2017 NHL mock draft: Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier
The 2017 NHL Entry Draft takes place in Chicago come June, and the new Jersey Devils pick first. Who will be their choice? We mock the top five selections.
No. 5 Vancouver Canucks
Cody Glass, Center, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
In what turned out to be the worst-case scenario for the Canucks, they have dropped to picking fifth overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Obviously upset about the prospect of missing out on Patrick or Hischier, the Canucks will likely stick to what they would have done before and take a center at fifth overall.
With multiple center prospects left on the board at this point, it was up in the air between Cody Glass and a few other players, but Glass is the best fit for the direction that Trevor Linden and Jim Benning seem to be taking the Canucks organization. And much like most of their recent prospects, Glass is going to take a few years before he is ready to be skating on NHL ice.
A decently sized right-handed center, at 6-foot-2 and 179 pounds, Glass has been the biggest mover in draft rankings over the last season. Going from a 27-point WHL rookie season, Glass came back ready to contribute and finished the 2016-17 WHL regular season with 32 goals and 62 assists in 69 games. A truly impressive jump.
While Glass is undoubtedly not going to be playing in Vancouver in 2017-18, he projects to be a very good top six forward for the future. Glass is a decent skater, but his first steps and overall skating stride is a bit odd and could use some improvement before he makes the jump to the NHL. A smart player with great ability to win one-on-one physical battles, Glass could be the physical presence the Canucks are currently lacking, if he puts a bit more muscle on his frame.
While he may not translate to being an elite scorer at the NHL level, Glass is extremely disciplined and shows a willingness, and possibly even an enjoyment, in playing end-to-end. All of these attributes, added to his solid hockey IQ, would make him an exceptionally solid pick for the Canucks to add to their currently sub-par prospect pool.