Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story did not include Cam York.
To wrap up this week of re-ranking recent NHL draft classes we look back at the 2019 class. As this draft class has aged, we’ve seen that it wasn’t the deepest group of talent imaginable, but the top of the class was star-studded, with seven legit impact players which is well above average. To be eligible for this exercise, players had to actually be drafted in the draft class mentioned, regardless of their first year of eligibility.
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Tier 1: Elite NHL Player
1. Jack Hughes, C (Devils, No. 1)
I presume there won’t be much debate over this one. Hughes has emerged as a premier NHL player and a potential MVP candidate. He’s an electric skater with a ton of skill and offensive hockey sense who brings it every night. He’s everything New Jersey could have asked for when they picked him No. 1 overall.
Tier 2: Bubble Elite NHL Player and NHL All-Star
2. Dylan Cozens, C (Sabres, No. 7)
3. Trevor Zegras, C (Ducks, No. 9)
Tier 2 is where it gets more interesting. While I think Zegras may get pushed to the wing when it’s all said and done, I see a delineation between Cozens and Zegras and the next group because they are centers with high-end talent that you can build a franchise around. Cozens is in the mold of a big, well-rounded center with legit offense, and Zegras is one of the most purely skilled and creative players in the NHL even if his game can lack in other areas.
Tier 3: NHL All-Star
4. Cole Caufield, RW (Canadiens, No. 15)
5. Moritz Seider, D (Red Wings, No. 6)
6. Matt Boldy, LW (Wild, No. 12)
7. Bowen Byram, D (Avalanche, No. 4)
Seider and Byram are two legit star talents on defense. Seider is a bit more proven, but Byram has been excellent when healthy and has a Stanley Cup to his name already. Caufield and Boldy are special talents on the wing, who are now proven top NHL scorers and have had big paydays already. Caufield especially has continued to show his elite skill and goal-scoring touch translates to the NHL level and is a threat to post big numbers over his career.
Tier 4: Top of Lineup Player
8. Kaapo Kakko, RW (Rangers, No. 2)
Kakko is in a tier of his own because while I think he’s a player with top-line tools and has shown well in the NHL, I also would stop short of calling him a player with star potential like I would with players like Caufield or Boldy. I don’t see that level of elite skill in his game. Still, he’s a big, powerful forward who is dangerous with the puck and can make a lot of plays.
Tier 5: Bubble Top and Middle of Lineup Player/Quality Starting Goaltender
9. Shane Pinto, C (Senators, No. 32)
10. Kirby Dach, C (Blackhawks, No. 3)
11. Philip Broberg, D (Oilers, No. 8)
12. Thomas Harley, D (Stars, No. 18)
13. Arthur Kaliyev, RW (Kings, No. 33)
14. Juuso Parssinen, LW (Predators, No. 210)
15. Spencer Knight, G (Panthers, No. 13)
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Tier 5 features the third overall pick from this draft in Kirby Dach, who has already been traded once. Dach may not be the star some envisioned a few years ago, but he’s a very good player who projects as a long-time top-six forward due to a great combo of speed, skill and size even if his consistency isn’t always the best.
Two second-round picks who elevate to this group are Shane Pinto and Arthur Kaliyev. Pinto is a big center whose offensive touch which was mildly questioned in his draft year has proven to be no issue as a pro to go with a strong off-the-puck game. Kaliyev was a highly debated player in his draft year. He had great sense and scoring touch to go with decent size but scouts questioned his feet and effort. He’s shown since then he is talented enough to overcome those issues.
The biggest riser by far is 7th-round pick Parssinen skyrocketing after a great first season in North America. He looks to be a very skilled and highly competitive player with size. His skating is why he went so late in the 2019 draft, but he’s shown since then there are so many other good elements in his game that his feet won’t hold him back from NHL success.
In all three cases of major risers, skating was a concern in their draft seasons.
