Mock Draft boards weigh in on the Habs No. 1 pick

With the 2010 NHL Entry Draft just hours away, I thought I would surf around the web to see what the mainstream and alternate media are saying in their mock drafts. I came across a small sampling listed below, as there are many “armchair GMs” out there.

The Montreal Canadiens currently hold the number 27 choice and the “panel” has a bit of a diverse mix, with a couple agreeing on the same players. Tri-Cities’ Jaden Schwartz is the popular choice amongst three panelists.

It should be noted that most of these are the thoughts of the specific authors, and not necessarily those of the website or media outlet they post to. Of note: Mike Boone’s pick was not from a mock draft, but an observation made in one of his blogs.

You can check the complete mock draft lists and the NHL Central Scouting reports by clicking on the panelist and choice links respectively.

Here they are, in no particular order.

Panelist	Choice	P	Team	Comments
Mike Boone(HIO)	Dylan McIlrath	D	Moose Jaw (WHL)	“When was the last time the Canadiens had a bona-fide intimidator, à la Chris Pronger, on the back-end?”
MyNHLDraft.com	John McFarland	C/L	Sudbury(OHL)
Adam Kimelman (NHL.com)	Stanislav Galiev	RW	Saint John (QMJHL)	“Russian-born sniper has had two years to hone his dynamic North American skills”
Brad Holland (NHL.com)	Stephen Johns	D	US U-18(NTDP)	“After watching Hal Gill shut down Ovi and Sid, Habs look to shut down future stars with Johns.”
Mike Morreale (NHL.com)	Alexander Petrovic	D	Red Deer (WHL)	“Strapping 6-4 defender can skate, handle and distribute the puck well off the transition.”
James Murphy (NESN)	Tyler Pitlick	C	Minnesota State (WCHA)	“The Habs have long coveted a big center to go with their skilled and speedy wingers, and at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Pitlick can play that role.”
FanHouse.com	Jaden Schwartz	C	Tri-City (USHL)	“The Canadiens have never shied away from smallish forwards. Schwartz will attract teams with his great playmaking skills and speed.”
Respect Hockey	Ludvig Rensfeldt	C	Brynas Jr.(SEL)
Hockeys Future	Alexander Petrovic	D	Red Deer (WHL)	“A right-handed shot, Petrovic has earned comparisons to the Chicago Blackhawks Brent Seabrook, also a WHL product.”
Shane Malloy (Sportsnet.ca)	Jaden Schwartz	C	Tri-City (USHL)	“Schwartz could be an offensive force in time and will be well worth the wait.”
Jeff Marek(CBC Sports)	Calvin Pickard	G	Seattle(WHL)	“The Habs won't be fooled by Pickard's average numbers. This kid saw a lot of action this past season and didn't crack.”
Scott Cullen (TSN)	Tyler Toffoli	RW	Ottawa (OHL)	“knows what to do when (he)gets around the net and he plays a good two-way game.”
McGuire and Button (TSN)	Evgeny Kuznetsov	LW	Chelyabinsk (KHL)	McGuire: “This is a talented player who can produce offense and has balanced speed”
SBNation	Ryan Spooner	C	Peterborough (OHL)
MA Godin (La Presse)	Tyler Pitlick	C	Minnesota State (WCHA)	“This is the type of big man the Habs lack.”
The Sporting News	Jaden Schwartz	C	Tri-City (WHL)	“Schwartz would fit right in with all the other small forwards in Montreal.”

Well that’s who they’re choosing. Every position is covered,even a goalie. All but two North American skaters (Spooner and Johns) were in the top-30 on the NHL’s Central Scouting Rankings and only two skaters play in Europe.

As for me, I’ll go on a real wild limb and say Charlie Coyle. Of course Pierre Gauthier holds the real cards on who the Habs will take, when the official announcement is made on Friday evening, unless he makes a move beforehand.