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2023 NHL Entry Draft

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Pompeius Magnus said:

Preliminary Top 50 for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft

It's time for my first official ranking for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. I say official because I release a preseason ranking in the summer (wh...
ohlprospects.blogspot.com ohlprospects.blogspot.com

Brock Otten's first 2023 ranking for the OHL draft hopefuls was posted yesterday. Lots of interesting guys in that crop, although no real true elite prospect.
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I laughed at his 1st sentence about Ritchie, and having concerns about his offensive contributions. I defended him earlier in the year, but right now he's pretty invisible at the offensive end. He has a lot of tools, but isn't showing the will or creativity to impact at the offensive end.

He was great during the playoffs last year, but this is a kid whose motor definitely turns on and off game to game.
 
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MarkovsKnee said:
I laughed at his 1st sentence about Ritchie, and having concerns about his offensive contributions. I defended him earlier in the year, but right now he's pretty invisible at the offensive end. He has a lot of tools, but isn't showing the will or creativity to impact at the offensive end.

He was great during the playoffs last year, but this is a kid whose motor definitely turns on and off game to game.
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Barlow is looking a lot more exciting as a prospect, not gonna lie.
 
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Pompeius Magnus said:
Barlow is looking a lot more exciting as a prospect, not gonna lie.
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Ritchie is falling off a cliff right now. It's crazy to watch after a terrific rookie season, and a really strong playoffs last Spring.

He has 5 pts in his last 12 games & is currently on a 5 game pointless streak. That's not 1st rounder production. Worse is, he's absolutely invisible right now too. He's just a number out there. Last 3 games I've watched him, it's like, "Ritchie - where you at?" Kid needs to pick it up big time.

I still like my Timo Meier comparison for Barlow. He's definitely on my "want list."
 
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MarkovsKnee said:
Ritchie is falling off a cliff right now. It's crazy to watch after a terrific rookie season, and a really strong playoffs last Spring.

He has 5 pts in his last 12 games & is currently on a 5 game pointless streak. That's not 1st rounder production. Worse is, he's absolutely invisible right now too. He's just a number out there. Last 3 games I've watched him, it's like, "Ritchie - where you at?" Kid needs to pick it up big time.

I still like my Timo Meier comparison for Barlow. He's definitely on my "want list."
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I like Barlow more than Ritchie. With that said, Barlow seems to have the same problem as Anderson, he really struggles with hand-eye coordination, I find. Havent seen him deke himself out (or heck, even into) trouble, i havent really seen him get off fast pucks off passes, I havent seen him handle it too much at speed. Hes clearly a NHL player though, but the line is pretty fine between Andy and Meier IMO.

Only 4 games in on Barlow so take this with a grain of salt but its my early observations.
 
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MarkovsKnee said:
I laughed at his 1st sentence about Ritchie, and having concerns about his offensive contributions. I defended him earlier in the year, but right now he's pretty invisible at the offensive end. He has a lot of tools, but isn't showing the will or creativity to impact at the offensive end.

He was great during the playoffs last year, but this is a kid whose motor definitely turns on and off game to game.
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Bad year to not show up, there are so many forwards who are crushing it.
 
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NotProkofievian said:
Yes, I was making a joke, because you liked him a lot going into the season lol.
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1668447971384.png
 
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WeThreeKings said:
Top 5 seems pretty high but I was super high on Ostlund myself.. so based on who they ended up selecting and the types of players they were looking at.. I think I like the new scouting regime/philosophy thus far.
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Eh, maybe I shouldn't be skeptical, but I'm taking it with a grain of salt and waiting for a second source to confirm the info since he uses "maybe", "apparently", "according to rumors". Also Brunet was simping hard for Ostlund and kept bringing him up after he watched the U18 (I liked him a lot as well), and he tends to include prospects that he really likes in articles, post-draft.

To be fair, I could be wrong and his hype originated from what he's heard from the staff.
 
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WeThreeKings said:
We'd have to be a playoff team before considering Barlow or Heidt. They are 20s prospects.
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Barlow is firmly top 15, Heidt possibly as well.

To be honest I'm not sure where people began to sour on Heidt. He was drafted 2nd overall to Bedard in the WHL (ahead of Yager 3rd), had a great D-1, an impressive Hlinka and is now 8th in WHL scoring. He looks eerily like Suzuki when I watch him play. I don't get it.

In fact the entire 2nd tier of WHL prospects are being slept on. Cristall, Heidt, Ziemmer, Dragicevic may all be top 15 when all is said and done. I need to start watching Honzek as well. This is the league to keep tabs on for the year.

Time to start moving Ritchie, Stenberg, Stramel, Allen, Halttunen down draft boards.
 
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Playmaker09 said:
Barlow is firmly top 15, Heidt possibly as well.

To be honest I'm not sure where people began to sour on Heidt. He was drafted 2nd overall to Bedard in the WHL (ahead of Yager 3rd), had a great D-1, an impressive Hlinka and is now 8th in WHL scoring. He looks eerily like Suzuki when I watch him play. I don't get it.

