The SBNation 2019 Mock Draft continues with two selections today, both Swedish defenders.
The Draft so Far
- NHL Mock Draft 2019: New Jersey Devils Select Jack Hughes with No. 1 draft pick - All About The Jersey
- NHL Mock Draft 2019: New York Rangers Select Kaapo Kakko with No. 2 Pick - Blueshirt Banter
- NHL Mock Draft 2019: Chicago Blackhawks select Alex Turcotte with No. 3 pick - Second City Hockey
- NHL Mock Draft 2019: Colorado Avalanche select Kirby Dach with the No. 4 pick - Mile High Hockey
- NHL Mock Draft 2019: Los Angeles Kings select Dylan Cozens with No. 5 pick - Jewels From The Crown
- NHL Mock Draft 2019: Detroit Red Wings select Bowen Byram with No. 6 pick - Winging It In Motown
- NHL Mock Draft 2019: Buffalo Sabres select Cole Caufield with the No. 7 pick - Die By The Blade
- NHL Mock Draft 2019: Edmonton Oilers Select Peyton Krebs With The Number 8 Pick - The Copper & Blue
- SB Nation NHL Mock Draft 2019: Anaheim Ducks select Trevor Zegras - Anaheim Calling
- NHL Mock Draft 2019: Vancouver Canucks select Matthew Boldy with the No. 10 pick - Nucks Misconduct
- NHL Mock Draft 2019: Philadelphia Flyers select Alex Newhook with No. 11 pick - Broad Street Hockey
NHL Mock Draft 2019: Minnesota Wild select Vasili Podkolzin with the No. 12 pick - Hockey Wilderness
Monday’s Picks
At 12th, the Florida fans chose Swedish blueliner, Philip Broberg.
NHL Mock Draft 2019: Florida Panthers select Philip Broberg with the No. 13 pick - Litter Box Cats
Cats add a blue chip defenseman to their prospect pool
Scouting reports label Broberg as an intelligent two-way defender with high-end skill. He is a very fluid skater with elite-level mobility and hockey sense. His positional play and reading ability makes him an effective player in the defensive zone and he is very adept at starting plays and joining the rush offensively.
Broberg could be the most complete defenseman in the 2019 draft class and his blend of size (6’3” - 203 lbs) and skill gives him the edge over other blue liners that would be available for the Cats at 13.
At number 13, the Arizona Coyotes selected Victor Söderström. The Arizona fan site is undergoing a management change this offseason, so for the lowdown on this right-shooting defender, you can’t go wrong with this profile which includes some quotes from his coach:
2019 NHL Draft prospect: Victor Söderström is the defender you’re looking for - Eyes On The Prize
If strong skating, puck-moving, and solid defence aren’t enough to draw attention, leadership skills well beyond his years should be.
Quite a few clubs look for a right-handed puck-moving defender and never really find one, especially not one who can impact the game in all three zones and has a strong transition game that comes though excellent skating.
What really stands out is his hockey IQ, something that wasn’t always obvious on TV but quite easy to see when you watched from the stands. Most hockey scouts would say that skating and hockey IQ are the things necessary to excel at an elite level, and these are what Söderström will bring in abundance.
Today, two more selections are made, first by Montréal and then, well, that’s a secret, so watch out for something unusual.
This is the point in the draft when it gets hard to find a consensus opinion. But who do you think is the best player left out there? I’m inclined to say Arthur Kaliyev or Thomas Harvey, but could goalie Spencer Knight crack the top 15?
