2013 NHL Mock Draft (Picks 1-10)

1. Colorado Avalanche - Nathan Mackinnon (C - Halifax Mooseheads - #22 - QMJHL - from CAN)

As a lifelong Avs fan I am absolutely thrilled to see them pick #1 for the first time in Avalanche history. There was a lot of speculation that the Avs would take Jones, but in recent weeks both Roy and Sakic clarified the Avs choice to take a forward and thus Mackinnon is the clear #1 favourite. Nathan is only 18 but is NHL-ready and really is the complete package of skill and hockey smarts. Mackinnon absolutely dominated the QMJHL this year, as his Mooseheads won the QMJHL championship and then followed that with a Memorial Cup win in which Mackinnon won MVP (7 goals and 6 assists in 4 games). Mackinnon scored 32 goals, 43 assists for 75 points in only 44 games, and then added 11 goals, 22 assists for 33 points in 17 QMJHL playoff games. Hard for the Avs to pass up on the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native, and he will be in an Avs jersey come training camp. Mackinnon has a lot of comparisons to fellow Cole Harbour native Sidney Crosby.

NHL Comparison: Sidney Crosby/Ryan Getzlaf

2. Florida Panthers - Seth Jones (D - Portland Winterhawks - #3 - WHL - from USA)

The Panthers "lose" out on Mackinnon, whom they really wanted, but they will settle for Seth Jones the best D in the draft by far. Jones is a phenomenal hockey player, he possesses great skills with or without the puck, a hard and accurate shot from the point and is a great skater. Jones was amazing for Team USA winning gold at the World Juniors, and his Portland Winterhawks won the WHL Championship and were runner-up at the Memorial Cup. Florida is in desperate need of a D who can provide offensive numbers, and Jones is that and more. Jones had 14 goals, 42 assists for 56 points in 61 WHL games, and then added 5 goals, 10 assists for 15 points in 21 playoff games. 

NHL Comparison: Drew Doughty

3. Tampa Bay Lightning - Jonathan Drouin (LW - Halifax Moosehads - #27 - QMJHL - from CAN)

Drouin may be the 3rd player taken in this year's draft, but his skill level and offensive potential might be the best in the draft. Drouin is a fantastic skater, and he has the best hands in the draft to go along with that. While his teammate Mackinnon is more of a pure goal scorer, Drouin is a play-maker who can also score but is a fantastic passer. Drouin was the CHL player of the year, totalling 41 goals, 64 assists for 105 points in only 49 games, and then adding 12 goals, 23 assists for 35 points in 17 playoff games. Drouin absolutely dominated junior hockey this year, and will step right into the Lightning's lineup right away. He will be a future LW of Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis, expect a lot of points from that tandem.

NHL Comparison: Claude Giroux

4. Nashville Predators - Aleksandr Barkov (C - Tappara Tampere - #10 - SM-liiga- from FIN)

Barkov is an extremely talented Finnish prospect, one that was playing in the Finnish league with men at the age of 17 (he was 16 when he started last year for Tappara). Barkov had 21 goals, 27 assists for 48 points in 53 games for Tappara, and he looks ready to make the jump to the NHL very soon. Barkov has good size at 6'2 and has a great hockey sense, he is a center that will develop into a very reliable two-way guy for the Predators. While I don't know that much about Barkov, I think he is ready to make a splash in North America very soon and the Predators are lucky to get him at 4. 

NHL Comparison: Mikko Koivu

5. Carolina Hurricanes - Darnell Nurse (D - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds- #25 - OHL - from CAN)

Darnell Nurse's stock really started to rise in the last few months, as he was one of 4 prospects on Don Cherry's prospect show during the Stanley Cup Finals (With Mackinnon Drouin and Jones). The Hurricanes are desperately in need of some depth on the blueline, and Nurse is someone who can provide that and more. The 6'4 Hamilton, Ontario native had 2 successful years with the Greyhounds in the OHL, as he had 12 goals, 29 assists for 41 points in 68 games this season. Nurse is a very tall D at 6'4, and he has drawn many Chris Pronger comparisons for his toughness, the Hurricanes are definitely adding a solid prospect who may need a year or 2 to adjust to the NHL.

