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Draft Preview 2016
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. THN is published 18 times a year, including 14 regular issues and four special issues – such as Future Watch, Draft Preview, Yearbook, the #1 selling hockey annual in North America.


SECRETS OF THE SCOUTING GAME
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE COVERAGE, VISIT THN.COM WE’RE ONLY AS good as our scouts. In the pages of THN’s Draft Preview, we break down every nugget of relevant info we can find on prospects, from their amateur stats to their bodily measurements, but nothing matters more than our scouting reports. Scouting is a grind. The NHL’s bird dogs freeze their toes in rinks all over the northern hemisphere studying kids to learn their strengths and weaknesses. But it’s also a passion and an art form. What are the secrets of the trade? What are the most important things to seek in a draft-hopeful kid? And what are the red flags? Is the travel as horrible as it’s rumored to be? We assembled a panel of experts with decades of experience in the business to…


TANKS, BUT NO TANKS
ONE THING THAT has become clear in a salary cap environment is you can’t talk about the NHL draft without talking about the draft lottery. Securing elite and affordable assets with high picks has become the most important building block in the game today. And getting those high picks has prompted discussions about the taboo of bad teams tanking games. I firmly believe the notion of tanking, in order to wind up with a higher draft slot, is a myth created by the media and perpetuated by fans, who think it possible players would actually lower their discussions to this ethical wasteland, then go out on the ice and execute strategic loss after strategic loss. It doesn’t happen. Nor would any NHL coach, having risen to the highest level in his vocation,…


RANKINGS
THE TIME IS NEAR. After months of anticipation, the picks will actually be made, and there will be a lot of potential to unpack. Since the draft has become the New Trade Deadline, there will certainly be chaos on Friday night, when the first round occurs. But the havoc extends well past the shuffling of NHL players, picks and contracts. This draft promises to be the best year ever for Finland, a nation that won the world juniors and world under-18s. On the other hand, expect the worst showing ever for the WHL – which may only have one or two firstrounders when all is said and done. The mitigating factor? There is a lot of uncertainty after the first 20 to 23 players available. So not to hedge our bets…


NHL TEAM REPORTS
WHAT'S INSIDE 10-YEAR DRAFT REVIEW 2004-13 We look at each team’s draft picks between 2004 and 2013 and identify selections that were shrewd and not so shrewd – based on when that selection was in the draft IMMEDIATE NEEDS The roster holes and positional weaknesses teams must address to improve in the short term LONG-TERM NEEDS Assessing what positions teams must develop down the road and prioritize at the draft podium CAP SITUATION A quick rundown of salary cap space and which free agents teams will attempt to re-sign IN THE SYSTEM 2016-17 The prospects in each organization most likely to become full-time NHLers next season ANAHEIM DUCKS ON THE OFFENSIVE Ducks prefer the smooth approach while other teams are scrambling THE DUCKS HAVE A conservative philosophy when it comes to adding pieces at the NHL trade deadline. While rivals Los Angeles and Chicago…