Welcome to my final draft rankings of the year. The festivities are less than two weeks away and it’s going to be exciting in Montreal, where the Canadiens always throw a proper party and have the added bonus of picking first this season. It has certainly been a chaotic draft year, but I’m sticking with my guns and ranking Shane Wright first overall. The rankings you see here are nearly identical to the ones you will find in Draft Preview (available now, cop that), but there have been some late developments – such as the ascent of Cutter Gauthier and Marco Kasper – that I had to note here. These rankings go to 120, to give you a sense of some of the sleepers that may be available later on in the draft and descriptions of the top 100 players are available in Draft Preview. Let’s get to the list, shall we?
1. Shane Wright, C, Kingston (OHL): He’s exactly what the Habs need, but he also has the profile of what every rebuilding team needs: a smart, two-way center who can fit right into a lineup and contribute. Let’s not overthink this, people.
2. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, TPS (Fin.): Big, talented and edgy, Slafkovsky had a wild international schedule that saw him turn heads at the Olympics and the worlds. Playing in Finland, the Slovakian teen had decent numbers, but there’s still a lot of potential, too.
3. Logan Cooley, C, NTDP (USHL): The University of Minnesota commit is already fast, but he’ll likely get faster as he grows into his body and gets stronger. Cooley has excellent offensive tools and he can use his talents on the defensive side, as well.
4. Simon Nemec, D, Nitra (Svk.): Who will be the first D-man off the board? It’s gonna be tight. But Nemec is a great candidate thanks to his mobility, his ability to defend and the offensive skills he brings to the back end. Had a monster playoff run with Nitra, putting up nearly a point per game.
5. David Jiricek, D, Plzen (Cze): If Nemec isn’t the top D-man, then Jiricek is your guy. The Czech defender has more size and snarl than his peer, but isn’t as smooth in his skating. Missed a lot of the season with a knee injury, but scouts already loved him.
6. Cutter Gauthier, C, NTDP (USHL): A big riser of late thanks to his redesignation as a center instead of a left winger, Gauthier is set to play down the middle as a freshman with Boston College next year. He’s a big power forward with a wicked shot who can play in all situations.
7. Joakim Kemell, RW, JYP (Fin.): As good as Slafkovsky was this year, Kemell had a much better Liiga campaign, albeit one interrupted by injury. Nonetheless, the Finnish winger has a wicked shot, he competes hard and he can kill penalties.
8. Conor Geekie, C, Winnipeg (WHL): Size rules in the top 10 and with Geekie, it’s an advantage. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound ‘big rig’ will get a lot of attention because he’s already putting up numbers and still has a ton of rounding out to do in his game. The potential here is impossible to ignore.
9. Matt Savoie, C, Winnipeg (WHL): On the opposite end of the spectrum, Savoie probably gets dinged because he doesn’t have size, but whoever snaps him up will be delighted. Savoie has great high-end skill and also a competitive drive that sees him dive into the battle no matter the odds.
10. Marco Kasper, C, Rogle (Swe.): The Austrian national has a lot of international experience already and playing in Sweden this year helped expose him to the hockey world. With size, skill and a physical edge to his game, Kasper is looking like a high riser.
11. Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW, Djurgarden (Swe.)
12. Denton Mateychuk, D, Moose Jaw (WHL)
13. Kevin Korchinski, D, Seattle (WHL)
14. Ryan Chesley, D, NTDP (USHL)
15. Frank Nazar, C, NTDP (USHL)
16. Owen Pickering, D, Swift Current (WHL)
17. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, NTDP (USHL)
18. Pavel Mintyukov, D, Saginaw (OHL)
19. Lian Bichsel, D, Leksand (Swe.)
20. Liam Ohgren, RW, Djurgarden (Swe.)
21. Brad Lambert, RW, Pelicans (Fin.)
22. Nathan Gaucher, C, Quebec (QMJHL)
23. Rutger McGroarty, LW, NTDP (USHL)
24. Isaac Howard, LW, NTDP (USHL)
25. Jagger Firkus, C, Moose Jaw (WHL)
26. Danila Yurov, RW, Magnitogorsk (Rus.)
27. Filip Mesar, RW, Poprad (Svk.)
28. Luca Del Bel Belluz, C, Mississauga (OHL)
29. Jack D. Hughes, C, Northeastern (NCAA)
30. Maveric Lamoureux, D, Drummondville (QMJHL)
31. Jiri Kulich, C, Karlovy Vary (Cze.)
32. Noah Ostlund, C, Djurgarden (Swe.)
33. Julian Lutz, LW, Munich (Ger.)
34. Calle Odelius, D, Djurgarden (Swe.)
35. Cam Lund, RW, Green Bay (USHL)
36. Noah Warren, D, Gatineau (QMJHL)
37. Sam Rinzel, D, Chaska (Minn HS)
38. Tristan Luneau, D, Gatineau (QMJHL)
39. Matthew Poitras, C, Guelph (OHL)
40. Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW, Omsk (Rus.)
