Montreal Canadiens: Mock Draft for the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft

With the 2020 NHL Draft around the corner, we created our own mock draft of the first round, including making the Montreal Canadiens’ selection at 16.

Six of us A Winning Habit writers chipped in on the mock draft: Emmanuel, Ken MacMillan, Sebastian High, Omar White, Teddy Elliot and Scott Cowan.

Alexis Lafreniere is the clear-cut #1 prospect eligible to be drafted in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, there will be no hesitation on draft day among the New York Rangers’ management and scouting staff, Lafreniere is already a de-facto Ranger. So what is it that makes Lafreniere so good? Well, his 35 goals and 112 points in just 52 games this past season are already impressive stats on their own, but when you factor in that he has already played 3 full QMJHL seasons in Rimouski, accumulating 297 points in 173 games (1.72 points/game) and is not even 19 yet, you have yourself a player with exceptional offensive pedigree. Lafreniere has phenomenal hockey IQ, a great shot, exceptional playmaking and is as deceptive with the puck as they come. He will be a star in this league. The Rangers draft in Lafreniere a future elite first-line winger; a power play with both Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin is already giving me nightmares.

While Alexis Lafreniere is the top prospect of this year’s draft, Quinton Byfield may just have the highest ceiling. The 6’4″, 214 lbs centreman is a true power forward who possesses a powerful shot, high-end playmaking, defensive acumen and is lethal in transition. While his skating has been criticized, for his size, he is a decent enough skater to make a huge impact in the league. He scored 32 goals and 82 points in 45 OHL games last season with the Sudbury Wolves; his offensive potential is very high. It may sound like a broken record at this point, but it must be noted that Byfield is among the youngest players in this year’s draft, and is just over 10 months younger than Lafreniere, so Byfield may just break out and have the Rangers regretting passing on him, though we doubt New York will have any reason to be disappointed with Lafreniere. The LA Kings draft the successor to Anze Kopitar in Byfield, passing on the flashy Tim Stutzle in the process.

Marco Rossi may seem like a reach at 3 to some, but not to me. Rossi is a true #1 centre in the making. HeHe has everything one could possibly wish for an elite centreman to have except for size, he stands at 5’9″, and weighs 185 lbs. Rossi is a gifted playmaker, first and foremost, his great hockey IQ allows him to find passing lanes that most don’t see and he executes his passes with quick precision. Rossi has a great motor, plays at a very high pace and is a tenacious, Gallagher-esque player. He is great defensively, so he is deployed in all situations. He can shut down high-scoring opponents all while putting up a huge amount of points himself. There just really isn’t anything not to like in this player. While he is old for the draft class, his CHL-leading totals remain extremely impressive: 39 goals and 120 points in 56 games. With Byfield off the board, the Senators seek to draft their future #1 centre who could slot right into a top-9, if not a top-6, role this upcoming season; and the Senators’ scouting staff is sure to have gotten a great look at Rossi given that he played his Junior hockey with the Ottawa 67s.

“Detroit completes their future top pair,” Omar said as he selected Drysdale and that they do. Drysdale and Seider may both be right-shot defencemen, but their playstyles would compliment each other perfectly; and even if they don’t play on the same pair, their right side is set for the next two decades; quite the luxury. Drysdale is a mobile, playmaking defenceman who has adopted the “the best defence is a good offence” approach and has thrived with it. He has phenomenal 4-way mobility and he can effectively quarterback a powerplay. Still, Drysdale is solid defensively; while he may not be a physical player, he closes gaps intelligently with his stick. If his work rate on the defensive side of the puck can improve, he will be a force to be reckoned with. Having put up 47 points in 49 OHL games with the Erie Otters, Drysdale showed his potential on the offensive side of the ice to be very high.

Tim Stutzle drops to #5 in our mock draft, and Teddy happily picks the German for the Ottawa Senators, who make out like bandits, drafting a future #1 centre and a future #1 left-winger within a ten-minute span. Stutzle is by far the flashiest player eligible to be drafted this year, and will regularly make the highlight reel. He is an exceptionally skilled winger with silky-smooth hands and terrific speed. Elite Prospects identifies him as the best transition forward in the draft, and it is easy to see why, given his elite stickhandling and speed. While he has a good shot, it is his playmaking that will garner him the vast majority of points in the NHL, he has terrific vision and hockey sense. While he can be overzealous with his puck handling, this can be refined with time. While playing against men in Germany for the Mannheim Eagles, Stutzle scored 7 goals and 34 points in 41 games. His offensive ceiling very, very high, and he will be so much fun to watch.

