2017 NHL Draft Preview: Mock Draft

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor

For 31 players, tonight is a life-changing event. The NHL Entry Draft begins on Friday night with the first round of selections.

The preparation and anticipation has built and is about to commence in Chicago. As always, there are many exciting prospects looking for a home, which is sure to create drama and excitement as teams vie for the services of these talented young men.

As part of Flyerdelphia's extensive coverage, we've put together a mock draft for tonight's first round, based on the top prospects in the draft and how we think the picks play out. [Note: This is assuming no trades occur in the first round and all teams retain their scheduled picks.]

New Jersey – Nico Hischier – Hischier’s impressive first season in the QMJHL and his impressive all-around skills in all three zones are enough for the Devils to take him at No. 1.
Philadelphia – Nolan Patrick – The long-time projected No. 1 pick slips to No. 2, and the Flyers are waiting to grab him. Make no mistake, despite the injury-riddled season heading into the draft, the gap between Hischier and Patrick is very close and the Flyers won’t hesitate to take a player
Dallas – Miro Heiskanen – The top defenseman comes off the board early. Heiskanen has the ability to transform a blue line, and Dallas has been interested for a while.
Colorado – Gabe Vilardi – Vilardi really turned heads with a long look in the Memorial Cup. The extra time to boost his stock moves him up in the draft.
Vancouver – Cody Glass – This center picked the right time to have a standout season. Glass will provide some scoring to Vancouver’s forward group.
Vegas – Casey Mittelstadt – Tons of potential in this kid. Mittelstadt split time between high school and the USHL, and while his level of play was so much greater than his teammates and opponents in high school, his potential is soaring. Vegas needs to build around a future superstar and Mittelstadt has all the makings of that.
Arizona – Owen Tippett – A really quality winger with tremendous scoring talent, Tippett is no stretch for Arizona at No. 7.
Buffalo – Cale Makar – After two years of getting top-notch forward talent in Jack Eichel and Alex Nylander, the Sabres put emphasis on the blue line and grab the defenseman regarded as the best skater in the draft.
Detroit – Callen Foote – A strong two-way defender with great size. Adam Foote’s son brings a good two-way ability to Detroit.
Florida – Juuso Valimaki – A smart, two-way defender with poise and potential, Valimaki fits what the Panthers are looking for in a defenseman.
Los Angeles – Michael Rasmussen – A big presence on the ice, there are some reservations about Rasmussen’s potential, but LA will have no problem taking him at 11.
Carolina – Klim Kostin – Carolina has added some quality defensemen over the past few drafts, so this time, they opt for a forward. Kostin has been regarded as the best European forward in the draft.
Vegas (from Winnipeg) – Timothy Liljegren – He’s slipped a little bit, but for Vegas, in need of a prospect defenseman, Liljegren is a good start.
Tampa Bay – Martin Necas – This European prospect has some good potential. He projects to be a top-six forward with good offensive instincts and strong puck skills.
Vegas (from NY Islanders) – Nick Suzuki – This kid is incredibly gifted. Great scoring potential and potentially the steal of the draft. He’ll go somewhere in the middle of the first round, but could be one of those players we wonder why he didn’t go sooner down the road.
Calgary – Eeli Tolvanen – For Calgary at 16, this is a good value. Some have him projected higher, but others are lukewarm on him. He’s a strong scorer, so somebody will snatch him up pretty quickly the longer he remains on the board.
Toronto – Elias Pettersson – With so many prospects right on the cusp of joining the NHL or entering their sophomore seasons in Toronto, the Leafs take a flyer on Pettersson. He’s a bit of a project, but Toronto’s strong pipeline will allow for some patience.
Boston – Ryan Poehling – This is the type of player Boston has thrived with. Good two-way ability, can score, he’ll fit right in with the Bruins.
San Jose – Jaret Anderson-Dolan – A competitive player who plays with grit and speed, the Sharks will be a great fit. Anderson-Dolan can play in all situations and has fared well in all three zones.
St. Louis – Maxime Comtois – At one time, Comtois was being projected to be a Top-10 pick. This draft is very even from around 10-25, so Comtois fits perfectly in here. St. Louis is the lucky team that takes him.
NY Rangers – Lias Andersson – A great mix of skill and smarts, Andersson is an all-around player with a strong compete level and the ability to bring a 200-foot game.
Edmonton – Kailer Yamamoto – He’s small, but that hasn’t been a problem for other players in the NHL. He’s got some good scoring touch, and with several dynamic players, the Oilers would gladly add another strong offensive player in Yamamoto.
Arizona (from Minnesota) – Isaac Ratcliffe – A big winger with the power forward qualities of size and strength. He has the potential to slide into a top-six role in Arizona.
Winnipeg (from Columbus via Vegas) – Nicolas Hague – He’s got the potential to reach a top pairing, but he’s more of a middle pairing defenseman with tremendous size and great potential. This would be a good fit for Winnipeg at this point in the draft.
Montreal – Conor Timmins – Montreal needs a lot of help on the blue line, especially after trading Mikhail Sergechev to Tampa for Jonathan Drouin. Timmins play has been improving over the course of the season and he brings a strong two-way game and mobility to the Canadiens.
Chicago – Kristian Vesalainen – Vesalainen has the potential to go much higher than this based on his offensive skill and scoring ability, but his struggles defensively and need to display more of a physical presence in his game hold him back some. Still, this is a good fit for the Blackhawks.
St. Louis (from Washington) – Kole Lind – A standout in Kelowna, Lind is a tremendous skill player that should be able to add some flash to the Blues lineup.
Ottawa – Robert Thomas – A pure skater with great speed, Thomas utilizes his strongest quality to showcase good puck skills and playmaking ability. Ottawa will welcome that to their offense.
Dallas (from Anaheim) – Pierre-Olivier Joseph – Dallas continues to pad the blue line with another big, mobile defenseman. Joseph has a good two-way game, but has more potential as a stay-at-home, shutdown defender.
Nashville – Stelio Mattheos – After Nolan Patrick goes among the highest picks, one of his teammates starts rounding out the first round. Mattheos had a strong season with 26 goals and has a powerful offensive presence that Nashville will love.
Pittsburgh – Jason Robertson – Robertson has been projected to go between the late first round and early second round, so this is no reach for Pittsburgh. This is the type of prospect that you may not give much thought to on draft day who ends up being a key player in Pittsburgh. He’ll fit right in.