Prospect Info: 2023 Draft Thread (Yotes picking #6 & #12)

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Sinurgy

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Benson plays on a team and line with several other natural centers (Geekie and Savoie usually on his line and Pederson otherwise) but he absolutely has the skills to play center and be good at it, it will depend on his size and growth and how that impacts his strength on whether he will or not. But I think he has a pretty good chance of it given his playstyle and work ethic.
I tend to be leery when it comes to players who have the potential to play a certain position vs players that actually do play said position. I would assume he's going to be a winger and draft based on that. If he happens to end up excelling as a center then it's all gravy but I wouldn't give it much weight in my evaluation.
 
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The Feckless Puck

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I agree every team that wins the cup is full of hard working players and near stars but they're typically anchored by at least 2 or 3 star players as well. Here are the teams that have won the cup in the last 15 years:

Colorado - MacKinnon, Makar, Rantanaan, Landiskog
Tampa Bay - Kucherov, Stamkos, Hedman
St. Louis - Tarasenko, Pietrangelo (I think this is the type of team you're describing)
Capitals - Ovechkin, Backstrom, Carlson
Penguins - Crosby, Malkin, Letang
Blackhawks - Kane, Toews, Keith
Kings - Kopitar, Doughty
Bruins - Chara, Thomas
Redwings - Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Zetterberg
Ducks - Getzlaf, Perry, Niedermayer, Pronger

Of those 15 teams, I think only a single team fits your description and that would be the one and done Blues. While star players are no guarantee of a cup, it would seem winning the cup without them is near impossible.

The good news is that, based on appearances and consensus at this point, we have basically a 1OA in Cooley and a star player in Keller, so where does that put us?
 

rt

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I thought Benson was pretty well entrenched as a winger but admittedly I don't follow the prospects as closely as I wish should, at least for this draft. Anyway if you think those 2 players are as good or equal to Fantilli I guess that's a no brainer for you then. I'm not so sure but I guess it doesn't matter since not only is it super unlikely the team with 2nd overall would offer that pick but also AZ is extremely unlikely to pick 6th or 11th anyway. Which leads me to the sad part, it's unlikely you're getting Benson or Michkov either thanks to all the garbage time points.
Benson is a winger for sure. I think Bedard is 50/50, Fantilli is a C all the way, Michkov is a winger, and Carlsson is probably a winger but maybe a center. I’ve got them ranked, Bedard, Fantilli, Michkov, Benson, and then Carlsson. That’s my top five.

Because Benson is small and a winger, I suspect many NHL teams have him closer to 9th than to 4th (like me). We may luck out and have him fall to our pick. But it’s possible BA passes in him.
 
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Jakey53

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No - largely because I don't think 6 and 11 would get it done alone, and we'd have to pony up more assets.

I am a great believer in the idea that one player is not going to change an NHL franchise single-handedly. People fall in love with prospect players based on potential (the McDavids and Gretzkys of the world are outliers, not typical), but if you have an opportunity to pick twice in the top 12 versus once in the top 3, I always lean toward the former. Those who would argue that a top-3 pick would be a guaranteed NHL star, well... remember Dylan Strome? He was supposed to be our franchise center and he didn't even last out his entry-level deal with us.

The amateur draft is a complete and utter crapshoot unless you have a for-certain generational talent, so the more bullets you have in the gun, the better the odds you have at hitting the target.
This draft if I had the choice I would pick top 2 instead of 6 and 11. After the first half of the first round then I might agree the more picks the better, but again, it would depend on where those picks were.
 

hbk

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Boy that Nate Danielson sure looks fantastic in transition. Not sure if the WHL tracks controlled zone exits and entries but this kid has got to be up there. Good size, picture perfect skater, head up player. Neutral zone hound, good defensively, and great on the PK. Big, strong RHS C, is already a captain for the wheat kings (old for his draft year). He really does look the part when he’s flying down the middle, controlling the puck.
I saw him live a few weeks back and my thought to myself was "Do I like him better than Hayton?". What's the upside? If you think he's a top 2 line C he is a top 10-15 guy (similar to where I had Hayton ranked his draft year).
 

rt

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I saw him live a few weeks back and my thought to myself was "Do I like him better than Hayton?". What's the upside? If you think he's a top 2 line C he is a top 10-15 guy (similar to where I had Hayton ranked his draft year).
He’s like Barlow off the puck and more like Lambert on the puck. Those aren’t perfect comps but I’m trying to paint a picture that aligns with what I noticed.

I noticed him less when I was watching games against teams with players like Benson or Yager that was more interested in. But watching him against Saskatoon where Molendyk is the only kid I’m looking at, I saw a lot more that really opened my eyes.

Same was true with Heidt. There’s more nuance and it helps to watch just him and not also be watching Lambert and Guenther, etc.

I’ll say this, I was shocked to see Pronman rank Danielson 5th overall. Not because of Danielson but because of what I know about Pronman and his preferences. But now having watched Danielson in isolation a few more times, I totally get how he’s checking those Pronman boxes. His skating with the puck, his transitions, and his plays at top speed. All very classic Pronman. And now his mature, pro game and big pro build/frame is very in line with the “new” Pronman who tries to think like an NHL scout now.

It makes sense he loves him.
 

hbk

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He’s like Barlow off the puck and more like Lambert on the puck. Those aren’t perfect comps but I’m trying to paint a picture that aligns with what I noticed.

