NHL Mock Draft 2020: Round 1 Picks for Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield, More

The immediate future of the NHL is unknown as the world combats the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Play has been suspended since March 12 until further notice, and the Scouting Combine and draft have been officially postponed.

That means the draft lottery's status is up in the air as well, so the order you see below is based off the league's standings following the conclusion of play on March 11.

The NHL will resume everyday operations at some point, though, and a few teams are set to welcome a few new first-round draft choices to their team for the 2020-21 season.

The New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators each have three picks in the top 31, while the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild own two apiece.

All of those teams are looking ahead to hopefully brighter days, although the rebuilding Rangers were fast-tracking their sunnier outlook with a nice run to playoff contention before play was suspended.

We'll take a look at what that quartet of teams may do and also provide a list of how the first 31 picks could shake out.

2020 NHL Mock Draft 

1. Detroit Red Wings: LW Alexis Lafreniere, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)

2. Ottawa Senators: C Quinton Byfield, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

3. Ottawa Senators (from San Jose Sharks): C Tim Stutzle, Adler Mannheim (DEL)

4. Los Angeles Kings: C Cole Perfetti, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

5. Anaheim Ducks: D Jamie Drysdale, Erie Otters (OHL)

6. New Jersey Devils: C Marco Rossi, Ottawa 67's (OHL)

7. Buffalo Sabres: RW Alexander Holtz, Djurgardens IF Hockey (SHL)

8. Montreal Canadiens: LW Lucas Raymond, Frolunda HC (SHL)

9. Chicago Blackhawks: C Anton Lundell, HIFK (Liiga)

10. New Jersey Devils (from Arizona Coyotes): G Yaroslav Askarov, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)

11. Minnesota Wild: D Jake Sanderson, United States Under-18 National Team

12. Winnipeg Jets: RW Noel Gunler, Lulea HF (SHL)

13. New York Rangers: RW Jack Quinn, Ottawa 67's (OHL)

14. Florida Panthers: F Dylan Holloway, Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA)

15. Columbus Blue Jackets: LW Rodion Amirov, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)

16. Calgary Flames: D Kaiden Guhle, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

17. New Jersey Devils (from Vancouver Canucks): RW Dawson Mercer, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)

18. Nashville Predators: C Connor Zary, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)

19. Carolina Hurricanes (from Toronto Maple Leafs): D Braden Schneider, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

20. Edmonton Oilers: C Mavrik Bourque, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

21. Ottawa Senators (from New York Islanders): RW Seth Jarvis, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

22. Dallas Stars: LW Jan Mysak, HC Litvinov (Czech)

23. New York Rangers (from Carolina Hurricanes): C Hendrix Lapierre, Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)

24. Minnesota Wild (from Pittsburgh Penguins): D William Wallinder, MODO Hockey J20 (Allsvenskan)

25. Philadelphia Flyers: D Justin Barron, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

26. San Jose Sharks (from Tampa Bay Lightning): C Jacob Perreault, Sarnia Sting (OHL)

27. Colorado Avalanche: D Jeremie Poirier, Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

28. Vegas Golden Knights: F John-Jason Peterka, EHC Munchen (DEL)

29. Washington Capitals: F Lukas Reichel, Eisbaren Berlin (DEL)

30. St. Louis Blues: C Thomas Bordeleau, United States Under-18 National Team

31. Anaheim Ducks (from Boston Bruins): F Ridly Greig, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

Draft order via Tankathon

Ottawa Senators

The Senators have finished 18th or worse in goals per game in each of the past four seasons. Their defense and goaltending has also been among the worst in the league over the past two years (30th and 31st in goals allowed per game, respectively).

The issue is that the value in this year's draft is with the forwards, and if the Sens want to take the best skaters available, then they should look toward the group a tier right below near-consensus top prospect Alexis Lafreniere.

Look for the Sens to strongly consider picking the duo of Quinton Byfield and Tim Stutzle to attempt to return Ottawa back to its offensive glory days of past years, when Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson were raising hell in the '00s.

Byfield nearly had two points per game for the OHL's Sudbury Wolves in 2019-20, eventually finishing with 32 goals and 50 assists in 45 games. He's 6'4, 215 pounds at just 17 years old. It's not impossible to see him contributing as early as 2020-21.

As for Stutzle, he's found himself in the top three of many hockey prospect site rankings, per eliteprospects.com. That includes hockeyprospect.com and Future Considerations.

Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com ranked him ninth on his Dec. 2019 list, writing that he was "a hard-working center with exceptional skating, puck skills and vision."

But Stutzle has since flown up his board to No. 2, and Morreale penned the following remarks in March.

"A hard-working lefty capable of playing all situations with speed, great vision and some swagger. He has 32 points (seven goals, 25 assists) and 80 shots on goal in 39 games for Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany; had five assists and averaged 18:43 in ice time in five games for Germany at the 2020 WJC."

A Byfield-Stultze combination to get the Sens' franchise back on track is a great start, and breakout WHL star Seth Jarvis of the Portland Winterhawks would be icing on the cake.

Jarvis finished second in goals (42) and points (98) per game in the league despite missing five contests. He also led Portland to the league's best record before the season was cancelled because of COVID-19.

