Last week, the sporting world sort held its breath at the Belmont Stakes with that chance for the elusive Triple Crown. Would American Pharoah break the 37-year drought? Then the race begins and all of that hope, expectation and becomes moot as soon as American Pharoah cleared the gate. Fortunately for the horse racing world, American Pharoah breaks the drought with a great performance and all of that pre-race speculation became meaningless. You could say much the same thing about pre-draft speculation in any major sport. In an age where each major sport has its own TV Channel as well as other sports-focused networks they will spend weeks analyzing the draft and are producing hours of ‘mock draft’ shows. Especially the NFL, because the draft really happens twice. The Entry Draft and the ever popular Fantasy Draft. The NHL Mock Drafts are not nearly as popular as the NFL ones are, but hard core hockey fans love to participate and view in mock drafts as they reflect on the needs as well as the strengths and weaknesses of how the perceive the league’s teams.
There are a ton of mock drafts out there. It is part of the fun of the draft, it is the chance to try to predict how it is going to unfold and everyone has their idea of how it will look. Most of us these predictions will be wrong. Yet like a meteorologist, there is really no consequence to being wrong, and in all honesty there is no real benefit to being right either. Here are how some mock drafts see who the Minnesota Wild are going to pick with the 20th Overall selection. As you can see its a wide variety of players.
DraftSite.com – Jake DeBrusk (LW, Swift Current ~ WHL)
DraftSite.com – Scorekeeper – Jordan Greenway (LW, U.S. National Dev. Team ~ USHL)
DraftSite.com – Benwocki73 – Nick Merkley (C, Kelowna ~ WHL)
DraftUtopia.com – Nick Merkley (C, Kelowna ~ WHL)
MyNHLDraft.com – Jakub Zboril (D, Saint John ~ QMJHL)
WinginitinMotown.com – Paul Bittner (LW, Portland ~ WHL)
TheHockeyWriters.com – Joel Ek Eriksson (C, Farjestad ~ Swe. Jr.)
BleacherReport.com – Colin White (C, U.S. National Dev. Team ~ USHL)
SportsNet.ca – Damien Cox – Thomas Chabot (D, Saint John ~ QMJHL)
USAToday.com – Jeremy Roy (D, Sherbrooke ~ QMJHL)
BSN Denver – Brock Boeser (C, Waterloo ~ USHL)
Today’s Slapshot – Brandon Carlo (D, Tri-City ~ WHL)
GonePuckWild.com – Colin White (C, U.S. U-18 ~ USHL)
So as an annual tradition I’ve gathered together some Minnesota Wild fans and asked them to do mock drafts and provide explanations for their selections. Hopefully that does a good job at providing a nice variety perspectives. DaveyJ and Fargokman as well myself will give our two cents but we’d love to see your mock drafts too so please leave a comment.
DaveyJ will be our first mock draft and he added a few notes about how he thinks it will shake down.
“With the salary cap and internal budget situations of many teams, I expect no less that 5 of these 1st round picks to be traded on or before draft day. But, since I’m not about to try to predict the unpredictable, I will mock this draft as the order sits today (6/15/15). Note: This mock draft is a combination of what I think will happen, and what I think should happen.” ~ DaveyJ.
#1 Edmonton Oilers – Connor McDavid – C -biggest no-brainer in years. The quintessential generational talent/franchise savior goes to the un-worthy and dreadful Edmonton Oilers. The clock is already ticking on McDavid’s tenure with the Oilers…as it was pretty obvious he wasn’t happy about Edmonton winning the draft lottery!
#2 Buffalo Sabres – Jack Eichel – C – Sabres conclude the no-brainer portion of the draft by selecting Hobey Baker winning, franchise forward, Jack Eichel.
#3 Arizona Coyotes – Mitch Marner – C/W – Coyotes take the entertaining and super talented bleacher-filler over the “safer” picks (Strome and Hanifin) available with the 3rd pick.
#4 Toronto Maple Leafs – Dylan Strome – C – Leafs ecstatic their #1 center woes might finally be over with the selection of the big pivot, Strome.
#5 Carolina Hurricanes – Ivan Provorov – D – Canes pass on the “safer” Hanafin and drool about the potential future pairing of Provorov and Justin Faulk. The almost NHL-ready, thick, fast, and smooth Russian has future star written all over him.
