If you’ve been following SBN Hockey’s network-wide mock draft, you know that the Caps are on the clock, which means we’re on the clock for them.
Last year, of course, we had two picks, at 11th and 16th overall. With that 11th pick, we selected Zemgus Girgensons (Caps pick Filip Forsberg went second overall; Girgensons was selected 14th in the actual draft by Buffalo), and with the 16th pick we took Pontus Åberg, in part for that cool thing over the “A” in his name (Caps pick Tom Wilson went to New Jersey with the penultimate pick of the first round; Åberg slipped to 37th in reality, where Nashville snatched him up).
Two years ago, drafting in the 26th slot, we selected Scott Mayfield (he ended up going to the Islanders with the 34th pick in the actual draft, and the Caps, of course, traded the 26th pick to Chicago in exchange for Troy Brouwer; the Blackhawks drafted Phillip Danault with the pick).
Three years ago, also drafting 26th overall, we took Brock Nelson (he ended up going to the Isles at 30th in the real draft; Caps pick Evgeny Kuznetsov was off the board already).
This time around, we’re pleased to select… from the U.S. National Development Team, center J.T. Compher.
Rankings: CSS (34 NA), ISS (26), TSN (34), Hockey Prospectus (25)
Here he is in action:
Per Corey Pronman, who ranks Compher as the 25th-best prospect in the draft:
At midseason, here’s what TSN’s Craig Button had to say:
Chris Peters has Compher at #25 and offers up the following assessment:
As for comps for Compher, here’s what he had to say:
“Being from Chicago, I love watching [Blackhawks captain] Jonathan Toews. He is a great two-way player, really strong defensively along with having some of the greatest skill in the world. But I think I compare myself a little to Ryan Callahan of the Rangers. He plays an agitating game, he’s a hard worker, he’s about my size and he’s a leader on his team. That’s a guy I try to emulate.”
For more on Compher, including his tools and more comparables, check out The NHL Arena and The Buffalo News.
So that’s our pick – a two-way center and an American kid (so you know he’s got a shot at a Conn Smythe someday). What’s yours?