By: Isaiah Bouchard

As the NHL season gets underway, all eyes are on another season of hockey. And if there is one thing that is consistent, it’s that hockey fans are never satisfied. We want more games, more goals, more cups, and more superstars. And what better place to start looking for future stars than the NHL entry draft.

In this seven-part series, we at Draft Prospects Hockey hope to showcase the cream of the crop of who is available in the years NHL entry draft. Last year’s flock saw the likes of Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson, and Matvei Michkov all drafted as potential franchise building blocks. But as one draft crop moves up, a new wave of youth for NHL talent hounds to salivate over one moves in.

So, without further build-up, here are five high-end players that are potentially coming out of the OHL for the 2024 NHL Draft in June.

If there is one junior league that always provides the NHL young talent, it is the OHL. Last year the OHL gave us 5 players that made it to the first round: Colby Barlow, Oliver Bonk, Quentin Musty, Callum Ritchie, and Easton Cowan. Throughout rounds 2-7 of the draft the OHL provided thirty additional players. There is a reason why some OHL cities attendance records are not too far off from the big leagues. Many player’s careers start in the OHL, and the league has nearly 100 years of history providing Ontario with exciting games and future NHL stars.

The Oshawa Generals winger Beckett Sennecke is one to watch. Playing along side last year’s first rounder, Callum Ritchie, Sennecke caught many scouts’ eyes with his impressive 2022/23 season. Scoring 20 goals, 35 assists, for 55 points, that was enough to put Sennecke in the top 5 points leaders for the Oshawa Generals. Being only 4 points behind Ritchie.

 “Sennecke is a skilled forward who is very good with the puck on his stick and has very good vision.  He is a good forechecker who is energetic and makes others rush plays. Sennecke has a good shot and can put some weight behind it to get it through and deter someone from blocking it. His decisions need to improve this year so that he can be more impactful offensively. Sennecke is an effective player on the powerplay who can finish or set others up. He still needs to improve his play away from the puck to be a more versatile player.  He has the confidence to carry the puck into the zone and is able to protect it too. He is skilled but at times appears to either not make a decision or to change his mind and that frequently costs him.” Said DraftPro’s Andy Miller about the skilled forward.

All in all, Sennecke is certainly a high ceiling player, with an unknown floor. Simply, Sennecke’s potential is high, but there are some questions surrounding him. Sennecke is likely going to be drafted in the first round but could slip higher or lower depending on this crucial 2023-24 season. With key players leaving Oshawa like Ryan Gagnier and Cameron Butler, Beckett Sennecke has a huge season ahead of him. And we at DraftPro are excited to see Sennecke develop.

Next up we have one of the draft’s top defensemen, Henry Mews from the Ottawa 67s. Playing on a stacked team, Mews has a lot of excitement surrounding him this year. Despite playing with a lot of competition on his team, Mews has been able to impress with the ice time he did have. With key defensemen leaving the 67s this year, such as Jack Matier, Anthony Constantini, and Pavel Mintyukov, Henry Mews is going to need to step up in order to keep the Ottawa 67s a threatening playoff team again this year.

“Lots of greatness in Mews game. An all-around defenseman who you just want and need on your team. Great puck movement and an excellent shot in Mews game. He’s a guy coaches can rely on in all situations.” adds Jordan Greenburg, OHL scout with DraftPro Hockey.

As of right now, Mews is looking like a first rounder. And if he can bring the 67s playoff success this season, then don’t be surprised hearing Mews’ name sooner rather than later on draft day.

From the Windsor Spitfires, Liam Greentree is going to need to shoulder quite the workload with Shane Wright and Matthew Maggio leaving the Spitfire’s offensive core. While also playing for a *projected* weaker team than the 67s or Generals, the 6’2” Greentree has a wonderful opportunity to showcase his skills. And also, a lot of expectations from fans, coaches, and scouts alike. Last season, he made a considerable impact by putting up 20 goals, 25 assists, for 45 points. Greentree was also good enough to make it to the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, where he scored 1 assist, and helped bring gold to Canada.

“Greentree is a big skilled winger. He has an NHL-ready shot and some prolific offensive instincts that are hard to handle with his size in the offensive zone.” Says Carson Klein of DraftPro when asked.

He’s going to need a sizeable increase in his point totals, as well as showcase that he’s a player who can drive the ship. If all things line up for Greentree, then a first-round appearance could be very likely.

Next, we have the ever-so hyped, Sam Dickinson playing for the London Knights, who pump out names like John Tavares, Matthew Tkachuk, Mitch Marner and so much more that it’s almost offensive. Joining a alumni rank such as that can’t be easy to ignore for a kid, but Dickinson is proving to be more than capable. He’s largely considered to be a top-ranking prospect this season. An easy first rounder, and early.

“Sam uses his crossovers and quick strides to generate speed. He can create separation in the defensive zone when leading the rush and gain a step when coming back on defense. He also has a good defensive stick; he is constantly on his opponents trying to steal the puck.” Noted Zach Morris of DraftPro.

Last year, the Knights provided to first rounders in Oliver Bonk and Easton Cowan. Oliver Bonk is returning this season, giving Dickinson some solid defensive back up. And with many more drafted players coming back to London, Sam Dickinson has the team to showcase his talents. In other words, it’s his season to lose.

To close out the OHL introduction, we have Zayne Parekh playing defense for the Saginaw Spirit, Parekh has developed a lot of credentials as a rookie defenseman. He was on the OHL first rookie roster, the CHL rookie roster, and the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup roster. Like Henry Mews, Zayne Parekh is looking to fill in the defensive shoes of his team as teammates either moved to the big leagues or aged out of the OHL. And also, like Henry Mews, Pavel Mintyukov is one of those star defensemen leaving a slot open.

“Parekh had a rough first month to his OHL rookie season. The narrative changed when he was invited to play for Canada at the World U17 Hockey Challenge in November 2022, he was able to make the transition to junior hockey much smoother and found confidence in his game. Parekh is an offensive minded defenseman who can quarterback a power play and can put the puck in the net.” said Liam Staples of DraftPro Hockey.

Another DraftPro evaluator Steven Pratas added this. “Zayne is a dynamic offensive defenseman who directs play from his own goal. His breakout puck decision making skills are exceptional, as he often tends to bring the puck through the neutral zone as a winger would. His awareness and puck skills has given him the ability to quarterback Saginaw’s powerplay. Let’s not forget his shooting ability which helped him rack up 21 goals last year which is a new OHL record for most goals scored by a U17 defender. Overall, he is assertive on both ends of the ice, but his defensive capabilities may continue to be a concern in his upcoming draft season.”

What else is there to say about Zayne Parekh? He’s an offensive defenseman who shoots first. 21 goals was highly impressive for a rookie defenseman. And it’s likely he will be a top goal scorer for all defensemen in the OHL. His final draft position will depend on just how much he can balance the offense and defense in his position. While the offensive defensemen has become more and more common recently, it is never a good idea to become an absent defensive presence.

As the OHL season is underway, we can already see these players playing up to their projected hype. 2023’s draft class was considered a slow year for defensemen, but if these five players can showcase anything to predict in 2024’s draft class, it’s that this is the year for defensemen to shine and for NHL clubs to clamor for the rights to sign these future stars. Henry Mews, Sam Dickinson, and Zayne Parekh all have something special to offer, and just who will be picked first is going to be a heated debate all season.

As for the forwards, Beckett Sennecke and Liam Greentree are both prospects scouts have been excited about for a while. Just how much damage can Sennecke cause playing alongside Callum Ritchie? And will Greentree grow to become a well-rounded power forward? Once the 2024 draft day comes, hopefully all of these questions will be answered.

For more on OHL prospects, and the 2024 draft class as a whole, be sure to pick up a copy of our 2024 Draft Preview Magazine available later this fall and keep your eyes peeled for exciting content and scouting reports all season long on the website.

By DraftPro Staff

A few of our scouts from this season have been asked to give us what they think are some ‘hot takes’ on the 2023 NHL draft as we are just hours away from the first round.

‘Hot Takes’ are draft thoughts or even opinions that might be a bit of a shock to the public consensus but what they believe could or will happen. Thoughts from our evaluators after two years watching these prospects develop and seeing the NHL talent hounds following their every move.

We know many of these will not happen, but this is a fun little exercise that will hopefully give our readers some entertainment, even discussion points, as you wait for the first pick to be announced in mere hours.

Draft Picks

“In a year highlighted by Russian risk, it’s been a very prominent storyline in the NHL all season. At the top end of the draft, you have a talent too good to pass up in Matvei Michkov, and not far behind him, Daniil But and Dmitriy Simashev who are too good to pass up as well. But aside from those 3, multiple Russian talents have gone under-scouted and under-appreciated. My hot take is very simple: I believe the duo of Alexander Rykov and Timur Mukhanov will show to have first-round talent careers going forward and will be well worth the wait for whoever drafts these players no matter which round they may be drafted in.” – Seth Ditchfield

“After being passed over as a first-time draft eligible last year, Windsor Spitfires defenseman Rodwin Dionicio will be selected anywhere between the fifth and seventh rounds and go on to be a steal for his team as a bonafide top-four offensive defenceman who can put up points in the NHL, despite some defensive deficiencies.” – Jonah Fleisher

“Theo Lindstein has had a great second half of the season during his draft year. He spent much of the first half of the year in Axel Sandin Pellikka’s shadow and as scouts started to look for other top defenders they looked back to Sweden and found another excellent defender who is agile and can move the puck. Lindstein is not the biggest player but he develops into a Jeff Petry type second pair defender. His skating is average but his hockey IQ is what separates him from the pack, he sees the ice and what is going to happen next. Lindstein will end up being a very consistent defender with a good offensive touch who is placed properly as the top guy on the second pair on a deep team that can make a long playoff run. Much like Petry again, he is traded away by the team that drafts him as he takes at least four years to start to really show his potential.” – Andy Miller

“Connor Bedard will NOT win the Calder in 2023-24, That will go to Buffalo’s Matthew Savoie, an older and a bit more experienced prospect. Bedard will play well but he will be a streaky player playing on a team that is not very deep in talent. Another issue that Bedard will have to deal with is that the Chicago forwards are not the biggest and will not buy him much time or space on the ice. Bedard will be fine and become a star in the NHL, but his bust-out season will not be his rookie season.” – Andy Miller

“Despite being the fifth defenseman selected and near the end of the first round, Lukas Dragicevic will lead this draft class in career points by a defenseman and will be a top 10 player overall at the position after three or four years in the league.” – Jody Horak

