2023 NHL Entry Draft

[Seannnp]

10 minutes ago, Tank4Bedard said:

Its good when you have a wise GM who knows when it is a good idea to tank on purpose. DET were near the playoffs iirc and just blew it up. 

I think Yzerman saw the schedule and realized it wasnt happening this year for his team. Proactive GM's are much better than reactionary ones especially the patient ones like Stevie Y 

[TheQuietQuitter]

2 minutes ago, Seannnp said:

I think with Montreal and Arizona, they arent looking to continue rebuilding for the next 3-4 years and thats likely how long it take for Michkov to get to the league. I think after next season both teams will be pushing for the playoffs and likely become playoff contenders the year after that. I could see San Jose or Chicago picking him up but I think they are more in need of high ceiling centers. Washington will likely begin its rebuild in 2024 and they have enough assets to trade for a ton of draft picks and prospects - Michkov would be thier new Ovechkin. 

The Michkov situation is definitely an interesting plot twist to the top of this draft.  Russia factor aside, I do believe he'll get picked in the top 5.

[Canucks Curse]

35 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

There are probably 15 players who deserve to be in the Top 10. It's really too bad VAN traded away picks. I love that they have another Top 4 D (Hronek), but this is a strong draft. Envious of DET who have 5 picks in the first two rounds. Damn, they're going to be good again one day. 

maybe one day... trading Hroneck was a step back for them. They have a lesser prospect pool than say NJ, and besides Moritz they really do not have any other top 3 NHL d men left, they are still weak down the middle, Rasmussen and Veleno need to explode, they haven't and could look to top out at 2C/3C tweeters... yes they have picks picks and more picks, but that does not guarantee anything 

[hammertime]

Just now, Tank4Bedard said:

Its good when you have a wise GM who knows when it is a good idea to tank on purpose. DET were near the playoffs iirc and just blew it up. 

Ya Yeezyman is making a briskett. He is drafting the pieces that take the most time. He will go after C's and PWF this year.

 

My guess would be 

1st Dvorsky + Ritchie/Honzek

2nd   Strbak + Halutten + Lind

 

Next year he will go for the cherries. 

 

But realistically he should have no trouble grabbing a scoring winger or 2 on the market when he's ready to flip the switch. 

[hammertime]

Incoming spam posts. 

[hammertime]

On 1/30/2023 at 11:18 AM, hammertime said:

Today on this episode of late rounders and people of interest. 

 

Carter Southeran 6'3 RHD https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/599349/carter-sotheran

“When my game is going strong, I’m an offensive defenseman who uses his body a lot,” 

https://pnwhockeytalk.com/portland-winterhawks-introducing-carter-sotheran/

He appears to be doing just that with 19 points and 36pim in 45 gp for Portland WHL with a +15 he is a "big" reason Portland is having a great year. 

 

Juraj Pekarcik C/LW https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/731900/juraj-pekarcik

Good size which he uses very effectively. He is only 12 September Birthday so very young to be appearing in 5 games last year in Slovakias top mens league and a further 26 this year.  His international JR numbers are very good here's what FC hockey has to say about him. https://nhlentrydraft.com/reports/24022/

 

*Notable*

 

Oskar Asplund LHD https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/509851/oskar-asplund

Still like this guy. Overager 19 not great size but absolutely shredding the Allsven. Might be a good lotto ticket. Here's a draft profile from last year. https://thehockeywriters.com/oskar-asplund-2022-nhl-draft-prospect-profile/

 

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by hammertime

[hammertime]

On 2/20/2023 at 12:28 PM, hammertime said:

On today's episode of players of interest.

 

Samuel Barcik 6'2 RHD this kid has been playing in Slovakias top mens league since his D-1 He's got the size, skates well enough plays strong on the boards. You would think he is a 1 dimensional defensive D and he plays that role in pros. However, against his age group, he activates as a 4th attacker and has put up very good point totals. He's definitely worth a look with our 3rd. 

 

Aiden Celebrini 6'1 RHD let's call this foreshadowing. JR/PA galaxy brain pick. Yes Macklin Celebrini's brother. Possibly another talented D from the Brooks Bandits D factory. Projects as maybe a 5th/6th. 

