Prospect Info: 2023 NHL Draft - Part 2 (Who Do You Want To Draft At #2)

[WhatTheDuck]

Staying in college a 2nd year worked out pretty darn well for Beniers.

Beniers stuck around after a point per game season where he clearly was no where close to being as dominant as Fantilli.

Fantilli dominated college hockey as a draft eligible freshman, significantly more than Beniers could as a drafted sophomore.

 

[Leonardo87]

Beniers stuck around after a point per game season where he clearly was no where close to being as dominant as Fantilli.

Fantilli dominated college hockey as a draft eligible freshman, significantly more than Beniers could as a drafted sophomore.

If Fantilli is ready to go pro, there is nothing to stop him. I’d prefer he go to SD than go back to College, as the worst case scenario. Don’t think college can do any more for him. I think the WC showed that. But if he wants to go back to College and not start his pro career just yet, then it’s his choice.

With that said, from what I’ve read about Fantilli, I would think he would be a kid who wants to push himself into the NHL.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

If Fantilli is ready to go pro, there is nothing to stop him. I’d prefer he go to SD than go back to College, as the worst case scenario. Don’t think college can do any more for him. I think the WC showed that. But if he wants to go back to College and not start his pro career just yet, then it’s his choice.

With that said, from what I’ve read about Fantilli, I would think he would be a kid who wants to push himself into the NHL.

Yeah I don't see him returning to college. The AHL gives us a really nice fallback if he doesn't quite look ready or struggles early on, but I don't expect him to ever play there either. I really do think he steps into the NHL and performs like a top 9 player right away.

 

[Leonardo87]

Yeah I don't see him returning to college. The AHL gives us a really nice fallback if he doesn't quite look ready or struggles early on, but I don't expect him to ever play there either. I really do think he steps into the NHL and performs like a top 9 player right away.

Yeah, 19yo McTavish came in on one of the worst teams in the league and put up over a .50 PPG which was beyond impressive. He was 3rd OA in a not as stacked Top 5 in the 2021 draft.

Fantilli is a player who would have gone 1stOA in most other drafts and if not for Bedard this year would easily go 1stOA now. He is projected to be up there with MacKinnon level. These type of players should not be marinating in a lower league, and like you said, will have SD to fall back to if they feel he is struggling a little on the NHL level.

The SD stint helped Zegras move along, who was struggling a bit when he first came into the NHL, and then puts up back to back 60+ point seasons on a very bad Ducks team. With Fantilli given his build and drive don’t see him having that issue. The WC gave us a little bit to how he can handle playing against men.

 

[Ducks]

Fantilli is NHL ready. His play at the WC showed that. So, I dont think there's anything left for him in college.

 

[robbieboy3686]

Fantilli is NHL ready. His play at the WC showed that. So, I dont think there's anything left for him in college.

Not to mention I don’t see him just throwing away 950k salary this upcoming year in his life either

 

[Ducks]

I thought this was interesting. The fallout of not picking Bedard 1OA would be huge from a PR standpoint so I just don't see any realistic scenario where they don't pick Bedard, so I'm just chalking this up to Doneghey wanting to give the other kids some praise.

Blackhawks still have 'work to do' on decision at No. 1
Although it's widely expected that center Connor Bedard of Regina of the Western Hockey League will be the No. 1 pick in the draft, Chicago Blackhawks director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey said nothing has been decided.

"I've still got a lot of work to do," he said.

Bedard, Fantilli and center Leo Carlsson of Orebro of the Swedish Hockey League are all under consideration by the Blackhawks.

"These three players, they've earned the right to be in the conversation for No. 1," Doneghey said. "They're all different in their own regard. I think hockey IQ is something all three of them have. Some are a little bit bigger than others, some are a little bit better skaters than others. You look at a guy like Leo Carlsson (6-3, 198), he's playing pro hockey in the SHL. They've all gone on different paths, Adam playing college hockey, Connor playing in the Western Hockey League. So they're all at high levels, but different levels, and they all exceeded expectations at those levels. I think they've all earned the right to be in the conversation."

 

[cheesymc]

Interesting to see Fanta and Leo next to each other. Fanta is super lean and Leo looks much bigger than the listed difference of 1 inch and roughly 5-10 lbs.

