Oskar Olausson
, HHOF Images
By Craig Button, TSN Director of Scouting
The second edition of our TSN Hockey Mock Draft is still coloured blue and maize early on, with Michigan’s Owen Power, Matty Beniers, Kent Johnson and future Wolverine Luke Hughes all in the Top 9.
The Buffalo Sabres take Power first overall, adding a blueliner with a unique combination of skill, hockey sense and superior size that is comparable to Tampa Bay defenceman Victor Hedman.
Watching Beniers this season with Michigan and with USA Hockey at the World Juniors, I think he’ll give the Seattle Kraken a complete, ‘Mr. Everything’ player who makes his linemates and team better. There’s no part of the game that he can’t excel at.
Hughes, who has committed to play in Ann Arbor next season, has a great brain for the game and is a great competitor. The younger brother of NHLers Jack and Quinn can impact the game with his skating and puck skills and will be a top-pairing defenceman for the L.A. Kings with the potential to be a No. 1 in the mould of Morgan Rielly.
At ninth overall, Vancouver gets Kent Johnson, a centre who played at left wing this year and is adaptable up front. Comparable to Elias Pettersson, he’s got great creativity, imagination and confidence with a quick hockey mind and quick hands.
With two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs complete, 12 more NHL teams are added to our list.
At No. 17, the Winnipeg Jets take defenceman Corson Ceulemans. Reminiscent of Brent Seabrook, he has very good puck skills with the ability to get into the offensive zone, create scoring chances with his passing, and to be threat to score with his shot.
Oskar Olausson, comparable to Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen, goes 19th overall to the Edmonton Oilers. He’s a talented winger with the size, the touch and the intelligence to work alongside very skilled players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and can impact the game in multiple ways.
The Toronto Maple Leafs packaged their first-round pick to Columbus for Nick Foligno and I see the Blue Jackets taking Xavier Bourgault at No. 24. The Shawinigan centre, who reminds me of J-G Pageau, is invested in the hard and challenging areas where games are won. He plays with a determined focus and finds ways to positively impact the game.
Check out the rest of our second Mock Draft below. Prospects are listed as a team's 'good fit' and/or the type of player the team may be lacking in its system.
1. Owen Power
Defence | Michigan (NCAA) | 6'6 | 213 lbs. | Nov. 22, 2002
NHL Comparable: Victor Hedman
2. Matthew Beniers
Centre | Michigan (NCAA) | 6'1 1/2 | 175 lbs. | Nov. 5, 2002
NHL Comparable: Bo Horvat
3. Dylan Guenther
Right Wing | Edmonton (WHL) | 6'1 1/2 | 175 lbs. | Apr. 10, 2003
NHL Comparable: T.J. Oshie
4. Brandt Clarke
Defence | Barrie (OHL) | 6'2 | 185 lbs. | Feb. 9, 2003
NHL Comparable: John Klingberg
5. Simon Edvinsson
Defence | Frolunda (SHL) | 6'4 1/2 | 198 lbs. | Feb. 5, 2003
NHL Comparable: Seth Jones
6. Jesper Wallstedt
Goaltender | Lulea (SHL) | 6'3 | 214 lbs. | Nov. 14, 2002
NHL Comparable: Ryan Miller
7. William Eklund
Left Wing | Djurgardens (SHL) | 5'9 3/4 | 176 lbs. | Oct. 12, 2002
NHL Comparable: Sebastian Aho
8. Luke Hughes
Defence | USA NTDP (USHL) | 6'2 | 184 lbs. | Sept. 9, 2003
NHL Comparable: Morgan Rielly
9. Kent Johnson
Centre | Michigan (NCAA) | 6'1 | 167 lbs. | Oct. 18, 2002
NHL Comparable: Elias Pettersson
10. Mason McTavish
Centre | Peterborough (OHL) | 6'1 | 207 lbs. | Jan. 30, 2003
NHL Comparable: Ryan O'Reilly
11. Matthew Coronato
Right Wing | Chicago (USHL) | 5'10 1/4 | 183 lbs. | Nov. 14, 2004
NHL Comparable: Alex DeBrincat
12. Cole Sillinger
Centre/Left Wing | Sioux Falls (USHL) | 6'0 | 197 lbs. | May 16, 2003
NHL Comparable: Logan Couture
13. Zachary L'Heureux
Left Wing | Halifax (QMJHL) | 5'11 | 196 lbs. | May 15, 2003
NHL Comparable: Brad Marchand
14. Brennan Othmann
Left Wing | Flint (OHL) | 6'0 | 175 lbs. | Jan. 5, 2003
NHL Comparable: Gabriel Landeskog
15. Chaz Lucius
Centre | USA NTDP (USHL) | 6'1 | 185 lbs. | May 2, 2003
NHL Comparable: Brock Nelson
16. Carson Lambos
Defence | JYP (SM Liiga Jr.) | 6'1 | 197 lbs. | Jan. 14, 2003
NHL Comparable: Ryan McDonagh
17. Corson Ceulemans
Defence | Brooks (AJHL) | 6'2 | 198 lbs. | May 5, 2003
NHL Comparable: Brent Seabrook
18. Zachary Bolduc
Centre | Rimouski (QMJHL) | 6'1 | 175 lbs. | Feb. 24, 2003
NHL Comparable: Elias Lindholm
19. Oskar Olausson
Right Wing | HV71 (SWE J20) | 6'1 1/4 | 180 lbs. | Nov. 10, 2002
NHL Comparable: Mikko Rantanen
20. Fedor Svechkov
Centre | Togliatti (VHL) | 6'0 | 187 lbs. | Apr. 5, 2003
NHL Comparable: Pavel Datsyuk
21. Francesco Pinelli
Centre | Jesenice (SLO) | 6'0 | 185 lbs. | Apr. 11, 2003
NHL Comparable: JT Miller
22. Samu Tuomaala
Right Wing | Karpat (SM Liiga Jr) | 5'10 | 174 lbs. | Jan. 8, 2003
NHL Comparable: Anthony Beauvillier
23. Daniil Chayka
Defence | Moskva (KHL) | 6'2 3/4 | 187 lbs. | Oct. 22, 2002
NHL Comparable: Jonas Brodin
24. Xavier Bourgault
Centre | Shawinigan (QMJHL) | 6'0 | 172 lbs. | Oct. 22, 2002
NHL Comparable: J-G Pageau
25. Sebastian Cossa
Goaltender | Edmonton (WHL) | 6'6 | 210 lbs. | Nov. 21, 2002
NHL Comparable: Jakob Markstrom
26. Fabian Lysell
Centre | Lulea (SHL) | 5'10 1/2 | 172 lbs. | Jan. 19, 2003
NHL Comparable: Kyle Palmieri
27. Isak Rosen
Right Wing | Leksands (SHL) | 5'11 | 156 lbs. | Mar. 15, 2003
NHL Comparable: Reilly Smith
The Arizona Coyotes, who had the 11th-best odds in the lottery, were stripped of their first-round pick after the team was found to have violated the league's Combine Testing Policy and is not included.