My guess is that Taylor Hall will go #1 to Edmonton, leaving Tyler Seguin for Boston at #2. The Islanders could use a big defenseman and I am predicting 6'4" Erik Gudbranson to be available at #5. The electric "El Nino", Nino Niederreiter would be great on Broadway at #10 if the Rangers can pick him there. Here are the rest of my predictions for the first round:
2010 NHL Amateur Draft: StatMan's 1st Round Predictions
Pick Prediction Current team
1 LW Taylor Hall, Windsor Edmonton Oilers
2 C Tyler Seguin, Plymouth Boston Bruins (from Toronto)
3 D Cam Fowler, Windsor Florida Panthers
4 C Mikael Granlund, Finland Columbus Blue Jackets
5 D Erik Gudbranson, Kingston New York Islanders
6 RW Brett Connolly, Prince George Tampa Bay Lightning
7 D Brandon Gormley, Moncton Carolina Hurricanes
8 C Alexander Burmistrov, Barrie Atlanta Thrashers
9 D Derek Forbort, USA U-18 Minnesota Wild
10 RW Nino Niederreiter, Portland New York Rangers
11 G Jack Campbell, USHL Dallas Stars
12 C Nick Bjugstad, USHS Anaheim Ducks
13 C Ryan Johansen, Portland Phoenix Coyotes (from Calgary)
14 C Emerson Etem, Medicine Hat St. Louis Blues
15 D Mark Pysyk, Edmonton Florida Panthers (from Boston)
16 RW Vladimir Tarasenko, Novosibirsk Ottawa Senators
17 C Jeffrey Skinner, Kitchener Colorado Avalanche
18 RW Austin Watson, Peterborough Nashville Predators
19 D Dylan McIlrath, Moose Jaw Los Angeles Kings
20 D Jarren Tinordi, US NTDP Pittsburgh Penguins
21 C Riley Sheahan, Notre Dame Detroit Red Wings
22 G Calvin Pickard, Seattle Phoenix Coyotes
23 C John McFarland, Sudbury Buffalo Sabres
24 LW Quinton Howden, Moose Jaw Chicago Blackhawks (from New Jersey via Atlanta)
25 D Alex Petrovic, Red Deer Vancouver Canucks
26 C Evgeny Kuznetsov, Chelyabinsk Washington Capitals
27 C Tyler Pitlick, Minnesota St-Mankato Montreal Canadiens
28 C Brock Nelson, USHS San Jose Sharks
29 RW Beau Bennett, Penticton Anaheim Ducks (from Philadelphia)
30 D Jon Merrill, US NTDP Chicago Blackhawks
UPDATE (6/26, 9am): After the first two picks, the draft board was thrown out the window. Picks 3-10 were a toss-up. For the locals, Seguin went #2 to the Bruins as expected, but the Islanders selected Nino Niederreiter at #5 and the Rangers took Dylan McIlrath at #10. I thought the big defenseman Erik Gudbranson would be available at #5, but he went to Florida at #3. I predicted Niederreiter to be around for the Rangers to select him at #10, but the Islanders pounced on "El Nino".
The Rangers took the tough defenseman, as Glen Sather and company surprised everyone by taking a tough defenseman in McIlrath who had 16 fighting majors for Moose Jaw last season, more than double anyone else in major junior hockey last year.
If you thought Niederreiter went early at #5, you may be right. He might have been available at #7 or #8. If you thought McIlrath went early at #10, I know you are right. McIlrath was ranked #26 by the Hockey News and predicted to maybe sneak into the first round. The Rangers were looking for a certain type of player and McIlrath fits the bill for a defensive corps that needs some toughness. The Islanders needed scoring, as they have some defensive prospects coming up, so Niederreiter's style and flash should help the Islanders move forward.
The Islanders also traded both second-round picks to the Blackhawks to capture the #30 pick, which closed the day of drafting in Los Angeles. Brock Nelson went to the Isles with that selection. He put up monster numbers in Minnesota at the high-school level, but he will be tested next season at the University of North Dakota.
Here is the full list of first round picks from Friday night.
I did manage to get nine out of 30 picks on the nose. They were:
Pick Player NHL Team
1 LW Taylor Hall, Windsor Edmonton Oilers
2 C Tyler Seguin, Plymouth Boston Bruins (from Toronto)
6 RW Brett Connolly, Prince George Tampa Bay Lightning
8 C Alexander Burmistrov, Barrie Atlanta Thrashers
11 G Jack Campbell, USHL Dallas Stars16 RW Vladimir Tarasenko, Novosibirsk St. Louis Blues
18 RW Austin Watson, Peterborough Nashville Predators
21 C Riley Sheahan, Notre Dame Detroit Red Wings
26 C Evgeny Kuznetsov, Chelyabinsk Washington Capitals
Join me on the next Sports With The StatMan (#66), as we break down the NHL Amateur Draft for the locals and get ready for the free agency frenzy in the NHL on July 1st.
