Craig Button's NHL comparables for the Top 31 prospects in the 2018 NHL Draft

Selection day is finally here.

With all the emphasis on drafting and developing in today’s NHL, the draft is imperative for team’s looking to stir the ship back on the right path and build up their asset pool.

Here at TSN, our hockey analysts and insiders have done their homework over the last few years and put together both a final pre-draft ranking and a final mock draft.

To give fans a better idea of all the prospects attributes and skill sets, Craig Button has put together scouting reports for the top 62 prospects ranked on Bob McKenzie’s final list.

The five categories are ranked on a scale of 1-5 with forwards being evaluated on the following qualities: skating, hockey sense, goal scoring, their shot and competiveness; defenceman are rated on skating, hockey sense, defensive play, pucks skills and competiveness.

Button also gives out a projection of what the player could one day become, and who they resemble the most in terms of an NHL comparable.

We should point out that the comparables are stylistically, and are used as a maximum ceiling. It would be extremely naïve of us to think that all these players will one day achieve the status of their comparable, as they’re merely used to give you a barometer of what to expect of said player.

For the purpose of this exercise, we’ll go in order of Bob’s rankings, with the analysis provided by Craig or Bob.

1. Rasmus Dahlin – D – Frolunda (SHL)

Projection: Elite, Complete D
Comparable: Victor Hedman

Button’s Mock: 1^st overall to Buffalo

Skating: 5/5
Hockey Sense: 5/5
Defensive Play: 4/5
Puck Skills: 5/5
Competiveness: 5/5

"He has a long, long way to go to earn favourable comparisons to arguably the greatest Swedish defenceman ever - Nicklas Lidstrom - but Dahlin already demonstrates much of the same ease and three-zone impact as the Hall of Famer." - Bob McKenzie

2. Andrei Svechnikov – RW – Barrie (OHL)

Projection: Elite Complete Winger
Comparable: Marian Hossa

Button’s Mock: 2^nd overall to Carolina

Skating: 5
Hockey Sense: 4.5
Goal Scoring: 5
Shot:5
Competitiveness: 4.5

"Svechnikov has size, speed and skill. He can play a power game or a finesse game, make plays or score goals any way they can be scored - off the rush, one timers from far out, getting his nose dirty in front of the net or off the cycle." - Bob McKenzie

3. Brady Tkachuk – LW – Boston U (NCAA)

Projection: Top Line Power Forward
Comparable: Matthew Tkachuk

Button’s Mock: 5^th overall to Arizona

Skating: 4
Hockey Sense: 4.5
Goal Scoring: 3.5
Shot: 3.5
Competitiveness: 5

"Tkachuk is a lot less refined and less polished than the other elite picks but the big raw-boned winger plays a hard driving, aggravating power and agitation game." - Bob McKenzie

4. Filip Zadina – RW – Halifax (QMJHL)

Projection: Elite Skilled Winger
Comparable: David Pastrnak
Button’s Mock: 4^th overall to Ottawa

Skating: 4
Hockey Sense: 4.5
Goal Scoring: 4.5
Shot: 4.5
Competitiveness: 4.5

"Zadina has quick hands and feet, he thrives in tight spaces and small spaces and is able to get off an incredible release on a shot that is arguably the best in the draft, as his 44 goals in 57 games would attest." - Bob McKenzie

5. Jesperi Kotkaniemi – C – Assat (SM-Liiga)

Projection: Top Line Power Forward
Comparable: Anze Kopitar

Button’s Mock: 3^rd overall to Montreal

Skating: 4
Hockey Sense: 4.5
Goal Scoring: 3.5
Shot: 3.5
Competitiveness: 5

"His strong performance at the World Under-18 Championships in April has vaulted him into the top five and provided this draft with something that it seemed to be missing all season long - a potential No. 1 centre." - Bob McKenzie

6. Noah Dobson – D – Acadia Bathurst (QMJHL)

Projection: Top 2 Two-Way Defenceman
Comparable: Seth Jones

Button’s Mock: 8^th overall to Chicago

Skating: 4/5
Hockey Sense: 4.5/5
Defensive Play: 4.5/5
Puck Skills: 4/5
Competiveness: 4/5

"Dobson is a strong skater with a high degree of creativity, vision and offensive prowess. Scouts feel we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg here." - Bob McKenzie

7. Evan Bouchard – D – London (OHL)

Projection: Top 2 Two-Way Defenceman
Comparable: John Carlson

Button’s Mock: 10^th overall to Edmonton

Skating: 3.5/5
Hockey Sense: 4.5/5
Defensive Play: 4./5
Puck Skills: 4.5/5
Competiveness: 4/5

"The heady 6-foot-2 blueliner is arguably the best passer in the game. Long bombs, short outlets to get the attack started, he can do it all." - Bob McKenzie

8. Quinn Hughes – D – Michigan (NCAA)

Projection: Top 2 Dynamic Defenceman
Comparable: Morgan Rielly

Button’s Mock: 6^th overall to Detroit

Skating: 5/5
Hockey Sense: 4.5/5
Defensive Play: 3/5
Puck Skills: 4/5
Competiveness: 4.5/5

"He plays a go-go-go offensive game, at times more like a rover than a defenceman. He’s fearless, not afraid to make high risk, high reward but also high danger plays."

