A full seven round Rangers 2020 mock draft

Less than two weeks until the New York Rangers make their ten picks

The wait is agonizing at this point, but we are finally two weeks away from the 2020 NHL Draft, where the New York Rangers will have the first overall pick. This is a very exciting time for Rangers fans, and recent news confirming the draft has been moved up a few days to October 6th has only stoked that excitement.

Earlier this year, the fine people at Draft Prospects Hockey released a mock draft simulation tool, which was the first of its kind (as far as I know). The tool was released after their scouting staff published their final 2020 NHL Draft rankings. The way the tool works is that you take control of an NHL team, set team needs and randomness factors, and then you get to make every pick for that team’s 2020 draft class. You can even trade up or trade down in the draft, which is a very cool feature.

I decided to use this tool and take over the New York Rangers’ draft table. The site recently added an option to use Bob McKenzie’s rankings, which represent a more accurate picture of the how the industry stands on certain players. I used McKenzie’s rankings for that reason. I also decided not to trade any picks in this simulation, which unfortunately means that I did not have a second round pick to use. Nevertheless, I like the way my draft turned out. Feel free to let me know if you have any objections. As I review each pick I will also let you know how I have each player ranked on my draft board.

1st Overall: Alexis Lafrenière, LW, Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)

I didn’t have to think about this one at all, even though I do really like Quinton Byfield and have him ranked in the same tier as Lafrenière. Despite being a left wing, where the Rangers are already strong, Lafrenière fills the Rangers biggest need. When is the last time the Rangers drafted a forward of Lafrenière’s calibre?

As much as I like Kaapo Kakko, he is not that level of prospect. Alexei Cherepanov projected to be a star player and was an absolute steal in that draft, but unfortunately he passed away. When a team rebuilds it needs a true star forward prospect to build around, and Lafrenière will be that player for the New York Rangers. An easy choice at first overall.

Will Wright’s Ranking: 1

22nd Overall: Seth Jarvis, RW/C, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

When I did my overview of Rangers targets for the 22nd overall pick, Jarvis was one of the players I wrote about, except I had him in the “Only in Gorton’s Dreams” tier. Jarvis brings several qualities the Rangers just don’t have in their prospect pool. He is an incredibly gifted skater, an excellent transition player, and a possession monster.

Because of his vision, skating, and passing abilities, I think that he will end up being a center at the NHL-level. However, due to his size, many think his game will translate better as a right wing. Since the rebuild began, the only first-round pick the Rangers have made who possessed a strong skating ability was Chytil. We have seen the issues that weaker skaters have adapting to the NHL, and I don’t anticipate Jarvis having those issues. This would be a steal. I also considering Marat Khusnutdinov here, who I have ranked 12th. Truthfully, he is the more realistic option, but this is how this mock-draft turned out.

Will Wright’s Ranking: 9

102nd Overall Pick: Veeti Miettinen, RW, Espoo (U20-SmLiiga)

Miettinen is another prospect I have written about before, and is a player who I think the Rangers will be very high on based on recent draft patterns. He had an excellent draft season in Finland’s U-20 league, leading all draft-eligible players in scoring.

But he is committed to St. Cloud State of the NCAA, which meant that he was not allowed to play in either of Finland’s professional leagues. Miettinen is a player with a lot of skill and goal scoring ability, and I really like the college route for players of his mold.

Will Wright’s Ranking: 68

133rd Overall Pick: Jacob Truscott, LHD, USNTDP (USHL)

Truscott isn’t a player with exciting upside like many of the other players who I have selected so far. But he put up decent numbers on a very defense-oriented NTDP squad, and I like the role that he projects to play at Michigan.

I think his smarts and puck-moving ability mean that he can become a decent bottom pairing defenseman who can occasionally chip in some points or play higher in the lineup if needed. He will probably need four years at Michigan, but I am not really worried about him being a flight risk.

Will Wright’s Ranking: 65

164th Overall: Brady Burns, C, St. Johns Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

Burns is a player who was on my radar but barely missed my top 108 players because I am still a bit skeptical of QMJHL point totals and Burns finished a decent amount under a point per game, putting up 57 points in 64 games.