“Tanner Adams will likely be a late second or third round pick, but could slide in the draft and will be a solid NHLer with a long productive career. In the USHL this season he was a very productive player who elevated those who were on the ice with him. He is not a big player but can play tough and works hard. He will take a few years to get to the top stage but when he arrives and is put on a line with one or two other skilled players he will become an excellent third line player or a very good second liner. He will round out his defensive abilities and he will continue to be able to both set up and finish in the offensive zone.” – Andy Miller

“The first three goaltenders selected in the NHL draft (Carson Bjarnson, Michael Hrabal and Trey Augustine) will all be busts in the league and relegated to a backup role or playing in the minors. Jacob Fowler will establish himself as a solid starter after developing for two seasons at Boston College and winning the Mike Richter Award while leading BC to back-to-back Frozen Fours.” – Jody Horak

“This isn’t so much of a hot take as it looks more and more likely as the days go on. Michkov’s off ice antics are making it very apparent he only wants to be drafted by one team. The Russian prospect wants to be taken by the Capitals and take over for the Great 8. Ovechkin’s deal ends at the conclusion of the 25-26 season as does Michkov’s KHL deal. Andrei Nikolishin the Caps’ Russian Scout is not sold on Michkov’s work ethic or attitude which is very concerning and could lead to the Caps passing over the Russian. Vancouver would be the next logical destination and that would be at 11. Only time will tell but as the draft draws nearer It looks like Michkov could be waiting awhile.” – Tyler Karoway

“Predator’s fifth rounder, Cooper Foster from the Ottawa 67s in only three years becomes a reliable NHL player. By year four or maybe five he is a very responsible third line player with an offensive upside as the Nashville development worked with him and helped to further develop his skill set to become a well rounded NHL player who is a strong penalty killer and a reliable five on five player. The organization’s defense first attitude really helps Foster round out his game. Foster’s work ethic has improved and puts forth the same effort from puck drop to the final buzzer. He has gotten in the gym and added size and strength to allow him to utilize the offensive vision he has.” – Andy Miller

“With Stamkos getting older and his body wearing down Tampa will need a new premier sniper. Insert Daniil Bourosh, the Belarus native has one of the most lethal shots in this draft and due to him being an overage draft eligible he won’t have the same pedigree as other prospects allowing him to slide to the 6th or 7th round. With Stamkos being 34 next year and being a UFA, he’ll only get a 3-year deal at max allowing DB to develop and take over the powerplay Sniper role. GM Patrice Brisebois and Al Murray looks like genius’ once again with a draft steal and Tampa continued terrorizes the league.” – Tyler Karoway

Trade Frenzy

“Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman uses the 2023 NHL Draft to reshape his Wings roster and shave off years in the rebuild by make a couple trades to bring in much needed goal-scoring talent. His first move is trading pick #9 and Boston’s 2024 first round selection to Montreal for pick #5 where they take highly skilled Russian W Matvei Michkov with the understanding they will not have him until the scoring winger turns 22 years old. He then turns around and trades pick #17, Pick #43, W Filip Zadina and D Gustav Lindstrom to Ottawa for W Alex DeBrincat. In making these trades Yzerman adds two prime talents in the desired age bracket for his rebuild.” – Dan Stewart

“New GM Danny Briere got an absolute nightmare situation handed to him. No blue-chip prospects outside of Cutter Gauthier and a team that’s full of underperforming players. With Provorov already being moved it might be time to set the nukes off. Travis Konency, Travis Sanheim, Carter Hart, Joel Farabee, and Scott Laughton could all be in new homes once the Draft concludes. With such a deep draft the Flyers are in a prime position to reload the prospect drawer. Wednesday night concludes with these blockbuster deals. Konecny to Detroit in exchange for 17th overall and Cross Hanas. Hart and Laughton to Toronto in exchange for Joey Woll, Nick Robertson and 28th overall pick. Travis Sanheim to Buffalo for Henri Jokiharju and Philly gets it 2nd rounder back in this draft.” – Tyler Karoway

“Buffalo makes a big splash to make their team more competitive, trading their first rounder among other assets to Winnipeg in exchange for Nikolaj Ehlers and Dylan DeMelo, signing the latter to an extension to pair with one of Dahlin or Power for the foreseeable future.” – Jonah Fleisher

“In a blockbuster three team trade between Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis, the Penguins get goaltender Carter Hart from Philly and the #29 pick in the 2023 draft from the Blues. The Blues receive C Kevin Hayes from Philly and Pittsburgh’s first round pick at #14. The Flyers haul in Defenseman Colton Parayko (waveing his no move clause), and the Blues pick at #25 and also receive from the Penguins, G Casey DeSmith and a 2024 2nd round selection that becomes a first if the Penguins make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Blues go on to draft David Reinbacher and Brayden Yager at picks #10 and #14 while gaining a veteran center as they continue to work on re-tooling and not re-building. Same goes for the Flyers who get a solid D man in Parayko and haul in another first round pick they use to select the versatile Danny Nelson from the USNTDP. Pittsburgh gets forward Samuel Honzek to fall into their lap at #29 and he thrives with Crosby and Guentzel, becoming one of the biggest steals in the draft. Pittsburgh wins one more cup and has this trade to thank for it as Honzek goes on to enjoy a better NHL career than either Reinbacher and Yager.” – Jody Horak

By Zackery Robert

Coming up next we have the Washington Capitals. They have had one of the greatest draft picks of all time in their franchise’s history and it surely has paid off for them. We will see what else they have done in the draft throughout their history.

To start it off we will get the easiest one out of the way. Alexander Ovechkin was the first overall selection in the 2004 entry draft and for good reason. He has been an unstoppable goal scoring force since his first year in the league in 2005. He is the second highest goal scorer in the history of the league and he still has some years left in him so we may see him leave the league as the number one goal scorer in the history of the NHL. Ovechkin has a ridiculous nine Rocket Richard trophies as the league’s leading goal scorer. He also has a combined nine other indivisible trophies including: Hart trophies, Ted Lindsay trophies, a Conn Smythe trophy, a Calder trophy and an Art Ross trophy. He has accumulated nine 50+ goal seasons and one of those he went as high as 65. Ovechkin has been nothing short of generational in his time and this is a no brainer of a selection as one of the best all time picks by the Capitals.

Up next we will go to the goal and take a look at the 1989 draft where Washington held the 19th pick overall and chose goalie Olaf Kolzig. Kolzig was the star for the Capitals in goal. He played over 700 games for the team and won just over 300 games in that jersey. He took home a Vezina trophy in the 1999-2000 season as the league’s top goalie and for good reason, he finished with 41 wins, a 917 save percentage and a 2.24 goals against average. Kolzig would have seven seasons of 25 plus wins for the Capitals.

Finishing up with the 2006 draft where in the first round at pick number four the Capitals would unknowingly pick Ovechkin’s running mate for their entire careers, Nicklas Backstrom. Backstrom was the playmaker that Ovechkin needed, Backstrom has immense skill and was able to pass his way to a career high of 101 points in the 2009-2010 season. Backstrom has had five seasons of a point per game or better so far in his career and has been a top line centre throughout his time in the league. He finished with 23 points in 20 games during the Capitals first ever Stanley Cup winning playoff run in 2018. He has helped build this franchise to where it is today so Backstrom will go down as one of the best Capitals draft day picks of all time.

Moving along to picks that Washington gained the least value out of, we will first look at the 1990 draft where they held the ninth pick overall. With this pick they chose defenseman John Slaney, Slaney would make his Capitals debut in the 1993-1994 season where he played 47 games and scored 16 points. In the following season Slaney would play in 16 games for the Capitals registering three points. It was that summer in 1995 where Slaney would be traded to the Colorado Avalanche for a third round pick in the 1996 draft. Slaney being a ninth overall pick never lived up to any hype that he had gained before going into the NHL. In his short stint in the NHL with the Capitals Slaney played in 63 games and scored 19 points.

Up next we will move to the 1994 draft where Washington held the last pick in the top ten. At number 10 they went on to choose Calgary defenseman Nolan Baumgartner. Baumgartner would spend the next six years in the Washington organisation playing in only 18 games for the big club. He would spend the majority of his time once turning pro in 1996 in the AHL. He struggled quite a bit to gain traction in the NHL and finally after the six years of being in this organisation he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in the summer of 2000. In those 18 games Baumgartner registered a total of two assists for two points in total.

Sticking with the 1994 draft, after Washington went up at number 10 they had another opportunity to select in the first round of this draft at number 15. Using pick number 15 they chose Russian winger Alexander Kharlamov, the closest the Capitals got to Kharlamov playing in the NHL was the two years he played with their farm team for the Pirates in Portland in between 1995-1997 where he played a total of 121 games registering 56 points. After these two years would spend the remainder of his career in three different leagues, the ECHL, WCHL, and in Russia, he would retire at the D end of the 2003-2004 season never making it to the Capitals lineup rendering this pick on this list.

Moving ahead to today, we see the Washington Capitals perhaps at the end of their era with Ovechkin and Backstrom and will have to begin to look to the future and rebuild with prospects. Good for them in the sense that they will have five picks in the draft to do so and they will have a rather high first round pick. Coming in with the eighth pick the Washington Capitals have a chance at a really good player in this draft. This is one of the deepest drafts for talent in the past eight years since 2015. Washington has not had this high of a pick since they were fifth overall in 2007 where they chose Karl Alzner. With their current makeup of prospects we see Washington a little on the low end of top tier prospects, a downside to being one of the best teams for over a decade, nevertheless they have a great opportunity to pick up the pace here at eight. Being this high in the draft the most sensible thing for them to do would be to pick the best available player, so for that here are three options that should make the Capitals very happy to be so high in the draft. NTDP winger Ryan Leonard, NTDP centre Oliver Moore or OHL winger Colby Barlow. All three of these players are held in very high regard. All of them have talents to which the Capitals can begin to retool their future around in a few years time when they come into their own in the NHL. If they choose any of these three players they will come out of this draft ahead.

For more information on the 2023 NHL Draft class be sure to pick up your copy of the comprehensive DraftPro 2023 NHL Draft Guide.

https://draftprospectshockey.com/draftpro-2023-nhl-draft-guide/

By Zackery Robert

Coming along to the second newest team in the NHL we have the Vegas Golden Knights who have found quite the amount of success early on into their franchise history with now making their second Stanley Cup finals in their short six year history.

This team in particular is very odd, they’ve been around for six years so some of their picks they have made would’ve had time to develop and begin their career with Vegas. However this is not the case for the majority of their higher value and skill prospects because they have traded nearly all of them away before allowing them to play in Vegas. For example all of their first round picks from 2017, their first ever draft, have been traded away for older players, Cody Glass is on Nashville right now, he was originally drafted sixth in 2017. Nick Suzuki is on Montreal after being the centre piece in the Max Pacioretty trade. For their third pick in the first round of 2017 at number 15 Erik Brannstrom, he is now currently on Ottawa as part of the Mark Stone trade.

