Road to the 2016 NHL Draft: 53rd Overall

By Alex Hobson

Welcome back to my "Road to the Draft" series. Yesterday, we took a look at the last ten players to go 54th overall, highlighted by Artem Anisimov and Eric Gelinas. There are now 53 days remaining until the draft, so today we'll look at the last ten players to go 53rd overall.

2006 - Mathieu Carle, D (Montreal Canadiens)

Carle had a very solid junior career for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, registering a total of 195 points in 258 games. That being said, he couldn't translate his junior success to the NHL and currently plays for Adler Mannheim of the DEL after brief stints in the AHL and KHL.

2007 - Will Weber, D (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Drafted as a big defensive defenseman, Weber has jumped up and down between the AHL and the ECHL, and recently finished this season with the Fort Wayne Komets recording 11 points in 64 games.

2008 - Travis Hamonic, D (New York Islanders)

After a solid OHL career, Hamonic has spent the last six seasons with the New York Islanders and has developed into one of the league's best young defensive defensemen and still has time to grow. He's registered a total 132 points in 395 NHL games.

2009 - Anton Rodin, LW (Vancouver Canucks)

Rodin has spent the vast majority of his career playing in Sweden, primarily for Brynas HF. After posing as team captain while recording 37 points in 33 games, he's committed to playing in North America, possibly for the Canucks next season.

2010 - Mark Alt, D (Carolina Hurricanes)

Alt had a successful career with the University of Minnesota and has made his way to the Philadelphia Flyers organization, where he's currently playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. He recorded 19 points in 72 games for the Phantoms this season.

2011 - William Karlsson, C (Anaheim Ducks)

Karlsson is a smart two way centre who made his way to North America last season. After being dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a multi player deal, he was given his first full time role under new head coach John Tortorella, where he recorded 20 points in 81 games.

2012 - Brian Hart, RW (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Hart only appeared in 25 games for the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL this season, scoring a lone two goals. He spent the majority of his season with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, posting 15 points in 36 games.

2013 - Madison Bowey, D (Washington Capitals)

Bowey had a great WHL career with the Kelowna Rockets and was a key defenseman for the gold medal winning Team Canada at the 2015 World Juniors. He just finished his first AHL season, recording 29 points in 70 games.

2014 - Noah Rod, LW (San Jose Sharks)

Rod spent this season playing with Geneve-Servette of the NLA in his native Switzerland, and had a great World Junior Campaign for the Swiss, recording six points in six games.

2015 - Rasmus Andersson, D (Calgary Flames)

Andersson has been near a point per game player for his entire OHL career. He's also a defenseman. This season, he's recorded 60 points in 64 games and 15 points in 15 playoff games.

BEST PLAYER DRAFTED 53RD: Travis Hamonic

It doesn't take a genius to guess that Hamonic is the best player on this list. He plays like a veteran despite being in his mid 20's and he's arguably the most reliable defenseman on the Islanders D core.

RUNNER UP: William Karlsson

POTENTIAL STEALS: Madison Bowey, Rasmus Andersson