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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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WORCESTER, MA – MARCH 24: Brady Tkachuk #27 of the Boston University Terriers celebrates a goal by teammate David Farrance #25 against the Cornell Big Red during the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Northeast Regional Championship Semifinal at the DCU Center on March 24, 2018 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Terriers won 3-1. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brady Tkachuk;David Farrance
WORCESTER, MA – MARCH 24: Brady Tkachuk #27 of the Boston University Terriers celebrates a goal by teammate David Farrance #25 against the Cornell Big Red during the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Northeast Regional Championship Semifinal at the DCU Center on March 24, 2018 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Terriers won 3-1. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brady Tkachuk;David Farrance /

6. Detroit Red Wings – LW Brady Tkachuk

After a run of defensemen, the Detroit Red Wings are left with a difficult decision of taking a forward or a defenseman. Ken Holland is anything but a conventional decision maker and will probably take the forward. Quinn Hughes would be the better organizational fit, but Brady Tkachuk will be the pick for the Red Wings. He brings the combination of skill and grit to the lineup that the Red Wings will value. After a strong freshman season at Boston University, Tkachuk locked himself into a top 10 draft slot. The Red Wings are in the awkward beginning phase of a rebuild, they still have plenty of veterans on the team but they are all past their prime.

Brady Tkachuk does everything an NHL team could ask for. He has the potential to be an elite power forward in this league. He has size, skill and skating ability. The Detroit Red Wings will be thrilled to get Tkachuk here. When he is not getting under the skin of his opponents, he is scoring points. He really broke through when he was a star for Team USA during the World Junior Championship, where he picked up nine points in just seven games. He showed major potential and was a big reason the USA won bronze. The gritty style wore down opposing teams all season in the NCAA he was one of the top freshmen with 31 points.

The only knock on Tkachuk this season was his maturity. Often times he would be too aggressive and take a lot of penalties. He still did this year at Boston University but by the end of the season he was much improved. In total he had 61 penalty minutes in 40 NCAA games, but only two in the entire World Junior Tournament. Another season at Boston University will be helpful for Tkachuk he can continue to mature and take on a leadership role with the team. Detroit is not going to be very good anytime soon, so there is no reason to rush him into the lineup.

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