Clearly Vegas has not learned the value of having top prospects in their pipeline because they did it two more times, 2019 first round pick Peyton Krebs was traded away to Buffalo in the Jack Eichel trade, Krebs at least played 13 games for Vegas before leaving. Finally their most recent display of draft then trade is with 2021 first round draftee Zachary Dean, Dean was the 30th pick in the 2021 draft and was just traded this past deadline time to St Louis for Ivan Barbashev. Now some of these trades have brought in some good players that have led them to early success but this success will taper off real quick with their ageing core and part of their core being injury prone. Pacioretty is one already that is no longer in Vegas after only four seasons in which he never played every game of a season. Mark Stone has been injured, Jack Eichel has had his injured neck surgically repaired just last year. These players are ageing and in a short time Vegas will be in deep trouble as they will not be able to unload their big contracts on old players to anyone, and with no first round prospects staying around for very long Vegas will not have those higher skilled players to help dig them out of the bottom of the league.

In 2022 they did not have a first round pick and the same goes for 2018 which means that their only first round prospect remaining is that of 2020 29th overall centre Brendan Brisson who is currently their best prospect. He played in 58 games in the AHL this year scoring 56 points. A very good showing by the young centre gives hope that they have one good forward prospect currently but this will not be enough in 3-5 years time.

To round out let’s say a top four of best current prospects for Vegas you would have to put 2021 second round pick Daniil Chayka as one and 2019 second round pick Kaeden Korczak and USHL goalie Cameron Whitehead who was a 2022 fourth round pick. These are to all go along with 2020 first rounder Brendan Brisson as their number one prospect.

Vegas has taken a much different approach than what most teams and GM’s would do, they have taken away their future in return of a fierce first few years. Vegas has been a contender for a few years now and that is great for their fans and to grow their base and status but when their fierceness turns into dullness and their players that they made big moves for or have big contracts to just cannot keep up what will happen to Vegas. They will turn into a team that will be a bottom team trying to recreate or re imagine themselves but they will not have the tools to do so because they have either traded away their top draft picks for older players at the latter halves of their primes or they traded away their higher potential prospects within a couple years for someone who has already shown what they can do. They wanted to be good right away and it may have seriously hurt their future in doing so.

This year Vegas will look to have a first round pick along with four other picks for a total of five in the draft, 1st, 3rd, 3rd (BUF), 6th, 7th. With how the playoffs have gone their first rounder will be either 31st or 32nd and at that area in the draft, players that they could look at could be winger Gavin Brindley, centre Danny Nelson or defenseman Tanner Molendyk. Whether or not they keep this first round prospect long enough to see them develop and turn into a potential key player for their franchise in the future is up to them.

For more information on the 2023 NHL Draft class be sure to pick up your copy of the comprehensive DraftPro 2023 NHL Draft Guide.

https://draftprospectshockey.com/draftpro-2023-nhl-draft-guide/

By Zackery Robert

Heading to the Pacific Northwest we move to the beautiful province of British Columbia and look at the Vancouver Canucks franchise.

To start off we will take a look through Vancouver’s drafting history since their inception and first draft back in 1970 and focus on three players in particular who have helped shape this franchise for the better. First we will go back to the 1989 draft where all the way down in the sixth round at pick number 113 the Vancouver Canucks made a selection that would alter the face of their franchise and bring forward one of the most electrifying players and goal scorers in league history, Pavel Bure. Bure was a phenomenal player on the ice and was typically targeted by other teams goons to bring him down a notch, which unfortunately cut Bure’s career quite short only playing in 702 games, he won the Calder trophy in his rookie years and then one upped his rookie year in year two by scoring 60 goals and 110 points. Vancouver had a superstar on their hands, Bure would continue his 60 streak the following year in the 1993-1994 season where he scored 60 goals and 107 points. This season Vancouver made it to the Stanley cup finals and lost to the Rangers, however Bure was a dynamo scoring 31 points in their 24 games played. The injury bug would start in the 1995-1996 season where Bure would only play 15 games with 13 points. Unfortunately this was the start of his slowing down due to injuries he would score another 51 goals in his final season with Vancouver in 1997-1998 and would move on to Florida in the next season only playing 11 games due to injuries. He would however pick up his old form to win two Rocket Richard trophies with Florida before retiring in 2003. Bure was the most electrifying player in the Canucks’ history hands down and his impact will always be remembered by the Canucks fandom. His jersey was retired by Vancouver in November of 2013.

Moving along to the 1999 draft where we will talk about the second and third most influential Canucks players of all time. Daniel and Henrik Sedin were drafted second and third in 1999 respectively and would become Canucks legends by the end of their careers. Making their Canucks debut in the 2000-2001 season Daniel and Henrik put up similar numbers throughout their careers with Henrik leading them and the Canucks franchise in points with 1070 and Daniel leading his brother in goals with 393. Daniel would also win an Art Ross trophy and Ted Lindsay trophy in the 2010-2011 season when finished with 104 points that year. His brother Henrik accomplished the same feat just one year prior in 2009-2010 when he won the Art Ross trophy and Ted Lindsay trophy when he scored 112 points that year. It’s almost spooky how similar their careers emulated each other. Both brothers would put up good points in the Canucks’ cup run in 2011, eventually losing to the Bruins in the finals. They would both retire at the end of the 2018 season putting their playing careers as Canucks from 2000-2018. Both Daniel and Henrik would have their jersey numbers retired by Vancouver in February of 2020.

Moving along to picks that did not pan out for the Canucks, first up is one of the more recent picks for the Canucks in 2016 fifth Olli Juolevi. Juolevi struggled to say the least after he was drafted, he made his Canucks debut four years after being drafted in 2020 where he played in 23 games scoring three points. After that he would t pave up his skates for the Canucks again. In 2021 Juolevi was traded away to the Florida Panthers for a small return. He has still struggled to gain NHL ice and currently played this most previous season in the AHL.

Next we will move to the 1986 draft where Vancouver held pick number seven and went with centre Dan Woodley. Woodley’s career in the NHL with the Canucks was very short, five games is what he played, he scored two goals in those five games and then was never able to make it back on an NHL roster. Woodley would then play out his career in the AHL, IHL, ECHL, and CoHL until his retirement in 1995. It was a rough pick to make because when looking back at the 1986 draft you will see that two picks later the New York Rangers selected eventual 1994 Conn Smythe winner Brian Leetch.

The last player to talk about for this part is that of 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft Luc Bourdon. The defenseman out of New Brunswick played within the organisation from 2006-2008 and in that time he played 36 games for the Canucks where he registered two goals. He had a hard time making his case to be on the big club and would spend the majority of his time in Manitoba playing for the Moose which was the Canucks AHL affiliate at that time. After the end of the 2007-2008 season Bourdon would hang up his skates professionally. The 2005 draft is famous for being the Sidney Crosby draft and for good reason but there were also some other east good players like Carey Price at number five and then at number 11, one pick after Bourdon at 10, was kings captain and future hall of famer Anze Kopitar.

Today the Vancouver Canucks are kind of in a limbo-like state, they have good players all around but cannot seem to make things go smoothly, everyone expected them to be good contenders this year but they don’t even make the playoffs. Their captain was traded to New York and it looks like the team can go either way, the basement or the penthouse. Luckily for them they chose the right draft to get a high pick in, they have a total of seven picks, 1st, 3rd, 3rd (TOR), 4th, 4th (DET), 4th (NYR), 6th. With their first pick they will wind up choosing 11th. At 11 you have plenty of good options and right now with Vancouver and their prospect pool it looks a little too heavy and less down by the blue line. Some potential blue line options around the top half of the round could be Axel Sandin Pelikka, David Reinbacher or Tom Willander and if they choose to go forward with what happens in the draft a good option for them would be Nate Danielson, a good dependable two way centre with the potential to be a good first line centre.

For more information on the 2023 NHL Draft class be sure to pick up your copy of the comprehensive DraftPro 2023 NHL Draft Guide.

https://draftprospectshockey.com/draftpro-2023-nhl-draft-guide/

By DraftPro Contributors

The team at DraftPro was able to get together last week and make some best guesses at what NHL teams will do come tomorrow and Friday. It is a fun little exercise as we pull out our crystal balls and makes all seven rounds worth of selections for the NHL teams we represented. Some picks will be surprising, some boring as you have already seen in other mocks, while other picks will be controversial just like there will be at the NHL Draft.

Picking for this mock are the below DraftPro contributors:
Dan Stewart – General Manager
Jared Brown – Director of Scouting
Matt Hnatiuk – Head Scout
Murray Caldwell – NA Regional Scout
Jody Horak – NA Regional Scout
Andy Miller – NA Regional Scout
Jordan Greenberg – NA Regional Scout
Tyler Karoway – NA Regional Scout
Jonah Fleisher – NA Regional Scout
Isaiah Bouchard – Content Writer

So, with that intro, Chicago is at the podium…

#1

CHICAGO – C CONNOR BEDARD, REGINA (WHL)
Bedard is a generational talent and has the potential to become a franchise player for an original six team. He has extremely high IQ in all areas and possesses a wickedly lethal shot. He seems to be able to do it all. He has smashed through every hurdle placed in front of him and fans can expect him to do the same here. With the two faces of the franchise now gone (Toews and Kane), Blackhawk fans need someone to draw them to the rink every night and Bedard is that player. – By Matt Hnatiuk

#2

ANAHEIM – C ADAM FANTILLI, MICHIGAN (NCAA)
With missing out on the Bedard sweepstakes, GM Pat Verbeek and new head coach Greg Cronin still get arguably a #1 pick talent in Fantilli. He brings speed, size, competitiveness and excellent two-way ability to the table and will fit right in as a complimentary center to go along with star Trevor Zegras. Fantilli put up exceptional numbers as a freshman in college hockey this past season, winning the coveted Hobey Baker Award. He could be in a Ducks jersey as early as this season depending on if he decides to return to Michigan this fall or not. – Jody Horak

#3

COLUMBUS – C LEO CARLSSON, OREBRO HK (SHL)
Pierre-Luc Dubois was supposed to be the Blue Jackets #1 center for years. After moving him for star winger Patrik Laine. Columbus fulfills that center ice vacancy with the big Swedish center Leo Carlsson who can help balance out a line with his terrific 200ft game. It sounds like Columbus wants to be competitive as soon as next season and it wouldn’t shock me if Carlsson was in the NHL as soon as this October. He’s not just a two-way center. Leo also is one of the better forwards at attacking defenders and taking pucks through the middle to create scoring chances. Look for him to be 60-70 point 1C in the NHL. – Jared Brown

