5 prospects the Canucks could select in the first round of the 2021 draft

Scott Morrow, D

Another right-handed defenceman, Scott Morrow is one of the older players in the draft being born in November of 2002. Next season he will be attending the University of North Dakota (Brock Boeser’s alma mater). Morrow seems like a dark horse in this year’s draft similar to what Moritz Seider was in 2019. He is projected to go as high as 16th while other sites project him to go as low as 31st or even in the second round.

He plays for Shattuck’s St. Mary’s Boarding School in Faribault, Minnesota, where has six goals and 25 assists in 31 games this season.

Morrow delivers hockey IQ, poise, good skating, a bullet of a shot and clean passes. He is an excellent puck mover who can thrive in all three zones. Morrow’s strength is on the forecheck. One concern is that he is prone to turning the puck over while breaking out. However, he checks the boxes of a modern-day mobile defenceman that the Canucks will love.

If Morrow is available, even in the second round, the Canucks could take him. He might need a few years to develop at UND but he has the potential to be a solid top-four NHL defenceman.

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Kent Johnson, C

The Canucks may want to select a centre and hopefully, if they do, that player could be a third-line pivot behind Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat.

One such player in the 2021 Draft could be Kent Johnson. Johnson is a local boy hailing from North Vancouver. Projected to be a top ten pick, Johnson plays for the University of Michigan where he has nine goals and 18 assists in 26 games. He previously played for the Trail Smoke Eaters of the BCHL where he tallied 101 points in 58 games in 2019-20.

Johnson is a dangerous and creative player with the puck. He brings speed with excellent vision, passing and puck handling abilities. Johnson is also capable of backchecking quickly and has a good instinct for takeaways.

His stride and hands are put on display in this clip as he scores a nice backhander.

Johnson will have a bigger role with the Wolverines next season and is an exciting player to watch who can do it all. Aside from centre, Johnson can also play left-wing. If he is available, the Canucks should snag him and his excellent two-way abilities.