The Canuck Way’s 2019 Vancouver Canucks mock draft
Here at The Canuck Way, we will be giving our picks of who we think the Vancouver Canucks will draft at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Not all of our team were able to participate, but the ones that were able to do so are, David Quadrelli, Alex Hoegler, Stephen Kronstein, Ben Steiner, Owen Gibbs, Joshua Rey, Matthew Zator, and Jarred Chan. We hope you enjoy our Vancouver Canucks 2019 mock draft.
Round 1
The Canucks are currently the owners of the tenth overall pick in round number one. We kept this in mind, but obviously, the draft order can be shaken up on draft day. With that in mind, here are our picks for who the Canucks will take at tenth overall.
David Quadrelli: Alex Newhook. Newhook is a player I have written about numerous times, and is a player that I have been very vocal about on Twitter. I want to see this kid in a Canucks uniform. He’s committed to Boston College, but just played the last two seasons in the BCHL with the Victoria Grizzlies. That likely means he’s already comfortable in the beautiful province of British Columbia. Aside from that, Newhook is an elite skater, and would help to make the Canucks one of the fastest teams in the entire NHL. I am all for the team taking Newhook, a player the team has expressed interest in, at 10th overall.
Alex Hoegler: Philip Broberg. For a while, I fully believed the Canucks were going to take a winger to play in the top six here. But with Alexander Edler likely on his way out, general manager Jim Benning needs to find a capable top-four blueliner quickly. That’s where Broberg comes into play. He’s well-rounded, has tremendous skating abilities and plays effective hockey at both ends of the ice. This is the ideal player for Vancouver to build around alongside Quinn Hughes. If Benning is desperate to find a scoring winger, he can do it in free agency. But he has to take his shot here and find a blueliner. Broberg isn’t ready to play in the NHL yet, but that shouldn’t stop the Canucks from taking him if he’s available here.
Stephen Kronstein: Matthew Boldy. He’s only available if some teams surprise by drafting off the board – maybe due to risers like Cole Caufield or Philip Broberg. Boldy may fall in rank a little because he’s a left-handed winger, but don’t let a fall fool you. Boldy is a complete, top-line power forward with strong and balanced skating, outstanding puck skills, and a hard and accurate shot. He can dangle in traffic, play a durable net front game, kill penalties, and seems coachable for having improved his skating. While he’s able to play a big game in all situations, he falls in rank because his impressive stats have been in somewhat-sheltered-second-line role, and his apparent USA-dream team only won the bronze.
Joshua Rey: Trevor Zegras. If he is available, the Canucks should take Zegras with the No.10 pick. Zegras can play both centre and the wing who has tremendous hockey IQ and playmaking ability. Zegras is an excellent passer with good speed and also has a very good shot. Whether he is in the offensive zone or defensive zone or neutral zone, you can count on Zegras to make the right play.
Ben Steiner: Cole Caufield. In round one of the NHL entry draft, the Vancouver Canucks should pick the best players available, this player is unlikely to be a defender. So for the first pick in the draft, I would like to see the Canucks select USNTDP winger Cole Caufield if he is still available. His pure goal-scoring prowess promises to light up the top six alongside Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson.
Owen Gibbs: Peyton Krebs. Krebs is a dynamic jack-of-all-trades with a tremendous drive and leadership ability. He could easily play on a line with Bo Horvat in a few years and be very effective.
Matthew Zator: Matthew Boldy. The Canucks need more skill on the left wing and Boldy brings that in spades. Jim Benning needs to stay away from defencemen here as there is a lot of skill in the top 10. The creativity Boldy processes would look great beside the equally creative Elias Pettersson.
Jarred Chan: Trevor Zegras. Zegras is an all around offensive force, playing this year behind teammate Jack Hughes. Zegras can play all three forward positions and is known for his playmaking ability, iq, and positioning. Ranked between seven and ten, if he is available at ten, Canucks should jump on the chance to draft Zegras. Honourable Mention: Matthew Boldy.
