2023 NHL Entry Draft

[Draft]

He's 19th on my list. He is a decent option at 15. I do see a clear separation between 18 and 17 though, so Id be pissed if he was the pick.

1) Connor Bedard (RC/RW, Canada, Regina WHL)

2) Matvei Michkov (RW, Russia, SKA St. Petersburg VHL)

3) Adam Fantilli (LC, Canada, Michigan NCAA)

4) Leo Carlsson (LC, Sweden, Orebro SHL)

5) David Reinbacher (RD, Austria, Kloten NL)

6) Zach Benson (LW, Canada, Winnipeg WHL)

7) Andrew Cristall (LW/RW, Canada, Kelowna WHL)

8) Will Smith (RC, USA, NTDP U18)

9) Riley Heidt (LW, Canada, Prince George WHL)

10) Matthew Wood (RW, Canada, Connecticut NCAA)

11) Dalibor Dvorsky (LC/LW, Slovakia, AIK Allsvenskan)

12) Colby Barlow (LW, Canada, Owen Sound OHL)

13) Brayden Yager (RC, Canada, Moose Jaw WHL)

14) Ryan Leonard (RW, USA, NTDP U18)

15) Eduard Sale (RW, Czechia, Kometa Brno Czechia)

16) Samuel Honzek (LW/LC, Slovakia, Vancouver WHL)

17) Nate Danielson (RW, Canada, Brandon WHL)

18) Quentin Musty (LW, USA, Sudbury OHL)

19) Lukas Dragicevic (RD, Canada, Tri-City WHL)

20) Alexander Rykov (RW, Russia, Chelmet Chelyabinsk VHL)

Theres a lot of separation between 17-18. He is simply not in the tier of player I'd be looking to add, even though I like him. To me, if the Habs really want a defender it's either, add another mid-round pick (Anderson.), grab your D in the 2nd or pick Reinbacher.

Right now we'd be picking Cristall and Sale according to my list. Much sexier than grabbing Dragicevic.
The more sensible option, of course, is to do Reinbacher and one of the 6-17 forwards. With that said, Sale and Cristall does give the Habs two giga-tickets at a star player, one that is usually not available with two picks between 7 and 15. That would be like picking Boldy and Caufield in one draft. Could be franchise-altering in a similar way to Fantili/Carlsson+wtv.

Personally, I'd put 16/17/18/19 into a tier with Danielson at the bottom. I've only seen Musty in international games, but from what I've read the IQ just doesn't match the skillset and he's prone to taking his foot off the gas.

Honzek is a huge project, big upside. I like him a lot. If you think he'll end up in the middle, he could be a guy to take a chance on. Haven't seen him live, but I've heard really good things.

IMO Danielson is vanilla and doesn't have high-end offensive upside. Plays quick and does well in traffic but limited vision and skillset. Great pick up if you want a middle-6 player, but I don't think I'd project him as more than that. Saw him live and while he's a good player, I wasn't that impressed given the potential offensive upside of some the guys in this range.

Honzek/Musty/Dragicevic all have holes/growth required in their games but big upside. I'd consider need if choosing in that group. Sale is a clear tier above though.

 

[Mrb1p]

McKenzie's rankings, while giving a good idea of the Hockey World's insight, still isn't entirely accurate as it doesn't track all the teams' scouting ideas. In recent history for example, off the top of my head, his list had Seider ranked 16th and Mateychuk 24th and they both respectively went 6th and 12th. I'm positive there are other cases. In my opinion, all the published draft rankings go into the trash the moment we're past 1st overall.



I feel like his creativity has been showing more and more as the season went along especially when it comes to picking his shooting. He's got good enough edgework and vision to fake shoot/pass and to force the opponent to turn their back away from the play or move their stick away from the shooting lanes, and he can make crisp and accurate passes up front. He's not flashy but I believe that he's very effective on the offense, especially in puck retrieval situations and off the rush.

I don't think that he's a future bonafide QB on the PP and his shot isn't elite but he can still make it work from my viewings.

Then again, maybe that I'm seeing more than what he really is. That's part of the fun in scouting players, I suppose. I'm not even sure yet that he's my guy for the Habs around 6 or 7, but he's up there for me.

I think his shot is entirely elite. Hes got great mechanics on all of them and will just add as he gets stronger and heavier.

 

[Cubebrick]

I think his shot is entirely elite. Hes got great mechanics on all of them and will just add as he gets stronger and heavier.

I find that his shot on its own has room for growth and is perhaps the weakest part of his game (it's no muffin either), which I don't even see as a weakness at all to be honest since he makes it very practical with his overall offensive instincts and how he's able to squeeze it through. That to me is a sign of an effective player.

Many have an elite shot/skill and make it unreliable or irrelevant.

 

[bcv]

Bob MacKenzie's draft rankings is a consensus from a group of NHL scouts. In his February rankings, he had Reinbacher at 20.
It seems wrong to pick him between 5--8.
If he's still available with our Florida pick...maybe...it depends who is still available.

