Klim Kostin, 21st overall - Moscow Dynamo [KHL]

 

 

 

 

A big-bodied power winger with strong work ethic. He can dominate for stretches with his cycle game and puck-protection skills. A high-energy guy who always keeps his feet moving. Possesses a very quick release and has great shot selection. A heads-up player who has a great work ethic and leads by example, works his tail off away from the play to get himself in position to make a play and bodes strong intelligence and sees every play developing around him.

 

"We had Kostin at the top of our draft board the entire time, so we are very thrilled to add this player to the Predators organization. One of the things that we liked about him is that on ice he plays a North American-style game. He's a big body (6-foot-3, 197 pounds) that plays a heavy game, so we're really intrigued. Not only that, but he comes with a dynamic skill package. He's gonna compete right away to make the Predators roster, but if he doesn't, he's expected to report to the Kootenay Ice of the WHL. Which was another big factor to why we gravitated towards him. He's committed to coming to North America." Wolf said.

 

 

 

 

Eemeli Rasanen, 51st overall - Kingston Frontenacs [OHL] 

 

 

 

 

A big, mobile defenseman with long strides that while look awkward, they are effective. He makes quick decisions with the puck on reception, he never hesitates, instead immediately turns to transition up ice and avoid staying stationary. He protects it well, very calm under duress, no stress. Hard, accurate outlets, he finds a seam very quickly; utilizing his smart, strong on-ice vision. A massive guy who brings physicality and nastiness to the back end.

 

 

"The future of our defense is very important to us, and we felt Rasanen immediately brightens the long term future of our blueline. We wanted to focus on big mobile defenseman that can play a solid two-way game and Rasanen checked off all of the boxes. He plays a hard nosed game and we feel if he reaches his potential it will make us a harder team to play against. He had a fantastic season in Kingston and we anticipate he will only get better."

 

 

 

 

Alexei Toropchenko, 83rd overall - Balashika [Russia-Jrs]

 

 

 

 

Toropchenko is super-talented scoring winger who uses his speed, length and tenacity to cause matchup problems. Spending most of his draft year in the MHL allowed him to maintain consistency, especially in the second half. He can make plays off the rush and is an inside player with a devastating change of pace. He makes his living causing havoc in front of the net, and his finishing skills off rebounds and loose pucks are among the best the 2017 draft has to offer.

 

 

"Our entire scouting staff was quite high on Toropchenko" Wolf said. "Alexei possesses an intriguing combination of size, skating and excellent hockey sense. He is a powerful presence on the ice and we expect him to have an impact on our lineup in the future of our hockey club. The fact that Toropchenko has decided to come to north america to play for the Guelph Storm of the OHL really made our decision easy for us to draft him."

 

 

 

 

Igor Rykov, 92nd overall - St. Petersburg SKA [KHL]

 

 

 

 

"We have been scouting Rykov for over a year and a half now. We almost drafted him last year but there were some question marks on the board still and we didn't have many draft picks last year. This year however we finally decided we needed to draft this guy. We're high on him. We feel he plays an underrated game and is a steady, yet sound two way defenseman whos game will only improve overtime. He's been playing in the KHL against men and has continued to hold his own and be a very solid presence on the blueline. We're confident his playstyle and hard work will translate to north america." 

 

 

 

 

Alexander Volkov, 114th overall - St. Petersburg [Russia-Jr]

 

 

 

"Volkov is simply an intriguing prospect to us. In comparison to the NHL draft he fell quite far down the draft board in the EHE. We're intrigued because Steve Yzerman is very high on this dark horse of a player and Volkov has already committed to north america and will play in the AHL next season. We see enough in him that we like, and with the addition of him already coming over, we wanted to take a flyer on him." 

 

 

 

 

Emil Pettersson, 144th overall - Vaxjo HC [SHL]

 

 

 

 

"Another dark horse. We see a lot in Pettersson that we like, and he had a fantastic season in the SHL notching 26 pts in 27 games with the Vaxjo Lakers. He is the brother of Elias Pettersson, and Emil will also be in north america this season. So if you're seeing a trend, a lot of our prospects we drafted this year are going to be playing in north america. This is a huge factor to us, and we are really confident Emil will come in and be a very productive player in our system."

 

 

 

 

Linus Olund, 176 overall - Brynas IF [SHL]

 

 

 

 

"Olund is 20 years old and has already registered 2 seasons in the SHL against men and has held his own. He's an excellent two-way player and is excellent on special teams which is something that is important to us in Nashville. In the NHL he is in the Penguins system which is arguably the worst in the NHL, so we feel he could be fast tracked to the NHL and become an effective player sooner rather than later."

 

 

 

 

Jesse Gabrielle, 186th overall - Prince George Cougars [WHL]

 

 

 

 

"We love this pick and have no idea how Gabrielle was still on the board. He plays for my hometown Prince George Cougars so the pick hits a lot more home to me. Gabrielle has just completed his junior career and he has had fantastic numbers over the past couple years. He's a very versatile player that does everything well and has a skill set in the sense that he's above average in every category. You can't find a weakness in his game. That, plus with the addition of his hard work ethic, we are extremely confident Gabrielle will turn into a very servicable player for our franchise." Wolf concluded.