Tier 6: Middle of the Lineup Player/Starting Goaltender
16. Alex Newhook, C (Avalanche, No. 16)
17. Philip Tomasino, RW (Predators, No. 24)
18. Cam York, D (Flyers, No. 14)
19. Mads Sogaard, G (Senators, No. 37)
20. Matias Maccelli, LW (Coyotes, No. 98)
21. Peyton Krebs, LW (Golden Knights, No. 17)
22. Nolan Foote, LW (Lightning, No. 27)
23. Elmer Soderblom, LW (Red Wings, No. 159)
24. Jackson LaCombe, D (Ducks, No. 39)
25. Jordan Spence, D (Kings, No. 94)
26. Arseny Gritsyuk, RW (Devils, No. 129)
27. Vasily Podkolzin, RW (Canucks, No. 10)
28. Dustin Wolf, G (Flames, No. 214)
29. Arturs Silovs, G (Canucks, No. 156)
30. Connor McMichael, C (Capitals, No. 25)
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The degree of fluctuation and the difficulty of projecting teenagers can be seen by looking at Tier 6 and how the 2019 draft has evolved over the years. In this tier, there are eight players who were not picked in the first round and quite a few players picked much later than the first round.
Tier 7: Projected to Play NHL Games
31. Samuel Bolduc, D (Islanders, No. 57)
32. Jakob Pelletier, LW (Flames, No. 26)
33. Mark Kastelic, C (Senators, No. 125)
34. Henry Thrun, D (Ducks, No. 101)
35. Simon Holmstrom, LW (Islanders, No. 23)
36. Aidan McDonough, LW (Canucks, No. 195)
37. Rafael Harvey-Pinard, LW (Canadiens, No. 201)
38. Lassi Thomson, D (Senators, No. 19)
39. Victor Soderstrom, D (Coyotes, No. 11)
40. Tobias Bjornfot, D (Kings, No. 22)
41. Kaedan Korczak, D (Golden Knights, No. 41)
42. Matthew Robertson, D (Rangers, No. 49)
43. Drew Helleson, D (Avalanche, No. 47)
44. Aliaksei Protas, C (Capitals, No. 91)
45. John Beecher, C (Bruins, No. 30)
46. Zac Jones, D (Rangers, No. 68)
47. Pavel Dorofeyev, LW (Golden Knights, No. 79)
48. Nils Hoglander, LW (Canucks, No. 40)
49. Adam Beckman, LW (Wild, No. 75)
50. Raphael Lavoie, RW (Oilers, No. 38)
51. Ville Heinola, D (Jets, No. 20)
52. Ryan Johnson, D (Sabres, No. 31)
53. Pyotr Kochetkov, G (Hurricanes, No. 36)
54. Nicholas Robertson, LW (Maple Leafs, No. 53)
55. Brett Leason, RW (Capitals, No. 56)
56. Bobby Brink, RW (Flyers, No. 34)
Tier 8: Has a Chance to Play NHL Games
57. Nikita Okhotiuk, D (Devils, No. 61)
58. Maxence Guenette, D (Senators, No. 187)
59. Samuel Fagemo, RW (Kings, No. 50)
60. Ronnie Attard, D (Flyers, No. 72)
61. Cole Schwindt, RW (Panthers, No. 81)
62. Adam Edstrom, LW (Rangers, No. 161)
63. Albert Johansson, D (Red Wings, No. 60)
64. Antti Tuomisto, D (Red Wings, No. 35)
65. Simon Lundmark, D (Jets, No. 51)
66. Alex Vlasic, D (Blackhawks, No. 43)
67. Aku Raty, RW (Coyotes, No. 151)
68. Lukas Rousek, RW (Sabres, No. 160)
69. Massimo Rizzo, C (Hurricanes, No. 216)
70. Graeme Clarke, RW (Devils, No. 80)
71. Tyce Thompson, RW (Devils, No. 96)
72. Alex Turcotte, C (Kings, No. 5)
73. Ryan Suzuki, C (Hurricanes, No. 28)
74. Semyon Chystyakov, D (Predators, No. 117)
75. Henri Nikkanen, C (Jets, No. 113)
76. Domenick Fensore, D (Hurricanes, No. 90)
77. Vladislav Kolyachonok, D (Panthers, No. 52)
78. Egor Afanasyev, LW (Predators, No. 45)
79. Nikita Nesterenko, LW (Wild, No. 172)
80. Sam Poulin, C (Penguins, No. 21)
81. Judd Caulfield, RW (Penguins, No. 145)
82. Alex Campbell, LW (Predators, No. 65)
83. Daniil Misyul, D (Devils, No. 70)
