2011 NHL Mock Draft: SB Nation’s Hockey Blogs Simulate First Round

via svenskafans.com

Klefbom is a bit of a raw talent, and he’s ranked 6th in the draft among European skaters by Central Scouting. He’s a big guy, and rare in this draft in the fact that he doesn’t need to add much bulk to his 6’3” frame, and also in the fact that he plays with a bit of an edge in his game. The European players with that attribute tend to already call North America home, unlike Klefbom, who’s still in Sweden.

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Mayfield was ranked 15th among North American skaters in Central Scouting’s midterm rankings, but after a bit of an offensive dip in the second half of his season with the Youngstown Phantoms, he fell to the 24th position in their final rankings. But of course, he’s a defenseman, and he does things well that defensemen do well: uses his body well, skates well and is calm with the puck. It helps that he’s not too bad with the puck at the power play, too.

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Phillips shunned the NCAA and UMass to play in the QMJHL, and after winning the QMJHL title and the Memorial Cup this past year, I’m sure he’s fine with that decision. Phillips is a two-way center with good vision and a nose for the net, according to scouts that have watched him play, and it obviously doesn’t hurt that he was the linemate of Jonathan Huberdeau, who’s expected to go in the top five of the draft this year.

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Another Russian who has a really long name and North American experience under his belt, Khokhlachev scored 76 points in 67 games this past season with the Spits. He’s another offensive wonder that has a little bit of an issue with his size, but that’s part of the deal when you have a player coming over from Europe with limited experience on the smaller rink this side of the Atlantic.

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Jurco is notorious for his abilty to dazzle in the shootout, but the product of Slovakia is more than just a pretty face for the NHL to slap on a poster. Flat out, this guy is one of those guys with offensive skill -- no more, no less. He can dazzle with the moves, place an accurate shot and seems to be adapting to the North American game rather nicely.

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Namestnikov’s strongest asset is his last name, which allows him to stand out relative to the North American players he goes head-to-head with in the OHL, thanks to the deep penetration of jersey letters into his arm pits. He’s also a fast skater, and if you ask scouts that have seen Namestnikov play, that’s usually the first thing you’ll hear about.

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Puempel, ranked the 28th North American skater in the final rankings from Central Scouting, has been a phenomenal two-year career on a horrible team in the OHL, the Petes. He put up 69 points in 2010-11, a year after being named the OHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2009-10. He’s a bit of a rarity in the top portion of this year’s draft in that he’s more of a pure goal scorer than a well-rounded player.

via Tom Sorenson & Hockey Wilderness

Miller, who also goes by J.T., has committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2011-12 campaign. He’s a two-way forward that’s responsible anywhere on the ice, can use his body well and is very solid when it comes to dishing the puck. On the flip side, he isn’t the most consistent of players, and that’s something he’ll have to work on in college and, eventually, in the pro ranks.

With the 12th pick in SB Nation’s 2011 NHL Mock Draft, our Carolina Hurricanes delegation at Canes Country selects, a center from the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League, Ryan Strome.

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via Wikipedia

Here’s how Hockey Wilderness justified the pick:

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Ranked third among North American skaters by Central Scouting, Huberdeau is coming off a huge season with the Saint John Sea Dogs that saw him take home the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as Memorial Cup MVP. The best player on Major Junior hockey’s best team in 2010-11. Not too shabby.

Here’s how In Lou We Trust justifies their pick:

“There’s a lot to love about Couturier as a player and prospects like him don’t come around often unless you’re picking high regularly in the draft. The main goal for the New Jersey Devils in this draft is to select an excellent talent they normally don’t have access to. Couturier fits that bill to a “T.” He’s not just an offensive dynamo, he has a big body, he uses that body well, and he plays defense. Defense on top of offense!

Awkward. via AP

Landeskog enters the draft and immediately has the size to play in the NHL, and unlike many other skaters of European decent, this Swede has groomed his game in Ontario, so there’s no necessary adjustment period to the North American style of play. Landeskog is ready for action in the pro ranks, and he’s even been compared to another former Kitchener Rangers captain that’s had a nice NHL career so far.