2013 NHL Draft Report

For those who didn't catch it, Sunday afternoon was the 2013 NHL Entry Draft held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Here, future stars of the NHL were selected by the 30 NHL teams. Top prospects include Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks and the two forwards of the Halifax Mooseheads, Nathan McKinnon and Jonathan Drouin.

The day started with the Colorado Avalanche making the first overall pick. Staying true to what they said the past week, the Avalanche passed over Seth Jones and picked Nathan McKinnon. The Avs always said they were going for a forward this draft and they followed through. The picks to follow, however, were a tad more surprising. Instead of Jones for the number-two pick, the Florida Panthers chose Russian-born Fin Aleksander Barkov. Jones was then passed over again by the Tampa Bay Lightning in favor of Jonathan Drouin. Then finally, Jones was selected fourth overall by the Nashville Predators. Some other notable picks of the first round were Sean Monahan (6th, Calgary Flames), Darnell Nurse (7th, Edmonton Oilers), and Max Domi (12th, Phoenix Coyotes), son of former NHLer Tie Domi. The first goaltender didn't come until round 2 when the Montreal Canadiens chose Zachary Fucale 36th overall.

The one big splash at the draft was made by the host New Jersey Devils. The Devils were slated to have the number nine pick in the draft, but they made a last second trade with Vancouver to acquire goaltender Cory Schneider. It was a great move by the Devils as they will be in need of a starting goaltender when Martin Brodeur decides to retire. Vancouver used the number nine pick to select Bo Horvat of the London Knights.

As for the Seth Jones situation, his move from number one scouting ranking to fourth overall pick is not his fault at all. The first three teams of the draft, Colorado; Florida; and Tampa Bay, all had their plan in mind and Jones did not fit. They either needed forwards or were looking for forwards and Jones is a defenseman with an offensive upside. In all honesty, Jones would fit better in Nashville anyway. With Jones teaming up with either Shea Weber or Ryan Ellis, the Predators will have the most dangerous blueline in the league next season.

If your still not convinced, then keep this thought in mind: the draft position is just a number. We've had first overall picks be total duds (ex. Alexandre Daigle, Patrik Stefan) and we've had late picks be total studs (ex. Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Lundqvist). Who knows how these picks will perform in the NHL. At this point, we'll just have to wait and see.