NHL Draft Database: Yakupov clear projected first pick
The NHL Mock Draft Database added 8 mock drafts over night. With the NHL Draft just 4 days away, the NHL Mock Draft Database now consists of every mock draft we could locate, at the present, 59 mock drafts. This is the largest Database we have had for the NHL. This is the sixth full season for the NHL Mock Draft Database and the traffic is incredible. Clearly, over the years, the NHL Draft has grown and is still growing in popularity among sports fans and NHL fans.
Since we are only 4 days out from the Draft, we decided to get a good grasp on whether there was a consensus among the most updated mock drafts for the Top 5 picks. We chose the mock drafts updated between June 7 and today. That is a total of 25 mock drafts. When munching them together, it is clear that mock draft writers believe that Russian left winger Nail Yakupov will be the top overall pick. Of the 25 mocks, 23 of them, or 92%, project Yakupov to go first overall tot he Edmonton Oilers. It really is not difficult to determine why. he is going to be a tremendous offensive player in the NHL in years to come. There is a chance that Edmonton could try and trade the first pick and get a wealth in return, but regardless of a trade, we fully expect, as do the mock drafts, that Yakupov will be the first overall pick. 22 of the 25 mock drafts have D Ryan Murray in the Top 4 of the Draft.
Here is the rest of the Top 5 projections.
1st Overall Pick: EDMONTON OILERS
Mock Projected Leader: Nail Yakupov - 92% of mocks --- other vote getter, D Ryan Murray with 2 mocks
2nd Overall Pick: COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Mock Projected Leader: D Ryan Murray - 36% of mocks --- other projected leader, C Filip Forsberg
3rd Overall Pick: MONTREAL CANADIANS
Mock Projected Leader: C Mikhail Grigorenko - 36% of mocks --- other projected leader C Alex Galchenyuk
4th Overall Pick: NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Mock Projected Leader: D Ryan Murray - 44% of mocks --- other projected leader, C Mikhail Grigorenko
5th Overall Pick: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Mock Projected Leader: C Alex Galchenyuk - 36% of mocks --- other projected leader, C Filip Forsberg
As for our Washington Capitals readers, we only have a column in the Database for the Caps 11th overall pick, the pick obtained from Colorado in the Semyon Varlamov trade. Here is the breakdown of projections of at least 2 mocks:
D Jacob Trouba: 4 mocks
C Radek Faksa: 4 mocks
D Cody Ceci: 3 mocks
D Griffin Reinhart: 3 mocks
C Zemgus Girgensons: 2 mocks
D Olli Maatta: 2 mocks
