2023 NHL Entry Draft

[calder candidate]

He might still work for them as an amateur scout, but I think being directly hired by them ended a while ago, no ? Like before Bergevin was GM I believe.

Yes he work for them at some point so he might still have insider info even if TT isn’t there…

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

McCagg might be an old grump but he’s definitely called a bunch of Habs picks over the years. I remember him calling the McCarron pick which to me was absolutely wild as I had McCarron well outside my top 50 and think most did too.

 

[Goldenhands]

Recrutes' video breakdowns are excellent, so is their content on draft eligible prospects as well as Habs prospects coverage, I subscribed for the 1st time this year without much expectation and I dont regret it. People like to hate on McCagg for some reasons, but the guy still is a huge Habs fan himself who provides ton of solid content, no other combines draft eligible coverage + Habs prospects coverage like that. I'm not trying to promote their stuff, but people thinking he is trash because of 2-3 bad takes and the way he left this board should get over it. The guy also had some great takes and called ton of our picks and as I said, his video breakdowns are awesome.

I disagree with their Carlsson ranking, but they watch those kids much more than I do or anyone over here do, thats their job.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

McCagg might be an old grump but he’s definitely called a bunch of Habs picks over the years. I remember him calling the McCarron pick which to me was absolutely wild as I had McCarron well outside my top 50 and think most did too.

He also called every pick in the Scherbak draft... like each pick in the first 5 rounds

I can understand not liking him because of his personality or his scouting ability, but he always has a good read on who Montreal will pick and that has value to me as a fan

 

[BoneHutson]

The more games I watch, the more I realize this draft only possesses 5 truly elite talents (the unanimous top 4 + Benson). That's why this team must absolutely finish bottom 5 and ideally bottom 4 (8 pts behind ANA) to secure one of them. After those 5, there's like a group of 8-10 players who could all go 6th OA and we're not talking about players with elite potential imo.

Smith : Elite hands and can make superb plays from the point on the PP, but his skating is terrible (and so is his mechanic, which means he won't get much faster nor agile in the NHL) and his defensive play is non-existent most of the time (and its not like he's trying either). But what really bugs me is his effort level, I dont think Ive seen him win more than 1 board battle a game in the games Ive watched (and that's when he actually try to battle for the puck). I don't get why for some people, he's a clear top 6 guy. Id be hesitant to take him in the top 10 as we speak.

Moore : I like him more than Smith. Skating is elite and he works hard, but it's hard to imagine him becoming more than a 55-60pts 2-3 defensive C who's solid at zone exit/entry. He simply doesn't have the offensive skills (passing skills and shot) needed to be a 60+pts guy. I see both Smith and Moore as a halves of Logan Cooley as the later's got the hands of Smith while also having Moore's skating and intensity.

Leonard : He's the guy I like the most from the USNTDP. Skating, puck skills and defensive games are all solid + his shot is an absolute rocket (and he can use it in so many ways) and he's probably the guy who works the hardest in this draft alongside Benson imo. If we miss on the top 5, which I hope we don't, he's the guy Id like (as of now). We're talking about a 60pts 5'11'' power forward who's great at everything but not dynamic enough to be in the same conversation as Benson imo.

Reinbacher : I like him and I do believe he's got number second pairing Dmen written all over him, but as it's the case with many draft specialists, he doesn't display enough puck skills/offensive instinct to become the guy who'll play next to Guhle for the next 10 years. And honestly, I don't see why we should go for a D this year. We already have 4 young Dmen who are all absolute NHLer + Matheson who might be a 40+ pts dmen for the next 3 seasons + Hutson (I think he'll be a top 10 dmen one day), Mailloux (elite offense, poor hockey IQ, hard to say what he'll be, could play PP1 right away next season or spend two seasons in the A) and Engstrom (what a surprise he's been). That's 7 young players + Matheson (who might pull a Petry and be really good until his mid 30s).

Dvorsky : Poor skater, but really great hands + an elite shot to go along with a really mature defensive game, but as impressive as are his stats in the U20 and as hard as it is for a teen to play in a men's league (Allsv.), he just doesn't look that great. There's some flashes here and there, and he does a really great job on the half-wall on the PP, but other than that he's mostly invisible. Unfortunately, as of now, he just screams project to me with a greater chance than not of becoming a 3C (45-50pts) and we already have Beck for that imo (and taking that kind of player at that rank would be so meh).