In fact the entire 2nd tier of WHL prospects are being slept on. Cristall, Heidt, Ziemmer, Dragicevic may all be top 15 when all is said and done. I need to start watching Honzek as well. This is the league to keep tabs on for the year.

Time to start moving Ritchie, Stenberg, Stramel, Allen, Halttunen down draft boards.
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I've already moved them all down.. particularly Stramel and Halttunen. I just don't see it with those guys, they are big with some tools but they are so ineffective.

I don't know if Barlow is firmly top 15, I do like Heidt.. but he does look more smarts over skills. Barlow is a good finisher, he's got good size, but he looks like solidly above average but no real elite skills and in a draft like this, there's a lot of players with an elite skill over him.
 
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Playmaker09 said:
Barlow is firmly top 15, Heidt possibly as well.

To be honest I'm not sure where people began to sour on Heidt. He was drafted 2nd overall to Bedard in the WHL (ahead of Yager 3rd), had a great D-1, an impressive Hlinka and is now 8th in WHL scoring. He looks eerily like Suzuki when I watch him play. I don't get it.

In fact the entire 2nd tier of WHL prospects are being slept on. Cristall, Heidt, Ziemmer, Dragicevic may all be top 15 when all is said and done. I need to start watching Honzek as well. This is the league to keep tabs on for the year.

Time to start moving Ritchie, Stenberg, Stramel, Allen, Halttunen down draft boards.
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All 2023 prospects in the top 15!


Wait...
 
WeThreeKings said:
I've already moved them all down.. particularly Stramel and Halttunen. I just don't see it with those guys, they are big with some tools but they are so ineffective.

I don't know if Barlow is firmly top 15, I do like Heidt.. but he does look more smarts over skills. Barlow is a good finisher, he's got good size, but he looks like solidly above average but no real elite skills and in a draft like this, there's a lot of players with an elite skill over him.
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Barlow is more 20-40, I'm fully expecting some WJC / January-April swings, injuries etc. A guy like Barlow isn't super special offensively, he's more a mix of size and skill that's interesting and valuable. In a year like this year, with so many really skilled players, it might be the case that the "mixed" guys won't do as well as usual unless their mix makes them truly effective. Since Barlow won't have access to the WJC, he'll need to shine in the playoffs to make a case to go top 15-20. Heidt is in the same category but with IQ instead of size. The issue for Barlow/Heidt is guys like Crystal, Benson, Stenberg, Woods etc. guys with bigger pro edges than they have. Woods or Barlow??! eeee, like no contest?

Haltunen needs to dramatically improve his shooting to be in the top 45. I think Musty will go much higher as a useful Anderson-like. Stramel is so hard to put a sticker on, frustrating player.

I'm not on the Will Smith Bandwagon thus far....classic national dev team bubble developing again. I'm expecting it every year now.
 
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SOLR said:
All 2023 prospects in the top 15!


Wait...
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I mean...

Bedard
Michkov
Carlsson
Fantilli

Yager
Dvorsky
Sale
Benson

Smith
Cristall
Heidt
Barlow
Ritchie
Leonard
Ziemmer
Dragicevic

That would probably be my top 16 (non-playoff) if I had to pick today. I don't think anyone is egregiously missing from that list.
 
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Playmaker09 said:
I mean...

Bedard
Michkov
Carlsson
Fantilli

Yager
Dvorsky
Sale
Benson

Smith
Cristall
Heidt
Barlow
Ritchie
Leonard
Ziemmer
Dragicevic

That would probably be my top 16 (non-playoff) if I had to pick today. I don't think anyone is egregiously missing from that list.
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Woods, many Europeans will bubble up at the WJC, Gauthier, Musty

Ds: Allen, Price, Guyayev, Pelikka, Molendyk

Gs: Bja, Hrabal

lots of hockey to be played for that 3rd group, and preferences/needs will play a lot.
 
SOLR said:
Woods, many Europeans will bubble up at the WJC, Gauthier, Musty

Ds: Allen, Price, Guyayev, Pelikka, Molendyk

Gs: Bja, Hrabal

lots of hockey to be played for that 3rd group, and preferences/needs will play a lot.
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No doubt, but that's exactly what I'm trying to say.

I can see a path to the top 15 for any one of those players. It's not like it's blocked off by a group of prospects that are insurmountable.

There's a top 8, and then everything else is up for grabs.
 
Playmaker09 said:
I mean...

Bedard
Michkov
Carlsson
Fantilli

Yager
Dvorsky
Sale
Benson

Smith
Cristall
Heidt
Barlow
Ritchie
Leonard
Ziemmer
Dragicevic

That would probably be my top 16 (non-playoff) if I had to pick today. I don't think anyone is egregiously missing from that list.
Click to expand...
Where do you have Matthew wood ranked?
 
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