Central Division Draft Grades: Stars, Blues earn top marks
The 2017 NHL Draft has come and gone, and all 31 teams are exiting Chicago with varying degrees of satisfaction in regards to their respective hauls.
While we likely won't know they all fared for a few years yet, we can take a quick look at the results and assess how the teams made out.Here's our take on the teams in the Central Division:
Chicago BlackhawksDraft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Henri Jokiharju |
| 2 | 57 | Ian Mitchell |
| 3 | 70 | Andrei Altybarmakyan |
| 3 | 90 | Evan Barratt |
| 4 | 112 | Tim Soderlund |
| 4 | 119 | Roope Laavainen |
| 5 | 144 | Parker Foo |
| 5 | 150 | Jakub Galvas |
| 7 | 215 | Josh Ess |
The Blackhawks traded down in the first round, giving up the 26th pick only to land a highly touted young defenseman in Henri Jokiharju at 29 and make a bit of a reach for forward Andrei Altybarmakyan at 70.
Forward Tim Soderlund was a nice get at his position, and we'll give Chicago a bit of a bump for being good hosts, but this isn't an overwhelming harvest.
Grade: C
Colorado AvalancheDraft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Cale Makar |
| 2 | 32 | Conor Timmins |
| 4 | 94 | Nicholas Henry |
| 4 | 114 | Petr Kvaca |
| 5 | 125 | Igor Shvyryov |
| 6 | 156 | Denis Smirnov |
| 7 | 187 | Nicky Leivermann |
After falling hard in the draft lottery following a historically awful season, the Avalanche did well to select a stud on the blue line in Cale Makar. They further bolstered their defensive prospects with Conor Timmins, and landed a potential steal in Denis Smirnov late in the selection process.
They didn't reel in one of the biggest fish at forward, and there's a lot of work left to do with this roster, but this is a decent start.
Grade: C+
Dallas StarsDraft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Miro Heiskanen |
| 1 | 29 | Jake Oettinger |
| 2 | 39 | Jason Robertson |
| 4 | 101 | Liam Hawel |
| 5 | 132 | Jacob Peterson |
| 6 | 163 | Brett Davis |
| 7 | 194 | Dylan Ferguson |
In selecting Miro Heiskanen and Jake Oettinger in the opening round, the Stars may have drafted the best available defenseman and goaltender. Jason Robertson was also seen as having first-round potential.
That trio is enough to leave general manager Jim Nill feeling good about his weekend's work.
Grade: A-
Minnesota WildDraft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 85 | Ivan Lodnia |
| 4 | 97 | Mason Shaw |
| 4 | 116 | Bryce Misley |
| 5 | 147 | Jacob Golden |
| 6 | 178 | Andrei Svetlakov |
| 7 | 209 | Nick Swaney |
The Wild had to wait until Saturday to make a selection after having previously traded their first- and second-round picks.
It obviously gets more difficult to grade choices in later rounds, but Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune notes that Minnesota seemed to have a clear plan: "Take as much skill as you can, no matter the player's size, and then develop them." It'll be a while until we see how that plays out.
Grade: D
Nashville PredatorsDraft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | Eeli Tolvanen |
| 2 | 61 | Grant Mismash |
| 3 | 92 | David Farrance |
| 5 | 154 | Tomas Vomacka |
| 6 | 176 | Pavel Koltygin |
| 7 | 216 | Jacob Paquette |
Despite having the second-last pick in the opening round, the Predators were gifted forward Eeli Tolvanen, who many expected to go much higher. Nashville also appears to have closed things out with a bang.
Nashville Predators get 1 of the steals of the draft taking Jacob Paquette at 216 overall. Solid defensive D with untapped offensive upside
- Ryan Yessie (@RyanHPscout) June 24, 2017
David Farrance could also be another Predators special on the blue line. They always seem to find the good ones.
Grade: B
St. Louis BluesDraft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Robert Thomas |
| 1 | 31 | Klim Kostin |
| 4 | 113 | Alexei Toropchenko |
| 5 | 130 | David Noel |
| 6 | 175 | Trenton Bourque |
| 7 | 206 | Anton Andersson |
The Blues made major noise Friday by somehow managing to score a first-round pick from the Penguins in a trade involving Ryan Reaves.
Decent swap, we'd say.
The Blues just turned Ryan Reaves into Central Scouting's top rated European skater prospect.
- Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) June 24, 2017
From there, St. Louis used three of its four Day 2 picks on defensemen, but either way, the first-round magic gives the Blues a big boost.
Grade: B+
Winnipeg JetsDraft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Kristian Vesalainen |
| 2 | 43 | Dylan Samberg |
| 3 | 74 | Johnny Kovacevic |
| 4 | 105 | Santeri Virtanen |
| 5 | 136 | Leon Gawanke |
| 6 | 167 | Arvid Holm |
| 7 | 198 | Skyler McKenzie |
| 7 | 211 | Croix Evingson |
The Jets picked later in the opening round than projected after sending their original pick to Vegas in order to protect Toby Enstrom in expansion. They ended up with Kristian Vesalainen, who could be a great fit alongside Patrik Laine.
#NHLJets first rounder Kristian Vesalainen on what NHL player he has modelled his game after. "Maybe Rick Nash a little bit" #NHLDraft
- Ted Wyman (@Ted_Wyman) June 24, 2017
Winnipeg landed two promising defensemen in Dylan Samberg and Johnny Kovacevic from that point on, with the rest of the crop falling into crapshoot territory.
Grade: C
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
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