The Smaht Scouting team did a mock draft for the first four rounds. Bailey Johnson (NCAA and USHS amateur scout), Paul Zuk (USHL and Southern OHL amateur scout), Alexander Appleyard (Sweden and Finland amateur scout), Jordan Malette (Eastern OHL and Western QMJHL amateur scout) and Josh Tessler (Director of Amateur Scouting) drafted for assigned teams. The below screenshot shows the assignments.

#1 – Buffalo Sabres – Matthew Beniers

Selected by Paul Zuk

With the first overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres selected Matthew Beniers (University of Michigan, Center). It’s not the first time that in the last few years that the Sabres took a NCAA centerman in the top five. Back in 2015, the Sabres selected Jack Eichel (Boston University, Center) at second overall. Beniers has proven to be relentless with the puck, possesses strong puck manipulation, is a two-way center and a problem solver in transition.

#2 – Seattle Kraken – Owen Power

Selected by Josh Tessler

With Seattle’s first ever draft selection, they select Owen Power (University of Michigan, LHD). The Kraken are likely to add quite a few solid left handed defensemen in the expansion draft like Devon Toews and Brady Skjei, but they need a top left handed defenseman of the future. Power has proven to be a solid puck distributor at the point, he will pinch and fight in puck battles down low.

#3 – Anaheim Ducks – William Eklund

Selected by Alexander Appleyard

In the last few drafts, the Anaheim Ducks have selected quite a few forwards in the early rounds including Jacob Perreault, Sam Colangelo, Trevor Zegras, Brayden Tracey, Isac Lundestrom and Benoit-Olivier Groulx, but they aren’t done yet. With the third overall pick, they take playmaking forward William Eklund (Djurgården, Left Wing). As Alex notes in his report on Eklund, his vision allows him to be a rather crafty playmaker with excellent vision.

Side note, Mikael Holm of McKeen’s Hockey constantly reminds the folks in Will Scouch’s discord server that Djurgården is the official name of the club and doesn’t require a “s” at the end.

#4 – New Jersey Devils – Luke Hughes

Selected by Jordan Malette

The New Jersey Devils select Jack Hughes’ younger brother, Luke Hughes (USNTDP, LHD) with the fourth overall pick. In the 2020 draft, the Devils went forward heavy in round one with Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer, but did add Shakir Mukhamadullin with their third first rounder and Ethan Edwards in the later rounds. Luke Hughes is arguably a much stronger puck moving defenseman than both Mukhamadullin and Edwards. Hughes is the best skater in the 2021 NHL Draft class and possesses soft hands when distributing the puck.

#5 – Columbus Blue Jackets – Simon Edvinsson

Selected by Bailey Johnson

With the fifth overall selection, the Columbus Blue Jackets select Simon Edvinsson (Frölunda, LHD). As Seth Jones is rumored to be leaving the organization when he becomes a UFA in 2022, the organization will need to fill his skates with another highly touted defenseman who can be a consistent threat in the offensive zone. As Alex notes in his report on Edvinsson, the Swede has proven to navigate through “neutral zone traps” and pinch down low into high danger to generate scoring chances.

#6 – Detroit Red Wings – Brandt Clarke

Selected by Paul Zuk

The Detroit Red Wings already had an outstanding farm system before the 2021 NHL Draft with a plethora of prospects including Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, Theodor Niederbach, Joe Veleno and William Wallinder, but they add another stud at sixth overall with Brandt Clarke (Barrie, RHD). Clarke was set to play for the Barrie Colts this past season, but due to COVID-19, he took his talents across the pond to Slovakia alongside his brother Graeme Clarke (New Jersey Devils prospect). Clarke has shown that he possesses a strong transitional game and is one of the best puck distributors in this class.

#7 – San Jose Sharks – Jesper Wallstedt

Selected by Josh Tessler

The San Jose Sharks land the prospect with the highest upside in the 2021 NHL Draft class. With the Sharks struggling in net over the last few years, they now have a franchise goaltender in the making. Jesper Wallstedt (Luleå, Goaltender) has dominated the SHL at such a young age. The Sharks are netting a patient goaltender and who doesn’t expose much of the net. His glove work is easily the best in this class and controls rebounds extremely well.

