An underrated yet enticing blueliner goes to the St. Louis Blues in this Team-by-Team NHL Mock Draft

13th Overall: Minnesota Wild - Sam Dickinson, D/London Knights

It’s almost like the Minnesota Wild is the unluckiest team in this simulation, with Cole Eiserman and Tij Iginla falling onto their radar only to be scooped up. That would be disappointing to the fans, but Sam Dickinson falling this far should raise their spirits if that’s the case next week. 

14th Overall: San Jose Sharks - Nikia Artamov, LW/Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod

I’ve conducted a few of these team-by-team mock drafts and have gotten varying results with the 14th pick. A defenseman is still the most logical route for me here, thanks to the Celebrini pick, but finding a potential tag-team partner at No. 14 - not counting players like Will Smith - also wouldn’t be a bad move. 

15th Overall: Detroit Red Wings - Carter Yakemchuk, D/Calgary Hitmen

Carter Yakemchuk would have been my pick if he fell just one more slot, but that’s what often happens in these NHL draft simulations, right? Either way, I couldn’t blame the simulation for this one, especially with so much talent already off the board. 

16th Overall: St. Louis Blues - Stian Solberg, D/Färjestad BK

I went into this simulation looking to take whomever the best remaining defenseman was, and while I was disappointed that my top blueliners didn’t fall, Stian Solberg was nonetheless an excellent consolation prize. He may not be the two-way blueliner some fans might want to see here, but an old-school, big-hitting player will be needed once the Blues current wave of defensemen starts going elsewhere. 

(Statistics powered by Elite Prospects)