Prospect Info: 2023 NHL Draft Thread

[StevenToddIves]

I think we have a couple players players like Haula, Boqvist, Mercer, and Sharangovich who can step in to a top 6 C role in case of injury. What we really need are depth C, and they aren't THAT hard to get via trade. That being said, I would really like to refill the C pipeline, but I think getting a stud winger takes priority at the moment.

I absolutely agree that any trade for Meier (or another top 6 forward) would likely revolve around Holtz. I also think Shara could very well be a casualty as I just don't see where he fits anymore. I didn't think of it but Grits is definitely expendable in a trade too. He looks promising, but he's more of the same of what we have. I'd have to consider him in a trade for a power/scoring winger if the other team asked.

BTW, have you watch Filmon at all? What do you think of him? Does he have a shot at the team, and/or could he be a trade chip. He seems more like what we need if he were to pan out.

Josh Filmon certainly possesses the potential to be a middle 6 NHL forward, and a productive one. However, although his development arc is pointing sharply upwards, he's still a long way off. I greatly look forwards to tracking Filmon over the next couple of seasons. I think he's still too young and raw to draw too much trade interest, I think if a prospect forward (aside from ostensibly Holtz) goes at the deadline it will be Foote or Clarke.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2023 Draft Profile:

C/RW Conor Bedard, Regina WHL
Let's get the obvious out of the way, right away. Conor Bedard was born to score. He was not born to score in the way most all-star athletes succeed at their sport. No, Conor Bedard was born to score in a similar vein to how Vincent Van Gogh was born to paint or how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born to compose music. Conor Bedard is an artist who quite simply creates offense out of seemingly thin air with such regularity he can only be described as "freakishly gifted".

You have to forgive anyone who writes about Bedard for opening with a litany of superlatives because, quite frankly, it's difficult to limit Bedard's abilities with normal, hockey-scouting vernacular. But if we're trying to write a scouting report of him like we would a normal human, we'd have to start with his greatest attribute, which is his shot.

Conor Bedard is an absolute maestro of shot creation and shot execution, at a level which might just be higher than any other player we have ever seen. He somehow both skates and stickhandles -- even in traffic -- with both his weight and hands positioned in such a way that he can execute a lightning-quick release at seemingly any moment in the puckhandling and skating process. This freakishly rare ability is abetted by the fact that we have never -- never -- seen a player with so many release points. He can execute a similarly elite release from far from his body, from his toes, from in between. He can execute an elite release from either leg, from motion or a standstill, from any direction, from forehand or backhand.

What does this mean? Well. There's really no way to defend a Conor Bedard, because if there's a two-inch gap between his defender and Bedard, Bedard will find the soft spot to angle his body or drag the puck before his defender is sure what is happening and -- with as quick a release as you will ever see -- laser his accurate, deadly laser towards whatever corner he picks.

How do we write about Conor Bedard the player, when we can literally write a 15-page dissertation alone on what makes his shooting special? Well, Bedard is also an incredible skater with elite edge work and elusiveness, he's also one of the best puck handlers I've ever witnessed, and he's also an elite passer. I mean, it's tough even to discuss logistically without falling back into the trap of superlative after superlative -- Conor Bedard was born to score.

This is not a player without warts. He gets caught watching on defense, and he likes to be given the puck in space to work his magic. This makes me think his NHL future might be as a RW, rather than C. He's not big at 5'10-180 and would prefer not to get hit, though I wouldn't call him soft by any means. He's always willing to take the puck towards the net, utilizing a litany of dekes to create the literal millimeters he requires to make a high danger scoring chance out of nothing from literally any angle imaginable.

I'm not sure what else to say, here. I've been writing about prospects for a very long time and have never seen one quite like Conor Bedard. I'd say if he "busts", he'll be a perennial 40-50 goal scorer. That's my low-water mark for Conor Bedard. His upside is ending a legendary career on the top 10 NHL all-time goal-scoring list. As such, we can call Conor Bedard "generational" and agree he's a shoo-in for the 1st overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

2023 Draft Profile:

C/RW Conor Bedard, Regina WHL
Let's get the obvious out of the way, right away. Conor Bedard was born to score. He was not born to score in the way most all-star athletes succeed at their sport. No, Conor Bedard was born to score in a similar vein to how Vincent Van Gogh was born to paint or how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born to compose music. Conor Bedard is an artist who quite simply creates offense out of seemingly thin air with such regularity he can only be described as "freakishly gifted".

