2023 NHL Draft June 28 and 29, Nashville, TN (Selections - 13, 39, 45, 86, 109, 141, 173, 205)

[Chainshot]

Stenberg getting OT time in this goal-fest today:

 

[Chainshot]

Caught part of another UCONN game this week and am wondering has anyone spent time on Matthew Wood? I'm curious why he's way down in the later part of the 1st round when he's 6'3" and scores at a high level. Geekie's sort of similar from last year - skating isn't great, but physical chassis to get inside and finish is certainly there.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

He skates like Murray so they question what kind of impact he'll make with the game being more skating less physical

 

[Chainshot]

DB50 with a couple of goals:

 

[jmelm]

I'd rather they not have all three 2nds on draft day, even with this being a supposed good draft year. They are at the point that they don't have a finite amount of development spots for players and the bottleneck could mean that they don't develop the best for some of these guys. It's time to look at plugging the missing pieces at the NHL level as well as continuing to stock via the draft.

I would like to package some combination of the 1st + 2nds and/or Rosen to move up to get one of the top RHD (Reinbacher or Sandin-Pellikka), depending how the draft board unfolds.

And then I’d like to get one goalie and some character type bottom 6 guys with the remaining 2nds — barring any trades for existing NHL players and if we retain all of those picks, of course.

 

[hizzoner]

I'd rather they not have all three 2nds on draft day, even with this being a supposed good draft year. They are at the point that they don't have a finite amount of development spots for players and the bottleneck could mean that they don't develop the best for some of these guys. It's time to look at plugging the missing pieces at the NHL level as well as continuing to stock via the draft.

I get what you are saying but we have a glut of small skilled forwards already so if the right type of player is available we should use our picks and trade the excess forward[s} when we know what we have? Or take a chance on a player we like but will not be available for a few years due to existing contract/nationality? For example I have liked Nick Lardis-good skater, smart, great wrister, non stop motor--but slight. We have a few like him. If he is next up for us in second round then yes trade/package/defer....

 

[Chainshot]

I get what you are saying but we have a glut of small skilled forwards already so if the right type of player is available we should use our picks and trade the excess forward[s} when we know what we have? Or take a chance on a player we like but will not be available for a few years due to existing contract/nationality? For example I have liked Nick Lardis-good skater, smart, great wrister, non stop motor--but slight. We have a few like him. If he is next up for us in second round then yes trade/package/defer....

I think they can sprinkle in a different timber of player - be it skill forward with size or on the blueline - with whichever of the four picks they retain. But their best ammunition to find a contracted player to fill holes they can not fill internally is using some of those picks.

At the moment it appears like a weaker year for defensemen but someone like Bertucci is intriguing to me. I have a crush on Simashev as well, I admit. I see a guy who is well-positioned, does the right thing with his stick, has agility at his size and has a projectable frame.

I like Reinbacher from watching some of Kloten but with his bundle of skills and being a RHD, I can see him going closer to 10 than the mid-teens right now.

@Doug Prishpreed had a really solid comp to Sandin Pellikka - Montour. He's a high-event puck transporter and the events are on both sides of the ledger.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Question, If KA keeps his three 2nds, how far could they move you up in the 1st ?

I really like Benson, but I see he is likely 4-7 now.

Just reading here about the Dmen prospects and none of them got me too excited.

2023 NHL Draft Rankings: Connor Bedard tops midseason top 70

Connor Bedard is still No. 1, but the battle behind him runs deep in a draft class truly deserving its...

www.dailyfaceoff.com

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Question, If KA keeps his three 2nds, how far could they move you up in the 1st ?

I really like Benson, but I see he is likely 4-7 now.

Just reading here about the Dmen prospects and none of them got me too excited.

2023 NHL Draft Rankings: Connor Bedard tops midseason top 70

Connor Bedard is still No. 1, but the battle behind him runs deep in a draft class truly deserving its...

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Neither Josi nor Fox were very exciting in their draft years either. Most of the best defenseman don't emerge when they're that young. Makar and Dahlin are more exceptions than the rule.

 

[Chainshot]

Without knowing who is available at a specific pick, it's hard to advocate trading up. That's a draft day exercise.

 

[Jim Bob]

Without knowing who is available at a specific pick, it's hard to advocate trading up. That's a draft day exercise.

I will always be team more kicks at the can.

I will not be a fan of moving up using those 3 2nds.

 

[Selanne00008]

I will always be team more kicks at the can.

I will not be a fan of moving up using those 3 2nds.

I think it's more just an exercise/hypothetical.

What does Philly, Vegas, Sabres pick get you to? That's like 41st, 50th, and 57th overall? Give or take.

My guess would be adding the 50th to 41st gets you up to 30th. Adding the 57th to the 30th pick can get you to 25th. Total shot in the dark though.

