As expected, Jack Hughes went to the New Jersey Devils with the first overall pick, and the New York Rangers took an impressive consolation prize in Finnish power winger Kaapo Kakko. The rollercoaster ride of emotion and excitement soon followed, with several top-rated prospects going either higher (Kirby Dach to the Blackhawks at No. 3) or lower (Cole Caufield to Montreal at 15th overall) than assumed.
NHL Draft 2019: Complete list of picks for rounds 1-7
But what about the draft as a whole? It’s time to start slapping some preliminary draft grades on each team’s prospect haul. There are several factors I consider in assigning grades.
Players picked relative to where I ranked them. If a team drafted a player in a later round that I had earmarked for earlier, then it helps the grade, while the opposite hurts it. Teams that addressed a need or had an identifiable strategy centered on speed, hockey sense and puck skills got better grades than those who made seemingly random picks or favored size and strength. Teams that went heavy on draft over-agers not ranked in my top 50 got docked.
MORE 2019 NHL DRAFT: Three takeaways from Round 1 | First round winners & losers
Without further ado, Sporting News has final draft grades for every team.
Although trading up three spots to grab Soderstrom seemed unnecessary since neither team picking after them took a defender, the fact that they went for skill at every position, plus drafted a possible heir apparent for Oliver Ekman-Larsson, is good enough to classify this draft as a success. Grade: B+
The biggest shocker, however, was the selection of two-way defender Roman Bychkov (154th), who became the first Russian-league defenseman drafted by Boston since 2010. Although they mostly avoided pure finishers or playmakers, GM Don Sweeney and staff deserve credit for making something out of the few picks they had, and identifying speed and mobility as important characteristics of their draftees. Grade: B
It was surprising, however, that they passed on high schooler Ryder Donovan, who has better size, speed and passing abilities. With their last two picks, the Sabres took a pair of European overage wingers with limited upside in Filip Cederqvist (143rd) and Lukas Rousek (160th). The line of thinking may have been predicated on NHL readiness, but neither had as impressive a pre-draft resume as at least two dozen players picked after them. Grade: B
Calgary closed out its draft with a potential steal in California-raised goalie Dustin Wolf (214th), who was the WHL’s de facto top netminder and makes up for his lack of size with incredible quickness and technical know-how. This was an excellent haul for a 50-win team that only had five picks. Grade: A-
Carolina also took several upper cuts in rounds six and seven, beginning with goal-scorer Kevin Wall (181st) and ending with two centers — hard-shooting Blake Murray (183rd) and slick stickhandler Massimo Rizzo (216). Yes, the Canes had a dozen picks, so the law of averages is on their side. But the attention paid towards puck skills, speed and point-producing potential keeps their already-impressive prospect pool among the best in the league. Grade: A
Rounding out their 2019 draft class is two-way defenseman Cole Moberg (194th), who was Prince George’s top rearguard and took a massive leap in his development. In summation, grabbing Dach ahead of the likes of Bowen Byram, Trevor Zegras and Alex Turcotte was a decision both the casual observer and die-hard fan didn’t agree with, but they made selecting similar high-upside picks thereafter helped boost the overall assessment. Grade B+
It’s no shocker that Sakic finished up Day 2 with three straight WHL picks, with two being 200-foot wingers Sasha Mutala (140th) and overager Luka Burzan (171st). He ended his draft by adding Byram’s teammate in goalie Trent Miner (202nd), and although he went in the grit-and-jam direction in the later rounds, the Byram and Newhook selections carry the full weight of an excellent draft grade. Grade: A
Their next pick was abrasive power winger Dmitri Voronkov (114th), whose skating is average but he gets under the opponents’ skin and impacts shifts without scoring. His performance in Russia’s adult-age VHL may have played a role in his selection, but I could name several dozen Russian-league prospects with higher upside. The last pick at 212th overall may turn out to be their hope and salvation, as pesky center Tyler Angle (212th) has potential for point production as a role player. It looks like Kekalainen tried to be too fine with his picks rather than taking players with more skill, more speed and higher playmaking potential. Grade: D
Outside of cashing in on a third-overall pick like Miro Heiskanen in 2017, GM Jim Nill’s first-round picks since 2013 can be classified somewhere between terrible and questionable. While both Harley and Brinkman have legitimate top-four potential, the Stars ignored skill forwards altogether, which is reflected in the overall assessment. Grade: C-
