7th Annual NHL Mock Draft: 2018, Round 5

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Some years it is slim pickings outside the top 120, but not in 2018. This year, plenty of intriguing and high-upside prospects will remain on the board at this point. It’s a guessing game the rest of the way, but I put as much thought as possible into all my picks in hopes of getting a few late-round hits.

Fifth Round

125) Buffalo Sabres — Jake Pivonka (C, USA/Czech Republic, NTDP U18)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11.75, 201 pounds (Combine Official)

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 59 GP-8 G-12 A-20 PTS; 25 GP-5 G-3 A-8 PTS in USHL

Central Scouting: 105 NAS

ANALYSIS: Buffalo is into best-player-available mode here and Pivonka reminds me of the type of player that Pittsburgh would draft in the mid-to-late rounds. I say that since Jason Botterill, the Sabres’ general manager, used to work for the Penguins and may take a page from their playbook in targeting Pivonka as a potential steal here. The skill level is high, even if the stat-line isn’t the highest.

126) Ottawa Senators — Olof Lindbom (G, Sweden, Djugardens J20)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds

Playoff Stats: 3 GP-5.61 GAA-.823 SaveP in SuperElit; 5 GP-1.20 GAA-.955 SaveP in U18

Regular Season Stats: 20 GP-3.10 GAA-.897 SaveP in SuperElit; 1 GP-0.99 GAA-.958 SaveP in U18

Central Scouting: 5 EUG

ANALYSIS: Look for the Senators to grab at least one goalie from this year’s draft. Craig Anderson isn’t getting any younger and Mike Condon won’t likely be a top-tier starter as his successor. Ottawa did well to get Filip Gustavsson from Pittsburgh in the Derick Brassard deal and he’s now pencilled in as the future No. 1 in the nation’s capital. Pierre Dorion and the Senators’ scouts have a thing for Swedish goalies, with Marcus Hogberg (third round, 78th overall in 2013) also developing in their system. Ottawa originally drafted Robin Lehner (second round, 46th in 2009) as well. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Lindbom were added to that list, especially if he’s available this late. A Gustavsson-Lindom tandem has nice upside.

127) Philadelphia Flyers (from Arizona) — Kyle Topping (C, Canada, Kelowna WHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 185 pounds

Playoff Stats: 4 GP-2 G-3 A-5 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 66 GP-22 G-43 A-65 PTS

Central Scouting: 59 NAS

ANALYSIS: The Flyers like to draft out of the WHL and would have saw plenty of Topping while watching Carsen Twarynski with Kelowna this season and dating back to last year’s trade deadline when Twarynski came over from the Calgary Hitmen. Philadelphia had to keep close tabs on Twarynski as an unsigned prospect prior to this March, so I’m assuming Topping made a positive impression on the Flyers’ scouts during their visits to Kelowna, where they also found Tyrell Goulbourne back in 2013. Topping is a 200-foot player and although his skating remains a work in progress, he’s proving to be a late-bloomer and could be a role player down the road for Philadelphia.

128) Montreal Canadiens — Gabriel Fortier (C/W, Canada, Baie-Comeau QMJHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 170 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: 5 GP-3 G-1 A-4 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 66 GP-26 G-33 A-59 PTS

Central Scouting: 49 NAS

ANALYSIS: I had Fortier in mind for Montreal at No. 122, with the Canadiens’ third pick of the fourth round, but decided to go with over-age defender Joey Keane simply because I felt he belonged in that round. I think I still prefer Fortier over Keane for Montreal, so it’s good to see the Francophone forward available here at No. 128. Fortier has some NHL skill and could develop along the lines of Charles Hudon, who the Habs also grabbed in the fifth round in 2012 (ironically at No. 122).

