NHL 2020 Mock Draft Picks 11-20 Presented by: VIGR Lifestyles

11. Nashville Predators 

Options: Lundell / Schneider / Guhle / Amirov / Quinn .

The Preds are ok at center, they are insane at d, they are ok in goal, but they could really use some scoring wingers. History says they go with a dman and if they went that way I think they go Guhle, Schneider is also a great option but I think Guhle’s just slightly better at almost everything than Schneider, just my opinion, I still love Schneider. Schneider is solid defensively but I don’t see him being able to throw all the open ice hits that he does when he gets to the pro level. He can move the puck well and had a great prospects game, but if they take a dman I think they go with Guhle who is better offensively, hits just as hard and effectively, and gets more shots through on goal. Lundell is BPA here IMHO, but something tells me the Preds get tantalized by the scoring ability of Jack Quinn and go that way. Amirov is a great talent who works hard all over the ice, is good defensively, and has unbelievable mitts, but I think they go with a North American boy this time who was the OHL’s league leading goal scorer in Jack Quinn. Quinn is one of the older players in the draft with a late birthday, he is an extremely hard worker who can beat you in so many ways, on a one-timer, a deke, a shot down the wing, he has a lot of tools in his arsenal. The Preds need scoring.

THE PICK: JACK QUINN

12. Florida Panthers 

Options: Lundell / Guhle / Schneider / Holloway / Mercer

The Panthers need everything but a goalie in the first round this year, defensemen Kaiden Guhle or Braden Schneider would both work great, but I think they go with a forward here. Mercer would be a great addition to the team but RW is their strongest of all forward positions, even though its not extraordinarily strong, for this reason I think they take a centerman. Holloway is a big strong player who just looks like a pro, some think he’s the best skater in the draft while he’s also responsible in his own end and has a pretty high offensive ceiling. But if Lundell falls this far the Panthers would have to take him, and they would have a guy some portrait as Barkov 2.0, a player who is pro ready having played against men for 2 years already.

THE PICK: ANTON LUNDELL

Lundell could come in and immediately start learning from fellow countryman Barkov, this would be a perfect scenario for Lundell if he fell this far, knowing he was walking into a room with Barkov would make the “falling to 12” part not so bad.

 13. Carolina Hurricanes 

Options: Amirov / Lapierre / Guhle / Gunler .

The Canes are absolutely loaded at center and defense right now, many of these centres could end up on the wing eventually. Right now the top 4 organizational centers are listed as : Aho, Trochek, Staal, and Geekie , after that ex WHL star Stelio Mattheos is lurking in the weeds and could end up being a good middle 6 guy one day. They also have Jack Drury, Dominik Bokk, and Ryan Suzuki at center in the system, I’m guessing a couple of those guys end up moving to the wing. I “could” see them taking a swing at a guy with massive upside here like Lapierre, Gunler or Amirov, I could also see them taking Guhle with this pick as he is the best all around dman remaining (IMHO) and he seems to fit that exact Hurricane d mould. If Askarov is still available they take him for sure, they do have Nedeljkovic but he’s 24 years old already which is still fairly young in goalie years but if Askarov is there they take him 100%. I think Askarov is gone already at this point though so I’m gonna say they take a swing for the fences and go for Noel Gunler and then try to hit on dmen in the mid rounds. Personally I would take Guhle here but I think they take a player with a bit of risk since they can afford to do so, I say they take Noel Gunler. Gunler has the most goals per game ALL TIME in the Swedish Super Elit in his draft -1 year. He’s 6’2 174 lbs so he has some good size with lots of room to pack on weight and some think he might end up being the best goal scorer in the draft. Noel played in the SHL against men this year where he only had 4 goals and 13 points in 45 games but he played on the 4th line in a really limited roll, for comparison Holtz had 9 goals and 15 points in 35 games but he got to play on the 2nd line and got regular pp minutes. Even though Guhle would be my personal pick here I think the Canes go for a sniper.

THE PICK: NOEL GUNLER 

Gunler can absolutely fire the biscuit from anywhere, he’s a threat to score any time he’s on the ice and he has some pretty sick mitts to boot.

