HW Community Mock Draft 2013: Day 6

On the board: ThatGuy22. You have until 10:30AM CDT to make your pick!

Day 5 Recap

The draft has finally reach the second round and this is where things get extremely interested. Players that people thought were sure-fire first rounders find themselves still available and teams are going to get active to grab their guys.

There were barely any surprises in the selections. Perhaps the selection of Zach Fucale by the Wild raised a few eyebrows because while they do have a need for a strong potential 1A goalie, they have bigger problems on offense and defense and there are still a few names out there that would have fit nicely.

The second round only had one selection but it was by the Panthers, who are already on cloud nine after drafting Nathan Mackinnon. Mackinnon is has both high upside and low risk, so Florida decided they were comfortable to go for a high risk/high reward pick in Tommy Vannelli. He has some worth to do physically and defensively and will need to prove he can play at tougher levels but could give the Pathers a homerun pick.

That is it for the first round! Time will now find itself speeding up!

DAY 5 SELECTIONS

28TH OVERALL - The Dallas Stars select goal-scoring Kerby Rychel.

General Manager Mike Murphy "Dig Deep":

It was tough not going for a right-handed blueliner with this pick but there weren’t any names that jumped out to me and on a lot of mock draft boards Rychel is a guy that has been gone by now so I decided to go with another forward (but a very different type of forward than Shinkaruk) to add some more depth to the Stars. Rychel has good hands around the net, he’s good on the faceoff dot, and he plays the game with a lot of nasty. The LA-born Rychel has average size but more than makes up for it in tenacity and effort. Rychel could be a useful player on a penalty kill and could find himself playing in the top six should he continue to score at the NHL level.

I mentioned he had good hands around the net. Rychel, despite lacking "elite" talent, does something that the Stars need. He scores goals, lot’s of ‘em. In the last two seasons (136 games) with Windsor Rychel buried 81 goals and picked up 80 assists. Whether or not that scoring will translate to an NHL game is something that remains to be seen but it is clear that Rychel has a nose for the net and has plenty of value outside of putting frozen rubber past the opposing goaltender. He’s been called a dynamic skater and a highly adaptable player. I might be crazy but it sounds like Rychel is a can’t miss guy for a pick this late in the first round.

29TH OVERALL - The Minnesota Wild select goaltender Zach Fucale.

General Manager WIMinnesotaWildFan:

If the Wild were to replace Backstrom, I think this young gun could easily take his place.

He has a 6’1 stature, and is very quick in the net. Because of that, he knows how to get his glove down quick, and has impressive rebound control for an 18 year old prospect. This is a skill that takes awhile for young goalies to master, but Fucale already has it down.

Looking at his stats, they are very impressive for where he is at right now. Before playing for the Mooseheads, he also played for the QMAAA’s Saint-Eustache Vikings, where he had an impressive 3.09 GAA and a .901 save percentage. These stats only got better when moved to the Mooseheads. During their regular season this year, he has averaged a 2.35 GAA and a .909 save percentage. When they got to the playoffs, his GAA dropped to 2.08 and his save percentage went up to .913. Talk about some impressive stats for someone who is just 18!

Something else that I really like about him is that if he has the occasional bad goal or game, he has absolutely no problem bouncing back from it.

30TH OVERALL - The Chicago Blackhawks select reliable defenseman Chris Bigras

General Manager Emilie:

Brigas has been said to have one of the highest hockey IQs for defenders in this years draft class. Much like the Wild’s own Jonas Brodin, Brigas isn’t flashy but is extremely reliable. He can play in all situations, and most scouting reports rave about him. He was second for blue line scoring on the Attack this season, behind only 2012 15th pick Cody Ceci. Most scouting reports agree that Bigras will become a long time NHL vet.

Bigras would add more stability to the Hawks blue line, where he could be paired with a more offensive defenseman for a dynamic pairing that would frustrate opponents. The Hawks can’t lose with a smart, reliable and CALM (Looking at you Keith) defender.

31ST OVERALL - The Florida Panthers select offensive defenseman Tommy Vannelli.

General Manager DashyMN:

Despite us still being left with a whole a 2nd PP left-handed D, Thomas Vanelli is a pure, right-handed, offensive two-way defensemen that will eventually be the successor to Brian Campbell on our 1st PP and hold down our 2nd pairing. He is an extremely risky when it comes to actual defense, though, as he gambles a lot on 50/50 pinches, but his speed and way above average hands keep him from getting burned most of the time. He also brings a very physical and punishing game in his own end to complement his solid size, while possessing top-end skating with impressive lateral movement and stride. His best asset may be his transition game as he can rush the puck, deke, or pass with ease. His defensive game goes without saying. He’s just good everywhere. If you need a picture, just think of a right-handed Jack Johnson.

….Not to mention a Mr. Hockey finalist. (Nudge, nudge, Minnesota)

RULES

Remember the rules:

Drafting:

UPDATED RULE: TIME LIMIT WILL BE SHORTEN TO 6 HOUR FOR ROUNDS 2-7.

1. Picks will be made in the Mock Draft GDT that will be created every morning at 10AM.
2. You will have 8 hours to make your pick. Otherwise, you will be auto'd using HW rankings. Any time past 12AM will be automatically transferred to the next morning's 10AM thread (e.g 1 hour left + 10AM = 11AM deadline).
   
3. Make you pick in the comments section, with a short description following it.
4. This draft will continue until June 28th.
5. If you miss your pick twice, you will be replaced.
   

Trading:

1. Trading of picks will be allowed. Trading of players will NOT.
2. Send in your trades to my email - danccchan@gmail.com. I need one player to send the proposal, the second player to quote said proposal with a "I approve" statement in the email

Also, when you make your pick, you should make it ion the comments section in the following format:

SUBJECT: With the 1st overall pick, the Colorado Avalanche select Sidney Crosby

MESSAGE: "The Avalanche select Crosby because his free-flowing hair and his ability to grow a mullet"

DRAFT BOARD

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

ROUND 3

ROUND 4

ROUND 5

ROUND 6

ROUND 7

GM List - LINK HERE

We will be updating the picks as the draft goes along so check this post as well as our twitter, @hockeywildernes, for updates.

For a complete list of draft picks, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_NHL_Entry_Draft