129) Pittsburgh Penguins (from Detroit) — Adam Samuelsson (LHD, USA/Sweden, NTDP U18)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 240 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 62 GP-4 G-20 A-24 PTS; 26 GP-2 G-10 A-12 PTS in USHL

Central Scouting: 77 NAS

ANALYSIS: This is Ulf’s son and he obviously had a big hand in the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1992 and 1993. Adam is a chip off the old block, but the game has changed since then and there is so much more emphasis on mobility, so that will be the challenge for this second-generation Samuelsson. Adam is worth picking at this spot, beyond the sentimental reasons for Pittsburgh, but he’ll need to continue improving to carve out a career similar to his dad. Worth noting, the other Samuelsson in this year’s draft, the higher-ranked Mattias, is Kjell’s boy. They are cousins and those bloodlines could work in their favour, perhaps getting Mattias into the first round and Adam into the top 100 too.

130) Vancouver Canucks — Marcus Karlberg (RW/LW, Sweden, Leksands J20)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-8, 165 pounds

Playoff Stats: 2 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in SuperElit; 3 GP-2 G-2 A-4 PTS in U18

Regular Season Stats: 39 GP-15 G-32 A-47 PTS in SuperElit; 2 GP-1 G-0 A-1 PT in Allsvenskan

Central Scouting: Not Ranked (NR)

ANALYSIS: Lots of intriguing Swedish forwards coming up in this range and I expect the Canucks to grab one of them here. I settled on Karlberg but also considered the likes of Lukas Wernblom, Samuel Fagemo, Linus Karlsson, Marcus Westfalt and Carl Wassenius, as well as Carl Berglund and over-ager Einar Emanuelsson. Spoiler alert, the latter two didn’t end up getting drafted in my mock but could definitely be on the radar for a number of teams, including Vancouver. Take your pick Jim Benning, since I basically pulled Karlberg from a hat full of those names. Karlberg did produce at every level in Sweden during his draft year and seems to be trending up as a prospect.

131) Nashville Predators (from Chicago) — Lukas Wernblom (C/W, Sweden, MoDo)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-9, 174 pounds

Playoff Stats: 6 GP-1 G-4 A-5 PTS in SuperElit; 4 GP-6 G-0 A-6 PTS in U18

Regular Season Stats: 20 GP-5 G-13 A-18 PTS in SuperElit; 22 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in Allsvenskan

Central Scouting: 41 EUS

ANALYSIS: Nobody would be surprised to see the Predators take one of those Swedish forwards here — in hopes of getting another Viktor Arvidsson (fourth round, 112th overall in 2014) — and Wernblom could still be the best of that bunch despite having a mediocre draft year. He was once a highly touted prospect for 2018 and although his stock has dropped drastically, the upside is still there. Nashville will know that and could target Wernblom if he falls this far.

132) New York Rangers — Dmitry Semykin (RHD, Russia, Kapitan Stupino MHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 201 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 41 GP-8 G-7 A-15 PTS

Central Scouting: 25 EUS

ANALYSIS: The Rangers take another defencemen here, the best one available on their list or, rather, the one that they perceive to have the highest ceiling. Semykin is big, he’s right-handed and he put up pretty good numbers for a blueliner in Russia’s junior league. Semykin seems well worth the risk at this spot.

133) Edmonton Oilers — Kirill Nizhnikov (RW, Russia, Sudbury OHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 190 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 25 GP-3 G-8 A-11 PTS with Barrie; 38 GP-7 G-17 A-24 PTS with Sudbury

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: I have two targets in mind here for Edmonton, Nizhnikov and Michal Kvasnica, though both could be off the board by the fifth round. In my mock, both are surprisingly available, and the Oilers flip a coin to take Nizhnikov, another Russian forward playing in the OHL. I already have Edmonton taking Pavel Gogolev in this year’s third round and the Oilers seem to have stolen Kirill Maksimov in last year’s fifth round (146th overall), so they hope for another hit with another Kirill from the OHL. As for Kvasnica, he’s quite comparable to fellow Czech winger Ostap Safin, who the Oilers snagged in last year’s fourth round. If the Oilers were to acquire a fourth-round pick ahead of this year’s draft, Peter Chiarelli could try to follow last year’s blueprint by picking both Nizhnikov and Kvasnica in either order.

