Draft 2023 NHL Draft and Undrafted Free Agents Thread

[Daves a mess]

Jimbo Vesey must have wood thinking about the NYR depth on RW.

 

[CasusBelli]

I was not particularly impressed with Farinacci. I didn't know he was a candidate not to sign so I didn't pay much attention specifically to him, but I don't really remember him standing out in any kind of meaningful way. In any event I'd be fine bringing him in; free depth is free depth.

Sounds like a bunch of Hail Mary third liners — sort of hoping for Dominic Moore.

 

[Taluss]

Sry Alexis ... Laf to MTL @ for pick #5? Let me dream guys.

Maybe we can get lucky and trade him to the Habs for their Panthers pick

 

[rangersfansince08]

who else is a good skater that could be had around our pick?

 

[B17 Apricots]

Hopefully Drury can work a little magic to recoup some picks. As it sits we only have 4. A first round, Colorado's 3rd and two 6th rounders.. that's it. No 2nd, no 4th, 5th or 7th. Goodrow will likely be a cap causality, maybe you get back a 3rd and a late rounder.

 

[B17 Apricots]

who else is a good skater that could be had around our pick?

Riley Heidt would be a good pick, some of the other names mentioned on the last page as well.. I just don't know that any of them make it to our pick. Gavin Brindley is consistently ranked around our spot. I'd be thrilled with him

 

[surlysailor]

who else is a good skater that could be had around our pick?

I hope Perreault will be around for NYR but I doubt it. I like Musty at our position, he has some skating issues to work on but his north south speed is pretty good. I could see Drury (esp after this series) maybe swing for Dylan Gauthier. His scoring dried up this season but he's a tenacious forechecker and he seems to be ranked anywhere between 15 & 32

 

[Jacques Strap]

who else is a good skater that could be had around our pick?

NIck Lardis - one of the best skaters in this draft. Late 1st, early 2nd.

Nick Lardis - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Nick Lardis, 2005-07-08 Oakville, ON, CAN Canada. Most recently in the OHL with Brantford Bulldogs. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Lardis tops fitness testing at CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

Nick Lardis has topped fitness testing at the 2023 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, placing near the top of several categories.

nhlentrydraft.com

Nick Lardis – 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More

Hamilton Bulldogs forward Nick Lardis is a lethal goal scorer, possessing a powerful shot with great velocity and accuracy.

thehockeywriters.com

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Drury likes hard workers who can skate or at least keep up, so no reason to think that changes this year after seeing his vets practically mail it in.

I’m guessing they don't go the USHL/NTDP route until after the first round because it’s top heavy, and they’ll definitely avoid Russia, but that’s fine because it’s not a great crop this year. The CHL is where it’s at, and they loved the WHL in the past. Danielson is the kid I want, and quite frankly, we’ve been begging for his type. There’s also the Brandon connection from the Schneider pick, but there’s also no way Drury isn’t aware of Gracyn Sawchyn from Seattle, who’ll prolly play in the Memorial Cup.

I know we’re all pissed about effort level in the playoffs. But this pool they’re assembling is the antithesis of that entitled garbage. Call me optimistic, but this team will be a major pain in the ass to play, and I mean on a Boston level.

Also, ignore prospect pool rankings. Those MF’ers don’t watch the kids, ignore context, and just go by draft position. Rangers have an above-average group based on a variety of factors beyond stats. They can skate as well, so it’s just a matter of time when the opponent’s speed neutralized with an equally fast, aggressive, physical forecheck.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Drury likes hard workers who can skate or at least keep up, so no reason to think that changes this year after seeing his vets practically mail it in.

I’m guessing they don't go the USHL/NTDP route until after the first round because it’s top heavy, and they’ll definitely avoid Russia, but that’s fine because it’s not a great crop this year. The CHL is where it’s at, and they loved the WHL in the past. Danielson is the kid I want, and quite frankly, we’ve been begging for his type. There’s also the Brandon connection from the Schneider pick, but there’s also no way Drury isn’t aware of Gracyn Sawchyn from Seattle, who’ll prolly play in the Memorial Cup.

