Today we attempt to do the silly and project how the entire 2021 NHL Draft will go, doing a mock draft for all 224 picks.
Some of these selections are based on intel I’m hearing about players connected to certain teams, but the deeper you go the more it becomes an effort to estimate a player’s draft range, using my reporting as a guide.
Team summaries are located at the bottom of the column.
In terms of the flow of the first round, team sources mostly expect the top nine I have listed to be the first nine picks in some order, unless a team like Detroit or Los Angeles throws a wrench with a goaltender pick. Around the Ottawa, Chicago and Calgary picks is where the draft projections get uncertain, which will then dictate how the rest of the first round goes. There is a consensus top 10-12 prospects in my calls with scouts, but not a consensus top 15.
