{"id":10672,"date":"2017-06-07T00:35:16","date_gmt":"2017-06-07T04:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey?p=10672&preview=true&preview_id=10672"},"modified":"2017-06-08T00:42:24","modified_gmt":"2017-06-08T04:42:24","slug":"2017-nhl-mock-draft-second-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/06\/07\/2017-nhl-mock-draft-second-round\/","title":{"rendered":"2017 NHL Mock Draft Second Round"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 2017 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow me on Twitter<\/a>, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Hockey Prospects\u00a0is your new headquarters for everything \u201cNHL Draft\u201d! We have a complete listing of our draft articles here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"TopShelfProspects\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Now that the order of 29 of the first 31 picks have been determined, I will be releasing my 2017 NHL mock draft.<\/p>\n

1) No trades except for those that have already been made by NHL teams.
\n2) A two-round Mock draft will be done in four parts.\u00a0 The first part comes out today. More parts will be added in time.
\n3) Clicking the Player\u2019s name will bring you to a full scouting report.
\n4) For Picks 27-30, we will assume that the team with home ice advantage will win each of the three series. \u00a0Mocks will be updated as each series end, if that changes the draft order.<\/p>\n

So with that out of the way, I present the LWOS 2017 NHL Mock Draft.<\/p>\n

If you Missed Part 1, the Lottery Picks, Check it Out Here<\/a>.
\nPart 2, The Rest of the First Round Can Be Found Here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2017 NHL Mock Draft Second Round<\/strong><\/h2>\n

#32 Colorado Avalanche<\/strong>:\u00a0Jason Robertson, Left Wing<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick: Miro Heiskanen<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

If rumours are to be believed, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic\u00a0<\/strong>is taking his team on a massive rebuild. \u00a0Every player with the exceptions of\u00a0Nathan MacKinnon<\/strong>, Tyson Jost<\/strong>, and Mikko Rantanen<\/strong>\u00a0could be acquired for the right price. This means the Avalanche’s areas of strength and areas of need could change extremely quickly. After getting a possible top defenceman in the first round, they look at best player available here. Robertson is a power forward who plays for the Kingston Frontenacs. He led his team in scoring by miles, and scored nearly one-third of the team’s game winning goals. His size and strength are real assets, while his skating, specifically his first step, may need a little bit of work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

#33 Vancouver Canucks<\/strong>:\u00a0Filip Chytil, Centre\/Left Wing<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick: Timothy Liljegren<\/a><\/p>\n

The Canucks got a\u00a0future power play quarterback with their first round pick. They address their second major need in round two. \u00a0Vancouver is in desperate need for a centre with skill. In Chytil\u00a0they get that skill. He has a heavy wrist shot. He gets that shot off-quickly as well as accurately, with a lightning quick release. Chytil can also play the role of play maker. He can create openings with his skating, and has the stick handling ability to control the play. He is also a very good passer.<\/p>\n

#34 Vegas Golden Knights<\/strong>:\u00a0Maxime Comtois, LW\/RW\/C<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick: Casey Mittlestadt<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This will be a big week for the Golden Knights who make their picks in the expansion draft just days before the NHL Draft. Building via the draft will be a clear goal for George McPhee<\/strong> and staff. It seems clear that with the expansion draft rules the Knights should start out with some decent goaltending, and some good young defencemen. Skilled forwards will be at a premium though, especially younger ones. For the second straight pick the Golden Knights look at adding a talented forward. A sniper, Comtois has a very quick release that can handcuff opposing goaltenders. He also has the soft hands to beat a goalie in close to the net. Comtois can score goals with deflections, rebounds, and by quickly burying a pass in tight. He can also drive the net off the rush, or when working in the offensive zone.<\/p>\n

#35 Arizona Coyotes:\u00a0Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Defence<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick: Cody Glass<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Erik Brannstrom<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Coyotes added a forward and a defenceman in the first round. They have an excellent stable of young forwards including Dylan Strome<\/strong>, Clayton Keller<\/strong>, Max Domi<\/strong>, Christian Dvorak<\/strong>, and more. Here they add a two-way defenceman in Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Joseph is a very good skater, and is mobile in both directions and covers a lot of ice. Joseph\u2019s mobility makes him very difficult to beat one-on-one, and his active stick allows him to play a strong defensive game. He is also a smart player, who can quarterback the play from the point. He has very good vision, and the passing skills to be a play maker.<\/p>\n

