2020 NHL Mock Draft: Final Mock 7 Rounds

Round 7

Chris Ransom follow @DraftUtopia Last Updated: October 6, 2020.

186. Detroit Red Wings: Ethan Cardwell, RW, Barrie Colts (OHL)
     
     The 5-10 157 lb Ethan Cardwell had 23 goals, 24 assists, and 47 points in his OHL time with both the Saginaw Spirit and Barrie Colts in 2019-2020. Cardwell is a guy that I've seen mocked as high as the middle of the third round, so Detroit deserves a lot of credit for recognizing the value that this pick provides.
     
     
     
187. Montreal Canadiens: Ilya Morozov, D, HC Sibir Novosibirsk (KHL)
     
     The 6-2 216 lb Ilya Morozov is an offensive defender who had 4 goals, 5 assists, and 9 points in the KHL. The 21-year-old defenseman is a late round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. One benefit about this pick is that Montreal can bring this guy straight to the AHL.
     
     
     
     
     
188. Toronto Maple Leafs: Dmitri Ovechinnikov, LW, HC Sibir Novosibirsk (KHL)
     
     
     The 5-10 161 left winger is versatile enough to play anywhere at forward. He can play left wing, center, or right wing with his versatility. He has not scored a point in the KHL yet. Toronto is probably looking at an extra forward for the Toronto Marlies with this pick, but he's the best player on the board at this point in the seventh round. He could get picked as early as the third round so to get a third round value pick in the seventh round is great value.
     
     
     
189. Los Angeles Kings: Juuso Maenpaa, C, Jokerit (KHL)
     
     
     Juuso Maenpaa is considered a top 100 prospect on some boards and the second best prospect on Jokerit behind Jonni Jurmo. The center from Finland will play for Kalevan Pallo in the SM Liiga league in 2020-2021. He has no KHL or SM Liiga experience against pros which is why I have him graded lower than most despite a nice season on Jokerit's Under-20 Team where he had 12 goals, 37 asssists, 49 points, and a +19 +/- ratio in 52 games.
     
     
     
     
     
190. Vancouver Canucks: Marko Stacha, D, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
     
     
     Marco Stacha was drafted at pick 90 in the second round of the 2020 CHL Import Draft. The Vancouver Giants drafted a 6-1 190 lb defenseman who played against pros his own age in his native homeland of Slovakia and did well enough against those pros to warrant fourth round consideration. Most scouts look at countries like Canada, USA, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Germany, Czech Republic, and Switzerland for players.
     
     
     
     Marco Stacha may fall to the seventh round due to the fact that he's an unknown from Slovakia. This 18-year-old impressed in Slovakia. The Vancouver Canucks can draft him, sign him to his rookie contract, monitor his progress on the Giants, send him to the Utica Comets in the AHL once he turns 20, and then bring him up to the NHL in 2025 when he turns 23-years-old.
     
     
     
191. New Jersey Devils: Brady Burns, LW, Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
     
     
     The 5-10 157 lb Brady Burns was the first star of the game in the Saint John Sea Dogs win over the Charlottetown Islanders on Saturday Night despite being the teams fourth line left winger. Some NHL teams are projecting him to play center at the next level due to his consistent playmaking on offense. He has the skating, passing, playmaking, wrist shot power, wrist shot accuracy, slap shot power, slap shot accuracy, and has elite stick handling and agility for a prospect despite being a day 2 pick.
     
     
     
     Brady Burns had 27 goals, 30 assists, and 57 points in 2019-2020. He struggles defensively which is why he is listed as a fourth line player on the Saint John Sea Dogs. He can be an NHL player if a team fixes his defense because everything else is there from the tape I've seen. New Jersey has the centers and goaltending to contend along with a few good lines of defense. They are uber thin at the wing, but they draft another winger here who could be a good role player on the back six.
     
     
     
     
     
192. Buffalo Sabres: Charlie Desroches, D, Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
     
     
     Charlie Desroches has a fifth round grade, but he anchors the second line on the Saint John Sea Dogs. He's a better prospect than the overhyped Jereme Poirier, who will get overdrafted. Charlie would probably tell me that Poirier is a great guy off the ice so I'm giving Buffalo this second line defenseman in the seventh round as someone they can develop for the future.
     
     
     
193. Minnesota Wild: Jacob Truscott, D, USNTDP (USHL)
     
     
     Minnesota drafts Jacob Truscott. He rounds out the defenseman on USNTDP and is the worst defender on USNTDP. He's got a fifth round grade and is still available in the seventh round, so the Wild pull the trigger and get Truscott here.
     
     
     
     
     
194. Toronto Maple Leafs: Elliot Ekmark, C, Linkopings HC (Elitserien)
     
     
     Elliott Ekmark was captain of the Linkopings Under-16 Team at the mere age of 15. He was also the alternate captain of Linkopings Under-18 Team briging consistent leadership to an organization down the road. My biggest knock is he hasn't made the SHL now known as the Swedish Hockey League once known as Elitserien. He's someone who could be a good first line center on the Toronto Marlies in the AHL. Best case scenario, you manage to get a fourth line center in the NHL, but more than likely, you'll end up with an AHL guy here.
     
