2016 NHL Draft Props – Howden & Nylander Brothers Face Off

The NHL Draft begins Friday night in Buffalo, and most players haven’t been seen before by fans — it’s not like college basketball or football where you have known prospects to casual fans. The 2016 NHL Draft has one mega-prospect in American forward Auston Matthews, who was dominant in the Swiss National League at just 18 years old. He will go first overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs. After that? Unpredictability. But here are my projections on some Sports Interaction NHL props for the draft.

First-Round Goalies

Looking for a franchise netminder in this year’s draft? Good luck, because it doesn’t appear there is one. Thus there’s an over/under of 0.5 goalies going in the first round, with the under a -305 favorite.

No major mock drafts have a goalie being taken in the first round — just one was in 2015, Russian Ilya Samsonov at No. 22 overall by the Washington Capitals. The top-rated North American goalie for this draft is Sackville’s Evan Fitzpatrick, 18, of Sherbrooke in the QMJHL. He had 18 wins, a 3.42 goals-against average and .896 save percentage for the Phoenix this past season. He was also Canada’s starter at the world Under-18 championship in April, where he had a 3.17 GAA in three games. The top European goalie prospect is Filip Gustavsson from Sweden.

Neither goalie is considered a Top-30 overall prospect so go over on this NHL betting prop. Fitzpatrick should go off the board in the middle of the second round.

Brotherly Love

There are two “who will be drafted first” props amongst brothers in this draft.

One is 2016 prospect Alexander Nylander (-170) against William Nylander (+125), who was chosen No. 8 overall by the Maple Leafs in 2014. William, a right winger from Calgary, made his NHL debut in the 2015-16 season and had six goals and seven assists with a plus-1 rating in 22 games. He scored 18 goals with 27 assists and was plus-7 in 38 AHL regular-season games with the Marlies.

Alexander is a left winger who is ranked No. 3 overall among North American skaters. He was named the OHL Rookie of the Year this past season with the Mississauga Steelheads. Nylander led all rookies with 75 points — 28 goals and 47 assists in 57 games played. He set a Steelheads record for points by a rookie and was the first player in franchise history to win Rookie of the Year honours. Nylander, who can play center as well, also has shined for Swedish junior national teams. I don’t believe Alexander Nylander goes before No. 8, but he won’t last beyond No. 12, where the Senators could grab him.

The other brother prop features Quinton Howden (-120), who went No. 25 overall to the Florida Panthers in 2010, vs. brother Brett (also -120). Quinton got his most NHL action by far this past season for the Panthers, scoring six goals to go with five assists and 18 penalty minutes in 58 games. Brett Howden, also a center, is ranked as the No. 22 North American skater. He had 24 goals and 40 assists in 68 games with Moose Jaw in the WHL this past season. His NHL ceiling is projected as a second-line center.

I’m sticking with the older brother on this prop as well as most mock drafts have Brett Howden likely going at the end of Round 1.

Chip Off The Old Block?

One of the top legacy players in the 2016 draft is American forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is given an over/under draft position of 4.5 on NHL odds, with the under at -280 and the over at +190. His father is USA Hockey Hall of Famer Keith Tkachuk, who played 18 seasons in the NHL with the Jets (who drafted him No. 19 overall in 1990), Coyotes, Blues and Thrashers. He finished with 538 goals and 527 assists, one of only five American-born players to score 500 goals and the sixth to score 1,000 points.

Matthew is a left winger, like his dad, who is rated as the No. 2 overall North American skater behind Pierre-Luc Dubois of Cape Breton. Tkachuk had 30 goals and 77 points in 57 regular-season games with the London Knights of the OHL in 2015-16.

It seems likely that Winnipeg will pass on this Tkachuk at No. 2 overall and select Finland’s Patrik Laine, but the Oilers at No. 4, Canucks at No. 5 and Flames at No. 6 are all potential landing spots. Tkachuk won’t last to the Canadiens at No. 9.

Go under this prop as Edmonton will grab Tkachuk at fourth.