The Tampa Bay Lightning can't go wrong taking Sarnia Sting centre Steven Stamkos with the number one pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, according to TSN hockey analyst Pierre McGuire. With that in mind, Stamkos was named the top pick Thursday in the NHL on TSN Mock Draft.
"If I was Tampa Bay GM Jay Feaster, it would be no contest," said McGuire. "It's Steven Stamkos. He's excellent when it comes to leadership. He's unbelievable when it comes to speed. He's overwhelming when it comes to skill. All that leads to him being first overall - he's spectacular."
Stamkos was followed by three defencemen in the mock draft, with Drew Doughty of Guelph going second overall to the Los Angeles Kings. Zach Bogosian of Peterborough went third to the Atlanta Thrashers, and Niagara's Alex Pietrangelo went fourth to St. Louis.
As for the Canadian teams, the TSN Mock Draft projected Toronto taking Danish right wing Mikkel Boedker of Kitchener with the seventh pick. He is speedy and skilled, two qualities general manager Cliff Fletcher would like to install as part of his re-building program.
Vancouver was slotted power forward Kyle Beach of Everett. He has been labeled as a draft day wild card because of his penchant for getting into trouble.
"Everyone knows about the character issues with Kyle Beach, but scouts say he's been unbelievable in the interviews," McGuire noted. "He's one of those big body guys you have to have and Vancouver desperatley needs more offence."
The mock draft showed Calgary taking Tier II junior star Joe Colborne of Camrose in the AJHL. He is viewed as a big, play-making centre in the Joe Thornton mold.
Ottawa took Windsor centre Josh Bailey at number 18 in the mock draft. He reminds scouts of Cory Stillman; a good two-way player with play-making skills.
"A lot of people think the Senators have to get defence, but I don't think so and I like Josh Bailey because you need balanced offece, too," McGuire said. "He would be an excellent addition to the Ottawa Senators."
At number 22, the mock Oilers went with Regina centre Jordan Eberle. He is a little under-sized, but impressed scouts with his intelligence and his goal-scoring ability. His style compares well to Hall of Famer Joe Mullen.
Montreal went with the top prospect in the QMJHL with the 25th pick in the mock draft, selecting Chicoutimi centre Nicolas Deschamps. Although not considered an elite offensive prospect, Deschamps did lead the QMJHL in rookie scoring.
The top ten picks in the mock draft were the same as the top ten prospects listed by TSN earlier in the week. The similarities ended when the mock draft projected Regina defenceman Colten Teubert going to the Chicago Blackhawks at number eleven. The No. 11 prospect in TSN's rankings was Kelowna defenceman Tyler Myers.
Based on the TSN rankings, the biggest risers in the mock draft were a couple of European players, Erik Karlsson and Vjateslav Voinov. Karlsson, ranked 20 by TSN, was projected at number 12 to Anaheim in the mock draft. Voinov was slotted at number 28 to the Los Angeles Kings. He is ranked 44th overall by TSN.
The biggest sliders in the mock draft were Bailey and Lethbridge defenceman Luca Sbisa. Bailey dropped from 12 in the TSN rankings into Ottawa's lap at 18, and Sbisa, who is ranked 17th, went 26th to Buffalo in the mock draft.
Also of note, Guelph goaltender Thomas McCollum, ranked 24th, did not make it into the first round of the NHL on TSN mock draft. Brandon defenceman Colby Robak, ranked number 28, also did not make the mock first round.
The real NHL Entry Draft is set for Friday at 7pm et/4pm pt on TSN, TSN.ca and TSN HD.