This was a really nice pick for Scott. Cole Perfetti is such an easy player to fall in love with. He is a goalscorer. He is an elite playmaker. He arguably has the highest hockey IQ of any draft-eligible player. And his problem-solving and deceptive abilities allow him to make something out of nothing. The sole drawback to his game is his mediocre skating, but that is something he can improve with practice, and we saw this past season how good a mediocre skater with an elite mind can be, with Nick Suzuki’s rookie performance in Montreal. Anaheim already got an absolute steal within the top-10 last season, drafting Trevor Zegras at 9. In Perfetti, they now form a new duo that will hope to reach the lofty heights that Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf have in the past 15 years; and honestly, I think they could be just as dominant, albeit in a very different way. Since Zegras is a playmaker, first and foremost, Perfetti’s goalscoring ability will be allowed to shine in California. Perfetti played this past season with the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL and produced 37 goals and 111 points in 61 games.

Emmanuel picks Seth Jarvis for the Hurricanes with the pick they received from the Toronto Maple Leafs as compensation for taking on and buying out, the Patrick Marleau contract, quite the reward! Jarvis is a dynamic offensive winger who can do everything at a fairly high level. He possesses good puck skills, good speed, good puck protection abilities, a good shot, good skating and good vision. He could very well develop into a perfect second-line winger who can easily fill in on the top line. This is a perfect fit for Carolina as they already have their #1 RW slot occupied by Andrei (Mr. Lacrosse-Goal) Svechnikov. Jarvis likes being the focal point of an attack and has “a gravitational pull on defencemen” according to the Elite Prospects Draft Guide. Between January 1st and the end of the shortened season, no CHL player scored more points than Jarvis. In the season as a whole, he produced 42 goals and 98 points in 58 games for the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL.

Ken goes with the 52-goalscorer at 14, and how frightening that is; Jack Quinn on his own is a scarily-good goalscorer, put him next to McDavid and/or Draisaitl and you have yourself a goalscoring machine; heck, even Patrick Maroon scored 27 goals in his full season in Edmonton. While Quinn can be criticized for being one of the oldest players of the draft class and for playing on the best team in the CHL (though not on the same line as Marco Rossi, mind you), his goalscoring instincts and abilities should not be overlooked. Quinn can shoot and he can score from just about anywhere. He doesn’t have one type of release that he depends on to score, he can bury it with a slapshot, a wrist-shot, from a stationary position and in motion; this versatility is perhaps his most dangerous attribute. While Quinn is not much of a playmaker, he does more than just shoot and score. Quinn is quite a useful defensive piece and can play on the penalty kill. In 62 games with the Ottawa 67s in the OHL, Quinn scored 52 goals and totalled 89 points.

While I am quite a big believer in the “draft the best player available” approach, an exception has to be made for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their forward corps is among the most potent and dynamic in the league, but their defence is among the least consistent and, well, worst. While the best players still available here, in my eyes, are Mavrik Bourque, Dawson Mercer and Rodion Amirov, they do nothing to fix the Maple Leafs’ glaring weakness: right defence. Therefore, I have them selecting Helge Grans, who, in all honesty, is not much of a step down from the three forwards previously mentioned. Grans is a big (6’3″, 192 lbs) defenceman who excels in transition, is an effortless skater and, most importantly, is very solid defensively. While I could have selected Braden Schneider in this slot, Grans has a higher ceiling. In selecting Grans, I sacrificed Schneider’s physicality for the raw tools that Grans possesses, which are rather similar to Philip Broberg’s (but again, Grans can actually defend, and defend well at that). Grans will likely be a high-end #3 defenceman, but on the Leafs, would likely become the future #2 next to Morgan Rielly.

