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NHL mock draft: Final projections for every first-round pick

By Derek Grochowski

BUFFALO, NY - JANUARY 5: Rasmus Dahlin #8 of Sweden in play against Canada during the Gold medal game of the IIHF World Junior Championship at KeyBank Center on January 5, 2018 in Buffalo, New York. Canada beat Sweden 3-1. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - JANUARY 5: Rasmus Dahlin #8 of Sweden in play against Canada during the Gold medal game of the IIHF World Junior Championship at KeyBank Center on January 5, 2018 in Buffalo, New York. Canada beat Sweden 3-1. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images) /
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KELOWNA, BC – MARCH 03: Ty Smith #24 of the Spokane Chiefs skates to the bench against the Kelowna Rockets at Prospera Place on March 3, 2018 in Kelowna, Canada. (Photo by Marissa Baecker/Getty Images)
KELOWNA, BC – MARCH 03: Ty Smith #24 of the Spokane Chiefs skates to the bench against the Kelowna Rockets at Prospera Place on March 3, 2018 in Kelowna, Canada. (Photo by Marissa Baecker/Getty Images) /

10. Edmonton Oilers – D Ty Smith

It won’t be easy to fix the Edmonton Oilers. It will take more than one offseason but they can cross a major need of their list by drafting Ty Smith. The Oilers need help everywhere. They need wingers that can score and they need better defensemen top to bottom. Oscar Klefbom was rumored to be trade bait early in the offseason, but that has seemed to die down a little bit. The Oilers would do well to keep him. The addition of Ty Smith will give them a respectable top three set of defensemen along with Klefbom and Darnel Nurse. The Oilers will look towards free agency or even trades to address their needs on the wings.

Ty Smith is another example of a high-scoring defenseman who will go high in this year’s draft. Unfortunately for Smith, he is facing a lot of competition this year on defense. There are so many good ones coming out in this year’s draft, Smith gets a little lost in the shuffle. He has a great shot from the point that generates a lot of offense. He had a great season for the Spokane Chiefs totaling 73 points in 69 games, an impressive feat.

Ty Smith is great with the puck on his stick. As evidence by his numbers, he is gifted offensively. However, one of his areas to approve is his play without the puck. He can sometimes get caught drifting in and out of position. The other thing he needs to work on is using his size. He is six foot two and over 200 pounds but he does not affectively use it to his advantage. Smith is the top defensive prospect coming out of the WHL. In a weaker class Ty Smith would be a top 10 or even top five prospect.

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