2021 NHL Draft: Mock Draft By Team (Part 2)

This is Part 2 of my Mock Draft, where I conduct the draft by team. Before I did the teams that didn’t make the playoffs, this time I will do the teams that were eliminated from the playoffs. Refer back to Part 1 of Mock Draft By Team if you want to see what other players where drafted.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Washington Capitals will be excluded from this mock draft because they don’t have their 1st, 3rd round picks in the 2021 draft.

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are in need of play-making wingers, luckily for them Fabian Lysell has slid in the draft and fell right into their laps. Fabian Lysell is a dynamic playmaking winger who is a great skater, with good puckhandling skills, passing and terrific shooting accuracy. Like most Swedish players, Lysell will need to get stronger if he wants to be a star at the NHL level, but he skillset in not in question. Lysell could be a great fit on the line with either Ryan O’Reilly or Brayden Schenn. The Blues don’t have a 2nd round pick in the draft. St. Blues select William Trudeau from the Charlottetown Islanders in the QMJHL in the 3rd round; he put up 31 points in 40 games with the team. Trudeau is a sound puck-moving defenseman, that is a good skater, and is also solid on the defensive side of the puck as well. With the additions of Fabian Lysell and William Trudeau, the St. Louis Blues are some players that add more depth to the team.

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets lack depth on their team, which played a huge reason why they were eliminated from the playoffs. Paul Stastny is going to be a free agent, so the Jets will likely be looking to draft a center in the draft. Lucky for them, Zachary Bolduc, a dynamic playmaking center, with great speed and shooting accuracy is available. Zachary Bolduc is versatile, as he can play both center and wing, and he is used to playing alongside star players (Bolduc played w/ Lafreniere in Rimouski). Bolduc would fit perfectly on the second line in the future alongside Nikolaj Ehlers. In the 2nd round, the Jets draft Zachary Dean, a shifty and dynamic forward with terrific puckhandling and passing skills. Dean’s greatest skillset is his puck support and ability to be in the right place at the right time. If all goes right, the Jets will have a 2nd line that consists of Nikolaj Ehlers-Zachary Bolduc-Zachary Dean in the future. In the 3rd round, the Jets draft Vladislav Lukashevich, a Russian defenseman with a cannon shot, with first round upside. The Winnipeg Jets did great in this draft, walking away with two game breaking forwards in Bolduc and Dean, as well as Vladislav Lukashevich, a solid defensive prospect.

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are in need are in need of impact forwards, but at the same time if there are impact defenseman available, they could also use them.
The Predators have the 18th pick in the draft, and select Brennan Othmann of the Flint Firebirds in the OHL; Othmann played for EHC Olten in the Swiss League
during the 2020-21 season, and recorded 7 goals and 16 points in 34 points. Othmann also played for Canada at the U18 WJC, and recorded 6 points in 7 games. Brennan Othmann is an explosive forward who has good vision and tremendous playmaking skills, as well as a hard and accurate wrist shot. Othmann projects as a great 2nd line forward for the Nashville Predators. In the second round, the Predators draft Jack Peart, a Left-handed defenseman who was named Minnesota’s “Mr. Hockey.” There are few weaknesses in his game as he plays controlled and disciplined; he’s always had the offensive skills but has now evolved into a tremendous defender as well. Peart could eventually be a top 4 defenseman in the NHL for the Predators. In the 3rd round, the Nashville Predators select Ryder Korczak, a speedy forward, who excels in the trenches down low, despite being only 5’10”.
Don’t be fooled by his small size, because he is as fierce a competitor as there is and he is tough to knock off the puck due to his lower body strength. Korczak may not be a top 6 forward in the NHL, but he could be an ideal 3rd line forward who plays a shutdown role on a contending team. Adding Othmann, Peart and Korczak to the team make the prospect pool for the Nashville Predators much better for the future.

Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 4 games by the Winnipeg Jets, and huge reason for that was because of the lack of depth scoring. Edmonton needs more character players, which is why the Oilers will select Simon Robertsson, the Swedish power forward, who was recently the Alternate captain for the Swedish team at the U18 WJC. Robertsson projects as a prototypical NHL power winger with great character and physicality; This left-handed right wing skates head, gets open, finished check, and plays with intensity. This is a pick that is made to help the Oilers for the Playoffs, as Robertsson is character player that will do anything to help his team win. In the 4th round, the Oilers get a steal in Isaac Belliveau, who was once a highly regarded prospect but slid in the draft because of his defensive deficiency. However, his offensive abilities are tremendous and are good enough to make him at the very least a 3rd pair defenseman that runs the powerplay at the NHL level. The Edmonton Oilers add Simon Robertsson and Isaac Beliveau two tremendous prospects, who could have a great impact on the team in the coming years.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins really need to start drafting some new talent into the system because their core isn’t getting any younger. With the 20th pick in the 2021 NHL draft, the Boston Bruins draft Aatu Raty; Raty was once the number 1 ranked prospect in this draft but now has slid to outside the top 20. The reason Aatu Raty is the perfect pick for the Bruins is because he is the type of player that would excel in their system. At the very least, Raty will be a big and strong, two-way center, with great vision and playmaking skills; this sounds like the typical Boston Bruins Center. Raty will need time to develop so the Bruins are the right team for him to go to because they will not rush him to the NHL. Raty could be the second line center of the Bruins, if and when they decide to move on from David Krejci. In the 3rd round, the Boston Bruins draft Defenseman Jack Bar; a smooth skating two-way defender with a big frame and displays a pro-style release. Bar is still pretty raw, but makes excellent breakout passes and excels at running point on the power play. Jack Bar has top 4 potential, but im more likely to be a third pair defenseman, who plays on the first power play unit. The Boston Bruins draft Aatu Raty and Jack Bar, two terrific talents that are far from being NHL ready, but if developed properly could be impact players in the league.