#4

SAN JOSE – RW MATVEI MICHKOV, HK SOCHI (KHL)
The Sharks have a mix of young players and older skilled ones like Karlsson and Couture who Michkov can learn from. He brings an elite skill set to the team that is not typically available at the number four pick. He has an incredible shot that is very accurate and could put the puck in the net consistently like they haven’t seen since Cheechoo. He can work with the development team and grow the younger players. – Andy Miller

#5

MONTREAL – C WILL SMITH, U18 TEAM (NTDP)
The Montreal Canadiens have been in a rebuild for the past 2 year and are seeking goal scoring and game breakers. I also believe that Will Smith is the best player available at the moment. Canadiens just locked up there all-star elite goal scoring winger in Cole Caufield who came out of the same program where Smith is in at the moment. Smith is a very dynamic player who sees the ice very well. His vision and passing ability is off the charts. Montreal has also built a very good development team over the past year in signing skills coach Adam Nicholas who I believe can help turn Smith into a star. If all goes well for Smith I see him potentially being a 1st or very high end 2nd line center with anywhere from 70-85 points per year. I also believe that Smith could have easily been the number 1 pick in many drafts with his production this season. – Jordan Greenberg

#6

ARIZONA – C OLIVER MOORE, U18 TEAM (NTDP)
The Coyotes are left with a lot of questions for their future. Both on and off the ice. But while a lot of negative attention is put on Arizona right now that does not diminish the bright and exciting future the Coyotes have. Specifically in their forward departments. Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Connor Geekie, and now, from the NTDP, Arizona can add the speedy and versatile centremen, Oliver Moore. With such a wide array of forwards in their system, Arizona’s offensive future is looking bright, with many niches being filled. – Isaiah Bouchard

#7

PHILADELPHIA – D AXEL SANDIN PELLIKKA, SKELLEFTEA AIK (SHL)
Flyers recently acquired Helge Grans and adding another RD in ASP will have Flyers brass rejoicing after having to deal with Tony DeAngelo and Ristolainen on the right side in 2023. Danny Briere begins his tenure by shoring up a defence that has been exceptionally bad the past couple seasons. ASP gives Philly a powerplay quarterback that can play top pairing minutes and help take some of the weight off whomever is net for the rebuilding Flyers. While ASP won’t be ready this year he can take over for the controversial Deangelo in 2024-2025 once his contract expires. ASP has an extremely high ceiling with his ability to create offence out of nothing and playmaking skill set. While he is not in the mold of a Broad Street Bully he still can play strong defence with his stick. ASP has a Dahlin level ceiling. – Tyler Karoway

#8

WASHINGTON – C/W SAMUEL HONZEK, VANCOUVER (WHL)
What might look like a reach will prove to be a huge add for the Capitals. The Capitals struggled immensely to score goals last year and the Anthony Mantha experience has been a massive failure ( what a shocker…) so the Caps need to add a top six goal scoring winger to take some of the pressure of The Great 8. Adding Ivan Miroschnichenko & Alex Suzdalev last year and now Honzek will give the Capitals an extremely volatile top six winger core once everyone reaches the NHL. Honzek’s laser shot and extreme speed give him are his biggest attributes but his underrated defensive skill will be huge as the Caps’ top six rarely gets much defensive effort from their top guys. Honzek’s upside is ridiculously high and could become one of the steals of the draft. – Tyler Karoway

#9

DETROIT – C/W RYAN LEONARD, U18 TEAM (NTDP)
Yzerman and company go back to the USA NTDP in the top round of the draft for the first time since selecting team captain Dylan Larkin almost ten years ago with the selection of winger Ryan Leonard. The Wings fell in love with the grit, compete, and goal scoring ability that Leonard brings and feel he will add a missing component to an organization that lacks in natural finishers, both on the current NHL roster and in the prospect pool. – Dan Stewart

#10

ST. LOUIS – C BRAYDEN YAGER, MOOSE JAW (WHL)
The blues unloaded some veteran forwards and huge parts of their Stanley Cup run in Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’ Reilly. GM Doug Armstrong opts to reload in that department and Yager is a strong two-way player with a lethal shot. He will be a great piece to add down the middle of the ice with speed. With a penalty kill that really struggled for the Blues, Yager can step in and play a role with a man short and give the Blues some depth at center with Brayden Schenn not getting any younger. Potential to be a consistent point producer (45-55 a season) and goal scorer in the NHL. – Jody Horak

#11

VANCOUVER – D DAVID REINBACHER, EHC KLOTEN (NL)
The Canucks made a big splash in landing right-handed shot Hronek at the deadline and now add another RH shot D-man in Reinbacher to shore up the defensive core. Canucks’ fans have had to suffer through poor defence and the nightmare pairing of Myers and OEL last year but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. Reinbacher is Myers replacement and should be ready to take over once Myers contract expires next year. He is the perfect fit for Quinn Hughes’ defensive partner and should form a formidable duo for years to come. A large two way defenceman to help aid Hughes on the back end but also capable of putting up some points as well. This is a slam dunk for the often-criticized Canucks front office. – Tyler Karoway

#12

ARIZONA (from Ottawa) – LW ZACH BENSON, WINNIPEG (WHL)
With the selection of Zach Benson at the 12th overall pick, Arizona hopes to secure their offensive future for years to come. Benson will be joining other top end talent such as Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, previously selected Oliver Moore, and Benson’s teammate on the Winnipeg Ice, Connor Geekie. Perhaps Benson’s greatest quality is his dynamic style of play that lets him fit into the mold of any line he plays with. Benson is going to add a good balance of playmaking, goal scoring, and two way play for Arizona. Bill Armstrong is dead set on rebuilding the Arizona Coyotes in more than just on-ice production, as he has stated on multiple occasions that the excuses are running out for management and the team. A proper step in the right direction will be to build trust and chemistry with the new generation of skaters. And secure a solid foundation for Arizona’s future. – Isaiah Bouchard

#13

BUFFALO – C NATE DANIELSON, BRANDON (WHL)
After one of the best Sabres season in recent memory, the Sabres management are looking to keep to the game plan and continue this upward trajectory. And with Nate Danielson’s careful, smart, and effective two-way play style, there should be no better glue to hold Buffalo’s future together. With DraftPro’s #1 ranked prospect pool, Buffalo has no need to make risky moves, as their big stars are already on the way. Owen Power, Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo’s future is stacked. Nate Danielson is the safe pick that comes with little risk, and the chance for a very versatile 2C in their future. – Isaiah Bouchard

#14

PITTSBURGH – LW COLBY BARLOW, OWEN SOUND (OHL)
New man in charge Kyle Dubas is looking to add some “now” talent if possible to his roster at the top end of the draft as he believes he has the horses in stars Crosby, Malkin, Letang, to still compete for a playoff run. The Pens like OHL sniper Colby Barlow’s maturity, intensity and obvious goal-scoring ability as someone who could possibly slip into the lineup either this fall or next and make an impact in a top six scoring role. – Dan Stewart

#15

NASHVILLE – C CALUM RITCHIE, OSHAWA (NCAA)
Incoming general manager Barry Trotz has made it known that he wants to bolster his top-nine with a high-end forward, coming off a year where his team scored the sixth-fewest goals in the league. Ritchie is a dynamic, elusive skater with incredible stick handling and intelligence. While he owns a great wrist shot himself, his high-end playmaking will fit well with the elite shooters Nashville has drafted on the wing. He can struggle with consistency at times, but Trotz has issued a clear directive to take high-upside swings and Ritchie has the potential to significantly boost Nashville’s offense while filling a hole up the middle. Will likely be ready to make the jump to the NHL in a year or two, fitting with Nashville’s desired timeline. – Jonah Fleisher

#16

CALGARY – RW MATTHEW WOOD, U. OF CONNECTICUT (NCAA)
Calgary snags a player who has the talent of a top 10 prospect and is mid-late first round projected pick only because of his skating concerns. Though his footspeed and sluggish first few steps are major concerns, Matthew Wood could learn from Tyler Toffoli on how to still be productive despite being an ugly skater. Calgary needs to bolster their winger depth after losing Tkachuk and Gaudreau and Wood may only be a few years away from the NHL considering he fast tracked to the College level this season. – Jared Brown

#17

DETROIT (from NYI) – C DALIBOR DVORSKY, AIK (HOCKEYALLSVENSKAN)
Yzerman, Draper and the Wings scouting department were hopeful to add a natural center with one of their two first round picks in this draft as it has long been an area of need for the rebuild and they are more than excited to do so here as they continue to add top of the lineup talent with the selection of skilled two-way AIK center Dalibor Dvorsky. With their first two selections (Leonard and Dvorsky) they are hopefully adding a two-thirds of a top six line for the not-too-distant NHL future. – Dan Stewart

#18

WINNIPEG -LW GABRIEL PERREAULT, U18 TEAM (NTDP)
The Jets are an organization that has successfully developed players such as Laine, Hellebuyck and Ehjlers plus developing acquired young player like Pionk. The Jets are in a potential transition this summer and a player like Gabriel Perreault can help that process. He has developed this season into a player that would typically be selected in the top 10 of a draft. Perreault clearly inherited some of his father’s hockey IQ. He is a better skater than his father but likely knows what it means to be a pro. The Jets development will be able to help him improve his play away from the puck. He could reach the NHL in as few as 2 years but may take 4, while hopefully bulking up and improving his strength at Boston College. Perreault could pot 50-65 points in a season. His skating skills make him a bear lock to be a middle six forward. – Andy Miller

#19

CHICAGO (from Tampa) – LW EDUARD SALE, HC KOMETA BRNO (CZECHIA)
The Blackhawks are adding another dynamic player with scoring ability and an endless motor. Sale is well rounded when it comes to the offensive zone, being able to distribute with precision or snap home shots with a quick flick of the wrists. While he currently may not be a physical player standing 6’2″, he will have to add that component as well as some strength to his game to be a factor in the NHL. Adding Sale will ensure the Blackhawks scoring depth for years to come and potentially help Bedard reach amazing heights. – Matt Hnatiuk

#20

SEATTLE – D TOM WILLANDER, ROGLE BK J20 (J20 NATIONELL)
GM Ron Francis and the Kraken scouting department will be looking to add the best available here with this pick as they continue to add talent to an immature prospect pool. But in a perfect world a top defensive prospect or high-end goaltending prospect would be in the cards at this spot. Just so happens they love the mature two-way game and high-end skating ability that Rogle BK defender Tom Willander has shown this season. They see a potential top four, all-situations, right-handed future Kraken but understand he will need a year or two first. – Dan Stewart