134) New York Islanders — Mikhail Shalagin (F, Russia, Spartak Moskva MHL, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 174 pounds

Playoff Stats: 6 GP-1 G-2 A-3 PTS in MHL

Regular Season Stats: 63 GP-33 G-30 A-63 PTS in MHL; 3 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in VHL

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: My mock has had the Islanders staying way too close to the consensus rankings for my liking — and presumably for their liking, since the Islanders often go off the board — so it’s time to take a risk here. Shalagin is a name that was trumpeted by prospect guru Corey Pronman in his Top 74 rankings for The Athletic. I’ll admit, Shalagin was foreign to me prior to that, but Pronman’s scouting report sure sounded promising. For some reason, it reminded me of Anatoly Golyshev, who the Islanders selected in 2016 (fourth round, 95th overall). I’m not even sure if they are the same type of player, but it seems like the same type of pick for the Islanders if that makes sense.

135) Vegas Golden Knights (from Carolina) — Samuel Fagemo (LW, Sweden, Frolunda J20)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 194 pounds

Playoff Stats: 5 GP-5 G-1 A-6 PTS in SuperElit; 5 GP-1 G-4 A-5 PTS in U18

Regular Season Stats: 37 GP-19 G-11 A-30 PTS in SuperElit; 2 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in SHL

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: I’m a big fan of Fagemo and kept him in my top 100 rankings for most of the season despite his stat-lines failing to impress the masses. I honestly feel Fagemo will be a steal here — anywhere outside the top 100, really — and Vegas is the lucky winner of the Fagemo sweepstakes in my mock. It wasn’t a total fluke, though, since I have a reason for the Golden Knights getting Fagemo. That reason is Kelly McCrimmon, who will see the potential of Fagemo reporting to WHL Portland for next season after getting picked by the Winterhawks in last year’s CHL import draft. If Fagemo does come over to develop under Mike Johnston, that could be a real turning point for his career. Johnston has worked wonders with his import forwards over the years, with the Winterhawks’ alumni including Nino Niederreiter, Sven Baertschi and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Even San Jose seventh-rounder Joachim Blichfeld has scored at essentially a point-per-game pace over his two years in the WHL. Fagemo could be a similar addition for Portland, with the potential to be even better.

136) New Jersey Devils (from Calgary via Arizona) — Nico Gross (LHD, Switzerland, Oshawa OHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0.75, 185 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: 5 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 58 GP-4 G-10 A-14 PTS

Central Scouting: 56 NAS

ANALYSIS: Ray Shero will want to keep building his blue line through this year’s draft and he may go defence with New Jersey’s two earlier picks — I had the Devils taking forwards Jonatan Berggren (No. 17) and Tyler Madden (No. 110) — but Gross would be a good get here. A case could be made for Gross as the best player available at this spot and he also made sense for the Devils from a positional standpoint with how my mock had been playing out. Like the player, like the pick — and it should be a safer one, with Gross somewhat similar to fellow Swiss defender Mirco Mueller, who just happens to play for the Devils.

137) Dallas Stars — Linus Karlsson (C/RW, Sweden, Karlskrona J20)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 179 pounds

Playoff Stats: 6 GP-2 G-2 A-4 PTS in SuperElit; 1 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in SHL

Regular Season Stats: 42 GP-27 G-25 A-52 PTS in SuperElit; 13 GP-0 G-1 A-1 PT in SHL

Central Scouting: 39 EUS

ANALYSIS: Sure, the Stars will snag another Swede here, their third of my mock draft — previously selecting centre David Gustafsson (No. 44) and over-age defenceman Simon Johansson (No. 75). Make it three “sons” and three good ones, with Karlsson flying a little under the radar but just the way Dallas likes them. I like Karlsson, his numbers are impressive, and I’ve heard the comparison to Mattias Janmark, who is a real breakout candidate for the Stars under new coaches Jim Montgomery and Todd Nelson. If Jim Nill’s staff agrees with that comparison, there’s a good chance that Karlsson could go to Dallas at this spot.