I know we’re all pissed about effort level in the playoffs. But this pool they’re assembling is the antithesis of that entitled garbage. Call me optimistic, but this team will be a major pain in the ass to play, and I mean on a Boston level.

Also, ignore prospect pool rankings. Those MF’ers don’t watch the kids, ignore context, and just go by draft position. Rangers have an above-average group based on a variety of factors beyond stats. They can skate as well, so it’s just a matter of time when the opponent’s speed neutralized with an equally fast, aggressive, physical forecheck.

It’s a shame Drury cant get rid of the soft finesse players on this team for some NHL players that play that way now.


Any chance he can sell high on Mika and have a quick retool with more scrappier tenacious faster physical skilled players, could he net top 5 -10 pick in draft?


I’d really like one of these 8 players with their 1st round pick.

Ryan Leonard - any chance he would be available. One of my favorite prospects

Ryan Leonard (b.2005) Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Ryan Leonard, a hockey player from Northampton, MA born Jan 21 2005 who was active from 2021 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

Mathew Wood - he would be a good fit and RW depth a need here.

Matthew Wood Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Matthew Wood, a hockey player from Nanaimo, BC born Feb 6 2005 who was active from 2020 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

Quentin Musty - Physical Big Winger LW but NY kid.

Quentin Musty Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Quentin Musty, a hockey player from Hamburg, NY born Jul 6 2005 who was active from 2021 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

Rangers should trade up for him. Musty is a player I like.

Calum Ritchie - Center deprth is always nice

Calum Ritchie Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Calum Ritchie, a hockey player from Oakville, ONT born Jan 21 2005 who was active from 2021 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

Nate Danielson - more center depth

Nate Danielson Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Nate Danielson, a hockey player from Edmonton, ALTA born Sep 27 2004 who was active from 2020 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

Riley Heidt - scrappy center

Riley Heidt Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Riley Heidt, a hockey player from Saskatoon, SASK born Mar 25 2005 who was active from 2020 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

Ethan Gauthier - would he be available with Rangers 1st?

Ethan Gauthier Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Ethan Gauthier, a hockey player from Scottsdale, AZ born Jan 26 2005 who was active from 2021 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

Koehler Ziemmer

Koehn Ziemmer Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Koehn Ziemmer, a hockey player from Mayerthorpe, ALTA born Dec 8 2004 who was active from 2019 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

Scott Wheeler's 2023 NHL Draft ranking, post-U18 worlds edition

Headed by phenom Connor Bedard, Scott Wheeler breaks down the top 32 prospects of the second-best draft class he's ever scouted.

theathletic.com

 

[Clark Kellogg]

Connor Bedard:

 

[RangerBoy]

There is an interesting kid from the US Development Team

Danny Nelson. He had a strong U18 tournament. John Lilley took Matthew Knies in the 2nd round for Toronto in 2021 coming off a bad year/Covid. Knies should have gone higher. The Rangers took Miller in the first round in 2018 after he was moved from forward to defense.

33. Danny Nelson, C, Usa U-18 (NTDP)

Aug. 3, 2005 | 6′ 3.0″ | 202 pounds | Shoots left

March 2023 Ranking: Not Rated

Tier: Projected middle of the lineup player

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Below NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Player comparable: Radek Faksa

Background: Nelson played center and wing for the U.S. NTDP this season. The prior season he was a center for USA, but he played defense at Minnesota High School. He’s played a lot of defense and forward at various times coming up as an amateur. He was named player of the game of the gold medal game at the U18 worlds. He is committed to Notre Dame.

Analysis: Nelson’s toolkit is undeniably intriguing. He’s 6-foot-3, can skate, has good puck skills and can shoot the puck well. His work ethic is good, he has some physicality even if for a big guy I wish he was even harder. Nelson has shown he can kill penalties and was a go-to guy to kill penalties for the U18 team this season. I thought his actual play this season was inconsistent, and his lack of hockey sense showed at times around better players. Whoever drafts him will be drafting a lot of talent, and will have a unique opportunity to mold him into whatever position they think is best. He could be a third line center, a second/third pair defenseman or better at either position. He’s a unique case study, and there’s a case that he has a lot of room to develop, especially given how young he is relative to the draft class and the big jump in competition he made year over year.

