2021 Mock draft

Notbob Mackenzie's first attempt at the first 16 picks of the draft

2021 DCHL Mock Draft

This year’s draft is one of the hardest to predict because of both the pandemic and the large number of high-end Defencemen available. Traditionally D-men slip a bit in our draft as both Jamie Drysdale and Jake Sanderson did last year. Here is my first attempt at a mock draft for this year. It only includes the first 16 picks because those are the only picks we know of at this point (although if Washington loses tomorrow we will know the first 18). As we get closer to the draft I will be able to go deeper.

1.       Vancouver: Matthew Beniers F. GM Brisson after winning the draft lottery indicated some reluctance at taking Owen Power with the first overall pick and I can certainly agree with him on this. Forwards are far more important in sim hockey and the Canucks were able to draft Jake Sanderson last year with the 11^th pick. Beniers will be a great fit on a top line with last season's fourth overall pick Lucas Raymond.

2.       Arizona: Owen Power D. GM Sifton will run to the podium with this gift pick. A top D will fit very well into his team structure. If Power lives up to his hype the Coyotes could have a number one D for the next decade.

3.       Anaheim: William Eklund F. I admit this pick is a bit of a reach but is not as crazy as it would seem. Eklund has spent the last season playing with 2020 7^th overall pick Alexander Holtz. The Ducks have an opportunity to reunite these two Djurgarden team mates. Eklund’s dynamic play with Holtz’s scoring touch will put a lot of fear in Western Conference teams for years to come.

4.       Seattle: Luke Hughes D. There are not a lot of better options to begin the process of building a franchise than Hughes. GM Shuck should be able to give Hughes the time he will need to develop into a top pairing D-man who can quarterback his power play.

5.       Chicago: Dylan Guenther F. The prospect cupboard is pretty bare in Chicago since GM Jacobus took over the franchise. His goal for this draft is most certainly to take the best player available as he begins the rebuilding process. Dylan Guenther is definitely a solid start to the rebuild.

6.       St.Louis: Brandt Clarke D. St.Louis has been in need of a top end D prospect for years and it seems that one will fall into their lap here. Clarke is a smooth skating defenceman who had an amazing under -18 tournament this year and led Canada to a gold medal.

7.       Detroit: Jesper Wallstedt G. Detroit’s rebuild needs two more things, a little more time for players to develop and a top tier goalie. Wallstedt gives them one of those and is not as far from the DCHL as some might think. He was nothing short of amazing this past year playing in the Swedish Men’s pro league. I suspect in 2 years he is playing in the NHL.

8.       Pittsburgh: Kent Johnson F. I suspect GM Larin loves to play NHL 21. If that is true then he will love this player. He plays every shift like he is in a video game. He has had some ridiculous rushes this past season that will blow people’s minds. His defensive lapses will not be as painful in the sim as they would in the real NHL so the upside here is tremendous.

9.       Vancouver: Chaz Lucius F. Before people crap on this pick let me explain. Think of this line Matthew Beniers, Lucas Raymond and Chaz Lucius. It actually makes sense now, right? Chaz’s scoring eye playing with two guys who play solid 200 foot games. I can honestly see Lucius putting up a 40 goal season in the DCHL with these line mates.

10.   Chicago: Simon Edvinsson D. Easily the best player available here and GM Jacobus adds another quality piece to his future.

11.   Washington: Mason McTavish F. No one was more disappointed that Edvinsson came off the board one pick earlier than GM Downs. His dismay will be short lived when he adds this two-way Centre to his line up.

12.   Vegas: Fabian Lysell F. The Golden Knights have struggled with goal scoring in each of their seasons in the league. I suspect that the co GM’s have watched some of the sick highlights that Lysell has produced this past year. He is a bit undersized but his hands and skating are awesome.

13.   Columbus: Cole Sillinger F. In doing this list I am amazed that Sillinger has slipped this far and yet here he is. I don’t see how he falls this far and yet I don’t see who would take him earlier. It is crazy but also a legit possibility. GM Mig will be doing cartwheels.

14.   Edmonton: Aaty Raty F. This is another example of how there are some really good players to get in the middle of this year’s draft. I believe Raty is closer to the number one overall pick he was the preseason favourite to be than what many people think. One year after drafting Jamie Drysdlae at 9^th overall, this could be the second year in a row that GM Yurkewich could have another huge steal in the first round.

15.   Arizona: Matthew Coronato F. I am pretty sure that GM Sifton takes a forward with his second pick after drafting Power at #2. The Coyotes have a solid farm system that will allow Coronato the time he needs to develop his game.

16.   Montreal: Zachery L’Heureux F. Part of me just loves the idea of the Canadians drafting an exciting French-Canadian player. The Canadians are another team that will need to begin restocking their prospects and L’Heureux will give them scoring and a solid player for their penalty kill.