 

Erik Pohlkamp. @Isam great pick looks very promising. Spiffy point totals this year. Kid was listed 5'10 210 last year and didn't jump off the page he's 5'11 and slimmed to 202 re hockey DB admittedly I haven't seen or been paying much attention to him but it looks like there could be something there if he can skate and control his weight. This is a very surface impression. Colour me intrigued.

 

Philip Fankl big shut down defense first C can score in the paint. Look for him to make a big jump in his development in his d+1. 

 

Zeb Forsfjall Smallish C really impressed at both Hilinkas and WJAC I have my 2nd round targets he isn't one at our pick anyway. But if he's there for our 3rd I think we run to the podium. Here's a blurb re Hilinkas. Zeb was Sweden’s top center for the tournament and did an excellent job at his two-way play. He was fast on his feet and maintained a quick first step the entire tournament, utilizing his edges and ability to quickly change speed frequently. He was an excellent puck carrier and distributor (see video on his three assists), for Sweden and did very well at finding the best options moving into high chance areas and feeding them the puck. He showed no fear when attacking the net or the puck and was rewarded with two goals. Defensively Zeb played with his head up and did very well to pressure the puck carrier and cause turnovers. I feel due to his size he may be looked over (insert height joke here), but don’t count him out. He could very well be a second-round choice in the draft. – Matt Hnatiuk

 

Anton Ohlsson C Get him in the 4th if you can fantastic 2 way C pro size has been very impressive against his peers. Enough to get a cup of coffee with the big boys.

 

Of course, I'm still pulling for Juraj Pekarcik and Carter Sotheran!!

 

Lets weaponize some cap and get some more pix. 

 

 

[Gawdzukes]

1 hour ago, HighOnHockey said:

So this is kinda cool: Zach Benson has been the one player among the top 10-15 in this draft that I've still barely watched play at all... Well I'm sure I haven't mentioned it, but after living on Vancouver Island for the past three years I recently moved back to Saskatoon, and sure enough the Blades are about to play the Winnipeg Ice in the Conference Finals. Gonna try to get to as many games as I can.

Nice, I'm in Toon too. Maybe I'll see you at a game. 

[hammertime]

53 minutes ago, HighOnHockey said:

So this is kinda cool: Zach Benson has been the one player among the top 10-15 in this draft that I've still barely watched play at all... Well I'm sure I haven't mentioned it, but after living on Vancouver Island for the past three years I recently moved back to Saskatoon, and sure enough the Blades are about to play the Winnipeg Ice in the Conference Finals. Gonna try to get to as many games as I can.

I've caught a few games was impressed with how smart he is and felt that he supported his D very well. I'm curious if you get the impression at all that the books are cooked with Savoie, Geekie, McClennon, Zloty, Lambos. 

 

One thing I find interesting is he's nearly a 100 pt player with only 20 reg season PP points. Is he somewhat of a Connor Garland fantastic 5v5 but struggles on the PP to own his ice and is kept to the outside?  

 

Contrast with Heidt who has feasted on the PP.

[Stierlitz]

 

[hammertime]

2 minutes ago, Stierlitz said:

 

It could even be a But. Lois!

 

Ill see myself out. 

[Bure_Pavel]

29 minutes ago, hammertime said:

I've caught a few games was impressed with how smart he is and felt that he supported his D very well. I'm curious if you get the impression at all that the books are cooked with Savoie, Geekie, McClennon, Zloty, Lambos. 

 

One thing I find interesting is he's nearly a 100 pt player with only 20 reg season PP points. Is he somewhat of a Connor Garland fantastic 5v5 but struggles on the PP to own his ice and is kept to the outside?  

 

Contrast with Heidt who has feasted on the PP.

I might catch some heat for this, but in my honest opinion Benson is a bit overrated. He had a amazing year and plays the right way, but played for arguably the most stacked team in the CHL. I think he warrants a top 10 pick (chance he could be there at 11), but quite a few sources have him in the top 5-6 of this draft and I think there is still too much doubt for me that his game will translate to being elite winger in NHL to be taken that high.

[Lonny_Bohonos_14]

8 minutes ago, Bure_Pavel said:

I might catch some heat for this, but in my honest opinion Benson is a bit overrated. He had a amazing year and plays the right way, but played for arguably the most stacked team in the CHL. I think he warrants a top 10 pick (chance he could be there at 11), but quite a few sources have him in the top 5-6 of this draft and I think there is still too much doubt for me that his game will translate to being elite winger in NHL to be taken that high.

