2023 NHL Entry Draft

[Ilunga]

The more I see of Reinbacher the more I like his game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Ilunga

[HighOnHockey]

9 hours ago, DudePerfect said:

I'd go with

 

7th -- Oliver Moore, C - USNTDP - I think he's going to go up draft boards late in the process. He is a great skater, with a really good shot. Has the potential to develop his playmaking, but his skating ability is top class and may help separate him from the 2nd tier of the top 10.

13th -- David Reinbacher, RHD - Kloten - Tall, fluid defenseman built in the modern game of transition. Good stickwork, but can stand to improve his physical play. Playing in the men's league in Switzerland can help with that.

39th -- Aram Minnetian, RHD - USNTDP - Offense first defenseman. Building up his defensive play, but great instincts in breaking out of his own zone through a good first pass or skating through trouble.

46th (mocked trade to Flames for Schenn) -- Noah Dower Nilsson, C/LW - Frolunda - Versatile, forechecking winger who does everything well who can finish plays. Has put up impressive numbers this year in the J20.

71st -- Scott Ratzlaff, G - Seattle - Would be a great pickup as the next goalie of the future along with Silovs. Had a good Hlinka, but still see him behind Hrabal, Augustine and even Bjarnason.

Interesting to see how high people are ranking Moore and Leonard now. I had a feeling this might be the case when I started looking at the NTDP's record this year and realized they're putting up one of the best seasons in the history of the program, and it all seems to be radiating out from this elite core of four elite forwards and two defensemen. It only made sense that these guys will likely all go very early in the draft, but I still thought maybe a lack of size among them would hold some of them down.

 

I'm curious to see where the last of those forwards goes in the draft. Right now Smith, Leonard and Moore all seem to be consensus top 15, and yet Perreault is the one with the most impressive numbers of the bunch. There are question marks with him about how well his style will translate to higher levels, but he might have the most impressive stats in the entire draft. Better than Fantilli at the NCAA DI level and adjusting for league quality, arguably more impressive than Bedard's -vgranted, quality of linemates is a huge factor here. But still, although he's more of a risk than the others, he might have some of the highest upside in the draft.

 

I know I'm way off the board with Minnetian, but right now I have them Smith (5), Minnetian (11), Leonard (12), Moore (15) and Perreault (19).

[komodo0921]

12 hours ago, DudePerfect said:

I'd go with

 

7th -- Oliver Moore, C - USNTDP - I think he's going to go up draft boards late in the process. He is a great skater, with a really good shot. Has the potential to develop his playmaking, but his skating ability is top class and may help separate him from the 2nd tier of the top 10.

13th -- David Reinbacher, RHD - Kloten - Tall, fluid defenseman built in the modern game of transition. Good stickwork, but can stand to improve his physical play. Playing in the men's league in Switzerland can help with that.

39th -- Aram Minnetian, RHD - USNTDP - Offense first defenseman. Building up his defensive play, but great instincts in breaking out of his own zone through a good first pass or skating through trouble.

46th (mocked trade to Flames for Schenn) -- Noah Dower Nilsson, C/LW - Frolunda - Versatile, forechecking winger who does everything well who can finish plays. Has put up impressive numbers this year in the J20.

71st -- Scott Ratzlaff, G - Seattle - Would be a great pickup as the next goalie of the future along with Silovs. Had a good Hlinka, but still see him behind Hrabal, Augustine and even Bjarnason.

A darkhorse pick, I'd be very intrigued with would be Charlie Stramel.

[Pure961089]

 

the can’t miss top 8.  The Canucks if they don’t go on a big run can draft a player with a Marner/Kane talent level.   Preferably I’d like the get Benson or Smith but Sale and Cristall are elite talents as well.  Any player in the top 8 is a can’t miss IMO. 

 

 

Bedard

Mitchkov

Fantelli 

Carlsson

Benson

Smith

Sale

Cristall

 

[Nucker 67]

This should be a helluva Draft in June, one of the strongest in years, and the Canucks are seemingly tanking at the right time. They have 6 picks in the first 4 rounds so far, and it sounds like Boeser and Schenn could also be traded, meaning possibly two more good picks. The possibilities, will JR/PA end up combining some picks to move up? Maybe the Canucks actually luck out and get in to the Top 3. The prospect pool is going to look good after this Draft. Hoping they load up on the D, at least one in the 1st round and another in the 2nd.  

[Nucker 67]

When was the last time a 5'9" forward dominated the rankings like this? Never?

 

Bedard is such an incredible player, but landing Fantilli would also be a dream. 6'3" 195. He could possibly jump right into the NHL next season, unless the Canucks would want to develop him further and take their time. MTL might've wanted to try that with Slafkovsky. Carlsson as well is an excellent player with size 6'3" 198. 

 

I am a little concerned that PA will decide to take Sandin Pellikka with the Canucks high 1st (if they don't get into the Top 3). 