Pretty interesting walk up song choices too... I think Leo's got Fanta beat there...

 

[FiveHoleTickler]

Interesting to see Fanta and Leo next to each other. Fanta is super lean and Leo looks much bigger than the listed difference of 1 inch and roughly 5-10 lbs.

Pretty interesting walk up song choices too... I think Leo's got Fanta beat there...

I think the way they're standing tricks the eye a bit in that clip.

 

[nbducksfan19]

Interesting to see Fanta and Leo next to each other. Fanta is super lean and Leo looks much bigger than the listed difference of 1 inch and roughly 5-10 lbs.

Pretty interesting walk up song choices too... I think Leo's got Fanta beat there...

it could be a bit of camera angle, but I am surprised how much bigger a frame it looks like Leo has. Height is one thing, but he looks quite a bit broader.

 

[FiveHoleTickler]

NHL Mock Draft: Pronman, Wheeler and Bultman pick two rounds as if they were the GMs

In this two-round mock draft, Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and Max Bultman make their picks as if they were GMs choosing for their clubs.

theathletic.com

 

[70sSanO]

What I find humorous is the fact that the prospects themselves are looking at the potential drafting franchises and how that impacts their career. They are having serious discussions with their mentors.

If I’m a top prospect and see a likely franchise not even have a head coach, I’m probably going back to college.

I have no doubt that Fantilli will be interviewed by PV and Cronin and all parties will have a clear understanding of the plan going forward if Fantilli is selected.

John

 

[Hockey Duckie]

NHL Mock Draft: Pronman, Wheeler and Bultman pick two rounds as if they were the GMs

In this two-round mock draft, Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and Max Bultman make their picks as if they were GMs choosing for their clubs.

theathletic.com

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Holy crap, Nelson is making a huge jump in this mock draft! I thought we could snag him at 59th.

Nadeau is an interesting selection. Central Scouting (CSB) has him at 5'10, 160 lbs, the Hockey Writers (THW) have him at 5'10 and 163 lbs, and Elite Prospects (EP) has him at 5'11 and 179 lbs. If he's still growing taller, then there's a chance he can break 6'. 2022 second round pick Lane Hutson grew two inches since being drafted, from 5'8 to 5'10.

THW makes a connection between Nadeau and Newhook since both are coming to the draft straight from the BCHL as well as being 5'10 players.

I'd still take a swing at 6'3 Halttunen. If Halttunen's offense doesn't show up at ES, then at least we'll have a middle six power forward who got a great one-timer on the PP2 unit.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

If Fantilli is ready to go pro, there is nothing to stop him. I’d prefer he go to SD than go back to College, as the worst case scenario. Don’t think college can do any more for him. I think the WC showed that. But if he wants to go back to College and not start his pro career just yet, then it’s his choice.

With that said, from what I’ve read about Fantilli, I would think he would be a kid who wants to push himself into the NHL.

Yeah I don't see him returning to college. The AHL gives us a really nice fallback if he doesn't quite look ready or struggles early on, but I don't expect him to ever play there either. I really do think he steps into the NHL and performs like a top 9 player right away.

I don't trust our AHL and NHL situations since we're starting new again. In San Diego, we're dealing with the same assistant coaches that helped us finish last in the AHL and 20 points away from the second worst team in the AHL.

Seeing Carlsson and Fantilli standing next to each other in the video shared above, Fantilli looks much shorter than one inch and has a slight frame compared to Carlsson. Fantilli could stand to put on more mass to his frame, especially if his forte is going to be a physical forward who delivers devastating hits at least once a game.

We're all enamored by Fantilli's elite speed, physical tenacity, and puck hound traits that many are willing to overlook his weakness in hockey sense and his production being muted in tougher situations. Fantilli's speed combined with his high compete level made him such a high scorer in the NCAA, but he's doing it at one speed. Going back to an established program like Michigan, Fantilli can focus on his weaknesses more optimally. This should make jumping into the NHL much smoother as well as improve reaching his ceiling.