     
     
195. New York Rangers: Victor Mancini, D, Frolunda Indians (Elitserien)
     
     
     The 6-3 201 lb Victor Mancini, who hails from Sweden, is the only two-sport athlete in this entire NHL Draft. Mancini plays both hockey and baseball in Sweden. In fact, he's the only two-sport athlete that I specifically recall scouting in all of my years covering the NHL Draft at both Rant Sports and Draft Utopia dating back to 2011. I've mentioned two sport athletes in my NFL, NBA, MLB, and MLS mock drafts in the past. I never saw a two-sport athlete in the NHL draft and he's from Sweden, not USA or Canada, so it's certainly a compelling story to say the least.
     
     
     
     Mancini had 9 goals, 5 assists, 14 points, and a +28 +/- ratio on the Frolunda Indians Under-20 Team in Sweden. Unlike his other teammates on the Frolunda Indians who played in the SHL, the furthest he got on Frolunda was the Under-20 Team so he doesn't have the experience of playing against professionals in Sweden who are older than him. The reason, I'm willing to look past that here, is because he actually has a late fifth round grade despite not having the chance to play in Elitserien. It's easy to see why when you watch his tape.
     
     
     
     He's got a scholarship to Nebraska-Omaha and will enroll in Nebraska-Omaha in 2021-2022. New York can wait until 2025 to sign Mancini to a rookie contract with the Hartford Wolfpack. New York will not have to worry aobut giving this guy an NHL contract until 2028 if he stays all four years at Nebraska-Omaha while working towards getting his degree.
     
     
     
     
     
196. New York Rangers: Ville Ottavainen, D, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
     
     
     Ville Ottavainen is a defensive defender on the Kitchener Rangers from Finland. He will return to his Liiga team in Finland where he will develop on a TPS squad that is loaded with defenders in this class.
     
     
     
197. Florida Panthers: Ben Schoen, RW, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
     
     
     The 5-8 146 lb center/right winger regressed this season. He still has a sixth round grade though. He's probably a right winger in the AHL or the NHL wherever he ends up.
     
     
     
     
     
198. Carolina Hurricanes: Alex Gaffney, C, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
     
     
     The 5-7 163 lb Alex Gaffney may appear like a nice late round prospect since he's got a sixth round grade. His tape looks weak despite some okay stats and scouts were critical of him even with his 33 point season in Muskegon. The fact that Alex Gaffney got accepted into Harvard, the hardest academic university to get into is the only thing that made Gaffney draftable.
     
     
     
199. Edmonton Oilers: Senna Peeters, LW, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
     
     
     Senna Peeters is from Belgium. He has a sixth round grade and is versatile enough to play left wing, center, right wing with his versatility. He had 23 goals, 10 assists, and 33 points showing promise offensively. He struggled defensively, yet still managed to produce more points than first round prospect Justin Barron.
     
     
     
     
     
200. San Jose Sharks: Aiden Campbell, G, Erie Otters (OHL)
     
     
     Aiden Campbell dominated at Seneca Valley in 2018-2019. It's easy to see why since he was training at the Mario Lemieux Sports Complex with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Under-14 through Under-16 teams. For people that live in Pittsburgh, that is within walking distance of Seneca Valley High School which is one of the bigger rivals to my old High School North Allegheny. My bus driver at NA, had kids that went to Seneca Valley and the Raiders have blue track turf, and some of the students booed her since she rooted for the Raiders. Another fun story, when I worked at T.J. Maxx in Cranberry Township, I saw the construction of the Mario Lemieux Sports Complex before the building opened.
     
     
     
     Campbell had trouble making the transition from Seneca Valley to the USHL in 2018-2019 where he looked overwhelmed on the USNTDP in the USHL. He looked even worse in 2019-2020 with the Erie Otters. The fact that he struggled in two big leagues outside of his hometown makes me wonder if this guy can make the transition to the NHL or the AHL for that matter.
     
     
     
     San Jose needs to draft a goalie, and they have not gotten a goalie this entire draft. They get a goalie from the Pittsburgh area that is consdered the top goalie left in this class. The irony is the Sharks are drafting a local goalie from Pittsburgh, with the Penguins seventh round pick.
     
     
     
201. Philadelphia Flyers: Landon Kosior, D, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
     
     
     Landon Kosior was line mates with Kaiden Guhle the top pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft this past season. One team that seemed to show a lot of interest when scouting Kosior was the Philadelphia Flyers and now they get their guy here.
     
     
     
     
     
202. St. Louis Blues: Cole Shepard, LW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
     
     
     The 5-10 157 lb Cole Shepard is the best player available in the seventh round. The Vancouver Giants finally got to see Shepard in 2020 after he spent two seasons with the Penticon Vees. He's a seventh round prospect and a nice project for the Blues.
     
     
     
203. Arizona Coyotes: Mike Vorlicky, D, Wisconsin
     
     
     The Arizona Coyotes got a great value pick in the seventh round. Mike Vorlicky was teammates with first round pick Dylan Holloway. He has a seventh round grade.
     