NHL Comparison: Chris Pronger

6. Calgary Flames - Sean Monahan (C - Ottawa 67s - #20 - OHL - from CAN)

The Flames have a lot of problems with their current roster, whether that was the departure of Jarome Iginla during the year or the impending retirement of Miikka Kiprusoff this summer, but their biggest need is a top C. Monahan has some work to do before he is NHL-ready, but he is a great 2-way player. Monahan spent 3 years with Ottawa in the OHL, including back-to-back 78-point seasons (this year 31 goals, 47 assists in 58 games). While Monahan isn't the flashiest player on offense, he is a very strong worker and strives to be a strong defensive player, something that will certainly help him when he enters the NHL. The Flames have a solid pick here with Monahan.

NHL Comparison: Sean Couturier

7. Edmonton Oilers - Valeri Nichushkin (RW - HC Dynamo Moscow - #43 - KHL - from RUS)

Many people have the Oilers taking a D at 7 (either Nurse or Ristolainen), but I think the Oilers need to address their D problems with veteran, experienced D and not prospects. The Oilers will select a Russian F for the 2nd straight year, and they are getting a very talented offensive player in Nichushkin. Nichushkin has a lot of comparisons to fellow Russians Ovechkin and Malkin, as he has great size and skill and a lethal shot. Nichushkin is a very strong skater with explosive speed, however he lacks some defensive play and will learn as he gets older, but I believe he will jump right into the NHL next season as the Oilers add another top prospect on F. He had 4 goals and 2 assists in 18 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk this season. He is signed with Dynamo Moscow for next season, but if he makes the Oilers he will stay in the NHL.

NHL Comparison: Evgeni Malkin/Rick Nash

8. Buffalo Sabres - Hunter Shinkaruk (LW - Medicine Hat Tigers - #9 - WHL - from CAN)

The Captain of the Medicine Hat Tigers is one of the most offensively gifted players in the draft, he is a pure goal scorer (100 goals in 193 career OHL games) who has a nose for the net. Shinkaruk is only 5'10 180, so he definitely will need to bulk up a fair amount before he jumps to the NHL, but with that being said the Sabres are getting a quality winger here. Shinkaruk has a great combination of speed, skilled hands and great vision, and he doesn't shy away from the dirty areas to score. He had 37 goals, 49 assists for 86 points in 64 games this season for Medicine Hat.

NHL Comparison: Jeff Skinner

9. New Jersey Devils - Elias Lindholm (C - Brynas IF - #28 - SEL - from SWE)

Lindholm is one of the most talented Europeans in this year's draft, a very gifted passer and has great hands. He is a smart hockey player, and the Devils are searching for some new Centers so Lindholm definitely fills that void. Lindholm is a solid 2-way hockey player, and he fits right into the Devils style of hockey (as well as the Devils are full of Swedes on their roster to help him fit in). Lindholm had 11 goals, 19 assists for 30 points in 48 games for Brynas IF in the Swedish Elite League this season. It is unsure whether he will step right into the NHL or go back to the Swedish Elite League, but he is a solid prospect for the future.

NHL Comparison: Nicklas Backstrom

10. Dallas Stars - Frederik Gauthier (C - Rimouski Oceanic - #23 - QMJHL - CAN)

The Stars have very little depth at Center behind Jamie Benn, and the pick here is between Gauthier and Horvat. The Stars will take Gauthier because of his size and two-way play, as Gauthier is 6'3 and is a very hard worker. While excelling defensively, Gauthier also has good offensive qualities and is a great passer with great vision. He had 22 goals, 38 assists for 60 points in 62 games in his first season in the QMJHL, and will likely benefit from atleast one more year in junior before making the jump to professional level. 

