New England: A
The Black Wolves debut draft was a doozy (say that three times fast). The ‘Wolves added star potential players with Ty Thompson, Quinn Powless and Mark Cockerton, and they also made trades to grab Jay Card and Mike McNamara. The Black Wolves were able to get Sheldon Burns late, the #8 ranked prospect and the second ranked defenseman. New England also found a way to stockpile draft picks as they rebuilt their team for 2015.
Minnesota: A-
The Swarm always draft rather well, but that’s also because they usually do something like acquire four of the first five picks. That wasn’t the case this season, and they may have blown their shot at Jeremy Noble by trading that top pick, but they still did alright with Miles Thompson. Shane MacDonald was also a terrific pick up and he’ll see time on the floor this season. As they rebuild their defense Patrick Miles was also a good pick. Joe Maracle might have been a steal as well after he entered the draft so late.
Rochester: B+
Rochester did more than draft well; they added Jordan Hall back to their line up. The question remains of Jeremy Noble was worth trading Johnny Powless, a known commodity. Noble will play right away and he has a proven box track record, there is just concern of if he will be Powless, who was a part of three championships. Ian Martin was also a good pick who will play right away on the right side of the offense.
Colorado: B+
The first three picks earned the Mammoth a good grade. They did well to get both Eli McLaughlin and Robert Hope, and they had to be happy that Hope fell far enough for them to select him. They almost took him with their first pick but they had good foresight and were able to get two studs. Zach Rogers is also a nice add on defense.
Edmonton: B
It’s hard to mess up a draft where you have the top overall pick. Ben McIntosh will be inserted into that lineup while Tyler Melnyk and Matt MacGrotty will improve an already stout defense. Adding Adam Shute so early is interesting after they traded for Tyler Carlson, so it should be expected that there will be a goalie battle in camp.
Buffalo: B
Matthew Bennett is a great pick. They got lucky to get Mike Melnychenko so late. Even Brandon Goodwin is a great player, despite being picked so early. However, every player they drafted were leftys. Whether this was by design or first, I don’t know, but it makes you wonder if Shawn Williams will be back, and John Tavares already was announced to return. This could be a high upside draft for Buffalo even though some picks were odd.
Calgary: B-
Tyson Roe will be a beast with that Roughnecks defense. Andrew Smistad was a great pick up late and is local from Calgary. Pat Henry can add to the offense. The Roughnecks are a pretty solid team with few weaknesses, but they did address a defense that could improve, especially with Andrew McBride possibly not returning.
Vancouver: C+
Conrad Chapman and Brendan Clelland both went early. They got Dan Keane and Matt Delmonico with late picks, so maybe it evens out. This draft could be great for the Stealth or be little impact. Their biggest move was getting Johnny Powless by trading that second overall pick.
Toronto: C
Toronto just didn’t have a lot of picks. Brandon Benn has the potential to be a stud but they took him with a high pick and he hasn’t played a lot of box. Brady Haseltine won’t make that team, and their other picks were alright for how few they had. Toronto has made their off season moves with free agency and trades, so the draft wasn’t their biggest deal.
