2023 NHL Entry Draft

[TheQuietQuitter]

4 minutes ago, HighOnHockey said:

Ryan f**king Leonard!

[stawns]

55 minutes ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

Doubt it, I think it'll be Leonard vs Moore vs Dvorsky vs Reinbacher. No wrong picks there.

ASP might have boosted his stock, but I still think it's very possible no dman goes in the top 10

[flickyoursedin]

Well as drafts tend to go Centers will go early. I doubt Dvorsky, Moore or Leonard make it to our pick. I’ve heard the top couple dmen that are available project as 2nd pairing guys so I’m not sure how much you want to draft for lower ceiling guys. It’ll come down to wingers Sale and Barlow or you over draft a Center with upside like Danielson or Yager. I wonder if there’s any way the Canucks can trade up 3 or 4 spots to grab one of the better center prospects. Maybe at the cost of say Hoglander or picks. Or we just win the lottery.

[Eddie]

So who do we think the winners and losers of the U18's were in the end, that affect our draft region at least.  While I didn't see all the games - for me i'd say : 

 

Big risers : 

Perrault - lots of scouts had him second round. Maybe gone by 15 now.

ASP  - Likely goes top 10 or close now - lots of scouts had him below Reinbacher in 15-20 

Wood - hard to ignore his play - likely rises 5-10 spots but likely still on the board after we pick

 

Risers : 

Smith - was pretty much destined to go high anyway. Might have jumped a spot or too tho. 

Leonard - hard to see this guy not going top 10 now. 

Dvorsky - Looked to be falling coming into this tournament but hard to see how he doesn't go ~10 or higher now.

 

Fallers : 

Sale - He looked really good in the game I watched him in, but his stat line is hard to swallow for a pure scoring top-10 pick in such a draft. 

Moore - Didn't deliver the goods like some did and he looked a bit weak on the puck in the game I saw.  Still goes top 15 no problems, but top 10 I think now is a? 

Cristall - Didn't really get it done in this tournament - hard to see him going top 10 now, I think he could be the faller

 

 

 

[Pure961089]

1 hour ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

Doubt it, I think it'll be Leonard vs Moore vs Dvorsky vs Reinbacher. No wrong picks there.

I think Otto Stenberg surged up in the rankings. There's going to be a reshuffling of the rankings massive after this tourney.  We could end up with a player that we never thought would fall to us.  This is one of those drafts.  Like 2018 when Hughes fell to us.  It's wide open.

Edited April 30, 2023 by Pure961089

[Pure961089]

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

So who do we think the winners and losers of the U18's were in the end, that affect our draft region at least.  While I didn't see all the games - for me i'd say : 

 

Big risers : 

Perrault - lots of scouts had him second round. Maybe gone by 15 now.

ASP  - Likely goes top 10 or close now - lots of scouts had him below Reinbacher in 15-20 

Wood - hard to ignore his play - likely rises 5-10 spots but likely still on the board after we pick

 

Risers : 

Smith - was pretty much destined to go high anyway. Might have jumped a spot or too tho. 

Leonard - hard to see this guy not going top 10 now. 

Dvorsky - Looked to be falling coming into this tournament but hard to see how he doesn't go ~10 or higher now.

 

Fallers : 

Sale - He looked really good in the game I watched him in, but his stat line is hard to swallow for a pure scoring top-10 pick in such a draft. 

Moore - Didn't deliver the goods like some did and he looked a bit weak on the puck in the game I saw.  Still goes top 15 no problems, but top 10 I think now is a? 

Cristall - Didn't really get it done in this tournament - hard to see him going top 10 now, I think he could be the faller

 

 

 

Yes Perreault put up a tone of points but at the same time I wasn't nearly as impressed with him as I was with Leonard or Smith.  He wasn't nearly as noticeable as his point totals would suggest, he was ok. He got most of his points just being around Will Smith.  For the first time I could see why he wasn't ranked as high as Leonard or Smith. 

[Pure961089]

2 hours ago, TopChed said:

You guys think Pellikka will make it to us???

If Pellikka moves up into the top 10 someone good's going to drop to us. Is Dvorsky now in the top 10 conversation?  Pretty soon you'll see players like Benson getting squeezed out of the top 10, they can't all fit, the Canucks are getting a good player either way.

Edited April 30, 2023 by Pure961089

[Odd.]

I’d stay away from Moore. Couple reasons.

 

He’s too much of a perimeter player for me. Yes his speed and skating is top in the draft. However I question his overall hockey IQ and his inability to use his teammates effectively. He’s very much a one and done player offensively and he’s not really a good playmaker. His defensive game is very much a work in progress, and his decision making is very questionable at all areas of the ice. He’s also very weak around the boards and does not play a cycle game. 
 