You have to forgive anyone who writes about Bedard for opening with a litany of superlatives because, quite frankly, it's difficult to limit Bedard's abilities with normal, hockey-scouting vernacular. But if we're trying to write a scouting report of him like we would a normal human, we'd have to start with his greatest attribute, which is his shot.

Conor Bedard is an absolute maestro of shot creation and shot execution, at a level which might just be higher than any other player we have ever seen. He somehow both skates and stickhandles -- even in traffic -- with both his weight and hands positioned in such a way that he can execute a lightning-quick release at seemingly any moment in the puckhandling and skating process. This freakishly rare ability is abetted by the fact that we have never -- never -- seen a player with so many release points. He can execute a similarly elite release from far from his body, from his toes, from in between. He can execute an elite release from either leg, from motion or a standstill, from any direction, from forehand or backhand.

What does this mean? Well. There's really no way to defend a Conor Bedard, because if there's a two-inch gap between his defender and Bedard, Bedard will find the soft spot to angle his body or drag the puck before his defender is sure what is happening and -- with as quick a release as you will ever see -- laser his accurate, deadly laser towards whatever corner he picks.

How do we write about Conor Bedard the player, when we can literally write a 15-page dissertation alone on what makes his shooting special? Well, Bedard is also an incredible skater with elite edge work and elusiveness, he's also one of the best puck handlers I've ever witnessed, and he's also an elite passer. I mean, it's tough even to discuss logistically without falling back into the trap of superlative after superlative -- Conor Bedard was born to score.

This is not a player without warts. He gets caught watching on defense, and he likes to be given the puck in space to work his magic. This makes me think his NHL future might be as a RW, rather than C. He's not big at 5'10-180 and would prefer not to get hit, though I wouldn't call him soft by any means. He's always willing to take the puck towards the net, utilizing a litany of dekes to create the literal millimeters he requires to make a high danger scoring chance out of nothing from literally any angle imaginable.

I'm not sure what else to say, here. I've been writing about prospects for a very long time and have never seen one quite like Conor Bedard. I'd say if he "busts", he'll be a perennial 40-50 goal scorer. That's my low-water mark for Conor Bedard. His upside is ending a legendary career on the top 10 NHL all-time goal-scoring list. As such, we can call Conor Bedard "generational" and agree he's a shoo-in for the 1st overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft.

I think he will slide to bottom of the 2nd round when Devils have their first pick

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Aside from th obvious top picks (Bedard , Mitchkov , Fanitilli etc) , it feels good for it to be 10 days into February and not have to read this thread daily or look at scouting reports for the 2023 draft quite yet. If this was a normal Devils season of the past decade than we would be in here a ton more by December.

 

[evnted]

2023 Draft Profile:

C/RW Conor Bedard, Regina WHL
Let's get the obvious out of the way, right away. Conor Bedard was born to score. He was not born to score in the way most all-star athletes succeed at their sport. No, Conor Bedard was born to score in a similar vein to how Vincent Van Gogh was born to paint or how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born to compose music. Conor Bedard is an artist who quite simply creates offense out of seemingly thin air with such regularity he can only be described as "freakishly gifted".

You have to forgive anyone who writes about Bedard for opening with a litany of superlatives because, quite frankly, it's difficult to limit Bedard's abilities with normal, hockey-scouting vernacular. But if we're trying to write a scouting report of him like we would a normal human, we'd have to start with his greatest attribute, which is his shot.

Conor Bedard is an absolute maestro of shot creation and shot execution, at a level which might just be higher than any other player we have ever seen. He somehow both skates and stickhandles -- even in traffic -- with both his weight and hands positioned in such a way that he can execute a lightning-quick release at seemingly any moment in the puckhandling and skating process. This freakishly rare ability is abetted by the fact that we have never -- never -- seen a player with so many release points. He can execute a similarly elite release from far from his body, from his toes, from in between. He can execute an elite release from either leg, from motion or a standstill, from any direction, from forehand or backhand.

What does this mean? Well. There's really no way to defend a Conor Bedard, because if there's a two-inch gap between his defender and Bedard, Bedard will find the soft spot to angle his body or drag the puck before his defender is sure what is happening and -- with as quick a release as you will ever see -- laser his accurate, deadly laser towards whatever corner he picks.

