2010 NHL Mock Draft 1st Round

You know the NHL draft is next month (June 25) and the hot topic has been weather Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin will go first but there are a few others.

1.Edmonton Oilers: Taylor Hall LW Windsor Spitfires OHL                                      The most talented player in the draft, no question.

2.Boston Bruins(from Toronto): Tyler Seguin C Plymouth Whalers OHL                        A great pick and my pick for the Calder Trophy.

3.Florida Panthers: Erik Gudbranson D Kingston Frontenacs OHL                                 The hard hitting defenseman is just the building block the Panthers need.

4.Columbus Blue Jackets: Cam Fowler D Windsor Spitfires OHL                                   He should be a great power-play quarterback for a struggling PP.

5.New York Islanders: Brandon Gormley D Moncton Wildcats QMJHL                            The steady defenseman out of PEI is just what the Isles need right now.

6.Tampa Bay Lightning: Brett Connolly RW Prince George Cougars WHL                       The talented winger has been plagued by hip and wrist injuries this season at this spot he is too talented to pass up.

7.Carolina Hurricanes: Nino Niederreiter LW Portland Winterhawks WHL                        The Swiss sensation has been flying up draft boards and it's no different here.

8.Atlanta Thrashers: Derek Forbort D US National U-17 USHL                                Will add a ton of skill to a weak blueline.

9.Minnesota Wild: Emerson Etem C Medicine Hat Tigers WHL                                   The Wild have everything except consistent scoring and Etem provides just that.

10.New York Rangers: Mark Pysyk D Edmonton Oil Kings WHL                                   They may want someone like Derek Forbort but they probably won't get him so Pysyk is good.

11.Dallas Stars: Mikael Granlund C/W HIFK Helsinki FNL                                            It may come down to Granlund and Alex Burmistrov but they will choose Granlund because of his versatility.

12.Anahiem Ducks: Alex Burmistrov C Barrie Colts OHL                                        The Ducks are looking to add some depth at center and at this spot Burmistrov is a steal

13.Pheonix Coyotes(from Calgary): Ryan Johansen C Portland Winter Hawks WHL          This is an steal at this spot for the Coyotes. God Darryl Sutter is stupid.

14.St.Louis Blues: Nick Bjugstad C Blaine High School High-MN                                  The big forward just needs some filling out and he will be great.

15.Boston Bruins: Austin Watson RW Peterborough Petes OHL                                 The Bruins get more scoring in the draft as it looks like they've lucked out.  

16.Ottawa Senators: Dylan McIlrath D Moose Jaw Warriors WHL                               The Senators get a great defensive defenseman here.

17.Colorado Avalanche: Jack Campbell G US U-18 USDP                                         The Avs get a future top notch goalie and fill an organizational need.

18.Nashville Predators: John McFarland C Sudbury Wolves OHL                                 The Predators grab the super talented center at a surprising position.

19.Los Angelis Kings: Jonathon Merill D US U-18 USDP                                             The bid hard hitting d-man could be the perfect compliment to Drew Doughty.

20.Pittsburgh Penguins: Jeff Skinner RW Kitchener Rangers OHL                               May have skating troubles but you can't argue with 70 goals in 84 games.

21.Detroit Red Wings: Tyler Toffoli C/RW Ottawa 67's OHL                                        The Red Wings add depth and youth to an aging team.

22.Pheonix Coyotes: Quinton Howden LW Moose Jaw Warriors WHL                           The emerging power forward will add more hard working to an already hard working forward core.

23.Buffalo Sabres: Stanislav Galiev RW Saint John Sea Dogs QMJHL                           The Russian dynamo is great at both ends of the ice and has slippery moves. Reminds me of another Russian star. Hmmmm.

24.Atlanta Thrashers(from New Jersey): Calvin Pickard G Seattle Thunderbirds WHL     Is Pickard the franchise goalie the Thrashers have been looking for all these years.   

25.Vancouver Canucks: Charlie Coyle C/RW South Shore EJHL                                 This power forward has great size and plays physically. Just what the Canucks need.

26.Washington Capitals: Stephen Johns D US U-18 USHL                                         The Caps finally get a premier shutdown d-man.                                                  

27.Montreal Canadians: Tyler Pitlick C Minnesota State WCHA                                   May not need a centre but his talent is too good to pass up on.                    

28.San Jose: Riley Sheahan C University of Notre Dame CCHA                                   May be a bit risky but too talented to pass on and Joe Thornton can't do it forever.  

29.Anahiem Ducks: Petr Straka RW Rimouski Oceanic QMJHL                                   The winger adds some depth and more scoring to round out the top six with Teemu Selanne possibly retiring.

30.Chicago Blackhawks: Alex Petrovic D Red Deer Rebels WHL                              You can never have too many quality defenseman and there's a possibility that Brent Seabrook could leave next season.

And I'm not going to try to predict the finals because all I picked right this year were the Western conference division champions and first round (western conference).