Then there's the Barlow, Danielson, Yager and Sale, but honestly, I dont think any of them are really worth it in the top 7.

So, let's pray Farrell scores 10+pts and that Dach, Zuke and cie keeps on producing for the rest of the year, but that we lose all of our remaining games apart from the one against FLA.

Ending with a middle of the lineup player after the season we've had would be absolutely terrible.

 

[SlafySZN]

Can’t wait to see people lose their shit and the debates when Mccagg will start tweeting about who the habs likes at #5, #6 or #7 after the draft lottery.

My favorite thing of the summer! lol

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

The more games I watch, the more I realize this draft only possesses 5 truly elite talents (the unanimous top 4 + Benson). That's why this team must absolutely finish bottom 5 and ideally bottom 4 (8 pts behind ANA) to secure one of them. After those 5, there's like a group of 8-10 players who could all go 6th OA and we're not talking about players with elite potential imo.

Smith : Elite hands and can make superb plays from the point on the PP, but his skating is terrible (and so is his mechanic, which means he won't get much faster nor agile in the NHL) and his defensive play is non-existent most of the time (and its not like he's trying either). But what really bugs me is his effort level, I dont think Ive seen him win more than 1 board battle a game in the games Ive watched (and that's when he actually try to battle for the puck). I don't get why for some people, he's a clear top 6 guy. Id be hesitant to take him in the top 10 as we speak.

Moore : I like him more than Smith. Skating is elite and he works hard, but it's hard to imagine him becoming more than a 55-60pts 2-3 defensive C who's solid at zone exit/entry. He simply doesn't have the offensive skills (passing skills and shot) needed to be a 60+pts guy. I see both Smith and Moore as a halves of Logan Cooley as the later's got the hands of Smith while also having Moore's skating and intensity.

Leonard : He's the guy I like the most from the USNTDP. Skating, puck skills and defensive games are all solid + his shot is an absolute rocket (and he can use it in so many ways) and he's probably the guy who works the hardest in this draft alongside Benson imo. If we miss on the top 5, which I hope we don't, he's the guy Id like (as of now). We're talking about a 60pts 5'11'' power forward who's great at everything but not dynamic enough to be in the same conversation as Benson imo.

Reinbacher : I like him and I do believe he's got number second pairing Dmen written all over him, but as it's the case with many draft specialists, he doesn't display enough puck skills/offensive instinct to become the guy who'll play next to Guhle for the next 10 years. And honestly, I don't see why we should go for a D this year. We already have 4 young Dmen who are all absolute NHLer + Matheson who might be a 40+ pts dmen for the next 3 seasons + Hutson (I think he'll be a top 10 dmen one day), Mailloux (elite offense, poor hockey IQ, hard to say what he'll be, could play PP1 right away next season or spend two seasons in the A) and Engstrom (what a surprise he's been). That's 7 young players + Matheson (who might pull a Petry and be really good until his mid 30s).

Dvorsky : Poor skater, but really great hands + an elite shot to go along with a really mature defensive game, but as impressive as are his stats in the U20 and as hard as it is for a teen to play in a men's league (Allsv.), he just doesn't look that great. There's some flashes here and there, and he does a really great job on the half-wall on the PP, but other than that he's mostly invisible. Unfortunately, as of now, he just screams project to me with a greater chance than not of becoming a 3C (45-50pts) and we already have Beck for that imo (and taking that kind of player at that rank would be so meh).

Then there's the Barlow, Danielson, Yager and Sale, but honestly, I dont think any of them are really worth it in the top 7.

So, let's pray Farrell scores 10+pts and that Dach, Zuke and cie keeps on producing for the rest of the year, but that we lose all of our remaining games apart from the one against FLA.

Ending with a middle of the lineup player after the season we've had would be absolutely terrible.

Smith is a strong skater, calling his skating terrible is an abomination of an observation. You are conflating his delay game and pace with speed, he is absolutely faster than Benson. There are some areas of concern with Smith but skating is not one of them.

Dvorsky is not a burner but he is certainly not a poor skater as he as average speed but is impressive on his edges.

You are being influenced far too much by pace and are extrapolating faulty conclusions from it.

 

[BoneHutson]

Smith is a strong skater, calling his skating terrible is an abomination of an observation. You are conflating his delay game and pace with speed, he is absolutely faster than Benson. There are some areas of concern with Smith but skating is not one of them.

Dvorsky is not a burner but he is certainly not a poor skater as he as average speed but is impressive on his edges.