We bring up McTavish and his 43 points, but McTavish lost steam around game 50. Tkachuk's offense in his first two seasons in the NHL were 48 points in 76 games as a rookie and 49 points in 68 games the following season. It is in Tkachuk's third season that he broke up with 77 points in 80 games.

Many are citing that San Diego could be an option if Fantilli can't handle the NHL. That thought runs contrary to Verbeek's preference of toggling prospects between the NHL and AHL. Verbeek wants a prospect to be NHL ready and stay in the NHL.

By waiting a season, Anaheim should be promoting at least one defensemen from the AHL to the NHL level between Helleson, Hinds, Mintyukov, and Zellweger. It'll be a much better situation for Fantilli to be dropped in.

 

[Mr Rogers]

I thought this was interesting. The fallout of not picking Bedard 1OA would be huge from a PR standpoint so I just don't see any realistic scenario where they don't pick Bedard, so I'm just chalking this up to Doneghey wanting to give the other kids some praise.

Blackhawks still have 'work to do' on decision at No. 1
Although it's widely expected that center Connor Bedard of Regina of the Western Hockey League will be the No. 1 pick in the draft, Chicago Blackhawks director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey said nothing has been decided.

"I've still got a lot of work to do," he said.

Bedard, Fantilli and center Leo Carlsson of Orebro of the Swedish Hockey League are all under consideration by the Blackhawks.

"These three players, they've earned the right to be in the conversation for No. 1," Doneghey said. "They're all different in their own regard. I think hockey IQ is something all three of them have. Some are a little bit bigger than others, some are a little bit better skaters than others. You look at a guy like Leo Carlsson (6-3, 198), he's playing pro hockey in the SHL. They've all gone on different paths, Adam playing college hockey, Connor playing in the Western Hockey League. So they're all at high levels, but different levels, and they all exceeded expectations at those levels. I think they've all earned the right to be in the conversation."

Interesting that a head scout of a professional hockey team believes in Fantilli's IQ and specifically points it out but fans here and elsewhere can't be convinced of it

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

Can't deny Nadeaus ability. He was off the charts in his respected league. Doubt we make a play for him though

 

[forever1922]

it could be a bit of camera angle, but I am surprised how much bigger a frame it looks like Leo has. Height is one thing, but he looks quite a bit broader.

Fantilli looked skinny at Worlds aswell. He's a prime candidate to improve the most from added muscle, weight and strength from the whole draft IMO.

 

[nbducksfan19]

Interesting that a head scout of a professional hockey team believes in Fantilli's IQ and specifically points it out but fans here and elsewhere can't be convinced of it

I think that is because hockey IQ can mean slightly different things to different people. Hence why you have scout/scouting reports giving conflicting feedback on hockey IQ.

 

[70sSanO]

I thought this was interesting. The fallout of not picking Bedard 1OA would be huge from a PR standpoint so I just don't see any realistic scenario where they don't pick Bedard, so I'm just chalking this up to Doneghey wanting to give the other kids some praise.

Blackhawks still have 'work to do' on decision at No. 1
Although it's widely expected that center Connor Bedard of Regina of the Western Hockey League will be the No. 1 pick in the draft, Chicago Blackhawks director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey said nothing has been decided.

"I've still got a lot of work to do," he said.

Bedard, Fantilli and center Leo Carlsson of Orebro of the Swedish Hockey League are all under consideration by the Blackhawks.

"These three players, they've earned the right to be in the conversation for No. 1," Doneghey said. "They're all different in their own regard. I think hockey IQ is something all three of them have. Some are a little bit bigger than others, some are a little bit better skaters than others. You look at a guy like Leo Carlsson (6-3, 198), he's playing pro hockey in the SHL. They've all gone on different paths, Adam playing college hockey, Connor playing in the Western Hockey League. So they're all at high levels, but different levels, and they all exceeded expectations at those levels. I think they've all earned the right to be in the conversation."

I don’t see a universe where Chicago doesn’t take Bedard.

That said, I’m sure PV and staff will do their due diligence if the unlikely event happens.

