The Winnipeg Jets already have one of the league’s deeper prospect pools, with skaters such as Nikolaj Ehlers, Joel Armia, and Josh Morrissey waiting to take their spots on the NHL roster.
That being said, the team has holes to fill, and with the pro roster having aging players such as Bryan Little (27) and Mathieu Perreault (27) down the middle, it makes sense that the team would try to address its center depth in this upcoming draft.
With that in mind, the Winnipeg Jets use the 17th selection in the LBC Mock Draft to select:
Travis Konecny – C Ottawa 67’s
One of the most explosive players in the 2015 NHL Draft is Travis Konecny, who will be a great addition to Winnipeg’s prospect pool. Though he is on the smaller side, the tenacious forward plays much bigger than he actually is, and has a motor that never stops. From the scouts:
“A talented scoring forward that can play either as a center or on the wing; plays with the bite and intensity of a guy who is willing to do anything to win a game. Possesses dynamic skating ability that allows him to accelerate rapidly with each step, incredible hockey sense, electrifying puckhandling skills, and a lightning release on his shot; when you put this skillset together with hard-nosed determination, proactiveness in all three zones, and a physical willingness to grind and persevere, you get a game-changer who can be extremely difficult to play against.”
“Travis Konecny has excellent speed, and tremendous acceleration. He utilizes it both on the rush, and to be a cannonball on the forecheck. He has good balance and is strong on his skates. This helps him to to grind in the corners, work in the cycle game, or fight through checks to get to the front of the net. Konecny has strong agility and combines that with his great stickhandling to elude defenders and create plays. His speed must be respected as he can take a defender wide and cut to the net. This gives him the ability to slow up quickly and create shooting or passing lanes. Add to this great vision and passing ability and Konecny is the type of player who can make his linemates better. He also has a strong wrist shot and a good release. The good stickhandling and soft hands also come in handy for Konecny when he gets close to the net, as he can beat goalies in close, or can tip in shots, or pounce quickly on rebounds. He has the versatility to play centre, right wing, and even play the point on the powerplay at times.”
“Quick and spirited scoring forward, Konecny projects as a top six sniper who can play anywhere in the top nine. Despite being undersized, he plays with good physicality and won’t back down from highly contested areas. Konecny’s playing style resembles a player like Phil Kessel in the way that he can unleash a shot in mid-stride.”
Though Konecny had an off year, he was playing on one of the worst teams in the OHL, and still has all of the offensive talents needed to succeed in the NHL.