

32. Colorado Avalanche - Ryan McLeod

Well Bryce, congrats on the cup. A very well done rebuild, indeed. Unfortunately, I have no idea where you're going with this pick. I'll say Ryan McLeod. He's got a TON of speed to burn, he's an Oiler and has more upside than most give him credit for. Him being slotted beside McDavid in a couple years is a scary prospect. No one could handle that speed. Anyways, let's see if McLeod proves his worth with a big offensive year in Mississauga.

 

This concludes my 2019 BRHL Mock Draft. I did make the effort to do standings, playoff bracket, etc. so that the mock draft is as realistic as can be, being a year away, and not even through free agency yet.