SBN Mock Draft final installment: Vote in the poll on who will go first overall

This is it! The SBNation Mock Draft is done, and tomorrow we can see how close to reality we all came.

The full list of picks:

1. New Jersey Devils, via All About The Jersey, select centre Nico Hischier.
2. Philadelphia Flyers, via Broad Street Hockey, select centre Nolan Patrick.
3. Dallas Stars, via Defending Big D, select centre Casey Mittelstadt.
4. Colorado Avalanche, via Mile High Hockey, select defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
5. Vancouver Canucks, via Nucks Misconduct, select forward Gabriel Vilardi.
6. Vegas Golden Knights, via Knights On Ice, select forward Owen Tippett.
7. Arizona Coyotes, via Five For Howling, select defenseman Timothy Liljegren.
8. Buffalo Sabres, via Die By The Blade, select defenseman Cale Makar.
9. Detroit Red Wings, via Winging It In Motown, select centre Cody Glass.
10. Florida Panthers, via Litter Box Cats, select winger Kristian Vesalainen.
11. Los Angeles Kings, via Jewels From The Crown, select centre Nick Suzuki.
12. St. Louis Blues, via St. Louis Game Time, select winger Lias Andersson.
13. Winnipeg Jets, via Arctic Ice Hockey, select defenseman Juuso Välimäki.
14. Tampa Bay Lightning, via Raw Charge, select winger Kailer Yamamoto.
15. New York Islanders, via Lighthouse Hockey, select centre Elias Pettersson.
16. Calgary Flames, via Matchsticks & Gasoline, select winger Klim Kostin.
17. Toronto Maple Leafs, via Pension Plan Puppets, select winger Eeli Tolvanen.
18. Boston Bruins, via Stanley Cup of Chowder, select defenseman Nicolas Hague.
19. San Jose Sharks, via Fear The Fin, select center Michael Rasmussen.
20. Carolina Hurricanes, via Canes Country, select centre Martin Necas.
21. New York Rangers, via Blueshirt Banter, select defenseman Erik Brannstrom.
22. Edmonton Oilers, via Copper & Blue, select centre Ryan Poehling.
23. Pittsburgh Penguins, via Pensburgh, select defenseman Callan Foote.
24. Columbus Blue Jackets, via Jackets Cannon, select winger Maxime Comtois.
25. Montreal Canadiens, via Eyes on the Prize, select defenceman Urho Vaakanainen.
26. Chicago Blackhawks, via Second City hockey, selected Henri Jokiharju.
27. St. Louis Blues, via St. Louis Game Time, select centre Shane Bowers.
28. Ottawa Senators, via Silver Seven, select Jason Robertson.
29. Dallas Stars, via Defending Big D, select goalie Jake Oettinger.
30. Nashville Predators, via On the Forecheck, select centre Robert Thomas.
31. Tampa Bay Lightning, via Raw Charge, select defender Conor Timmins.

Dallas always needs goalies, so picking Oettinger was a reasonable move for them:

Oettinger is the consensus best goaltender in this year’s draft, and it’s easy to see why. His large 6’4” frame automatically fills a lot of the net, but he also complements his excellent size with a stoic composure during games and a professional, mature demeanor off the ice. He’s been incredibly successful everywhere that he’s played over the past three years, from the prestigious USA Hockey National Team Development Program, to the 2016 IIHF U18s (where he backstopped the U.S. to gold), and now to Boston University in the NCAA.

Nashville always needs forwards, and you really can’t go wrong with a centre ever:

Thomas has shown a propensity for creating offense for the London Knights over this past season. Putting up a point-per-game in this past season, he led the team with 50 assists and added in 16 goals.

More of a playmaker than a shooter, Thomas has some nice speed and great puckhandling that puts him in good position to either score or dish a pass to an open player. He has a nice defensive game, but he would likely have to work even harder in the defensive zone at the NHL level to make up for his size.

And the last pick took a long trip to end up in Tampa. First Arizona traded down with Pittsburgh to get it, and then Tampa traded up to take it from Arizona.  The result was a defenceman heading to the Lightning:

While trading away the two picks leaves the Lightning only selecting five times total in the draft, the Lightning have acquired a lot of extra picks recently. Over the past two drafts, the Lightning have added 19 prospects. While one of those selected prospects has already been traded (Boko Imama), there are still lots of prospects in the pipeline. That allows us to feel more comfortable with giving up a third-round pick to move up 14 spots back into the first round.

Even more so, it allows us to address a need in the system. Conor Timmins is the best of the right-handed defensemen remaining on the board, in our assessment. I should also note that the decision to make this trade and selection was prior to the announcement of the Jonathan Drouin for Mikhail Sergachev trade. That trade doesn’t change our opinion about the need for a right-handed defenseman as Sergachev is left-handed.

And that’s it for the Mock Draft.  Deep breath now, everyone, because the real thing is tomorrow. In this mock draft Nico Hischier went first overall.  Do you think that’s how the real thing will play out?

Will Nico Hischier go first tomorrow?