Round 2
David Quadrelli: Bobby Brink. He may not be available at 40th overall, but no one thought Kole Lind would be available in the second round, either. Brink brings to the table an absolutely wicked shot, he is a pure sniper. His skating can use work, but one summer with Bo Horvat’s skating coach should do the trick for this young lad. The thing I like most about Brink for the Canucks is that he works his tail off on defence. Much like Pettersson, Brink reads the plays before they happen and acts accordingly. He would be a steal at 40th in my opinion, so if he isn’t there, my pick is still Nolan Foote, as I wrote in a past article.
Alex Hoegler: Simon Hölmstrom. If Benning does take a defenceman with his first pick, then I’d be very surprised if he didn’t take a winger here. There won’t be a shortage of gifted goal-scorers here, and if I were to guess, he’d settle on Swedish winger Simon Hölmstrom. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound winger brings a nice skill set.
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Not only can he score, but Hölmstrom is a superb playmaker and passer as well. Certainly worth a look if he’s available when the Canucks pick.
Stephen Kronstein: Kaedan Korczak. The gold medal-winning Kaedan is probably what Benning meant when he recently said he wanted to draft players with “hardness”, no doubt a quality learned growing up in small town Saskatchewan.
The iron man showed proficiency by scoring 33 points while playing in all 68 WHL games this past season for the Kelowna Rockets, where he was awarded top defenceman honours. He’s a big, mobile, puck-moving blueliner who excels at the defensive aspects of the game. The draft experts rank him anywhere from late first round to middle third round.
Joshua Rey: Brayden Tracey. This is a prospect I have really liked for some time now. Tracey is a goal scorer and has an excellent wrist shot and one-timer. He is also a good stick handler can make good tape to tape passes and has very good edgework and ability. However, he still needs work on his defensive game
Ben Steiner: Anttoni Honka. The Canucks should pick the Finnish defenceman with the 40th overall selection if he is available to them. Some scouts have signalled Honka as a low floor, high ceiling player — a risk the Canucks should take with their second rounder. Given the current situation on defence, if Honka were to pan out — he would be a welcome addition to a struggling Vancouver defensive situation.
Owen Gibbs: Kaeden Korczak. The Canucks need to stock up on right-handed defenceman soon. In all likelihood, this will mean Jake Gardiner or Tyler Myers. But drafting a guy like Korczak, who can provide offence and size — would go a long ways towards bolstering the team’s defensive pool.
Matthew Zator: Lassi Thomson. The mobile puck-moving defenceman would be a welcome addition to a blue line already boasting the likes of Quinn Hughes, Troy Stecher and Olli Juolevi. The Canucks would be wise to keep moving forward with drafting and signing puck movers and stay away from the “old school” defensemen.
Jarred Chan: Kaeden Korczak. Needing to add more right-handed defenders, Korczak may be the best one available when the Canucks select at 40. Teammate RHD Lassi Thomson had more points, however, will most likely be selected earlier in the draft. Korczak can eat minutes and is dependable in his own end, which is a great sign. Honourable mention: Brayden Tracey
Round 3
David Quadrelli: Jayden Struble. Maybe, you’ve heard of him, maybe you haven’t. Ranked at 63 by TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Struble absolutely tore it up at the draft combine. He finished first in the Wingate test, the bench press test, the grip strength test, and the standing long jump test — at just 17 years old. Struble is set to play next season with the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League and is committed to Northeastern University of the NCAA. This past season, Struble played in the USHS prep league with St. Sebastian’s School, where he picked up ten goals and 30 assists in 28 games. He could be a nice addition to the Canucks’ defensive prospects, and really lock down the left side for years to come.
Alex Hoegler: Jordan Spence. Defence is the biggest organization need for the Canucks here, so why not add another one while they have a chance? Spence has some offensive upside (49 points in 68 games), and played for Canada’s U18 team. Benning will not regret loading up on blueliners here, especially considering he could use one or two of them as trade bait down the road — if the Canucks grow into a contender soon.
Stephen Kronstein: Nathan Légaré. Rated anywhere from 39 to 83, this dense, right-shot power forward scored a ton in the QMJHL, racking up 45 goals and 87 points in 68 games. Nathan falls to the Canucks at #71 because he’s a winger, and his team lost in the first round of the playoffs.
