The third mock Hockey Buzz mock draft driven by the readers and a few special guests kicked off two weeks ago. The first five selections were Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield, Tim Sturzle, Marco Rossi and Cole Perfetti. Kicking off the next five was Anton Lundell followed by Alexander Holtz, Lucas Raymond, Jaroslav Askarov and Jaime Drysdale. Jake Sanderson was the first pick in the next block of 10 selections followed by Jack Quinn, Dawson Mercer, Seth Jarvis, Ryan O'Rourke, Hendrix Lapierre, Dylan Holloway, Kaiden Guhle, Braden Schneider and Jacob Perreault . Picks 20-31 kicked off with Connor Zary and Brendan Brisson. The selections by Philadelphia, with Flyersfan328 picking, and Colorado, represented by climbdenali12, are below. St. Louis, represented by jediman, is on the clock as is Anaheim, with optimus-reim picking. Below are the voting polls, please weigh in with your view.
Beginning with this blog, I am going with two picks per blog. The final blog, slated for about 5pm or so Friday, will hopefully have the final three picks, completing the mock draft. I am out of pocket then for the weekend due to the holiday, so if all goes according to plan, by Friday early evening, all 31 picks will be posted.
As a reminder, for each pick, included should be: a) Selection and reasoning/scouting report, and, b) Alternatives considered (both players and trades). Please provide me via email your pick with the aforementioned information following the posting of the prior pick on the site. If I become aware of a pick or a few picks in a row, I will email you to help facilitate moving the mock draft along. I will post the blog with the pick and the voting poll within each blog. In addition, after each pick in the summary below, I have added in the % that approved the pick in the poll and total number of votes.
Overall Rules and Process
As mentioned previously, there is a little kicker. After the pick or trade is made, a poll will be posted to rate the selection or deal. If the majority of people like the pick or trade, that selection stands and it moves on to the next team’s picks. If not, the majority rules and that’s what happens with that team and pick. I have the last right of refusal to keep everything on the up and up and avoid ballot box stuffing.
My request to you is that you take this seriously and not make a mockery of the mock draft, because that would be an insult to the others who are participating and makes the whole process a sham. But by playing this out, we get to have healthy debate and conversation to remain engaged up and possibly beyond the draft. If teams make deals and they occur before a team’s selection is due, that deal will play a part as to when each person’s selection occurs.
Here how this will work: the team’s selector will email me at [email protected] their pick, rationale and any alternatives for that selection. I will post that pick and rationale on the site and create a voting poll. That poll will likely include alternatives that were considered with each voter allowed to select one option.
With the 23rd Overall Pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers, represented by Flyersfan328, select Justin Barron, D, Halifax (QMJHL)
Rationale for the selection with scouting report along with alternatives considered (both players and trades):
When the 2019-20 season began, Justin Barron was projected to be selected in the 10-15 range behind Jake Sanderson while drawing comparisons to Charlie McAvoy and Travis Sanheim. Along the way, his year got sidetracked when the Mooseheadslagged near the bottom of the standings and he was diagnosed with a blood clot which effectively ended his season once the pandemic hit. Barron is known for his speed and strong skating ability while being defensively responsible. His offensive game hasn’t caught up with his defensive abilities although he is comfortable handling the puck and has spent time on the PP.
The Vigneault/Fletcher regime seems to prefer defensemen playing on their strong side. The pairing of Matt Niskanen/Ivan Provorov probably has one more year together at best. Niskanen is in the last year of his current deal and appears to be slowing down. If he is resigned, I believe Phil Myers and he may swap spots in the lineup. If the playoffs are any indication, the Flyers may move on from Justin Braun and look at stopgap options for a 3rd pairing RHD. The Flyers top defensive prospects, Cam York and Egor Zamula, are both LHD who would be forced to play on their off sides. Ideally, Barron is allowed to mature a year or two before being promoted to the NHL. With a flat cap expected for the next few years, it is imperative to find inexpensive talent within the farm system.
Other Prospects Considered:
Other options I considered for the 23rd pick included JJ Peterka and Lukas Reichel, both wings, to add organizational depth at forward. This would become more important if the Flyers were to trade James Van Reimsdyk for cap relief, depending on the return. However, there seems to be sufficient depth in the forward group in this draft to find one in the 2nd round. Most players picked at this point in the draft are going to need time to develop so picking Peterka or Reichel would not pay immediate dividends.
Trade considered:
I did not attempt to trade up as I was fairly confident that Barron would be there at pick 23. In fact, had I been contacted, I would have been open to moving down since he probably would have been there a little later. Ultimately, I selected Justin Barron because I believe he is undervalued and has the potential to become a solid 2nd pairing defensemen for many years.
With the 24th Overall Pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Colorado Avalanche, represented by climbdenali12, select JJ Peterka, LW, EHC München, (DEL)
Rationale for the selection with scouting report along with alternatives considered (both players and trades):
Colorado is a team that is poised to contend right now and for years to come. The Avs sport names like MacKinnon, Rantanen and a very young Cale Makar. Add in the prospects already in the pipeline like Newhook and Kaut at forwards and Byram and Timmons on defense the Avs can draft from a position of strength to address the team’s needs for the coming years.
