If Don Waddell ends up walking to the podium for either pick #14 or #20, he should pick the best available player. With that said, it’s certainly possible the “best available” list could be a bit biased towards a big need, defensemen.
This year’s draft isn’t perceived to be as strong as recent years. Additionally, there is little consensus among the various websites that publish rankings. For this article, I’ll attempt to rank the top available defensemen in order.
#1 Matthew Shaefer – Erie Otters (OHL)
DOB: September 5, 2007
Birthplace: Hamilton, ON
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 185 lbs
Shoots: Left
Shaefer is likely to go first overall, though some rankings have him at second.