41. Danny Zhilkin, C Guelph (OHL)
42. Ty Nelson, D, North Bay (OHL)
43. Reid Schaefer, LW, Seattle (WHL)
44. Jordan Gustafsson, C, Seattle (WHL)
45. Filip Bystedt, C, Linkoping (Swe.)
46. Adam Ingram, LW, Youngstown (USHL)
47. Owen Beck, C, Mississauga (OHL)
48. Rieger Lorenz, LW, Okotoks (AJHL)
49. Alexander Perevalov, LW, Loko (Rus.)
50. Seamus Casey, D, NTDP (USHL)
51. Mats Lindgren, D, Kamloops (WHL)
52. Otto Salin, D, HIFK (Fin.)
53. David Goyette, C, Sudbury (OHL)
54. Ben MacDonald, C, Nobles (Mass HS)
55. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, C, HIFK (Fin.)
56. Matthew Seminoff, LW, Kamloops (WHL)
57. Isaiah George, D, London (OHL)
58. Lane Hutson, D, NTDP (USHL)
59. Fraser Minten, C, Kamloops (WHL)
60. Matyas Sapovaliv, C, Saginaw (OHL)
61. Ryan Greene, C, Green Bay (USHL)
62. Dylan James, RW, Sioux City (USHL)
63. Jani Nyman, RW, Koovee (Fin.)
64. Michael Buchinger, D, Guelph (OHL)
65. Tomas Hamara, D, Tappara (Fin.)
66. Mattias Havelid, D, Linkoping (Swe.)
67. Bryce McConnell-Barker, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
68. Josh Filmon, RW, Swift Current (WHL)
69. Jake Karabela, RW, Guelph (OHL)
70. Servac Petrovsky, C, Owen Sound (OHL)
71. Elias Salomonsson, D, Skelleftea (Swe.)
72. Lucas Edmonds, RW, Kingston (OHL)
73. Vinzenz Rohrer, RW, Ottawa (OHL)
74. Brennan Ali, C, Avon Old Farms (Conn HS)
75. Hunter Haight, C, Barrie (OHL)
76. Paul Ludwinski, C, Kingston (OHL)
77. Jack Devine, RW, Denver (NCAA)
78. Topias Leinonen, G, JYP (Fin.)
79. Tyler Brennan, G, Prince George (WHL)
80. Kirill Kudryatev, D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
81. Emanuelson Charbonneau, D, Alberni Valley (BCHL)
82. Gleb Trikozov, RW, Omskie Yastreby (Rus)
83. Simon Forsmark, D, Orebro (Swe.)
84. Grayson Badger, RW, Dexter (Mass HS)
85. Antonin Verreault, LW, Gatineau (QMJHL)
86. Topi Ronni, C, Tappara (Fin.)
87. Christian Kyrou, D, Erie (OHL)
88. Spencer Sova, D, Erie (OHL)
89. Nick Moldenhauer, C, Chicago (USHL)
90. Jake Furlong, D, Halifax (QMJHL)
91. Liam Arnsby, C, North Bay (OHL)
92. David Spacek, D, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
93. Artyom Duda, D, CSKA (Rus.)
94. Stephen Halliday, RW, Dubuque (USHL)
95. Alexander Suzdalev, LW, HV71 (Swe.)
96. James Fisher, LW, Belmont Hill (Mass HS)
97. Gavin Hayes, RW, Flint (OHL)
98. James Stefan, RW, Portland (WHL)
99. Pano Fimis, C, Niagara (OHL)
100. George Fegaras, D, North York (OJHL)
101. Fabian Wagner, RW, Linkoping (Swe.)
102. Cruz Lucius, RW, NTDP (USHL)
103. Jake Livanavage, D, Chicago (USHL)
104. Zam Plante, C, Hermantown (Minn HS)
105. Ruslan Gazizov, C, London (OHL)
106. Tyson Jugnauth, D, West Kelowna (BCHL)
107. Mason Beaupit, G, Spokane (WHL)
108. Jace Weir, D, Red Deer (WHL)
109. Jeremy Langlois, D, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
110. Samuel Mayer, D, Peterborough (OHL)
111. Niklas Kokko, G, Karpat (Fin.)
112. Samuel Savoie, LW, Gatineau (QMJHL)
113. Michael Fisher, D, St. Mark’s (Mass HS)
114. Arseni Koromyslov, D, SKA-1946 (Rus.)
115. Kirill Dolzenkov, LW, CSKA (Rus.)
116. Jordan Dumais, RW, Halifax (QMJHL)
117. Simon Wolf, G, Red Bull Akademie (Aut.)
118. Mathew Ward, C, Swift Current (WHL)
119. Jack Sparkes, D, St. Mike’s (OJHL)
120. Frederic Brunet, D, Rimouski (QMJHL)
