Now, without further ado, here are picks #6-#10 in the Everything Hockey Mock Draft 09:

#6 overall – Phoenix Coyotes select: Centre – Brayden Schenn – Brandon Wheat Kings

Schenn will be added to the quickly growing crop of young stars in Phoenix. With ownership stability up in the air, and a couple rebuilding years looming, Phoenix will be looking to add the best player available. Schenn is as much of a sure bet as they come. I’m not sure if he’ll make as quick of an impact as his brother Luke did, but we’ll see. With many scouts comparing him to the Flyers’ Mike Richards, you can expect him to turn out to be a gritty, 2-way, hard working forward. Phoenix would probably like to add a legit goaltending prospect, especially with rumours of Ilya Bryzgalov being traded, but like I said before, this year’s crop is way to weak to justify a top ten pick.

#7 overall – Toronto Maple Leafs select: Centre – Evander Kane – Vancouver Giants

The Leafs would be thrilled to see Kane drop to #7 and would gladly “settle for him.” Even if the reports of an attitude problem are true, GM Brian Burke would be sure to set him straight. The Leafs are not an organization that takes a lot of crap from people (except on the ice, of course). If the Leafs do end up setting him straight, they will have made a great selection at pick #7. This is assuming, of course, that Burke fails in his attempt to move up. If he reaches his potential, he could easily carry an entire team’s offense. Brian Burke has also stated that he does not look at position when drafting, it’s all about who the best player available is.

#8 overall – Dallas Stars select: Defenceman – Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Leksands IF

Dallas needs help in a lot of places. Their list of bona fide prospects isn’t all that big, most of them are on the team already. They’ll be happy to take anyone, really. I think Ekman-Larsson just fits in nicely with the Stars’ system. A big stud on defence may help turn the tide for them. The season was very up and down for the Stars, and some solid defence may add some stability to their lineup.

#9 overall – Ottawa Senators select: Centre – Nazem Kadri – London Knights

The Ottawa Senators have a ton of firepower. Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson and the gang sure know how to put the puck in the back of the net, but generating scoring chances was a problem for them this season. A big playmaking Centre like Kadri would be a welcome addition to their offence, and if he’s still around at #9, they’ll definitely take him. When I say “big playmaking centre” I don’t mean it in a physical sense, at 5’11 – 175 he certainly won’t be intimidating many players. I say it in a game-breaking sense. Kadri’s speed and grit can generate a ton of offense for a team.

#10 overall – Edmonton Oilers select: Centre – Jacob Josefson – Djurgardens IF

Jacob Josefson didn’t impress very many scouts at the World Juniors, but in his defense, he was very sick. He was held pointless, and was a minus 1 in the tournament. He speed is something to behold, and he put up very solid numbers in the Swedish league, especially since he was playing on the fourth line, and against grown men. He’s a bit of a project pick, but he certainly has a bright future. he is sometimes described as a “typical Swedish forward,”  and you can expect him to develop in Sweden for a few more years before heading over to North America.

That concludes the top ten picks in the Everything Hockey mock draft. Here is #1-5 in detail, and here it all is in list form:

1. NYI – John Tavares
2. TB – Victor Hedman
3. COL – Matt Duchene
4. ATL – Jared Cowan
5. LA – Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson
6. PHX – Brayden Schenn
7. TOR – Evander Kane
8. DAL – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
9. OTT – Nazem Kadri
10. EDM – Jacob Josefson

I hope you have enjoyed my preview so far. Once the Stanley Cup final has concluded I will put up the rest of the results. Let me know what you think, if you agree or disagree with one of my picks. Drop a comment and see you next time!

I have evaluated each team, and have a pretty good idea of who they plan on going after in this draft. Some teams need desperate help in a certain area, others will just draft who they think is the best available player at the time. Of course, all of this is barring any kind of trade where a team moves up, which is very possible. I can only go up to the first 14 picks, because the playoffs decide where all of the other teams pick. Here are the first 5 picks in this years’ draft, including a detailed explanation:

#1 overall – New York Islanders select: Centre - John Tavares - London Knights

Lets face it, there is no way the Islanders will pass on this guy. Unless someone approaches the Islanders with a hugely one-sided deal, I think this pick is a lock. Even if someone does offer up a huge trade for the first overall pick, GM Garth Snow will have to think long and hard about it. Tavares is the game-breaker that the Islanders desperately need. I really don’t think they will pass that up.

#2 overall – Tampa Bay Lightning select: Defenceman – Victor Hedman – Modo Hockey

If Tavares goes first like we all expect him to go, the Lightning will snatch up Victor Hedman. Hedman is no small consolation prize either, every team wishes they could get their hands on the 6’6 220 pounder. The Lightning have always struggled with defence, and Hedman should fit in nicely. Mike Smith will love having this guy play in front of him. Hedman’s not known for his offense, but he should contribute.

#3 overall – Colorado Avalanche select: Centre – Matt Duchene – Brampton Battalion

Colorado would love to add a top prospect goalie into their mix of prospects, but with the #3 pick, Duchene is too good to pass up. A little on the small side, but his speed and skill should provide Colorado with strength down the middle for years to come. He’s a very low risk pick, one scout even was quoted saying that the worst possible outcome of drafting Duchene would be that he would become a steady #2 centre. The Avalanche will snatch him up with the #3 pick if they get the chance.

#4 overall – Atlanta Thrashers select: Defenceman – Jared Cowen – Spokane Chiefs

The Thrashers are in need of a big-time game changing defenceman, and while they’d love to get Hedman, they’ll have to settle with the #2 rated defenceman in this year’s draft, Jared Cowan. He’s smaller than Hedman, at 6’5 218 pounds, but size is all you can compare the two with. Where Hedman is a strong two-way defenceman, Cowen is very much a defensive-minded defenceman. He is very steady in his own end, and could have been in the running for the top pick this year if he didn’t end up getting injured. He may take a few years in the minors to refine his game, but taking Cowen with the #4 selection isn’t a bad deal at all.

#5 overall – Los Angeles Kings select: Left Winger – Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson – Timra IK

The Kings have drafted a number of defenceman in the past two drafts, Thomas Hickey 4th overall in 2007, Drew Doughty 3rd overall in 2008, Colten Teubert 13th overall in 2008, and Vyacheslav Voinov 32nd overall in 2008 just to name a few. With Jonathan Bernier well on his way to becoming their #1, they have their back-end set up nicely. That’s why I think the Kings will go out and take the skilled playmaking forward Paajarvi-Svensson (or Svensson-Paajarvi, whatever floats your boat) with the 5th pick if he’s available when they make their selection. Alexander Frolov, Anze Kopitar, and Jarret Stoll are already established scorers at the NHL level, and the playmaking of Paajarvi-Svensson should compliment them nicely. I really think he’s a perfect fit for the Kings’ system, and they should enjoy what he has to bring to the table.

That’s all for now, I will slowly be releasing the rest of the draft as the playoffs finish up, and we work our way towards the big day. I hope you enjoyed, and I would love to hear who you think teams will draft and why.