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TSN Director of Scouting

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By now you’re well aware of the Big Three at the top, so the real intrigue begins with the fourth overall pick in TSN Hockey's Mock Draft. 

We’ve got the Edmonton Oilers selecting London Knights power forward Matthew Tkachuk in that spot, but there's plenty of speculation about what the Oilers will do with that pick. Fifty-one per cent of users in our recent Twitter Poll think general manager Peter Chiarelli should package it for some much-needed help on the blueline. 

But as mentioned in my scouting report, Tkachuk can play the game in any way you want - around the net or driving in close and he's very hard to defend against. Think of him as New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski on skates - he can run over you or get in the open for that great play.

The Vancouver Canucks are up next at No. 5 and are poised to take power forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, whose power/skill combination reminds me of Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn.

At No. 6, the Calgary Flames bolster their blueline with London's Olli Juolevi. He has a real calmness and poise to his game and makes the right play at the right time just about every time. 

The Montreal Canadiens have the ninth overall selection and go for size and skill down the middle with Windsor's Logan Brown. At almost 6-foot-7, he has grown — literally and figuratively — with the physical maturation and confidence to be dangerous from the faceoff circle down. 

With the 12th pick, the Ottawa Senators take defenceman Jakob Chychrun. His outstanding skating helps him make a real impact with the transition game and jumping in on an offensive attack — a lot like Pittsburgh's Trevor Daley. 

Check out the full mock draft below, with links to our video analysis of each pick.

 

Craig Button's 2016 NHL Mock Draft

 
No. Team Selection Pos G A PTS
1 Tor  Auston Matthews, Zurich C 24 12 46
2 Wpg  Patrik Laine, Tappara RW 17 16 33
3 Clb Jesse Puljujärvi, Karpat RW 13 15 28
4 Edm  Matthew Tkachuk, London LW 30 77 107
5 Van  Pierre-Luc Dubois, C. Breton LW 42 57 99
6 Cgy  Olli Juolevi, London D 9 33 42
7 Ari  Alex Nylander, Mississauga LW/RW 28 57 85
8 Buf Mikhail Sergachev, Windsor D 17 40 57
9 Mtl Logan Brown, Windsor C 21 53 74
10 Col Tyson Jost, Penticton C 42 62 104
11 NJ Clayton Keller, USA NTDP C 37 70 107
12 Ott Jakob Chychrun, Sarnia D 11 38 49
13 Car Kieffer Bellows, USA NTDP LW 50 31 81
14 Bos Charlie McAvoy, Boston U D 3 22 25
15 Min Michael McLeod, Mississauga C 21 40 61
16 Det Jake Bean, Calgary D 24 40 64
17 Nsh Luke Kunin, Wisconsin C/RW 19 23 32
18 Phi Max Jones, London LW 28 24 52
19 NYI German Rubtsov, Russia U18 C 12 14 26
20 Ari Dante Fabbro, Penticton D 14 53 67
21 Car Riley Tufte, Blaine LW 47 31 78
22 Wpg Brett Howden, Moose Jaw C 24 40 64
23 Fla Julien Gauthier, Val d'Or RW 41 16 57
24 Ana Tage Thompson, Connecticut C 14 18 32
25 Dal Rasmus Asplund, Farjestad C 4 8 12
26 Was Dennis Cholowski, Chiliwack D 12 28 40
27 Tam Jordan Kyrou, Sarnia C/RW 17 34 51
28 Stl Henrik Borgstrom, HIFK C 29 26 55
29 Bos Pascal Laberge, Victoriaville C/RW 23 45 68
30 Ana Nathan Bastian, Mississauga RW 19 40 59