138) St. Louis Blues — Michal Kvasnica (C/RW, Czech Republic, Trinec U20)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 190 pounds

Playoff Stats: 7 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in Czech

Regular Season Stats: 45 GP-6 G-10 A-16 PTS in Czech2; 8 GP-5 G-4 A-9 PTS in U20

Central Scouting: 40 EUS

ANALYSIS: If I was a general manager for this year’s draft, I’d be taking Kvasnica is the top 100 and that may very well be the case, but for the purposes of my mock where I’m playing the role of all 31 GMs and trying to put myself in each of their shoes, I kept passing on Kvasnica in favour of perceived better options for each team. So, alas, Kvasnica landed here in St. Louis’ lap at No. 138. Perhaps fitting because he reminds me a bit of Dmitrij Jaskin, who I’ve always been a fan of but who has yet to fully hit his stride with the Blues for whatever reason and may need a change of scenery. Nevertheless, I don’t think that comparison will scare off Doug Armstrong, especially not at this spot where Kvasnica stands a good chance of being a steal.

139) Florida Panthers — Samuel Harvey (G, Canada, Rouyn-Noranda QMJHL, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 190 pounds

Playoff Stats: 7 GP-2.17 GAA-.945 SaveP

Regular Season Stats: 46 GP-2.10 GAA-.930 SaveP

Central Scouting: 17 NAG

ANALYSIS: Roberto Luongo is nearing the end of his career and he’s already mentoring one fellow French Canadian goalie in Florida’s system, with Samuel Montembeault coming off a decent season in his pro debut. But the Panthers’ goaltending cupboard is rather bare beyond Montembeault and they didn’t draft a netminder in 2017, so it would make sense to take one in 2018 and perhaps one that is a bit further along in his development. Enter Harvey, who really should have been drafted last year and proved that by becoming the QMJHL’s goalie of the year and a first-team All-Star this season. Harvey is eligible to play pro in the fall and could be a good fit for Florida going forward, somebody to push Montembeault as the Panthers’ top prospect between the pipes.

140) Colorado Avalanche — Ivan Muranov (LW, Russia, HK MVD MHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 179 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 63 GP-17 G-15 A-32 PTS

Central Scouting: 34 EUS

ANALYSIS: The Avs don’t have a long history of drafting Russians and this would be two for 2018. It would also make for confusion since the first was Ivan Morozov in the second round. Two Ivans, Morozov and Muranov — yeah, that would be a broadcaster’s nightmare, and maybe Joe Sakic wouldn’t be that cruel. However, Muranov was looking mighty enticing at this spot and seems somewhat reminiscent of last year’s fifth-rounder Igor Shvyrev, an over-ager who was impressive enough in his draft-plus-one season to earn an entry-level contract. That Shvyrev signed and is supposedly coming over to North America to continue his development should help Colorado warm up to Russians playing domestically like Muranov and Morozov before him in my mock. Muranov isn’t a bad pick by any measure here.

141) New Jersey Devils — Anderson MacDonald (LW, Canada, Moncton QMJHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1.75, 209 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: 12 GP-1 G-1 A-2 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 58 GP-27 G-18 A-45 PTS

Central Scouting: 101 NAS

ANALYSIS: Ray Shero and the Devils simply go best player available here. I contemplated a couple of the Swedish forwards still on the board — Westfalt and Wassenius were tempting in search of another Jesper Bratt (sixth round, 162nd overall in 2016) — but MacDonald just seemed too good to pass up at this spot. MacDonald didn’t have a very good draft year — if he had, he might have been a first-round pick — but he still has the skill to develop into a steal anywhere outside the top 100. New Jersey could do a lot worse than picking MacDonald as a faller at No. 141.