He’s got an amazing release and is great at entering the zone coupled with his exceptional hands. He can be a fierce forechecker when motivated. However, I just don’t see enough from him to justify selecting him over Dvorsky, Reinbacher/ASP, Wood, or Leonard. 

[Odd.]

On the other hand, Wood has been incredible and is exactly the type of forward our core is missing. 6’4, crafty, incredibly skilled, top 5 hands in the draft, and can absolutely rip the puck home like Pettersson. A guy like that on the wing would be a massive asset like a Rantanen, Laine, or Timo Meier. 
 

Wood was also a center before coming to college hockey which is always an amazing plus. I can see the Canucks perhaps converting him back to center if it’s in both parties interest.

 

As well, Wood has the most points in a college season as a 17 year old since before the lockout. The last player who put up similar points as a 17 year old freshman was Toews.

Edited April 30, 2023 by Odd.

[J.I.A.H.N]

55 minutes ago, Odd. said:

On the other hand, Wood has been incredible and is exactly the type of forward our core is missing. 6’4, crafty, incredibly skilled, top 5 hands in the draft, and can absolutely rip the puck home like Pettersson. A guy like that on the wing would be a massive asset like a Rantanen, Laine, or Timo Meier. 
 

Wood was also a center before coming to college hockey which is always an amazing plus. I can see the Canucks perhaps converting him back to center if it’s in both parties interest.

 

As well, Wood has the most points in a college season as a 17 year old since before the lockout. The last player who put up similar points as a 17 year old freshman was Toews.

Odd....just a thought and a question.

 

Wood is said to be slow...........did you see that?

[J.I.A.H.N]

Guys that impressed me (That are draft eligible) in no order

 

1. Dvorsky..........................he just got stronger and stronger.........almost a one man show...........certainly carried his team

2. Pekarcik.........................loved his speed and drive..........I wonder what round he goes in?
3. Stenberg........................Man, I see him alot higher than his ranking

4. Wood.............................I wood take him!

5. Sandin-Pellikka..............he sure like playing Canada. Plays big in big games (plays better)

6. Sale...............................did not score as much as I expected, but really did not have the support (basically he did not go up or down, but I liked him)

7. Perreault........................I thought he was alot better than his ranking...........always had the puck.........that is a good thing, Right?

 

Disappointments

 

1. Cristall............................I just did not see what all the fuss is about

2. Moore.............................he should have done more with the talent on that team

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by J.I.A.H.N

[HighOnHockey]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

So who do we think the winners and losers of the U18's were in the end, that affect our draft region at least.  While I didn't see all the games - for me i'd say : 

 

Big risers : 

Perrault - lots of scouts had him second round. Maybe gone by 15 now.

ASP  - Likely goes top 10 or close now - lots of scouts had him below Reinbacher in 15-20 

Wood - hard to ignore his play - likely rises 5-10 spots but likely still on the board after we pick

 

Risers : 

Smith - was pretty much destined to go high anyway. Might have jumped a spot or too tho. 

Leonard - hard to see this guy not going top 10 now. 

Dvorsky - Looked to be falling coming into this tournament but hard to see how he doesn't go ~10 or higher now.

 

Fallers : 

Sale - He looked really good in the game I watched him in, but his stat line is hard to swallow for a pure scoring top-10 pick in such a draft. 

Moore - Didn't deliver the goods like some did and he looked a bit weak on the puck in the game I saw.  Still goes top 15 no problems, but top 10 I think now is a? 

Cristall - Didn't really get it done in this tournament - hard to see him going top 10 now, I think he could be the faller

 

 

Biggest risers for me were Slovakia's Maxim Strbak and Juraj Pekarcic. None of the players on your "big risers" list changed my perception of them much. ASP probably moved up a couple spots for me. Perreault and Wood stayed pretty much where they were (both mid-to-late teens). Perreault put up huge numbers mostly against really weak teams. His 5 Nations and 4 Nations were kind of more impressive because he did what he did without all the punching bag teams to rack up stats. Wood and his line had a really strong tournament, but he benefited greatly from his linemates. Celebrini was the true play-driver on that line at both ends of the ice. Speaking of which, Ritchie seemed to be falling on a lot of lists the past couple months and I thought he was good enough at this tournament to at least immunize himself against falling any further.

 

Smith, Leonard and Dvorsky I already had 5, 6 and 7 on my list in no particular order, and the big 4 is pretty locked in place for me so not really any room for those three to move.

