Compilation Of 2015 NHL Mock Drafts: Ottawa’s Selections
There are no shortages of NHL mock drafts this year on the internet, and in anticipation it’s fun to read as many as you can. Instead of having to read several different blogs to just look at the Senators pick, I decided to compile a list of some more well-known sites and their Ottawa selection. There are so many different sites to choose from, and I have left out plenty that you can check out on your own.
These names are surely ones you have seen before, and there weren’t many surprises from my point of view. So here is a big list of potential Senators picks according to other’s mock drafts:
Silver Seven Sens: Oliver Kylington, D
I have said before that I would be thrilled with taking Kylington, and I think others would as well. There is a bit of risk taking him, although at the same time there seems to be a lot of potential. Ottawa should take more risks with their selections, because a risk like taking Erik Karlsson paid off in the best way possible.
Selecting Kylington at #18 looks a tad high compared to other rankings and mock drafts, but if Ottawa likes him that much then there’s no reason why they can’t take him. Plus, if they do want to add a defenseman, he is in that same range along with players like Jeremy Roy, Thomas Chabot, Jakub Zboril, etc. so it isn’t a stretch.
Senshot (Fansided Network Mock): Kyle Connor, C
When Jack and I were up to pick for the Fansided mock draft, we were surprised that Connor was still on the board. On main sites, the lowest I have seen him ranked is 13th, so getting him at 18th would be quite the pick. Connor is a ’96 birth year so people need to take that into consideration, but his numbers in the USHL were sensational.
He had 80 points in 56 games this year, and even last year he still put up 74. If he was available when the Senators went to pick, I think the scouts for Ottawa would be ecstatic as he should be going in the early teens at least.
Sportsnet (Jeff Marek): Travis Konecny, C/RW
This is the pick everyone wants to see. I’m sure readers here wanted to see Konecny’s name come up at least once. Well here it is as Marek has him going to Ottawa in his mock draft. We all know Konecny’s background, as he played for the Ottawa 67’s this year, and before he has even been taken in the draft, local Senators fans are falling in love with him.
I think we may be disappointed in the end as he could get picked higher, but if he’s available at #18 I’d be shocked if he wasn’t taken. Alex Quevillon did a great profile on him last month.
Hockey’s Future: Colin White, C
The smart people at Hockey’s Future believe that White could be one of the best available players when Ottawa comes to the podium. He didn’t have quite as impressive numbers in the US as Kyle Connor, but he is said to be a fantastic possession player that does all the little things right.
He does seem like an Ottawa-type pick, as he’s a smart player although I’m not sure how high his offensive ceiling is. I’d still be happy with this selection, but if someone like Connor or Konecny was available I would definitely take one of them instead.
MyNHLDraft.com: Colin White, C
Not surprised to see another White on this list, as there was bound to be two sites that had the same Ottawa pick.
Draftsite.com: Jakub Zboril, D
Zboril is another defenseman that I would be quite happy with. He’s Czech, but this past season he played in the QMJHL so that certainly got him more exposure. He could end up being a home run pick of the first round according to EP, and it’s hard to ignore that kind of upside.
I still think Ottawa should take a defenseman, and Zboril is probably in the same echelon as Oliver Kylington, Jeremy Roy, Thomas Chabot, etc. It seems like they can’t really go wrong with any of those defenseman, and Zboril would bolster Ottawa’s defensive prospects a whole lot.
The Hockey Writers: Joel Eriksson Ek, C
I would watch out for Eriksson Ek, as we all know that the Senators love to draft their Swedes. They may end up taking Kylington instead, but Eriksson Ek is intriguing if they want to focus on a forward. In the SuperElit league he was over a point-a-game player, and he played 34 games in the SHL which is no small accomplishment.
He only tallied 6 points in the SHL, but you have to remember that it is a men’s league. When Mika Zibanejad played in the SuperElit he was under a point per game, and had 9 points in the SHL. So comparatively, Eriksson Ek ranks fairly well. Ottawa taking him would not surprise me at all.
Summary:
I was a bit surprised that I didn’t find a few names that I have seen before like Jeremy Roy or Thomas Chabot. Of course there are plenty of mocks out there that have the Senators picking those one of those two, but I thought for sure that the ones I was focusing on would have Roy and/or Chabot.
Along with the players listed in this article, I’d say to watch out for Nick Merkley and Paul Bittner. That leaves us with about 10 players that could be Ottawa targets, and all of them seem possible. 10 players is a long list and it isn’t very specific, but it’s hard to predict once you move past the top 10-15. I think that any of the players mentioned here could be taken by Ottawa, depending on who is available.
It’ll be interesting to see who that player actually is and I can’t wait to see how the draft actually unfolds.
Next: Ranking The Senators Prospects: #5-1