142) Chicago Blackhawks (from Columbus) — Sean Comrie (RHD, Canada, Spruce Grove AJHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 165 pounds

Playoff Stats: 13 GP-1 G-8 A-9 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 54 GP-7 G-27 A-34 PTS

Central Scouting: 108 NAS

ANALYSIS: We know the Blackhawks have been watching Comrie the past couple seasons because Chicago drafted his former teammate and fellow right-shot defenceman Ian Mitchell out of Spruce Grove last year. Mitchell seemed like a bit of a reach in the second round (57th overall), but he had a terrific freshman season with Denver, producing 30 points in 41 games as an NCAA rookie. Guess where Comrie is going? Yup, Denver. They are similar players taking the same path. Comrie took on a bigger role this season, with Mitchell gone to college, and helped lead Spruce Grove to a league championship. That could have been enough for Comrie to crack the top 100, yet there doesn’t seem to be much hype about him heading into the draft. Most of the AJHL chatter has surrounded Jacob Bernard-Docker, another right-handed defenceman from runner-up Okotoks who I have going in the top 50 (47th overall), but maybe we’re all sleeping on Comrie. All of us except the Blackhawks, I have a feeling. I wouldn’t put it past Stan Bowman reaching for Comrie at No. 87 or No. 120 is certainly a possibility, but I can’t see Chicago letting Comrie slide any further than here at No. 142.

143) Philadelphia Flyers — Samuel Bucek (LW/RW, Slovakia, Chicago USHL, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 192 pounds

Playoff Stats: 5 GP-3 G-4 A-7 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 49 GP-20 G-24 A-44 PTS

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: Bucek’s performance at the World Juniors, highlighted by that clutch goal to upset the host Americans in their preliminary-round game, should get him drafted the second time around. It should be a matter of when, not if in 2018. I briefly had Bucek in my monthly top 100 rankings following that tournament, but dropped him into this range based on the fact he’s an over-ager and they tend to fall a round or two because of age more so than talent. There’s no doubt, in my mind, that Bucek could be a steal here for the Flyers. I do think Philadelphia, with 10 total picks in 2018, will be looking for at least a few skilled wingers and Bucek fits that bill.

144) Los Angeles Kings — Giovanni Vallati (LHD, Canada, Kitchener OHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1.5, 184 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: 19 GP-0 G-4 A-4 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 65 GP-3 G-23 A-26 PTS

Central Scouting: 57 NAS

ANALYSIS: By this stage in the draft, several teams will be reverting to the best-player-available approach. That’s the case here for the Kings, who do seem to scout the OHL quite heavily as evidenced by four of their seven picks in 2017 coming out of that Ontario-based league. But that’s more so a coincidence with Vallati, who is no relation to OHL goalie Matthew Villalta, who Los Angeles selected in the third round last year and has since signed. Close, but note the spelling discrepancy there. I swear I’m not trying to pick on the broadcasters with these picks, but I do like Vallati at this spot if he’s still available for the Kings.

145) San Jose Sharks — Oliver Okuliar (LW, Slovakia, U20 national team)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 170 pounds

Playoff Stats: 18 GP-10 G-14 A-24 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 37 GP-24 G-40 A-64 PTS

Central Scouting: 66 EUS

ANALYSIS: Okuliar put up big numbers in Slovakia, but it was his performance on the international stage at the under-18 tournament that elevated him into the top 150 by producing eight points, including four goals, in just five games. Okuliar may not be the best skater or the most polished player, but he’s proving to be a scorer and an offensive catalyst. Those qualities should get Okuliar picked in this range and San Jose seemed like a good fit, even though this would be three straight forwards for the Sharks, who will presumably target a defence prospect with one of their top-three selections in 2018. I considered that likelihood but ultimately preferred Okuliar to the defence options available here at No. 145.