#36 New Jersey Devils<\/strong>:\u00a0Kole Lind, Right Wing<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick: Nolan Patrick<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Devils got Patrick in the first round, a player whom they hope will eventually be their number one centre. In round two they take a winger that compliments his game.\u00a0Lind is equally adept at both scoring goals and setting them up. He has an excellent wrist shot. He also has an outstanding slap shot and one-timer. Lind has a knack for finding the soft spot in the defensive coverage and ripping his shot by the goaltender.\u00a0Solid stick handling and good puck protection skills allow Lind to extend plays and helps his teammates get open. When he gets an opening, Lind is able to feather a pass through a tight opening and land it on an linemates\u00a0tape.<\/p>\n

#37 Buffalo Sabres<\/strong>:\u00a0Grant Mismash, Centre\/Left Wing<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick: Cale Makar<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sabres come to the draft with a new general manager in Jason Botterill<\/strong>, formerly an assistant in Pittsburgh. The Penguins have had great success in finding talented wingers on the second day of the draft. \u00a0He knows he has talented centres in Jack Eichel<\/strong>, and Sam Reinhart<\/strong> to build around, and takes Mismash to eventually play on one of their wings. Mismash is a goal scorer. He has a tremendous wrist shot. If it isn\u2019t already NHL caliber, it is awful close. The release is lightning quick. His shot is heavy, as he is able to transfer tremendous power and flex into his stick. It is also deadly accurate. Mishmash has the hockey IQ to settle into open spots on the ice when his teammates have the puck, getting ready to unleash his shot. He is also strong on the cycle.<\/p>\n

#38 Detroit Red Wings<\/strong>:\u00a0Robin Salo, Defence<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick:\u00a0Elias Pettersson<\/a><\/p>\n

The Red Wings are another team heading into a full scale rebuild. They grabbed forward help in the first round, and look to address the defence by taking\u00a0Robin Salo. He\u00a0makes smart plays with the puck on his stick. He starts the transition game with a strong first pass, and picks his spots on when to join the rush. Salo is poised with the puck at the blue line, reacting well to pressure, and setting up teammates from the point.\u00a0Salo is extremely smart in his own zone. He has very good positioning, and maintains excellent gap control. He reads the play well, and seems to anticipate where the puck could be going a step ahead of others on the ice. Salo could use some work on his skating though.<\/p>\n

#39 Dallas Stars<\/strong>:\u00a0Michael DiPietro, Goaltender<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick:\u00a0Gabriel Vilardi<\/a>,\u00a0Henri Jokiharju<\/a><\/p>\n

The Stars would love to take another defenceman here, but the way the draft falls that just is not possible. They could also use a strong goaltending prospect, and take DiPietro, who recently led the Windsor Spitfires to the Memorial Cup.\u00a0DiPietro is slightly undersized compared to most of the goalies who have been drafted in recent years. He makes himself look bigger by coming out of the crease far and cutting down angles. Excellent skating ability allows DiPietro to play out of his net while getting back quickly on dekes, as well as moving across the crease laterally.\u00a0DiPietro is also calm and composed in net.<\/p>\n

#40 Florida Panthers<\/strong>:\u00a0Nikita Popugaev, Left Wing<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick:\u00a0Owen Tippet<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dale Tallon is back in charge of the Panthers. He loves big, talented forwards, and finds one sitting on the board here.\u00a0Popugaev has outstanding size, measuring in at 6\u20196\u2033. He combines this with excellent stick handling to be very tough to defend one-on-one. Add in good hockey sense and a strong wrist shot, and Popugaev has many of the attributes that teams will be looking for in a power forward prospect.\u00a0He is particularly adept on the power play, where the Warriors seemed to run everything through him, but is not getting the same looks on a stronger Prince George team. Popugaev had proven that\u00a0he has the vision and passing skills to set up others in these situations. Popugaev is mainly a goal scorer, though.<\/p>\n

#41 Los Angeles Kings<\/strong>:\u00a0Alexei Lipanov, Centre<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick:\u00a0Martin Necas<\/a><\/p>\n

The Kings need an injection of skill. \u00a0They got some by adding Necas in the first round, and grab some more with Lipanov in round two. The Russian centre\u00a0has very good speed and the quick acceleration to reach that speed quickly. He challenges defenders on the rush, and forces them to back up or be beat to the outside. He also has excellent agility and edge work.\u00a0Lipanov is a smart player, who sees the ice very well and can complete a tape-to-tape pass through a tight opening. He has the stick handling ability to extend plays and keep control of the puck down low, waiting for a teammate to get open and make that pass. He can also score with an accurate wrist shot and quick release.<\/p>\n