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild have two first-round picks in the 2021 draft, this gives the opportunity gain two top notch prospects. The Minnesota Wild select Matthew Coronato and Sasha Pastujov with their first round picks. Matthew Coronato is exactly what the Minnesota Wild need, a goal scoring winger that posses excellent speed, high-end vision and above all an excellent shot.
Coronato tore up the USHL as a member of the Chicago Steel in the 2020-21 season, scoring 48 goals and 85 points in 51 regular season games, then 9 goals and 13 points in 8 playoff games.
Matthew Coronato could find himself play alongside Kirill Kaprizov when he makes the jump to the NHL. Sasha Pastujov is a fantastic passer and puck-handler; he’s constantly creating scoring chances for himself and his teammates in the offensive zone. Pastujov played on the U.S. National U18 Team, and scored 30 goals and 65 points in 41 games, as well as the USNTDP Juniors in the USHL, and tallied 10 goals and 26 points in 18 games. Pastujov can be a top 6 forward for the Wild in the future, but if might take some time for him to be NHL ready. In the second round, the Minnesota Wild steal Wyatt Johnston, a player with first-round talent; he has high-end skill and creativity, and is an ideal playmaking center. Wyatt Johnston is a great fit in the top 6 of Minnesota. Aleksi Heimosalmi is smooth defenseman who can occasionally rush the puck through the neutral zone and defends well with his stick and positioning. Heimosalmi played for team Finland at the U18 WJC, scoring 8 points in 7 games, and was named a top 3 player on his team. For a player that was the best defenseman at the U18 WJC, this is an absolute steal. Minnesota also drafts Jayden Grubbe, a big power forward with skill and plenty of feistiness. He gives the opposing team trouble in both ends of the ice. Grubbe might not have the offensive production to be a top 6 forward in the NHL, but he can still be a useful third or fourth line player for them. The Minnesota Wild got hit the jackpot in this draft, landing 4 quality players who could be a big part of their future.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are looking to build off last seasons success, and add more young prospects to build a strong team for the future. With their first round pick, the Florida Panthers select Daniil Chayka, a mobile defenseman with good size and excellent 4 way quickness. He uses his long arms to keep attackers to the outside, and uses his active stick cause turnovers. Additionally, he can make very good outlet passes from his own zone. Daniil Chayka is going to be Keith Yandle’s replacement whenever they decide to move on from him, and he might already be better than him defensively. In the second round, the Panthers grab Tyler Boucher, a big-framed power forward with a strong shot and strong puck skills. Tyler Boucher has some untapped potential; right now he projects as a top 9 forward, but if he gets more consistent, he could find himself playing alongside Aleksander Barkov. The Florida Panthers add two good prospects in Daniil Chayka and Tyler Boucher, both should be key players on the team in the future.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes are loaded in the system, so they very likely just get the best player available when they are drafting. By the time they draft, the best player available should be Isak Rosen, who fell in the draft but is by far the best player available. Isak Rosen is a highly skilled player with strong skating, a strong shot, and elite puck skills. Rosen is a true playmaker; he’s got very good technical skills and is exceptional at reading the game. Rosen shot up the ranks due to his performance at the U18 WJC, where he scored 7 goals and 9 points in 7 games for Sweden. Isak Rosen will take time to develop but the hope is that he can play on the line with Martin Necas when he is NHL ready. In the 2nd round, the Hurricanes draft Cole Huckins, a 6 foot 3 201 pound center, who controls the middle ice area. In getting Huckins, the Hurricanes may have just landed their Jordan Staal successor; don’t expect Huckins to put up any crazy offensive totals, but you can expect him to be a reliable two-way forward that plays a shut-down role for the team. The Hurricanes also draft Tyson Galloway, a defenseman who has a 6’4″/214 lbs frame; Galloway is a big defenseman, who has some offensive upside. Galloway is more of a project at this point, if developed properly, he could turn into a solid defenseman. The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t make any flashy picks, but sometimes the not flashy picks turn out to be better than the flashy pick.

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche got eliminated in the second round of the playoffs; a huge reason for this is because they lack size and physicality, so in this draft they will seek to address this issue. With their first round pick, they select Samuel Helenius, a big 6’6″, 201 lbs center who was a breakout star in the U20 WJC for Finland. This is a reach for a first round selection but Helenius is the type of player you want on your team come playoff time; he is a giant checking line center and is a pain to play against because of his physicality and immense size. Helenius has improved a tons offensively in the past year on his skating and his offensive skills in general, and now is even a viable option on the power play setting up in front of the net. They also select Ethan Samson, a right-hand shooting defenseman, who could be a huge sleeper in this draft. At 6′ 2″, has good size a calm demeanor to his play, good zone awareness and a fast stick, that allow him to close gaps, and ride these forwards to the wall. Samson is also a good puck mover as well as he can set up teammates with one timers, and lay quick, crisp breakouts on teammate’s sticks. By no means perfect for the Avalanche, but they address some needs they really needed, which is size both up front and on the back end; don’t be surprised if either of these players play a key role for them in the next few years.

Related: 2021 NHL Draft: Mock Draft 1 (Round 2)