1. Nail Yakupov: RW Sarnia Sting (OHL)
5¨10-170 Pounds
Yakupov is a player like none other in this draft. He poses all the attributes to become a premier NHL player as soon as next year. He had a strong WJC performance against the Canadians along side Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov to earn the Russian squad a 6-5 win.
He has helped the Sarnia Sting with his impressive rookie numbers of 49 goals and 52 assists for a grand total of 101 points in the 2010-2011 OHL season. Those impressive numbers made him the best rookie in the CHL, thus, winning the CHL rookie of the year award.
Colombus is in dire straits and needs a game changer. With the lackluster players drafted in the first rounds of the previous drafts (Nikita Filatov,Derick Brassard,Nikolai Zherdev,Alexandre Picard,Gilbert Brule) the Columbus blue jackets need to hit a home run, they need an offensive dynamo that will fuel this club. He could be with the big club as soon as next year joining the likes of Jeff Carter and Rick Nash.
Montage of Yakupov:
Yakupov after defeating Canada.
2.Mikhail Grigorenko: RW/C Remparts de Quebec (QMJHL)
6¨2- 191 Pounds
Grigorenko was on the Russia World Junior team. When I saw him play he showed a tremendous amount of skill with his speed and his hands. Two qualities that will make him a great player in the NHL. That being said Grigorenko had a disappointing WJC. He was often absent from the play and did not use his skills to the best of his ability. To his defense he was playing injured and was used in a very limited role.
The Anaheim Ducks are having a season that is flat out bizarre. Like any team they have a lack in an area or another but they have horribly under achieved this season. Their big 3 (Perry,Getzlaf,Ryan) have not been the big 3 of years past. The Ducks will most likely finish with a lottery pick, resulting in the selection of Grigorenko. Grigorenko will step in immediately into the ducks top 6 and the three headed monster will now have 4 heads. With the decline of Selanne and Koivu, Grigorenko will add depth to the second line while being groomed for first line duties. Come draft day the Anaheim Ducks will select the best player available and that player will be Mikhail Grigorenko.
3. Filip Forsberg: RW/LW Leksands (SWE)
6'1-176 Pounds
Coming in at number 3 in the 2012 mock draft is Filip Forsberg. Forsberg currently plays in Sweden for Leksand and attended the WJC with the defending champions. Forsberg is currently only 17 years old and already plays in mans league in Sweden. Forsberg is as complete as a player can get. He skates well, has tremendous vision on the ice, has a quick shot, makes good passes and protects the puck very well even with his small frame. Of course, being 6'1 and 176 pounds at 17 years old he will have time to fill out his frame. Forsberg has been up against a tougher crowd than most of the draft eligible prospects this year, with that tougher opposition his numbers have not been as flamboyant as the other top prospect. That being said, he has amassed 5 goals and 5 passes in 30 games giving him 10 points on the season. The WJC proved how versatile Forsberg really is, the sweden team was extremely dominant with players like Mika Zibanejad, Oscar Klefbom, Rickard Rakell, Jonas Brodin and Max Friberg, Forsberg was forced to take a backseat on the team. He was placed on the 3rd/4rth line and had a defense first responsibility. That task limited his production and he seemed absent at times. However, scouts will not be fooled on draft day and will without hesitation draft this complete player in the top 5.
Since Carolina won the Stanley Cup in 2006, they have been a bubble team that has battled day in and day out to get into the playoffs without much success. The hurricanes have talented players like Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal. However, they lack a player like Forsberg. The Hurricanes are thin on the wing and Forsberg could jump into the NHL right away like fellow Swedes Gabriel Landeskog and Adam Larsson. Forsberg will add an extra depth on Carolina's 2nd wing along side Jeff Skinner. The Hurricanes are desperately lacking a youth overhaul. The overhaul that has now started and will be continued with the addition of Forsberg.
4. Ryan Murray: D Everett Silvertips (WHL)
6'0- 190 Pounds
With the fourth overall selection, the edmonton oilers will go with the best player available. That player happens to be Ryan Murray. Murray plays for the Everett Silvertips in the Western Hockey League. In his rookie campaign Murray was already being labeled as something special. In 2010-2011 he had 46 points in the year and played 30-35 minutes a game. He continues to play big minutes for the Silvertips in the current campaign. The Silvertips D-Man already has 19 points in 23 games. Murray is without a question the best D-Man in the draft and might be the most well rounded player in the draft, if Murray would have been drafted in 2011 he would most likely be playing the NHL currently. He is the type of player who does everything right on all levels, most importantly he has tremendous puck moving skills. With those skills he is already being compared to NHL legend Scott Niedermayer and has similarities in his game to Montreal's very own Andrei Markov. Murray attended the WJC this year wearing the red and white jersey,the team this year had many rookies and very few veterans, Murray was the only under-ager on the Canadian squad. The WJC gave Murray good experience and visibility for the upcoming draft. However, that visibility came with some negative aspects as well. Murray showed that he can be a great defenseman at times but also needs time to round out his overall game. He was caught off guard in his own zone more than once in the tournament. The WJC will not be an important factor to the scouts June 22,2012.
The Oilers will benefit from Murray's talent, with the addition of Murray to their already established core composed of Hall, Klefbom, Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins. If Klefbom develops as projected and Murray can make an impact at the NHL level, the oilers will have a solid 1-2 Punch up font as well as on the backend.
5. Jacob Trouba: D United States National Development Team (USHL)
6¨1- 183 Pounds
Following the trend of picking the best player available, the Islanders will select Jacob Trouba from the National Development team. Trouba is a phenomenal player in every facet of the game. Trouba plays with a physical edge to his game, moves the puck extremely well and has a heavy shot. In 13 games played this year Trouba has amassed 11 points and 22 penalty minutes. Those 11 points go a long way in the USHL considering that it is a low scoring league. Trouba was the pillar on defense at the WJC, the American squad went in as underdogs and had a very disappointing tournament. However, Trouba was the best player on Team USA and one of the best players in the entire tournament. Trouba has committed to the University of Michigan for next season.
Trouba will most likely not step into the Islanders lineup next season. They will let him take his time to develop and mature physically. When he does get his chance in the NHL he will resemble NHL players such as Ryan Suter and Cam Fowler. The Islanders will have star forwards on the front end and on the back end they will have young defenseman capable of contributing on offense who are stellar 2 way players as well.