The only McKenzie list that matters is his final one before the draft.

 

[jaffy27]

McKenzie's rankings, while giving a good idea of the Hockey World's insight, still isn't entirely accurate as it doesn't track all the teams' scouting ideas. In recent history for example, off the top of my head, his list had Seider ranked 16th and Mateychuk 24th and they both respectively went 6th and 12th. I'm positive there are other cases. In my opinion, all the published draft rankings go into the trash the moment we're past 1st overall.



I feel like his creativity has been showing more and more as the season went along especially when it comes to picking his shooting. He's got good enough edgework and vision to fake shoot/pass and to force the opponent to turn their back away from the play or move their stick away from the shooting lanes, and he can make crisp and accurate passes up front. He's not flashy but I believe that he's very effective on the offense, especially in puck retrieval situations and off the rush.

I don't think that he's a future bonafide QB on the PP and his shot isn't elite but he can still make it work from my viewings.

Then again, maybe that I'm seeing more than what he really is. That's part of the fun in scouting players, I suppose. I'm not even sure yet that he's my guy for the Habs around 6 or 7, but he's up there for me.

Rankings on Moritz Seider…

SB NATION 24th
Sporting News 18th
McKeen’s 15th
Bob McKenzie 16th
Button 26th
Hockey News 15th
ISS 17th
ESPN 15th
Future Considerations 26th
Consentino 24th
Pronman 22nd
Scott Wheeler out of top 31

You can think what you may of these rankers, none had Seider inside 15. I think it’s safe to say that it was a reach at the time for Detroit and a good one at that.

 

[Adam Michaels]

 

[Mrb1p]

Will Connor be there like Connor was?

 

[Adam Michaels]

Will Connor be there like Connor was?

100%. Will be curious if he'll have the same non-reaction like Connor did when Oilers won that lottery.

 

[Mrb1p]

100%. Will be curious if he'll have the same non-reaction like Connor did when Oilers won that lottery.

Connor B has a lot more personality than Connor A, so probably not.

 

[le_sean]

Rankings on Moritz Seider…

SB NATION 24th
Sporting News 18th
McKeen’s 15th
Bob McKenzie 16th
Button 26th
Hockey News 15th
ISS 17th
ESPN 15th
Future Considerations 26th
Consentino 24th
Pronman 22nd
Scott Wheeler out of top 31

You can think what you may of these rankers, none had Seider inside 15. I think it’s safe to say that it was a reach at the time for Detroit and a good one at that.

Big physical RDs will always be a lot higher on NHL scout lists than public scout lists. It’s just the reality of the NHL. And if it’s a big physical RD that has puck moving capabilities like Reinbacher, you better be prepared for him to go Top 5-7, like Seider. Not only are you banking on them to possibly get better, they just continuously have high value. Even if they “fail”, someone around the league will always want to take a shot. Look at Luke Schenn. How tf is he traded for a 3rd rounder in 2023?

 

[KevSkillz4]

Big physical RDs will always be a lot higher on NHL scout lists than public scout lists. It’s just the reality of the NHL. And if it’s a big physical RD that has puck moving capabilities like Reinbacher, you better be prepared for him to go Top 5-7, like Seider. Not only are you banking on them to possibly get better, they just continuously have high value. Even if they “fail”, someone around the league will always want to take a shot. Look at Luke Schenn. How tf is he traded for a 3rd rounder in 2023?

To me, if Habs miss a top 6 pick, David Reinbacher will be a great consolation prize at 7-9 range. Why not? he have potential to become a top pairing RD. Still great forward available with Panthers pick will be there anyway.

 

[Cubebrick]

Rankings on Moritz Seider…

SB NATION 24th
Sporting News 18th
McKeen’s 15th
Bob McKenzie 16th
Button 26th
Hockey News 15th
ISS 17th
ESPN 15th
Future Considerations 26th
Consentino 24th
Pronman 22nd
Scott Wheeler out of top 31

You can think what you may of these rankers, none had Seider inside 15. I think it’s safe to say that it was a reach at the time for Detroit and a good one at that.

Sure it was in the public eye. However, the point was that McKenzie's list sort of gives you an idea of what a limited amount of NHL scouts think but that even then it's not gospel.

Personally, and I don't mean to come across as snooty here, I don't value any public rankings all that high. They are fun matter for comparison and I do enjoy some of their content but the big majority of them are armchair scouts just as much as any of us here.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

Sure it was in the public eye. However, the point was that McKenzie's list sort of gives you an idea of what a limited amount of NHL scouts think but that even then it's not gospel.

Personally, and I don't mean to come across as snooty here, I don't value any public rankings all that high. They are fun matter for comparison and I do enjoy some of their content but the big majority of them are armchair scouts just as much as any of us here.

I think the most eye opening examples is when their assessment of individual attributes can be quite off the mark from reality.

Pronman is probably the largest culprit, at least visibly, and I think his rankings skewed not only because he hasn't studied certain players that much (which to be fair, is impossible to do for busy individuals on their own, that's why teams employ regional scouts) but also because he probably needs to weigh the individual scores so that the associated player's overall profile conveniently matches the ranking.