#21

MINNESOTA – C OTTO STENBERG, FROLUNDA HC J20 (J20 NATIONELL)
This shoot first center has a great IQ in the offensive zone and can strike with little warning. A player who is opportunistic in his creation of plays, and has the ability to set up some amazing scoring chances. While he will need to work on his defensive play as well as add some physicality to his play once he moves over to North America, the Wild can mold this player into a potential top six scoring forward. – Matt Hnatiuk

#22

COLUMBUS (from LA)– C RILEY HEIDT, PRINCE GEORGE (WHL)
Danny Briere swings for the fences on a player that oozes offensive potential but struggles with having a consistent work ethic. Having a coach like John Tortorella could be the perfect fit for Heidt if Torts can push the right buttons to keep Heidt on his game for the full 60. With Kevin Hayes most likely getting moved this off season, Couturier on and off the injury reserve and Morgan Frost being an RFA this year, Heidt could slide into a top six roll quite quickly. This the definition of a boom or bust pick for the Flyers. – Jared Brown

#23

NY RANGERS – D DMITRY SIMASHEV, LOKOMOTIV YAROSLAVL (KHL)
The Rangers have a strong core of young players and veterans. The organization has had a good history of development, will leave Lafrieniere out, particularly with Europeans. They could use a bit more young depth at the back end. Fox, Trouba and Miller are the core of Defense and may need support in a year or two. Simashev will bolster the blue line in the near future. He will not likely be a PP QB, but is consistent defensively and moves the puck up the ice well. He is a versatile player who can play in all situations. He will fit nicely in the NHL in one to two years and should develop into a top four Dman. – Andy Miller

#24

NASHVILLE (from Edmonton) – D MIKHAIL GULYAYEV, AVANGARD OMSK (KHL)
One of the NHL’s best teams at drafting and developing defenseman, Nashville selects Gulyayev as a high-risk, high-reward option. After bolstering their forward group with more of a sure bet in Calum Ritchie, Barry Trotz wants to take a swing to increase the ceiling and scoring potential of his team. While he could use some work on his shot, gap control, and physicality, Gulyayev is an incredibly skilled skater with excellent playmaking ability and hockey sense. Nashville has not shied away from drafting Russians in the past few years, having recently selected Yaroslav Askarov and Fyodor Svechkov and bringing the former over to North America. Gulyayev is still three to four years away from cracking the NHL, but the Predators are set at LD with Josi and McDonagh on that side for the next three years, after which Gulyayev can step into their top-four as a puck-moving, offensive defenseman. – Jonah Fleisher

#25

ST. LOUIS (from Toronto) – D LUKAS DRAGICEVIC, TRI-CITY (WHL)
With rumors swirling among the Blues organization trying to potentially trade top defenseman Colton Parayko, Torey Krug or Nick Leddy to open up some cap space, they go with a developmental, offensively gifted D man in Dragicevic. He has the tools to be a John Carlson type defenseman and give them some depth at the defensive position. With his vision and ability to move the puck, he can be a top four defenseman at the NHL level in a few years. The Blues continue to say they are re-tooling and not necessarily in rebuilding stage and Dragicevic along with Scott Perunovich give them a nice future at the defensive position. – Jody Horak

#26

SAN JOSE (from New Jersey) – RW ETHAN GAUTHIER, SHERBROOKE (QMJHL)
Gauthier will nicely compliment fourth overall pick Michkov. He is a physical forward with an offensive upside. Gauthier is a versatile player who can be effective on the PP, PK or even strength. He is a strong skater and this attribute will assist him in accelerating his D overall development. In this organization he can learn under the tutelage of players like Couture and Hertl. Gauthier will return to the Q next season and will have more responsibility and likely be a key part of the WJC team for Canada. The Sharks should plan for his arrival in the next two to three years. – Andy Miller

#27

COLORADO – LW ANDREW CRISTALL, KELOWNA (WHL)
No stranger to drafting Canadian players, GM Joe Sakic takes a risk on a boom or bust prospect in Cristall. He has the tools to be a game changer and an elite playmaker which bodes well for a team whose future with leader Gabriel Landeskog is up in the air. Injuries hampered the defending champions all year long but they continue to build the team around stars Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Cristall will be able to develop quicker with guys like that in the organization to learn from. He goes to a team where his skilled hands, vision and playmaking ability will fit in and be a huge asset when he’s ready to jump to the NHL. With depth at the forward position and good prospects in the pipeline, it’s not a make or break situation taking Cristall. – Jody Horak

#28

TORONTO (from Boston) – D OLIVER BONK, LONDON (OHL)
Toronto looks to add a Dman with size, strong defensive qualities, and physical abrasiveness. New GM Brad Treliving prioritizes building a strong defence core as shown through his years in Calgary, and the Maple Leafs are currently missing a defence prospect like Bonk in their system. Bonk has the defensive intelligence and competitiveness to play important shutdown minutes. He makes smart reads to break up the cycle and is terrific at separating his man from the puck along the boards. He could turn into a very solid partner for Morgan Rielly down the road in Toronto. – Jared Brown

#29

ST. LOUIS (from Dallas) – C DANNY NELSON, U18 TEAM (NTDP)
With selecting a prospect who can produce points in Yager with their first pick, the Blues go with a physical, power forward in Nelson. He brings size and offensive ability to consistently produce 30-40 points a season when he reaches the NHL. He has a powerful shot and can play strong and tough in front of the net offensively, like a David Backes who was the leader and heart of the Blues organization for years. Doug Armstrong will be bringing in a player who is versatile to play wing or center and can provide depth scoring as a second or third line forward. – Jody Horak

#30

CAROLINA – LW QUENTIN MUSTY, SUDBURY (OHL)
GM Don Waddell addressed the need to get heavier after their playoff exit in the Eastern Conference Final. Musty not only will bring size to the wing for the Canes but he also has that game-breaking skill and creativity, something Carolina’s forward group currently lacks. Carolina has shown in previous drafts that they aren’t afraid to swing on prospects with high upsides and Musty’s makeup of an elite skilled power forward is too much for them to pass up on. They have the potential to get a late first round steal here in Musty, but there are some holes and consistency issues in his game which makes him a risky pick. – Jared Brown

#31

MONTREAL (from Florida) – W/C JAYDEN PERRON, CHICAGO (WHL)
Canadiens are trying to add scoring forwards to add to their young core of Slafkosvky, Caufield, Suzuki and Dach. Perron is on the smaller side of players but works extremely hard and is in the mix of everything. Perron has lots of speed and has great hockey IQ. He also is someone who is very strong along the boards and battles very hard. I believe he can turn into a top 6 winger one day and will fit very well in the Canadiens organization. People around the league like to compare Perrons play style to Toronto Maple Leafs all-star Mitchell Marner. I believe that Perron has lots of upside and can become a steal at 31. – Jordan Greenberg

#32

VEGAS – LW DANIIL BUT, LOKO YAROSLAVL (MHL)
The Knights will look to add to a depleted prospect pool after trades to continue their recent on-ice success have seen some highly regarded prospects and draft picks leave for the sake of adding veteran NHL talent. They take a big homerun swing here with the selection of massive offensively gifted Russian winger Daniil But from Loko Yaroslavl in the MHL. While there are safer prospects on the board, they like the potential top line upside with this pick. – Dan Stewart

#33

ANAHEIM – C GRACYN SAWCHYN, SEATTLE (WHL)
With strong prospect depth in the pipeline at the defensive position (Mintyukov, Zellweger, Luneau, Lacombe), Pat Verbeek elects to continue to build up prospects at the forward position. With Sawchyn, although they are getting a potential developmental player, he also has the attributes to develop a lot of chemistry playing alongside a Zegras or Fantilli. He could be a huge steal in this draft and with the right organization and players around him (which I believe Anaheim has) he could be playing in the NHL sooner than we think. His work ethic, compete level, vision and playmaking ability fit in well with the team and improve the chances of seeing high octane offense like the Selanne/Kariya days of old in Anaheim. – Jody Horak

#34

COLUMBUS – G MICHAEL HRABAL, OMAHA (USHL)
The Blue Jackets take the first goalie of the draft and they take the towering Czechia netminder. Hrabal’s upside may be the highest of any goaltenders in the draft due to him measuring in at almost 6’7″. He’s raw in his technical play but Columbus can be patient with developing him considering they have Merzlikins locked up for four more years and 25-year-old Tarasov for two more years. But the question remains on if one of those two netminders can be the Blue Jackets #1? Having a potential star-studded goalie prospect in their system would be a smart move for Jarmo Kekalainen. – Jared Brown

#35

CHICAGO – D TANNER MOLENDYK, SASKATOON (WHL)
Tanner joins a group of young, mobile defensive prospects and brings a smooth skating ability and an excellent two way game. He has high end puck control, passing, a strong shot and the ability to QB a PP if needed. He brings a strong awareness to the game at both ends of the ice and reads plays well both offensively and defensively. Still needing to add some muscle to his frame, Molendyk can hone his game for a few more seasons before making the jump. When he does, look for the Blackhawks to have one of the most offensive two-way defense cores in the league. – Matt Hnatiuk

#36

SAN JOSE – D HUNTER BRZUSTEWICZ, KITCHENER (OHL)
With Mike Grier selecting for the third time inside the top 40 the Sharks are looking for a more defensive area of the game in this selection after selecting two forwards with their prior choices. They are looking for a capable defenseman who can follow in the footsteps of the likes of Burns, Karlsson and Vlasic and be mentored by two of them that remain with the organization. Brzustewicz is a smooth skating defender who excels with the puck on his stick. He will develop into a solid puck moving defenseman who can quarterback a power play with ease. He is a player you would want on the ice when you are down by one late in the contest. Brzustewicz is very confident with the puck on his stick and can move the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive zone quickly with accurate passes that are easy for his teammates to receive. He can spend the next two years working on improving his defensive side of the game and his physicality. Brzustewicz will need to utilize his hockey more effectively when the puck is not on his stick and make the safe play a little more frequently. The Sharks have been able to select some high end talent in the top 40 of this draft and are on the way up the standings in a few years. – Andy Miller

#37

MONTREAL – G TREY AUGUSTINE, U18 TEAM (NTDP)
Augustine many scouts have as the top goaltender in this draft can be a very good fit in Montreal. Montreal is in desperate need after Carey Price has called it a career. They don’t have many goalie prospects or many goalies on their roster so I believe Augustine would be a good fit and very much given the chance in Montreal. He is very strong at playing the puck and very strong with his lateral movements. The only worry to some scouts and teams is his size. – Jordan Greenberg