How do we write about Conor Bedard the player, when we can literally write a 15-page dissertation alone on what makes his shooting special? Well, Bedard is also an incredible skater with elite edge work and elusiveness, he's also one of the best puck handlers I've ever witnessed, and he's also an elite passer. I mean, it's tough even to discuss logistically without falling back into the trap of superlative after superlative -- Conor Bedard was born to score.

This is not a player without warts. He gets caught watching on defense, and he likes to be given the puck in space to work his magic. This makes me think his NHL future might be as a RW, rather than C. He's not big at 5'10-180 and would prefer not to get hit, though I wouldn't call him soft by any means. He's always willing to take the puck towards the net, utilizing a litany of dekes to create the literal millimeters he requires to make a high danger scoring chance out of nothing from literally any angle imaginable.

I'm not sure what else to say, here. I've been writing about prospects for a very long time and have never seen one quite like Conor Bedard. I'd say if he "busts", he'll be a perennial 40-50 goal scorer. That's my low-water mark for Conor Bedard. His upside is ending a legendary career on the top 10 NHL all-time goal-scoring list. As such, we can call Conor Bedard "generational" and agree he's a shoo-in for the 1st overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft.

just when i was starting to doubt if you'd be coming back for 2023. if this one's officially official it's certainly a fun class to end on. lots of prospect i'll be looking forward to discussing with everyone here, i've got a number of kids i already feel pretty high on and i'm eager to see if you agree

 

[HughJazz3dg]

2023 Draft Profile:

C/RW Conor Bedard, Regina WHL
Let's get the obvious out of the way, right away. Conor Bedard was born to score. He was not born to score in the way most all-star athletes succeed at their sport. No, Conor Bedard was born to score in a similar vein to how Vincent Van Gogh was born to paint or how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born to compose music. Conor Bedard is an artist who quite simply creates offense out of seemingly thin air with such regularity he can only be described as "freakishly gifted".

You have to forgive anyone who writes about Bedard for opening with a litany of superlatives because, quite frankly, it's difficult to limit Bedard's abilities with normal, hockey-scouting vernacular. But if we're trying to write a scouting report of him like we would a normal human, we'd have to start with his greatest attribute, which is his shot.

Conor Bedard is an absolute maestro of shot creation and shot execution, at a level which might just be higher than any other player we have ever seen. He somehow both skates and stickhandles -- even in traffic -- with both his weight and hands positioned in such a way that he can execute a lightning-quick release at seemingly any moment in the puckhandling and skating process. This freakishly rare ability is abetted by the fact that we have never -- never -- seen a player with so many release points. He can execute a similarly elite release from far from his body, from his toes, from in between. He can execute an elite release from either leg, from motion or a standstill, from any direction, from forehand or backhand.

What does this mean? Well. There's really no way to defend a Conor Bedard, because if there's a two-inch gap between his defender and Bedard, Bedard will find the soft spot to angle his body or drag the puck before his defender is sure what is happening and -- with as quick a release as you will ever see -- laser his accurate, deadly laser towards whatever corner he picks.

How do we write about Conor Bedard the player, when we can literally write a 15-page dissertation alone on what makes his shooting special? Well, Bedard is also an incredible skater with elite edge work and elusiveness, he's also one of the best puck handlers I've ever witnessed, and he's also an elite passer. I mean, it's tough even to discuss logistically without falling back into the trap of superlative after superlative -- Conor Bedard was born to score.

This is not a player without warts. He gets caught watching on defense, and he likes to be given the puck in space to work his magic. This makes me think his NHL future might be as a RW, rather than C. He's not big at 5'10-180 and would prefer not to get hit, though I wouldn't call him soft by any means. He's always willing to take the puck towards the net, utilizing a litany of dekes to create the literal millimeters he requires to make a high danger scoring chance out of nothing from literally any angle imaginable.

I'm not sure what else to say, here. I've been writing about prospects for a very long time and have never seen one quite like Conor Bedard. I'd say if he "busts", he'll be a perennial 40-50 goal scorer. That's my low-water mark for Conor Bedard. His upside is ending a legendary career on the top 10 NHL all-time goal-scoring list. As such, we can call Conor Bedard "generational" and agree he's a shoo-in for the 1st overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft.

Heeeeeeee’s baaaaaacccccckkkkkk!

 

[forceten]

I am so so so so so so happy that STI is back.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Aside from th obvious top picks (Bedard , Mitchkov , Fanitilli etc) , it feels good for it to be 10 days into February and not have to read this thread daily or look at scouting reports for the 2023 draft quite yet. If this was a normal Devils season of the past decade than we would be in here a ton more by December.