I noticed him less when I was watching games against teams with players like Benson or Yager that was more interested in. But watching him against Saskatoon where Molendyk is the only kid I’m looking at, I saw a lot more that really opened my eyes.

Same was true with Heidt. There’s more nuance and it helps to watch just him and not also be watching Lambert and Guenther, etc.

I’ll say this, I was shocked to see Pronman rank Danielson 5th overall. Not because of Danielson but because of what I know about Pronman and his preferences. But now having watched Danielson in isolation a few more times, I totally get how he’s checking those Pronman boxes. His skating with the puck, his transitions, and his plays at top speed. All very classic Pronman. And now his mature, pro game and big pro build/frame is very in line with the “new” Pronman who tries to think like an NHL scout now.

It makes sense he loves him.
Pronman and Chayka sitting in a tree.

Danielson at 5 is the same in my world as having Hayton at 5 his draft year. I think it's a legitimate "you talked yourself into this" because they are more concerned about boxes than whether or not you are getting a potential star player at that selection.

That being said, I probably like him better than Smith but Smith has potential star production/stats even if I don't like the way he plays the game (although that was pretty much how I played)
 

PHX FireBirds18

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I think it’s important to keep in mind that the success of this organization will come after our first picks in the draft during this rebuild. We will have to pull a Tampa and get some gems in the later rounds if we ever dream of being a consistent threat. I know they had top draft picks but for the first time ever I trust the men and women behind the scenes. With all these picks we have, we will also be primed to add those Hagel type trades or more McBain types.
 

hbk

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I think it’s important to keep in mind that the success of this organization will come after our first picks in the draft during this rebuild. We will have to pull a Tampa and get some gems in the later rounds if we ever dream of being a consistent threat. I know they had top draft picks but for the first time ever I trust the men and women behind the scenes. With all these picks we have, we will also be primed to add those Hagel type trades or more McBain types.
We've already started to see some wins in those later rounds and recent buying of players with draft capital in the Moser's and McBains who i really think have been solid players this year. We need more but so far I think this is happening at a faster pace than many of us expected.
 
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Sinurgy

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We will have to pull a Tampa and get some gems in the later rounds if we ever dream of being a consistent threat.
I don't disagree with your gems in the later rounds comment but pulling a Tampa is getting the #1 and #2 overall picks as well. The Coyotes have never had either.
 
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Sinurgy

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We've already started to see some wins in those later rounds and recent buying of players with draft capital in the Moser's and McBains who i really think have been solid players this year. We need more but so far I think this is happening at a faster pace than many of us expected.
Cooley and Guenther being "steals" would go a long way as well. I know it's weird to call top 10 picks "steals" but all I mean is exceeding expectations. For example, Makar went 4th but if there was a redraft he'd certainly go 1st which makes him a "steal" at 4th. I'm hopeful Cooley will be the Makar of his draft and I'm hoping BA can do something like that with the first two picks this year.
 

rt

Clean Hits on Substack
Danielson head to head with Geekie and Ostapchuk all night. Extremely impressive. I’ve watched a half dozen of his recent games this week and he’s rocketing up my list. He plays for a very frustrating team. I wish he got traded.

That McQueen kid on the Kings is intriguing. He’s a 2025 eligible but an older birthday. Kid is like 6’5, plays center, is gangly as all get out but can really move, has great skill in tight and has good offensive positioning and will go to the net. He’s a bean Pole and kind of a disaster defensively. But he’s 16 and playing on Brandon’s 4th line. He could be the next Geekie though.

Danielson looks like the real deal. Size, speed, skill, smarts, passing, shooting, two way play, and works hard. Plus he’s a captain in his draft year. I think he’s going to be an early pick. Controls the pace and makes really smart plays. Toolsy too.
 
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Dead Coyote

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2023 NHL Draft Rankings Top 32

It took me way, way too long to do this, but the March EP 2023 draft ranking video meeting just came out and I had to watch it. I actually started yesterday and then went to bed at 5am when I was around pick #20. I'm definitely going to get some flack for some picks but honestly I could switch around so many players. I know I'm higher on Sale than a lot of other people. I know I'm higher than most on Kantserov. I know I'm higher than a lot of people on Perron, but there's other people backing me up on that, so overall I'm pretty happy with this.

tagging @rt @hbk and @lanky for feedback and thoughts



Oh and here's the 2023 EP draft meeting rankings.
 

Jagged Ice

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2023 NHL Draft Rankings Top 32

It took me way, way too long to do this, but the March EP 2023 draft ranking video meeting just came out and I had to watch it. I actually started yesterday and then went to bed at 5am when I was around pick #20. I'm definitely going to get some flack for some picks but honestly I could switch around so many players. I know I'm higher on Sale than a lot of other people. I know I'm higher than most on Kantserov. I know I'm higher than a lot of people on Perron, but there's other people backing me up on that, so overall I'm pretty happy with this.

tagging @rt @hbk and @lanky for feedback and thoughts



Oh and here's the 2023 EP draft meeting rankings.

I watched the one they did two months ago but haven't seen this one yet. Will watch tonight and tomorrow. Do they still have Cristall so high? Last one they did he was around six. They were super high on Perron then too.
 

Dead Coyote

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I watched the one they did two months ago but haven't seen this one yet. Will watch tonight and tomorrow. Do they still have Cristall so high? Last one they did he was around six. They were super high on Perron then too.
They've come down on Perron a bit but they still have Cristall top 10, yes.
 
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