2023 NHL Draft Rankings: Larry Fisher's Pre-U18 Top 300

57special

Posting the right way since 2012.
Sep 5, 2012
50,359
22,181
MN
Highest I’ve seen Shaugabay. Think he’s more likely to get picked a round or two later. Same with Mittlestadt, but I like his inclusion. He has come on really strong on a packed Gophers D( Faber, R.Johnson, Lacombe, Chesley, Koester) towards the end of the year, and has been, arguably, their best D some nights. Certainly worth picking in the 4th or 5th round, IMO, even if he is an overager.

It’s looks like you randomly threw in a bunch of Russians from pick 146-150. Not mad, but that’s what it looks like.
 

Larry Fisher

Registered User
Sep 19, 2002
4,066
1,255
Kelowna, B.C.
Why is Maxim Strbak so high? Im happy for him, but its still a mystery for me.
I'm a big fan of Strbak, he had a very strong showing as an underager at the WJC that sold me on his upside. Game in and game out, he was impactful in all situations there — at times outshining Simon Nemec. I don't think Strbak will be overly offensive or see a lot of PP time in the NHL, but he could be another Ekholm type potentially.
 

Larry Fisher

Registered User
Sep 19, 2002
4,066
1,255
Kelowna, B.C.
Curious to hear your thoughts on Axel Hurtig? I really don’t like him either but surprised he doesn’t even make your top 300 when central has him at 44 for Euros.
Hoping to see more of him at the U18 worlds, assuming he makes the cut for Sweden. Big kid and Rogle has done well with development in recent years, but I haven't seen enough from him to warrant ranking. He is on the watch list and among 500ish more names On My Radar.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pgfan66

Isaac Nootin

Registered User
Sep 28, 2017
7,859
12,346
Curious your thoughts on #167 Alex Pharand. Seems to have a lot of tantalizing attributes, but fell off big time the 2nd half of this OHL season, though admittedly his shooting percentage to start the year was unsustainable.

Does seem to play more of a 2 way game than most, and has been on a shutdown line with Boudreau and Villeneuve in Sudbury mostly since McKenzie took over.
 

Larry Fisher

Registered User
Sep 19, 2002
4,066
1,255
Kelowna, B.C.
Highest I’ve seen Shaugabay. Think he’s more likely to get picked a round or two later. Same with Mittlestadt, but I like his inclusion. He has come on really strong on a packed Gophers D( Faber, R.Johnson, Lacombe, Chesley, Koester) towards the end of the year, and has been, arguably, their best D some nights. Certainly worth picking in the 4th or 5th round, IMO, even if he is an overager.

It’s looks like you randomly threw in a bunch of Russians from pick 146-150. Not mad, but that’s what it looks like.
I actually think Mittelstadt and Shaugabay could both go in the Top 50. Mittlestadt has a legit chance of being the first overager off the board, potentially early in the second round if a rebuilding team wants a defender that is closer to NHL ready than a first-time eligible. Similar to Ryker Evans going 35th to Seattle in 2021. But this isn't a mock draft, it is a ranking of prime potential. I do think Mittelstadt will be a player and could be in the NHL sooner than later, kind of like Blankenburg in Columbus. So it wouldn't surprise me if a team "reached" for Mittelstadt among the first overagers off the board.

Shaugabay is obviously more of a project, draft and develop type but you've got to love the tools and raw upside. Envision him in five years, with proper development, you could have a top-six scorer. I like him in the second round, I think enough teams will see that potential that somebody will take a swing sooner than later.

Look out for those Russians from 146-150 (the Belarusian too!). Even if those overagers don't get drafted, watch for them to become coveted free agents coming out of Russia. They absolutely have NHL potential. And young Klimovich, no relation to Danila, the Belarusian second-rounder for Vancouver (at least not to my knowledge), has a ton of upside too. Nobody knows how many Russians will get drafted in 2023 or where they will go, but as far as ranking potential, that group could honestly be higher rather than lower. But teams will likely pass on Russians more often than not in the Top 100. Do more than 20 Russians go in the 224 picks? That is probably a fair over/under at 20, some would take the under this year. I'm always pro-Russia for their on-ice talent and brand of hockey.
 

Larry Fisher

Registered User
Sep 19, 2002
4,066
1,255
Kelowna, B.C.
Curious your thoughts on #167 Alex Pharand. Seems to have a lot of tantalizing attributes, but fell off big time the 2nd half of this OHL season, though admittedly his shooting percentage to start the year was unsustainable.

Does seem to play more of a 2 way game than most, and has been on a shutdown line with Boudreau and Villeneuve in Sudbury mostly since McKenzie took over.
He will get drafted, likely in the middle rounds (3-6), similar to Miedema. I've debated between those two as to who I like more and who has the better chance to make it, so they wound up grouped together perhaps lower than the consensus. It wouldn't be shocking to see them selected in the 75-100 range, projecting where they could top out in 3-5 years, but certainly other OHL forwards overtook them in development/production during their draft year. Pharand could still become a force in the OHL and look like a steal by the time he turns pro, but I am a bit down on him and Miedema in the present as evidenced by their ranking as sliders for me.
 