#42 Carolina Hurricanes<\/strong>:\u00a0Marcus Davidsson, Centre<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick:\u00a0Michael Rasmussen<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hurricanes have an outstanding prospect group, especially on the blue line. While they also have a lot of young forwards and took one in the first round, they see a talented young centre as the best player available and grab Davidsson.\u00a0An excellent two-way centre, Davidsson does all the little things well. He gets in quickly on the forecheck and pressures defencemen into making turnovers. Davidsson can hit a teammate with a quick pass, drive the puck to the front of the net, or fire an excellent wrist shot on goal. He has the soft hands to score goals in tight. His shot is accurate but could stand to be a bit more powerful. His wrist shot and snap shots also feature a quick release. He is relentless in chasing down pucks in all three zones, and has the skating to be able to get to loose pucks quickly.<\/p>\n

#43 Winnipeg Jets<\/strong>:\u00a0Max Gildon, Defence<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick:\u00a0Nick Suzuki<\/a><\/p>\n

The Jets are another team with a number of talented young forwards. After having Nick Suzuki fall into their lap in the first round, getting a solid young defenceman with this pick is a priority.\u00a0Gildon has the size and skill to play\u00a0a physical game in his own end. Forwards need to have their head up when they head down his end of the ice. He is also good in the corners and clearing the front of the net. Offensively,\u00a0his slap shot and one-timer are very heavy, and he can be a real threat from the point. However, he could stand to improve accuracy. Gildon is also a good passer. He starts plays with a strong first pass. He is also decent in controlling the puck at the blue line, and finding open seams to get it to a teammate.<\/p>\n

#44 Philadelphia Flyers<\/strong>:\u00a0Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Centre<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick: Nico Hischier<\/a><\/p>\n

The Flyers have been building up their defensive prospects, and goalie prospects for years. Even after getting a talented centre in the first round, they look to take the most talented forward available in round two.\u00a0Anderson-Dolan is a very good skater. He has an outstanding first step, and great acceleration, as well as top end speed. Anderson can beat defencemen one-on-one. Once he gets a step on a defender, he can cut to the inside, drop his shoulder and drive the net.\u00a0Anderson-Dolan also uses his excellent skating to get in quickly on the forecheck, pressuring defenders into mistakes and creating turnovers. Once he does get a turnover, he uses his strength on the puck to protect the puck down low, and extend possession. \u00a0More a goal scorer than a playmaker, Anderson-Dolan still shows some decent vision and passing skill.<\/p>\n

#45 Tampa Bay Lightning<\/strong>: Jesper Boqvist, Centre\/Left Wing<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick:\u00a0Eeli Tolvanen<\/a><\/p>\n

The Lightning have done very well in recent drafts, using a philosophy of always looking for the most skilled player on the board. They do the same here.\u00a0Boqvist combines excellent skating ability, with the quick hands to make stick handle in a phone booth. His dekes, feints, and puck protection make him a real handful for defenders. When Boqvist gets a step on a defender, he drives to the net looking to make a play. He is also a strong play maker, using his vision to find open teammates, and his lateral agility to open up passing lanes. He can score goals in tight, but must work on his shot to score from further out.<\/p>\n

#46 New York Islanders<\/strong>:\u00a0Ian Mitchell, Defence<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Previous Pick:\u00a0Kristian Vesalainen<\/a><\/p>\n

The Islanders have an excellent group of forward prospects, and some solid goaltenders. They could use a puck moving devenceman in the system and grab Ian Mitchell here. Mitchell is very good at starting the transition game. He can skate the puck out of dangerous areas and avoid the forecheck, before making a crisp pass to a teammate. He is especially effective at going for the long home-run pass to a streaking forward behind the defence. Mitchell is also effective at leading the rush himself. He can quarterback the play from the blue line, with the poise to control the puck, and the vision to make strong passes. He can also walk the line to open up shooting and passing lanes. Mitchell does need some work on his shot.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Second Round Continues Here<\/a><\/span>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 2017 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow me on Twitter, and spread the word for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[309,2,1279],"tags":[1592,1654,1623,1682,1612,1570,1634,1588,1309,1662,936,1616,950,1646,975],"class_list":["post-10672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhl-top-prospects","category-featured","category-nhl-draft","tag-alexei-lipanov","tag-filip-chytil","tag-grant-mismash","tag-ian-mitchell","tag-jaret-anderson-dolan","tag-jason-robertson","tag-jesper-boqvist","tag-kole-lind","tag-marcus-davidsson","tag-max-gildon","tag-maxime-comtois","tag-michael-dipietro","tag-nikita-popugaev","tag-pierre-olivier-joseph","tag-robin-salo"],"modified_by":"Ben Kerr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}