Bored so doing my own lotto and mock draft based on the standings we have today. Biggest crapshoot of a draft that any of us have seen so will be interesting.

#1. Arizona (via NYR) – Dylan Guenther

Might be hard to pass up Owen Power but I think Adrian would take Guenther who seems to have taken the title of best forward in the draft as he has 12 goals and 12 assists in just 12 WHL games. Such a small sample size but Guenther was also good last year so not like he’s a flash in the pan. Byram and Seider already being in the pool makes it easier to pass up on the tower named Power.

#2. Florida – Owen Power

Muise gets the top ranked D in the draft and leaves the draft happy. I’d go into his notable draft picks but he’s got so many prospects on that list. I didn’t have the energy to focus on reading through all of them. It was between getting up to grab another beer or combing through that list and it was a pretty easy choice. He’s got Rossi and Zegras though so high end forwards. Clean up your prospect list Muise.

#3. Arizona – Matthew Beniers

Probably the safest bet to reach his potential in this draft, Beniers projects to be a top line center in the mold of Patrice Bergeron. All-around good game, and easily the most well rounded prospect in the draft. Could go #1 but Guenther and Power have more potential I think. Even if Beniers had more potential, Power has a better name. The cooler the name, the more likely you are to make the NHL.

#4. Montreal – William Eklund

I wanted to say Aatu Raty at this spot for Holden, but I doubt he’d waste a top 5 pick on him, even though he’s Finnish, right? Eklund one of the high risers of this draft. A solid two-way player who produced pretty well in the SHL this year, Eklund does have the potential to be the best player from this draft class, but you can really say that about anyone in the top 10 honestly.

#5. Seattle – Brandt Clarke

I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex trades this pick come draft time, but of he keeps it I wouldn’t be surprised if he picks Clarke. Clarke has the skill and IQ to be a potential #1 d-man. Clarke is also an outstanding skater. Clarke is very comparable (style wise) to Erik Karlsson before his skating got ruined.

#6. Worshington – Simon Edvinsson

Edvinsson is a massive 6-foot-4 d-man with fantastic skating ability, Edvinsson posses the skill and hockey IQ to make himself a pretty complete player. If he reaches his potential he could be a very good top pairing two-way d-man. Needs to work on his shot to maximize the offence he can produce at the next level.

#7. Boston – Kent Johnson

With a super deep d-prospect pool, Boston goes with the best forward left on the board and gets Kent Johnson. Had better numbers in the BCHL than Newhook at a younger age and went a point per game in the NCAA this year, Johnson could easily be a top 5 pick. Johnson would look nice on a line with Raymond in a few years.

#8. Calgary – Luke Hughes

Best player left on the board, Hughes may not be as much of a game breaking talent than his older siblings but he is still pretty damn good. Has elite skating ability, and is bigger than either of his brothers. Hughes needs to work on his defense but he could be a top pairing d-man someday. Another prospect worthy of top 5 consideration.

#9. Tampa Bay – Jesper Wallstedt

Tampa has plenty of high end young forwards and d-men so I feel like even with Jarry that they can take a chance on Wallstedt. Wallstedt could turn out to be better than Askarov and Knight. It will be interesting to see where he ends up in the draft as he played pretty well for a young goalie in the SHL.

#10. Los Angeles – Chaz Lucius

At this point it’s a crapshoot, Lucius is a high end goal scoring prospect who was injured for a rather large chunk of the year before coming back and producing a goal per game pace in the USDP and the USHL. Lucius imo is a top 5 talent wise, but he needs to work on his skating and defense.

#11. Nashville – Fabian Lysell

Lysell is another prospect knocking on the door of being a top 10 pick in this draft, Lysell has high end skill and skating with a non-stop motor. He plays super aggressive, but needs to learn when to cool it down a notch as sometimes that aggressiveness gets him in trouble. Has some work to do before making the show but the upside is there.

#12. Edmonton – Mason McTavish 

Getting more so into the unfamiliar territory of the draft with McTavish not playing in the OHL this year but instead playing in the SL league and putting up 9 goals and 2 assists in 13 games. A big bodied goal scorer who put up 29 goals in 57 OHL games last year, McTavish might have the makings of a dominant sim player.

#13. Los Angeles (via New Jersey) – Aatu Raty

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Raty was seen as the #1 player a year ago and now he might drop out of the top 20. Raty has an excellent shot, good hands and nice two-way ability. The problem is that he Liiga production this year has been significantly worse than last year, and his hockey IQ has been coming into question. This could the biggest boom or bust selection in the draft.

#14. Anaheim – Nikita Chibrikov

Chibrikov has spent time playing in the KHL, VHL, and MHL. While not so productive in the KHL, he has been productive in the VHL and MHL. Chibrikov is a fast playmaking wing that competes hard and has the hockey IQ to go with the skill. Chibrikov will need to bulk up to make it to the NHL but the upside as a top 6 winger is enticing.

#15. New Jersey (via Colorado) – Cole Sillinger

Sillinger has all the offensive tools you’d want from a player of his size. A good shot, nose for the net, and impressive stick handling ability. The downsides of his game are 1) lacks effort in the defensive zone sometimes and 2) skating is atrocious. Fortunately both of these aspects can be worked on. If he can work on these aspects, he could be a potential top line player.

Didn’t do the whole 1st round as quite honestly I don’t know a ton about this draft (however I think the feeling is mutual from most of the rest of the FHL community). This draft will be full of busts and steals with the lack of proper scouting and playing conditions in these uncertain times. Going to be one of the more interesting drafts to look back on 5, 10 years from now.