Defenceman Dobson seems destined to be No. 7 pick by Canucks

Quinn Hughes went from a University of Michigan curiosity to Bobby Orr puck-moving comparisons and a world championship comfort factor with the United States as the tournament’s youngest player last month.

Noah Dobson went from a gold medal with Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament last August, then a QMJHL title with Acadie-Bathurst and a Memorial Cup championship last month.

What will this mean when the NHL draft commences in two weeks at Dallas?

You put the most stock in everything a player accomplished during his draft year, but you don’t discount excellence on the national or international stages. You then use the scouting combine as a character barometer and fitness baseline and zero in with followup interviews. Above all, trust your instincts. The Canucks own the seventhoverall selection and whether they were picking in mid-season rankings in January or final rankings in June, the consensus is a defenceman is there for the taking.

In his first playoff experience as a QMJHL rookie two seasons ago, Dobson’s defensive game and confidence level took off. In the second round, he got the call to shut down hulking centre Pierre-Luc Dubois — now a mainstay with Columbus — and held him to four goals in a seven-game triumph.

“That really taught me how important your stick work is,” the 6-3, 180-pound Dobson told Postmedia News. “You may not be the biggest or most physical guy and throwing the big hit, but having a good stick and being in the right position at the right time really helped my defensive game.

“A little bit of that is your hockey sense and a little bit is having a great coach in minor hockey who was always thinking the game. Learning how to think at a young age really helped me in going through the ranks. If you can think one play ahead, that really helps you.”

The Canucks have been the subject of trade rumours for immediate roster help, but it would take a lot to part with the pick and any add-ons in any significant deal.

“We feel real comfortable with the way we have our list,” said Canucks’ general manager Jim Benning. “We think we’re getting a real good player at No. 7 and we like those who have a chance to be there.”

Here’s how the top 10 of the fist round could play out:

1.

Buffalo: Rasmus Dahlin, D, Frolunda, SHL

No brainer. Dominating, gamechanging, plug-and-play, potential generational greatness.

2.

Carolina: Andrei Svechnikov, RW, Barrie, OHL

Big Russian is a horse, had 40-goal season, gives Hurricanes depth. Justin Williams is 36.

3.

Montreal: Brady Tkachuk, LW, Boston University, NCAA Canadiens can’t score, too easy to play against. Tkachuk brings vital grit, will, skill.

4.

Ottawa: Filip Zadina, RW, Halifax, QMJHL

Dangerous from dots down, 44-goal sniper adds pop to 25th-ranked offence, 27th-rated PP.

5.

Detroit (trade with Arizona, up from No. 6): Quinn Hughes, D, Michigan, NCAA

Wings coach Jeff Blashill loved homegrown Hughes at worlds. Great wheels, poise.

6.

Arizona (trade with Red Wings, down from No. 5): Evan Bouchard, D, London, OHL

Big stud led league blue-liners with 84 points (25-62), strong in own zone, well schooled.

7.

Vancouver: Noah Dobson, D, Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL Budding Seth Jones, 69 points (1752), right-shot power-play potential, heavy shot, two-way game.

8.

Chicago: Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Assat, SM-liiga

Big Finn plays a hard game like Captain Serious.

9:

New York Rangers: Oliver, Wahlstrom, RW, NTDP, USHL Re-tooling Blueshirts bleak on right side. Wahlstrom’s quick release brought 39 goals in 51 games.

10.

Edmonton: Adam Boqvist, D, Byrnas, Sweden-J20

Oilers need drive, creativity from the back end, slick Swede often compared to Erik Karlsson.