 

[Jim Bob]

I think it's more just an exercise/hypothetical.

What does Philly, Vegas, Sabres pick get you to? That's like 41st, 50th, and 57th overall? Give or take.

My guess would be adding the 50th to 41st gets you up to 30th. Adding the 57th to the 30th pick can get you to 25th. Total shot in the dark though.

I would rather have those three picks than that one pick.

 

[Chainshot]

 

[Chainshot]

EP Rinkside also did a nice piece on one of the guys who I've liked, Brady Cleveland:

 

[Gabrielor]

If we have this pick, and don't go D, the forward I most like in our range is Colby Barlow.

 

[Chainshot]

If we have this pick, and don't go D, the forward I most like in our range is Colby Barlow.

I have no idea who will be there with how so much of the reporting on it is wide open from 6-ish to 25-ish. I like Barlow. I like Ryan Leonard too but like most years, guys I start liking tend to go up. And Reinbacher though I don't think he's there at 17. I could maybe see Simashev which I'm sure would make many melt down since he is a rangy, tall, defense-first blueliner who isn't throwing up massive offensive numbers. We know how defensive defensemen tend to get a kneejerk reaction on draft day.

 

[Chainshot]

Reinbacher having a rough period. Both times Lugano attacked him and made a play toward the goal to score.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

Start zeroing on Danielson as a KA pick as he just fits the mold. Another would be Honzek as he offers big time upside as he just had a growth spurt so getting used to new size and needing muscle

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Start zeroing on Danielson as a KA pick as he just fits the mold. Another would be Honzek as he offers big time upside as he just had a growth spurt so getting used to new size and needing muscle

I originally had him (Honzek) as an option with one of our 2nds. I see Servac Petrovsky when I see him.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

Honzek is a riser, I have him going late teens to mid 20s

 

[Chainshot]

Honzek is a riser, I have him going late teens to mid 20s

 

[Chainshot]

I think I like Bertucci.

 

[Jim Bob]

Wheeler: Ranking the top 64 prospects at the 2023 NHL Draft

The 2023 NHL draft class is rivalled only by 2015 among the talent pools Scott Wheeler has scouted to date.

theathletic.com

The ranking​

As always, I’ve broken down the full ranking into tiers to give you a better sense for the fluidity within groupings and the drop-offs between them. The midseason ranking divides into six tiers. They are: 1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-22, 23-33, 34-64+. You can also find an additional 32 honourable mentions below.

Wheeler's 2023 NHL Draft Ranking (March)