New Jersey Devils

A promising 2017-18 season was just a blip on the radar for the Devils' recent history, and the team has largely slumped since reaching the 2011-12 Stanley Cup.

But the Devils have a promising future thanks largely in part to their three first-round draft picks, including one at No. 6.

That should net the Devils a strong forward, and the guess here is the Ottawa 67's' Marco Rossi falls to New Jersey.

If that's the case, the Devils should run to the podium. Rossi was the best player on the best team in the OHL, one of the top three junior leagues in Canada. He amassed 39 goals and 81 assists for 120 points for a 50-11 team. 

There's not much more to say except that it's hard seeing Rossi slip far past the midpoint of the top 10.

The best goalie prospect in this year's draft may be waiting at No. 10, and if that's the case, then the Devils should draft Yaroslav Askarov of the KHL's SKA St. Petersburg to give Mackenzie Blackwood some competition in the crease.

Ryan Kennedy of the Hockey News spoke about Askarov at length, explaining why he's the real deal:

Josh Bell of the Hockey Writers delivered a scouting report on Askarov in Sept. 2019 and said the following in part:

"Watching Askarov play, it's sometimes hard to believe his age. He's currently 17 years old, but he plays like a seasoned NHL veteran. His upper body is like a statue that glides effortlessly across the crease. Yet, his legs are constantly moving. This allows him to consistently maintain his form while remaining square to the puck and being prepared to make a save. It's exquisite to watch."

So the Devils can land their top-scoring forward and shutdown goalie of the future in one draft.

As for the last first-rounder, the Devils may consider right wing Dawson Mercer, who Alex Potts of SB Nation's Devils blog, All About the Jersey, discussed in an April 4 piece and backed at No. 17.

"If you can get someone in the mid-first who has legitimate top-six talent on offense, you cannot be upset with that pick. He has good size, good hockey IQ, plays a 200-foot game, in all scenarios, and is happy both distributing and shooting. That is as much of an all-around forward as you are going to find, and given his drive to always up his game, you have to feel decently confident that he has a good chance to pan out."

This trio wouldn't be expected to lead the Devils back to the playoffs immediately, but they could form the core for a perennial playoff team deeper into the decade.

New York Rangers

Ottawa 67's right wing Jack Quinn dominated the OHL with 52 goals and 37 assists in just 62 games. Thanks to his efforts, Ottawa clinched the league's regular-season title before the year was suspended because of COVID-19. Their 296 goals and 50-11 record paced the league.

It would be tough for the Rangers to pass on Quinn in this spot. In other years, he's a surefire top-10 pick, but this draft is stacked with excellent forwards, Quinn included.

The next mock pick in center Hendrix Lapierre didn't have as much success for the QMJHL's Chicoutimi Sagueneens, although he played a shortened 19-game season (two goals, 17 assists) because of injury.

At any rate, Morreale is bullish on the 18-year-old prospect's pro future: "The left-shot forward has great hockey sense, compete and playmaking qualities. He was limited to 19 games because of an upper-body injury but may have the highest ceiling of any player projected to go in the first round."

A Quinn-Lapierre combo combined with the Rangers' current young forward talent (e.g. Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Pavel Buchnevich) could give New York one of the league's most lethal offenses for years.

Minnesota Wild

A double-dip on defensemen for a Minnesota Wild team that allowed 220 goals (third-most in the Western Conference) isn't the worst idea for a team where scoring really isn't a problem.

A well-balanced goal-scoring attack (14 players with eight goals minimum) should be enough to keep the Wild in playoff contention into the 2020s, but the time is now for the Wild to load up on defense, starting with United States U-18's Jake Sanderson.

Here's what his U-18 head coach Seth Appert had to say about him to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald:

"If Jake's not the best defender in the world for his birth year, I don't know who's better.

"He's 6'2". Incredible skater. Incredible, explosive skater. Mean. Physical. Blocks shots. Moves the puck. Transitions it really well. He's on the power play. He has everything you want, really. He's our captain. He's a winner. The guys think the world of him. And he's the kind of guy you want in your room."

And he's the kind of player the Wild will want in their locker room, although Sanderson is a North Dakota commit and will likely put in some time there before going to the pros.

Elsewhere, it's hard to be considered good enough for the first round of the NHL draft, but imagine having that distinction at just 17 years old.

MODO Hockey J20 defenseman William Wallinder, who plays in Sweden's SuperElit, could be a steal for the Wild in the back end of the round.

As Matt Cosman of the Hockey Writers noted, Wallinder didn't see much ice time, but he's shown enough flashes to be considered a top prospect.

"Wallinder skates exceptionally well for such a big guy. He also has deceptively quick hands with the puck and boasts a heavy shot with a powerful release. He is comfortable quarterbacking a team's power play, and his tendencies to shoot are backed up by the fact that he rarely misses the net or takes a risky shot that can set an opposition rush into motion."

Cosman also noted the 6'4" Wallinder's "ability to accelerate and make plays at a high pace for such a big body."

Wallinder is probably at least a few years away from contributing to the Wild, but the potential for greatness is there.