Omar got to make the selection that likely has garnered the majority of clicks on this article, and he has the Canadiens taking a home-run swing on Hendrix Lapierre. The 6’0″, 181 lbs centreman has just about the highest upside among all remaining prospects, but his chances of fulfilling this lofty potential aren’t necessarily high. Lapierre was a projected top-10 pick one year ago but has since had serious issues with concussions and has failed to score many goals since. Last season, he only played 19 QMJHL games and scored just two goals to go along with 15 assists for 17 total points. While this season has gotten off to a blistering start with 3 goals and 5 points in 2 games, it is important to acknowledge that Lapierre will never be known for his goalscoring. He is, however, an elite playmaker with elite puck handling. One area of his game that is very promising is that he always attacks the centre of the ice and he rarely gets pushed to the periphery. He is, however, just an average skater and his hockey IQ is not elite, so picking him at 16 is gambling that he is able to add some power to his shot and to construct a more effective game built upon his stickhandling and his playmaking. If he can do this, all the while staying healthy, the Habs will have a steal with this pick, as he could become a top-line playmaker. It is easy to imagine a future in which Lapierre, Suzuki and Caufield form a deadly top line for the Canadiens. It’s just that a lot would have to go right for Lapierre to reach his ceiling, though it could easily be argued that the Canadiens have a good enough prospect pool to take a big swing with their first-round pick. No matter my reservations with the risk of this pick, it is Hendrix Lapierre at 16 to the Canadiens.

The Chicago Blackhawks could use both secondary scoring and a strong defensive presence, but Teddy Elliot opts to pick physical defenceman, Braden Schneider, which I think is just who the Blackhawks need in their prospect pool. It is no secret that the Blackhawks are ageing, especially on the blueline. Duncan Keith is no longer the defenceman he once was and Brent Seabrook, well, he has the worst contract in the entire NHL; he is barely good enough to play in the NHL at this point in his career and is earning just shy of $7 million for the next four seasons. In a flat-cap era, the Hawks need a dependable, cost-controlled right defenceman, and Schneider is just that. He could jump straight into an NHL role if need be, and along with Adam Boqvist would solidify Chicago’s right side of defence for a long time. Schneider is dependable in his own zone and a very good hitter. He is cautious defensively and does not overcommit on plays. While he takes a backseat in the offensive zone, offence is not what Chicago would draft him for.

From a shutdown defensive beast to the polar opposite, a defenceman with phenomenal offensive abilities and who plays worse defensively than a fair few wingers available in this draft. Jeremie Poirier is a boom or bust selection, and Scott has the New Jersey Devils taking that risk. Having already drafted a sure-fire NHLer in Alexander Holtz, the Devils take a swing at Poirier, whose stickhandling ability and playmaking are both among the five best in the class as a whole, forwards included. The offensive toolkit is there without a shadow of a doubt; he produced 20 goals and 53 points in 64 QMJHL games with a rather weak team (St. John). Poirier is also great in transition, is exceptionally creative and can execute plays that nobody else has even seen as being an option. Oh, and he has a great shot and is an excellent goalscorer, as can be seen by the 20 goals he scored. Now, let’s look at the not-so-good part of his game. He is a clumsy backward skater, he isn’t a very good skater overall, he puts in zero effort defensively and he doesn’t have good defensive instincts to fall back on when he is lazy, which is very often the case. While the Devils’ development may just coax a not terrible defender from Poirier’s skillset, I see the most upside in converting him to a left-winger. It just seems to make sense given his skillset, and if that switch were to be made, Poirier may just become a high-end top-6 winger. If he stays on defence, he will likely max out as a #4 defenceman who runs the powerplay and puts up a lot of points while playing very sheltered minutes at 5 on 5.

Emmanuel decides to draft the best shooter still on the boards for the Calgary Flames, opting to pass on his personal favourite Dawson Mercer in the process. In Perreault, the Flames get a pure -goalscorer who could feature in their top-6 in his prime as a sniper. Perreault’s shot is a legitimate weapon and he is actually quite a good 2-way player, so even if he doesn’t reach his offensive ceiling, he could play a 2-way goalscoring role on the third line. His skating is flawed but should be able to be refined to not stand out in any way in the NHL. Perreault scored 39 goals and 70 points in 57 OHL games with the Sarnia Sting this past season.

With their third and final pick of the first round, Ken has the New Jersey Devils selecting centreman Connor Zary. After taking a real home-run swing two picks earlier, the Devils go with a fairly safe pick at 20. Connor Zary had great production last season with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, posting 38 goals and 86 points in 57 games. Offensively, it is his shot that is the most threatening; it has really good power and accuracy and Zary has a very deceptive release, which regularly caught WHL goaltenders off-guard. While he did get quite a few assists, New Jersey shouldn’t expect him to become a high-end playmaker in the NHL, but rather a second-line goalscorer who will likely end up on the wing due to his not-so-great skating. On top of scoring goals, though, Zary works very hard on the defensive side of things and is quite good on the penalty-kill.