RANK ▲	PLAYER	POS.	NATL.	TEAM	LEAGUE	CHANGE
1	Connor Bedard	C	CAN	Regina	WHL	-
2	Adam Fantilli	C	CAN	U. of Michigan	NCAA	-
3	Matvei Michkov	RW/LW	RUS	Sochi	KHL	-
4	Leo Carlsson	C/LW	SWE	Örebro	SHL	-
5	Will Smith	C	USA	U18	NTDP	Up 5
6	Zach Benson	LW	CAN	Winnipeg	WHL	Down 1
7	Andrew Cristall	LW	CAN	Kelowna	WHL	Up 6
8	Dalibor Dvorsky	C/LW	SVK	AIK	HockeyAllsvenskan	Down 1
9	Oliver Moore	C	USA	U18	NTDP	Up 5
10	Eduard Sale	RW/LW	CZE	Brno	Czechia	Down 2
11	Gabe Perreault	LW	USA	U18	NTDP	Up 10
12	Matthew Wood	C/RW	CAN	UConn	NCAA	Down 1
13	Brayden Yager	C	CAN	Moose Jaw	WHL	Down 7
14	Colby Barlow	LW/RW	CAN	Owen Sound	OHL	Up 2
15	Ryan Leonard	RW	USA	U18	NTDP	-
16	Mikhail Gulyayev	LHD	RUS	Omskie	MHL	Down 4
17	David Reinbacher	RHD	AUS	Kloten	NL	NR
18	Riley Heidt	C	CAN	Prince George	WHL	-
19	Calum Ritchie	C	CAN	Oshawa	OHL	Down 10
20	Quentin Musty	LW	USA	Sudbury	OHL	Up 2
21	Axel Sandin Pellikka	RHD	SWE	Skelleftea	J20	Up 25
22	Nate Danielson	C	CAN	Brandon	WHL	Up 6
23	Koehn Ziemmer	RW	CAN	Prince George	WHL	-
24	Ethan Gauthier	RW	CAN	Sherbrooke	QMJHL	Down 7
25	Gavin Brindley	C/RW	USA	Michigan	NCAA	Down 1
26	Bradly Nadeau	LW	CAN	Penticton	BCHL	Up 16
27	Samuel Honzek	LW	SVK	Vancouver	WHL	Up 34
28	Jayden Perron	RW	CAN	Chicago	USHL	Down 3
29	Charlie Stramel	C	USA	U. of Wisconsin	NCAA	Up 3
30	Alex Ciernik	LW/RW	SVK	Södertälje	J20	Up 1
31	Daniil But	LW/RW	RUS	Yaroslavl	MHL	Down 1
32	Otto Stenberg	C/LW	SWE	Frolunda	J20	Down 3
33	Kasper Halttunen	RW	FIN	HIFK	Liiga	Down 14
34	Etienne Morin	LHD	CAN	Moncton	QMJHL	Up 2
35	Lukas Dragicevic	RHD	CAN	Tri-City	WHL	Up 3
36	Hunter Brzustewicz	RHD	USA	Kitchener	OHL	Down 9
37	Caden Price	LHD	CAN	Kelowna	WHL	Down 11
38	Gracyn Sawchyn	C	USA	Seattle	WHL	Up 3
39	Noah Dower Nilsson	C/LW	SWE	Frolunda	J20	Up 1
40	Tanner Molendyk	LHD	CAN	Saskatoon	WHL	NR
41	Luca Cagnoni	LHD	CAN	Portland	WHL	Up 4
42	Carson Rehkopf	LW	CAN	Kitchener	OHL	Up 3
43	Mathieu Cataford	C/LW/RW	CAN	Halifax	QMJHL	Down 8
44	Luca Pinelli	C/LW	CAN	Ottawa	OHL	Up 11
45	Lenni Hameenaho	C/RW	FIN	Assat	Liiga	NR
46	Jesse Kiiskinen	RW	FIN	Pelicans	Liiga	Up 14
47	Nick Lardis	RW/LW	CAN	Hamilton	OHL	NR
48	Dmitri Simashev	LHD	RUS	Yaroslavl	KHL	NR
49	Alexander Rykov	LW/RW	RUS	Chelyabinsk	VHL	NR
50	Theo Lindstein	LHD	SWE	Brynäs	SHL	Down 13
51	Tom Willander	RHD	SWE	Rogle	J20	NR
52	Kalan Lind	C/LW	CAN	Red Deer	WHL	Up 4
53	Aydar Suniev	LW	RUS	Penticton	BCHL	NR
54	Trey Augustine	G	USA	U18	NTDP	NR
55	Aram Minnetian	RHD	USA	U18	NTDP	Up 9
56	Oliver Bonk	RHD	CAN	London	OHL	NR
57	Danny Nelson	C/LW	USA	U18	NTDP	Down 24
58	Emil Jarventie	LW	FIN	Ilves	Liiga U20	Down 15
59	Coulson Pitre	C/RW	CAN	Flint	OHL	NR
60	Aiden Fink	RW	CAN	Brooks	AJHL	NR
61	Cam Allen	RHD	CAN	Guelph	OHL	Down 41
62	Andrew Strathmann	LHD	USA	Youngstown	USHL	Down 23
63	Maxim Strbak	RHD	SVK	Sioux Falls	USHL	NR
64	William Whitelaw	RW	USA	Youngstown	USHL	Down 16

Honourable mentions (sorted alphabetically):

Beau Akey, RHD (Barrie)
Denver Barkey, C (London)
Tristan Bertucci, LHD (Flint)
Carson Bjarnason, G (Brandon)
David Edstrom, C (Frolunda)
Paul Fischer, LHD (NTDP)
Oscar Fisker Molgaard, C (HV71)
Jacob Fowler, G (Youngstown)
Adam Gajan, G (Chippewa/Green Bay)
Beckett Hendrickson, C (NTDP)
Michael Hrabal, G (Omaha)
Roman Kantserov, RW (Magnitogorsk)
Arttu Karki, LHD (Tappara)
Mazden Leslie, RHD (Vancouver)
Connor Levis, RW (Kamloops)
Jaden Lipinski, C (Vancouver)
Gavin McCarthy, RHD (Muskegon)
Timur Mukhanov, LW (Omsk)
Ethan Miedema, LW (Kingston)
Martin Misiak, RW/LW (Youngstown)
Luke Mittelstadt, LHD (U. of Minnesota)
Ondrej Molnar, LW (Erie)
Nico Myatovic, LW (Seattle)
Felix Nilsson, C (Rogle)
Noel Nordh, LW (Brynas)
Jesse Nurmi, LW (KooKoo)
Tyler Peddle, LW (Drummondville)
Scott Ratzlaff, G (Seattle)
Cam Squires, RW (Cape Bretton)
Gabriel Szturc, C (Kelowna)
Carey Terrance, C (Erie)
Tuomas Uronen, RW (HIFK)

 

[Jim Bob]

Don't Trade Away My 2023 Draft Picks

The Buffalo Sabres currently have nine draft picks for the 2023 NHL Draft, which is considered one of the deepest in years by some.

www.expectedbuffalo.com