The SBNation 2019 Mock Draft continues with three selections today.

The Draft so Far

  1. NHL Mock Draft 2019: New Jersey Devils Select Jack Hughes with No. 1 draft pick - All About The Jersey
  2. NHL Mock Draft 2019: New York Rangers Select Kaapo Kakko with No. 2 Pick - Blueshirt Banter
  3. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Chicago Blackhawks select Alex Turcotte with No. 3 pick - Second City Hockey
  4. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Colorado Avalanche select Kirby Dach with the No. 4 pick - Mile High Hockey
  5. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Los Angeles Kings select Dylan Cozens with No. 5 pick - Jewels From The Crown
  6. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Detroit Red Wings select Bowen Byram with No. 6 pick - Winging It In Motown
  7. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Buffalo Sabres select Cole Caufield with the No. 7 pick - Die By The Blade
  8. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Edmonton Oilers Select Peyton Krebs With The Number 8 Pick - The Copper & Blue
  9. SB Nation NHL Mock Draft 2019: Anaheim Ducks select Trevor Zegras - Anaheim Calling
  10. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Vancouver Canucks select Matthew Boldy with the No. 10 pick - Nucks Misconduct
  11. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Philadelphia Flyers select Alex Newhook with No. 11 pick - Broad Street Hockey
  12. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Minnesota Wild select Vasili Podkolzin with the No. 12 pick - Hockey Wilderness
  13. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Florida Panthers select Philip Broberg with the No. 13 pick - Litter Box Cats
  14. 2019 NHL Draft prospect: Victor Söderström is the defender you’re looking for - Eyes On The Prize
  15. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Montreal Canadiens select Thomas Harley at 15th - Eyes On The Prize
  16. NHL Mock Draft 2019: New York Rangers Select Arthur Kaliyev 16th Overall - Blueshirt Banter
  17. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Vegas Golden Knights select Raphael Lavoie with No. 17 pick - Knights On Ice
  18. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Dallas Stars Select Moritz Seider 18th Overall - Defending Big D
  19. NHL Mock Draft: Ottawa Senators Select Bobby Brink with No. 19 Pick - Silver Seven
  20. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Colorado Avalanche select Cam York 20th overall - Mile High Hockey
  21. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Pittsburgh Penguins select Nils Hoglander with 21st pick - PensBurgh
  22. NHL Mock Draft 2019: Los Angeles Kings select Matthew Robertson with No. 22 pick - Jewels From The Crown
  23. NHL Mock Draft: New York Islanders Select Ryan Suzuki with 23rd Pick - Lighthouse Hockey

Monday’s Selections

The Nashville fans tried to trade up, but that didn’t work out so they took Tomasino.

NHL Mock Draft: Nashville Predators select Philip Tomasino 24th overall - On the Forecheck
Nashville picks up a speedy center with skill to burn.

It’s easy to imagine how Tomasino’s offensive game was aided by playing in such a loaded forward group, particularly on the man-advantage; he certainly benefited from the Jason Robertson acquisition, scoring 17 goals and 34 points in 31 games with Robertson playing.

The Capitals fans, who will see the cup awarded to someone else on Wednesday, went with a winger who hasn’t yet cracked the top league in Finland. It’s that part of the draft, where selections have multiple flaws or are behind in development.

NHL Mock Draft 2019: Washington Capitals Select Patrik Puistola with the No. 25 Pick - Japers' Rink
The Washington Capitals will pick 25th overall in the upcoming NHL entry draft.

Here’s the TLDR on Puistola: he’s a talented winger out of the second-tier league in Finland, Mestis. Puistola is said to have some of the best hands in the 2019 draft class, but is somewhat lacking in defensive and skating abilities. Still, his strong showing for LeKi warrants a serious look at his abilities moving forward.

The Calgary fans realized the relative merits of a pick in this range and traded down for two:

NHL Mock Draft 2019: With The 26th Pick, M&G Selects....... - Matchsticks and Gasoline
No one.

This year Matchsticks and Gasoline had the 26th pick in the draft and we looked at prospects, even posted a piece about five players the Flames should be looking at. We took everything into consideration.........and traded the pick. Broadstreet Hockey came calling with an offer of two picks (#41 & #72) and we accepted.

The thing about making a trade-down deal is that you have to find someone with a reason, good or not, to make the trade up:

NHL Mock Draft 2019: Philadelphia Flyers select Ville Heinola with No. 26 pick - Broad Street Hockey
A TRADE. And a defenseman!

... we thought the deal made sense for the Flyers. If there’s one thing the Flyers do have in their prospect ranks, it’s depth. Lots of it. Sending out an extra pick if it means a better chance at a high-ceiling prospect — even if a just-barely better chance — is a worthwhile trade for the Flyers given where they stand, and we thought the value of effectively giving up a third-round pick to move up 15 spots was advantageous for us.

It’s rare, in this day and age, for defensemen to succeed without having either the size or the skating ability to keep up with the game. But Ville Heinola plainly has not just the skill but the hockey instincts to survive in any kind of setting. His puck-moving ability is excellent despite not being a great skater, and his defensive instincts help him be in the right place at the right time when in his own portion of the ice. His strong two-way profile makes him the kind of player the Flyers’ brass figures to like.

Today, the next three picks will be posted, and then tomorrow we find out the order of the last two picks.

NHL Draft