Islanders: 3 Blue Line Targets at the NHL Draft

Kevin Korchinski

Korchinski was one of the best, if not the best 17-year-old defenseman in the CHL. The Anaheim Ducks are said to be between selecting one of Mintyukov or Korchinski, so whichever one they decide, it's likely the other falls to the Islanders.

"Unless someone falls unexpectedly, my best information is Anaheim ends up taking Korchinski or Pavel Mintyukov at this spot, adding a new top defenseman prospect to the organization that just traded away Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson."

Corey Pronman

Korchinski projects as a top-four defenseman and draws a player comparison to Justin Schultz. His skill set is similar to Mintyukov's as well but perhaps lacks attention to detail in his own end of the ice.

"Korchinski has a clear NHL toolkit. He’s a 6-foot-2 defenseman who can skate and has offensive abilities. He’s able to carry pucks up ice well with his skating, and has excellent edgework to evade pressure. Korchinski shows touch and vision with the puck to run a power play and create off the blue line due to his skill and feet. Despite his size and skating, he’s mediocre defensively. He doesn’t compete that hard on that side of the ice and is overly aggressive offensively. That’s a concern, but he generates so much offense that it makes up for those issues to an extent. Korchinski projects as a top-four defenseman."

Corey Pronman

If Korchinski falls to 13 instead of Mintyukov, he's another player you shouldn't be surprised to hear called up to the stage.