 

[Mrb1p]

I think the most eye opening examples is when their assessment of individual attributes can be quite off the mark from reality.

Pronman is probably the largest culprit, at least visibly, and I think his rankings skewed not only because he hasn't studied certain players that much (which to be fair, is impossible to do for busy individuals on their own, that's why teams employ regional scouts) but also because he probably needs to weigh the individual scores so that the associated player's overall profile conveniently matches the ranking.

I have a full time job and I study geophysics full time, yet I have time to "scout" and share my thoughts. Theres no excuse for Pronman.

 

[Hins77]

Big physical RDs will always be a lot higher on NHL scout lists than public scout lists. It’s just the reality of the NHL. And if it’s a big physical RD that has puck moving capabilities like Reinbacher, you better be prepared for him to go Top 5-7, like Seider. Not only are you banking on them to possibly get better, they just continuously have high value. Even if they “fail”, someone around the league will always want to take a shot. Look at Luke Schenn. How tf is he traded for a 3rd rounder in 2023?

Yeah, cause GM knows that they are just impossible to acquire via a trade and this fact become frustrating. The last one whose been trade been, Seth Jones, pretty sure Chicago regret that transaction.

 

[sheed36]

Cosentino's March draft ranking which came out today.

Sportsnet's 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: March Edition

Sam Cosentino shares his latest ranking of the top 32 prospects for the deep 2023 NHL draft class.

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[Toene]

I've seen quite a bit of him, and this board is sleeping on Dragicevic.

Great tools, good frame, good shot, smart plays at both ends, and loads of room for growth. Was a forward until a couple years ago and shows a lot of willingness to move up in the play. Fast, smart, and calm from what I've seen. I like that he's not trying to beat guys 1v1 offensively or rely too heavily on any single aspect of his game. Instead, he uses a lot of give and gos, gets his shot on net consistently, and just plain moves the puck. Very agile skater with an active stick - closes gaps and gets in lanes quickly. He's leading his team in points by a sizeable margin (over a PPG in the WHL) and facilitates a lot of good plays while he's on the ice. I see a very translatable skillset to the pros. On the other hand, not overly physical despite his good size and doesn't play a super flashy game. Despite pretty consistent reads but he's still refining his defensive game. Lots of growth potential here.

I think we see him rise before the draft. If he's available at 12 and we've missed out on Reinbacher, Dragicevic should be considered IMO.

I wouldnt mind grabbing him with the FLA pick if he's available.

 

[Cubebrick]

Pronman is probably the largest culprit, at least visibly, and I think his rankings skewed not only because he hasn't studied certain players that much (which to be fair, is impossible to do for busy individuals on their own, that's why teams employ regional scouts) but also because he probably needs to weigh the individual scores so that the associated player's overall profile conveniently matches the ranking.

I've stopped reading Pronman a long time ago since I found that several of his scouting reports were borderline cases of misinformation. Having different readings on a prospect's game or upside happens and can lead to healthy debates but it happened too often when I seriously wondered if he even watched some of them play at all.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I've stopped reading Pronman a long time ago since I found that several of his scouting reports were borderline cases of misinformation. Having different readings on a prospect's game or upside happens and can lead to healthy debates but it happened too often when I seriously wondered if he even watched some of them play at all.

Yeah he will list a weakness as a strength or a strength as a weakness. Then he will use one reason to rank someone high but the same type of prospect will have it held against them

 

[Jaynki]

Cosentino's March draft ranking which came out today.

Sportsnet's 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: March Edition

Sam Cosentino shares his latest ranking of the top 32 prospects for the deep 2023 NHL draft class.

www.sportsnet.ca

No Jayden Perron.

What are the opinions here about Perron? I would like him if he was available with our 2nd rd pick. Although he is another smallish winger.

 

[Jaynki]

Would you guys pass on Leonard, Barlow or Moore if Michkov was still available ? I don't think i would.

 

[Addik04]

I have a full time job and I study geophysics full time, yet I have time to "scout" and share my thoughts. Theres no excuse for Pronman.

What is "scouting" for you? How many games do you see in a year?

 

[BeliveauFan4ever]

I'm a little worried for Celebrini committing to BU next year. He'll be 17 all season, I'm sure he can keep up with the play, but has the recipe to become an off ice disaster.

Sounds like a future star - for AC Milan.

I have a full time job and I study geophysics full time, yet I have time to "scout" and share my thoughts. Theres no excuse for Pronman.

Not familiar with Danielson. He’s in his 3rd WHL season.

What separates him from Calum Ritchie, IYO?

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Would you guys pass on Leonard, Barlow or Moore if Michkov was still available ? I don't think i would.

Me, who doesn't follow nearly as much as others... that's an easy yes

 

[le_sean]

Would you guys pass on Leonard, Barlow or Moore if Michkov was still available ? I don't think i would.

Yes quite easily.