Toronto Maple Leafs: 2018 NHL Mock Draft – First Edition
By Austin Owens
Defence. Noah Dobson. 9. Scouting Report. Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL). player. 148. Pick Analysis
Dobson has turned himself from a mid-second round projection at the beginning of the season to a lottery pick with his solid play in the QMJHL this season.
He has size, skating and strong play at both ends of the ice. That will be music to the ears of the Oilers, who can add another defender this year.
The Oilers haven’t selected a defender in the first round since 2013, when they took Darnell Nurse. It would be smart to take one with this pick and bolster their blueline down the road. Dobson looks like a solid candidate to be a good contributor for Edmonton in the future.
Left Wing. 106. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. USNTDP (USHL). Joel Farabee. 10
The Islanders are no stranger to picking players from the U.S. National Team Program. Just a few years ago, they selected Keiffer Bellows in the first round. Based off how he is looking currently, that was a solid pick by the Isles.
With their first of two picks in the first round, the Islanders can select a dynamic forward in Farabee. The winger plays a full 200-foot game and can dish and shoot the puck well.
Farabee is set to join Tkachuk at Boston University next season, making it one of the best duos in the NCAA as soon as he sets foot on campus.
With Bellows and Farabee being around in Brooklyn for the foreseeable future, perhaps John Tavares might have more incentive to stick around and play with some up and coming, high-end talents.