#8 – Los Angeles Kings – Dylan Guenther

Selected by Alexander Appleyard

Like the Detroit Red Wings, Rob Blake, general manager of the Los Angeles Kings has done an excellent job building his system. Their farm system includes Quinton Byfield, Tyler Madden, Helge Grans, Brock Faber, Alex Turcotte, Tobias Bjornfot, Rasmus Kupari, Akil Thomas, Gabriel Vilardi and Jaret Anderson-Dolan. The system has a lot of quality two-way playmakers and defenders, but aside from Kaliyev, there isn’t a ton of raw goal scoring talent. By drafting Dylan Guenther (Edmonton, Left Wing), they are netting an excellent shooter who can drain one-timers with ease. Guenther also possesses a strong transitional game and can find gaps consistently in the offensive zone to exploit with a quick timed pass.

#9 – Vancouver Canucks – Kent Johnson

Selected by Bailey Johnson

The Vancouver Canucks have selected the local kid. Kent Johnson (University of Michigan, Center/Wing) from North Vancouver, British Columbia. While Johnson has lined up at center throughout his youth, he’s shown that he is far stronger on the wing during his freshman year in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Johnson has a tremendous amount of flash to his game and is one of the strongest stick-handlers in the class. As Bailey explained in her report, he’s creative and will produce highlight reel plays. So, Vancouver get ready for plenty of Kent Johnson clips on TSN’s Top 10.

#10 – Ottawa Senators – Fabian Lysell

Selected by Jordan Malette

The Ottawa Senators have built a solid youthful core including Tim Stützle, Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, Shane Pinto, Josh Norris, Erik Brannström, Alex Formenton and Drake Batherson. So, why not add another fun winger to the mix. Senators general manager Pierre Dorion nabs Fabian Lysell (Luleå, Right Winger) with the tenth overall pick. Tony Ferrari of Dobber Prospects yells “Vroom Vroom” when he watches Lysell and Will Scouch of Scouching calls him “The Swedish Roadrunner”. So, obviously skating and speed are a big part of his game. His compete level is exceptional and it shows in his decision making and his defensive play.

#11 – Arizona Coyotes – Forfeit

The Coyotes lost their first rounder for the 2021 NHL Draft.

#12 – Chicago Blackhawks – Chaz Lucius

Selected by Paul Zuk

The Chicago Blackhawks stock up at center and add University of Minnesota commit Chaz Lucius (USNTDP, Center). Fans at the Madhouse on Madison will love Chaz and his goal scoring ability. As Paul notes in his report, Lucius has excellent range on his shot and can be a threat no matter where he is in the offensive zone.

#13 – Calgary Flames – Fyodor Svechkov

Selected by Josh Tessler

The Calgary Flames add Fyodor Svechkov (Togliatti/SKA St. Petersburg, LW/C) at 12th overall. Svechkov is easily the best defensive forward in the 2021 NHL Draft class and has outstanding acceleration, puck manipulation and is rather dangerous down low.

#14 – Philadelphia Flyers – Aatu Räty

Selected by Alexander Appleyard

The Philadelphia Flyers take Finnish forward Aatu Räty (Kärpät, Center) at 13th overall. While Räty is no longer considered the top prospect in the class and has fallen to the teens, he’s shown that he can be a reliable forechecker, possesses a quality defensive game and is strong on the cycle.

#15 – Dallas Stars – Mason McTavish

Selected by Jordan Malette

The Dallas Stars ink Mason McTavish (Peterborough, Center) at 14th overall. Due to COVID, McTavish ended up returning back to Switzerland (where he spent a decent amount of his youth) and played for EHC Olten alongside Brennan Othmann (fellow dual citizen of both Canada and Switzerland). While McTavish was a sniper in the OHL, his shot and offensive production was more well-rounded in Switzerland. He loves drawing the attack to the perimeter and then finding a gap in the slot to exploit. McTavish also possesses a lot of grit in his game.

