2023 NHL draft prospects

[FourQuarters]

I made my first 2023 List in March. Next one I'm going to make is after the end of this season. I still don't know that much about a lot of these players and a few of them I haven't even seen play, so if I have any positions wrong, please correct me.

Spoiler: Top 64

2023 Draft List:

1. Matvei Michkov-W
2. Connor Bedard-W
3. Charlie Stramel-C
4. Dalibor Dvorsky-C
5. Brayden Yager-C
6. Calum Ritchie-C
7. Adam Fantilli-C
8. Quentin Musty-W
9. Otto Stenberg-C
10. Gavin McCarthy-RD
11. Zach Benson-W
12. Eduard Sale-W
13. Theo Lindstein-LD
14. Jayson Shaugabay-C
15. Riley Heidt-C
16. Matthew Wood-W
17. Leo Carlsson-C
18. Gavin Brindley-C
19. Lukas Dragacevic-LD
20. Daniil But-W
21. Will Smith-C
22. Kasper Halttunen-W
23. Cameron Allen-RD
24. Hunter Brzustewicz-RD
25. Ethan Miedema-W
26. Alex Ciernik-W
27. Ryan Leonard-W
28. Nate Danielson-C
29. Mikhail Gulyayev-LD
30. Tyler Peddle-W
31. Danny Nelson-W
32. Gracyn Sawchyn-C
33. Colby Barlow-C
34. Trey Augustine-G
35. Ivan Remezovsky-LD
36. Connor Levis-C
37. Aram Minnetian-RD
38. Kalen Lind-W
39. Koehn Ziemmer-W
40. Maxim Strbak-RD
41. Oliver Moore-W
42. Beckett Hendrickson-C
43. Kalle Carlsson-C
44. Emil Pieniemi-LD
45. Emil Kuusla-W
46. Mazden Leslie-RD
47. Carey Terrance-C
48. Yegor Zavragin-G
49. Michael Chambre-G
50. Noah Dower Nilsson-C
51. Hugo Hell-LD
52. Andrew Strathmann-LD
53. Dmitri Simashev-LD
54. Dominik Petr-C
55. Arttu Karki-LD
56. Tom Leppa-C
57. Donovan McCoy-RD
58. Cam Squires-W
59. Will McDonough-C
60. Niko Minkkinen-RD
61. Roman Kantserov-W
62. Martin Misiak-C
63. Jayden Perron-W
64. William Whitelaw-W

Good work. But as a Rockets fan, I wonder if you don't know Cristall, or if you do think he's not good enough? Just curious.

 

[Czechboy]

Sale is Top 5 IMO... Petr will be first round.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Michkov over Bedard? Bold move...but i just don't agree. I see them as a 1A and 1B with Bedard at the top.

I also view it as 1A and 1B. Probably one of the closer races in a long time for the top spot. Could go either way between now and the draft.

Bedard will be picked 1OA, but who should be is a wide-open race between the two.

Post automatically merged: May 1, 2022

Good work. But as a Rockets fan, I wonder if you don't know Cristall, or if you do think he's not good enough? Just curious.

Know the name. I considered him. Don’t know it well enough, so it’s possible a year from now he’s much higher on my list. Probably would’ve been in the next group of players anyway.

 

[Takurcitee]

I made my first 2023 List in March. Next one I'm going to make is after the end of this season. I still don't know that much about a lot of these players and a few of them I haven't even seen play, so if I have any positions wrong, please correct me.