#38

ARIZONA – D THEO LINDSTEIN, BRYNAS IF (SHL)
With the earlier selections of Oliver Moore and Zach Benson, the Coyotes offense is looking bright for years to come. With adding Theo Lindstein, and his excellent two-way capabilities, the Coyotes are seeking to improve their defensive depth. Lindstein being a LD gives the coyotes that needed depth, as much of their current defensive prospect pool are RD. Lindstein’s excellent passing and skating abilities are his strongest reasons for being Arizona’s 3rd pick. His skating will synergize well with forwards such as Logan Cooley and Oliver Moore (arguably the fastest skater in this draft), and his passing will assist the excellent goal scoring potential form players such as Dylan Guenther and Zach Benson. – Isaiah Bouchard

#39

BUFFALO (from Philadelphia) – D MAXIM STRBAK, SIOUX FALLS (USHL)
Strbak is a solidly built, intelligent defensemen who will be an excellent team player for the Sabres. He’s a reliable skater, and a level-minded player when on the ice making his plays. Strbak provides a more defensively minded game to Buffalo’s prospect pool, which is arguably where they lack solid depth. Strbak can add balance to a future Buffalo team that will include the speedy Ryan Johnson and Mats Lindgren, and the offensive threats of Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. Strbak will be a good partner for any of these players, providing them with a reliable partner that can keep up with their more specialized play-styles. And since Strbak plays RD, he could be a good ally for any of the previous players listed. – Isaiah Bouchard

#40

WASHINGTON – RW KASPER HALTTUNEN, HIFK (LIIGA)
Halttunen is a great addition to the Capitals prospect pool. He immediately becomes their top RW prospect and gives the Capitals a TJ Oshie replacement. Halttunen has a mean streak to his game that I absolutely love to see but can bury opponents with his offensive fire power. His shot alone should be making goalies shake. The Capitals find two wingers in Honzek and Halttunen that should be able to jump into the Caps line up by 2024. Halttunen, Honzek, Miroschnichenko & Suzdalev give the capitals hope that they don’t miss a beat once the current core retires. – Tyler Karoway

#41

DETROIT – C BRADLY NADEAU, PENTICTON (BCHL)
With their two first-round selections adding some top of the lineup future NHL talent in Leonard and Dvorsky, the Detroit Red Wings continue to add talent up front with this selection of the highly offensive skilled and two-way responsible forward Bradly Nadeau. Scouting Director Kris Draper and staff like the grit and drive Nadeau plays with and feel his offensive ability mean they might have picked up another top six forward here. The Wings will need to be patient as Nadeau plans to play at least one or two years with the University of Maine Black Bears. – Dan Stewart

#42

DETROIT (from St. Louis) – C DAVID EDSTROM, FROLUNDA HC (SHL)
This is a Hakan Andersson, the Director of European Scouting for the Detroit Red Wings, ‘pound the table’ type pick as he loves the size, compete level, and two-way play that this six-foot-three power center brings. Edstrom’s development has been on a pretty sharp trajectory over the entire season from playing U18, U20, the SHL, and culminating in a strong showing at the IIHF U18 World Championships for the Silver Medal winning Swedes. – Dan Stewart

#43

DETROIT (from Vancouver) – G CARSON BJARNASON, BRANDON (WHL)
The Wings finally stop adding forward talent and use their last of five picks in the top 50 overall of the 2023 NHL Draft to shore up their goaltending pipeline which already includes former first rounder Sebastian Cossa. The selection of the big butterfly stopper Carson Bjarnason is seen as a project pick as the timeline will not be rushed for these two primary goaltending prospects in hopes that one of them grabs the reins and becomes the Wings starting goaltender for the next fifteen years by 2025-26 when Ville Husso’s current contract expires. – Dan Stewart

#44

CHICAGO (from Ottawa) – D CAMERON ALLEN, GUELPH (OHL)
A Swiss army knife of a defenseman, he can play in almost any situation. While his skating speed may need to improve, he still maintains good power coming from his legs and is strong on his feet. While skating a puck out won’t often be an option, his eye for a quick pass will be an asset, as well as his heavy shot when he can pound it in from the blueline. His play seems to have transitioned to a defensive style which will help fill an upcoming role within the Blackhawks defense. His gap control, defensive stick and ability to play a punishing physical game are all traits that are required for NHL defenders. He also displays excellent leadership qualities in a young player. Possibly the next Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook for Chicago? – Matt Hnatiuk

#45

BUFFALO – RW GAVIN BRINDLEY, MICHIGAN (NCAA)
As Buffalo’s management have done an excellent job in building one of the strongest prospect pools in the NHL, selecting Gavin Brindley gives them a high-utility player, who plays both center and winger positions. He’s also highly dynamic both offensively and defensively, making him a useful piece to fit into any of Buffalo’s lines. He can play with the big boys and provide play making support, or grind away on the Top 9 providing his coach a useful young player with a solid Two-way game. While Brindley is no means a ‘super star’ pick, he has a high ceiling that can let him land anywhere on Buffalo’s roster. This means if Brindley only grows into a Top 9 forward, this completely falls into Buffalo’s favor, who already have a plethora of top-end prospects. Of course, if Brindley’s potential is fully reached and he plays on a Top 6 level, this is only good for Buffalo. Selecting Brindley this late into the second round becomes a win-win situation for Buffalo, and a safe, easy pick to make. – Isaiah Bouchard

#46

NASHVILLE (from Pittsburgh) – D ÉTIENNE MORIN, MONCTON (NCAA)
The Predators take another stab at an offensively-geared, left-handed defenseman in Morin. Morin is a skilled puck-mover with great vision and accuracy on his passes and a booming slap shot. While he has some defensive inconsistencies to work out, Morin isn’t as pure an offensive defenseman as 1st-rounder Gulyayev. He possesses an active stick and can lay out opponents in open ice, adding an element of physicality to the game. With him and Gulyayev on the left side, Nashville can be confident in at least one of them hitting their potential and filling up one, if not both, left side spots in their top four as Roman Josi and Ryan McDonagh continue to age. – Jonah Fleisher

#47

NASHVILLE – LW NICK LARDIS, HAMILTON (OHL)
With their fourth and final pick in the top two rounds, the Predators select winger Nick Lardis, taking another swing on offensive talent. Barry Trotz and his staff are intrigued by Lardis’ package of speed, smarts, and a good shot. While he needs to progress on the defensive and physical sides of the game, Lardis will be able to join the lineup in two to three years and add a transition threat to Nashville’s dangerous forward group which includes Philip Tomasino, Joakim Kemell, Luke Evangelista, Fyodor Svechkov, Zachary L’Heureux, and Reid Schaefer. Lardis continues to aid in Nashville’s attempts to become a more offensively-minded team and fills out the depth on the right wing, complementing the aforementioned Kemell and Evangelista. – Jonah Fleisher

#48

CALGARY – C CARSON REHKOPF, KITCHENER (OHL)
Craig Conroy and his staff keep it rather simple with this selection, taking the best player available in Rehkopf. Their getting a forward who brings a versatile toolkit as someone who can shift between playing center or the wing, and he can play both PP and PK. Carson is a talented handler who’s a bit raw at the moment, but with his flashy hands which he’ll flash in 1v1 situations, he’s got the potential upside of a top six forward. Calgary doesn’t need to rush Rehkopf’s development considering the depth they have at the center ice position in their lineup and pipeline. – Jared Brown

#49

NY ISLANDERS – C DENVER BARKEY, LONDON (OHL)
Barkey is a dynamic Center man who sees the ice extremely well. He has crazy vision and makes very smooth passes that seem to always end up in high scoring chances for his line mates. Barkey is very small at 5,8 but plays much bigger than he is. His playoffs were something that helped him grow on every mock draft I’ve seen recently. He will be the number 1 Center in London next year and I wouldn’t be surprised if he came very close to 100 points. Barkey has to grow on the defensive side of the puck if he wants to become an impact player but I believe with his vision and skill he can be an impact player one day. – Jordan Greenberg

#50

SEATTLE (from Winnipeg) – C CHARLIE STRAMEL, U. OF WISCONSIN (NCAA)
Kraken GM Ron Francis along with Director of Scouting Robert Kron are just looking to add talent and with this selection they add a center in University of Wisconsin big power forward and former US NTDP wunderkind Charlie Stramel. After taking a defender in the top round they now have three second round selections and will look to really bolster the organizations prospect pool before the round is through. Stramel adds a power element to their forward prospect pool and while he slid from draft projections from eighteen months ago, when he looked like he might be a lottery pick, he still has improved in areas during his first year in college hockey like skating. Look for the big forward to become more involved and make a bigger offensive impact in his second year. – Dan Stewart

#51

CHICAGO (from Tampa Bay) – G ADAM GAJAN, CHIPPEWA STEEL (NAHL)
Adam is the prototypical size for a NHL goaltender. Big, athletic, poised and competitive. His size helps him fill out the net when on his feet or in his butterfly and his leg strength allows him to get post to post when he’s on his knees. A player who competes at a very high level and never quits on a puck or play. His reflexes are strong and while he may have to work on his gloves (blocker/catcher) a little, he still has some time to develop as he progresses. With a need for goaltending in Chicago, Gajan will help fill the hole, it just may be a few years down the road. – Matt Hnatiuk

#52

SEATTLE – RW KOEHN ZIEMMER, PRINCE GEORGE (WHL)
The Kraken draft team look to continue adding more talent with their second of three round two picks and have their eye on a goal scoring winger they love the jam and skill combo he plays with in Prince George right wing Koehn Ziemmer. While there is work to do, specifically on his skating stride, if he hopes to one day pull on the Kraken jersey full time, his goal scoring ability has a natural instinct to it like a Zach Hyman or Tyler Bertuzzi type of ‘at the right place at the right time’ element you just can’t teach. – Dan Stewart

#53

MINNESOTA – RW, MATHIEU CATAFORD, HALIFAX (QMJHL)
This gritty forward can punish you with physical play or scoring ability. He has a well-balanced base that makes him solid on the ice and he skates well. Using his high-end vision, Cataford could eventually find a home on the PP where he is the setup man with strong passing. He possesses a dangerous shot that can be placed accurately when within range. Is strong in the faceoff circle and is just a general pain in the ass to play against. Has some similar traits to the current GM of the Wild. Look for Cataford to develop a couple of seasons and then potentially make the jump to help the Wild. – Matt Hnatiuk