146) Pittsburgh Penguins — Vladislav Kotkov (LW/RW, Russia, Chicoutimi QMJHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 203 pounds

Playoff Stats: 6 GP-0 G-2 A-2 PTS

Regular Season Stats: 61 GP-21 G-28 A-49 PTS

Central Scouting: 81 NAS

ANALYSIS: Speaking of guys who could go in the top 100, Kotkov continues that trend. This is such a deep draft for Russian forwards that a few of them are inevitably going to fall or perhaps not get picked at all. No real reason or red flag for Kotkov appearing a little lower than his peers in my mock, it’s just the way it played out for me. I like the player and Pittsburgh would presumably be thrilled to get him here at No. 146.

147) Anaheim Ducks — Marcus Westfalt (C/LW, Sweden, Brynas SHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 203 pounds

Playoff Stats: 8 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in SHL

Regular Season Stats: 26 GP-12 G-15 A-27 PTS in SuperElit; 31 GP-1 G-3 A-4 PTS in SHL

Central Scouting: 37 EUS

ANALYSIS: Again, top 100 is a very real possibility for Westfalt and Anaheim would be fortunate to land him this late. The Ducks also like their Swedes, with Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg up front, plus Hampus Lindholm, Marcus Pettersson and Jacob Larsson on the back end. Westfalt would be a nice addition to that growing group or, if he’s not available here, Wassenius could be another option for Bob Murray.

148) Minnesota Wild — Nando Eggenberger (RW, Switzerland, Davos)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds

Playoff Stats: 5 GP-0 G-1 A-1 PT in NLA; 2 GP-1 G-0 A-1 PT in U20

Regular Season Stats: 36 GP-3 G-2 A-5 PTS in NLA; 1 GP-3 G-3 A-6 PTS in U20

Central Scouting: 48 EUS

ANALYSIS: I’m sounding like a broken record now, but Eggenberger is yet another top-100 candidate after entering his draft year as a potential first-rounder. Eggenberger’s stock dropped because he struggled to score against men and also against his peers at the World Juniors. It’s understandable that a teenager would experience difficulty producing numbers or even finding a regular role in one of the best leagues outside of the NHL, but the fact Eggenberger didn’t stand out at the WJC was both surprising and concerning. Yet, when you look at the package of size and skating ability, with past comparisons to Minnesota’s Nino Niederreiter, you can see why some teams may still be high on Eggenberger — or significantly higher than this spot. The Wild would gladly welcome Niederreiter 2.0 to the fold, even if Eggenberger’s offensive upside has become a question mark.

149) Toronto Maple Leafs — Dennis Busby (RHD, Canada, Flint OHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 187 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 2 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: Busby barely played this season due to injury, somewhat similar to Josh Mahura in his draft year. But those who watched Busby towards the end of last season — and Kyle Dubas, or his OHL hawk-eye scouts are surely among that group — would have saw a player in the making. The Leafs are lacking in right-handed defencemen, so taking a risk on Busby also makes sense from that standpoint.

150) Boston Bruins — Ondrej Buchtela (RHD, Czech Republic, Chomutov)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 209 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 25 GP-1 G-5 A-6 PTS in Czech2; 13 GP-2 G-1 A-3 PTS in U20

Central Scouting: 43 EUS

ANALYSIS: Here’s a right-handed defenceman that I had in my top 100 at one point before slipping into this fifth-round range. Buchtela is built very solidly and I think of Luca Sbisa as a comparable in terms of playing style. That’s what I’ve been told anyway, with that particular scout suggesting he’d still take Buchtela in the top 100. For both of us, Buchtela would be the best player available at this spot, and Boston is lucky to get him at No. 150. In saying that, I could also see the Bruins taking a goaltender with this pick since there are quite a few good options left at that position.