Spoiler: Top 64

2023 Draft List:

1. Matvei Michkov-W
2. Connor Bedard-W
3. Charlie Stramel-C
4. Dalibor Dvorsky-C
5. Brayden Yager-C
6. Calum Ritchie-C
7. Adam Fantilli-C
8. Quentin Musty-W
9. Otto Stenberg-C
10. Gavin McCarthy-RD
11. Zach Benson-W
12. Eduard Sale-W
13. Theo Lindstein-LD
14. Jayson Shaugabay-C
15. Riley Heidt-C
16. Matthew Wood-W
17. Leo Carlsson-C
18. Gavin Brindley-C
19. Lukas Dragacevic-LD
20. Daniil But-W
21. Will Smith-C
22. Kasper Halttunen-W
23. Cameron Allen-RD
24. Hunter Brzustewicz-RD
25. Ethan Miedema-W
26. Alex Ciernik-W
27. Ryan Leonard-W
28. Nate Danielson-C
29. Mikhail Gulyayev-LD
30. Tyler Peddle-W
31. Danny Nelson-W
32. Gracyn Sawchyn-C
33. Colby Barlow-C
34. Trey Augustine-G
35. Ivan Remezovsky-LD
36. Connor Levis-C
37. Aram Minnetian-RD
38. Kalen Lind-W
39. Koehn Ziemmer-W
40. Maxim Strbak-RD
41. Oliver Moore-W
42. Beckett Hendrickson-C
43. Kalle Carlsson-C
44. Emil Pieniemi-LD
45. Emil Kuusla-W
46. Mazden Leslie-RD
47. Carey Terrance-C
48. Yegor Zavragin-G
49. Michael Chambre-G
50. Noah Dower Nilsson-C
51. Hugo Hell-LD
52. Andrew Strathmann-LD
53. Dmitri Simashev-LD
54. Dominik Petr-C
55. Arttu Karki-LD
56. Tom Leppa-C
57. Donovan McCoy-RD
58. Cam Squires-W
59. Will McDonough-C
60. Niko Minkkinen-RD
61. Roman Kantserov-W
62. Martin Misiak-C
63. Jayden Perron-W
64. William Whitelaw-W

I think fantilli is 2/3(michkov might fall cause he is Russian and cause of his contract) also dvorsky>stramel

 

[Takurcitee]

I think top 5 will look like this
1- Bedard
2- Fantilli
3- Michkov
4- Dvorsky
5- Carlsson

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I think fantilli is 2/3(michkov might fall cause he is Russian and cause of his contract) also dvorsky>stramel

I don't think Fantilli is as good as you do. I probably will have Dvorsky ahead of Stramel my next list, but I made this over a month ago.

 

[Takurcitee]

I don't think Fantilli is as good as you do. I probably will have Dvorsky ahead of Stramel my next list, but I made this over a month ago.

I mean his production is much better than everybody except bedard in NA also Stramel is definitely not a top 5 not even top 10 I think

 

[Takurcitee]

Slovakia draft class is again going to be pretty good this year dvorsky is top 5 prospect ciernik is top 20, honzek,strbak,molnar,misiak all 2-3 round prospects right now,if we continue like this we might just have another golden era in few years

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I mean his production is much better than everybody except bedard in NA also Stramel is definitely not a top 5 not even top 10 I think

With all due respect, have you watched Fantilli play any significant amount of time? He plays on a powerhouse USHL team where almost every good prospect to come through that team has inflated numbers? If you actually compare his numbers to what others have been in the past, they aren't that great. Further, if you watch him play, he is nowhere near the category of players like Bedard and Michkov in the skill and sense department. He has some offense, but I don't think it's clear he's some lock 1C. He's bigger and faster than others, but he may not have elite offense. He may not be a center either, so there are some questions with his game. I would guess he goes 3rd. For me, I'd have him a couple spots lower.

I think Stramel has some things to work on for sure between his hockey sense and playmaking, but you clearly don't know what you're talking about. I'd almost guarantee you he goes top 10, and I think top 5 is more likely than not. Whether he should go top 5 is debatable, but I think he probably ends up somewhere in that top 5 because you really don't see 6'3 215 players playing center with high level of skill, a physical nature to how he plays the game, and skating. Those guys are top 10 locks, and move up draft boards. NHL teams will love Stramel.

They are actually players with a lot of similarities. Don't know why you'd think one is drastically better than the other. Fantilli has slightly better playmaking/sense, while Stramel is slightly bigger, stronger, and more physical.

 

[BKarchitect]

Stramel is a freaking unit. I like Fantilli a lot too. It’s early days for this draft class, we will know a lot more this fall. It would be quite shocking if a November list isn’t vastly different from consensus opinions at the moment.

I think we can all agree this class is full of high, high end talents and some real physical specimens. A lot to be excited about - but the full brunt of critical examination has not hit the kids of this age group yet.