#6 New Jersey Devils – Mathew Barzal – C – Devils lack impact forwards in their prospect pool and gladly select the highly skilled, two-way, play-making Barzal to rebuild their front end.
#7 Philadelphia Flyers – Noah Hanifin – D – Noah’s “fall” ends here. Flyers linked to big, rugged winger, Lawson Crouse in many mocks but super smooth and very safe Hanifin too good to pass up.
#8 Columbus Blue Jackets – Zach Werenski – D – When all is said and done, Werenski might be the best defenseman in this draft and the Jackets can’t wait to have the (insert many, many superlatives here) defenseman quarterback their powerplay and log a lot of crucial minutes in the near future.
#9 San Jose Sharks – Kyle Connor – C/LW – Jumbo Joe’s days are numbered and San Jose plans ahead and grabs Connor and his “It” factor. This kid is simply too good and too complete of a player not to go in the top 10, even though most mocks have him going in the early teens.
#10 Colorado Avalanche – Jakub Zboril – D – Stars were hoping for one of the Big 3 d-men to fall, but gladly select all-around, do-everything Zboril as consolation prize.
#11 Florida Panthers – Travis Konecny – C – Heart, grit and talent is a trifecta Florida cannot pass up when they take the smallish, but hard-nosed forward from the Ottawa ‘67s.
#12 Dallas Stars – Pavel Zacha – C – Stars select the big, fast, shoot first center from the Czech Republic as Jason Spezza’s eventual replacement in the middle. Might be best suited to play wing in the NHL, however.
#13 Los Angeles Kings – Mikko Rantanen – RW – Kings pinch themselves and sprint to the podium to grab the top-ranked European in the draft in the big Finnish power forward, Rantanen.
#14 Boston Bruins – Lawson Crouse – LW – Sometimes things just work out! Selecting the big, bruising Crouse make the thoughts of a future Milan Lucic departure much easier to deal with in Beantown.
#15 Calgary Flames – Evgeny Svechnikov – LW – Simply too talented to pass on, the Flames add to their forward arsenal with the selection of the very gifted, but sometimes un-engaged Russian winger.
#16 Edmonton Oilers (from Pittsburgh) – Brandon Carlo – D – To avoid a fan revolt, the Oilers take a defenseman here. They pass on some D-men with higher offensive upsides to take the huge, swift-skating, shut-down defender in hopes of shoring up their historic defensive woes for years to come.
#17 Winnipeg Jets – Timo Meier – RW – Meier’s “slide” ends here and the Jets gobble up the do-a-bit-of-everything with high-end potential Swiss winger. He’s a safe pick, with a high ceiling making him a great value this far into the 1st round.
#18 Ottawa Senators – Colin White – C – The Sens like the idea of Turris, Zibanejad, and White controlling the middle for the next decade. White is a can’t-miss, but potentially low ceiling, safe draft pick.
#19 Detroit Red Wings – Joel Ek Eriksson – C – Red Wings tick off this mocker and take the player he was coveting for the Wild one pick ahead of them. Ek is a do-it-all, big center and a is a late-bloomer with an NHL ready shot.
#20 Minnesota Wild – Denis Gurianov – RW – With most of their targeted centers gone, the Wild’s perennial scoring headaches are cured with the superbly talented, gritty, boom or bust Russian sniper! He plays a North American style game, but the “Russian Factor” is a concern.
#21 Buffalo Sabres (from NY Islanders) – Oliver Kylington – D- No other team has the depth of youth to gamble on the “poor man’s Erik Karlsson” like the Sabres do. Lots of upside with this dynamic talent, but a flat-out bust is a possibility too.
#22 Washington Capitals – Jeremy Roy – D – Capitals take the best all-around blue-liner left. Roy can play a variety of roles for the Caps and help their blue-line for the years to come.
#23 Vancouver Canucks – Nick Merkley – C/RW – Canucks shore up their forward cupboard by adding the play-making, puck-cycling whiz from the Kelowna Rockets.
#24 Toronto Maple Leafs (from Nashville) – Brock Boeser – RW – Leafs’ overhaul continues as they take the sturdy, solid, and fast finisher from Minnesota. A North Dakota commit.
#25 Winnipeg Jets (from Buffalo, from St. Louis) – Paul Bittner – LW – Jets love their big forwards and the pro-bodied, hard-shooting, strong-skating forward is too intriguing to pass up.