In the later rounds, the Red Wings opted for size and two-way play, beginning with high school puck rusher Cooper Moore (128th), who will play college hockey for North Dakota. As expected, the Red Wings continued mining Sweden for talent, taking a huge 200-foot forward in Elmber Soderblom (159th) and project puck mover Gustav Berglund (177th), albeit while passing over more talented (and consistent) Swedes like Victor Hedstrom, Max Wahlgren and Albin Hjalmarsson. Diminutive Russian winger Kirill Tyutyayev (190th) not only has skill, but also was a standout on a veteran Avto team and nearly led them to an MHL championship. Lastly, big goalie Carter Gylander (191st) was solid for Sherwood Park of the AJHL and will play college hockey at Colgate. Grade: A-
One of the better selections made in the later rounds by any team was the drafting of two-way center Maxim Denezhkin (193rd) who moved up Loko’s impressive depth chart to become a top-six center and key contributor in their MHL title run. Grade: B+
You get the sense that Florida’s strategy centered on puck stopping and limiting defensive zone time via strength over speed, but they could have went about it a different way and still met their objectives. Forwards Cole Schwindt (81st) and Henrik Rybinski (136th) are average skaters but help in board battles thanks to their endurance and compete level. Their only noteworthy pick after Round 2 was hard-charging NTDP forward Owen Lindmark (137th), who did everything asked of him and has the potential for a top-nine role at the NHL level. The first two picks and Lindmark saved this from a worse grade. Grade: C
Goalie Lukas Parik (87th) has incredible lower-half quickness, and his selection was followed by three straight puck rushers with high upside as point producers - Jordan Spence (95th), Kim Nousiainen (119th) and Braden Doyle (157th). Even their last pick — big-bodied overage winger Andre Lee (188th) — showed promise as a role player on a deep Sioux Falls squad that needed his postseason goal-scoring to help them advance to the USHL title. The Kings may not budge from the bottom until they clean up the constricting contracts at the NHL level, but these kids are part of one of the league’s better prospect pools. Grade: A
One of the draft’s biggest early-round snubs was NTDP puck mover Marshall Warren (166th), an aggressive blue liner who loves to join the rush and snipe attempts from the high slot. I also liked their addition of Brooklyn-born finesse forward Nikita Nesterenko (172nd) who is a long-term project but his wheels and hands help overcome issues with balance and decision making. Minnesota wrapped up the weekend with smallish goalie Filip Lindberg (197th), a double-overage Finnish import who starred for UMass-Amherst this past season. Grade: A-
Prospects selected after the aforementioned picks sit somewhere between obscure and raw, beginning with Sault Ste Marie defenseman Jacob Leguerrier (126th). He is a bit of a reach, even for the fifth round, as his contributions are limited to below his own circles. Their last four picks will cause more nightmares for the equipment staff than their opponents on the ice, as goalie Frederik Nissen Dichow (138th), center Arsen Khisamutdinov (170th), overage winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard (201st) and playmaking defenseman Kieran Ruscheinski (206th) are moderate needle movers in terms of their place in the middle and upper tiers of Montreal’s impressive prospect depth. Grade: B+
MORE: Wisconsin coach Tony Granato on 15th overall pick Cole Caufield
You also have to credit the team that several years ago drafted Viktor Arvidsson when they unearth a potential late-round gem in hard-working speedster Isak Walther (179th). Walther didn’t see much time at the J20 level but smoked the lesser-known J18 Elit. Keep your eye on Walther as he has the length, hands and first-step quickness to become another diamond in the rough. And I love the seventh-round haymaker delivered by Poile’s staff with big Finnish center Juuso Parssinen (210th), who can fill any role and displayed speed and vision as a depth player for Finland’s under-18 team. Keep an eye on this draft class for the next few years. I see several NHL regulars, inclduing top-6 and top-4 contributors. Grade: A-
Two of the best picks made by any team in the later rounds were made by the Devils — speedy sniper Patrick Moynihan (158th) and versatile, 200-foot winger Nikola Pasic (189th). Rounding out Shero’s grand-slam draft class is project goalie Cole Brady (127th), who will play college hockey at Arizona State. Grade: A
The Islanders finished up with a pair of double-overage CHL forwards in playmaking center Felix Bibeau (178th) and aggressive two-winger Cole Coskey (209th) — good players for major junior but already behind the curve by the time they get to the AHL. Again, it seemed odd that they drafted only one skilled forward from the 2001 year group, and that one forward already has an uphill climb to validate where he was picked. At first glance, it appears Bolduc has the highest potential out of any of the Isles 2019 picks. Grade: D