#16 – New York Rangers – Brennan Othmann

Selected by Bailey Johnson

With Chris Drury’s first selection as general manager of the New York Rangers, they select Brennan Othmann (Flint, Left Winger). Alongside McTavish, Othmann spent the season with EHC Olten in Switzerland. The dual citizen (Canada and Switzerland) consistently finds the right spot in the offensive zone and has one of the best shots in this class. He is an efficient defender and will drop back to regroup when facing tough pressure in the neutral zone.

Rest Of The First Round:

Round	Pick	Team	Traded From	Scout	Prospect	Team
First Round	1	Buffalo		Paul	Matthew Beniers	Michigan
First Round	2	Seattle		Josh	Owen Power	Michigan
First Round	3	Anaheim		Alex	William Eklund	Djurgården
First Round	4	New Jersey		Jordan	Luke Hughes	USNTDP
First Round	5	Columbus		Bailey	Simon Edvinsson	Frölunda
First Round	6	Detroit		Paul	Brandt Clarke	Barrie
First Round	7	San Jose		Josh	Jesper Wallstedt	Luleå
First Round	8	Los Angeles		Alex	Dylan Guenther	Edmonton
First Round	9	Vancouver		Bailey	Kent Johnson	Michigan
First Round	10	Ottawa		Jordan	Fabian Lysell	Luleå
First Round	11	Arizona	FORFEIT	FORFEIT	FORFEIT	FORFEIT
First Round	12	Chicago		Paul	Chaz Lucius	USNTDP
First Round	13	Calgary		Josh	Fyodor Svechkov	SKA St-Petersburg
First Round	14	Philadelphia		Alex	Aatu Räty	Kärpät
First Round	15	Dallas		Jordan	Mason McTavish	Peterborough
First Round	16	New York Rangers		Bailey	Brennan Othmann	Flint
First Round	17	St. Louis		Paul	Cole Sillinger	Medicine Hat
First Round	18	Winnipeg		Jordan	Simon Robertsson	Skellefteå
First Round	19	Nashville		Alex	Oskar Olausson	HV71
First Round	20	Edmonton		Bailey	Scott Morrow	Fargo
First Round	21	Boston		Josh	Isak Rosén	Leksands
First Round	22	Minnesota		Josh	Carson Lambos	Winnipeg
First Round	23	Detroit	Washington	Paul	Mackie Samoskevich	Chicago
First Round	24	Florida		Alex	Stanislav Svozil	Brno
First Round	25	Columbus	Toronto	Bailey	Matthew Coronato	Chicago
First Round	26	Minnesota	Pittsburgh	Josh	Francesco Pinelli	Kitchener
First Round	27	Carolina		Paul	Logan Stankoven	Kamloops
First Round	28	Colorado		Jordan	Ayrton Martino	Omaha
First Round	29	New Jersey	New York Islanders	Jordan	Xavier Bourgault	Shawinigan
First Round	30	Vegas		Jordan	Ville Koivunen	Kärpät
First Round	31	Montreal		Alex	Nikita Chibrikov	SKA St-Petersburg
First Round	32	Columbus	Tampa	Bailey	Sasha Pastujov	USNTDP