#26 Montreal Canadiens – Thomas Chabot – The Canadiens shore up their blue line depth when they decide to take this mobile, all-around minute-muncher from the St John’s Sea Dogs.
#27 Anaheim Ducks – Jansen Harkins – C – Ducks aim to shore up the future of center ice with the hard-working, play-making center. Harkins is a hard-working, safe pick – with some upside potential.
#28 Tampa Bay Lightning (from NY Rangers) – Daniel Sprong – RW – No other team can afford to hit or miss in this draft like the Lightning can. They take advantage of their organizational depth and gamble on the supremely talented, but often defensively apathetic right wing.
#29 Philadelphia Flyers (from Tampa Bay) – Jake DeBrusk – LW – Hard-working winger is a perfect fit for the historically gritty Flyers. His 42 goals in Canadien juniors last season only add to his intrigue.
#30 Arizona Coyotes (from Chicago) – Gabriel Carlsson – D – Thrifty Coyotes take the calm, cool, and collected 2-way Swedish defenseman. Late bloomer with size, strength and upside squeezes him into the 1st round at pick number 30.
Next up is Fargokman, who also gave some opinions as to how he felt the draft would go.
“First two are Givens, of course. Then there looks to be a group of three guys (Strome, Marner, Hanifin) who could go in any order. After those five guys a group of eight players who could be picked in any order from 6 to 13. Once that group it is gone, it appears to be a toss-up of who goes when, a true scramble. Lots of kids could jump or drop out of the 1st round all together; 20 players or more competing for the last 10 spots.
Looking just at Defensemen, there seems to be a group of three who have separated themselves: Hanifin, Provorov and Werenski: with Hanifin in the lead.
Although someone could take a gamble on a Goalie in the 1st Round I don’t see any teem taking a chance on the Russian Ilya Samsonov. ‘The Russian Factor’ is in effect.”
#1 Edmonton Oilers – Connor McDavid
#2 Buffalo Sabres – Jack Eichel
#3 Arizona Coyotes – C, Dylan Strome. With Doan getting old, this franchise wherever it may play, needs a new marquee player. This big Center is the guy.
#4 Toronto Maple Leafs – D, Noah Hanifin. Maybe the Leafs really will turn over a new leaf and try to build a roster the correct way. If they do, this American defenseman could be the corner stone for their Defense in the future.
#5 Carolina Hurricanes – RW, Mitch Marner. Top end offensive talent, often compared to Patrick Kane.
#6 New Jersey Devils – LW, Lawson Crouse. Big and strong, looks to be an old school Power Forward. 6’ 4”, 212; the old cliché applies, you can’t teach size.
#7 Philadelphia Flyers – C, Kyle Connor. This American kid with top end skill and blazing speed looks like the real deal. Tore up the USHL.
#8 Columbus Blue Jackets – C, Pavel Zacha. This big Czch Forward (6-3, 210 lbs) could turn into the Power Forward every team covets.
#9 San Jose Sharks – D, Ivan Provorov. Not big but solid in all facets of the game. Unlike most players his age, doesn’t have any specific weaknesses that must be corrected.
#10 Colorado Avalanche – D, Zach Werenski. The 3rd of three Dmen who have distanced themselves from the rest of the pack. Good size (6-2, 206), great skater, excelled as a freshman with Michigan.
#11 Florida Panthers – RW, Mikko Rantanen. Florida gets an excellent prospect at #11. Very big (6-3 ½ , 211 lb), offensively capable and defensively aware. Rantanen has already proven he can successfully compete against men in the top Finnish League.
#12 Dallas Stars – C, Matt Barzal. Talented playmaking Canadian Center. The eventual replacement for Jason Spezza?
#13 Los Angeles Kings – RW, Timo Meier. Good size (6-1, 209 lb) with a nose for the net. Not afraid to play physical. Excellent offensive production in his second year with Halifax, QMJHL, 44G, 46A, 90Pts.
#14 Boston Bruins – D, Jakub Zboril. The young Czch defender is nowhere near the size of Chara, only 6’ ¾ ”, 184lbs, but similar to Chara in that he plays a solid two way game with a physical edge. Known to stand up for teammates. Has to learn to reign in his aggressiveness.
