NHL draft picks are nothing more than lottery tickets. Having a higher pick increases a team’s odds of landing a star, but there’s no such thing as a guarantee — and there are always plenty of gems in the rough.
That’s especially the case in the 2021 NHL Draft, where the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted junior leagues, making it hard for teams to get to know players the way they usually do.
Utah Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther was taken ninth overall that year. At least at this point in his career, he has arguably outperformed everyone selected ahead of him. While it’s still too early to officially declare each player’s ceiling, it’s looking like Guenther should have been a top-three pick, give or take.
Maximizing draft pick value is especially important for the Mammoth, who have only had one top-three selection in their current rebuild (Arizona Coyotes included).
Get to know Dylan Guenther
He‘s only 22 years old, but Guenther already has 51 goals and 110 NHL points to his name, achieved over the course of 148 games. Oh, and that’s with just one full season under his belt — he split the other two between the NHL and the WHL or AHL, depending on the year.
Guenther is best known for his one-timer. Casual hockey fans might not have seen it yet, but it can accurately be grouped with the best in the world: Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, David Pastrňák, etc.
Most 22-year-olds in the NHL aren’t relied upon as heavily as Guenther is.
He’s a fixture on Utah’s first power play unit and he’s always on the ice in must-score situations — and for good reason, too: He scored nine game-winning goals last year, tying him with Nikita Kucherov, Sebastian Aho and Nick Suzuki for fifth in the league in that category.
Other top players from the 2021 NHL Draft
Wyatt Johnston
- Originally picked: 1st round, 23rd overall
- Career production: 89 goals, 88 assists, 177 points, 246 games played
The Dallas Stars have a knack for drafting top talent in the late-first and early-second rounds: Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Jake Oettinger, Thomas Harley, Logan Stankoven and now Wyatt Johnston.
The OHL pandemic shutdown caused Johnston to miss his entire draft year. The only competitive hockey he played came in a Team Canada jersey at the U18 World Championship, where he tallied four points in seven games en route to a gold medal.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough for the Stars to take a flier — and boy, did it pan out.
Johnston is already a bona fide second-line center, and he’s only getting better. A lot of redrafts have him going first overall.
Matthew Knies
- Originally picked: 2nd round, 57th overall
- Career production: 44 goals, 50 assists, 94 points, 161 games played
Big, physical forwards who can score are some of the most valued players in the league. Matthew Knies fits that bill, which is why the Toronto Maple Leafs had no problem giving him a six-year, $46.5 million contract at age 22.
Knies has solidified himself as fellow Arizona native Auston Matthews’ left winger — a great place to be if you want to have a long, successful hockey career.
Luke Hughes
- Originally picked: 1st round, 4th overall
- Career production: 17 goals, 76 assists, 93 points, 155 games played
Luke Hughes is a defenseman, so don’t judge him solely on his offensive production (though he has produced a considerable amount, given his age and position). He’s got some growing to do in terms of defensive zone decision making, but what young NHL player doesn’t?
He might not be his brother, Quinn Hughes, but he does have a solid foundation as an up-and-coming NHL defenseman.
Owen Power
- Originally picked: 1st round, 1st overall
- Career production: 19 goals, 92 assists, 111 points, 242 games played
Owen Power’s career hasn’t started the way he or his team probably would have liked, but that doesn’t mean it’s been bad. He’s a productive NHL defenseman who’s still maturing as a player — even if he’s not what you expect from a first-overall pick.
Where he really needs to improve is defending against zone entries. All Three Zones’ data has him deep into the negatives in every stat in that category, and you can see it when he plays. Big defensemen like Power are supposed to be able to cover more ground, so he should get better at it over time (especially with the 6-foot-5 Michael Kesselring projected to be his defense partner this year).
Honorable mentions
- Brandt Clarke
- Matty Beniers
- Mason McTavish
- Kent Johnson
- Logan Stankoven
- William Eklund
Thoughts?
As was the case with the Logan Cooley redraft, the conclusion is up to you. Who would you take first, and why? Let us know in the comments, either on this article or on social media.