I adore writing about the prospects, as I am a hockey fan first and a Devils fan second. Conor Bedard is to be enjoyed, no matter what team it is we root for. This kid is special, he's fun, and he's capable of redefining what it means to be a goal-scorer. We should all be pulling for Conor Bedard.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I think he will slide to bottom of the 2nd round when Devils have their first pick

What's funny is it's only a matter of time until some attention-craving draft-writer ranks Bedard 2nd and starts inventing flaws for him in order to garner themselves some attention. We saw it with Hughes and we saw it with Matthews, who were clearly the two best draft-eligible Fs since Connor McDavid in 2015.

To be perfectly honest, the silliest argument I've dealt with as a draft writer -- ever -- was the invented Hughes vs. Kakko argument in 2019. This was not close. Some of you might recall, when the Devils won the draft lottery I wrote up Jack Hughes and only Jack Hughes, since to me there was nothing close to a controversy considering who the pick would and should have been. Some posters got very mad at me for not also writing up Kakko, but I stuck to my guns and refused. Why write up a kid as a possible draft pick for a team where he was not a possible draft pick? There was as wide a gulf between Hughes and Kakko as there was between Kakko and a 2nd round pick!

So, I think we'll start to see a few naysayers on Bedard as the draft approaches, unfortunately. My advice would be to completely ignore anyone who questions Bedard. As I've said, his talent floor is as a perennial 40-50 goal scorer. I'll stick to that, with full conviction.

 

[StevenToddIves]

just when i was starting to doubt if you'd be coming back for 2023. if this one's officially official it's certainly a fun class to end on. lots of prospect i'll be looking forward to discussing with everyone here, i've got a number of kids i already feel pretty high on and i'm eager to see if you agree

Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll have time to go as deep into the prospects as I have the past couple of seasons. I've got a lot on my plate this year, but I'll see how much I can get done. The last thing I'd want to do is cheat you guys with draft profiles which I did not research to a degree which I'm fully satisfied with.

I'm going to do what I can because it's a labor of love for me and I truly, sincerely enjoy my dialogues with all of you on the New Jersey HFBoards draft pages. Maybe some of you guys could help out and write up some prospects, as well -- we can make it more of a collective effort. I'm sure @Guadana would do a kick ass job writing up the Russian prospects. I think we really need to pay attention to just how good @Guadana is at breaking apart prospects' tool kits and projecting their talent bases. He's very, very talented.

I'm currently working on profiles for Michkov, Fantilli and Carlsson and should at least have those out sometime next week.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

I adore writing about the prospects, as I am a hockey fan first and a Devils fan second. Conor Bedard is to be enjoyed, no matter what team it is we root for. This kid is special, he's fun, and he's capable of redefining what it means to be a goal-scorer. We should all be pulling for Conor Bedard.

Oh trust me , I've seen plenty on him and am a big fan of what he can do. Bedard is the best prospect since McDavid quite easily. He's going to make a team like Anaheim , Chicago or Columbus a spectacle on ice. Can't wait to see him in the NHL and live next season.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll have time to go as deep into the prospects as I have the past couple of seasons. I've got a lot on my plate this year, but I'll see how much I can get done. The last thing I'd want to do is cheat you guys with draft profiles which I did not research to a degree which I'm fully satisfied with.

I'm going to do what I can because it's a labor of love for me and I truly, sincerely enjoy my dialogues with all of you on the New Jersey HFBoards draft pages. Maybe some of you guys could help out and write up some prospects, as well -- we can make it more of a collective effort. I'm sure @Guadana would do a kick ass job writing up the Russian prospects. I think we really need to pay attention to just how good @Guadana is at breaking apart prospects' tool kits and projecting their talent bases. He's very, very talented.

I'm currently working on profiles for Michkov, Fantilli and Carlsson and should at least have those out sometime next week.

@thethinglonger

 

[Guadana]

Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll have time to go as deep into the prospects as I have the past couple of seasons. I've got a lot on my plate this year, but I'll see how much I can get done. The last thing I'd want to do is cheat you guys with draft profiles which I did not research to a degree which I'm fully satisfied with.