#15 Calgary Flames – C, Travis Konecny. Highly skilled small player (5-9 ¾, 175) who plays a fearless game; definitely not a perimeter player. There are concerns that his smaller frame and style of play might lead to injury issues but his top end skills and drive are worth the possible risk.
#16 Edmonton Oilers – D, Thomas Chabot. Edm is loaded up front, they need D. Chabot’s offensive game based on great skating makes sense for Edm’s second 1st round Pick in this draft.
#17 Winnipeg Jets – RW, Evgeny Svechnikov. Size (6-1 ¾ , 199) and offensive skill. Came to North America and played with Cape Breton, QMJHL so it appears he’s set on playing in the NHL, not the KHL.
#18 Ottawa Senators – RW, Nick Merkley. Short but stout (5’ 10 ½”, 191) Forward with elite hockey IQ and puck possession skills. Excellent playmaker and set up guy.
#19 Detroit Red Wings – C, Joel Ek Eriksson. Talented Swedish Center who already knows how to play a quality all-around game.
#20 Minnesota Wild – RW, Brock Boeser. No doubt some people will claim the Wild drafted him just because he’s from Burnsville, MN, but Boeser excelled in the USHL as a rookie and will continue his development at North Dakota. The Hockey News reports scouts saying “most complete player among the ’97 birthdays in the USHL” and “Heavy kid, real powerful moves.”
#21 Buffalo Sabres – D, Jeremy Roy. With their second 1st Round Pick the Sabres work on their future defense corp. J. Roy is a little undersized at 6-0, 180 but is a solid two-way, right hand shot defenseman.
#22 Washington Capitals –LW, Paul Bittner. American kid from Crookston, MN, who went to play in the CHL with Portland, WHL for three seasons. Another big kid (6-4, 194) who can skate.
#23 Vancouver Canucks – RW, Daniel Sprong. Highly skilled player who moved from the Netherlands to North America to play against better competition. Scored 69 goals in two seasons in the QMJHL.
#24 Toronto Maple Leafs – LW, Jake Debrusk. Hard working over-achiever. Scored an impressive 42 goals his second year with Swift Current, WHL.
#25 Winnipeg Jets – C, Jansen Harkins. Excellent playmaker and set-up guy who’s successfully represented Canada at several International tournaments.
#26 Montreal Canadiens – C, Colin White. US-NTDP player has been compared to Patrice Bergeron; fast, defensively responsible. Limited in playing time last season due to a wrist injury and mononucleosis.
#27 Anaheim Ducks – C, Anthony Beauillier. Anaheim breaks tradition and goes with a dynamic small offensive player. 42 goals and 94 points for Shawinigan, QMJHL.
#28 Tampa Bay Lightning – D, Oliver Kylington. Highly skilled Swede, great skater but dropped significantly on many scout’s list after a tough season this past year. NHL CS – dropped from #1 Euro at Midterm ranking all the way to #6. Wouldn’t be surprised to see fellow Swede defensemen Carlsson or Larsson here instead.
#29 Philadelphia Flyers – D, Noah Juulsen – Solid two way defenseman. Good shot, plays on the PP, solid offensive numbers for Everett, WHL but slightly on the small side for an NHL defenseman at 6-1, 181.
#30 Arizona Coyotes – RW, Jeremy Bracco – small size (5-9 3/4, 173) but record breaking point totals with US-NTDP, USHL. Wide variance in opinions, some see a small guy who could be an elite play-maker in the NHL, some see a small kid with a big attitude.
I will toss out this disclaimer, the selections for make for teams are not what I would personally prefer or anything of the sort. They are simply where I see the players being drafted. Some teams get players would probably be ecstatic with who we have selected for them, others would be horribly disappointed but I tried to make our mock draft staying as objective as I could.
State of Hockey News’ Mock Draft:
#1 Edmonton Oilers – C, Connor McDavid (Erie, OHL) ~ No sense even trying to say anyone else. The consensus top pick brings offense, creativity and scoring and hopefully leadership to a franchise that needs a big reboot so adding a generational talent is a great start.
#2 Buffalo Sabres – C/W, Jack Eichel (Boston U., H-East) ~ Eichel is one helluva consolation prize if you can call it that, he combines outstanding offensive skill, speed, strength and agility as well as a blue collar work ethic to go along with a 200-ft game. McDavid might be the more flashy player, but Eichel is a future captain and franchise cornerstone that the re-shaping Sabres can build itself around with the plethora of young talent they’ve stockpiled.