NHL comparison: Anze Kopitar

Stanley Cup Finals Preview

Stanley Cup Finals: 

1. Chicago Blackhawks vs. 4. Boston Bruins

Teams have not played this season, last game they played was October 15, 2011 (3-2 shootout win by Boston)

Players to Watch: CHI - Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Corey Crawford, Marian Hossa. BOS - David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, Jaromir Jagr, Zdeno Chara

X-Factor - PIT - Jonathan Toews. BOS - Zdeno Chara

Notes - This has the making for a legendary Stanley Cup Final, two extremely deep, talented teams that also just happened to be 2 of the last 3 Stanley Cup winners. Bottom line: this is going to be a close, tight series that will leave one team with the Cup and another with a bitter loss. For the Hawks to win they need their stars to perform, most notably Toews, Kane, Hossa and Sharp. They also need Bryan Bickell to keep up his goal scoring production, as well as the pairing of Keith-Seabrook plus the rest of the Hawks D need to step up at both ends. There will be a lot of pressure on Corey Crawford, who's playing in his 1st Stanley Cup, to lead the Hawks. For the Bruins to win they need to keep playing this tough, strong hockey that has got them this far. The top 2 lines of Krejci-Horton-Lucic and Bergeron-Jagr-Marchand need to score more then the Hawks stars, and continue their great play. They also need a great effort from all 6 D, most notably the Chara-Seidenberg pairing will be heavily relied upon. The Bruins also need a strong effort from Tuukka Rask, the best goalie in the playoffs so far. This is going to be a very close series, which could go either way

Prediction - This is a very hard series to predict, but I have been going with Boston all playoffs long so I pick them to win their 2nd Stanley Cup in 3 years

(BRUINS IN 7)

-Joel Forman - Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013

Eastern and Western Conference Finals Preview

What a 2nd round, something that happened last year that certainly didn't happen this year was the drop in play from the 1st round to the 2nd round. The 2nd round was great, in particular the 2 West series that went to 7 games. We are left with 4 teams remaining, and they just happen to be the last 4 Stanley Cup Champs (PIT in 2009, CHI in 2010, BOS in 2011 and LA in 2012). In my opinion these are the 4 best teams in the NHL, and it will make for 2 amazing series leading to the Stanley Cup. A very exciting time for hockey fans, with that being said here we go with my preview and predictions

Eastern Conference Finals:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 4. Boston Bruins

Pittsburgh won the season series 3-0-0

Players to Watch: PIT - Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jarome Iginla, James Neal. BOS - David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, Jaromir Jagr, Torey Krug

X-Factor - PIT - Sidney Crosby. BOS - Patrice Bergeron

Notes - I am so excited for this series for so many reasons, and the first being the Jarome Iginla vs. Jaromir Jagr storyline. The Bruins feel cheated from Iggy snubbing them, and the Penguins feel cheated from Jagr choosing Philadelphia last season, so the spotlight will be on both players. There are so many important matchups in this series, Crosby vs. Bergeron, Malkin vs. Krejci, Vokoun vs. Rask, Chara vs. all of Pittsburghs stars, etc. I think this is going to be a very close series, it could go either way depending on who produces. I think it will be a high scoring series as well, lots of firepower (top 6 scorers in the playoffs in this series) on both sides. The obvious favourite is the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team that most people had going to the Cup and its okay to think that. However, I think it is going to be a lot closer then people think. The Boston Bruins are a big, strong team and they are gonna crash the crease very hard in this series. The Penguins have beat 2 smaller teams in New York and Ottawa, and now will have a lot tougher task dealing with Bostons power on the cycle (in particular the Krejci-Lucic-Horton line and the Jagr-Bergeron-Marchand line). The Bruins are going to need scoring from all 4 lines to beat the high-scoring Penguins, and this is where the 4th line of Thornton-Campbell-Paille will come to their advantage. The Bruins will also need a big contribution from their D, as I fully expect both Chara and Krug to get some big points in this series. Overall I think this is going to be a fantastic series

Prediction - It is so hard to bet against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, however I believe in the strength of this Boston Bruins team and think they are capable of returning to the Stanley Cup

(BRUINS IN 6)

Western Conference Finals:

Chicago won the season series 2-1-0

Players to Watch: CHI - Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Corey Crawford, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa. LAK - Jon Quick, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown

