Day one of the NHL draft brought some shocks, some big trades, and some big sliders in terms of talent, and ahead of day two of the draft, there is still some elite first round level talent waiting to be taken, and here are five of the best still on the board.
Blake Fiddler, D, Edmonton Oil Kings
In most people’s final mock drafts of the season, the Edmonton Oil Kings star right shot defenseman was a mid to late first rounder, but having dropped to the second round, it look more than likely that the big and mobile 6 ‘4 defenseman will be on his way to San Jose early in the second round. Fiddler is one of those players who can skate extremely well for his size, and is very mobile, and speedy in the transition for a player of his frame. It can only be his offensive weaknesses and poise which may have caused the drop for Fiddler, but his compete level, and defensive discipline is definitely NHL level, and is a steal for any team looking to bring in a very valuable right handed defenseman.
Milton Gastrin, C, MoDo Hockey
Differently to Fiddler, Gastrin is one of those players who was in between the second and first round in many people's drafts, but falling to the second definitely means an early pick for a team looking for a solid future second or third liner. Gastrin is yet another one of the prospects who impresses with his two way reliability, and a defensive leader who is trusted in all situations, dependable, and trustworthy. Although he lacks elite traits and a dynamic edge, he is as solid as they come, and is everything a team needs from a third line guy, a two way, 200 foot player with high defensive and offensive instincts, and a high level of athleticism, destined to be one of those lockdown centres in the future.
Malcolm Spence, LW, Erie Otters
It was a bit of a surprise seeing Spence drop completely out of the first round, but it is understandable given the projection worries, and teams believing he has a glass ceiling, not much room for improvement. But, he is still a valuable asset. A top six level forward who despite hasn't shown any major sign of improvement of the year is a solid, physical, and high forechecking winger who offers something much different to modern day wingers. Much like Gastrin, it seems the sole reason for dropping out of the first round is purely down to development and skill limitations, and with some offensive effort and issues still left to polish, he could still drop a little further, but is still somebody who could prove everyone wrong. His NHL ready pace of play shows he is one of the best remaining, and too much focus on weaknesses rather than strengths.
Ivan Ryabkin, C, Muskegon Lumberjacks
A former top three prospect shouldn't definitely not be as criticised as Ivan Ryabkin has been, and is a player some team definitely needs to take a chance on given what he has shown he can do in the past. Effort issues along with declining play among a higher level left Ryabkin dropping rapidly in draft rankings, but improved play in the USHL has shown his once franchise level ability is still there, and had a team be able to squeeze out his potential, he could get back to the Michkov and Demidov levels he was once at. He is a playmaking phenom, can score in any situation, and has set up play like no other, but pace issues and inconsistency at a higher level has let him down. As far as playmaking and phenomenal point tallying centres go, a year ago Ivan Ryabkin was by far the best, and with that underlying ability still there, somebody needs to take a second round plunge on the Russian outcast.
Cole McKinney, C, USNTDP
Cole McKinney is one of those players who can be a great top six centre in the NHL, or similarly to Gastrin can be a lower line player who does everything right, but doesn't quite have the high projection teams are looking for. But, as far as two way centres go, McKinney is solid, and has very little major flaws that need serious work. He is an excellent faceoff and special teams player, most of his value coming from his exceptional penalty killing skills, and leadership and hard working, winning mentality puts him a grade above the others. Although he isn't a goal scoring machine, he has the future ahead as a leader in the NHL, and can bring assets to a team that are extremely useful, his penalty killing being an extremely attractive trait.
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