TSN has released Bob McKenzie’s final draft rankings for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. This is the consolidated ranking that he compiles from a poll of scouts and other draft experts. It reflects the overall opinion about players, and often comes very, very close to reality.
For Maple Leafs fans, we might want to know who the bad teams in the Atlantic are picking, like Detroit with the sixth overall, Buffalo with the seventh and Ottawa with the 19th, the best they could get. But our real interest begins in the second round in the neighbourhood of pick number 53.
McKenzie’s list has Antti Tuomisto at that spot. He’s a very tall, right-shooting defender. Eemeli Räsänen the second? To help you select a Leafs pick at 53, I’ve started the list off at my favourite player, the man who can give the Leafs their first back if he falls lower than this 46th ranking.
Bob McKenzie’s 2019 Final NHL Draft Rankings
| RK | Player | Team | POS | HT | WT | GP | G | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Vladislav Firstov | Waterloo (USHL) | LW | 6'0 | 180 | 62 | 26 | 58 |
| 47 | Drew Helleson | USA U18 (USHL) | D | 6'3 | 194 | 64 | 5 | 23 |
| 48 | Albin Grewe | Djurgardens (SWE J20) | RW | 5'11 ¼ | 190 | 25 | 13 | 34 |
| 49 | Ilya Nikolaev | Yaroslavl (MHL) | C | 5'11 ¾ | 190 | 41 | 10 | 25 |
| 50 | Daniil Misyul | Yaroslavl (MHL) | D | 6'3 | 176 | 46 | 4 | 10 |
| 51 | Robert Mastrosimone | Chicago (USHL) | LW | 5'10 | 159 | 54 | 31 | 60 |
| 52 | John Farinacci | Dexter (USHS) | C | 5'11 | 190 | 16 | 12 | 33 |
| 53 | Antti Tuomisto | Assat (SM Liiga Jr) | D | 6'4 ½ | 193 | 45 | 9 | 35 |
| 54 | Artemi Kniazev | Chicoutimi (QMJHL) | D | 5'10 ½ | 182 | 55 | 13 | 34 |
| 55 | Mattias Norlinder | Frolunda (SHL) | D | 6'0 ¼ | 187 | 30 | 5 | 21 |
| 56 | Samuel Fagemo | Frolunda (SHL) | LW | 6'0 | 190 | 42 | 14 | 25 |
| 57 | Hunter Jones | Peterborough (OHL) | G | 6'4½ | 202 | 57 | 3.31 | 0.902 |
| 58 | Nikita Okhotyuk | Ottawa (OHL) | D | 6'1 ¼ | 198 | 56 | 2 | 17 |
| 59 | Nathan Legare | B. Comeau (QMJHL) | RW | 6'0 ¼ | 206 | 68 | 45 | 87 |
| 60 | Alex Campbell | Victoria (BCHL) | LW | 5'10 ¼ | 154 | 53 | 21 | 67 |
Daniil Misyul and Ilya Nikolaev are two players Kyle Dubas would have seen in person on his recent trip to Russia, so they are real possibilities as a Leafs pick. Who do you like out of this list? Samuel Fagemo was passed over last year but has had a very good season and was noticeable at the WJC on a team weak at forward. He might be my pick here.
Check out the rest of this list, which goes to 93, and you’ll see Yegor Spiridonov at 84th, which is the Leafs’ second pick spot in the draft. We could use a new Yegor now that Korshkov has dropped the Y.
