Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the daily column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. Each day I will bring you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2020 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow me on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Hockey Prospects is your new headquarters for everything “NHL Draft”! We have a complete listing of our draft articles here. Today we continue our 2020 NHL Mock Draft.
For those who haven’t read the LWOH NHL Mock Draft before here are the rules.
1) No trades except for those that have already been made by NHL teams.
2) The NHL Mock Draft will be released in multiple parts. The first part comes out today. More parts will be added in time as more of the draft order is known.
3) Clicking the Player’s name will bring you to a full scouting report.
So with that out of the way, I present part two of the LWOH 2020 NHL Mock Draft.
Picks 9-15: NHL Mock Draft 2020
9.) Minnesota Wild – Anton Lundell, Centre, HIFK, SM Liiga
The Wild can use help up the middle. Long-time Wild star Mikko Koivu is moving on. The Wild look to replace him with another Finnish centre. Lundell uses good stickhandling to create space and make plays. He is able to make quick moves to create space and then take advantage of the wider passing lanes and thus is very dangerous in transition. Lundell also uses his strength and balance to extend plays, allowing linemates to get open. He creates scoring chances thanks to his outstanding vision and playmaking skill. Lundell controls the puck on the powerplay and can use his passing ability to create scoring chances for teammates. He is a smart player who always seems to be in the right spot. Lundell also uses his high-end hockey IQ in the defensive end as he’s already a strong two-way player.
10.) Winnipeg Jets – Alexander Holtz, Right Wing/Left Wing, Djurgardens IF, SHL
While the Jets would love to draft a defenceman or a centre here, they simply can’t ignore the value as Holtz falls into their laps. Holtz is a pure sniper. He has an outstanding wrist shot and lightning-quick release. He also has an excellent slap shot and one-timer. Holtz even has a good backhand. He has the quick hands to change the angle of his release before firing the puck, fooling goaltenders. He can also get to the front of the net, scoring goals with his quick hands and excellent hand-eye coordination to get tips and bang in rebounds. Holtz has all the tools necessary to score goals at the NHL level. Holtz also makes smart plays with and without the puck. While he has a shoot-first mentality, he also has the vision and passing skills to find open teammates and create scoring chances. He is able to control the puck down low and create space for those teammates to get open.
11.) Nashville Predators – Jack Quinn, Right Wing, Ottawa 67’s, OHL
The Predators also add some scoring on the wing with Quinn. Quinn is a sniper who can score in a variety of ways. He has an excellent wrist shot and a quick release. He often uses his quick hands to pull off a toe-drag just before shooting, varying his release point and creating issues for goalies. Quinn can also score with a snapshot, one-timer, and even on the backhand. He is also good in close to the net, with the quick hands to pounce on a rebound, bang in a pass from a teammate, and tip in a shot. Quinn has the smarts to find the open spaces in the defence and get open for that pass from a teammate. While mainly a goal-scorer, Quinn has become a more complete player as the season has gone on. He has become a better playmaker, showing off his vision and passing skills. He has also worked to become better on the boards, winning battles and creating more scoring opportunities.
12.) Florida Panthers – Kaiden Guhle, Left Defence, Prince Alberta Raiders, WHL
The Panthers have built a nice stockpile of scoring forwards. They could stand to add some talent on the backend here and look to the WHL to do it. October is spooky-season and so they add Guhle (goo-lee). Guhle is an excellent skater, with very good speed and acceleration in both directions. He is able to push the play offensively as well as pinch in at the opponent’s blue line and still get back to his position in the defensive end. He also has very smooth pivots, allowing him to transition quickly from offence to defence and vice-versa. Guhle shows good agility and edgework as well. He is already strong on his skates and has good balance. As he matures and increases his lower-body strength, this area of his game should continue to improve. He will also be better on the boards and in front of the net, areas that he already excels.
13.) Carolina Hurricanes (from Toronto) – Yaroslav Askarov, Goaltender, SKA St. Petersburg, KHL
With a pick acquired for taking on Patrick Marleau‘s contract last summer, the Hurricanes take the best goaltending prospect since Carey Price. Askarov is incredibly advanced for a young goaltender. He uses his size effectively, coming out to cut down angles and gives shooters very little net to look at. His strong legs take away the bottom of the net. They also make him an effective skater. He is able to take away those angles but still gets a good backward push, which makes him hard to deke. Those strong legs also give him a strong push and good side-to-side movement. He tracks the puck well on cross-ice passes and can get over to still make the save. Askarov’s rebound control is very good for a young goalie, far ahead of other prospects his age. He is extremely efficient in his movements and is almost always square to the puck. He also has a strong mental make-up, remaining calm and cool at all times.
14.) Edmonton Oilers – Seth Jarvis, Right Wing/Centre, Portland Winterhawks, WHL
Obviously, the Oilers have high-end centres on the team. However, they need more offensively talented players to support them. In Jarvis, they address that need. Jarvis is a pure sniper. He has an excellent array of shots. He can score with his wrist shot, snap shot, slap shot, one-timer, and even his backhand. All of these shots feature power, accuracy and a quick release. When defenders back off to respect his skating ability, he uses the defender as a screen and fires a shot on net. He also has a knack for getting open without the puck and putting himself into a position to get a scoring chance. Jarvis is gritty and he is not afraid to get to the front of the net and battle to create opportunities. He can finish in tight with the quick hands to pounce on rebounds, deke a goalie, or tip-in a teammate’s shot. He is a real pest and creates havoc in front of the opponent’s net. Jarvis has the ability to drive opposing goaltenders crazy and takes up a lot of attention.
15.) Toronto Maple Leafs (from Pittsburgh) – Braden Schneider, Right Defence, Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL
The Leafs continue to need help on defence, specifically on the right side of the blue line. Schneider could provide that help in a year or two. Schneider is an excellent skater which helps him to play a strong 200-foot game. He has a smooth stride and generates good speed and acceleration in both directions. He also has very good agility and edgework. This allows Schneider to cover a lot of ice. He also has very good pivots that allow Schneider to transition quickly from offence to defence and vice-versa. Schneider combines his strong skating with effective puckhandling ability. He can skate the puck out of danger and avoid forecheckers to start the transition game. He can also make plays with the puck in the neutral zone. Schneider is also a good passer who starts the transition game with an effective first pass.
Stay tuned for Part 3, later this morning.
Main Photo: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – JUNE 21: Jack Hughes reacts after being selected first overall by the New Jersey Devils during the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