One obvious hole Colorado has is the lack of a true number 1 Goaltender. Both Grubauer and Francouz are serviceable NHL goalies but have been exposed under the scope of what elite teams need. The lack of an Olof Lindbom in this draft precludes the Avs from having to reach too much to make it work. With a prospect like Annunen progressing the Colorado might be better served dipping into free agency for their goaltender needs or going the trade route the like of which will probably not require them to give up the #24 pick.
The German born winger would make a nice addition to the prospect pool While not possessing elite talent, his work ethic along with his skill could propel him to slot into the top 9 and provide a high energy, two way game with whomever he is on a line with. I don’t know whether this prospect goes by John-Jason or by JJ. I Americanized it because I want to hear Doc Emrick or Pierre Mcguire officiously say his given name like they know better than anyone else.
Scouting Report:
EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide:
His unrelenting motor is a force multiplier in every zone. He's hard on every puck. He's an eager, willing combatant in board battles. He's violent, disruptive -- a real pain in the ass. He'll make second and third efforts where other players generally relent. He's rarely, if ever stationary, constantly scanning the ice when the puck isn't on his stick.
2020 NHL DRAFT FIRST-ROUND ORDER AND GMs (plus yes votes/total votes, % of votes that agreed with selection)
1. New York Rangers - Jan Levine - Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rimouski, OMJHL (349/398, 88%)
2. Los Angeles Kings - Kooleus, Quinton Byfield, C, Sudbury, OHL. (405/566, 76%)
3. Ottawa Senators (via San Jose Sharks) - spatso, Tim Stutzle, C, Mannheim, DEL (310/332. 93%)
4. Detroit Red Wings - feds91stammer, Marco Rossi, C, Ottawa, OHL, (116/235, 52%)
5. Ottawa Senators - spatso, Cole Perfetti, LW, Saginaw, OHL (102/289, 35%)
6. Anaheim Ducks - optimus-reim, Anton Lundell, C, HIFK, LIIGA (62/222, 28%)
7. New Jersey Devils - redmonsters, Alexander Holtz, RW, Djurgarden, SHL (183/333, 55%)
8. Buffalo Sabres - KilkennyDan, Lucas Raymond, RW, Frolunda, SHL, (191/266, 72%)
9. Minnesota Wild - dudestar, Jarsolav Askarov, G, SKA-NEVA, VHL (73/142, 51%)
10. Winnipeg Jets - Ross77, Jamie Drysdale, D, Erie, OHL (278/305, 91%)
11. Nashville Predators - slimtj, Jake Sanderson, D, NTDP-U18, USDP (121/163, 74%)
12. Florida Panthers - jimbo, Jack Quinn, RW, Ottawa, OHL (110/138, 80%)
13. Carolina Hurricanes (via Toronto Maple Leafs) - Bingo, Dawson Mercer, C, Chicoutimi, QMJHL (124/193, 64%)
14. Edmonton Oilers - maximumbone, Seth Jarvis, RW, Portland, WHL, (210/277, 77%)
15. Toronto Maple Leafs (via Pittsburgh Penguins) - Michael Augello, Ryan O'Rourke, D, Sault Ste Marie, OHL (107/423, 25%)
16. Montreal Canadiens - Vivian Lapeirre, Hendrix Lapierre, C, Chicoutimi, QMJHL, (109/239, 45%)
17. Chicago Blackhawks - Theo Fox, Dylan Holloway, C/LW, Wisconsin, NCAA, (179/216, 83%)
18. New Jersey Devils (from Arizona) - redmonsters, Kaiden Guhle, D, Prince Albert, WHL (84/133, 63%)
19. Calgary Flames - deddie, Braden Schneider, D, Brandon WHL (82/109, 75%)
20. New Jersey Devils (from Vancouver via Tampa Bay) - redmonsters, Jacob Perreault, C/RW, Sarnia, WHL (60/137, 44%)
21. Columbus Blue Jackets, Thomas Townsend, Connor Zary, C, Kamloops, (97/118, 82%)
22. New York Rangers (from Carolina) - Jan, Brendan Brisson, C, Chicago USHL (40/82, 49%)
23. Philadelphia Flyers - Flyersfan328, Justin Barron, D, Halifax, QMJHL
24. Colorado Avalanche - climbdenali12, JJ Peterka, LW, EHC München, DEL
25. Washington Capitals - winerydog, Thursday, Oct. 1 in pm
26. St. Louis Blues, jediman, Brendan Smith, Thursday, Oct. 1 in pm
27. Anaheim Ducks (from Boston) - optimus-reim, Friday, Oct. 2 in am
28. Ottawa Senators (acquired from Islanders in JG Pageau deal) spatso, Fri, Oct 2 in am
29. Vegas Golden Knights - JRR1285, Josh Ruiz, Friday, Oct. 2 about 5pm
30. Dallas (Russ Cohen, sportsology), Friday, Oct 2 about 5 pm
31. San Jose (acquired from Tampa Bay in Barclay Goodrow deal (Jeremy Barber, user id: barberjw, email: barbjw26@gmail)- Friday, October 2 about 5pm
Looking forward to running this again. We had a ton of fun last season. That should be the same again this year with New York having the first and 22nd picks in the first round.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»