 

I would more or less agree with you about Cristall and Moore. I wasn't super high on either coming into the tournament, and neither did enough to raise their stocks in my books. Sale either stayed the same or maybe moved up a spot or two in my estimation. This Czech team wasn't very good this year (Slovakia was probably better), and Sale stepped up and found ways to create chances out of nothing on a regular basis. He already put up 9 points in 6 games as an under-ager last year so he didn't have much left to prove at this tournament anyway.

 

Aram Minnestian is a guy I was extremely high on early in the season but didn't really live up to expectations. He went a long way to rejuvenating his draft stock in this tournament, particularly in the gold medal game. Same goes for Kasper Halttunen (minus the gold medal game); I had him in my top 10 coming into the season and he fell to the 20s. I might have him back in the teens after this. Speaking of Finland, I was hoping to see a lot more from a few of their skilled forwards (Jarventie, Nurmi), but Jesse Kiiskinen in particular; he looked so damn good at the 5 Nations in the fall but was pretty average here. Rasmus Kumpalainen put himself on the radar for me.

 

A lot of Swedes improved their stock to varying degrees: Otto Stenberg, David Edstrom, Theo Lindstein, Tom Willander, Felix Unger Sorum. Worth noting that it was actually Willander who led the team in ice time in the gold medal game with 30:36 (ASP played 27:27 and Lindstein 25:03). Edstrom led the forwards with 22:27 (Sorum played 20:56 and Stenberg 19:34).

 

Finally, I wanted to pick my tournament awards:

 

MVP: Dalibor Dvorsky

Best forward: Macklin Celebrini

Best defenseman: Maxim Strbak

Best goalie: Trey Augustine

All-star team: LW - Otto Stenberg C - Macklin Celebrini RW - Ryan Leonard LD - Theo Lindstein RD - Maxim Strbak

 

[HighOnHockey]

1 hour ago, Odd. said:

I’d stay away from Moore. Couple reasons.

 

He’s too much of a perimeter player for me. Yes his speed and skating is top in the draft. However I question his overall hockey IQ and his inability to use his teammates effectively. He’s very much a one and done player offensively and he’s not really a good playmaker. His defensive game is very much a work in progress, and his decision making is very questionable at all areas of the ice. He’s also very weak around the boards and does not play a cycle game. 
 

He’s got an amazing release and is great at entering the zone coupled with his exceptional hands. He can be a fierce forechecker when motivated. However, I just don’t see enough from him to justify selecting him over Dvorsky, Reinbacher/ASP, Wood, or Leonard. 

Agreed. I've said before he reminds me of what John Torterella said about Carl Hagelin when asked why he didn't play on the PP, after the infamous quip that he "stinks on the powerplay, I dunno why" he explained that he's too much of a jitterbug, always wants to do everything at top speed. Likewise with Moore, he is great when using his speed, but he needs to learn how to slow things down and control the pace of play as well.

[hammertime]

 

Guys who really impressed me. 

 

Edstrom I hadn't really seen much of him. He looks really good.

Stenberg This was his event 

Cedzo I knew about Pekarcik but I did not know about this kid. 

Sale Stats don't tell the story he was always creating and supporting not his fault he was surrounded by plumbers. 

Jarventie Really quick plays in out on his stick off his stick.

[J.I.A.H.N]

29 minutes ago, HighOnHockey said:

 

Biggest risers for me were Slovakia's Maxim Strbak and Juraj Pekarcic. None of the players on your "big risers" list changed my perception of them much. ASP probably moved up a couple spots for me. Perreault and Wood stayed pretty much where they were (both mid-to-late teens). Perreault put up huge numbers mostly against really weak teams. His 5 Nations and 4 Nations were kind of more impressive because he did what he did without all the punching bag teams to rack up stats. Wood and his line had a really strong tournament, but he benefited greatly from his linemates. Celebrini was the true play-driver on that line at both ends of the ice. Speaking of which, Ritchie seemed to be falling on a lot of lists the past couple months and I thought he was good enough at this tournament to at least immunize himself against falling any further.

 

Smith, Leonard and Dvorsky I already had 5, 6 and 7 on my list in no particular order, and the big 4 is pretty locked in place for me so not really any room for those three to move.

 

I would more or less agree with you about Cristall and Moore. I wasn't super high on either coming into the tournament, and neither did enough to raise their stocks in my books. Sale either stayed the same or maybe moved up a spot or two in my estimation. This Czech team wasn't very good this year (Slovakia was probably better), and Sale stepped up and found ways to create chances out of nothing on a regular basis. He already put up 9 points in 6 games as an under-ager last year so he didn't have much left to prove at this tournament anyway.