#3 Arizona Coyotes – RW, Mitch Marner (London, OHL) ~ Marner is often compared to Patrick Kane, and like the talented Blackhawks forward he is absolute magic with the puck and his ability to both set up and score is precisely what an offensively starved Coyotes’ squad needs.
#4 Toronto Maple Leafs – D, Noah Hanifin (Boston College, USHL) ~ The Maple Leafs were absolutely atrocious defensively and will look to add a quality two-way defender to be the new leader as they try to start over with a new management regime in place. Hanifin should be a franchise cornerstone for years to come.
#5 Carolina Hurricanes – C, Dylan Strome (Erie, OHL) ~ The Hurricanes’ are another team desperate for offense and Strome has proven he can be a big time point producer when given the opportunity. With an organization kind of stuck in mediocrity, Strome could provide them the offensive jolt they need to climb out of the Eastern Conference basement.
#6 New Jersey Devils – LW, Lawson Crouse (Kingston, OHL) ~ New Jersey really could’ve gone in a lot of directions at this pick, but with an aging forward core they try to bring in a big-bodied power forward with solid scoring ability.
#7 Philadelphia Flyers – D, Ivan Provorov (Brandon, WHL) ~ The Flyers need to overhaul their defensive corps and this two-way blueliner brings loads of skill and on-ice vision and a high hockey IQ.
#8 Columbus Blue Jackets – D, Zach Werenski (Michigan, Big 10) ~ In the wake of Mike Reilly bailing on their organization, the Blue Jackets decide to add more youth for their blueline and they select with a ton of potential and an NHL-sized frame. Werenski can be a force on the power play and the penalty kill has already shown a ton of maturity as the Wolverines’ blueline leader as just a freshman.
#9 San Jose Sharks – C, Matthew Barzal (Seattle, WHL) ~ The Sharks are getting long in the tooth up front, and perhaps with a want to reshape their organization they add a center who is a dazzling stickhandler and a tremendous playmaker.
#10 Colorado Avalanche – D, Jakob Zboril (Saint John, QMJHL) ~ After being a little disappointed that Werenski was taken by Columbus the Avalanche feel compelled to take the next best defenseman that fits their needs. Zboril brings in some offensive potential as well as element of physicality which are two things Colorado certainly can use.
#11 Florida Panthers – RW, Mikko Rantanen (TPS, Sm-Liiga) ~ The Panthers are thrilled to add a big, skilled winger who can score but is also responsible in the defensive zone. With centers like Sasha Barkov and Nick Bjugstad, Rantanen can play a valuable role on the Panthers’ top 6 where they’ve quietly created an arsenal of big forwards that can skate well and put up points.
#12 Dallas Stars – C, Pavel Zacha (Sarnia, OHL) ~ Zacha will give the Stars an heir-apparent to Jason Spezza when he finally moves on some day, but in the meantime he’ll give Dallas a big, skilled center with nice offensive ability.
#13 Los Angeles Kings – RW, Timo Meier (Halifax, QMJHL) ~ The Kings have been an enigmatic franchise with lots of star power but it hasn’t translated into much offensive firepower. Meier will give Los Angeles a quality finisher who protects the puck well and fits well into the Kings’ style of hockey.
#14 Boston Bruins – RW, Paul Bittner (Portland, WHL) ~ The Bruins want to add size and scoring and so they opt for the big winger from Crookston, Minnesota. Bittner is 6’4″, 200+lbs guy the Bruins can add to their top 6 to be a force down low.
#15 Calgary Flames – RW, Evgeny Svechnikov (Cape Breton, QMJHL) ~ The Flames surprised just about everyone and its younger players demonstrated they were capable of carrying the offensive load when given the opportunity. Calgary adds a big, skilled forward who has outstanding on ice vision to set up snipers like Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.
#16 Edmonton Oilers – G, Ilya Samsonov (Magnitogorsk, KHL) ~ The Oilers have tried to address their defensive issues in previous drafts but its been a while since its made a serious attempt to solve its goaltending woes. With an extra pick the Oilers take the best goaltender available in the draft, 6’3″ and tremendously solid in the technical aspects of the position.
#17 Winnipeg Jets – C, Kyle Connor (Youngstown, USHL) ~ My worst fears come true when the Winnipeg Jets sweep up this fast, dynamic, goal scoring center bound for Michigan this fall. Connor plays responsibly defensively as well as has the ability to beat opposing defenseman 1-on-1 and has a deadly shot off the rush.
