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NHL Draft 2019: Grading each Vegas Golden Knights pick

By Andrew Steele-Davis

VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 21: Peyton Krebs poses for a photo onstage after being selected seventeenth overall by the Vegas Golden Knights during the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 21: Peyton Krebs poses for a photo onstage after being selected seventeenth overall by the Vegas Golden Knights during the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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VANCOUVER, BC – JUNE 21: Peyton Krebs puts on a jersey after being selected seventeenth overall by the Vegas Golden Knights during the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – JUNE 21: Peyton Krebs puts on a jersey after being selected seventeenth overall by the Vegas Golden Knights during the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Pick No. 17:

17. player. Player Profile. Center. Peyton Krebs. Pick Analysis. Kootenay Ice (WHL). 942

The 2019 NHL Entry Draft got off to the best possible start for the Vegas Golden Knights who were able to steal Peyton Krebs with the 17th overall pick.

Projected by most experts to inside the top ten, and tipped to go ninth overall on our Mock Draft, Krebs was one of many offensive gems to slip down the board during a crazy first round.

Why’s that you ask? It’s simple. Krebs suffered a slight torn Achilles a month ago during workouts and that is believed to have put a host of teams off due to the stigma surrounding that particular injury.

However, people close to Krebs and he himself has insisted that he will make a full recovery and, once he does, the Golden Knights will be getting themselves a hell of a player.

Krebs, who was ranked 10th in the final NHL Central Scouting Bureau rankings for North American Skaters, is a potent and consistent points producer who tallied 19 goals and 49 assists for 68 points in 64 games on a poor Kootenay Ice team in the WHL last year.

He slots in just behind Cody Glass as the Golden Knights’ best young prospect and he’s an elite playmaker who possesses a high compete level, good hockey smarts, leadership skills and he was also regarded as one of the best passers in this year’s draft.

He’s also a two-way forward who can play a 200-foot game and who can excel in the defensive zone and in a number of key situations.

All in all, Krebs could well turn out to be the steal of this year’s draft and don’t be surprised to see him make the leap to the NHL this year or in 2020.

Grade: A+

Pick No. 41:

942. Scouting Report. Defenseman . player. Pick Analysis. Kelowna Rockets. Kaedan Korczak . 41

Vegas traded two picks to the San Jose Sharks in order to move up in the second round and select Kaedan Korczak with the 41st overall pick.

Looking to address needs on the second day of the draft, the Golden Knights front office decided that they needed a big body on the blueline and they got that with Korczak.

Standing at 6’3″ and 193 lb, Korczak is a rough and rugged shutdown defenseman who won’t put up a load offensively, but he will give other teams’ top lines a tough time.

He could be a valuable weapon on the blueline and, after one or two years in the AHL, don’t be surprised if Korczak develops into a solid top six blueliner.

Grade: B+

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