Castle8130

Registered User
May 9, 2017
3,083
2,605
Based on what I have been hearing from pro scouts and doing my own scouting, from picks 5-10 there may only be 1 or 2 players from either Canada or USDPT. There is a lot of talent overseas that are rising including; Dvorsky, Reinbacher, Pelikka, Daniil But, Sale, and Gulyayev
 

Larry Fisher

Registered User
Sep 19, 2002
4,066
1,255
Kelowna, B.C.
Based on what I have been hearing from pro scouts and doing my own scouting, from picks 5-10 there may only be 1 or 2 players from either Canada or USDPT. There is a lot of talent overseas that are rising including; Davorsky, Reinbacher, Pelikka, Daniil But, Sale, and Gulyayev
It'll be interesting, I think that 5-15 range is pretty wide open with many different opinions and the 32 NHL lists would certainly reflect that. Those Euros you mentioned could definitely land there, but there is a lot of North American talent worthy of that range too. Beauty will be in the eye of the pick holders on draft day, then time will tell!
 

Mitch nylander

One of the biggest fans from a bipolar fanbase
Jun 2, 2016
4,773
6,458
Thanks for the ranking! Great overall ranking.

A couple guys I like more or less:
- I like Quentin Musty, Carey Terrance, Roman Kantserov and Nick Lardis more
- I like Calum Ritchie, and Luke Mittelstast less

A couple guys I think should have been included:
- Zachary Bowen - I think he's really shown some excellent growth this season, and should get a lot of opportunities as London's starter next year
- Mark Sever - a skilled, slick utility forward that has had a great year in Swiss JR
- Kocha Delic - While passed over in the last draft, he has a relentless motor and I can see him as a Blake Coleman esque player in the future.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Larry Fisher

Larry Fisher

Registered User
Sep 19, 2002
4,066
1,255
Kelowna, B.C.
Thanks for the ranking! Great overall ranking.

A couple guys I like more or less:
- I like Quentin Musty, Carey Terrance, Roman Kantserov and Nick Lardis more
- I like Calum Ritchie, and Luke Mittelstast less

A couple guys I think should have been included:
- Zachary Bowen - I think he's really shown some excellent growth this season, and should get a lot of opportunities as London's starter next year
- Mark Sever - a skilled, slick utility forward that has had a great year in Swiss JR
- Kocha Delic - While passed over in the last draft, he has a relentless motor and I can see him as a Blake Coleman esque player in the future.
I'm intrigued by Sever too, he didn't miss by much. I did manage to get in his Slovenian compatriot Filip Sitar at 285. Both are skilled forwards. I'll try to take another look at Sever, I have some good connections in Switzerland too, so I'll circle back on him.

Bowen and Delic are definitely worthy draft candidates out of the OHL as well. Delic and Beau Jelsma were among my next overagers from the O. I had them both ranked in 2022. I still have a soft spot for Stuart Rolofs too, good to see him break out after leaving London. Zakary Lavoie, Dalyn Wakely and Florian Xhekaj could be draft candidates as OHL overagers too.

Appreciate the insight and feedback! I can't wait to see where Ritchie and Musty go on draft day and whether they both go on Day 1 (or potentially neither?) ... time will tell!
 

57special

Posting the right way since 2012.
Sep 5, 2012
50,359
22,181
MN
I actually think Mittelstadt and Shaugabay could both go in the Top 50. Mittlestadt has a legit chance of being the first overager off the board, potentially early in the second round if a rebuilding team wants a defender that is closer to NHL ready than a first-time eligible. Similar to Ryker Evans going 35th to Seattle in 2021. But this isn't a mock draft, it is a ranking of prime potential. I do think Mittelstadt will be a player and could be in the NHL sooner than later, kind of like Blankenburg in Columbus. So it wouldn't surprise me if a team "reached" for Mittelstadt among the first overagers off the board.

Shaugabay is obviously more of a project, draft and develop type but you've got to love the tools and raw upside. Envision him in five years, with proper development, you could have a top-six scorer. I like him in the second round, I think enough teams will see that potential that somebody will take a swing sooner than later.

Look out for those Russians from 146-150 (the Belarusian too!). Even if those overagers don't get drafted, watch for them to become coveted free agents coming out of Russia. They absolutely have NHL potential. And young Klimovich, no relation to Danila, the Belarusian second-rounder for Vancouver (at least not to my knowledge), has a ton of upside too. Nobody knows how many Russians will get drafted in 2023 or where they will go, but as far as ranking potential, that group could honestly be higher rather than lower. But teams will likely pass on Russians more often than not in the Top 100. Do more than 20 Russians go in the 224 picks? That is probably a fair over/under at 20, some would take the under this year. I'm always pro-Russia for their on-ice talent and brand of hockey.
And bang, just like that, Mittlestadt scores two very important goals in two minutes to propel MN into the National Championship. Teams like players who show up in big moments….. you might be right about him being picked first of all the overagers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Larry Fisher

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

Please disable your adblocker on HFBoards.com

It looks like your adblocker is attempting to interfere with the intended operation of this site. Support us by allowing our site to function as we intended. Please disable your adblocker and add us to your allowlist.

Frequently Asked Questions
I'm not using a blocker. Why am I seeing this message?
You're likely seeing this message because an app or extension on your computer is blocking ads. The app or extension may be a "privacy" or "malware" blocker, or a VPN.

I disabled my blocker. Why am I still seeing this message?
It's common to have two or more adblocking extensions running at the same time. See the question above.