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Joshua Rey: Ilya Mironov. A big defensive defenceman who can use his size and physical abilities to stop the opponents on the offensive rush. He also has good mobility with a heavy shot and good passing.
Ben Steiner: Nolan Foote. Ranging anywhere from 27 to 87 in the ranking lists, Nolan Foote would be a steal for the Canucks. He had 63 points in 66 games for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets this season. If Foote makes the NHL, he will be a serviceable left winger, possibly alongside an Adam Gaudette.
Owen Gibbs: Ronnie Attard. He is a right-handed defenceman who will be playing with the Western Michigan Broncos. Could be this year’s Judd Brackett pick.
Matthew Zator: Rhett Pitlick. The Canucks would add more skill and speed to their left wing depth.
Jarred Chan: Karl Henriksson. Playing alongside 2020 top prospect Lucas Raymond, Henriksson is small at 5’9”, but plays a fast and smart game, achieving over a point per game for Frolunda’s J20 team in the SuperElit. He should play the majority of the next season for their SHL club. Honourable mention: Jackson LaCombe
Round 4
David Quadrelli: Marcus Kallionkieli. Standing at 6 foot 2 and weighing almost 200 pounds, I think this big goal scoring Finnish forward currently playing in the USHL could be a late round gem for the Canucks.
Alex Hoegler: Dillon Hamaliuk. Benning can go back to addressing the need for another forward here. The big 6-foot-3 winger had 26 points in 31 games for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds last season. His size and skill set would be too much to pass up if available for the Canucks.
Stephen Kronstein: Sasha Mutala. Vancouver-born, speedy power forward ranks anywhere from #69 to #140. Plays a hard game and can chip in on offence, having scored 20 goals and 41 points in 65 WHL games.
Joshua Rey: Kevin Wall. The sniper American winger had a good season with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL. He had 31 goals and 33 assists in 49 games.
Ben Steiner: James Malm. The former Vancouver Giant is familiar with the city, and spent time with a few very good junior teams in Vancouver and Calgary. He is a small, skilled left winger who fits the game the way it is trending. While he may not be able to bully teams like the St. Louis Blues, he is very skilled, and skill is becoming more prevalent in today’s NHL.
Owen Gibbs: Max Wahlgren. Max is one of the next pair of Swedish twins entering this year’s draft. Performed reasonably well in the SuperElit this season; should get a good look in one of the later rounds
Matthew Zator: I am intrigued by Luke Toporowski here. I think the Canucks need another agitator in the mould of Antoine Roussel.
Jarred Chan: Matias Maccelli. The third highest scorer in the USHL this season, Maccelli could perhaps be a steal at this point in the draft, scoring 31 goals and 72 points in 62 games. A creative two-way winger, Maccelli is used on both the powerplay and the penalty kill.
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Round 5
David Quadrelli: Max Wahlgren. While these Swedish twins will never be the Sedins, Max and his brother Joel are both eligible this year and could be the next set of twins to be a part of the Canucks organization. Swedish twins, to boot.
Alex Hoegler: Justin Ducharme. Good combination of size and speed. The 6-foot, 179-pound winger is worthy of a look here in the fifth round. He had 30 goals for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL this season.
Stephen Kronstein: Max Wahlgren. First selection towards acquiring the Swedish Twins Part II. This gritty forward scored 38 points in 42 SuperElit games, and projects to go anywhere from about #90 to #165
Joshua Rey: Ethan Phillips. A small but fast player who can get around defenders with ease. He had 16 goals and 27 assists in 50 games with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.
Ben Steiner: Max Wahlgren. Just for nostalgia, I’m going with Max Wahlgren. He is a good player, but he also is one half of a pair of draft-eligible Swedish twins.
Owen Gibbs: Patrik Prymula. Prymula has scored over a point-per-game in the Czech U-19 league. Standing at 6-foot-7, he would provide much-wanted size for the Canucks.
