The following is a guest contribution from Niko de Jonge.
The 2013 NHL Entry Draft is taking place this coming Sunday at the Devils home rink in Newark, New Jersey. The NHL draft usually is split up between two days, with the first round taking place on prime time television on day 1, while the remaining 6 rounds finish up the following day. This year things are a little different. Because the NHL lockout pushed the season back this far into June, the NHL has decided to run the entire draft in one day, starting at 2:30pm EST on Sunday. You can follow the action live on TSN or ESPN.
Who Will Go #1?
Throughout the season the consensus number 1 has changed quite a few times. Nathan Mackinnon began the year as the #1 pick on most scouts lists, but after a strong showing at the World Juniors Seth Jones took over that coveted spot at the midway point. Jonathan Drouin also crept into the conversation after a strong World Junior performance, as well as a dominating year in the CHL scoring by far the most points of any player. The season wasn’t over though and Nathan Mackinnon went on a tear in the playoffs and lead the Halifax Mooseheads to the Memorial Cup with some dominating performances.
The only thing left that could really alter the scouts thoughts of the players was the fitness testing. But things didn’t change because Pat Brisson, the agent of both Nathan Mackinnon and Seth Jones advised them not to participate in the fitness testing so soon after they competed in the Memorial Cup. This same advice was given to Jonathan Drouin by his agent, so each of these top prospects excused themselves from the testing. It was a legitimate reason though, as Mackinnon and Drouin’s Moosheads had just defeated Seth Jones’ Portland Winterhawks a few days earlier in the Memorial Cup Finals.
As it sits now Nathan Mackinnon is the favorite to go #1 in the draft, followed by Seth Jones second and Jonathan Drouin third. Many scouts also include Alexander Barkov in their big four that all have a small possibility of being taken with the #1 overall pick.
The scouts ranking lists really don’t matter when it comes down to the draft though. The only thing that matters is who the Colorado Avalanche feel is the best player available and who will best help their team win down the road. Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy may have let the cat out of the bag early with Sakic saying that they don’t feel like they could possibly pass up on any of the big 3 forwards available and Roy saying this past Monday that if the draft was today they would take Mackinnon.
Draft Predictions
Bodog, a top online bookie according to popular sports betting website SportsBetListings.com, is currently offering some interesting prop bets on the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
One bet that they aren’t taking though is who will go first overall and I have a feeling that has something to do with the comments that came out of the Avalanche camp about taking Mackinnon with their pick.
Some things that you can bet on though include the following:
- How many players from the OHL will be drafted in the first round?
- How many players from the WHL will be drafted in the first round?
- How many forwards will be taken in the first round?
- Who will the Toronto Maple Leafs draft with their 21st overall pick?
- Will Max Domi or Bo Horvat be drafted first in the 2013 entry draft?
These are just a few examples of the wide variety of NHL Entry Draft bets being offered at Bodog. If you decide to place some bets be sure to use Bodog referral number 3178530 to get a $100 free bet to use in the Bodog sportsbook.
Follow The Action
As mentioned before the 2013 NHL Entry Draft will start at 2:30pm EST on Sunday, June 30th and the entire 7 round NHL draft will take place. You can follow the picks at NHL.com, or watch all of the action on TSN if you are from Canada. The Draft is the biggest day in the NHL until next season and a lot of teams can be shaken up, not just by drafting players, but also trades, so I know I will be glued to my TV for the day watching the action.
