Center or rugged wing should be on Hawks’ radar
With the 18th pick in the first round of the NHL draft, the Blackhawks select …?
It’s got to be a center — or a winger with some size and jam to his game.
Figuring out what teams will do in the draft in hockey is not easy to do.
This isn’t the NFL or the NBA, where it’s relatively easy to put together a mock draft based on what a club needs and where players likely slot into the first round.
There is so much more of the unknown in the NHL draft past the top 3-5 picks, and this year won’t be any different in the first round Friday.
It’s clear to most scouts that Red Deer center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson, Kitchener left wing Gabrial Landeskog and Saint John center Jonathan Huberdeau are the best players available.
But clubs have their own opinions and project players out differently. Those four prospects might go one through four, or they might not.
The St. Louis Blues, remember, took defenseman Erik Johnson first overall in 2006, passing on Jonathan Toews, who went third to the Hawks.
Toews has become one of the game’s elite centers, while the Blues last season traded Johnson to Colorado, not pleased with his development.
Despite the presence of Toews and Dave Bolland, and even Patrick Sharp as a center and Marcus Kruger ready to step up, the Hawks are thin at the most important forward position and could use a top prospect to develop over the next few years.
At the moment the best centers the Hawks have in their system are Brandon Pirri, Evan Brophey, Chris DiDomenico, Rob Flick, Byron Froese and Philippe Paradis. Only time will tell if any of them make it.
Brophey, a third-round pick in 2005, already has spent four years in the minors and is a restricted free agent who may or may not be re-signed. Pirri, a second-rounder in 2009, is considered a good prospect, but he is 6-feet, 160 pounds.
Here are six players who might still be on the board when the Hawks pick 18th on Friday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
ŸMika Zibanejad, C, Djurgarden.
Most scouts see the 6-2, 191-pound highly skilled Swede going in the top 12, but you never know. He played in the Swedish Elite League as an 18-year-old and is versatile, which is something the Hawks like in their forwards.
ŸBrandon Saad, LW, Saginaw.
He’s 6-1, 208, strong, smart, responsible at both ends and potentially NHL ready, according to some scouts.
ŸJoel Armia, RW, Assat.
A 6-3, 191-pound goal scorer from Finland might be a reach for the Hawks considering their long-term and short-term needs.
ŸMark McNeill, C, Prince Albert.
He’s an interesting possibility as a guy with size (6-1, 204), a strong hockey IQ and the ability to play physical.
ŸNicklas Jensen, RW, Oshawa.
Very skilled, but not considered gritty. He’s the kind of player the Hawks might have too many of in their system.
ŸTyler Biggs, RW, U.S. Development Program.
We saved the most intriguing guy for last. Biggs is 6-2, 210, tough, strong, nasty and loves to hit. His father, Don, was a journeyman pro who liked to stir the pot. As one scout told the Hockey News: “His dad was a real pain in the (butt) and he will be, too. He is legitimate tough. He’s going to find a way to get to the NHL.”
Biggs is rated the 20th-best player in the draft by the Hockey News, but the International Scouting Service has him ranked No. 8, while MyNHLDraft.com calls Biggs the most underrated player in the first round.
His stock is rising, which might be too bad for the Hawks.