151) Nashville Predators — Veini Vehvilainen (G, Finland, Karpat Liiga, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 174 pounds

Playoff Stats: 17 GP-1.57 GAA-.933 SaveP

Regular Season Stats: 35 GP-1.89 GAA-.925 SaveP

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: Will the third time be the charm for Vehvilainen in his final year of eligibility? I think so. For the record, I had Vehvilainen getting drafted in my mocks in both 2016 and 2017, and I’m shocked that he was twice passed over. Granted, he hasn’t been good on the international stage at the World Juniors, but Vehvilainen posted some very impressive numbers in Finland this season and is maturing into an NHL-calibre goaltender. He’s got the skills, but some maybe questioned Vehvilainen’s mental side of the game in terms of confidence and being able to handle pressure situations. He seems to be making strides in those areas, and would anybody be surprised if Nashville was the team to take a chance on Vehvilainen this year? The Predators already have a Finnish tandem in net with Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros — and Rinne’s career is winding down — so it looks to me like a great fit for Vehvilainen.

152) Tampa Bay Lightning — Alexis Gravel (G, Canada, Halifax QMJHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2.75, 222 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: 8 GP-2.70 GAA-.917 SaveP

Regular Season Stats: 39 GP-3.38 GAA-.890 SaveP

Central Scouting: 3 NAG

ANALYSIS: Could we see a little run of goalies in the fifth round? I could see that. It’s not a strong draft year for netminders, but I probably don’t have enough getting picked to this point. Gravel is only the ninth goalie to go in my mock and the fourth in this round. Halifax is hosting the Memorial Cup in 2019, so that will be invaluable big-game experience for Gravel assuming he sticks as the Mooseheads’ starter next season. Teams will certainly have that noted next to Gravel’s name, and also that he’s been better in the playoffs than in the regular season for Halifax. That ability to raise his game in each of the past two postseasons makes Gravel the best goaltender available here for Tampa Bay.

153) Winnipeg Jets — Eric Florchuk (C/LW, Canada, Saskatoon WHL)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1.5, 175 pounds (CO)

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 43 GP-7 G-21 A-28 PTS with Victoria; 28 GP-9 G-12 A-21 PTS with Saskatoon

Central Scouting: 110 NAS

ANALYSIS: After taking two straight forwards from the USHL to start their 2018 draft, the Jets go to another one of their favourite shopping spots in the WHL to pluck Florchuk in the fifth round. Heading into his draft year, Florchuk was projected as a top-100 pick, but he wasn’t able to earn a top-six role in Victoria and was eventually traded to Saskatoon when the Royals became buyers. Florchuk’s numbers improved with the Blades, thanks to more opportunity, and he should be a lock for Saskatoon’s top six next season with the potential to be a front-liner if he were to shift to the wing in flanking 2019 top prospect Kirby Dach. Florchuk is a versatile forward with an underrated skill-set, definitely the type of player that Winnipeg would typically target in this range.

154) Vegas Golden Knights — Shamil Shmakov (G, Russia, Sibirskie MHL, over-ager)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 192 pounds

Playoff Stats: 3 GP-3.62 GAA-.897 SaveP

Regular Season Stats: 51 GP-2.03 GAA-.932 SaveP

Central Scouting: NR

ANALYSIS: Make it 10 goalies through five rounds — after none in the first and only one in the second. Shmakov stands out to me as a sleeper from this year’s draft class. I’ve never seen him play and Russia hasn’t showcased him internationally to date, but his numbers this season had that ‘wow’ factor even as an over-ager. Vegas took a Russian-born goalie last year as part of its inaugural draft class — that being USHLer Maksim Zhukov (fourth round, 96th overall) — so maybe the Golden Knights target another in hopes goaltending guru Dave Prior can shape one of Shmakov or Zhukov into a long-term option. As an expansion franchise, the Golden Knights will want to keep stockpiling prospects at every position and Shmakov strikes me as a goalie with good upside down the road.

