HW Midseason 2013 Mock Draft (Prospect Update 26/2/13)

NHL.com produces mock drafts throughout the year every season. Much of the time, its an interesting read because it is always interesting someone elses take, especially if you do not agree with it.

This time, we were given the 16th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and who did the three NHL.com writers have us choosing?

Valentin Zykov, Valeri Nichushkin, and Adam Erne.

All solid picks, all I disagree with. So I decided to come up with my own mock draft.

And with the 16th overall pick, the Minnesota Wild select defenseman Joshua Morrissey!

Rank	Team	Name	Pos	Notes
1		Seth Jones	D	Jones gives the Caps a franchise defenseman to compliment its talented forward core
2		Nathan Mackinnon	C	Fills the star forward spot that the trade of Rick Nash left
3		Jonathan Drouin	LW	Skilled winger to play along with any number of the Sabre's talented, young centermen
4		Aleksander Barkov	C	Bluechip prospect who arguably is the most NHL ready in this years draft
5		Elias Lindholm	C	Slick centerman will match perfectly with Jonathan Huberdeau
6		Rasmus Ristolainen	D	Big and strong; perfect playing partner for promising prospect Griffin Reinhart
7		Darnell Nurse	D	Gives Oilers some insurance on the backend, should match well with Justin Schultz
8		Sean Monahan	C	The best player available that needs bluechip talent in all positions
9		Hunter Shinkaruk	C/LW	Gives the Avs some badly needed goal-scoring potential
10		Nikita Zadorov	D	The most dominant combination of defensive skill and physical play
11		Ryan Pulock	D	Safe and smart defenseman that gives Flyers more stability in their prospect pool
12		Adam Erne	LW	Helps fill the powerforward role the Red Wings to compliment their more dynamic players
13		Anthony Mantha	RW	Big, goal-scoring winger; Stars need some offensive potential
14		Valeri Nichushkin	C	Bolts likes their Russians and needs offense; Nichushkin has huge powerforward upside
15		Frederik Gauthier	C	Size, skating, good all-round game. Smart pick to refill the prospect cupboards
16		Josh Morrissey	D	Gives the Wild a more mobile and stronger two-way presence on the blueline
17		Zach Fucale	G	Blue Jackets don't mind spending their third first round pick on a potential starting goaltender
18		Alexander Wennberg	C	Speedy, responsible winger with good offensive skills; strong prospect for Tipett run team
19		Morgan Klimchuk	LW	Hard-working forward which fits the Sharks prospect mold, but also has a nose for the net
20		Curtis Lazar	C/RW	Character, energy forward that compliments the group of offensive Blues prospects
21		Jacob De La Rose	C/W	Versatile and tenacious with decent offensive skills; great fit to a Trotz style of game
22		Shea Theodore	D	Offensive blueliner that gives the Senators a potential powerplay quarterback outside of Karlsson
23		Max Domi	C	Undersized but a skilled and resilient forward; gives the team some offense
24		Madison Bowey	D	Great on the transition; should compliment Dougie Hamilton well
25		Valentin Zykov	LW	Solid, hardworking winger with good offensive skills; Pens continue looking for ideal partner for Crosby
26		Robert Hagg	D	Another Swedish defenseman for the Canucks. Good size and strong all-round game.
27		Bo Horvat	C	Devils like responsible forwards; Horvat brings intangibles and a solid two-way game
28		Kerby Rychel	C	Gives the Habs some physical game and net presence
29		Nicolas Petan	C	Deep prospect pool allows Ducks to gamble; Petan is very undersized but very elusive
30		Mirco Muller	D	Provides the Hawks with some physical presence from the blueline

Prospect Update

NHL

Minors

Canadian Juniors

USA/BCHL

European

Goaltenders