You are being influenced far too much by pace and are extrapolating faulty conclusions from it.

Benson is definitely a better skater. Not only is he better now, but his mechanic (ankle flexion, strides, etc.) is overall much better, meaning he'll only get faster as he gets stronger. Smith on the other hand abolutely doesn't have the same agility as Benson nor the same speed either (though the gap is less present than in terms of agility). And I don't think Smith is trying to delay the game or slow the pace of the game when he's skating back in his own zone at the about the same top speed as Hoffman in the same situation despite playing C (usually have to be the first F back). I can buy the Smith becoming a great player despite being a poor skater (tons of players are), but he's the most lazy player out of all the guys in the projected top 10 guys, and that doesn't projects well, especially for a C.

I think you're right on Dvorsky, I should have precised that his top speed is indeed great (despite a not so great acceleration). The problem, similarly to Smith, is his agility.

 

[HuGort]

Anybody seen SandinPellikka play? What size is he? My mock draft has him as 5'11-181lbs. While hockey db has him much smaller

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Benson is definitely a better skater. Not only is he better now, but his mechanic (ankle flexion, strides, etc.) is overall much better, meaning he'll only get faster as he gets stronger. Smith on the other hand abolutely doesn't have the same agility as Benson nor the same speed either (though the gap is less present than in terms of agility). And I don't think Smith is trying to delay the game or slow the pace of the game when he's skating back in his own zone at the about the same top speed as Hoffman in the same situation despite playing C (usually have to be the first F back). I can buy the Smith becoming a great player despite being a poor skater (tons of players are), but he's the most lazy player out of all the guys in the projected top 10 guys, and that doesn't projects well, especially for a C.

I think you're right on Dvorsky, I should have precised that his top speed is indeed great (despite a not so great acceleration). The problem, similarly to Smith, is his agility.

Smith's skating is far from perfect as I have noticed that he hasn't improved from last season but I think it is a strength issue. I agree that Benson appears to have an advantage on his edges but I think that Smith has the upper hand right now moving straight ahead, especially at the top end. Both players need to improve though.

 

[WeThreeKings]

bonus take for you too



Love him or hate him he still basically called the Habs 1st three picks this year, and has done the same in the past before

I mean, I had them looking at the same players for all 3 picks.

These dudes are taking Dvorsky 100 percent

Maybe with the Florida pick. Dvorsky isn't really seen as a top 7 guy.

 

[ReHabs]

Recrutes' video breakdowns are excellent, so is their content on draft eligible prospects as well as Habs prospects coverage, I subscribed for the 1st time this year without much expectation and I dont regret it. People like to hate on McCagg for some reasons, but the guy still is a huge Habs fan himself who provides ton of solid content, no other combines draft eligible coverage + Habs prospects coverage like that. I'm not trying to promote their stuff, but people thinking he is trash because of 2-3 bad takes and the way he left this board should get over it. The guy also had some great takes and called ton of our picks and as I said, his video breakdowns are awesome.

I disagree with their Carlsson ranking, but they watch those kids much more than I do or anyone over here do, thats their job.

He's extremely disingenuous and uncourteous. He gives off mega bad vibes, as they say. He doesn't seem to allow himself to admit error or mistake in judgement, he doesn't allow any room for doubt. No one can trust what he says -- and not many do.

In theory we'd all love to have a public facing, oft-posting knowledgeable hockey fan with ties to professional hockey and especially with ties to drafting and amateur hockey which many of us don't have the bandwidth to follow. But Grant has shown time and time again to have unreliable judgement -- the fact that he called some Habs picks is precisely the problem, the Habs have had awful judgement at the draft table for a long time too.

 

[morhilane]

Anybody seen SandinPellikka play? What size is he? My mock draft has him as 5'11-181lbs. While hockey db has him much smaller

Hockey db data might not have been updated with the latest values. If he shows up at the combine, we will get more accurate data too...

 

[Mrb1p]

Anybody seen SandinPellikka play? What size is he? My mock draft has him as 5'11-181lbs. While hockey db has him much smaller

Sub 6 18x lbs

 

[MonkeyBusiness]

These dudes are taking Dvorsky 100 percent

Such predictions are worthless when we don't even know where we'll be drafting.

 

[le_sean]

These dudes are taking Dvorsky 100 percent

I just don’t see it happening unless they are completely unconvinced of Dach as a centre.

 

[Michoulicious]

A player that intrigues me is Sandin-Pellika.