     
     
     
     
204. Calgary Flames: Kyle Crnkovic, LW, Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
     
     
     Calgary gets a winger. Kyle Crnkovic is my best player on the board in the seventh round.
     
     
     
205. New York Rangers: Alexander Gordin, RW, SKA Saint Petersburg (KHL)
     
     
     Alexander Gordin is versatile enough to play left wing or right wing with his versatility. He's a better fit at right winger. He has 0 points and only 1 game of experience in the KHL so he's a project that may only have the ceiling to be a winger on the Hartford Wolfpack in the AHL.
     
     
     
     
     
206. Columbus Blue Jackets: Victor Ostman, G, Chicago Steel (USHL)
     
     
     The 6-4 205 lb Victor Ostman dominated at goalie with the Chicago Steel in the USHL with a 2.34 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. He's 20-years-old and will begin a four year scholarship in Maine starting in 2020-2021. Columbus has two quality starters. Personally, I think Ostman may be able to become a starting goalie on Columbus or a viable backup at the very worst in due time and the scary thing is Columbus has two good goalies. Ostman is also the last draftable player on my board.
     
     
     
207. Carolina Hurricanes: Florian Elias, LW, Adler Mannheim (DEL)
     
     
     Only ten picks remain as I have to assign ten players with undrafted grades to NHL teams. This is the most difficult task in this mock draft so let's get right to it.
     
     
     
     Florian Elias is set to take over for Tim Stutzle in the DEL league. He does not have a lot of experience in the DEL and only played prospects his age.
     
     
     
     
     
208. Philadelphia Flyers: Jake Uberti, C, Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
     
     
     Philadelphia gets a center who is solid offensively. He's weak defensively and he seems like someone who is more of an AHL guy than an NHL guy.
     
     
     
209. Colorado Avalanche: Tanner Dickinson, C, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
     
     
     Tanner Dickinson had 9 goals, 31 assists, and 40 points. He also played as a line 2 center on the power play. He's very gifted offensively. He's awful defensively and will need to fix his defense in the OHL before going to the AHL and maybe the NHL if he manages to continue to work on his game.
     
     
     
     
     
210. San Jose Sharks: Robert Kalisti, D, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
     
     
     Robert Kalisti may have learned something from first round prospect and team captain Ryan O'Rourke. He's a great value pick for San Jose here.
     
     
     
     
     
211. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gerard Keane, D, London Knights (OHL)
     
     
     Toronto gets another defender. Gerard Keane was a top four defenseman on the London Knights. You're getting a top second line defenseman in the AHL on the Toronto Marlies at the very worst. Best case scenario, you get another top line defender, but Toronto has so many guys on their blue line at the moment, that Keane just needs to worry about continuing to develop in London before earning a spot on an AHL team.
     
     
     
212. Boston Bruins: Hank Kempf, D, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
     
     
     The 6-1 181 lb Hank Kempf had 17 assists and a +18 +/- ratio. He got accepted into Cornell. The Boston Bruins can take Kempf here and stash him in Cornell while he gets his degree and develops. Then they can put him on the Providence Bruins. If he has success in Providence, he may see the NHL one day.
     
     
     
     
     
213. New York Islanders: Gabriel Sall, LW, Skelleftea AIK (Elitserien)
     
     
     The 5-11 165 lb Gabriel Sall is a good left wing prospect. He's effective offensively, not dominant and a project defensively. He's not dominant in any category, but the upside to play on a top line in the AHL as a left winger or a backline in the NHL as a fourth line left winger is there. He could go anywhere between the third and seventh round. Back in March, I had a fifth round grade on him before Covid 19 hit. Sall is a guy nobody is talking about and you can get him pretty late in this draft because right now more NHL scouts are talking about his teammate Albin Sundsvik, but I like Sall more on tape.
     
     
     
214. Vegas Golden Knights: Albin Sundsvik, C, Skelleftea AIK (Elitserien)
     
     Vegas gets a center to develop. The 6-2 187 lb Albin Sundsvik is a guy that most scouts believe has a higher upside than Gabriel Sall. I focused more on Sall than Sundsvik when scouting Skelleftea AIK. However, I believe both forwards on Skelleftea AIK will get drafted so the Vegas Golden Knights get Sundsvik here.
     
     
     
     
     
215. Buffalo Sabres: Bear Hughes, C, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
     
     
     The 6-0 170 lb Bear Hughes dominated this season with 16 goals, 31 assists, 47 points, and a +9 +/- ratio as a second line center on the Spokane Chiefs behind Jack Finley. When I read his scouting report, the first sentence that was said was this. Bear Hughes fights for the puck like a bear. That's the most awesome scouting report I've read to date.
     
     
     
216. Tampa Bay Lightning: Conner Hutchison, D, Penticon Vees (BCHL)
     
     
     Tampa Bay gets the Mr. Irrelevant pick in this years 2020 NHL Draft as punishment for defeating my favorite team the Dallas Stars in the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals. Tampa Bay was the team I picked though. Now they get Conner Hutchison, my top ranked BCHL prospect to wrap up this draft.