X-Factor - CHI - Jonathan Toews. LAK - Jon Quick

Notes - This series has the qualities to be a fantastic series, with the Defending Champs back in the Western Conference Finals facing the 2010 Champs. The Kings got to this point beating the Blues in 6 and Sharks in 7, while the Blackhawks got here by beating the Wild in 5 and the Red Wings in 7. It is going to be really tough for each team to overpower one another, I think this is a completely even series that is going to be very close. For the Hawks to win they need Corew Crawford to continue his stellar play, as well as they need their stars Toews, Kane, Hossa and Sharp plus their supporting cast to try and beat Jon Quick. Both the Blues and Sharks had a lot of trouble beating Quick in the playoffs, in fact since last Playoffs he has been the best goalie in the Playoffs in both. The Hawks need to crash the crease and get as much traffic in front of Quick as they can, having home ice advantage will play in their favour. For the Kings to win the obvious fact is Jon Quick will need to continue his stellar play, and I think that is expected at this point. They will also need their top 2 lines to get going, as Kopitar-Williams-Brown and Carter-Richards-Penner haven't been as dominant as they were last playoffs but they have been big in clutch situations. The Kings will also need their D to pitch in as much as they can, I look to Drew Doughty and Slava Voynov to provide a boost from the back-end. Overall I think this is going to be a fantastic series, and really either team can win.

Prediction - This series could go either way, but I think the Defending Champs are too good the way Jon Quick is playing and they are on their way back to the Stanley Cup Finals

(KINGS IN 7)

That leaves the Stanley Cup Finals as the Boston Bruins vs. the Los Angeles Kings, the battle of the last 2 Stanley Cup Champs. The obvious prediction is Pittsburgh vs. Chicago, so I am going agaisnt that to try and see if both #1 seeds will lose (however if it is CHI-PIT I won't be surprised). I picked Boston in 7 despite actually thinking Pittsburgh will win, just want to take a risk. The Conference Finals open Saturday with both series starting, going to be 2 great series leading to the Stanley Cup

-Joel Forman - Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013

Eastern and Western Conference Semifinals Preview

The first round was very exciting, and I went 5/8 in my predictions (didn't pick Ottawa, New York R. or Detroit). With that being said, I will now look at the 4 2nd round match ups.

Eastern Conference:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 7. Ottawa Senators

Pittsburgh won the season series 3-0-0

Players to Watch: PIT - Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jarome Iginla, Kris Letang, Pascal Dupuis. OTT - Erik Karlsson, Craig Anderson, Daniel Alfredsson, Jakob Silfverberg, Jean-Gabriel Pageau

X-Factor - PIT - Sidney Crosby. OTT - Craig Anderson

Notes: The main storyline heading into this series is Matt Cooke vs. Erik Karlsson, as the teams meet with Karlsson back in the lineup for the 1st time since Matt Cooke stepped on him 3 months ago yesterday. On Feb. 13 the 2 teams met and as the 2 players were tangled up on the boards, Cooke's skate accidentaly sliced Karlsson in the back of the leg and tore his left Achilles tendon 70%. Karlsson's career could have been in jeopardy if it fully was torn, but he recovered in record time to make it back for the season and playoffs and really push the Sens past the Habs in round 1. The bottom line is what will Ottawa do to Cooke? Will he have to answer to the likes of Chris Neil or Matt Kassian? (I think right off the bat he will). The Sens will need another stellar series from Craig Anderson to have a chance at beating the Penguins. The Penguins come into this series after a hard fought series with the New York Islanders, winning in 6 games. With Crosby, Malkin and co. going offensively the Penguins look primed to go far right? Not so fast, very shaky goaltending by Marc-Andre Fleury led to Vokoun playing games 5 and 6 to close out the series, and he wasn't even that good. The Pens will have tough questions for game 1, who will start in net? Bottom line, Penguins need to find a way to beat Craig Anderson

Prediction - The Senators will push the Penguins as much as they can, but in the end Crosby is too much for the Senators

(PENGUINS IN 6)

2. Boston Bruins vs. 6. New York Rangers

New York won the season series 2-1-0, but both gained 4 points as Boston went 1-0-2

Players to Watch: BOS - Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Jaromir Jagr. NYR - Henrik Lundqvist, Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Derek Brassard, Ryan Callahan