First Round Recap

Pick #17 was a great value selection for the St. Louis Blues. The Blues took former St. Louis Blues forward Mike Sillinger’s son Cole Sillinger. Since 2016, the Blues haven’t taken many WHLers, but the allure of drafting Sillinger this late makes it all worth it. He has strong goal scoring and playmaking ability. Sillinger just doesn’t fire at will from low danger. He does the dirty work and looks for scoring chances down low. Following the Sillinger pick, we saw multiple Swedes come off the board with Simon Robertsson heading to Winnipeg, Oskar Olausson to Nashville and Isak Rosén to Boston. All three are excellent additions. Robertsson does an excellent job at finding open ice in the neutral zone and his shot is easily one of the best in the class. His wrist shot accuracy from the point is mouth watering. Olausson is a solid power forward, who possesses excellent reach and that comes in handy for stick-handling around traffic. Plus, he just loves driving play and moving the puck from zone to zone. For Bruins fans, Rosén would become a fan favorite. He finds open ice with ease and will burn net-minders with his one-timers. Rosén’s foot speed in transition and edges make him a true pest for defenders to contend with. The Minnesota Wild grab two prospects, who were projected to go much higher before the season kicked off. Carson Lambos’ offensive production was not as consistent as last year, but there is still a creative play-making defenseman there. Speaking of creative players, Francesco Pinelli is another. He’s deceptive especially with his skating and is a forechecking pest. Towards the end of the first, Logan Stankoven, Ayrton Martino and Ville Koivunen went off the board. Stankoven’s ceiling is slightly higher than Martino’s and Koivunen’s, but if you are looking for three forwards who can be crafty and well-rounded, you will appreciate these three.

Second Round

Second Round	33	Buffalo		Paul	Sebastian Cossa	Edmonton
Second Round	34	Anaheim		Alex	Olen Zellweger	Everett
Second Round	35	Seattle		Josh	Samu Tuomaala	Kärpät
Second Round	36	Vegas	New Jersey	Jordan	Brent Johnson	Sioux Falls
Second Round	37	Arizona	Ottawa (via CBJ)	Bailey	Jack Peart	Grand Rapids
Second Round	38	Detroit		Paul	Dylan Duke	USNTDP
Second Round	39	Ottawa	San Jose	Jordan	Zachary L’Heureux	Halifax
Second Round	40	Nashville	Los Angeles	Alex	Samu Salminen	Jokerit
Second Round	41	Vancouver		Bailey	Daniil Chayka	Guelph
Second Round	42	Ottawa		Jordan	Jake Martin	USNTDP
Second Round	43	Arizona		Bailey	Tristan Broz	Fargo
Second Round	44	Chicago		Paul	Aleksi Heimosalmi	Ässät
Second Round	45	Calgary		Josh	William Strömgren	MODO
Second Round	46	Philadelphia		Alex	Corson Ceulemans	Brooks
Second Round	47	Dallas		Jordan	Prokhor Poltapov	CSKA Moscow
Second Round	48	Detroit	New York Rangers	Paul	Sean Behrens	USNTDP
Second Round	49	Los Angeles	Vegas (via BUF and STL)	Alex	Zachary Bolduc	Rimouski
Second Round	50	Winnipeg		Jordan	Sean Tschigerl	Calgary
Second Round	51	Nashville		Alex	Zach Dean	Gatineau
Second Round	52	Detroit	Edmonton	Paul	Matthew Knies	Tri-City (USHL)
Second Round	53	Buffalo	Boston	Paul	Cole Jordan	Moose Jaw
Second Round	54	Minnesota		Josh	Benjamin Gaudreau	Sarnia
Second Round	55	Washington		Alex	Anton Olsson	Malmö
Second Round	56	Florida		Alex	Ryder Korczak	Moose Jaw
Second Round	57	Toronto		Josh	Marcus Almquist	HV71
Second Round	58	Pittsburgh		Paul	Bryce Montgomery	London
Second Round	59	Carolina		Paul	Evan Nause	Quebec
Second Round	60	New York Islanders	Colorado	Bailey	Liam Gilmartin	USNTDP
Second Round	61	New Jersey	New York Islanders	Jordan	Artyom Grushnikov	Hamilton
Second Round	62	Chicago	Vegas	Paul	Colton Dach	Saskatoon
Second Round	63	Montreal		Alex	Liam Dower Nilsson	Frölunda
Second Round	64	Montreal	Tampa	Alex	Alexander Kisakov	Dynamo Moscow