John

 

[Anaheim4ever]

I guess its like someone playing at a slower pace like Carlsson you have more time to make better decisions, so it can give the impression of an even higher hockey sense, play at super fast pace like Fantilli and it leaves like no time to make decisions and not everyone is gonna be able to get an accurate view of his hockey sense. Some scouts might not notice how good his hockey sense is while others will. Not saying Carlsson's hockey sense is overrated just that his slower pace gives him more time to make decisions.

 

[tomd]

I thought this was interesting. The fallout of not picking Bedard 1OA would be huge from a PR standpoint so I just don't see any realistic scenario where they don't pick Bedard, so I'm just chalking this up to Doneghey wanting to give the other kids some praise.

Blackhawks still have 'work to do' on decision at No. 1
Although it's widely expected that center Connor Bedard of Regina of the Western Hockey League will be the No. 1 pick in the draft, Chicago Blackhawks director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey said nothing has been decided.

"I've still got a lot of work to do," he said.

Bedard, Fantilli and center Leo Carlsson of Orebro of the Swedish Hockey League are all under consideration by the Blackhawks.

"These three players, they've earned the right to be in the conversation for No. 1," Doneghey said. "They're all different in their own regard. I think hockey IQ is something all three of them have. Some are a little bit bigger than others, some are a little bit better skaters than others. You look at a guy like Leo Carlsson (6-3, 198), he's playing pro hockey in the SHL. They've all gone on different paths, Adam playing college hockey, Connor playing in the Western Hockey League. So they're all at high levels, but different levels, and they all exceeded expectations at those levels. I think they've all earned the right to be in the conversation."

Interesting that Doneghey only mentioned three players instead of four...

 

[Deuce22]

I don't trust our AHL and NHL situations since we're starting new again. In San Diego, we're dealing with the same assistant coaches that helped us finish last in the AHL and 20 points away from the second worst team in the AHL.

Seeing Carlsson and Fantilli standing next to each other in the video shared above, Fantilli looks much shorter than one inch and has a slight frame compared to Carlsson. Fantilli could stand to put on more mass to his frame, especially if his forte is going to be a physical forward who delivers devastating hits at least once a game.

We're all enamored by Fantilli's elite speed, physical tenacity, and puck hound traits that many are willing to overlook his weakness in hockey sense and his production being muted in tougher situations. Fantilli's speed combined with his high compete level made him such a high scorer in the NCAA, but he's doing it at one speed. Going back to an established program like Michigan, Fantilli can focus on his weaknesses more optimally. This should make jumping into the NHL much smoother as well as improve reaching his ceiling.

We bring up McTavish and his 43 points, but McTavish lost steam around game 50. Tkachuk's offense in his first two seasons in the NHL were 48 points in 76 games as a rookie and 49 points in 68 games the following season. It is in Tkachuk's third season that he broke up with 77 points in 80 games.

Many are citing that San Diego could be an option if Fantilli can't handle the NHL. That thought runs contrary to Verbeek's preference of toggling prospects between the NHL and AHL. Verbeek wants a prospect to be NHL ready and stay in the NHL.

By waiting a season, Anaheim should be promoting at least one defensemen from the AHL to the NHL level between Helleson, Hinds, Mintyukov, and Zellweger. It'll be a much better situation for Fantilli to be dropped in.

I’d trust McIlvane or Cronin before I’d trust Michigan’s coaches. They are trying to win games in college and have no stake in the Ducks.

 

[tomd]

I’d trust McIlvane or Cronin before I’d trust Michigan’s coaches. They are trying to win games in college and have no stake in the Ducks.

It's Fantilli's decision and whatever team drafts him will have to do so not necessarily knowing what his decision will be.

 

[Deuce22]

It's Fantilli's decision and whatever team drafts him will have to do so not necessarily knowing what his decision will be.

I’d ask him what’s he’s doing and if I didn’t like the answer would draft someone else. It’s not complicated.

 

[KelVarnsen]

Interesting that a head scout of a professional hockey team believes in Fantilli's IQ and specifically points it out but fans here and elsewhere can't be convinced of it

Yeah it seems there are some here who think Fantilli is the second coming of Nick Ritchie with respect to hockey sense.

I do agree with nbducks that this may be because hockey sense is really an abstract term and everyone has their own opinion as to what is good and what is bad.

I think Ill trust scouts who point it out as a plus for now.