I'm going to do what I can because it's a labor of love for me and I truly, sincerely enjoy my dialogues with all of you on the New Jersey HFBoards draft pages. Maybe some of you guys could help out and write up some prospects, as well -- we can make it more of a collective effort. I'm sure @Guadana would do a kick ass job writing up the Russian prospects. I think we really need to pay attention to just how good @Guadana is at breaking apart prospects' tool kits and projecting their talent bases. He's very, very talented.

I'm currently working on profiles for Michkov, Fantilli and Carlsson and should at least have those out sometime next week.

Great to see you back. I cant guarantee a lot of the work this year. I watched some prospects this season, but didn`t dissect their game closely. And didn`t watch games of non russian prospects, only wjc. Good season and life prevent me from it. And we even don`t know wil we have a chance to draft in first round this year.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Oh trust me , I've seen plenty on him and am a big fan of what he can do. Bedard is the best prospect since McDavid quite easily. He's going to make a team like Anaheim , Chicago or Columbus a spectacle on ice. Can't wait to see him in the NHL and live next season.

I'd like to see Bedard in Anaheim out of those three teams, because they have the best group of young F prospects. Imagine a line of McTavish centering Zegras and Bedard for the next decade? I mean, holy crap that would be fun to watch.

Columbus actually has an outstanding prospect group, but aside from Kent Johnson all their top 5 prospects are defensemen -- Jiricek, Mateychuk, Svozil and Ceulemans. Since Johnson and Bedard both project to the wing -- at least early in their careers -- the pressure would be on Columbus to find a top, young center.

Chicago has two good center prospects in Nazar and Greene, but they're both 2022 picks who are several years from the NHL, while their center depth at the NHL level is atrocious. More concerning is that the Blackhawks draft outside of Nazar and Greene was not terrific in 2022, and their 2021 draft was atrocious aside from one great pick of a defenseman in Ethan Del Mastro. They're a long way from respectability with or without Bedard, though a good return for Kane and Toews could improve the outlook.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Great to see you back. I cant guarantee a lot of the work this year. I watched some prospects this season, but didn`t dissect their game closely. And didn`t watch games of non russian prospects, only wjc. Good season and life prevent me from it. And we even don`t know wil we have a chance to draft in first round this year.

If someone outbids the Devils for Meier, I don't see the NJ 1st round pick going anywhere. Fitzgerald is certainly not going to give it away for a middle 6-type like Boeser, Jenner or Henrique, and I don't see Patrick Kane fitting the Devils timeline or locker room. What other top-line Fs are out there, really? Buchnevich, maybe, I guess.

Fitzgerald would be wise not to panic -- and thus far, he's been very wise. The Devils have the 3rd best record in the NHL right now without Timo Meier and are positioned for success well into the future if they simply keep what they already have.

If we look at the teams with the top 10 records in the NHL right now, most are near the bottom of the league in prospect-talent (Boston, Toronto, Tampa, Vegas, Edmonton) or somewhere in the middle (Dallas, Rangers, Winnipeg). The only two teams with top 10 prospect pools are Carolina and the Devils, with the Devils the only team with a top 3 prospect pool.

Fitzgerald has amassed a pretty amazing core for the future blueline in Hamilton/Siegenthaler/Marino/L.Hughes/Nemec. At center the Devils are set for a long time at the top of the line up with Hughes and Hischier. These are the most difficult pieces for an NHL franchise to accumulate. There are always available wingers and available players for the bottom of a line-up.

Meier would be great -- and if I'm Fitzgerald I'm certainly willing to give up the 2023 1st rounder + Holtz + a bit more to get him. But if San Jose shows an unwillingness to move Meier in an even deal and demands an absurd return? Then Fitzgerald should walk away. The Devils are going in the right direction with or without Timo Meier. The Devils have a shot to make noise in the 2023 playoffs with or without Timo Meier.

 

[Guadana]

If someone outbids the Devils for Meier, I don't see the NJ 1st round pick going anywhere. Fitzgerald is certainly not going to give it away for a middle 6-type like Boeser, Jenner or Henrique, and I don't see Patrick Kane fitting the Devils timeline or locker room. What other top-line Fs are out there, really? Buchnevich, maybe, I guess.

Fitzgerald would be wise not to panic -- and thus far, he's been very wise. The Devils have the 3rd best record in the NHL right now without Timo Meier and are positioned for success well into the future if they simply keep what they already have.

