The team owning the 14th selection in the NHL Mock Draft made great strides this year after shuffling its roster and moving it’s long-term face of the franchise in the summer. Now it is a matter of filling in more pieces to the puzzle to make sure they are an annual contender for a playoff spot.
#14 – COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Apr 18, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Derek MacKenzie (24), right wing Jared Boll (40), right wing Blake Comeau (14) and defenseman Fedor Tyutin (51) celebrate a goal in the second period of the game against the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
TEAM STRENGTHS: Goaltending, Strong group of all-around defensemen
TEAM WEAKNESSES: Inconsistent scoring, size on the wings
HOCKEY’S FUTURE ORGANIZATIONAL PROSPECT RANK: 21st of 30 teams
UNDER CONSIDERATION: Alexander Wennburg, Samuel Morin, Bo Horvat, Nicolas Petan
FANSIDED MOCK DRAFT PICK: Union and Blue selected Ryan Pulock
SENSHOT’S CHOICE: Bo Horvat from the London Knights of the OHL. There are a lot of talented players still sitting in the draft at this point, but Horvat possesses the best combination of speed, skill and size. Not huge, at 6’1″ and 200lbs, but the attributes combined with his versatility to play the wing or centre make him an attractive prospect for a club still finding its way offensively.
MOCK DRAFT TO DATE (click on team to view the selection):
PICK | TEAM | PICK |
1 | COLORADO | Seth Jones, Portland (WHL) |
2 | FLORIDA | Jonathan Drouin, Halifax (QMJHL) |
3 | TAMPA | Nathan MacKinnon, Halifax (QMJHL) |
4 | NASHVILLE | Valeri Nichushkin, Chelijabinsk 2 (KHL) |
5 | CAROLINA | Darnell Nurse, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) |
6 | CALGARY | Sean Monahan, Ottawa (OHL) |
7 | EDMONTON | Nikita Zadorov, London (OHL) |
8 | BUFFALO | Max Domi, London (OHL) |
9 | NEW JERSEY | Alexsander Barkov, Tappera (FIN) |
10 | DALLAS | Hunter Shinkaruk, Medicine Hat (WHL) |
11 | PHILADELPHIA | Zachary Furcale, Halifax (QMJHL) |
12 | PHOENIX | Anthony Mantha, Val D’Or (QMJHL) |
13 | WINNIPEG | Elias Lindholm, Brynas (SEL) |
14 | COLUMBUS | Bo Horvat, London (OHL) |