I think there is some room for growth with Burns due to his decent skill level, and if he continues to improve he could eventually be a decent bottom-six player at the NHL level. But he is a long shot in my opinion. The Rangers need organizational depth at center and even if Burns only ends up becoming an AHL player he can provide that.

Will Wright’s Ranking: Honorable Mention

195th Overall Pick: Vsevolod Skotnikov, G, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (MHL)

There is no chance the Rangers go this entire draft without selecting a goaltender, which they now seem to like doing in even-numbered draft years (Wall – 2016, Lindbom – 2018). Fortunately, there are some decent options that should be available towards the end of the draft, and Skotnikov is the best of the bunch in my opinion.

He is a little bit undersized, standing at six-feet tall, but people said the same thing about Henrik Lundqvist, Alexander Georgiev, and Igor Shesterkin. And it is very hard to argue with the results he has put up playing for one of Russia’s top junior programs, where he posted a .938 save percentage last season. He has also started this season very well, playing superbly in Russia’s second tier professional league (VHL), and he posted a .952 save percentage in his KHL debut for arguably Russia’s best team.

Skotnikov’s actual results have been better than potential top-ten pick Yaroslav Askarov, and it is not really close. The only question with him is if he can overcome his physical limitations, but I think he can. This would be a great gamble for the Rangers.

Will Wright’s Ranking: 83

196th Overall Pick: Adam Wilsby, LHD, Sodertalje SK (Allsvenskan)

Adam Wilsby has a history of strong production, and probably should have been drafted in 2019. But last season he really broke out, posting 30 points in 41 games as a 19-year-old on loan in the Swedish second division. Wilsby is not undersized, standing at six-feet tall, and he has an above-average skating ability to go with his frame.

Wilsby’s real selling point is his brain, which is similar to Rangers star prospect Nils Lundkvist. While both have quite a bit of skill, it is their hockey sense and vision that led to them each having breakout seasons. I don’t think Wilsby will ever be relied on defensively, but he can hold his own. This is a point in the draft where I really think you should look at overage players, particularly in Europe, and Wilsby would be a very good pick.

Will Wright’s Ranking: 104

205th Overall Pick: Benjamin Baumgartner, C, HC Davos (NLA)

And with the Rangers’ final pick in the draft, they select diminutive Austrian center Benjamin Baumgartner, who posted 27 points in 37 games for one of the top professional teams in Switzerland. I’m going to be totally honest, I haven’t watched an extensive amount of Baumgartner due to the league he is in (which is strong but not full of NHL prospects).

But I have liked what I have seen in limited viewings, and I love his production in a strong professional league as a 19-year-old. At this point in the draft you’re basically shooting darts blindfolded, probably not even facing the wall that the dartboard is on. So why not take a chance on a skilled player who has excellent production?

Will Wright Ranking: 85

How did I do with this draft class?

I think the most difficult issue with this draft class has been that this process has dragged out so long that I am a bit more entrenched in my views compared to players in previous classes. But like I said, I made no trades in this mock draft and a reason for that was so I would not trade up for players I knew I loved. That said, I love how this class turned out.

The Rangers are constantly praised for having an elite prospect system, but truthfully I think a lot of the system’s strength comes in depth and not actual upside. As much as a love Morgan Barron (I think he makes the team next season), he shouldn’t be your second best forward prospect when you’re in a rebuild. Outside of Lafrenière, I managed to bring in a lot of forwards with high-end upside and production to match it.

I don’t love the defensemen in this class as a whole, which is why I did not consider taking a defenseman at 22, but I am happy with the two players I brought in (Truscott and Wilsby). Lastly, as I am sure you can tell, I really liked the value of the Skotnikov pick.

In terms of realism, I already addressed (and wrote about) how I think Jarvis is highly unlikely to be available at 22. But McKenzie and his scouts polled him at 18, so it isn’t totally crazy. My first choice if Jarvis isn’t available at 22 would be Khusnutdinov. I think Nybeck is a clear first-round talent, but it doesn’t seem like NHL scouts do. I think he goes somewhere in the second round, so if the Rangers manage to pick up a second round pick I do see him as a very realistic target. But I doubt he slips to 71.

Once again, if you have any feedback or would like some more information about a player, feel free to let me know. I plan on doing one more piece before the draft on some later round targets for the Rangers.