 

[Takurcitee]

With all due respect, have you watched Fantilli play any significant amount of time? He plays on a powerhouse USHL team where almost every good prospect to come through that team has inflated numbers? If you actually compare his numbers to what others have been in the past, they aren't that great. Further, if you watch him play, he is nowhere near the category of players like Bedard and Michkov in the skill and sense department. He has some offense, but I don't think it's clear he's some lock 1C. He's bigger and faster than others, but he may not have elite offense. He may not be a center either, so there are some questions with his game. I would guess he goes 3rd. For me, I'd have him a couple spots lower.

I think Stramel has some things to work on for sure between his hockey sense and playmaking, but you clearly don't know what you're talking about. I'd almost guarantee you he goes top 10, and I think top 5 is more likely than not. Whether he should go top 5 is debatable, but I think he probably ends up somewhere in that top 5 because you really don't see 6'3 215 players playing center with high level of skill, a physical nature to how he plays the game, and skating. Those guys are top 10 locks, and move up draft boards. NHL teams will love Stramel.

They are actually players with a lot of similarities. Don't know why you'd think one is drastically better than the other. Fantilli has slightly better playmaking/sense, while Stramel is slightly bigger, stronger, and more physical.

I mean fantilli numbers are what makes me think he is better also his hype is much bigger tho I only watched him in like 2 games and haven't heard much about stramel I actively follow only Slovakian prospects so my ranking in NA guys is mainly stats and hype based

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I mean fantilli numbers are what makes me think he is better also his hype is much bigger tho I only watched him in like 2 games and haven't heard much about stramel I actively follow only Slovakian prospects so my ranking in NA guys is mainly stats and hype based

I don't dislike Fantilli. Just have him a few spots lower than the consensus. I get why some NHL types might have him where they do, but I usually opt for grading more on upside and not safeness to play certain NHL roles.

Stramel missed over half the year. Thats why you heard a lot less of him. Everything I've heard and read indicates he's rated top 10 by everyone, and has a good chance to be in the top few slots after the top 2.

 

[AlexanderSemin21]

I made my first 2023 List in March. Next one I'm going to make is after the end of this season. I still don't know that much about a lot of these players and a few of them I haven't even seen play, so if I have any positions wrong, please correct me.

Spoiler: Top 64

2023 Draft List:

1. Matvei Michkov-W
2. Connor Bedard-W
3. Charlie Stramel-C
4. Dalibor Dvorsky-C
5. Brayden Yager-C
6. Calum Ritchie-C
7. Adam Fantilli-C
8. Quentin Musty-W
9. Otto Stenberg-C
10. Gavin McCarthy-RD
11. Zach Benson-W
12. Eduard Sale-W
13. Theo Lindstein-LD
14. Jayson Shaugabay-C
15. Riley Heidt-C
16. Matthew Wood-W
17. Leo Carlsson-C
18. Gavin Brindley-C
19. Lukas Dragacevic-LD
20. Daniil But-W
21. Will Smith-C
22. Kasper Halttunen-W
23. Cameron Allen-RD
24. Hunter Brzustewicz-RD
25. Ethan Miedema-W
26. Alex Ciernik-W
27. Ryan Leonard-W
28. Nate Danielson-C
29. Mikhail Gulyayev-LD
30. Tyler Peddle-W
31. Danny Nelson-W
32. Gracyn Sawchyn-C
33. Colby Barlow-C
34. Trey Augustine-G
35. Ivan Remezovsky-LD
36. Connor Levis-C
37. Aram Minnetian-RD
38. Kalen Lind-W
39. Koehn Ziemmer-W
40. Maxim Strbak-RD
41. Oliver Moore-W
42. Beckett Hendrickson-C
43. Kalle Carlsson-C
44. Emil Pieniemi-LD
45. Emil Kuusla-W
46. Mazden Leslie-RD
47. Carey Terrance-C
48. Yegor Zavragin-G
49. Michael Chambre-G
50. Noah Dower Nilsson-C
51. Hugo Hell-LD
52. Andrew Strathmann-LD
53. Dmitri Simashev-LD
54. Dominik Petr-C
55. Arttu Karki-LD
56. Tom Leppa-C
57. Donovan McCoy-RD
58. Cam Squires-W
59. Will McDonough-C
60. Niko Minkkinen-RD
61. Roman Kantserov-W
62. Martin Misiak-C
63. Jayden Perron-W
64. William Whitelaw-W

I feel like Gulyayev should be higher, elite skating and puck skills.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I feel like Gulyayev should be higher, elite skating and puck skills.

