2017 NHL DRAFT GRADES
Did your favorite franchise stock up on talent or let future stars slip through to another team?
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS GRADE: A+
Simply put, Vegas won the draft. The Knights went for skill early with Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki and Erik Brannstrom, and that was just on Friday. On Day 2, they added blueliner Nic Hague, gritty center Jake Leschyshyn, goalie Maksim Zhukov and sleeper Jack Dugan.
ARIZONA COYOTES GRADE: A-
In first-rounder Pierre-Olivier Joseph, the Coyotes nabbed a modern blueliner with great upside thanks to his skating and hockey IQ. Arizona also got value throughout the draft, with varied skill sets in players such as Nate Schnarr, Cameron Crotty and Filip Westerlund.
LOS ANGELES KINGS GRADE: A+
Gabe Vilardi dropping out of the top 10 was certainly a gift, but give the Kings credit for making the selection. After that, L.A. went on a tear, picking twoway center Jaret Anderson-Dolan, a potential star goalie in Matthew Villalta and puckmoving D-man Mikey Anderson.
COLORADO AVALANCHE GRADE: A-
In Cale Makar, the Avs got exactly what they need: a game-breaking defenseman who can move the puck and run a power play. He needs a year or two, but he’s worth it. Conor Timmins brings more goodies to the blueline, while Denis Smirnov is a small but mighty scorer.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS GRADE: A+
GM Ron Hextall and his staff know how to work a draft. Yes, the Flyers lucked out in the lottery and got Nolan Patrick as the prize, but Philly also picked often and with an eye on diversity. Hextall got speed in Morgan Frost, size in Isaac Ratcliffe and a goalie in Kirill Ustimenko.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS GRADE: A-
Getting the best player in the draft certainly helps, but the Devils made noise beyond Nico Hischier (who, for the record, is a great fit). With 11 picks, New Jersey restocked a belowaverage cupboard. Jesper Boqvist has promise and speed, while Reilly Walsh is a nice long-term project.
DALLAS STARS GRADE: A
The Stars have a raft of good young defensemen, but adding Miro Heiskanen was a solid choice because he was the best player on the board. Elsewhere, Dallas got the top goalie in the draft with Jake Oettinger and some potential scoring punch in Jason Robertson.
DETROIT RED WINGS GRADE: B+
Michael Rasmussen was a controversial choice, but he has great physical tools and can give a different look down the middle from Dylan Larkin. The Wings had 11 picks, which bolsters the rebuild. Keith Petruzelli could be the future No. 1 goalie, and watch out for center Zach Gallant.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS GRADE: A
The Canucks got a lot of potential in Elias Pettersson at No. 5 overall, and they didn’t stop there. Kole Lind adds talent up front, while goalie Michael DiPietro has proven his biggame ability. Jonah Gadjovich brings skill and a burly net-front presence, Petrus Palmu is an intriguing flyer.
MONTREAL CANADIENS GRADE: B+
The Habs got a center with size in the first round with Ryan Poehling, and that meets a desperate organizational need. But can he be a top-line pivot? Otherwise, Montreal nailed the next two selections with puck-moving defender Josh Brook and dynamic Joni Ikonen.
BUFFALO SABRES GRADE: B
Buffalo picked a nice draft mix. Starting at the top with center Casey Mittelstadt, the Sabres get a kid with offensive upside who will get better in the NCAA over the next couple years. Marcus Davidsson is a two-way threat, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is a top goalie prospect.
NEW YORK RANGERS GRADE: B-
The Rangers didn’t have a deep draft class, but the bulk of their grade goes to the first round. New York selected twice and put a stamp on things by picking players with a lot of potential. Lias Andersson is a fast, two-way force, while Filip Chytil plays the game the right way.
FLORIDA PANTHERS GRADE: C+
With only five picks, the Panthers were a bit hamstrung. But Owen Tippett, the 10th overall selection, has the potential to be a big-time goal scorer. Max Gildon is another interesting pick – he’s a big, athletic defenseman who will benefit greatly from his upcoming NCAA experience.
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS GRADE: B
It took the Hawks six picks before they landed a kid who crested the six-foot mark, but size isn’t everything these days. In defensemen Henri Jokiharju and Ian Mitchell, Chicago got a pair of puck-movers who will inject skill into the back end once they’re ready for the pros.
ST. LOUIS BLUES GRADE: B-
Robert Thomas was a great pick in the first round, and his smarts will be on display in the OHL next season. Toss in bonus first-rounder Klim Kostin and the Blues had a great Friday night. Things slowed down on Day 2, but Alexei Toropchenko has an intriguing upside.