 

 

 

[Pure961089]

Outside of the top 2 picks of which if the Canucks got would be organization altering, but those 2 aside which player do you want the Canucks to draft?  Out of these 4 players who do you have your hopes for?  
 

Benson, Sale, Cristall, Smith or neither? 
 

and for the 2nd pick the Canucks have every opportunity to draft a potential top 4 RHD with a few options available.  

[DudePerfect]

13 hours ago, HighOnHockey said:

Interesting to see how high people are ranking Moore and Leonard now. I had a feeling this might be the case when I started looking at the NTDP's record this year and realized they're putting up one of the best seasons in the history of the program, and it all seems to be radiating out from this elite core of four elite forwards and two defensemen. It only made sense that these guys will likely all go very early in the draft, but I still thought maybe a lack of size among them would hold some of them down.

 

I'm curious to see where the last of those forwards goes in the draft. Right now Smith, Leonard and Moore all seem to be consensus top 15, and yet Perreault is the one with the most impressive numbers of the bunch. There are question marks with him about how well his style will translate to higher levels, but he might have the most impressive stats in the entire draft. Better than Fantilli at the NCAA DI level and adjusting for league quality, arguably more impressive than Bedard's -vgranted, quality of linemates is a huge factor here. But still, although he's more of a risk than the others, he might have some of the highest upside in the draft.

 

I know I'm way off the board with Minnetian, but right now I have them Smith (5), Minnetian (11), Leonard (12), Moore (15) and Perreault (19).

Out of the USNDTP players, I think Smith is a dream fit for the Canucks in handedness, position and game-breaking ability. Having him slot behind Pettersson as a 1B centre would be amazing. I would even entertain trading down if the Canucks had the 3rd or 4th overall pick to 5th just because I have Smith higher than Fantilli and Carlsson. 

Edited February 9, 2023 by DudePerfect

[HighOnHockey]

18 minutes ago, DudePerfect said:

Out of the USNDTP players, I think Smith is a dream fit for the Canucks in handedness, position and game-breaking ability. Having him slot behind Pettersson as a 1B centre would be amazing. I would even entertain trading down if the Canucks had the 3rd or 4th overall pick to 5th just because I have Smith higher than Fantilli and Carlsson. 

 

Bold. I like it. I can kinda see your reasoning. I always go back to Lucas Raymond vs. Quentin Byfield in 2020. It was so blatantly obvious to anyone who watched them both for a minute that Raymond was the far superior player - at that level at that time. I felt like Byfield barely deserved to be talked about in the same breath as Raymond. But of course I also understood that it's a 6'5 center vs. a 5'10 winger and we're talking about who's going to be the best NHL player at 25.

 

To me this is a bit of a similar vibe, but not to the same extremes. I do think it is quite clear that Smith is the best player of the three right now, but the difference in talent isn't anywhere on the level of Raymond/Byfield. And on the other side of the coin, the difference in size isn't quite so extreme either. For me, at this time I still have Smith as the 3rd best NHL prospect among them, but it's still very up in the air.

[N4ZZY]

7 hours ago, Pure961089 said:

 

the can’t miss top 8.  The Canucks if they don’t go on a big run can draft a player with a Marner/Kane talent level.   Preferably I’d like the get Benson or Smith but Sale and Cristall are elite talents as well.  Any player in the top 8 is a can’t miss IMO. 

 

 

Bedard

Mitchkov

Fantelli 

Carlsson

Benson

Smith

Sale

Cristall

 

I think the top four are probably set. 

[Ilunga]

On 7/22/2022 at 12:26 AM, HighOnHockey said:

Interesting. I keep hearing about a top 3 so far. I know who people are referring to, but I don't necessarily agree. Bedard and Michkov top two for sure (although will see what happens with Russia situation and Michkov's contract through 2026). I don't see Fantilli as a clear cut above the rest of the top 8 or 9. Personally I have it:

 

1. Connor Bedard

2. Matvei Michkov

3. Leo Carlsson

4. Adam Fantilli

5. Lukas Dragicevic

6. Dalibor Dvorsky

7. Kasper Halttunen

8. Will Smith

9. Calum Ritchie

10. Quentin Musty

11. Brayden Yager

12. Eduard Sale

13. Charlie Stramel

14. Matthew Wood

15. Caden Price

16. Zach Benson

 

I did have Gulyayev and Allen in my initial top 15, but after having guys like Ty Nelson and Seamus Casey so high on my early lists last year and seeing how they fell, I'm going to temper my expectations on the smaller D. Looking more at Aram Minnetian and Caden Price as the next tier after Dragicevik. Maxim Strbak and Drew Fortescue also look really intriguing.

 

On 7/22/2022 at 5:15 AM, HighOnHockey said:

Lol next up on my list at 17. Never gonna make everyone happy. Felt weird leaving Yager through Wood out of my top 10 but it's that kinda draft. Guess I might as well just post the rest of my first round since everyone is telling me who I'm missing.

