Development camps begin this week. Drafted prospects will battle it out to show that teams made the right decision picking them, and invitees will do their best to show that they should've been drafted. Before camps kick off, however, it's time to grade the Western Conference (you can find our Eastern Conference grades here).
Anaheim Ducks: B–
Isac Lundestrom was a good pick in the first round, although the Ducks arguably left some talent on the board - but then, so did nearly every team who picked after them. Lundestrom has high-end hockey smarts, and is a nice addition to their forward prospects pool. They also landed Blake McLaughlin, who fell perhaps farther than he should have, and snagged top-rated European goaltender Lukas Dostal.
Arizona Coyotes: B
At fifth overall, the Barrett Hayton pick was far too high. If John Chayka's insistence that Hayton was their man from the start was true, surely they could've traded down slightly and gotten another asset out of it - even if it was just another pick. Still, Hayton is an incredibly smart player with great vision and playmaking skills. He'll be a good player for the Coyotes. It was just a questionable choice at fifth overall.
Their later picks were good for the most part; Jan Jenik shows flashes of creativity and skill that look promising, and Liam Kirk was an intriguing gamble in the seventh round. It'll be interesting to see if he's taken in the upcoming CHL Import Draft and how he fares next season if so.
Calgary Flames: C
The Flames didn't really impress. With few picks, and no trades for higher-round picks, their choices were limited, although their selections were of the type that could potentially pan out. Milos Roman has playmaking potential, and Dmitry Zavgorodniy has pretty decent hockey sense. All in all, though, an underwhelming effort.
Chicago Blackhawks: A–
With their first pick at eighth overall, the Blackhawks got Adam Boqvist. As Boqvist was in the top five for many over the course of the season, that's a great pick. Nicolas Beaudin was taken a little early at 27th, but the Blackhawks made up for it by snagging both Jake Wise and Niklas Nordgren in the second round. Philipp Kurashev is another interesting playmaking type. Alexis Gravel is far from a sure thing, as goalie prospects go, but he's shown flashes of promise. Most importantly, these guys were solid bets for where they were chosen.
Colorado Avalanche: B
Martin Kaut has high-end vision and is quite skilled with the puck, and while he was a bit of a reach at 16th, it really was a tiny one. He could stand to improve his skating, but he should be a good player. The Avalanche had a good Day 2 as well, snagging Sampo Ranta, a good skater with good finishing ability, and Tyler Weiss, another really good skater with playmaking skills. They added several other picks as well, including Justus Annunen, a 6-foot-4 goaltender from Karpat.
Dallas Stars: B
Ty Dellandrea at 13th overall specifically was not the smartest decision, at least in terms of talent left on the board. Dellandrea in a general sense was a really great player on a really terrible team this season, and if he can be that guy or better moving forward, the Stars have a versatile player who's a good skater and reads the ice well. They also snagged re-entry Adam Mascherin, who was initially drafted in the second round by the Panthers in 2016. As to the rest of their picks, there is potential in players like Albin Eriksson and Oskar Back (if Back improves his skating).
Edmonton Oilers: B
Realizing they could get Evan Bouchard at 10th and choosing not to trade up is the smartest thing the Oilers have done in a while. He's a good all-around defenseman who could crack an NHL lineup sooner rather than later. Then they snagged another first-round talent, center Ryan McLeod, in the second round (giving them the Ryan of both the Strome and the McLeod clans, longtime family friends). Top-rated North American goaltender Olivier Rodrigue rounds out what was a solid, if not thrilling, weekend for the Oilers.
Los Angeles Kings: B+
After snagging Rasmus Kupari at 20th, a bit lower than some thought he would or should go, the Kings got another first-round talent in Akil Thomas in the second round. That alone was good, but they also bet well on most of their other picks, including tenacious Aidan Dudas and smart puckhandler Bulat Shafigulin. We'll have to wait and see on goaltender Jacob Ingham, but in the sixth round he was worth taking a chance on.
Minnesota Wild: C–
The Wild went well off-board with their first-round pick, Filip Johansson. Johanssen has potential, but he was quite a reach as a first-rounder. They did get Jack McBain, who fell farther down the board than perhaps he should have given his high-end hockey smarts. Most of their other picks are question marks whose success will be determined by development. The Wild didn't have a terrible weekend; they just left too much talent on the board.
Nashville Predators: D
This is not up to David Poile's usual standards. Initially, the Predators' first pick was at No. 89; they then traded down and didn't pick until 111th. Given how talented players kept falling down the board, that feels inexcusable. Of the four players they did draft, no one really jumps off the page, and all are a ways away from the NHL, if they get there. Spencer Stastney has been good for the USNTDP, but he doesn't have the instincts to be a game-changer, and Jachym Kondelik has pretty good hockey smarts, but can't really skate.
San Jose Sharks: B–
Although we said the Sharks needed to focus on rebuilding their defensive prospect pool, we didn't expect them to take the most contentious prospect in the draft, Ryan Merkley. Still, they did and there's a good chance he'll work out well for them if he gets his act together. Most of their second-day picks were safe guys with upside. There's potential there, but what everyone is going to remember about this Sharks draft is the Merkley pick.
St. Louis Blues: B+
Not only did the Blues take Dominik Bokk in the first round, they got World Junior Championship defenseman and re-entry Scott Perunovich with their second-round pick. Between Bokk's playmaking abilities and skill with the puck and Perunovich's high-end hockey smarts, those two picks alone would make it a good weekend. Their other picks all have aspects of their game to like as well.
Vancouver Canucks: B+
Quinn Hughes immediately became the Canucks' best prospect on defense when selected Friday night. His skill set is elite, he's incredibly smart, and he's a phenomenal skater. Don't be surprised if management tries to woo him away from college and into the NHL next season. Their Day 2 picks (obviously) weren't as high end, but there is potential in guys like Tyler Madden, Artyom Manukyan, and Jett Woo.
Vegas Golden Knights: C+
After an impressive first draft in 2017, the Golden Knights took a step back. Of course, you can't have three first-round picks every year - they didn't even have one this year - so that makes sense. Still, most of their picks were fairly shoulder-shrug and do nothing to get your average prospect pundit excited. Ivan Morozov was a good choice in the second round, though, with his smart two-way play and ability to read the ice very well. Stanislav Demin has potential on defense, but not of the game-breaking variety.
Winnipeg Jets: C–
With no high picks, the Jets had to make do - but they didn't, really. None of their picks leap off the page, and David Gustafsson was too high at 60th. Nathan Smith and Declan Chisholm have potential, but are a long way off, and their other picks were uninspiring. Still, there's a chance one or two guys from this draft pan out, and in the end that's really what you're looking for.
Hannah Stuart keeps a close eye on both drafted and draft-eligible prospects and can usually be found trying to learn more about hockey analytics. She has previously written for FanRag Sports, The Hockey Writers, and Hooked On Hockey Magazine, and can also be found at High Heels and High Sticks. Find her on twitter at @HockeyWthHannah.
Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.