9. Oliver Wahlstrom – RW – USA NTDP (USHL)

Projection: Elite Goal-Scorer
Comparable: Alex Ovechkin

Button’s Mock: 9^th overall to New York Rangers

Skating: 4/5
Hockey Sense: 4/5
Goal Scoring: 5/5
Shot: 5/5
Competitiveness: 4/5

"He plays a go-go-go offensive game, at times more like a rover than a defenceman. He’s fearless, not afraid to make high risk, high reward but also high danger plays."

10. Adam Boqvist – D – Brynas (SWE J20)

Projection: Top 2 Dynamic Defenceman
Comparable: Erik Karlsson

Button’s Mock: 7^th overall to Vancouver

Skating: 4.5/5
Hockey Sense: 5/5
Defensive Play: 3/5
Puck Skills: 5/5
Competiveness: 3.5/5

"At a shade under six feet tall, the Swede is a dynamic offensive defenceman. He started and finished the season on extremely high notes - he was the best defenceman at the Ivan Hlinka U-18 tourney last August and again at the Under-18 World Championship in April. In between those two events, his game wavered a bit at times as he bounced around to three different teams in three different leagues, playing mostly in the Swedish junior loop but also seeing some time in the elite league and second division. Like Hughes, Boqvist‘s defensive acumen is sometimes questioned." - Bob McKenzie

11. Barret Hayton – C – S.S. Marie (OHL)

Projection: Top 6 Complete Centre
Comparable: Patrice Bergeron

Button’s Mock: 11^th overall to New York Islanders

12. Vitali Kravstov – RW – Chelyabinsk (MHL)

Projection: Top 6 Scoring Winger
Comparable: James Neal

Button’s Mock: 28^th overall to New York Rangers

13. Ty Smith – D – Spokane (WHL)

Projection: Top 4 Solid Defenceman
Comparable: Alex Goligoski

Button’s Mock: 12^th overall to New York Islanders

14. Joe Veleno – C – Drummondville (QMJL)

Projection: Top 9 All-Around Centre
Comparable: Lars Eller

Button’s Mock: 15^th overall to Florida

15. Grigori Denisenko – LW – Yaroslav (MHL)

Projection: Top Line Skill Winger
Comparable: Nikita Kucherov
Button’s Mock: 18^th overall to Florida

16. Martin Kaut – RW – Paradubice (CZE Extra)

Projection: Top 6 Scoring Winger
Comparable: T.J. Oshie

Button’s Mock: 21^st to San Jose

17. Joel Farabee – LW – USA NTDP (USHL)

Projection: Top 6 Two-Way Winger
Comparable: Jake Guentzel

Button’s Mock: 13^th to Dallas

18. Dominik Bokk – RW – Vaxjo (SWE J20)

Projection: Top 6 Scoring Winger
Comparable: Tyler Toffoli

Button’s Mock: 20^th overall to Los Angeles

19. Serron Noel – RW – Oshawa (OHL)

Projection: Top 6 Two-Way Forward
Comparable: Blake Wheeler

Button’s Mock: 14^th overall to Philadelphia

20. Rasmus Kupari – C – Karpat (SM Liiga)

Projection: Top 9 Two-Way Winger
Comparable: Charlie Coyle

Button’s Mock: 29^th overall to St. Louis

21. Isac Lundestrom – C – Lulea (SHL)

Projection: Top 6 Complete Forward
Comparable: Swiss Army Knife

Button’s Mock: 16^th overall to Colorado

22. Ryan McLeod – C – Mississauga (OHL)

Projection: Top 6 Skill Forward
Comparable: Nicklas Backstrom

Button’s Mock: 17^th overall to New Jersey

23. Ty Dellandrea – D – Flint (OHL)

Projection: Top 6 Two-Way Centre
Comparable: Bo Horvat

Button’s Mock: 27^th overall to Chicago

24. K’Andre Miller – D – USA NTDP (USHL)

Projection: Top 4 Skating Defenceman
Comparable: Brady Skjei

Button’s Mock: 24^th overall to Minnesota

25. Bode Wilde – D – USA NTDP (USHL)

Projection: Top 3 All-Around Defenceman
Comparable: Brent Seabrook

Button’s Mock: 19^th overall to Philadelphia

26. Jared McIsaac – D – Halifax (QMJHL)

Projection: No. 3-4 Efficient Defenceman
Comparable: Ryan McDonagh

Button’s Mock: 22^nd overall to Ottawa

27. Rasmus Sundin – D – S.S. Marie (OHL)

Projection: Top 3 All-Around Defenceman
Comparable: Josh Morrissey

Button’s Mock: 25^th overall to Toronto

28. Akil Thomas – RW – Niagara (OHL)

Projection: Top 6 Playmaking Forward
Comparable: Reilly Smith
Button’s Mock: 23^rd overall to Anaheim

29.Liam Foudy – C – London (OHL)

Projection: Top 9 Catalyst Forward
Comparable: Michael Grabner

Button’s Mock: 30^th overall to Detroit

30. Alexander Alexeyev – D – Red Deer (WHL)

Projection: Top 4 Two-Way Defenceman
Comparable: Jonas Brodin

Button’s Mock: Exempt

31. Mattias Samuelsson – D – USA NTDP (USHL)

Projection: Top 4 Physical Defenceman
Comparable: Darnell Nurse

Button’s Mock: Exempt
 

If you’d like the see the draft profiles from players ranked in the 11-62 range, click on the players inside this article.