 

Aram Minnestian is a guy I was extremely high on early in the season but didn't really live up to expectations. He went a long way to rejuvenating his draft stock in this tournament, particularly in the gold medal game. Same goes for Kasper Halttunen (minus the gold medal game); I had him in my top 10 coming into the season and he fell to the 20s. I might have him back in the teens after this. Speaking of Finland, I was hoping to see a lot more from a few of their skilled forwards (Jarventie, Nurmi), but Jesse Kiiskinen in particular; he looked so damn good at the 5 Nations in the fall but was pretty average here. Rasmus Kumpalainen put himself on the radar for me.

 

A lot of Swedes improved their stock to varying degrees: Otto Stenberg, David Edstrom, Theo Lindstein, Tom Willander, Felix Unger Sorum. Worth noting that it was actually Willander who led the team in ice time in the gold medal game with 30:36 (ASP played 27:27 and Lindstein 25:03). Edstrom led the forwards with 22:27 (Sorum played 20:56 and Stenberg 19:34).

 

Finally, I wanted to pick my tournament awards:

 

MVP: Dalibor Dvorsky

Best forward: Macklin Celebrini

Best defenseman: Maxim Strbak

Best goalie: Trey Augustine

All-star team: LW - Otto Stenberg C - Macklin Celebrini RW - Ryan Leonard LD - Theo Lindstein RD - Maxim Strbak

 

Really interesting read.totally agree, and you picked out some additional guys i agree with.........Lindstein, Wallander....and Strabak.....I loved them, as well.

 

Question for you............my gut says Stenberg played well enough to break into the early teens.... 12- 15 ish...........only one tournie but, I just really liked his game!

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by J.I.A.H.N

[J.I.A.H.N]

7 minutes ago, J.I.A.H.N said:

Really interesting read.totally agree, and you picked out some additional guys i agree with.........Lindstein, Wallander....and Strabak.....I loved them, as well.

 

Question for you............my gut says Stenberg played well enough to break into the early teens.... 12- 15 ish...........only one tournie but, I just really liked his game!

 

 

[Odd.]

2 hours ago, J.I.A.H.N said:

Odd....just a thought and a question.

 

Wood is said to be slow...........did you see that?

His skating certainly needs work as he has some awkward strides but his speed is decent. He can skate sufficiently enough that it won’t hinder him much at all. He’s 6’4 193lbs so he’s going to need some time to really fill in that frame. 

[J.I.A.H.N]

13 minutes ago, Odd. said:

His skating certainly needs work as he has some awkward strides but his speed is decent. He can skate sufficiently enough that it won’t hinder him much at all. He’s 6’4 193lbs so he’s going to need some time to really fill in that frame. 

That is kind of what I seen as well. But in saying that, he managed quite well, in the Bronze game. Kept up with his line mates and made plays that count.

[KyGuy123]

I have a feeling Benson falls to us and we can’t pass up a player like that. I think this tournament was good for having a player like Benson or Reinbacher drop. 

[HighOnHockey]

3 hours ago, J.I.A.H.N said:

Really interesting read.totally agree, and you picked out some additional guys i agree with.........Lindstein, Wallander....and Strabak.....I loved them, as well.

 

Question for you............my gut says Stenberg played well enough to break into the early teens.... 12- 15 ish...........only one tournie but, I just really liked his game!

 

 

 

He had a pretty big Hlinkas too. 9 points in 5 games. His 4 Nations and 5 Nations were less than stellar but that's how it goes. With Russia and Belarus out the quality of competition at this tournament was unusually low. Last year they rolled with 8 teams but decided to go back to ten this year. A lot of players racked up numbers they maybe shouldn't have under normal circumstances. 4 Nations are what they sound like, USA, Sweden, Czechia, Finland. Every game is tough.

 

If Stenberg is in fact racking up points against weaker competition, then his performance at this tournament would be somewhat less impressive. So I figured I'd break it down. 4 against Canada, 1 against a pretty decent Slovakian team, 2 against an ok Czech team, 2 against a weak Germany team, 2 against a weak Latvia team, and then the games that matter - 5 more against Canada, and nothing in the gold game.

 

I dunno, all in all that doesn't look half bad to me. It's not the best team Canada has ever sent to this tournament but it's far from the worst. We were missing a few key players in Bedard, Benson, Molendyk, Bonk, Akey, Yager, Barkey, but still a lot of the top guys were there.

 

Anyways, to answer your question, I have no idea. Stenberg looked good to me. Skilled, pretty responsible with the puck, used his teammates well. 5'11 though and there's just so many really good forwards in this draft. He also played on the wing this tournament. If I had to guess I'd say late teens to early 20s, but it wouldn't shock me that much if he goes 12-15 I guess.