Matthew Zator: I am going with Justin Ducharme here, as I believe the Canucks are still looking for speed, even though they are reported to be looking for size.
Jarred Chan: Henri Nikkanen. Playing for multiple different teams this season, Nikkanen shined in his production at the international level for Finland, posting 11 points in 12 games. He spent majority of the season with Jukurit’s J20 Jr. S SM-liiga squad, where he put up9 points in 14 games. Nikkanen is a playmaking center.
Round 6 (156th, 164th, and 180th overall)
David Quadrelli: 156th overall: Alex Campbell. A teammate of Alex Newhook with the Victoria Grizzlies, Campbell is a smart pick for the Canucks, especially if they draft Newhook, which I’m hoping they will. Campbell had 67 points in 53 games last season.
164th overall: Cole Moberg. This 6 foot 3, 200-pound defenceman picked up 40 points through 61 games with the Prince George Cougars last season. As I mentioned in previous articles, I would love to see the Canucks draft a boatload of defencemen in the later rounds of the draft. Moberg is one I have my eyes on.
180th overall: Trent Miner. Maybe you’ve heard of Miner. If you attended, watched, or listened to a Vancouver Giants game this year, chances are you have. The Giants’ netminder posted a 1.98 Goals against average, complemented by a .924 save percentage. I would love to see the Canucks add Miner to their goaltending prospect pool.
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Alex Hoegler: 156th overall: Nicholas Porco. The Saginaw Spirit winger tallied 20 goals and 36 points this season. I like Porco’s skill set and natural goal-scoring abilities. He’s worth taking a chance on here.
164th overall: Zach Uens. Good size. Well-rounded. Lots of offensive upside from the back end. Uens is another talented blueliner Benning can add to his pipeline.
180th overall: Jeremi Gerber. The skilled Swiss forward absolutely dominated in U20-Elit, with 14 goals and 32 points in 16 games.
Stephen Kronstein: 156th overall: Mark Kastelic. The 20-year-old captain of the Calgary Hitmen was ranked #132 for North American prospects by NHL Central Scouting, and projects to be a late 7th round pick at best. The tough two-way power forward plays the hardest of games, making the ultimate sacrifices, sticking up for his teammates, and loves to score, having netted 47 goals and 77 points in 66 WHL games.
164th overall: Jackson van de Leest. The punishing defensive defenceman from Kelowna, BC, handles the puck and skates surprisingly well for a mountainous figure. His 21 points in 67 WHL games are enough to project him into the seventh round at best, but his physical attributes and willingness to police the ice will make him a tempting pick towards the end of the draft.
180th overall: Joel Wahlgren. Second selection towards acquiring the Swedish Twins Part II. This gritty forward scored 18 points in 45 SuperElit games, and projects to go undrafted (above #217) ranking in a range of around #220 to #250, but has the DNA to develop a higher upside and could help prove the Canucks’ development prowess, if that even exists.
Joshua Rey: 156th overall: Filip Cederqvist. Cederqvist plays for the Vaxjo Lakers, Elias Pettersson’s old stomping grounds. He is a very good puck handler who had 4 goals and 4 assists in 33 games with Vaxjo last season.
164th overall: Clay Hanus. This offensive defenceman plays for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL where he had 8 goals and 19 assists in 68 games. Hanus is a mobile puck moving defenceman possesses good hockey IQ and passing.
180th overall: Joel Wahlgren. Wahlgren had 12 goals and 6 assists in 45 games for the Modo under 20 team of the Swedish SuperElit league.
Ben Steiner: 156th overall: Sasha Mutala. Although he will probably be gone by this point, this Vancouver kid has had a few good seasons for the Tri-City Americans. He would be a good addition to the draft class, although unlikely to be available, and unlikely to play for the Canucks.
164th overall: Joel Wahlgren. The other half of the Swedish twins, the Canucks should select Joel Wahlgren. He is far behind his brother in terms of skill, but has the potential to catch up. Both are unlikely to make the NHL, however, it would be very cool to see another pair of twins grace the ice for the Vancouver Canucks.
