Well, I have prepared my first copy of my 2009 Mock Entry Draft, but it still may need a little tweaking in the next few weeks, as the Red Wings & Penguins still have to determine their final spots, although I don't think the picks will necessarily change there. If there is some significant trading up in the next couple weeks, I might think about revising who goes where, but for now, I think this list looks to be pretty solid.Draft Day is one of the more fun days in the NHL's silly season and it's something I watch religiously... if I can. Good to see the first round of the draft on a Friday night, I might have to have some people around for some beers and some good hockey chatter. Well, here's a look at how I think the draft will go down.
| Team | Pick | Player | Pos | |
 | 1 | John Tavares | F | No-brainer. Despite the controversy surrounding the number one overall pick in the NHL, Tavares will be picked in the number one spot by either the Islanders or whomever they decide to trade the pick to. The Islanders are in desperate need of a franchise forward and there is little doubt that Tavares has been groomed to be one through his junior career. Look for Tavares to even make the jump right away. |
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 | 2 | Victor Hedman | D | With their franchise forward already drafted, it is only fitting that the Lightning go after Hedman, as he does come with the hype of being a franchise defender. Hedman brings plenty of size to the table, which the Lightning do sort of lack in their better defenders, so Hedman can upgrade that position almost immediately. Look for Hedman to make the jump to the NHL this Fall. |
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 | 3 | Jared Cowen | D | If you look at the Colorado Pool Outlook, they don't have any goaltending. Sadly, there isn't a goalie to be seen in many top postings of prospects, so we'll skip that. Saying that, I think they may want to add some youth right away on the back-end, stocking up their blueline. Cowen comes with size and could protect whoever is in net for the Avs this Fall. |
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 | 4 | Matt Duchene | F | You would have to know that the Thrashers would be awfully pleased to see Duchene drop down to the fourth spot, as he could be a good well-rounded centre that can skate and play with some of Atlanta's top forwards. Adding a speedy centre to a line with Ilya Kovalchuk is a possibility, it would be silly not to. There really is no word as to his immediate availabity to the big time, but he could be quick. |
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 | 5 | Evander Kane | F | The Kings likely have Kane fairly high on their list, as he somewhat measures up to Dustin Brown in size and scoring talent. Kane should be looked upon to help anchor the team's second line in scoring, as their defense should be pretty solid going forward, as is their goaltending. Kane had a good season with the Vancouver Giants and played well for Canada at the WJC. This looks like a good fit. |
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 | 6 | Ryan Ellis | D | The Coyotes are building a fast, offensive team in the desert and with some of the size they already have on the blueline, Ellis seems to be the right kind of fit to help the team with their power play and other offensive situations. After his showing at the WJC and Memorial Cup tournament, I can definitely see Ellis' skill help his cause to move up a lot in the draft. Look for the Coyotes to make this splash. |
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 | 7 | Brayden Schenn | F | The brothers Schenn should be too much to pass up on for Brian Burke in Toronto. Younger brother, Brayden, won't come just for the sake of going to Toronto, either. Schenn will bring a well-rounded talent to wherever he goes this Summer, including some really good grit and good defensive abilities. He really does fit the mould that Burke is wanting to build for Toronto and you may even see Toronto move up in the draft to make sure he gets him. |
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 | 8 | Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson | F | Dallas has also shown a love affair with Sweden and the playmaking forward from Norrkoping could be a very good fit for the Stars. The Stars could use a little more playmaking down the road, possibly to go along with fellow countryman, Fabian Brunnstrom. If Paajarvi-Svensson is still available at the 8th pick, I would expect Dallas to pick him up. |
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 | 9 | Nazem Kadri | F | The biggest issue with the Senators in 2009 was the scoring depth and it should be their priority to find some more scorng in the top ten in the draft. Kadri not only possesses some good playmaking, but he is noted to be a great forechecker with exceptional speed, something that the Senators have been known to have. This pick should fit into the Senators long-term plans. |
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 | 10 | Jordan Schroeder | F | Schroeder fits the bill of the Oilers' line-up at the moment and has plenty of skill to back-up what he may lack in speed. He is also listed as more of a stocky player at 5' 9", which could benefit players like Gagner or Cogliano, as a guy who can dig in the corners for the puck, not to mention put it to his skilled linemates on the ice. Stocking up at forward could be beneficial to the Oilers down the road. |
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 | 11 | Scott Glennie | F | Deep in defense, looking deep in goal, the Predators should be going after the best forward available at this point. Glennie moved up the rankings of the CSB from the mid-season to the final rankings, bringing good size and hockey sense, according to some scouts. Glennie could be a good compliment to some of the young talent already in the Predators' system, making him a good fit going forward. |
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 | 12 | Simon Despres | D | New management in Minnesota means that there will be a new direction taken by the Wild going forward. Look for a start with a strong steady two-way defender in Simon Despres out of the QMJHL. He comes with that exact package with more in store. He may have left some scouts wanting a bit more to rank him higher, but his size and good skating should be enough to get a high pick out of him. |
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 | 13 | David Rundblad | D | Offense from the backend may be on the docket for the Sabres this summer, as most of their better offensive defenders are growing aged and the blueline is in need of a refresh with someone in the blue-chip variety. Rundblad has fallen into the shadows behind Hedman, but Rundblad comes with a good offensive upside and moves the puck very well. |
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 | 14 | Dimitri Kulikov | D | The potential loss of Jay Bouwmeester could swing the vote towards an offensive defenseman in Florida and Kulikov was certainly impressive in the Memorial Cup tournament for Drummondville. His regular season was very good and his WJC wasn't too bad either. He should help fill some good gaps. |