14. Edmonton Oilers 

Options: Amirov / Guhle / Schneider / Askarov / Holloway /  Lapierre / Jarvis

This year the Oilers could really shore up their d core with Guhle or Schneider but with all the young guys and high draft picks in the system from recent years I think they go for a RH center who could also switch to wing if needed. If Askarov is here they take him but I think he goes earlier than 14 this year. Even though Guhle is the best all around dman remaining and even though Schneider brings toughness with good puck moving and a higher offensive upside than most people think ( just my personal opinion ), I think they go to a forward who can play either center or wing. Holloway is available here, if I’m the Oilers I take a long hard look at this player (If Winnipeg doesn’t take him at 10), Lapierre had injury issues but is said by some to have one of the highest ceilings in the draft, not sure I totally agree with that but he is a great set up man who can wheel the puck out of the zone with ease and this year it’s early but he’s packed on 20 lbs without losing speed and his shot looks pro-level, take that how you will. Amirov would be an amazing pick here but I think the Oilers go with Seth Jarvis. Jarvis was the best player and had the most points in any league through the last 33 games or so of the season. He was right around 3 ppg through that time and was “doing it all” as they say. Jarvis can play another year of jr and then be ready to push for the big club even though he needs to bulk up a little. The Oilers don’t worry about size when the player is supremely skilled, plus Jarvis is built solid and is very strong.

THE PICK:  SETH JARVIS

15. Toronto Maple Leafs 

Options: Guhle / Schneider / Holloway / Amirov / Zary

The Leafs have some really good young dmen about to make some noise with the big club, they also have a decent amount of forwards, what they don’t have is a lot of top notch centermen coming up the pipeline, so I could see them taking a centerman with this pick. If they do take a centerman I think they go after Holloway or Zary, both are great defensively with high offensive upside, Holloway might be the better skater but I think Zary is the better scorer at this point. I’d go Zary here if I was taking a forward but if you want a dman you go with Schneider who could slot in to the 3rd pairing as early as next year. You have Reilly, Dermott, Marincin, Muzzin and Sandin, on the left side, on the right you have Liljegren, Holl, Ceci and Barrie. The left side seems set for a while and the right side has Muzzin (for the pp) and now Liljegren to take care of the offensive stuff so why not add a big solid tough dman to the mix who can add size and toughness while still being a good puck mover? He forces everyone to keep their heads up while on the ice at all times and he plays a really hard, rugged, Western style game (although I don’t know how long the massive open ice hits will go on for at the NHL level, open ice hits aren’t his entire game though so it shouldn’t matter much), these types of guys are great for deep playoff runs. If either Guhle or Schneider are available I take one of them, if both are available I go Schneider even though I’m slightly higher on Guhle, when the players are this close to each other you can go for positional need over BPA. Who wouldn’t wanna add a Jason Smith type in the first round? Schneider barley got 100 shots through last season which some say should drop him down the list a bit more, but I think that could change on a different team in a different situation. This might be a little high for Schneider, but I like the Western boys.

THE PICK: BRADEN SCHNEIDER

16. Montreal Canadiens 

Options: Mavrik Bourque / Dawson Mercer / Amirov / Jacob Perrault / Justin Barron / Kaiden Guhle .

The Habs have been looking for that franchise #1 center iceman for a while now, they’ve tried various wingers there who’s play has been up and down as they keep moving from wing to center and switching lines often, who can blame them for inconsistent play? As it sits today the Canadiens have Ryan Poehling, Laurent Daughin, Joseph Blandisi, and Aaron Luchuk all hoping to one day man the middle in a top 6 roll with the big club, while Philip Danault, Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jake Evans and Max Domi all have the ability to play the position at a middle six level currently, but none are true first liners at this point. Suzuki and Kotkaniemi could be one day sooner than later but will they be that true star #1 center that everyone wants to help win a cup? Montreal is a little short on skilled dmen that can run a pp, they’ve got Cale Fleury, Alex Romanov, Josh Brook and Noah Juulsen all pushing for jobs, but after that there aren’t a whole lot of great names to be excited about. Guhle would be my personal pick here if I’m GM and I can’t believe I have him dropping this far but going through what each team needs this is just how it’s worked out. Guhle could step into the line-up as early as next season and you could easily put him with Webber or Petry for support, this is a move that they might wish they made for a decade to follow if they ever passed on Ghule. Even though they need a dman I don’t know if Barron is worth taking if Dawson Mercer is still available, Guhle yes, but with Mercer being a French guy who will have seemingly dropped 5-6 spots I think they take him and are very happy with the pick. Plus he’s too good to pass on if he’s still available at 16. Mercer played with the Canadian WJC team that won gold this year and he’s almost pro ready as we speak. He is very responsible defensively, so much so that scouts say they can see him as a pivot in the pro ranks, his coaches often use him at the end of games or periods to protect leads or to try score the tying goal when behind. He plays against the other teams top line regularly, he plays the pp & pk, and he has a very high percentage of d zone starts especially when the other teams top line is on the ice which shows how much his coaches trust him. Not to mention he’s got a bit of an edge for a sniper, he may just be the Quebec kid everyone’s been waiting for in Montreal. He’s not the fleetest of foot but he’s still able to steal pucks and turn the other way, and he does it often, almost like another big right winger with a heavy shot I know of from Vegas? what’s his name again? Oh right #MarkStone

THE PICK: DAWSON MERCER

I think the Habs need scoring as well as defence right now but with Mercer dropping a bit I think they go that way then try take a dman in the 2nd round.