I don’t think his puck skills are elite. He’s a good player, but not that big and I don’t think he’s a PP1 type in the NHL. Good two-way player, but probably not a player with top pairing upside.

 

[Sweetpotato]

I think top 5 will look like this
1- Bedard
2- Fantilli
3- Michkov
4- Dvorsky
5- Carlsson

This is what I have as well at this point. Michkov is the big wild card, I could see him being from 2-4.

 

[Takurcitee]

This is what I have as well at this point. Michkov is the big wild card, I could see him being from 2-4.

There is chance he won't be drafted at all if Russia is going to separate themselves from the world like north korea

 

[Kshahdoo]

There is chance he won't be drafted at all if Russia is going to separate themselves from the world like north korea

Even if under "world" you mean America and its allies, it won't happen...

 

[DatDude44]

Played against petr in peewee quebec. He needs an attitude adjustment.


Quentin Musty in Buffalo and maybe Ryan Smith.

Ayyy not a bad comment lmaooo

 

[ClarkBolzano]

I think top 5 will look like this
1- Bedard
2- Fantilli
3- Michkov
4- Dvorsky
5- Carlsson

Wow Michkov AT 3, simply no. He is too good. NHL teams will choose him first or second. They dont care if He is russian or japanise.

 

[QJL]

Wow Michkov AT 3, simply no. He is too good. NHL teams will choose him first or second. They dont care if He is russian or japanise.

Yes but they may care about NHL seasons from 2023-2026. I think his selection being #2 or later likely depends on the perceived competition window of the selecting team.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Yes but they may care about NHL seasons from 2023-2026. I think his selection being #2 or later likely depends on the perceived competition window of the selecting team.

Jack Hughes looked much better in USHL than Fantilli, went 1OA and he made real impact in the NHL in his Draft + 3 season. If Michkov comes and instantly be the better player will the team that drafted Fantilli before Matvey be very happy? Or rather its owners and fans...

 

[The Swede]

Trying to make a top draft in the world is hard. Top five maybe a bit easier. But for the head coach of Swedens U18 team it seams impossible. 46 guys in a Swedish U18 Elite camp and they still have a lot of players that should not be there. Players like Filip Karlsson, Joel Svensson (both Växjö), Wille Johansson and Hugo Hell (both Färjestad) on the preliminary rooster for Hlinka. And i could go on. What is that? The nepotism is still there. This needs to stop, or Swedish hockey will end up in a family party.
I have probably watched more games than anyone of the 2005 class through the years. A really strong group. Much stronger than the next one coming. For an example i watched all the games in the U18 play offs and Hugo Hell had a really tough time. Not close to be one of the top defenders born 2005 even in Färjestad. Victor Westh, Noel Styrenius and Noel Fransén (Albert Wikman had a strong stint through the season but a pretty weak play off against Mora) was better than him. And Joel Svensson looked slow and heavy in Växjö. Elis Rix much better for an example. Johansson in Färjestad was nowhere. Nice do to see Elliot Ståhlberg (best FW in Färjestad born 2005 this season, but not in the play offs ..) for the first time on this scene. Also nice to see some more new names like Hugo Bergendahl (Timrå), Dennis Altörn (Leksand). But did they play well? Ah not top level even here. Best forward of the play offs in Leksand was Liam Persson. He has not even been to one camp ... New names do. But a lot of names are still missing. And i could go on and on. But it is all about the nepotism. Maybe someone should check the connections between the leadership and the players fathers? If you are head coach of a national team, you have to watch the games. You can not trust the coaches and the managers. They are in the same gravel of nepotism.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

I think top 5 will look like this
1- Bedard
2- Fantilli
3- Michkov
4- Dvorsky
5- Carlsson

No chance in hell Michkov falls to 3, I might take him 1st OA even

 

[Takurcitee]

No chance in hell Michkov falls to 3, I might take him 1st OA even

Don't forget he is Russian

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Don't forget he is Russian

Meaning what? He might be the next Kaprizov, except better?