180th overall: Ben McCartney. From the Brandon Wheat Kings, the large winger has the size to make the NHL. At this point in the draft, if they have the size and have played against good competition, as he would have in the CHL- there is no good reason not to take a gamble.
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Owen Gibbs: 156th overall: Juuso Pärssinen. Pärssinen has played on a team with Petrus Palmu and coached by Sami Salo. There is room for improvement offensively but Canucks scouts may be more familiar with team and player than some.
164th overall: Nate Warner. The University of Minnesota commit scored more than a point-per-game in the high school league this past season and may have Jack Rathbone-like potential
180th overall: Joel Wahlgren. Joel didn’t produce quite as much as brother Max, but the Canucks may try to catch sixth-round lightning in a bottle with the pair.
Matthew Zator: 156th overall: Canucks take their first goaltender in the draft in Dustin Wolf. Described as a warrior, he would add to the Canucks depth in goal.
164th overall: Going with defenseman Oliver Turan here. I am very intrigued by his size and mobility as well as his hockey IQ in the offensive zone.
180th overall: Beginning the comeback of the Swedish twins, The Canucks will draft Max Wahlgren. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of the last Swedish twins to make it in the NHL.
Jarred Chan: 156th Overall: Michael Gildon. Playing for the stacked U.S National U18 team, Gildon was able to produce 45 points in 61 games. Against USHL opponents, he was able to post 13 goals and 29 points in 26 games. Gildon is committed to Ohio State University.
164th Overall: Max Crozier. Posting 43 points in 60 games as a right handed defender in the USHL, this would be great value in the sixth round. Crozier also posted 132 penalty minutes, making him to be a grittier physical player. Crozier is committed to Providence College.
180th Overall: Kalle Loponen. Another right-handed defender, Loponen jumped around many teams this season. But with his production at both the international level (18 points in 25 games,) Mestis (12 points in 30 games,) and Jr. A SM-liiga (9 points in 18 games,) there is no doubt that Loponen would be good value in the sixth round.
Round 7:
David Quadrelli: Joel Wahlgren. You already knew this one was coming. How can you not be at least a little bit intrigued that there is a set of Swedish twin brothers available in the draft just one year after the Sedins retired? My honourable mention here is Canucks’ prospect Linus Karlsson’s younger brother, Hampus Karlsson.
Alex Hoegler: Ethan Frisch. The University of Dakota rearguard is a smooth skater with a right-handed shot. The Canucks are just taking educated guesses at this stage. Why not use this selection on their biggest organizational need?
Stephen Kronstein: Yegor Sokolov. The large, 19-year-old Russian power forward plays a hard two-way game and skates well, having scored 57 points in 68 QMJHL games. Sokolov is one of the heaviest available players in the draft, and has the potential to be a late developer like eighth rounder Dustin Byfuglien, the heaviest player in the NHL.
Joshua Rey: Mitchell Brewer. Brewer had 4 goals and 14 assists in 67 games with the OHL Oshawa Generals. He is a good puck mover with an excellent shot and is good at taking the puck away from an opponent in the defensive zone.
Ben Steiner: Adam Edstrom. A Swedish forward know for his skill, he has played in the superelite league this year against men. in 20 games with the senior team he put up 16 points, and that’s against fully grown men. He could be a good gamble for the Canucks.
Owen Gibbs: Nando Eggenberger. Eggenberger is an overage who wasn’t drafted in his first draft and has attended Canucks Prospect Camp in the past. The Canucks could go with familiarity if he’s still around this late.
Matthew Zator: The Canucks complete the duo with the other Swedish twin Joel Wahlgren. Despite projecting to be undrafted, they should take a flyer on him.
Jarred Chan: Bryce Brodzinski. An overager, Brodzinski spent time in the USHS-MN where he produced 32 goals and 76 points in 23 games, and in the USHL where he posted 17 points in 19 games. Being born in August of 2000, Brodzinski is one of the younger overagers.
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There you have it folks, that is The Canuck Way’s mock draft of 2019! With the draft now just two days away, who do you have your sights set on? Let us know in the comments section below!