I was REALLY impressed about how he performed at U20 as a 17 y old defenseman. This kid could qualify still in 2 other U20s.

Being an underager like this as a defenseman is more impressive than as a forward IMO. His coach seemed to trust him a lot, which is a great sign.

I think there was some hype after U20s, and now people are sleeping on him since he got back to Sweden... He's frail, but Karlsson was as well. Not saying he's Karlsson, but we have to respect the way he performed against the best U20s in the world as a 17 y old.

I think he went from overhyped to underhyped. I really don't see the Harris comparison; Harris was nowhere near U20 WJC level at 17.

 

[le_sean]

He also called every pick in the Scherbak draft... like each pick in the first 5 rounds

I can understand not liking him because of his personality or his scouting ability, but he always has a good read on who Montreal will pick and that has value to me as a fan

There was one year that it was very obvious that Timmins showed Grant his hand to help an old friend start up his scouting website.

But I don’t think this most recent list is indicative of the Habs list. I can’t see a team with Hughes as GM not having any of the US guys in their Top 10. I also can’t imagine a team that traded a 13th overall pick for a centre, drafted Beck early 2nd round, and are heavily rumoured to be acquiring PLD, will take Dvorsky/Danielson in the Top 10. To go through another season of pain and not even plug an organizational hole with your Top 10 pick will make me quite upset.

 

[FrankMTL]

There were some years McCagg basically called all the picks from inside info. The Sergachev pick I don't think he had and definitely not the Mailloux pick.

Wouldn't be surprised if last year Timmins had some info still from his former cronies with loose lips still employed by the Habs. Then Timmins throws a bone to McCagg for some crazy reason.

With Timmins now a part of the CBJ staff you'd think that would stop.

He didn't have the Guhle pick either, i'm pretty sure about that.

 

[WeThreeKings]

A player that intrigues me is Sandin-Pellika.

I was REALLY impressed about how he performed at U20 as a 17 y old defenseman. This kid could qualify still in 2 other U20s.

Being an underager like this as a defenseman is more impressive than as a forward IMO. His coach seemed to trust him a lot, which is a great sign.

I think there was some hype after U20s, and now people are sleeping on him since he got back to Sweden... He's frail, but Karlsson was as well. Not saying he's Karlsson, but we have to respect the way he performed against the best U20s in the world as a 17 y old.

I think he went from overhyped to underhyped. I really don't see the Harris comparison; Harris was nowhere near U20 WJC level at 17.

ASP has been so pedestrian since the WJCs.. his stock has dropped and I believe, rightfully so, he got too hyped for his WJC play.. he's not really elite anywhere and not big for a defenseman.

 

[Michoulicious]

ASP has been so pedestrian since the WJCs.. his stock has dropped and I believe, rightfully so, he got too hyped for his WJC play.. he's not really elite anywhere and not big for a defenseman.

He's an awesome skater and IMO has the best hands for a D in the draft.

Biggest problem is his physical play, size and his shot from distance, but the shot is still pretty good.

I mean, look at those shootout goals (1m20s) and tell me this is not elite level hands, especially for a D.

 

[WinterLion]

Can’t wait to see people lose their shit and the debates when Mccagg will start tweeting about who the habs likes at #5, #6 or #7 after the draft lottery.

My favorite thing of the summer! lol

Never fails. He falls in love with weird guys...

 

[Mrb1p]

A player that intrigues me is Sandin-Pellika.

I was REALLY impressed about how he performed at U20 as a 17 y old defenseman. This kid could qualify still in 2 other U20s.

Being an underager like this as a defenseman is more impressive than as a forward IMO. His coach seemed to trust him a lot, which is a great sign.

I think there was some hype after U20s, and now people are sleeping on him since he got back to Sweden... He's frail, but Karlsson was as well. Not saying he's Karlsson, but we have to respect the way he performed against the best U20s in the world as a 17 y old.

I think he went from overhyped to underhyped. I really don't see the Harris comparison; Harris was nowhere near U20 WJC level at 17.

He lacks shooting and creativity to be an offensive D. His hands and skating pair really well, but hes basically built as a QH clone without the ++ playmaking and speed.

Hes a 15-25 range guy, theres just too many great players ahead.

 

[Benstheman]

Don't see much scouting reports on Connor Bedard around here...

 

[Mrb1p]

Don't see much scouting reports on Connor Bedard around here...

Because there's nothing to say