#18 Ottawa Senators – C, Travis Konecny (Ottawa, OHL) ~ The Senators take a chance on the local star who they had a chance to see a lot of in his junior career with the 67’s. Konecny has the scoring ability and a relentless motor to go with it and if he can stay healthy he could just be the steal of the draft.
#19 Detroit Red Wings – C, Nick Merkley (Kelowna, WHL) ~ Merkley brings skill and great playmaking ability to work with snipers like Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar as they try to transition from its aging stars in Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. The Kelowna centerman is perfect for a puck possession team like Detroit and his creativity in the offensive zone will fit in well.
#20 Minnesota Wild – C, Joel Ek Eriksson (Farjestad, Swe. Jr.) ~ The Wild decide to address a lack of goal scoring punch down the middle by drafting this lanky Swede with their 1st round pick. Ek Eriksson has a goal scorers touch and good instincts 1-on-1 and projects to be a safe pick for a Top 6 talent.
#21 Buffalo Sabres – RW, Daniel Sprong (Charlottetown, QMJHL) ~ The Sabres decide to go for a home run by taking this supremely talented goal scorer with their second 1st round pick. Sprong may not care to play much defense but the Sabres won’t ask him to as they have plenty of other young talented guys that can do that already making the risk acceptable to them.
#22 Washington Capitals – C, Colin White (U.S. U-18, USHL) ~ White is an ideal 3rd line forward who has the versatility to be used on the power play or in a penalty killing role. His tremendous speed, skating and blue collar style will appeal strongly to Barry Trotz‘s style of play.
#23 Vancouver Canucks – D, Noah Juulsen (Everett, WHL) ~ Juulsen is hard-nosed, two-way defenseman who had a solid season on the top pairing in Everett. Some have compared Juulsen’s style of play to Kevin Bieksa and with most of their high profile prospects at forward they’ll look to add a potential top 4 blueliner.
#24 Toronto Maple Leafs – C, Jansen Harkins (Prince George, WHL) ~ The Maple Leafs add a highly skilled playmaking center with their second selection in the 1st round. He also plays well defensively too which is important on a team that hasn’t always shown a commitment to playing great team defense.
#25 Winnipeg Jets – RW, Denis Guryanov (Togliatti, Rus. Jr.) ~ With their second pick in the 1st round, the Jets decide to take a bigger risk by selecting this big, fast, Russian-forward with some intriguing skill and finishing ability. He has some pieces to his game that are just ok, but he has game-breaking potential too.
#26 Montreal Canadiens – RW, Brock Boeser (Waterloo, USHL) ~ The Canadiens have had an odd tendency to draft American-born players in the 1st round and it will continue when they select this Minnesota-born sniper. The North Dakota commit has a tremendous shot and excellent offensive instincts, but its not from a lack of attention defensively as he works hard in all 3 zones which will endear him to Michel Therien.
#27 Anaheim Ducks – D, Gabriel Carlsson (Lingkoping, Swe. Jr.) ~ The Ducks are happy to take the big shutdown defenseman from Sweden. Carlsson brings mobility, a long reach and good defensive awareness to add to an already strong Ducks blueline corps.
#28 Tampa Bay Lightning – LW, Jordan Greenway (U.S. U-18, USHL) ~ The Lightning will try to add a little more size in its bottom 6 by adding this wrecking ball to its lineup. Greenway plays a strong, physically aggressive style which is ideal for a bottom 6 role. He has some offensive skill in and around the crease too.
#29 Philadelphia Flyers – D, Jeremy Roy (Sherbrooke, QMJHL) ~ The overhaul of the Flyers defense continues with this well-rounded defenseman. Roy is not particularly big, but he does a little bit of everything well which means he can be placed in a variety of roles and be effective.
#30 Arizona Coyotes – LW, Jake DeBrusk (Swift Current, WHL) ~ With the last pick in the first round the Coyotes continue to try to add offense by taking this hard working scoring winger who is the son of former NHL enforcer Louie DeBrusk. Like Coyotes’ prospect Max Domi, the younger DeBrusk is a kid that has toughness but he brings terrific offensive instincts, reasonable speed and the versatility to play on the power play or penalty kill to a rebuilding Arizona squad.
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