Second Round Recap

In the second round, quite a few USHLers went off the board. The excellent puck-carrying defenseman Brent Johnson was taken by Vegas and Detroit grabbed this year’s Bobby Brink in Dylan Duke. If you enjoyed Brink’s play with the USNTDP prior to the 2019 NHL Draft, you will appreciate Duke’s 200 ft game. Ottawa grabbed a potential steal in Zachary L’Heureux. L’Heureux was lower on our board due to four suspensions, but his offensive production makes him worth the selection at #39. If he can be cautious of his on-ice issues and just become an aggressive defender in transition and on the forecheck, he will be very successful with similar minded forwards in Ottawa. Chicago takes Aleksi Heimosalmi, who stick-handles with ease around the forecheck. Quick pivots and he’s off. Winnipeg nets Sean Tschigerl, who possesses strong forechecking especially on the penalty kill, uses his upper body well to separate himself from attackers and has strong defensive awareness. Towards the end of the second round, we saw a few players go off the board like Liam Gilmartin to the Islanders and Liam Dower Nilsson to the Canadiens who both possess excellent compete levels. They give it their all every shift and are puck hungry.

Third Round

Third Round	65	New York Rangers	Buffalo	Bailey	Aidan Hreschuk	USNTDP
Third Round	66	Anaheim		Alex	Wyatt Johnston	Windsor
Third Round	67	Seattle		Josh	Ty Voit	Sarnia
Third Round	68	New Jersey		Jordan	Dmitri Katelevsky	Kazan
Third Round	69	Columbus		Bailey	Trevor Wong	Kelowna
Third Round	70	Detroit		Paul	Tristan Lennox	Saginaw
Third Round	71	San Jose		Josh	Dmitri Kuzmin	Dinamo-Molodechno
Third Round	72	Los Angeles		Alex	Victor Stjernborg	Växjö
Third Round	73	Vancouver		Bailey	Jiri Tichacek	Kladno
Third Round	74	Ottawa		Jordan	Lorenzo Canonica	Shawinigan
Third Round	75	Washington	New Jersey (via ARI)	Alex	Kirill Kirsanov	SKA St-Petersburg
Third Round	76	Montreal	Chicago	Alex	Matvei Petrov	Krylya Sovetov Moscow
Third Round	77	Calgary		Josh	Danila Klimovich	Minskie Zubry
Third Round	78	Philadelphia		Alex	Oliver Kapanen	KalPa
Third Round	79	Dallas		Jordan	Lukas Gustafsson	Chicago
Third Round	80	New York Rangers		Bailey	Ryan Ufko	Chicago
Third Round	81	St. Louis		Paul	Martin Rysavy	HC Prerov
Third Round	82	Winnipeg		Jordan	Brett Harrison	Oshawa
Third Round	83	Nashville		Alex	Vladislav Lukashevich	Yaroslavl
Third Round	84	Calgary	Edmonton	Josh	Samuel Helenius	JYP
Third Round	85	Boston		Josh	Robert Orr	Halifax
Third Round	86	Minnesota		Josh	Ethan Del Mastro	Mississauga
Third Round	87	Montreal	San Jose (via WSH)	Alex	Jack Bar	Chicago
Third Round	88	Buffalo	Florida	Paul	Chase Stillman	Sudbury
Third Round	89	Los Angeles	Toronto	Alex	Peter Reynolds	Saint John
Third Round	90	Minnesota	Pittsburgh	Josh	Shai Buium	Sioux City
Third Round	91	Carolina		Paul	Vincent Iorio	Brandon
Third Round	92	Colorado		Jordan	Redmond Savage	USNTDP
Third Round	93	New York Islanders		Bailey	Hugo Gabrielsson	Frölunda
Third Round	94	Detroit	Vegas	Paul	Verner Miettinen	Kiekko-Espoo
Third Round	95	Buffalo	Montreal	Paul	Justin Robidas	Val-d’Or
Third Round	96	Tampa		Paul	Conner Roulette	Seattle