X-Factor: BOS - Tuukka Rask. NYR - Henrik Lundqvist

Notes: Both these teams come in after winning game 7s on the last night of the 1st round, as the Bruins beat the Leafs 5-4 in OT after coming back from 4-1 in the 3rd and the Rangers beat the Capitals 5-0 in Washington to advance. Both of these teams come in with stellar goalies, as Henrik Lundqvist was the best in the 1st round and Tuukka Rask was equally as impressive for the Bruins. The Bruins look to continue to play solid on the cycle and push teams with their size, and with the line of Lucic Krejci and Horton going for Boston they are primed to make another long run. The Rangers come into this series lead by Vezina-nominee Henrik Lundqvist, as he was simply fantastic especially in the final 2 games posting back to back shutouts after allowing Mike Ribeiro's OT goal in game 5. The Rangers need more from the likes of Nash, Callahan and Richards if they want to win this series, but their role guys are really helping out. The Rangers need to be strong on D, and it starts with McDonagh and Girardi. This is going to be a strong, tough series with not a lot of goals.

Prediction - Bruins are too deep to lose to the Rangers, even with Lundqvist trying to steal the series

(BRUINS in 6)

Western Conference:

1. Chicago Blackhawks vs. 7. Detroit Red Wings

Chicago won the season series 4-0-0

Players to Watch: CHI - Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith. DET - Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Jimmy Howard, Damien Brunner, Valtteri Filppula

X-Factor - CHI - Patrick Kane. DET - Pavel Datsyuk

Notes: This is going to be a very good series, on one hand you got the President's Trophy winning Blackhawks coming off an impressivve 4-1 series win over Minnesota, and the other hand the Detroit Red Wings fresh off a game 7 win over the 2nd seed Anaheim Ducks. The Blackhawks come into this series as the heavy favourites, but don't write the Red Wings out just yet. These teams have met in the playoffs in recent years, with the Red Wings beating the Hawks in 2009 en route to the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks will have a lot more trouble with the Red Wings then they did with the Wild, especially the way Datsyuk and Zetterberg are playing. A key battle will be between the pipes, as both Corey Crawford and Jimmy Howard had good 1st rounds and need to keep it up for their respective teams. I listed the x-factor as Kane vs. Datsyuk, fitting that they are the two most skilled and often "wizard" like playmaking skills are attached to these two. I think this is going to be a very close, great series and either team can win. I still think the Blackhawks are the heavy favourites in this series, and won't be surprised if they win it, but don't write the Red Wings out so easily.

Prediction: The Blackhawks come into this series as the heavy favourites, but I think that the Red Wings come in and pull the big upset that not many people are expecting led by Pavel Datsyuk

(RED WINGS in 7)

5. Los Angeles Kings vs. 6. San Jose Sharks

Both teams won 2 games in the season series as the Kings went 2-1-1 and the Sharks went 2-2-0

Players to Watch: LAK - Jon Quick, Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, Drew Doughty, Justin Williams. SJS - Logan Couture, Antti Niemi, Brent Burns, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau

X-Factor - LAK - Jon Quick. SJS - Antti Niemi

Notes: This is my most anticipated series in the 2nd round, The Kings and Sharks were the 2 most exciting teams in the 1st round in my opinion. They were also the two most impressive teams in the 1st round, and it starts in net with last year's Conn Smythe winner Jon Quick and this year's Vezina nominee in Antti Niemi. I listed the goalies as the x-factor because they are the most important members of each team, and both teams are going to need great goaltending to beat the other team. Starting with the Sharks, they head into this series after an impressive 4-game sweep of the Vancouver Canucks. The Sharks were led by the stellar play of Logan Couture, who had 8 points in 4 games en route to the sweep. The Sharks are going to need a complete team effort to beat the defending Champs. The Kings head into this series after an impressive 4-2 series win over the Blues, which saw them win the last 4 games in the series after dropping the first 2. Lots of credit is due to Darryl Sutter, who kept his team focused after going down 0-2 and you could see after game 2 how the Kings changed their game. Jon Quick was stellar yet again, but they are going to need more from the likes of Kopitar, Brown and Carter if they are going to win this series. Whatever happens, this is my most anticipated series of the 2nd round no doubt.

Prediction: This series really could go either way based on which goalie plays better and who's goal scorers come to play, but I believe the Kings are too good to lose this series

(KINGS in 6)

This would leave the Eastern Conference Finals as 1. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 2. Boston Bruins and the Western Conference Finals as 5. Los Angeles Kings vs. 7. Detroit Red Wings

-Joel Forman - Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013