If we look at the teams with the top 10 records in the NHL right now, most are near the bottom of the league in prospect-talent (Boston, Toronto, Tampa, Vegas, Edmonton) or somewhere in the middle (Dallas, Rangers, Winnipeg). The only two teams with top 10 prospect pools are Carolina and the Devils, with the Devils the only team with a top 3 prospect pool.

Fitzgerald has amassed a pretty amazing core for the future blueline in Hamilton/Siegenthaler/Marino/L.Hughes/Nemec. At center the Devils are set for a long time at the top of the line up with Hughes and Hischier. These are the most difficult pieces for an NHL franchise to accumulate. There are always available wingers and available players for the bottom of a line-up.

Meier would be great -- and if I'm Fitzgerald I'm certainly willing to give up the 2023 1st rounder + Holtz + a bit more to get him. But if San Jose shows an unwillingness to move Meier in an even deal and demands an absurd return? Then Fitzgerald should walk away. The Devils are going in the right direction with or without Timo Meier. The Devils have a shot to make noise in the 2023 playoffs with or without Timo Meier.

Buchnevich is a legit target to spend 1st round pick. If he is available ofcourse. 3 playoff`s of legit top-6\3 player with good salary.
I hope Fitz will not spend 1st pick for Boeser because from everything I saw, Fitz understand the game and doesn`t like players like Boeser.

And I agree that Devils should save Mercer, Luke and Simon. And I believe they will.

And I agree that`s a good draft and we are not ready enoug to spend 1st for Boeser\Rico\etc.

 

[MakoSlade]

Aside from th obvious top picks (Bedard , Mitchkov , Fanitilli etc) , it feels good for it to be 10 days into February and not have to read this thread daily or look at scouting reports for the 2023 draft quite yet. If this was a normal Devils season of the past decade than we would be in here a ton more by December.

It's going to be sad not looking forward to the draft this year...but I think I'll get over it.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Buchnevich is a legit target to spend 1st round pick. If he is available ofcourse. 3 playoff`s of legit top-6\3 player with good salary.
I hope Fitz will not spend 1st pick for Boeser because from everything I saw, Fitz understand the game and doesn`t like players like Boeser.

And I agree that Devils should save Mercer, Luke and Simon. And I believe they will.

And I agree that`s a good draft and we are not ready enoug to spend 1st for Boeser\Rico\etc.

Buchnevich would actually be a very nice consolation prize if the Sharks won't trade Meier for a realistic return. Buchnevich is a heck of a player, and also scores a lot more greasy goals than people realize who don't watch St. Louis.

Anytime I see Nemec or Mercer in a trade proposal, I roll my eyes. People can be so detached from reality when they are stargazing. Mercer is better than Meier was at the same age, and it's certainly possible he's as good as Meier in a couple years. He can play center or wing, he can play multiple roles, he can kill penalties or play the power play, his motor never stops and his energy is infectious. He should be a key part of multiple New Jersey cup contenders, we should be considering him a core piece.

Boeser is just not that good, and he's not the type of player the Devils need. He's basically a trigger man with an otherwise average all-around game. Is this going to help the Devils with their one offensive weak-point -- scoring greasy goals off rebounds, screens and deflections? The Devils don't need "a top 6 winger", they need a certain kind of top 6 winger, an interior guy who's going to do his damage down low. Boeser is not even an upgrade for the top 6 over Tatar or Sharangovich, no strong GM like Fitzgerald is giving a 1st round pick for him.

Speaking of which, as much as I love Adam Henrique, I don't feel he's the 3C the Devils should aim for. The guy I would prefer is Boone Jenner, who is versatile enough to play C or W, while playing an extremely physical game with all of his strengths on the interior. Intra-divisional trades are tough, but it's easy to see the Blue Jackets being intrigued by a lot of young Devils forwards and prospects. Of course Jesper Boqvist comes to mind, but Foote or Clarke could also jump right into that Columbus roster and the Devils would not have to give up a 1st round pick or A-level prospect.

 

[forceten]

If St. Louis is rumored to be buying Meier, I doubt they move either of the two guys I'd love to grab on their team - Buchnevich for top 6, an interior player averaging 25 goals per 82 games, and Barbashev for bottom 6.

But I don't want to spent two firsts for Meier unless extended and even then maybe not. I won't consider Mercer at all. I won't consider Hughes or Nemec. I would consider Zetterlund but it would significantly reduce the rest of the package for me because we have a dearth of those players in our system/roster. I'd consider Casey or Mukhamadullin but again, that would reduce what else goes (other than the single first). I'd consider Sharangovich too, even though he's a top PK for us, but again it would reduce the rest of the haul but less than Zetterlund would.

