NHL Entry Draft 2023 NHL Draft Thread

[Hale The Villain]

I'm a pretty big fan of Willander. Not sure I see him going as high as 15, but at times I think I like him better than Sandin-Pellikka.

I too love the guy. 6'1, great skater, very intelligent, good puckmover.

Looks like a potential top 4 two-way RD to me, but I haven't seen him as much as others.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Here were my rankings I posted a week ago and where the defenders that I have ranked in the first two rounds.

Players with * are right shooters

#11 David Reinbacher*
#14 Lukas Dragicevic*
#19 Mikhail Gulyayev
#20 Caden Price
#21 Dimitri Simashev
#24 Cameron Allen*
#27 Axel Sandin-Pellikka*
#30 Beau Akey*
#35 Jakub Dvorak
#37 Hunter Brzustewicz*
#39 Jordan Tourigny*
#46 Etienne Morin
#49 Theo Lindstein
#52 Tom Willander*
#58 Maxim Strbak
#60 Luca Cagnoni
#62 Aram Minnetian*
#63 Oliver Bonk*

Here is my Top-200 if you’re interested:

2023 NHL Draft Ranking - Elite Prospects

User submitted ranking at Eliteprospects.com - 2023 NHL Draft Ranking

www.eliteprospects.com

Strbak needs a * is a RHD.
Not a 1st rounder most likely.
These are Jason Bukala comments from the Canada Slovakia 4-3 OT game

Maxim Strbak, Slovakia

The 6-foot-2, 198-pound right shot defenceman logged a ton of minutes for Slovakia. He was used in all situations (second PP unit) and was up to task in the defensive zone. There wasn’t a single easy matchup for Strbak in this game. When captain Nemec was in the penalty box Strbak was deployed in his place on the first penalty kill unit. He’s calm under pressure, pushes back physically, and provides some secondary offence. Strbak ended the game with 22:12 in ice time and over 35 shifts. His draft ranking has had him anywhere from the mid-second round to the early third round. I’m betting he goes between 35-40 after this display

could be worth a follow

Sens probably have some interest in Oliver Bonk as well

 

[DrEasy]

Well, I'm predicting the sens pick Connor Bedard.

He's too small and doesn't hit or fight. He doesn't fit our team make-up.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

He's too small and doesn't hit or fight. He doesn't fit our team make-up.

Doesn't fit the blue print.

 

[PatrickEaves]

He's too small and doesn't hit or fight. He doesn't fit our team make-up

DJ is that you?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Cosmix]

He's too small and doesn't hit or fight. He doesn't fit our team make-up.

I hear he is not good in the locker room; too quiet!

 

[Cosmix]

Karlsson was #15. Didn't take him 4 years to be a good NHLer either. Hope for the best.

There is always an exception to the probability.

 

[OD99]

I hear he is not good in the locker room; too quiet!

He can score from just inside the blue line. Means he won't dump and chase, he's out.

 

[senswon]

Im a fan of this RHD Axel Sandin-Pellika kid too. Saw him ranked 10th now. Maybe a sprinkle of EK in there and already thriving in SHL

 

[Icelevel]

So many forwards at the top.

 

[Masterplan]

Well, I'm predicting the sens pick Connor Bedard.

New owner, with plans for a shiny new arena, wins the draft lottery...

Nah, the NHL doesn't work like that.

(Edit: at least for Canadian teams it doesn't.)

 

[DrEasy]

Im a fan of this RHD Axel Sandin-Pellika kid too. Saw him ranked 10th now. Maybe a sprinkle of EK in there and already thriving in SHL

He was pretty noticeable in the WJC, especially on the PP. Seemed smallish though.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Trade Debrincat for a young D, draft Michkov because GMs are stupid and he'll fall. Big profits.

 

[Psycroptic86]

Any RHD that would be worthwhile to draft in the top-15 this year?

 

[bicboi64]

Any RHD that would be worthwhile to draft in the top-15 this year?

Probably Dragicevic,

 

[Qward]

Any RHD that would be worthwhile to draft in the top-15 this year?

Axel Sandin-Pellikka - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Axel Sandin-Pellikka, 2005-03-11 Gällivare, SWE Sweden. Most recently in the SHL with Skellefteå AIK. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Just one in top 15.

Another in the top 20

Lukas Dragicevic - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Lukas Dragicevic, 2005-04-25 Richmond, BC, CAN Canada. Most recently in the WHL with Prince Albert Raiders. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[bert]

Just tank, moving into the top 4 would be massive. Don't draft for positional need in the first round doesn't work.

 

[Wondercarrot]

Just tank, moving into the top 4 would be massive. Don't draft for positional need in the first round doesn't work.

