PHILADELPHIA The 2014 NHL Draft isn't the deepest and there's no ultra blue chip prospect at the top but the lead up has been interesting enough.
The Panthers for one have looked to trade the pick. Whether or not they manage there are a handful of players who could go first overall.
MORE Draft times TV info Canucks were in tough spot with Kesler trade Burns Octagon still elite agencySporting News will have a running diary of the picks (and whatever else goes down) from the Wells Fargo Center floor.
Things got started off about as well as they could by the way. Philadelphia is the best .
1. Panthers Aaron Ekblad D Barrie (OHL)
GM Dale Tallon tried to move the pick and didn't. Instead after a deliberately long pretty funny pause he took Ekblad who was easily the best fit. If there was a consensus best player available it was him he's a mature 6 3 two way defenseman. Those don't grow on trees and Florida despite a few really good young forwards desperately needed a guy like that. Also he looks and acts like he's 30. It's impressive.
2. Sabres Sam Reinhart C Kootenay (WHL)
The Sabres needed high end offensive talent as badly as the Panthers needed defense so Reinhart was a natural fit. He's 6 1 and 185 pounds and frequently mentioned in sentences with the word cerebral. He's a playmaker with great vision Flames GM Brian Burke called him Einstein on Ice in the run up to the draft. Of his 105 points for Kootenay last season 69 were assists. He's an immediate centerpiece for Buffalo's rebuild.
3. Oilers Leon Draisaitl C Prince Albert (WHL)
Draisaitl isn't as offensively advanced as Reinhart but he might be a better fit for the Oilers. It certainly wasn't surprising that they took him he's a strong skilled physical center who can play behind Ryan Nugent Hopkins. It's insane to compare an 18 year old to Jaromir Jagr but Draisaitl has inspired that in a few different places. He's certainly tough to knock off the puck.
4. Flames Sam Bennett C Kingston (OHL)
Bennett couldn't do a pull up at the scouting Combine. That doesn't matter he's a really good complete hockey player who lack of upper body strength aside has a reputation for playing a tough two way game. Mike Richards' name gets thrown around a lot with him if Calgary gets the Philly version of Richards in Bennett they should feel thankful. Bennett and Sean Monahan should be a good 1 2 punch down the middle for a long time.
5. Islanders Michael Dal Colle LW Oshawa (OHL)
He's the first winger off the board for a reason Dal Colle is 6 2 with a frame that could turn him into a power forward. He also knows how to play the game already he had 39 goals in 67 games last season for Oshawa. That'll look pretty good next to John Tavares (or Ryan Strome) someday.
6. Canucks Jake Virtanen LW Calgary (WHL)
7. Hurricanes Haydn Fleury D Red Deer (WHL)
8. Maple Leafs William Nylander C/LW Modo (Sweden)
Nylander is an intriguing player and a great fit for a Toronto organization that's way short on guys like him. He's not the biggest guy but he's a goal scorer with tons of skill. He's also former NHLer Michael Nylander's son if you're interested in feeling old.
9. Jets Nikolaj Ehlers RW Halifax (QMJHL)
10. Ducks (from Senators) Nick Ritchie LW Peterborough (OHL)
11. Predators Kevin Fiala C/LW HV71 Juniors (Switzerland)
12. Coyotes Brendan Perlini LW Niagara (OHL)
Aaron Ekblad (AP Photo)13. Capitals Jakub Vrana LW/RW Linkoping (Czech)
14. Stars Julius Honka D Swift Current (WHL)
The All Name Team gets its cornerstone defenseman. Huge.
15. Red WIngs Dylan Larkin C U.S. Developmental Program
16. Blue Jackets Sonny Milano U.S. Developmental Program.
Milano closed out a solid three of four run for the USNTDP. He's the best American winger in the draft. Tons of skill.
17. Flyers Travis Sanheim D Calgary (WHL)
The Flyers spent part of the afternoon trying to trade for the No. 1 pick which they'd have used on Ekblad. That would've been worth it for fan reaction alone. It didn't work out but they still took a defenseman with their first pick. Sanheim is a 6 3 puck mover. The Flyers took 6 7 defenseman Sam Morin in the first round last year.
18. Wild Alex Tuch RW U.S. Developmental Program
19. Lightning Anthony DeAngelo D Sarnia Sting (OHL)
DeAngelo is a Philly area guy with a ton of offensive skill. His story also made the rounds over the last few days partially because he's from South Jersey but also because he was suspended for directing a slur at a teammate.
20. Blackhawks Nick Schmaltz D U.S. Developmental Program
21. Blues (conditional to Sabres) Robert Fabbri Guelph Storm (OHL)
22. Penguins Kasperi Kapanen W KalPa (Sweden)
The top ranked European winger slid for a while. His dad Sami played for Penguins GM Jim Rutherford in Carolina. A good value pick for Pittsburgh.
23. Avalanche Conner Bleackley C Red Deer (WHL)
24. Canucks Jared McCann C Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
25. Bruins David Pastrnak RW Sodertalje (Czech)
26. Canadiens Nikita Scherbak RW Saskatoon (WHL)
27. Sharks (from Blackhawks) Nikolay Goldobin RW Sarnia (OHL)
28. Islanders (from Rangers) Joshua Ho Sang C/RW Windsor (OHL)
Ho Sang might be the most talented player in the class. He also for whatever reason slid all the way off some team's draft board because of a reputation for being headstrong and difficult to coach. Maybe that's deserved maybe not but he is well worth the risk in this spot.
29. Kings Adrian Kempe LW Modo (Sweden)
30. Devils John Quenneville C Brandon (WHL)
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