At 21, we have a player that is a top-15 talent in my eyes. Mavrik Bourque is a centreman with a whole lot of skill, a great shot and borderline elite hockey IQ. He protects the puck well and is patient with the puck, especially in the offensive zone, he is extremely deceptive with the puck and has great vision. The 5’11”, 185 lbs forward can also play on the right-wing and plays in all situations, having been integral to both Shawinigan’s power-play and penalty-kill last season. In 49 games, he put up 29 goals and 71 points. Bourque will probably just be a very good 2nd liner, but I do see top-line upside in him. He actually reminds me a whole lot of Nick Suzuki. The Blue Jackets get a steal at 21, and they truly had three exceptional options in this slot, with Rodion Amirov and Dawson Mercer having been very tempting options as well. With Liam Foudy already cracking the Columbus lineup and Pierre-Luc Dubois cementing himself as a top-line centreman, Bourque could set them up with great depth down the middle for years to come.

Having already won the draft on the day of the Draft Lottery, Omar has the Rangers taking a home-run swing at 22. William Wallinder is a 6’4″, 192 lbs defenceman from Sweden who may just be the best skating defenceman of the draft. Wallinder accumulated 24 points in 37 J20 SuperElit games with MODO; and 2 assists in 18 games with the men’s team in the Allsvenskan. Selecting Wallinder would signify the Rangers trusting their developmental staff to improve Wallinder’s defensive play, which at this point in time is straight-up bad. He puts very little effort into his defensive-zone play, is constantly out of position and has poor defensive instincts and habits. The inconsistency in Wallinder’s game is worrisome, some nights he absolutely dominates, and on others, he looks like he shouldn’t even be selected in this draft. Still, the raw tools are phenomenal, and if the Rangers can bring some consistency to his game and can improve his defensive-zone play, he may very well turn into a #3 defenceman who dominates in transition.

The Philadelphia Flyers have a good, young defensive corps, so Teddy has them picking a player who could bring them both offence and good defensive play in Sam Colangelo. He played last season on a dynamite line for the Chicago Steel of the USHL with Brendan Brisson (more on him later) and Sean Farrell, racking up 28 goals and 58 points in 44 games. Colangelo is a 6’3″, 205 lbs power forward who sports a good shot and great playmaking ability. He drives the play on his line rather than being a passenger, and plays a smart and gritty style. He is also very capable defensively, playing a big role on a stacked Chicago Steel team’s penalty-kill. His clear weakness is his skating, which is slow and a bit clumsy; if he fails to make the NHL, his skating will be the likely culprit. However, if he can improve his skating ability and his speed, he could max out as a middle-6 right-winger who scores 20 goals, 25 assists and plays big PK minutes.

To Emmanuel’s dismay, Scott grabs Mercer from his clutches with Washington’s 24th overall selection. Mercer really should not have fallen as far as he did, but alas, some players always fall beyond where they should on draft day. Washington gleefully turns the angle of their Zoom camera to reveal a Mercer jersey with the ill-fated #20 (for 2020) on the back. Mercer has high-end stickhandling (among the very best of the class) and is a coach’s dream. He does everything at a very high level with the exception of skating. He has a dangerous shot, great offensive and defensive work-rates, great hockey IQ, solid defensively, etc. Mercer’s well-rounded play makes him a high-ceiling player. It is very unlikely that he is not able to carve out a top-9 NHL role, and it is plausible that he becomes a top-6 RW. The Newfoundland native plays for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the QMJHL and has formed a very good partnership with Hendrix Lapierre. Last season, he put up 24 goals and 60 points in 42 games, while he has already scored two goals and one assist in his first two games of the 2020-21 season.

Having taken a moment to mourn the loss of Mercer, Emmanuel decided to pick Swedish offensive-defenceman Emil Andrae for the Avalanche instead. Colorado is stacked at pretty much every position, but the left side of their defence is already in phenomenal shape; with Andrae, they take the player who, in their minds is the best available rather than drafting for positional need. The Avalanche already have Samuel Girard, Kyle Graves and Nikita Zadorov as their left-defencemen and they have last year’s 4th overall pick, Bowen Byram in their system as well. Andrae is a small defenceman (5’9″, 183 lbs) who plays a gritty, physical style and works very hard. He is, however, not all that good defensively; he really needs to improve his defensive play in the neutral zone, his opponents get the puck into his defensive zone with control far too easily. He also has weak gap control and can be caught puck-watching in the defensive zone. However, he is a good puck handler who, when in the offensive zone, can dominate. He has phenomenal vision, which he allows him to quarterback a powerplay. He led all J20 SuperElit defencemen in points last season, with 38 in 40 games and has started this season playing in the SHL.

