NHL Mock Draft 2018: Montreal Canadiens select Filip Zadina with No. 3 pick

With the third overall pick in the 2018 SB Nation NHL Mock Draft, the Montreal Canadiens have selected Filip Zadina.

The winger played his season in North America, dressing for 57 regular-season games with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He finished seventh in the league in scoring with 82 points, and was tied for third with 44 goals. He added another 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in nine post-season contests.

Splitting his draft season in The Q was an appearance at the 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship, where he fared very well against his under-20 peers, scoring seven goals in seven games for Team Czech Republic in a run that came up just short of a bronze medal.

Image credit: EliteProspects

Zadina isn’t just a player with a great shot. He works hard to get the puck in the zone, and protects it well thanks to some shifty hands and great speed. A willingness to go right to the slot places him in a prime position to let his shot fly, and that opens up options for his teammates to join the offence as well.

Rankings

Future Considerations: #3
HockeyProspect: #3
ISS: #3
McKeen’s: #3
NHL Central Scouting #2 (North American skaters)

While we discussed a few other possibilities to draft in the number three slot, notably Finnish centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi and American defenceman Quinn Hughes, it was a unanimous decision to select Zadina. The feeling is that he holds more value than the other two options, both immediately and thanks to the goal-scoring prowess he projects to show over an NHL career.

See the list of the top prospects as ranked by Central Scouting, with links to the 40+ profiles we’ve written on the top draft-eligible players right here.

First up to the podium were those at Buffalo Sabres site Die By The Blade, who selected Rasmus Dahlin first overall. Carolina Hurricanes site Canes Country nabbed Andrei Svechnikov at #2.

1. Buffalo Sabres - Rasmus Dahlin
2. Carolina Hurricanes - Andrei Svechnikov
3. Montreal Canadiens - Filip Zadina
4. Ottawa Senators - ?

Will the Senators choose one of the two options we discussed, or pick a different player entirely? You can find that out later today, and see all 31 first-round selections be revealed over the coming weeks in SB Nation’s Mock Draft hub.