17. Chicago Blackhawks 

Options: Guhle / Bourque / Amirov / Barron

The Blackhawks are one of those teams who have good players at every position coming up but they really need more d depth at this point. They have Boqvist and Beaudin coming up but both are fairly small, they could use a big, strong, tough, skilled, puck moving d who I believe has even more offensive abilities to tap into yet. Being able to start him with a guy like Seabrook and having the opportunity to learn from a guy like Keith is invaluable to a good young dman like Guhle. Barron would also be ok here but I think Guhle is the better dman all around with a higher ceiling. I see him like a Colton Pareyko type, not with the eye test, just with what he can bring to an NHL squad. He can hit like a truck, he skates fluently, moves the puck well, gets pucks through, and takes limited chances up ice. When he does jump up ice he usually does so by sneaking past guys, he is so good at creeping into the play without the forward recognizing it right away. Amirov would be a great pick here too but they have great wingers both on the big squad and in the system.

THE PICK: KAIDEN GUHLE 

Guhle is a big strong guy who is a great skater and can run a PP. The Hawks would be ecstatic to get this player at #17.

18. New Jersey Devils 

Options: Barron / Amirov / Holloway / Zary

The Devils need A LOT, goalies, defense, and forwards. Even with taking Nico and Jack the last couple drafts center ice still isn’t a strong point and I’m not sold at all that Jack Hughes will ever be more than a 60-70 point guy in his premium years. Holloway can play center or wing, so if Hughes ends up being better suited for wing at the NHL level you have a guy there who’s able to take that position, and worst case scenario Holloway ends up being a real good defensive 3rd line centerman or middle six winger. Zary would also work here for the exact same reasons but Zary is a better scorer at this point than Holloway at this point. Zary is very creative and can also play with a bit of an edge, he’s not as good of a skater as Holloway but he’s still a good skater and his two way game reminds scouts of Jonathan Toews. Amirov would add grit and skill to any line as well, this will be a tough decision for the Devils, but I’m gonna say they go for Justin Barron. The Devils have Smith and Bahl about to make the big squad on the left side so when they see Barron who’s a RHD sitting there they are gonna jump up and grab him. If Barron is gone already I think they go Zary or Holloway, but in this fake draft he is still available, so Jersey takes him.

THE PICK: JUSTIN BARRON

19. Calgary Flames 

Options: Reichel / Zary / Lapierre / Amirov / Perrault / Bourque

The Flames need d and center icemen, a goalie wouldn’t hurt either. But the Flames are really lacking depth on the wing in the organization so for some reason I think the Flames surprise a few folks and take a LW’er in Lukas Reichel here. Reichel is a fast skater who can set up plays and shoots the biscuit a ton as well. He has a very high upside but could use the addition of a few pounds to his frame. Having a father who played many years in the show, Lukas will have very good guidance as to what it takes to play in the NHL. I could see the Flames taking Reichel here and then moving Mangiapane and Jankowski both up a line, keeping Lucic, and having an AHL’er fill that spot for a year or two until Reichel gets there. If you know your hockey you’ve already said “Jared, what about Gaudreau? You forgot about Gaudreau, bonehead”. I did not forget about Johnny Hockey, I can see Gaudreau being traded to Philly for Meyers or Sanheim, I could also see Nolan Patrick being involved in that trade and maybe a prospect or pick going back to Philly. I think the Nolan Patrick days are over in Philly.

THE PICK: LUKAS REICHEL

20. New Jersey Devils 

Options: Zary / Lapierre / Amirov / Perrault .

After taking a winger and a dman with their first 2 picks I think they go after another centerman who can play all situations, that center is Connor Zary. Perrault is seen as weak defensively at this point due to being -34 last season but personally I wouldn’t put much stock in that thinking as he played with a young team that was up and down all year and even though they scored a lot of goals they allowed even more against. Amirov would work great here, I think he could turn out even better than Raymond to be honest. Lapierre is a great playmaker and skater who could work here, but Zary is an all around guy who is 6’ feet tall and plays like he’s 6’5 every night. He’s good defensively and plays with an edge while still being able to score and set up goals. New Jersey could use another centerman who is good defensively and likes to bring it when the going gets tough. Zary is currently being compared to Shane Doan.

THE PICK: CONNOR ZARY