First and Second Picks Will be Epic
The 2019 NHL ENTRY DRAFT on June 21-22 in Vancouver offers one of the greatest 1-2 punches that the event has ever seen.
It feels certain that both the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers will land future Hall of Famers in America phenom Jack Hughes and Super-Finn Kaapo Kakko.
The big question is who should be drafted first? Hughes will likely captain some team to great heights, but it's also clear that Kakko will score a TON of goals in the NHL. If he ends up on Broadway, he will get enormous amounts of media attention and undoubtedly be compared to Hughes for years to come.
No one can say the hockey world has never seen this situation before, because it has. A look back at the 1988 draft shows that the choice between Hughes and Kakko is essentially a choice between Mike Modano and Teemu Selanne. In other words, both teams are going to be big winners.
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Don't put too much faith in
all of those fancy draft guides, because they can lead you astray. Remember Angelo Esposito in 2007? The draft guides were pretty high on him, and Pittsburgh grabbed him at No. 20 ... but he never played an NHL game.
The
2018 NHL Entry Draft
in Dallas was truly one for the record books, featuring an abundance of talent. The draft's depth led to some unlikely selections but also kept the event exciting. It was a big year for Europeans and defensemen. Here are nearly 700 profiles of those who did and did not get
selected.
Rasmus Dahlin is poised to become the best defenseman in 45 years to be drafted No. 1
overall. Believe the hype, people, it's very real. Here's why Dahlin is a player who will transform the defenseman's
role in the way both Bobby Orr and Denis Potvin did. There's no doubt
Sabres fans are the lucky ones now.
It's never good to claim a fact that isn't a fact. Unfortunately, even great
journalists can make this mistake with regard to hockey history. I committed to
my draft research decades ago, and I have built an extensive library of
reference materials. If you are working on a research project that requires the
highest degree of accuracy, my services are available.
E-mail me at
dan@hockeydraftcentral.com.