They took two more defenders in crafty power-play specialist Zachary Jones (68th) and project blueliner Hunter Skinner (112th). But the real prizes of the draft after Kakko may turn out to be a pair of Nordic speed burners in Swedish center Karl Henriksson (58th) and Finnish winger Leevi Aaltonen. Mammoth center Adam Edstrom (161st) is a ways away from developing the speed and hands to keep up with the NHL’s pace, but 200-foot forward Eric Ciccolini (205th) is a deft stickhandler and playmaker whose potential is high despite being one of the last players chosen. Kakko is the obvious headliner, but the rest of the picks combine to make this one of the best Rangers draft classes in years. Grade: A
Their final three picks were either obscure or random, beginning with smooth-skating center Viktor Lodin (94th), a guy with soft hands and size who spent the entire season as a depth player for Orebro in the SHL. Double-overage winger Mark Kastelic (125th) is a gritty three-zone power forward with deceptive puck skills, and defenseman Maxence Guenette (187th) has good size and excellent mobility but plays it safe far too often. Grade: B
Former GM Rox Hextall did a good job filling the prospect pool with high-end talent, and the additions by Fletcher of the likes of York, Brink and Attard just made it even deeper. Grade: B+
Although they completely ignored the critical center-ice and goaltending positions, I actually like the players the Pens walked away with. Grade: B
The most exciting player to watch with the puck out of all their picks, however, may be winger Timur Ibragimov (164th), but his lack of balance and avoidance of the inside, coupled with a marginal postseason with quality linemates, knocked him way out of my rankings. My favorite pick of them all, however, was speedy Finnish defenseman Santeri Hatakka (184), who can fly and deliver the puck with precision no matter how fast he’s motoring up ice. Give the Sharks credit — they identified players in every round with skill and came away with nice pieces only a month after challenging for a Stanley Cup. Grade: B+
MORE: Best, worst picks from the first round
Lastly, the selection of finesse winger Jeremy Michel (217th) was a good value pick when you consider his puck skills and skating abilities. Nothing jaw dropping nor egregious went on at the Blues’ draft table, so the grade will be as nondescript as their draft results. Grade: B-
A surprising pick, however, even for the late rounds, was double-overage winger Mikhail Shalagin (198th) who clearly took advantage of his size and a third-full year in junior hockey to become a lethal scorer in the MHL. What wasn’t as big a shock was that the Bolts ignored an injury issue and drafted former Shattuck star and Denver recruit McKade Webster (213th), a dynamic presence with the puck who plays hard and competes whistle to whistle. Grade: B+
Import center Mikhail Abramov (115th) is an excellent passer and playmaker in the offensive zone, and double-overage center Nick Abruzzese is consistent at executing odd-man rushes and precision plays on the power play. Defenseman Mike Koster (146th) needs to clean up his defensive-zone play, but the kid can motor and create off the rush with the best of them. Lastly, Finnish puck rusher Kalle Loponen (204th) is an absolute steal late in the seventh round. A solid draft for a team that didn’t even have a first rounder. Grade: A-
Latvian goalie Arturs Silovs (156th) is an excellent positional goalie who holds his ground under intense pressure, and he may end up surprising some people down the road. Benning also made two additional quality picks in the sixth round with skilled winger Karel Plasek (175th) and tough winger Jack Malone (180th). He continued with the size and toughness theme, however, by taking overage winger Aidan McDonagh, and his last pick — Swedish two-way center Arvid Costmar (215th) could also turn out to be a late-round steal. Grade: B+
Want another example of first-round quality in later rounds? How about swift-skating playmaker Ryder Donovan (110th), a Wisconsin recruit who can skate extremely well for his size but also possesses keen vision and passing accumen. Goalie Isaiah Saville (135th) is one of the most poised teenage goalies you’ll find, and he was the reason Team USA won gold at the World Jr. “A” Challenge, and fellow USHL’er Marcus Kallionkieli (139th) is a jersey-flapping sniper similar to former Finnish imports Sampo Ranta and Eeli Tolvanen. Massive power-center Mason Primeau (141st) was the final piece to an outstanding draft class that in a few years may force many western conference teams to ponder and regret them moves they could have made. Grade: A
Finishing up their understrength draft class was decisive two-way blueliner Martin Hugo Has (153rd), who has puck-rushing capabilities but also can man a top pairing and shut down dangerous opposing lines. Grade: A-