Going to be reaaaaally difficult to fall to bottom 4

Seems like 6th pick is ‘the best’ we can reasonably expect.

 

[stempniaksen]

I'm only really plugged in to the OHL guys this year, and of course it's a down year draft wise.

I'm usually left relatively unimpressed when I watch some of the bigger name draft eligible players. Guys like Colby Barlow and Cam Allen that I kind of can't believe are getting 1st round hype. Could just be that I caught an off-game (especially Barlow who I've seen once live) but they didn't seem at the level of recent 1st round picks out of the OHL.

The main intriguing piece in my opinion is Quentin Musty. Former 1st overall pick in the OHL who is younger and rawer than most of the draft class. Another guy who hasn't been as consistent as you'd like out of a top-round pick, but the combination of size and skill is intriguing. He's a big guy with good hands and a powerful shot. Kind of has some Batherson to his game, imo.

Couple of guys with Ottawa connections who might be there in the early 2nd would be Oliver Bonk (son of Radek) who is kind of a solid if not spectacular two-way defenceman. Good size, right shot, seemingly has some untapped upside as well. Would be a real nice fit as a a high end 2nd pairing guy, imo.

Luca Pinelli is kind of the opposite of Bonk as far as team fit, imo. Guy is a lightning bug out there, brings tons of energy, good offence and a high end shot. Thinks the game at a really really high level as well. Knock on him is his size (5'9/165) and the fact that his skating, while fine, isn't elite. Doesn't seem like the Sens MO to take a smaller guy, let alone one who can't set himself apart with blazing speed. Likely more boom/bust than the other guys mentioned by virtue of his size but he could be worth it for a team lacking high end skill in the pipeline.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Any RHD that would be worthwhile to draft in the top-15 this year?

David Reinbacher.

He is the best defender in the draft in my opinion and the one closest to making an impact.


He is a 6’2’ late 2004 born Austrian that isn’t afraid of being physical. He has been playing against men since the age of 16 in Switzerland.
This year he is playing in Switzerland’s highest mens leage the NL where he is producing at just under .5PPG against men. For comparisons sake, Roman Josi had 8 points in the NL in his draft season; Reinbacher has 15 so far.

The thing with Reinbacher is offence isn’t the best part of his game - that I would say is his physicality and how well he defends against the rush. He is not afraid at all to lay the body - he will get this twinkle in his eye and zero in on someone and just lay them out. Reminds me of a young Kronwall in this regard of his game. He has a very good stick in the defensive zone and maintains his gaps real well. He is a very stout player in the defensive end.

A few things that he will need to work on is how he moves laterally - he is a great skater, but only really North-South. I don’t find he uses his edges often to cut into the middle of the ice, he more just attacks it if he does - and he doesn’t have that flawless, effortless stride when walking the blue line, he more just shimmy’s around if that makes sense. He also needs to work on his puck skills - he bobbles the puck on a regular basis and doesn’t always recieve passes very crisp. both these things are things he could work on going forward.

I compare him to Moritz Seider as a draft eligible player - raw player with a interesting profile and skillset with a good deal of room for improvement. I believe he will be in the NHL in 1-2 years.

I have been a big fan of Reinbachers game for months now and have been calling for him to be ranked higher on most public lists. It seems, though that he is starting to pick up steam in the scouting space as of late. Last monh, Elite prospects didn’t even have him ranked in their top-32 but this month he is at #15.


These are just my thoughts on this player though.

 

[Butchy Dakkar]

David Reinbacher.

He is the best defender in the draft in my opinion and the one closest to making an impact.


He is a 6’2’ late 2004 born Austrian that isn’t afraid of being physical. He has been playing against men since the age of 16 in Switzerland.
This year he is playing in Switzerland’s hugest mens leage the NL where he is producing at just under .5PPG against men. For comparisons sake, Roman Josi had 8 points in the NL in his draft season; Reinbacher has 15 so far.

The thing with Reinbacher is offence isn’t the best part of his game - that I would say is his physicality and how well he defends against the rush. He is not afraid at all to lay the body - he will get this twinkle in his eye and zero in on someone and just lay them out. Reminds me of a young Kronwall in this regard of his game. He has a very good stick in the defensive zone and maintains his gaps real well. He is a very stout player in the defensive end.

A few things that he will need to work on is how he moves laterally - he is a great skater, but only really North-South. I don’t find him using his edges often to cut into the middle of the ice and doesn’t have that flawless, effortless stride when walking the blue line. He also needs to work on his puck skills - he bobbles the puck on a regular basis especially and doesn’t always recieve passes very crisp. both these things are things he could work on going forward.

