Prospect Info: 2023 NHL Draft

[LTCPain75]

I'm done pouring thru mock drafts. Not much is changing at this point. All hail CMac

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[Bender]

Alright so here are my impressions from this draft class :

My Favourites from the 1st round (excluding the Top-5) :
Ritchie, C -> reminds me of Eichel though not as dynamic
Willander, RD -> reminds me of Doughty
Barlow, LW -> reminds me of Meier

Not really seeing it from these 1st round projected players :
Heidt, LW -> not of fan of this player at all - plays seem to die on his stick a lot.
Musty, LW -> his speed looks average for the OHL - it's going to need to improve A LOT
Cristall, LW -> just not impressed with his game at all

Rest of the 1st round guys :
Smith, C -> reminds me of an 18 year old Claude Giroux / same kind of playmaking ability
Wood, RW -> reminds me of Alex Tuch
Edstrom, C -> reminds me of an 18 year old Lars Eller
Dragicevic, RD -> reminds me of Kevin Bieksa
Perreault, LW -> a lot of skill but I'm not sure it translates...

Alright, now for the FUN part...

My favouirte players who are probably underated/ranked oustide the 1st round :

Juraj Pekarvic, LW -> My favourite prospect who is ranked outside the 1st round. I love this kid and I won't be surprised if he's a late 1st/early 2nd round pick despite the 3rd round pick ranking. Good size, good hockey IQ. Great wheels with breakaway speed. Has some bite to his game. Also one of the youngest players in this draft class. NHL Comparable : Riley Smith

Cameron Allen, RD -> he went from being probably WAY overrated to start the year to now, in my opinion underrated as we arrive at the draft. He's a really good skater and puck mover even if the offense hasn't really kicked in. NHL Comparable : Matt Dumba (in terms of skill-set and not in terms of being a shithead)

Carson Rehkopf, LW -> may not have Top-6 potential but could end up a pretty serviceable 3rd line winger. He's got good speed, good size and plays with energy. Don't mind mixing it up and being a pain to play against. I like him. NHL Comparable : Jordan Martinook

Andrew Gibson, RD -> has a solid, yet unspectacular game but can move the puck very well. The kind of player that flies under the radar and at some point you just notice that he's been pretty damn good. NHL Comparable : John Marino

Gracyn Sawchyn, C -> 5'11" and 155lbs is going to make a lot of teams think twice before picking this guy but it's not from lack of skill. He's got fantastic vision, hockey IQ and puck control. He's a fantastic passer and offensive player. If he was 6'1" - 190lbs he'd be a sure-fire 1st round pick. If he can add some muscle to his frame, I think he'd be a great gamble... he's going to put up a ton of points in the next 2 years in the WHL. NHL Comparable : Matt Barzal (Giant Tiger Edition)

Nick Lardis, LW -> He's a shoot first ask questions later kind of player. He put up 25 goals in 33 games after a mid-season trade to Hamilton. If he pans out, I think he'd be a middle-6 scoring winger in the mold of Jake Guentzel but I don't think he'll end up that good. Then again, Guentzel was a 3rd round pick himself. NHL Comparable : Jake Guentzel (Ali Express version)

Mathieu Cataford, RW -> I found that there wasn't really much flash to his game but I really like guys that work their butts off and have a combination of skill and that to me is who this guy is. He's a solid all-around player that should make it as a middle-6 winger. NHL Comparable : Bryan Rust

Tristan Bertucci, LD -> Really like the way this guy skates and distributes the puck. He's got some really good **puck poise** !!! He's got some pretty good offensive ability but I think his all-around game is what makes him such an intriguing prospect to me. NHL Comparable : Alec Martinez

Later round picks possibilities :

Angus MacDonnell, C -> Probably only has 4th line upside but I like his energy. He reminds me of Stephane Yelle in a lot of ways.

Carey Terrance, F -> He could be a higher pick if someone really likes him but in the later rounds, this is the kind of player the Avs should target if he's still there. High energy player who can really skate.

Well that's it - it's not much and I'm not really sure on anything apart from Pekarcik, I'm really convinced that kid is going to be really good.

Enjoy!

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[UncleRisto]

I kinda like that. If only the Coyotes weren't such a (desert) dogshit organization.

 

[Balthazar]

They have more people working for them that I imagined. That's where the Yotes staff sleep tonight:

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Going to close this thread for now, we have a live thread going for the draft.