 

17. Colby Barlow

 

18. Aram Minnetian

 

19. Mikhail Gulyayev

 

20. Drew Fortescue

 

21. Nate Danielson

22. Otto Stenberg

 

23. Ryan Leonard

 

24. Theo Lindstein

 

25. Daniil But

 

26. Kalle Carlsson

 

27. Max Strbak

28. Koehn Ziemer

 

29. Emil Jarventie

 

30. Cameron Allan

 

31. Dominik Petr

 

32. Riley Heidt

 

 

39 minutes ago, HighOnHockey said:

 

Bold. I like it. I can kinda see your reasoning. I always go back to Lucas Raymond vs. Quentin Byfield in 2020. It was so blatantly obvious to anyone who watched them both for a minute that Raymond was the far superior player - at that level at that time. I felt like Byfield barely deserved to be talked about in the same breath as Raymond. But of course I also understood that it's a 6'5 center vs. a 5'10 winger and we're talking about who's going to be the best NHL player at 25.

 

To me this is a bit of a similar vibe, but not to the same extremes. I do think it is quite clear that Smith is the best player of the three right now, but the difference in talent isn't anywhere on the level of Raymond/Byfield. And on the other side of the coin, the difference in size isn't quite so extreme either. For me, at this time I still have Smith as the 3rd best NHL prospect among them, but it's still very up in the air.

Not bad for 8 months ago.

What this illustrates is the development curve of different players. 

 

Who knows which prospects will take 1,2,3,4 even 5 years or more to pan out. 

Injuries, sickness are other factors to be taken into account, for example JL.

[HighOnHockey]

41 minutes ago, Ilunga said:

 

 

Not bad for 8 months ago.

What this illustrates is the development curve of different players. 

 

Who knows which prospects will take 1,2,3,4 even 5 years or more to pan out. 

Injuries, sickness are other factors to be taken into account, for example JL.

Well, thanks. But it also illustrates some faulty early assessments on my part. With Dragicevic, Tri-City was jut so bloody awful last season it was hard to get a read on how bad his defensive game was because the whole team was a mess defensively. And Halttunen, there was a lot to like with the size, quickness, physicality, but the thing I overlooked was the overall skill level just isn't all that high with him.

 

Slightly disappointing looking back at that actually, I didn't have much for bold early gems that panned out this year. 2020 I was really early to the party on Sanderson and Mukhamadullin. 2021 it was Sillinger and Svechkov. Actually I think Svechkov was one of my best early calls. I'd had a good amount of viewings from his D-1 year and I was certain he was a top 15 prospect. The first rankings started coming out and he was nowhere to be found and I was like "nope, don't care, kid is a top 15 prospect in this draft."

 

Looking at that early list from this year, Will Smith was probably my best call. He was consensus ranked around 15-20 at the time so I was a little ahead of the curve ranking him 8, and I remember at one point around that time saying he could be a top 5 candidate. I was absolutely convinced Minnetian would fly up the rankings, and kinda still think he will end up a consensus 1st rounder; after upwards of 20 viewings I do see the warts, but the upside just seems way too good to pass up.

[Pure961089]

2 hours ago, N4ZZY said:

I think the top four are probably set. 

Yeah, unless a team like Arizona goes off the board again.  I’d love to see them surprise everyone and pick someone like Barlow.  It could happen but unlikely.  The Canucks sit pretty in the 6-7 hole.  That’s Will Smith, Andrew Cristall territory.  They sit pretty to snag a good rhd in the 13-16 spot as well.  

[Pure961089]

Imagine this guy in our top 6.  His vision and playmaking are best in the draft.  Stay the corse.

[grandmaster]

[Primo604]

What’s your guys take on hunter brzustewicz? Video I’ve seen on him hes looked like just a beast. How does he compare to minnetian?

[Off_The_Schneid!]

1 hour ago, grandmaster said:

Skipped the all important 33-48

[Isam]

5 hours ago, Primo604 said:

What’s your guys take on hunter brzustewicz? Video I’ve seen on him hes looked like just a beast. How does he compare to minnetian?

Good gap control and footwork. Not gonna be a burner on offense, but should be a top four if developed right. There is alot to like

[Lonny_Bohonos_14]

https://thehockeywriters.com/2023-nhl-entry-draft-horn-mock-draft-february-2023/

 

Interesting take. Has us drafting Moore at 9 and Reinbacher at 13. I'm just starting to get into the draft, but this looks to be a solid go if it were to fall that way. 

 

[HighOnHockey]

EP and Smaht going all in on tiny forwards. Both seem to be over-reaching on guys like Jayden Perron, Gavin Brindley, William Whitelaw. Even Cristall I'm not too sure about. A number of online sources are very high on him, but the more legitimate sources like McKenzie, Central Scouting, and Sportsnet have been much more cautious.