I was listening to a few podcasts and the North American D aren’t first round picks. Craig Button was on Frank's podcast. The Swedes have three top D. Tom Willander is interesting. He had a great U18. Willander is going to Boston University. Pronman was talking about the player on his podcast.

15. Tom Willander, D, Rogle Jr. (SWEDEN-JR.)

Feb. 9, 2005 | 6′ 1.25″ | 180 pounds | Shoots right

March 2023 Ranking: Not Rated

Tier: Projected bubble top and middle of the lineup player

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Player comparable: Mike Matheson

Background: Willander was a key player for Rogle’s U20 team, which won the J20 title in Sweden this season. He also progressed with Sweden’s U18 team as the season went along and became one of their best players. He was one of the top defensemen at the U18 worlds, including a 31-minute performance in the gold medal game. He’s one of the rare breed of Swedes who committed to college at 17 years of age, as he is going to Boston University.

Analysis: Willander’s skating is his main asset for the NHL; he is one of the best skaters in the draft. He has a quick, powerful skating stride and can push the pace up ice with the puck. Willander’s skating allows him to close on checks well and be a quality defender especially when combined with the fact he has some physicality in his game. I wasn’t always sold on his offensive touch. I don’t see a big-time playmaker as a pro, but Willander has good enough skill and vision to move pucks at higher levels well, especially given the space his feet can generate. He has the making of a good two-way top four defenseman.

Another good Swede is Edstrom

18. David Edstrom, C, Frolunda Jr. (SWEDEN-JR.)

Feb. 18, 2005 | 6′ 2.75″ | 185 pounds | Shoots left

March 2023 Ranking: Not Ranked

Tier: Projected bubble top and middle of the lineup player

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Player comparable: Joel Eriksson Ek

Background: Edstrom was a big part of a top junior club in Sweden this season. He also played a notable role on Sweden’s U18 team, including being their top-line center at the U18 worlds. He scored a few points in the SHL for Frolunda as well in limited games.

Analysis:Edstrom is a well-rounded center with size who isn’t overly flashy but has a lot of NHL traits. Edstrom is good around the net, kills penalties, wins a lot of battles and makes enough
plays with the puck to produce good offensive numbers. He has good hands, and can create offense with pace. His skating for his size is intriguing and grew on me as the season went along. He has the makings of a potential top six two-way center in the NHL.

2023 NHL Draft: Connor Bedard No. 1, Will Smith rises in Corey Pronman's latest ranking

Connor Bedard leads Corey Pronman's ranking of the top prospects at the 2023 NHL Draft, while Will Smith moves up the list.

theathletic.com

High compete level. Above average NHL compete.

 

[surlysailor]

Any chance he can sell high on Mika and have a quick retool with more scrappier tenacious faster physical skilled players, could he net top 5 -10 pick in draft?
I’d really like one of these 8 players with their 1st round pick.
Ryan Leonard - any chance he would be available. One of my favorite prospects
Mathew Wood - he would be a good fit and RW depth a need here.
Quentin Musty - Physical Big Winger LW but NY kid. Rangers should trade up for him. Musty is a player I like.

Calum Ritchie - Center deprth is always nice

Nate Danielson - more center depth
Riley Heidt - scrappy center
Ethan Gauthier - would he be available with Rangers 1st?

No way nyr move Z for a pick. Drury is in win now mode. Too much recency bias here. Z is the best 2 way forward nyr have who also just had 91 point season. Also he have a full nmc and the way his contract is structured it’s pretty much unmovable & buyout proof.

As for the puck From what I’ve seen on draft boards, danielson, Ritchie, Leonard & wood would most likely be gone. it seems like Musty will be available when nyr pick. I think he or Gauthier will be nyr pick if they are both still there. I do like brindley, but don’t think Drury will go for a short dude. I think Heidt will be gone but he’s kind of been speculated any where from 17-29. So maybe he’ll be there.

Any chance he can sell high on Mika and have a quick retool with more scrappier tenacious faster physical skilled players, could he net top 5 -10 pick in draft?
I’d really like one of these 8 players with their 1st round pick.
Ryan Leonard - any chance he would be available. One of my favorite prospects
Mathew Wood - he would be a good fit and RW depth a need here.
Quentin Musty - Physical Big Winger LW but NY kid. Rangers should trade up for him. Musty is a player I like.