I compare him to Moritz Seider as a draft eligible player - and I believe he will be in the NHL in 1-2 years.

I have been a big fan of Reinbachers game for months now and have been calling for him to be ranked higher on most public lists. It seems, though that he is starting to pick up steam in the scouting space as of late. Last montj elite prospects didn’t even have him ranked in their top-32 but this month he is at #15.


These are just my thoughts on this player though.

Sold

 

[bicboi64]

David Reinbacher.

He is the best defender in the draft in my opinion and the one closest to making an impact.


He is a 6’2’ late 2004 born Austrian that isn’t afraid of being physical. He has been playing against men since the age of 16 in Switzerland.
This year he is playing in Switzerland’s highest mens leage the NL where he is producing at just under .5PPG against men. For comparisons sake, Roman Josi had 8 points in the NL in his draft season; Reinbacher has 15 so far.

The thing with Reinbacher is offence isn’t the best part of his game - that I would say is his physicality and how well he defends against the rush. He is not afraid at all to lay the body - he will get this twinkle in his eye and zero in on someone and just lay them out. Reminds me of a young Kronwall in this regard of his game. He has a very good stick in the defensive zone and maintains his gaps real well. He is a very stout player in the defensive end.

A few things that he will need to work on is how he moves laterally - he is a great skater, but only really North-South. I don’t find he uses his edges often to cut into the middle of the ice, he more just attacks it if he does - and he doesn’t have that flawless, effortless stride when walking the blue line, he more just shimmy’s around if that makes sense. He also needs to work on his puck skills - he bobbles the puck on a regular basis and doesn’t always recieve passes very crisp. both these things are things he could work on going forward.

I compare him to Moritz Seider as a draft eligible player - raw player with a interesting profile and skillset with a good deal of room for improvement. I believe he will be in the NHL in 1-2 years.

I have been a big fan of Reinbachers game for months now and have been calling for him to be ranked higher on most public lists. It seems, though that he is starting to pick up steam in the scouting space as of late. Last monh, Elite prospects didn’t even have him ranked in their top-32 but this month he is at #15.


These are just my thoughts on this player though.

Very well written post, was wondering what do you think about Dragicevic

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Very well written post, was wondering what do you think about Dragicevic

Yeah - for sure.

Sorry for the delayed response.

I think he is a kid that you’re going to hate some nights - and love others. He reminds me of a Brandt Clarke/Evan Bouchard.

Big kid at 6’2 is a good skater in my opinion (I know that there are some conflicting reports out there on his skating but from my viewings he is a good skater) He isn’t the fastest kid, it takes a bit for him to get up to speed - and his top speed is average but his lateral mobility is great. He can maneuver around the offensive zone with ease and he is very good at walking the blueline with the puck on his stick.

He is a very deceptive player - this boils down to how elite his vision and hockey IQ is. There was a game of his I watched where he had the puck on his stick just above the right dot on the powerplay - he had a defender on him close so what he did was fake a slapshot, curled back on his edges and shot for the stick of his teammate for a defelection in front of the net that resulted in a goal. This is a common tactic in Dragicevic’s game and it keeps defences guessing and it opens lanes because of it. He is very good at getting pucks through traffic and onto the net, or shooting for deflections. You’re not going to find many players in this draft class with the IQ that this kid has.

There are definite defensive concerns with him - he is a 4th forward in transition and a lot of the time in the offensive zone. But to that note - Pavel Mintyukov was playing a very similar role in Saginaw this year before the trade; and all that was thrown at him was praise, even though he is a 2003 born defender while Dragicevic is a 2005 born defender doing similar things.
When he is back defending on defence his stick work is alright but his gaps leave a lot to be desired. He may have the size but hasn’t filled out yet and has alot of trouble battling for position in, or near the net. He prefers to use his stick to defend rather than his body and positiong. One thing I would like to point out about this though is although it is a weakness, his frame gIves me confidence he’ll be able to see strides in his defensive game over the next few years and although I don‘t think it’ll ever be a strength, but it won’t be a liability either if things go well.

One thing I would like to point out about him is how impressive his production actually is. He is leading his team in scoring from the blue line. And it’s not as if Tri-City have a plethora of offensive talent that is proping up his numbers. He is the engine for the offence on that team.

I think that we‘ve seen similar defenders go very high in their respective draft years (Brandt Clarke/Evan Bouchard) so I don’t see why Dragicevic wouldn’t be able to do the same if he continues to produce the way he has. I have him in my top-20 right now personally.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

We aint making playoffs. Let's just get a top 10 pick in a deep ass draft and call it a season.

Keep DJ, our holy tank general. Don't trade for a D.