155) Minnesota Wild (from Washington) — Mikhail Bitsadze (C, Russia, HK MVD MHL)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 165 pounds

Playoff Stats: NA

Regular Season Stats: 22 GP-2 G-3 A-5 PTS in MHL; 2 GP-0 G-0 A-0 PTS in KHL

Central Scouting: 26 EUS

ANALYSIS: Bitsadze is intriguing to me, I don’t know what to make of him, but Minnesota hasn’t been afraid to swing for the fences on mid-round Russians — seemingly hitting a homer with Kirill Kaprizov (fifth round, 135th overall in 2015) providing the Wild can convince him to come over. Bitsadze looked quite promising at last summer’s Ivan Hlinka tournament, but he didn’t carry that momentum into his draft year. Bitsadze has been able to produce on the international stage, so that could help his draft stock and he does seem to have fairly high upside but, like Kotkov, he wound up as another one of my Russian fallers. Minnesota could be stealing Bitsadze at this spot.

Recapping Fifth Round

125) Buffalo Sabres — Jake Pivonka (C, USA/Czech Republic, NTDP U18)

126) Ottawa Senators — Olof Lindbom (G, Sweden, Djugardens J20)

127) Philadelphia Flyers (from Arizona) — Kyle Topping (C, Canada, Kelowna WHL)

128) Montreal Canadiens — Gabriel Fortier (C/W, Canada, Baie-Comeau QMJHL)

129) Pittsburgh Penguins (from Detroit) — Adam Samuelsson (LHD, USA/Sweden, NTDP U18)

130) Vancouver Canucks — Marcus Karlberg (RW/LW, Sweden, Leksands J20)

131) Nashville Predators (from Chicago) — Lukas Wernblom (C/W, Sweden, MoDo)

132) New York Rangers — Dmitry Semykin (RHD, Russia, Kapitan Stupino MHL)

133) Edmonton Oilers — Kirill Nizhnikov (RW, Russia, Sudbury OHL)

134) New York Islanders — Mikhail Shalagin (F, Russia, Spartak Moskva MHL, over-ager)

135) Vegas Golden Knights (from Carolina) — Samuel Fagemo (LW, Sweden, Frolunda J20)

136) New Jersey Devils (from Calgary via Arizona) — Nico Gross (LHD, Switzerland, Oshawa OHL)

137) Dallas Stars — Linus Karlsson (C/RW, Sweden, Karlskrona J20)

138) St. Louis Blues — Michal Kvasnica (C/RW, Czech Republic, Trinec U20)

139) Florida Panthers — Samuel Harvey (G, Canada, Rouyn-Noranda QMJHL, over-ager)

140) Colorado Avalanche — Ivan Muranov (LW, Russia, HK MVD MHL)

141) New Jersey Devils — Anderson MacDonald (LW, Canada, Moncton QMJHL)

142) Chicago Blackhawks (from Columbus) — Sean Comrie (RHD, Canada, Spruce Grove AJHL)

143) Philadelphia Flyers — Samuel Bucek (LW/RW, Slovakia, Chicago USHL, over-ager)

144) Los Angeles Kings — Giovanni Vallati (LHD, Canada, Kitchener OHL)

145) San Jose Sharks — Oliver Okuliar (LW, Slovakia, U20 national team)

146) Pittsburgh Penguins — Vladislav Kotkov (LW/RW, Russia, Chicoutimi QMJHL)

147) Anaheim Ducks — Marcus Westfalt (C/LW, Sweden, Brynas SHL)

148) Minnesota Wild — Nando Eggenberger (RW, Switzerland, Davos)

149) Toronto Maple Leafs — Dennis Busby (RHD, Canada, Flint OHL)

150) Boston Bruins — Ondrej Buchtela (RHD, Czech Republic, Chomutov)

151) Nashville Predators — Veini Vehvilainen (G, Finland, Karpat Liiga, over-ager)

152) Tampa Bay Lightning — Alexis Gravel (G, Canada, Halifax QMJHL)

153) Winnipeg Jets — Eric Florchuk (C/LW, Canada, Saskatoon WHL)

154) Vegas Golden Knights — Shamil Shmakov (G, Russia, Sibirskie MHL, over-ager)

155) Minnesota Wild (from Washington) — Mikhail Bitsadze (C, Russia, HK MVD MHL)