I'm not sure how much draft writing I'll have the time to do this year (full-time job, looking to buy a bar and writing a novel, a lot on my plate) but I'd like to say that I'm uncomfortable moving either Carlsson or Fantilli over Michkov at #2. I feel that, much like Bedard, Michkov is an unconsciously prodigal scoring machine and he's just so good at creating offense there almost aren't enough words to describe it.
I prefer Fantilli to Carlsson even though I'd rank Carlsson higher in terms of passing acuity and hockey IQ, two of my strongest category weights for a center. I just feel Fantilli's athleticism makes him a match-up impossibility, and I prefer his tendency to always take the puck to the middle to Carlsson's more perimeter game. Make no mistake, these are both brilliant, brilliant prospects and a lot can change. But right now I'm still at Fantilli at #3 and Carlsson at #4.
In your defense, I'd have to say that Fantilli was downright awful in Canada's openin loss vs. Czechia, and the Canadians might have made a big mistake leaving Owen Beck at home and opting for a still-slightly-immature Fantilli as the 2C. Carlsson has been very good -- though not quite exceptional -- in Sweden's opening victories against somewhat questionable competition in Austria and Germany. If anything, Bedard was Canada's best player in the opener and expanded his already sizable lead at #1, and my biggest regret for the 2023 WJC is not being able to watch Michkov play in it.
Thanks again for the praise, and of course I love reading all of your terrific posts, as well.