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 | 15 | John Moore | D | The Ducks will look for some more size on the back end this summer and John Moore is the kind of kid that fits the bill to a tee. Moore's size at 6'2" and 180 lbs. (according to the Hockey News), should be a good building block, but it's his mobility that will be looked upon to do good things in Anaheim when veterans disappear. |
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 | 16 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson | D | The Blue Jackets have a bundle of forwards in their system, so they should want to improve the back-end a bit, which should give them the best defensive prospect available in Ekman-Larsson, who fell a little down to 16th. Having an offensive defenseman on the ledger should mean some big things for the Jackets in the future. |
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 | 17 | Zack Kassian | F | The Blues have lots of young talent coming up the ranks, but they do seem to be short on some power up front. Kassian would be a good fit for the club's playmaking forwards, especially when he's drawing defenders away from them. Kassian draws similaritys to Milan Lucic, which is the kind of player the Blues would like in the Central Division. |
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 | 18 | Jacob Josefson | F | It could be awfully difficult for Bob Gainey not to pick up a projected two-way centre, especially with some of the changes coming and some of the slower developments of previous draft picks. Josefson has lots of good credits to his name, including skating and abilities at both ends of the ice, which has to look attractive for a team that disappointed at both ends of the ice. |
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 | 19 | Carter Ashton | F | Goal scoring from the wing is an attractive prospect for the Rangers, especially when comparing their top prospects to what they could get in the draft. Ashton brings a big frame at 6'3" and 200 lbs., which could make him into a good power forward, as well as a goal scorer. The Rangers are deep down the middle in their youth, so a good scoring winger is a good compliment. |
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 | 20 | Nick Leddy | D | Flames like size and skill at both ends of the ice. It could be a defensive lockdown again though in Calgary, so maybe look towards a good two-way defender like Nick Leddy, who will bring some explosive skating to the development system, as well as being good at both ends of the ice. He is heading to University, so he won't be an immediate prospect. |
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 | 21 | Kyle Palmieri | F | The Flyers have benefitted from good two-way forwards on their squad and Palmieri really impressed physically at the Combine in Toronto, which should raise the eyebrows of the Flyers this summer. Understood by most scouts as a good two-way forward, his character has been questioned both good & bad, but that seems to be the perfect fit of the Flyers organization. |
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 | 22 | Stefan Elliot | D | A Vancouver native and a good sized defenseman makes Elliot a good fit for the Canucks in the first round. Elliot is ranked 27th in the Hockey News Draft Preview and 17th among NA Skaters by the CSB, so he should be pegged righ in the middle at the 22nd pick. |
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 | 23 | Calvin de Haan | D | An offensive defenseman is what the Devils need immediately, but they shouldn't expect to get one from the draft. Calvin de Haan is pegged as one, but he will likely be groomed in the Devils way in order to maximize his abilties both offensively and most importantly, defensively. Size is good, skating is good, weight & strength are concerns. |
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 | 24 | Tim Erixon | D | European skill has got the Capitals this far, so why change the formula? An upgrade to the blueline offensively shouldn't hurt the team at all, even when there are already some skilled defenders already on the Capitals team. He certainly wouldn't be rushed to the top, but should be able to work well with the other Euros in Washington when his time comes. |
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 | 25 | Chris Kreider | F | Big speed, offensive talent... seems like the kind of player the Bruins would want to bring in to increase the offense that much more. The Boxford, Mass. native would be close to home, which has to appeal, but he may need plenty of time to make it to the NHL. He should be a pretty good fit in the long-term for the Bruins. |
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| 26 | Drew Shore | F | The Islanders already hit the jackpot offensively, so why not take a highly rated defensive forward to add some more depth to the team down the middle. Shore is listed more as a two-way forward at the centre position, which could give the team a good third or fourth line centre down the road. Certainly not going to make the immediate impact that Tavares will. |
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 | 27 | Peter Holland | F | The Hurricanes are branding themselves well with some really smart talent from previous drafts and a guy like Holland has been scouted as a high-energy, smart, calculating player. He is listed as a centre, where the Canes are certainly deep at, but if he is still a year or two away, the salary cap constraints may see the need for another young pivot to emerge. |
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 | 28 | Ryan Button | D | Depth on the blueline is something that the Blackhawks already have, but some more that is not expected to come up right away might be on the radar for the Blackhawks late in the first round. Button moved up in the rankings in North America by 13 spots from the mid-term and should need a couple seasons more to get the size he needs for the big leagues. |
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 | 29 | Landon Ferraro | F | The Penguins are surely built on offense and adding another good quality scoring winger to the mix of superstar centres should be another step forward in creating a dominating offensive style game. Adding a player with some NHL genes couldn't hurt the team either. The Penguins will look to be a strong team and will likely use their deeper picks to sure up their defense. |
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 | 30 | Marcus Johansson | F | The love affair between the Red Wings and Sweden has a good chance to continue with a pick of Johansson. A smaller centre who fits the mould of a Henrik Zetterberg could be attractive, especially since Johansson will still be another season or two, possibly three, before making it into the Red Wings organization. With cap money spent on superstars, Johansson will hone his game before joining the NHL. |
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