#54

LOS ANGELES – D CADEN PRICE, KELOWNA (WHL)
LA cannot believe their luck with the selection of D Caden Price. Elite IQ, in understanding the game, showing excellent awareness. Has the ability to transition his game in puck movement to forwards on break outs with crisp first pass abilities. We are not worried about his choppy skating due the fact he has a second gear to defend against turnovers. Uses his body & stick to get inside advantage pushing forwards to the outside. Having the good hockey sense when to drive into ozone on the rush yet not to be caught out of position. He is a big man who will complement the Kings. We believe due to Caden’s keen hockey IQ we can develop him into a very good 3rd line pairing. We know his shot will require work. There are some aspects that cannot be approved on, however in this case these are all minor adjustments we can overcome with Caden’s commitment and hard work which shows in nearly all games. – Murray Caldwell

#55

CHICAGO (from NYR) – D BEAU AKEY, BARRIE (OHL)
This mobile defender is great with the puck on his stick. He uses strong skating and a balanced stride to carry the puck himself, or he can distribute it to teammates with excellent an excellent first pass. Using his multi directional skating, he can walk the blueline and fire shots on net while being the QB on the PP, and is a continual threat as a defender in the offensive zone. He needs to refine his defensive play and anticipation of plays, but developing for a few more seasons will help Beau gain confidence and skill. There is no rush to force Akey into the lineup and the Blackhawks will have the pleasure of developing this prospect as they wish. – Matt Hnatiuk

#56

EDMONTON – RW NOEL NORDH, BRYNAS IF J20 (J20 NATIONELL)
Bringing his net front presence that will give the Oilers that player who is willing to stand in there and whack at pucks after the elite shooters let it go. He brings a long and smooth skating ability that he’ll have to work on adding speed to. Soft hands when needed and the ability to make nice passes to streaking line mates. An excellent shot, especially from in close. Willing to play more physical which is something this team lacks slightly. Generally, makes the smart and safe plays to avoid causing mistakes. Will need to develop his defensive game more before transitioning to the North American game. Is a player who can slide up and down the line up as required bringing more depth to the top-heavy Oilers. – Matt Hnatiuk

#57

SEATTLE (from Toronto) – D ANDREW GIBSON, SAULT STE. MARIE (OHL)
After adding a couple forwards to the 2023 haul along with a strong skating two-way defender in the first round, the Kraken jump back in and pick an underrated OHL defender whose game grew by leaps and bounds this season, his rookie season in the Soo. Six-foot-three defender Andrew Gibson is a big framed solid skating blueliner who plays an impressively mature defensive game adding in a long reach and aggressive physicality while also showing some developing offensive upside. Gibson has been a late season riser on many NHL draft boards and the Kraken are thrilled to add him with their last selection in round two. – Dan Stewart

#58

NEW JERSEY – C WILLIAM WHITELAW, YOUNGSTOWN (USHL)
With Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, the Devils’ pipeline is set at defence. GM Tom Fitzgerald and his staff instead focus on augmenting their forward group with Whitelaw. The Devils play a skilled, offensive style of game and Whitelaw fits that mold perfectly. While the Devils already have Bratt (pending a new contract), Mercer, and Holtz on the right wing, Whitelaw provides positional versatility having played centre as well, although with his small frame he may be in tough to play that position at the highest level. Whitelaw is a small player who needs work on his consistency, the accuracy of his shot and his 200-foot game. However, if he reaches his potential, the Devils believe Whitelaw can be one of the biggest steals of the draft with his high compete level, scoring instincts, excellent skating ability and speed, and top-notch stickhandling and playmaking. They hope he can come in and fill a top-six scoring role in a few years time. – Jonah Fleisher

#59

ANAHEIM (from Colorado) – D JAKUB DVORAK, BILI TYGRI LIBEREC (CZECHIA)
With Luneau, Mintyukov and Zellweger giving Anaheim hope as excellent offensive defenseman prospects, they elect to go with a truly defensive, stay-at-home defender in Dvorak. He brings size, an excellent reach and will be able to log minutes consistently for the top end guys while also having the potential to be a solid penalty killing defender. He can improve on his puck control but can bring a physical, shut down style for a team needing that on the back end. – Jody Horak

#60

ANAHEIM (from Boston) – C KALAN LIND, RED DEER (WHL)
With loads of finesse, skill and creative forwards on their roster, GM Pat Verbeek opts to add some toughness and grit to his team. Lind is a physical, hard-nosed forward who is not afraid to agitate opponents and play an in-your-face type game. If he can limit his penalties and be more disciplined, he can be an everyday grinder in the lineup. When Zegras is your leader in penalty minutes, it’s time to bring in some more physicality and Lind fits the bill here. – Jody Horak

#61

DALLAS – D LUCA CAGNONI, PORTLAND (WHL)
Cagnoni an offensive, elusive skating threat. Having 64 points in 67 games this past year in the WHL, we are elated to have this talent coming to Dallas. A highly skilled player with an impressive shot, from either foot. Strong stick handling skills in tight spaces. When the puck is not on his stick he gives his forwards a place to pass to by getting into open spaces. He can pivot on a dime, shift into high gear and explode into an attack mode. Peel off after distribution of a hard pass to a forward. He easily corrals hard passes with deft hands. A talented QB on the power play, this will help us add scoring from the backend as he develops over the next 3 years becoming a F1 player in the NHL. Luca has tools that can be developed into a high-end two-way defender. – Murray Caldwell

#62

CAROLINA – RW LENNI HAMEENAHO, ASSAT (LIIGA)
The Hurricanes have turned into a bit of a Finnish factory over there and they make and easy selection here as they patiently watched Hameenaho drop to them at #62. The Finnish winger spent his draft season playing against men and earned himself a spot in Assat’s middle six group for majority of the season. He’s a high IQ player with playmaking upside, solid small area play, and a strong net-front game. He possesses some deft hands to stickhandle and protect pucks in small spaces. His puck management is very mature and if he’s skating stride and acceleration can improve, then he’s got a real shot at becoming a stable middle six NHLer. – Jared Brown

#63

FLORIDA – W ALEX CIERNIK, SODERTALJE SK J20 (J20 NATIONELL)
While the Stanley Cup finals did not go Florida’s way this year, Florida hopes to begin the healing phase now by making a big pick in the second round. The offensively lucrative, highly skilled, goal scorer will have plenty of potential allies to join in him Florida’s developmental system. Ryan McAllistar, Mackie Samoskevich, and Grigori Denisenko immediately jump to mind when considering future line mates for Ciernik, whether that be in the NHL, or the AHL. Ciernik is expected to join Florida’s main roster within the next 2-3 years. However, it is likely Florida will aim to keep the gang together for another run for the cup in these coming years, so finding a roster spot is going to be tight. Though with his ability to play on any wing, and offer goal scoring potential and a solid two-way game, don’t be surprised if Ciernik moves to the front of the line sooner rather than later. – Isaiah Bouchard

#64

MINNESOTA (from Vegas) – D TRISTAN BERTUCCI, FLINT (OHL)
A steady defender who moves around the ice with non discript speed. He won’t wow you with his feet, but he won’t let you down either. He possesses the ability to make simple outlet plays and quickly transition the play forward. He has a bomb of a shot when he can let it go from the blueline, with the skill of keeping it low and on net. Plays a tight defensive game all the way through the neutral zone and into his, but could use more size/strength to compete vs grown men. Will take some time to develop, but has the potential to eventually step into a second pair role with special teams capability. – Matt Hnatiuk

ROUND 3

65. Anaheim (Jody) G, Jacob Fowler
66. Columbus (Jared) C, Oscar Fisker Molgaard
67. Chicago (Matt) G, Scott Ratzlaff
68. Nashville (Jonah) D, Aram Minnetian
69. Montreal (Jordan) C, Easton Cowan
70. Arizona (Isaiah) C, Luca Pinelli
71. Carolina (Jared) C, Anton Wahlberg
72. Arizona (Isaiah) RW, Roman Kantserov
73. Detroit (Dan) C, Felix Nilsson
74. St. Louis (Jody) C/RW, Jayson Shaugabay
75. Vancouver (Tyler) C, Carey Terrance
76. St. Louis (Jody) D, Dylan MacKinnon
77. Vegas (Dan) RW, Jesse Kiiskinen
78. LA Kings (Murray) D, Brady Cleveland
79. Nashville (Jonah) C, Noah Dower Nilsson
80. New Jersey (Jonah) LW, Emil Jarventie
81. Arizona (Isaiah) G, Tomas Suchanek
82. Winnipeg (Andy) G, Thomas Milic
83. Nashville (Jonah) RW, Coulson Pitre
84. Seattle (Dan) D, Andrew Strathmann
85. Anaheim (Jody) LW, Ethan Miedema
86. Buffalo (Isaiah) D, Jordan Tourigny
87. Philadelphia (Tyler) LW, Nico Myatovic
88. Arizona (Isaiah) D, Danil Karpovich
89. Vancouver (Tyler) LW, Aydar Suniev
90. Pittsburgh (Dan) RW, Martin Misiak
91. NY Rangers (Andy) C/RW, Tanner Adams
92. Boston (Andy) D, Drew Fotescue
93. Chicago (Matt) RW, Tuomas Uronen
94. San Jose (Andy) D, Quinton Burns
95. Philadelphia (Tyler) C, Rasmus Kumpulainen
96. Vegas (Dan) C, Alex Pharand

ROUND 4

97. Anaheim (Jody) LW, Juraj Pekarcik
98. Columbus (Jared) D, Matthew Mania
99. Chicago (Matt) D, Mazden Leslie
100. San Jose (Andy) LW, Jesse Nurmi
101. Montreal (Jordan) C, Matthew Soto
102. Arizona (Isaiah) LW, Ondrej Molnar
103. Philadelphia (Tyler) C, Hudson Malinoski
104. Washington (Tyler) D, Kaden Hammel
105. Vancouver (Tyler) LW, Aiden Fink
106. St. Louis (Jody) RW, Felix Unger Sorum
107. Vancouver (Tyler) D, Kalem Parker
108. Ottawa (Jared) D, Gavin McCarthy
109. Buffalo (Isaiah) C, Jakub Stancl
110. Montreal (Jordan) D, Luke Mittelstadt
111. Nashville (Jonah) C Kalle Carlsson
112. Calgary (Jared) D, Arttu Karki
113. Islanders (Jordan) D, Ben Robertson
114. Columbus (Jared) RW, Cam Squires
115. Nashville (Jonah) C Brad Gardiner
116. Seattle (Dan) D, Zach Schulz
117. Detroit (Dan) C, Jonathan Castagna
118. LA Kings (Murray) C, Connor Levis
119. Vancouver (Tyler) LW, Roman Kukumberg
120. Philadelphia (Tyler) C, Jaden Lipiniski
121. Nashville (Jonah) D, Chase Cheslock
122. New Jersey (Jonah) C, Hunter Anderson
123. San Jose (Andy) C, Zeb Fosfjall
124. Boston (Andy) C, Arrtu Alasiurua
125. Dallas (Murray) D, Paul Fischer
126. Carolina (Jared) D, Carter Sotheran
127. Florida (Isaiah) D, Konnor Smith
128. Montreal (Jordan) LW, Tyler Peddle

