[Harry Lime]

#48 - Kirill Dolzhenkov RW (ranked #31 on my board)

One of the biggest players in the draft. Everytime I hear that sort of thing, the first thing that I check is.. can he skate? It doesn't matter if he has the best shot, best pass, best anything if the guy can't get around. Dolzhenkov has average acceleration, average first step and average top speed, for someone 6'2, 205 lbs. He is 6'6, 236 lbs and plays the boards and protects the puck like a rabid dog. He has an above average shot, and pretty good hockey IQ. I had him written down as the biggest risk/reward of the draft.

#57 - Reid Schaefer LW (ranked #41 on my board)

Late blooming two-way forward with a lethal shot. What I liked most about this player was work ethic. He had an uphill battle to put himself in the draft conversation, and takes the direction of his coaches to heart. I could see him having an easy transition to pro.

#58 Jordan Gustafson C (ranked #49 on my board)

Every scouting report talked about his shifty skating and excellent edgework. Good place to start. He is the opposite of Schaefer. This guy has all of the natural tools, to the point that he doesn't work as hard and it can seem like he takes shifts off. If he can grow up a bit, he can be a real player. High risk/high reward player, but it's all between the ears, here.

#63 Vladimir Grudinin D (ranked #62 on my board)

I actually had Ivanov ranked ahead of him, but went with Vlad. There are five big defensemen that are going in the first round, and this is the guy with comparable skill, but is left out of the conversation. Looking closer, he is tall and gangly. A little more strength training, and the sky's the limit. All of the high end elements are there, defense, skating, IQ, offensive instincts... but it didn't show on the scoresheet. Looking into that, he was called up and sent down to different teams and leagues nine times this season. Complete lack of rhythm there, but kept getting the call because he is reliable in the defensive zone. Could end up being the steal of my draft.

#73 Devin Kaplan RW (ranked #51 on my board)

Made a trade because this guy was still on the board 22 picks after where I had him slotted. A trend in this draft for me is to go with the potential power forward. My first two picks are big players and this guy is very similar in being 6'3 200lbs. Kaplan is more of a defensive forward, but with an increasing point total as the year progressed. The thing about power forwards, is that you never really know where you stand until further in their development. With all of my picks hovering around the third rounds, I felt that it would be prudent to draft for potential.