ANAHEIM DUCKS GRADE: C
After an excellent 2016 draft, the Ducks slipped back a bit. They didn’t have a firstrounder and only had five selections in total. Secondrounder Antoine Morand has the most upside, while Maxime Comtois could be a solid middle-six winger. Olle Eriksson Ek is a project goalie.
EDMONTON OILERS GRADE: B
The Oilers got high-end skill in the first round with Kailer Yamamoto, who could be their Johnny Gaudreau clone in the ‘Battle of Alberta.’ Edmonton found great potential value in middlerounders Ostap Safin and Kirill Maksimov. Goalie Stuart Skinner has good upside.
SAN JOSE SHARKS GRADE: B-
Was Josh Norris a reach at 19th overall? Perhaps, but the kid’s athletic, that’s for sure. Mario Ferraro was a great choice, and the Sharks took chances throughout. The fun will be watching to see if the gambles pay off. Keep an eye on Sasha Chmelevski and Ivan Chekhovich.
BOSTON BRUINS GRADE: C-
Boston’s big problem recently has been that it swings for singles instead of home runs, Charlie McAvoy being the exception. The B’s made some decent picks – but on players with ceilings. Urho Vaakanainen and Jack Studnicka have the makeup to be NHLers but not top-liners.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS GRADE: B
Eeli Tolvanen was a gift at No. 30, and if he can add other dimensions to his scoring prowess, he’ll be a gamer. Nashville got more rugged with Grant Mismash, too. But the real value may have come in the middle, with puckmoving blueliner David Farrance and netminder Tomas Vomacka.
MINNESOTA WILD GRADE: C-
Not picking until late in the third round really hurt the Wild, but at least they got a potential steal in Ivan Lodnia. There are a lot of question marks with this draft class, which is mitigated by the fact Minnesota has a really good crop of youngsters in the pipeline already.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS GRADE: B
The Leafs are set at forward for a decade, so going big on blueliners made sense. Timothy Liljegren has great potential but must bounce back from a season in hell. Eemeli Rasanen has similar pros and cons. One sleeper is giant Fedor Gordeev, who converted from forward.
OTTAWA SENATORS GRADE: C-
The Senators made a couple nice selections early but only had four picks overall. Their margin of error is very slim. In Shane Bowers, they get a safe pro prospect with size and a two-way game. Alex Formenton will continue to grow and has the speed to do damage in the OHL.
WINNIPEG JETS GRADE: B
The Jets went for potential in firstrounder Kristian Vesalainen, who has work to do. He’s big, fast and talented but must finish his chances. In Dylan Samberg, Winnipeg might have another Jacob Trouba, as the NCAA commit combines skating and aggression on the back end.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS GRADE: C-
The stakes are low when you’ve won back-to-back Cups, but the Pens gave up a chance to take Klim Kostin when they dealt their first-rounder for Ryan Reaves. Clayton Phillips has upside as a puck-mover, but Pittsburgh only chose twice in the top 150, and that’s gonna hurt soon.
CAROLINA HURRICANES GRADE: B-
The coup of the draft was Carolina getting Martin Necas, whose last name means “bad weather” in Czech. Jokes aside, he’s a promising two-way center with speed. Otherwise, the Canes made some decent but not eye-popping picks. Morgan Geekie’s progress will be worth watching.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING GRADE: B-
In a draft that was all over the place, it’s important to put things in perspective. Tampa Bay got a solid defenseman in the first round when it took Cal Foote. He has flaws (skating) but a high ceiling. The Lightning also got a potential sleeper in two-way gem Alexei Lipanov.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS GRADE: D
The Islanders only had five picks, so not a good start on that front. New York landed some decent prospects but no one with a high ceiling. Defenders Robin Salo and Ben Mirageas have the most potential but still have a ways to go. Otherwise, the Isles went small and took flyers.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS GRADE: B-
There isn’t a ton of high-end skill in Columbus’ draft haul, but they did get some talent. Alexandre Texier will be interesting to watch. Same with biggie Kale Howarth. The real steal was goalie Daniil Tarasov, who missed the year due to injury but had several teams on his trail.
CALGARY FLAMES GRADE: C+
In Juuso Valimaki, the Flames got a solid first-rounder whose game will translate nicely to the pro ranks. He’s probably a secondpairing D-man. Two other picks worth monitoring: Adam Ruzicka, who needs to find consistency, and D’Artagnan Joly, who needs to think the game better.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS GRADE: D
Tobias Geisser has potential. He’s a big defenseman who should’ve been on Switzerland’s world junior team this past season, but he’s no sure thing. Geisser was the only pick Washington made in the top 150, and the Caps had just four selections overall. That’s not enough.