Calum Ritchie - Center deprth is always nice

Nate Danielson - more center depth
Riley Heidt - scrappy center
Ethan Gauthier - would he be available with Rangers 1st?

No way nyr move Z for a pick. Drury is in win now mode. Too much recency bias here. Z is the best 2 way forward nyr have who also just had 91 point season. Also he have a full nmc and the way his contract is structured it’s pretty much unmovable & buyout proof.

As for the puck From what I’ve seen on draft boards, danielson, Ritchie, Leonard & wood would most likely be gone. it seems like Musty will be available when nyr pick. I think he or Gauthier will be nyr pick if they are both still there. I do like brindley, but don’t think Drury will go for a short dude. I think Heidt will be gone but he’s kind of been speculated any where from 17-29. So maybe he’ll be there

 

[AlternateSideParking]

There is an interesting kid from the US Development Team

Danny Nelson. He had a strong U18 tournament. John Lilley took Matthew Knies in the 2nd round for Toronto in 2021 coming off a bad year/Covid. Knies should have gone higher. The Rangers took Miller in the first round in 2018 after he was moved from forward to defense.



I was listening to a few podcasts and the North American D aren’t first round picks. Craig Button was on Frank's podcast. The Swedes have three top D. Tom Willander is interesting. He had a great U18. Willander is going to Boston University. Pronman was talking about the player on his podcast.



Another good Swede is Edstrom

2023 NHL Draft: Connor Bedard No. 1, Will Smith rises in Corey Pronman's latest ranking

Connor Bedard leads Corey Pronman's ranking of the top prospects at the 2023 NHL Draft, while Will Smith moves up the list.

theathletic.com

High compete level. Above average NHL compete.

Nelson would be a massive reach in R1. He’s toolsy and a good PKer but he should have put up more points with Moore as his center. Too much of a gamble because he’s never been a top guy on the NTDP. This isn’t the draft for projects. Knies had attitude problems and had an ego. I had him as a preseason top-32 and two USHL scouts texted me that he was an asshole and remove him because he thought his shit didn’t stink. Both said they were rooting for him to fail lol. Knies was way more skilled than Nelson in his draft-1 and draft year.

Stenberg is better than Edstrom but he’ll be gone by 22-24. Edstrom benefited from Noah Dower Nilsson. They have great stats so naturally the mainstream raves about them. But Stenberg is the best Swede after Carlsson. Edstrom and Willander is all recency bias like Lundkvist was after the 2018 tournaments. Shoulda drafted Berggren.

Rangers should avoid Europeans this draft. The CHL is oozing with game breakers. I would take a reach like Lardis or Barkey or Sawchyn over most Euros. Just that kind of year.

 

[nsvoyageurs]

You mean a 5th round pick, right?

If Montreal gives up the 5th overall pick for Lafreniere, Kent Hughes/Jeff Gorton should be fired on the spot.

 

[B17 Apricots]

Just some overagers that might be worth keeping an eye out for later in the draft..

Russia
Alexander Suvorov (KHL, FW)
Vadim Moroz (KHL, FW)
Stanislav Yarovoy (KHL, FW)
Danil Aimurzin (KHL, FW)
German Tochilkin (KHL, FW)
Maxim Bykov (KHL, FW)
Maxim Fedotov (KHL, D)
Yegor Savikov (KHL, D)
Vasili Machulin (KHL, D)
Yaroslav Busygin (KHL, D)
Grigori Kuzmin (VHL, FW)
Daniil Ivanov (VHL, D)
Semyon Demidov (MHL, FW)


Finland
Elmeri Laakso (Liiga, D)

Sweden
Theo Keilin (SHL, FW)
Victor Sjöholm (SHL, D)
Valdemar Johansson (Allsvenskan, FW)
Oskar Asplund (Allsvenskan, D)

NCAA
Jeremy Wilmer (FW)
Luke Mittelstadt (D)
Jacob Guévin (D)
Tyler Duke (D)