Fourth Round

Fourth Round	97	Buffalo		Paul	James Malatesta	Quebec
Fourth Round	98	Anaheim		Alex	Jayden Grubbe	Red Deer
Fourth Round	99	Seattle		Josh	Oscar Plandowski	Charlottetown
Fourth Round	100	New Jersey		Jordan	Francesco Arcuri	Kingston
Fourth Round	101	Columbus		Bailey	Topias Vilén	Pelicans
Fourth Round	102	Detroit		Paul	Elias Stenman	Skellefteå
Fourth Round	103	San Jose		Josh	Kalle Väisänen	TPS
Fourth Round	104	New York Rangers	Los Angeles	Bailey	Justin Janicke	USNTDP
Fourth Round	105	Chicago	Vancouver	Paul	Philip Granath	Frölunda
Fourth Round	106	New York Rangers	Ottawa	Bailey	Nolan Allan	Prince Albert
Fourth Round	107	Arizona		Bailey	Kirill Gerasimyuk	SKA St-Petersburg
Fourth Round	108	Chicago		Paul	Ty Gallagher	USNTDP
Fourth Round	109	Los Angeles	Calgary	Alex	Theo Jacobsson	MODO
Fourth Round	110	Philadelphia		Alex	Dovar Tinling	Vermont
Fourth Round	111	Dallas		Jordan	Cameron Whynot	Halifax
Fourth Round	112	New York Rangers		Bailey	Roman Schmidt	USNTDP
Fourth Round	113	Montreal	St. Louis	Alex	Olivier Nadeau	Shawinigan
Fourth Round	114	Vegas	Winnipeg	Jordan	Jackson Blake	Chicago
Fourth Round	115	Nashville		Alex	Logan Mailloux*	London
Fourth Round	116	Edmonton		Bailey	Jimi Suomi	Jokerit
Fourth Round	117	Boston		Josh	Jack Matier	Ottawa
Fourth Round	118	Minnesota		Josh	Jeremy Wilmer	USNTDP
Fourth Round	119	Washington		Alex	Viljami Marjala	Quebec
Fourth Round	120	Florida		Alex	Cole Huckins	Acadie-Bathurst
Fourth Round	121	San Jose	Toronto	Josh	Ruben Rafkin	TPS
Fourth Round	122	Arizona	Pittsburgh	Bailey	David Gucciardi	Waterloo
Fourth Round	123	Carolina		Paul	Noah Meier	GCK Zürich
Fourth Round	124	Nashville	Ottawa (via COL)	Alex	Kyle Masters	Red Deer
Fourth Round	125	New York Islanders		Bailey	Jack O’Brien	Portland
Fourth Round	126	Montreal	Vegas	Alex	Aleksi Malinen	JYP
Fourth Round	127	Montreal		Alex	Joshua Roy	Sherbrooke
Fourth Round	128	Detroit	Tampa	Paul	Dario Allenspach	EVZ Zug

Third and Fourth Round Recap

In rounds three and four, there was a run of prospects who project to be excellent third line grinders with offensive upside. Dmitri Katelevsky was selected by the Devils. Katelevsky has proven to be a forechecking pest in a league that simply doesn’t see a ton of forechecking pressure. Victor Stjernborg to the LA Kings. Stjernborg is a well-rounded forward, who provides the Kings with an excellent defensive forward when covering the point and the half-wall. Aside from the grinders, Jiri Tichacek was selected by the Vancouver Canucks. Don’t let size fool you. There is a solid prospect in Jiri. For a smaller defender, he has excellent gap control and solid physicality. He’ll give you Nick Jensen vibes at times. In round four, there were quite a few defensemen who are true defensive defenseman and can be pests to beat. For instance, Topias Vilén and Jack Matier. The San Jose Sharks drafted two TPS prospects with their fourth round picks. Kalle Väisänen provides the Sharks with a physical power forward who loves finding open ice to key up one-timers. Ruben Rafkin is a Finnish over-ager, who has shown to be excellent in transition and loves to pinch up to run the cycle. 

Note on Mailloux: At the time of the mock conducted, Mailloux was eligible to be drafted before withdrawing.