2023 NHL Entry Draft

[Lockin17]

Seems like Smith is a lock at the top 5 after the U18.
Perreault might go up a bit , top 15 maybe ??
Wood , Perreault , ASP or Barlow at #17 and i am a happy man, Barlow being my favorite one.

 

[Skip Bayless]

Popcorn man won't be there.

Probably not, but I did it for the hot take.

 

[phillytennis]

Seems like Smith is a lock at the top 5 after the U18.
Perreault might go up a bit , top 15 maybe ??
Wood , Perreault , ASP or Barlow at #17 and i am a happy man, Barlow being my favorite one.

I prefer Ethan Gauthier, Edouard Sale than Barlow.

 

[phillytennis]

I would take Michkov at 3 after Bedard and Carlson if Bobrov and the boys felt like they could get him over here. I really don’t care about the risk, I just want the best player. Won’t be mad at all if they take him and it doesn’t work out, but my job isn’t on the line so it’s pretty easy for me to say.

To me, the odds of Michkov playing in the NHL are somewhere around 80 percent and the odds of him being a superstar are around 80 percent, whereas any of the guys after the top 3, the chance of them being in the NHL is obviously close to 100 but I don’t see anyone other than Bedard/Michkov that I have absolute confidence in.

Drafting Michkov can turn out to be a wasted pick...not worth rolling the dice...I prefer Fantilli, Carlsson, Smith, Leonard or Reinbacher.

 

[Schooner Guy]

Combine meh

Draft is the key factor.

I'm sure NHL teams would want him to have a physical in North America after his knee injury delivered by Alexei Emelin last pre-season. Nobody's going to trust a doctor's note from St Petersburg, Russia.

 

[Kaladin]

Michkov or bust at 5 if he's available. I don't care if he comes to the combine or the draft. Give him a physical in Russia if you have too, I'm sure Molson can afford to send people out there.

All of you seem way too comfortable being the team that watches Michkov score 90+ points on another team a few years from now.

 

[Bombshell11]

Where would Mesar, Beck and Hutson rank this year?

Depends on what you're going to judge Mesar on. On the points alone? or are you going to take into consideration the amount of opportunities he created for his teammates which was abnormally high for any OHL player?

Mesar's potential is: 1st line / 1st PP line or he won't be able to play in the NHL.
He's missing body strength, a good shot and positional IQ without the puck.
Normal for his age coming off a different league. I think he's got the brains to fix all of this, this summer.

He's 100% a 1st round pick, top15 in my books
Beck remains a second, maybe third
Hutson, Top 10 obviously

 

[Blame the referee]

We should grab the American dynamic duo. Smith at 5 and Perreault at 17

 

[jrom]

After Smith's tournament he will be picked in the top 4 just because it will be simpler for NHL teams to do that vs going with the riskier choice of Michkov (actually making sure he gets here, media coverage, fanbase reaction + usual propect stuff).

Not saying it's warranted from a pure hockey point of view but after this tournament it's probably gonna be more controversial (for actual GMs) to pick Mitchov before Smith.

 

[Gravity]

I'd like Michal Hrabal. These POs have shown that if you can get a reliable starting 1G, you're set.

 

[Skip Bayless]

After Smith's tournament he will be picked in the top 4 just because it will be simpler for NHL teams to do that vs going with the riskier choice of Michkov (actually making sure he gets here, media coverage, fanbase reaction + usual propect stuff).

Not saying it's warranted from a pure hockey point of view but after this tournament it's probably gonna be more controversial (for actual GMs) to pick Mitchov before Smith.

He's going 3 or 4. If we stay at 5 Michkov will be available.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

He's going 3 or 4. If we stay at 5 Michkov will be available.

I don’t think we take Michkov. Think Dvorsky will be the 5th pick whether us or otherwise.

 

[Mrb1p]

Seems like Smith is a lock at the top 5 after the U18.
Perreault might go up a bit , top 15 maybe ??
Wood , Perreault , ASP or Barlow at #17 and i am a happy man, Barlow being my favorite one.

Smith isnt a lock at 5. Thats just casual viewers that mostly care about WJC and recency bias.

 

[Pazucha]

This fanbase would burn down Hughes house if he selects Dvorsky before Michkov / Smith

 

[NotProkofievian]

This fanbase would burn down Hughes house if he selects Dvorsky before Michkov / Smith

I have Michkov and Smith ahead of Dvorsky, but after the U18's, I've put my torch and pitchfork back into storage for the time being.

 

[Pazucha]

I have Michkov and Smith ahead of Dvorsky, but after the U18's, I've put my torch and pitchfork back into storage for the time being.

I am glad to hear that but most fans are not watching the U18s.

 

[NotProkofievian]

That being said, I would not at all be surprised if we went with Dvorsky. One quote from Bobrov sticks out in my mind, when he was talking about Owen Beck as a guy who ''just does stuff that wins cups.''

I thought that was a pretty dramatic thing to say about a guy who had just turned 18, but if he says it about Beck with his record at that point, he obviously thinks it about Dvo.

 

[Pazucha]

By the way remember how people were making fun of Slafkovsky because he dominated in a tournament against men from Denmark / Kazakhstan?

Now the same people want to draft Smith over Fantili / Carlsson / Michkov becauase he dominted against kids from Norway and Latvia on a stacked USA team.

 

[NotProkofievian]

By the way remember how people were making fun of Slafkovsky because he dominated in a tournament against men's from Denmark / Kazakhstan?

Now the same people want to draft Smith over Fantili / Carlsson / Michkov becuase he dominted against kids from Norway and Latvia on a stacked USA team.

It's a valid comment, IMO. The thing that I worry about with Dvorsky is not the player, it's what we'll do with him. Slafkovsky obviously had no business in the NHL this year, and I doubt they've learned their lesson. Dvorsky is responsible enough that he will hang, but IMO, the best thing would be to leave him in Europe for another season in hopes that he'll dominate this time around.

Slaf's Liiga production wasn't an anomaly, he just had work to do.

 

[Mrb1p]

I am glad to hear that but most fans are not watching the U18s.

What do you mean? Its literally the 2nd most watched prospect event.

Just take a look at how much louder the crowd got since the u18s started.

By the way remember how people were making fun of Slafkovsky because he dominated in a tournament against men from Denmark / Kazakhstan?

Now the same people want to draft Smith over Fantili / Carlsson / Michkov becauase he dominted against kids from Norway and Latvia on a stacked USA team.

Not that much of a fan of Smith but Smith produced literally everywhere.

 

[Pazucha]

Not that much of a fan of Smith but Smith produced literally everywhere.

My point is that the idea of a prospect (Smith) overtaking other prospects (Carlsson / Michkov / Fantilli ) that were producing against men all year after dominating kids on a tournament with average teams is very silly.

 

[Mrb1p]

My point is that the idea of a prospect (Smith) overtaking other prospects (Carlsson / Michkov / Fantilli ) that were producing against men all year after dominating kids on a tournament that with average teams is very silly.

It is for sure.

Very silly to have Slaf first after his two tournaments too.

 

[ReHabs]

Avoid Michkov....if he isn't in Buffalo for workout evaluations and draft day in Nashville.

He is 100% not going to be there

 

[26Mats]

He is 100% not going to be there

Why not?

 

[ReHabs]

Why not?

This year Russians going to the UN were not given visas on time — defying all norms of UN/international expectations — and last year Russian prospects abroad were not invited or allowed into the country either.

Doesn’t seem worth it for Michkov to try to come over for two different events. He’s a known commodity.

Of course I’d be happy to be proven wrong, if only for Michkov himself.