ROUND 5

129. Anaheim (Jody) RW, Zach Nehring
130. San Jose (Andy) C, Alex Weiermair
131. Chicago (Matt) C, Tanner Ludtke
132. San Jose (Andy) D, Luke Coughlin
133. Montreal (Jordan) G, Carsen Musser
134. Arizona (Isaiah) RW, Cole Brown
135. Philadelphia (Tyler) C, Tom Leppa
136. Washington (Tyler) LW, Owen Beckner
137. Detroit (Dan) C, Dominik Petr
138. St. Louis (Jody) G, Stephen Peck
139. Carolina (Jared) RW, Yegor Rimashevksy
140. Ottawa (Jared) C, Brandon Svoboda
141. Buffalo (Isaiah) LW, Michael DeAngelo
142. Pittsburgh (Dan) D, Anton Maryshev
143. Nashville (Jonah) C, Cooper Foster
144. Montreal (Jordan) C, Ryan Fine
145. Islanders (Jordan) D, Samuel Barcik
146. Winnipeg (Andy) D, Kalle Kanges
147. Nashville (Jonah) RW, Yegor Sidorov
148. Seattle (Dan) C, Angus MacDonell
149. Minnesota (Matt) C, Austin Roest
150. LA Kings (Murray) D, Sam Court
151. Winnipeg (Andy) RW, Will Vote
152. Rangers (Andy) C, Ty Halaburda
153. Toronto (Jared) D, Emil Pieniniemi
154. New Jersey (Jonah) D, Matteo Koci
155. Colorado (Jody) D, James Petrovski
156. Columbus (Jared) LW, Beckett Hendrickson
157. Dallas (Murray) RW, Jan Sprynar
158. Carolina (Jared) C, Owen Outwater
159. Florida (Isaiah) D, Ivan Remezovsky
160. Arizona (Isaiah) C, Gabriel Szturc

ROUND 6

161. Anaheim (Jody) D, Sean Keohane
162. Arizona (Isaiah) RW, Nikita Susuyev
163. Carolina (Jared) C, Jiri Felcman
164. San Jose (Andy) C, Cameron Johnson
165. Montreal (Jordan) RW, Joey Willis
166. Arizona (Isaiah) D, Hoyt Stanley
167. Philadelphia (Tyler) RW, Ty Daneault
168. Seattle (Dan) RW, Michael Burchill
169. Detroit (Dan) LW, Ty Hendricks
170. St. Louis (Jody) RW, Cole Knuble
171. Vancouver (Tyler) C, Nikita Nedopyokin
172. Philadelphia (Tyler) D, Jake Livanavage
173. Buffalo (Isaiah) G, Yegor Zavragin
174. Pittsburgh (Dan) G, Rhett Stoesser
175. Nashville (Jonah) D, Rodwin Dionicio
176. Calgary (Jared) D, Larry Keenan
177. Islanders (Jordan) C, Ben Poitras
178. Rangers (Andy) D, Austin Burnevik
179. Tampa Bay (Tyler) RW, Daniil Bourosh
180. Seattle (Dan) LW, Jimmy Clark
181. Minnesota (Matt) D, Aiden Celebrini
182. LA Kings (Murray) G, Noah Erliden
183. Rangers (Andy) RW, Yegor Klimolvich
184. Edmonton (Matt) D, Matthew Andonovski
185. Toronto (Jared) LW, Isac Hedqvist
186. New Jersey (Jonah) C, Timur Mukhanov
187. Colorado (Jody) C, Teddy Townsend
188. Boston (Andy) D, Ty Higgins
189. Dallas (Murray) C, Ty Mueller
190. Carolina (Jared) C, Frantisek Dej
191. Florida (Isaiah) RW, Milton Oscarson
192. Vegas (Dan) D, Charles-Alexis Legault

ROUND 7

193. Tampa Bay (Tyler) D, Sawyer Mynio
194. Columbus (Jared) RW, Alexander Rykov
195. Chicago (Matt) D, Matteo Mann
196. San Jose (Andy) D, Marc-Olivier Beaudry
197. Montreal (Jordan) D, Kristian Kostadinski
198. Florida (Isaiah) D, Hudson Thornton
199. Philadelphia (Tyler) C, Luke Patterson
200. Washington (Tyler) RW, Josh Nadeau
201. Detroit (Dan) G, Adam Dybal
202. St. Louis (Jody) D, Axel Landen
203. San Jose (Andy) LW, Emmanuel Vermette
204. Ottawa (Jared) G, Noa Vali
205. Buffalo (Isaiah) LW, Florian Xhekaj
206. San Jose (Andy) G, Alexander Hellnemo
207. Ottawa (Jared) LW, Mitchell Martin
208. Calgary (Jared) D, Francesco Dell’Elce
209. Islanders (Jordan) C, Ian Scherzer
210. Winnipeg (Andy) D, Peetu Kiukus
211. Tampa Bay (Tyler) LW, Sam Huck
212. Seattle (Dan) G, Samuel Urban
213. Minnesota (Matt) RW, Griffin Erdman
214. Boston (Andy) C, Luke McNamara
215. Ottawa (Jared) D, Donovan McCoy
216. Edmonton (Matt) D, Lucas St. Louis
217. Pittsburgh (Dan) G, Hampton Slukynsky
218. New Jersey (Jonah) G, Ruslan Khazheyev
219. Colorado (Jody) G, Damian Clara
220. Boston (Andy) LW, Alex Assadourian
221. Dallas (Murray) C, Kai Uchacz
222. Carolina (Jared) LW, Daniel Alexander Jencko
223. Pittsburgh (Dan) LW, Joe Connor
224. Vegas (Dan) LW Cole Burbidge

Let us know in the comments who you think made the best value picks.

For those who want a comprehensive look at the next wave of NHL talent be sure to pick up a discounted (25% off) copy of the digital 2023 DraftPro Draft Guide.

https://draftprospectshockey.com/draftpro-2023-nhl-draft-guide/

By Zackery Robert

Coming up next we have the Toronto Maple Leafs, coming off a second round playoff exit the Leafs will now have a potentially quite interesting offseason that will kickoff with the draft on June 28th.
Looking back at previous drafts that the Leafs were in there have been some picks that have really paid off and have helped this franchise. The first one to mention is their current best player in Austin Matthews. This is one of the youngest best ever draft picks in this series and for the Leafs it really is just that, one of the best. Matthews has been their number one player since the 2016-2017 draft. He has been a threat every year and makes the Leafs much more competitive year in and year out. He has two Rocket Richard trophies to go along with the Calder for rookie of the year in the 2016-2017 season and one Hart and Ted Lindsay trophy respectively. He has already been one of the most successful Leafs players of all time and he’s only 26 years old.

Next up we will go to a draft where one of the most recognizable players in the franchise came from. In the 1970 draft the Leafs held the eight pick and used it to choose Darryl Sittler, Sittler would go on to play with Toronto from 1970-1982. Sittler was a four time 40 goal scorer and hit the 100 point plateau two times with the Leafs. Sittler would finish with a point per game or better in nine of his twelve seasons. His number would be retired by the Leafs in 1989.

The third and final person to talk about here wouldn’t necessarily be considered as one of the best picks of a franchise all the time, he wasn’t the most flashy or the one with all the awards or points but he was however the fab favourite for all his years in Toronto. A player that everyone wanted to be on the team and stay on the team. He was tough, he was a personality, he was Tie Domi. Originally drafted back in 1988 in the second round pick number 27 Domi played a majority of his career with the Leafs. However he only played two games with them before being traded away resulting in him playing away from the franchise for over five seasons until in 1995 when he was traded during the season back to Toronto. Upon his return to Toronto Domi became an instant favourite and would play out the remainder of his career with the Leafs from 1995-2006. In total Domi would play 777 of his 1020 games in the NHL, retiring with a legacy left in Toronto that many fans will remember for a long time.

Moving into picks that were not good picks by the Leafs we will funnily enough stay in the 1988 draft where at pick number six the Leafs chose winger Scott Pearson. Pearson struggled with the Leafs and subsequently in his NHL career, during his tenure with the Leafs Pearson played in 62 games registering 16 points, five goals and eleven assists. Pearson would be traded part way through the 1990-1991 season to the Quebec Nordiques for little help in the return. Looking back at the 1988 draft the Leafs made an immense error in taking Pearson at six because in the next four picks at number eight, nine, and ten we would see Jeremy Roenick, Rod Brind’Amour, and Teemu Selanne selected.

Next up comes from the 2011 draft, and to no surprise it is 22nd overall pick Tyler Biggs. Biggs had lots of potential and was talked about quite a bit, at 6 ‘3 and over 200 pounds he was touted as a potential top six power forward. However that did not come to fruition, after the draft he went to Miami University (Ohio) and then onto the OHL for the Oshawa Generals. He went on to play in the AHL after that and went to the ECHL for many seasons after that and a bit of time in the EIHL before retiring at the conclusion of the 2018-2019 season. Biggs never ended up playing in the NHL by the conclusion of his career.

Finally wrapping it up with the 1992 draft where the Leafs held pick number eight and used it on centre Brandon Convery. Convery would play another three and half seasons in the OHL and AHL before making his Leafs debut in the latter half of the 1996 season. In those 11 games he scored seven points, which was actually pretty good for a rookie in only a few games. Unfortunately for him that would be the best production wise he would be for the Leafs, on the next season he would struggle with 10 points in 39 games which would result in being relegated to the AHL team for the following year before being turfed that very same year to the Vancouver Canucks and then being in their farm team as well. Convery would eventually take his talents over to Europe where he would play until his retirement at the end of the 2004 season.

Taking a look at the 2023 Leafs you will find a team who had a disappointing second round exit in the playoffs which emulates their playoff struggles over the past 20 years. With their sites now focused on the 2023 draft we will see what they can do. They currently hold only three picks in this year’s draft but they do have a first round pick, 1st (BOS), 5th, 6th. This pick in the first round will be at pick number 28.

Looking at the Leafs’ prospect pool you will find a pretty empty pool, and for a team that is loaded up on forwards and lacking in both defence and goalie that is what they should target that deep into the first round. Players they can look at drafting can be USHL goalie Michael Hrabal, OHL defenseman Oliver Bonk, or SHL defenseman Theo Lindstein.

For more information on the 2023 NHL Draft class be sure to pick up your copy of the comprehensive DraftPro 2023 NHL Draft Guide.

https://draftprospectshockey.com/draftpro-2023-nhl-draft-guide/