USHL
Ryan Walsh (FW)
Dylan Hryckowian (FW)
Cole Knuble (FW)
Eric Pohlkamp (D)

OHL
Rodwin Dionicio (D)

WHL
Austin Roest (FW)
Yegor Sidorov (FW)
Gabriel Szturc (FW)
Hudson Thornton (D)

BCHL
Josh Nadeau (FW)

Probably a number of other names worth throwing out there but I didn't know much about them. To me when you start getting into the later rounds it makes a lot of sense to target those overage guys playing pro. You draft a kid and you're hoping they establish themselves in a pro league in their D+1, D+2, etc.. so those sorts of players are trending the right way.

Interesting in the early 2010s you maybe had ~10 Russians getting drafted a year. It's continued to go up and up with the last few drafts hitting 20-30 Russians. Tampa took Daniil Pylenkov in the 7th round as an overager in 2021. He's right there with Nikishin and Mukhamadullin coming off great KHL seasons. Gavrikov was an overager in the 6th round after a year in the KHL/VHL. It doesn't have to be the next Panarin or Kuzmenko, get the next Artem Zub and Barabanov while they're still draft eligible

 

[RangerBoy]

24. New York Rangers: Eduard Sale, LW, Brno (CZECHIA)​

I struggle to see Sale go as high as some expect him to after his lackluster performances at the February and April U18 tournaments despite having a ton of natural talent. In the 20s it starts becoming a much more tantalizing risk for teams such as the Rangers.

Pronman's NHL Mock Draft: Bedard goes first, but how does rest of first round shake out?

Corey Pronman projects the top 32 picks in his first mock draft of the season.

theathletic.com

Craig Button loves this player. Button compared Shah-lah to Pastrnak. Other teams have asked Button about his love for Sale.

 

[B17 Apricots]

[ unfurl="true"]Pronman's NHL Mock Draft: Bedard goes first, but how does rest of first round shake out?

Craig Button loves this player. Button compared Shah-lah to Pastrnak. Other teams have asked Button about his love for Sale.

Most rankings put him in or near the top 10, if by some chance we can snag him in the 20s thatd be outstanding

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Sry Alexis ... Laf to MTL @ for pick #5? Let me dream guys.

Oh yes, then Laf turns into an 80 point, physical winger for the Habs and the guy we draft at 5 becomes an NHL bust who never cracks the nhl. I can already see it.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

So is this correct, if Fla and Seattle make it to the conference finals, we pick 22nd?

 

[UnSandvich]

Pronman's NHL Mock Draft: Bedard goes first, but how does rest of first round shake out?

Corey Pronman projects the top 32 picks in his first mock draft of the season.

theathletic.com

Craig Button loves this player. Button compared Shah-lah to Pastrnak. Other teams have asked Button about his love for Sale.

I’d be very down for Sale. Doubt he falls to us, but if by some miracle he does, he’ll probably be the most skilled guy on the board by a fair margin. LW is a lil awkward, but I think by the time he’s cracking our main roster, at least one & probably 2 of our current LWs are gone

 

[bl02]

So is this correct, if Fla and Seattle make it to the conference finals, we pick 22nd?

That would be correct. Big game 5 for Seattle tonight.

 

[B17 Apricots]

Tomorrow starts the QMJHL final, Halifax vs the Remparts. A chance to see 2 UDFAs face off against each other. Lucked out getting Trivigno last year (and then barely played him). We do well with the undrafted NCAA guys, lets try the CHL. Hopefully Drury has Théo Rochette (Québec) and Josh Lawrence (Halifax) on his radar.

Théo Rochette - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Théo Rochette, 2002-02-20 Neuchâtel, SUI Switzerland. Most recently in the NL with Lausanne HC. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Josh Lawrence - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Josh Lawrence, 2002-01-28 Fredericton, NB, CAN Canada. Most recently in the Liiga with Pelicans. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[Daves a mess]

Oh yes, then Laf turns into an 80 point, physical winger for the Habs and the guy we draft at 5 becomes an NHL bust who never cracks the nhl. I can already see it.

I would happily delete my account if this ever happened.

I do that trade all fn day and 100 x tomm.

 

[RangerBoy]