Florida Panthers: 2019 NHL Draft Prospect Defense + Goalie Rankings
Tier C – Top 4 Defender Upside
9. Lassi Thomson / R / SEP 00 / Kelowna / WHL
Hard right-shot defender with two-way potential. Good at breaking up plays and swatting pucks down, similar traits to Ekblad (with less promise but way cleaner skating). The Rockets are a defenseman factory, so the development should be pretty dependable… like Thomson. One of my favorite defenseman to watch play this year.
10. Mikko Kokkonen / L / JAN 01 / Jukurit / Liiga
Defensively, Kokkonen has few peers in this draft. He breaks up zone entries, keeps pucks in at the blue line, block shots, and is tidy getting the puck out. His offensive numbers were mainly due to playing heavy minutes on a thin Liiga team. It’s not representative of true record-setting offensive power. However, Kokkonen is a proficient puckhandler and makes a good breakout pass, it’s not crazy to think he produces enough. Kokkonen is a defender I kept up in my rankings longer than most simply because of the minutes and performance defensively at the Liiga level.
11. Iivari Rasanen / L / MAY 01 / Tappara / Jr. A
Rasanen hardly made mistakes in the games I saw. Strong first pass and first few strides. Plays with urgency and follows up the play. Gaps up on pucks and players quickly. A quick comparable to style is Kimmo Timonen (and not just because he wears #44). Hardly hear this name discussed but one of the best defenders to target earlier Day 2.
12. Anttoni Honka /R / OCT 00 / JYP / Liiga
A raw offensive defender who went through the growing pains of turning pro this season. His defensive play will never be his strong suit but he does cut off passes frequently. Honka’s offensive value lies with his creativity. He’s undersized and old for the draft but he constantly sees lanes and plays others don’t and that has more value these days. My opinion of Honka fluctuated a lot over the last year, whereas Kokkonen and Rasanen viewings were sticking positive.
13. Cam York / L / JAN 01 / USDP/ USHL
Not many have York this low. York doesn’t display much urgency or dedication to defense at a low competition level, which worries me. I also don’t see PP1 QB and 5v5 offensive contributor, Morgan Reilly style comparisons. Possible he reaches that of course but I’m leaning USDP factor. The good I do see is a defender who will win the neutral zone battles well and start transition rushes. York skates well enough to break out or enter the zone with solid success. Just not sold on first pairing dynamic style or potential.
14. Matthew Robertson / L / MAR 01 / Edmonton / WHL
An aggressive defender who still is a bit rough around the edges. Being active all over the ice brings the highs of his shifts and the lows. He has a good shot and good head on his shoulders but needs to dial it in with positioning through development.
15. Semyon Chistyakov / L / AUG 01 / Tolpar Ufa / MHL
A defender who tries to stir up momentum and kick-start the counter-attack by checking and gambling big. Chistyakov has some creativity too, and I can see an ability to finish plays. Danny Markov comes to mind. I like that he can play the off side and doesn’t over stick handle. Wish I had more viewings of him.
16. Roman Bychov / L / FEB 01 / Loko Yaroslavl / MHL
Good defensively man-on-man, and works well activating into the cycle or sticking with his man off the cycle. Offensively, Bychov is a good puck handler who can be evasive and hang onto possession. With a better shot, he could contribute some points.
17. Daniil Misyul / L / OCT 00 / Loko Yaroslavl / MHL
Raw prospect with the size, skating technique, and wingspan/stick work to be an NHL defender. Wish Misyul was as aggressive on D as he is to get up into the offense. Big gaps at times through the neutral zone show this. Good outlet pass but like some areas of his game, he needs more ummphf.