NHL Mock Draft: Picks 1-6

In less than three weeks, the NHL Draft will take place in Philadelphia, and for NHL teams, this means restocking the shelves with players that could propel them to greatness...if they get it right.  For the players getting drafted, it means being one step closer to the dream of playing in the NHL.  This week, I will take a shot at predicting the picks.  Today is picks one through six.

Note: Positions are based on the Hockey News Draft issue.

1. Florida Panthers: Sam Reinhart, C, Kootenay Ice (WHL)

The Panthers need help just about everywhere, and certainly, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad could have gone here and it would have been the right decision.  Reinhart can score, and he was a leader when Kootenay dealt with the Tim Bozon bacterial meningitis scare late in the season.  The Panthers go with the surest thing here.

2. Buffalo Sabres: Sam Bennett, LW, Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)

Buffalo needs a guy that can score and is willing to get in the dirty areas for goals.  Bennett fits the bill.  Yes, he does need to work on strength (see: a fairly well-publicized pull-up performance at the Combine), but that will come with time and better chances to train.  He will also bring a work ethic that has been missing lately in the Sabres locker room.

3. Edmonton Oilers: Aaron Ekblad, D, Barrie Colts (OHL)

The best defenseman in the draft this year, Ekblad can be a cornerstone player for years to come.  The Oilers really need top-tier defensemen...badly.  If Ekblad falls here, the Oilers almost have no choice but to take him here, as he would fill a major need, and be what Chris Pronger was in his lone year in Edmonton in 2006.

4. Calgary Flames: Leon Draisaitl, C, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

Calgary needs size, and I thought about putting Nick Ritchie here, but that would require a trade down, and that may prove to be too much of a gamble for the Flames.  Instead, I have them taking the best player available, and Draisaitl is no small guy, at 6'1" and just a shade over 200 lbs.  He is a dynamic player who scored a lot for an underachieving Prince Albert squad.  His playmaking skills are sure to help the team's prospects such as Johnny Guadreau, Sven Baertschi, and Morgan Klimchuk.

5. New York Islanders: Jake Virtanen, LW, Calgary Hitmen (WHL)

Ritchie is also a candidate to go here, but I like Virtanen at this spot because he can score goals, and putting him on a line with John Tavares would give the Islanders a great replacement for Matt Moulson, who was traded during the season.  He does have a physical element to his game, which is to be expected for a guy his size.

6. Vancouver Canucks: William Nylander, C, Modo (Sweden

The Canucks could go a number of directions here, as they need to groom a defenseman, with Haydn Fleury being a possibility here, a dynamic scorer, with Michael Dal Colle on the board, and a power forward, with Nick Ritchie on the board.  They also need a center, with the uncertainty of the Ryan Kesler situation hanging overhead.  Nylander is the best available center, and despite his slight frame, he can be an eventual top line center for the Canucks that need to identify their future stars with many of their current stars on the wrong side of 30.