So I'm thinking if Fitz sees it similarly and SJ is asking too much and STL has decided to be a buyer, I'm back to wondering what we can get in this draft.

 

[Guadana]

2023 Draft Profile:

C/RW Conor Bedard, Regina WHL
Let's get the obvious out of the way, right away. Conor Bedard was born to score. He was not born to score in the way most all-star athletes succeed at their sport. No, Conor Bedard was born to score in a similar vein to how Vincent Van Gogh was born to paint or how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born to compose music. Conor Bedard is an artist who quite simply creates offense out of seemingly thin air with such regularity he can only be described as "freakishly gifted".

You have to forgive anyone who writes about Bedard for opening with a litany of superlatives because, quite frankly, it's difficult to limit Bedard's abilities with normal, hockey-scouting vernacular. But if we're trying to write a scouting report of him like we would a normal human, we'd have to start with his greatest attribute, which is his shot.

Conor Bedard is an absolute maestro of shot creation and shot execution, at a level which might just be higher than any other player we have ever seen. He somehow both skates and stickhandles -- even in traffic -- with both his weight and hands positioned in such a way that he can execute a lightning-quick release at seemingly any moment in the puckhandling and skating process. This freakishly rare ability is abetted by the fact that we have never -- never -- seen a player with so many release points. He can execute a similarly elite release from far from his body, from his toes, from in between. He can execute an elite release from either leg, from motion or a standstill, from any direction, from forehand or backhand.

What does this mean? Well. There's really no way to defend a Conor Bedard, because if there's a two-inch gap between his defender and Bedard, Bedard will find the soft spot to angle his body or drag the puck before his defender is sure what is happening and -- with as quick a release as you will ever see -- laser his accurate, deadly laser towards whatever corner he picks.

How do we write about Conor Bedard the player, when we can literally write a 15-page dissertation alone on what makes his shooting special? Well, Bedard is also an incredible skater with elite edge work and elusiveness, he's also one of the best puck handlers I've ever witnessed, and he's also an elite passer. I mean, it's tough even to discuss logistically without falling back into the trap of superlative after superlative -- Conor Bedard was born to score.

This is not a player without warts. He gets caught watching on defense, and he likes to be given the puck in space to work his magic. This makes me think his NHL future might be as a RW, rather than C. He's not big at 5'10-180 and would prefer not to get hit, though I wouldn't call him soft by any means. He's always willing to take the puck towards the net, utilizing a litany of dekes to create the literal millimeters he requires to make a high danger scoring chance out of nothing from literally any angle imaginable.

I'm not sure what else to say, here. I've been writing about prospects for a very long time and have never seen one quite like Conor Bedard. I'd say if he "busts", he'll be a perennial 40-50 goal scorer. That's my low-water mark for Conor Bedard. His upside is ending a legendary career on the top 10 NHL all-time goal-scoring list. As such, we can call Conor Bedard "generational" and agree he's a shoo-in for the 1st overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft.

It`s time to find dimonds in the rough. Players who can be available in second-third-fourth-fifth round, but with hgiher potential. LIke Devils did with Bratt and Gritsyuk. Some will pan out, some will not, but for now Devils lost a lot of good depth pieces and they need to rebuild some parts of their depth pool.

 

[BxDevilsFan]

Alrighty guys, It's been a while but this season has been extremely fun. My question w/ no 1st or 2nd rd picks as of right now, who are targets for us in the 3rd rd and beyond.

 

[Bcap88]

Alrighty guys, It's been a while but this season has been extremely fun. My question w/ no 1st or 2nd rd picks as of right now, who are targets for us in the 3rd rd and beyond.

Devils have a second this year , no third or first

 

[Brodeur]

Updated Pronman rankings: 2023 NHL Draft ranking: Connor Bedard is still No. 1, but who has moved up?

I didn't know Case McCarthy's younger brother is in this draft. Pronman has him #30 and used Damon Severson as a comp.

 

[Forge]

Danny Nelson or Lind as a viable option in round 2?

 

[Blackjack]

Devils have a second this year , no third or first

I wonder if this is the year we skip the goalie pick, given how deep the system is and the lack of picks.

Hopefully we can grab a good prospect with the 2nd rounder and take some good swings with the mid and late round picks.