At 26, the 2018-19 Stanley Cup Champs get an absolute steal, with Ken selecting Rodion Amirov in their stead. Amirov is a playmaking winger who is already a veteran of 30 KHL games. 21 of those came last season and he did not look out of place while playing against men, despite accumulating just two assists in a 4th-line role. He excelled against junior competition, though, putting up 22 points in 17 MHL games. This season, he has already scored 3 goals and 5 points in 9 KHL games. He is not a goalscorer though, it is his playmaking that is his dangerous offensive tool. He has very good habits both on and off the puck and possesses a very good anticipatory ability. Amirov is a phenomenal 2-way player; the Elite Prospects Draft Guide has him ranked as the second-best 2-way forward, behind Anton Lundell. His combination of playmaking, pedigree against tough competition and two-way play makes this a no-hesitation pick for St. Louis.

For the second pick in a row, the Western Conference team just goes with the “best player available” approach. Pat Brisson’s son, Brendan has risen into most first-round rankings throughout the year, and in selecting him, the Ducks ensure that they will have two exceptionally intelligent centremen leading the charge for the next two decades with Perfetti and Brisson. Brisson is a great problem solver, on par with Perfetti in that regard. Brisson is a good playmaker and has an absolutely devastating one-timer. With the Chicago Steel in the USHL last season, the 6’0″, 185 lbs centreman put up 24 goals and 59 points in 45 games.

With their third and final selection of the first round, Omar has the Ottawa Senators selecting a 6’1″, 194 lbs goalscorer. Foerster has an excellent shot that holds a whole lot of power, this shot is lethal on the power play. Furthermore, Foerster sees the ice really well and is a very good passer of the puck. His main detractor is his skating ability, which needs to see significant improvement for him to excel at the NHL level. If he does refine this area of his game though, the right shot forward, who produced 36 goals and 80 points in 62 OHL games, could complete the Senators’ future top line, all three of whom would have been drafted in the first round in 2020, with Stutzle and Rossi; now that would be a successful day of drafting!

At 29, Teddy has the Vegas Golden Knights selecting Ozzy Wisblatt, a player who projects to be a top-9 Swiss army knife type player. Wiesblatt, the second youngest of the Wiesblatt siblings (the others being Orca, Ocean and Oasiz… that’s a lot of O’s), produced 25 goals and 70 points in 64 WHL games. Wiesblatt is a good playmaker and passer who lacks a really threatening shot. He is at his very best when playing a quick counter-attacking style as he is good in transition and potent off the rush. Vegas fleshes out their future top-9 with this selection rather than taking a home-run swing.

At 30, Scott has the Stars making a very interesting pick. Coe was the third-overall pick in the OHL draft a few years ago but never exploded offensively in North Bay. He does, however, have an intriguing skillset, which consists of steady defensive play, physical play, good habits on both sides of the puck, good speed, soft hands and good passing. The profile sounds similar to that of Joel Armia, who himself was a first-round selection, 16th overall, to be precise. Coe could very well forge himself a role as a third-line all-situations power forward, but the upside to transcend into the top-6 still exists. And Dallas has a history of making top-6 goalscorers out of big power-forwards, just looks at Gurianov and Hintz. Coe produced 25 goals and 57 points in 60 OHL games last season.

While the Sharks will not be picking with the third-overall pick that had originally been theirs, their consolation prize consists of the very last pick of the first-round… it just isn’t quite the same, now is it? Nevertheless, Emmanuel tried his very best to give San Jose a good player at the 31st draft slot, and that he did. Lukas Reichel played the entirety of last season in the DEL against men and put up 12 goals and 24 points in 42 games. He plays a high-energy game and has top-6 upside. Reichel possesses an unrelenting motor, good skating ability and is a strong forechecker and back checker. Offensively, he has a decent shot and slightly better playmaking ability, but can sometimes be a bit passive during sustained offensive-zone possession. On the defensive side of things, he is quite strong and can even be employed on the penalty-kill. All in all, Reichel is a very good pickup for a Sharks team that needs to get younger; he should be a presence in their middle-6 for a very long time, and with this pick, our mock draft, at long-last, comes to conclusion.