2021 NHL Draft Preliminary Top 64
These are my 2021 NHL Draft Preliminary Top 64 players. Without any hockey to view live in North America until January when most leagues startup, it will prove to be a season of video tape. Very hard for scouts to get a really good feel for a player. Talking to players after the game is important, talking to coaches and assistant coaches about players is equally important. Don’t get me wrong, video scouting is important but there is nothing better than live viewings. Bright side of it all is everyone is in the same boat.
The 2021 Draft is shaping up to be the defenseman draft. I have 3 defenseman in my top 5 and could easily have 4 in there if I move Edvinsson up a notch. To me the number one spot is between 4 players. Owen Power ( my favorite to go number one and my favorite player in the draft), Brandt Clarke, Aatu Raty and Carson Lambos. Al three defenseman are in my opinion top pairing defenseman and most likely number one defenseman.
Owen Power is a man among boys. At 6’6 and 224 pounds he is a force. There is nothing he can’t do and he does it all very well. Brandt Clarke has a hockey IQ that is off the charts and is very dynamic player, he skates like the wind. Aatu Raty is a slick center that can throw some hits and rack up points. He will have to improve at being more dynamic, I find he is a little too stationary at times in the offensive zone. Rounding out my top four is Carson Lambos, another dynamic player with soft hands and exceptional passing abilities.
The wildcard this year belongs to Zachary L’Heureux who is playing in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats. Last year I had my favorites in Askarov and Perfetti, this year I will be keeping a very close eye on Zach, I absolutely love this kids game. If he can limit his dumb penalties this season I could see him going as high as 14th. If not he probably drops to the 24th range. Jesper Wallstedt should be the first goalie off the board in the mid first round range. He is just a notch under previous goaltenders taken in the mid first round range like Yaroslav Askarov and Spencer Knight and is considered a franchise goalie at this point.
Dultak’s Pre 2020 NHL Draft Musings
