2016 NHL Mock Draft 6.5: Rounds 1-7 With Full Player Profiles

We started doing our 2016 NHL mock draft back in November 2015 as a monthly publication. In early 2016, we shifted gears to bi-weekly releases. In May/June, we kicked it up a notch with three mock draft updates/month.

Since we were a couple of days later on our last release (awaiting the June 1st re-entry deadline), this edition comes a little early. Expect the last/final edition in 10-11 days (June 20th-21st), a few days prior to the NHL Draft in Buffalo.

Obviously we’ve tried to use a mix of best available player (BAP) coupled with positional needs, weighing out the two to find which prospect fits best. We also tried to pay close attention to filling the proper needs in later rounds.

Given that scouting is so subjective, opinions tend to vary across the board. Unexpected players rise and fall, making this an imperfect art.

It was only a year ago when 50th ranked (CSS) Nikita Korostelev dropped to the 7th round. Given the Russian U18 doping scandal in 2015-16, don’t be surprised if teams are hesitant to draft those players.

Even if you disagree with the rankings in our mock draft, think of this as a great resource for 2016 draft-eligible prospects.

For over seven months, we’ve been collecting prospect information/analysis from a variety of different sources. The man hours put in make this the most comprehensive one-stop shop for everything you need to know about the players expected to be drafted.

Don’t forget to bookmark us for a post-draft reference guide. Now with full profiles for all 211 prospects, we have the information on that late 5th, 6th, or 7th rounder your team drafted that you’ve never heard of.

This year’s draft class is somewhat deep, but there’s a noticeable drop-off around the 3rd/4th round. There are also several talented leftover 19-year-old’s that were passed over in 2015. Teams should be busy signing free agents, offering try-out invites following the draft.

There are also several 2014 draft picks that will re-enter the draft. The list was headlined by Conner Bleackley, Dylan Sadowy, and Vaclav Karabacek, but it seems Bleackley is the only one of those three to go unsigned.

What’s New in Version 6.5 (compared to 6.0)?

– We now have full player profiles for all 211 prospects

– Updates/additions to several player profiles

– Now that the draft first 28 selections are determined, we have adjusted the team order accordingly, which brought forth a bit of movement from our last mock.

– Arizona Coyotes were awarded the 53rd overall selection as compensation for Conner Bleackley (added in version 6.0). With 31 picks in the 2nd round, each team’s pick beyond the 52nd selection will slide down one position. We will have 31 picks in the second round, and 211 total.

– Updated measurements (height/weight) for several prospects who attended the NHL Scouting Combine.

– Throughout the draft, different tiers exist for prospects. The NHL Scouting Combine helped to sway opinion on certain players who are projected similar level of talent. This marks the last time we should see any significant movement (not that the Scouting Combine has an overly big impact); the final rankings should resemble something similar to this (with the potential for a few slight changes).

It’s also important to remember that more movement of picks is expected on draft day. For example, if Edmonton trades the 4th overall pick, the blueliners are likely to drop a bit at the top of the first round. Teams such as Toronto, Carolina, and Edmonton, for example own numerous draft picks and could use them to move up in the draft.

Draft pick ownership information was gathered through www.generalfanager.com – it’s worth noting that several conditional trades are still in place, or options for picks to be sent in 2016 or 2017. Toronto recently made a decision of their 3rd round compensation for Detroit and New Jersey (DET will get 2017, NJ 2018). We will include the other picks as they are confirmed.

Conditional Picks

R1 ARZ via NYR – Option for ’16/or ’17

R2 BOS via EDM – Option for ’16/or ’17

If you would like to see team-by-team draft picks, it can be found on the final slide.

Interested in writing about your favorite team? We have included application links to all 30 team sites on the FanSided Network on the last slide.