This is something I've been debating with myself. If Benson is there at 11, do you take him? He's someone I could definitely see falling. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by Lonny_Bohonos_14

[stawns]

3 hours ago, Bure_Pavel said:

Or RD of course as they are worth their weight in gold. 

Meh, I'm not too keen on using a first round pick on a dman, unless they are very clearly going to be top 2 dmen, like Hughes.  I'd rather make deals for dmen later on, when they've developed.

[Bure_Pavel]

17 minutes ago, Lonny_Bohonos_14 said:

This is something I've been debating with myself. If Benson is there at 11, do you take him? He's someone I could definitely see falling. 

Would be a similar situation as last year with Lekkermaki (same with Kemell), where an almost unanimous top 10 rated pick fell to 15 due to stature and position played. They are hard to pass on as they are BPA but for the Canucks who are bursting at the seem with top 6 wingers, you have to wonder if they are forced to make a hard decision and pass in favour of a potential center seeing as they took the safe bet last year.   

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

2 hours ago, NUCKER67 said:

There are probably 15 players who deserve to be in the Top 10. 

My thoughts exactly.

[Canucks Curse]

2 hours ago, NUCKER67 said:

There are probably 15 players who deserve to be in the Top 10. It's really too bad VAN traded away picks. I love that they have another Top 4 D (Hronek), but this is a strong draft. Envious of DET who have 5 picks in the first two rounds. Damn, they're going to be good again one day. 

maybe one day... trading Hroneck was a step back for them. They have a lesser prospect pool than say NJ, and besides Moritz they really do not have any other top 3 NHL d men left, they are still weak down the middle, Rasmussen and Veleno need to explode, they haven't and could look to top out at 2C/3C tweeters... yes they have picks picks and more picks, but that does not guarantee anything 

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

8 minutes ago, Bure_Pavel said:

Would be a similar situation as last year with Lekkermaki (same with Kemell), where an almost unanimous top 10 rated pick fell to 15 due to stature and position played. They are hard to pass on as they are BPA but for the Canucks who are bursting at the seem with top 6 wingers, you have to wonder if they are forced to make a hard decision and pass in favour of a potential center seeing as they took the safe bet last year.   

It can be argued that we are set on the RIGHT wing, and not so much the left. That's what makes guys like Sale and Barlow such intriguing options. I would rather a centre or a D, but if, like you mentioned, one of those two guys is rated higher up (on the Canucks list) and they take him at 11, then I wouldn't have an impossible time getting behind that. Seeing how Johnny Lekks has progressed over the course of his season makes me feel a lot more hopeful about that sentiment, too. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by Herberts Vasiljevs

[Seannnp]

14 minutes ago, Bure_Pavel said:

Would be a similar situation as last year with Lekkermaki (same with Kemell), where an almost unanimous top 10 rated pick fell to 15 due to stature and position played. They are hard to pass on as they are BPA but for the Canucks who are bursting at the seem with top 6 wingers, you have to wonder if they are forced to make a hard decision and pass in favour of a potential center seeing as they took the safe bet last year.   

I feel like management gets approached if Benson is on the board at 11 to potentially trade down. I wouldnt go past 14 but depends on who is available. If we can get a late 1st or early 2nd to move down a few spots and still get one of our guys, im thinking it has to be done. 

 

Hard pass on Benson despite what he brings to the table. Canucks should only be focusing on C and D this draft. Reinbacher, ASP, Dvorsky, Moore, etc 

 

[Bure_Pavel]

12 minutes ago, Herberts Vasiljevs said:

It can be argued that we are set on the RIGHT wing, and not so much the left. That's what makes guys like Sale and Barlow such intriguing options. I would rather a centre or a D, but if, like you mentioned, one of those two guys is rated higher up (on the Canucks list) and they take him at 11, then I wouldn't have an impossible time getting behind that. Seeing how Johnny Lekks has progressed over the course of his season makes me feel a lot more hopeful about that sentiment, too. 

Yeah for left shot wingers down the road we only got Podz and Hogs with top 6 potential (maybe Kratzov). Though our right side is so deep there is a chance at least one plays their off wing.