McKeen's Hockey Final Draft Rankings for 2023

[Brock]

Definitely people overrating tournament performances, as usual.

Weird to see Hoyt Stanley being put at 64. He's more of a late round candidate and seems like a random name they plucked to be on the list.

I assure you that no name is randomly selected. Our one western scout has seen Stanley several times live this year, for example.

This is a projection based on a player who has extremely raw, but extremely intriguing tools. He improved a ton over the course of the year and has a really high upside. We're not alone in loving Stanley, by the way. Elite Prospects and Smaht Scouting have him in a similar ranking range FYI.

I don’t understand why Morin is so low on peoples rankings. I watched at least 10 of his games this year and was on the third or fourth before I realized he wasn’t an overager. Plays a very good all around game with a few minor flaws and is coachable. Some kids are over scouted. I’m sure he hasn’t been viewed enough for proper assessment

When it comes to Morin, our Eastern scouts just haven't been incredibly high on him this year. They worry about his lack of size and lack of quickness. The four way mobility is very impressive. He's great laterally. But, he can struggle with his transitions because he doesn't have that quick burst at this point in time. Will the offense carry over? Maybe. Maybe he is the perfect case of people overscouting a player. But maybe he's more of #4-6 guy at the next level without those elite physical tools.

 

[Brock]

Any more Czechs after Dvorak?

Yes. Stancl (out of Sweden), Port (out of the WHL), Dybal, Suchanek (out of the WHL), and Sprynar (out of the Q) are all ranked after Dvorak.

 

[Chainshot]

I’ve always wondered if wildly different lists are put out close to the draft because they get more clicks and having the same listing for the 100th time gets stale

There has been talk most of the year that the 3rd tier of guys can garner debate about draft position where there are people ranked anywhere from 10-30. This isn't new with this year's assessments. It's been that way all season.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Ultimately not bad but I have a hard time believing that Reinbacher is that low.

And the goaltending rankings really throw me off.. there's just no way Augustine is the best goalie in the class. Zach Fucale floor with Jake Allen upside.

 

[Czechboy]

Yes. Stancl (out of Sweden), Port (out of the WHL), Dybal, Suchanek (out of the WHL), and Sprynar (out of the Q) are all ranked after Dvorak.

Thanks

How close did Petr or Koci get? Pavel Simek?

Port is one I really wanted to see at U18.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

I‘m a little surprised to see Lardis get in above Musty.

I know Musty has… questions around him game but the upside is much greater than Lardis.

Disagree whole heartedly with the Clara ranking - is there a reason why he comes in so low?

I love how high Dell’Ece is, he and Castagna are quite undervalued from what I have seen online. Love the mention of both.

Love the ranking of Stanley, I too am a big fan of his and can see him becoming one of the better defenders in this class.

 

[Castle8130]

Thank you for the list Brock! I have a couple questions for you.

Obviously you guys are much lower on David Reinbacher than most rankings. After consulting with other scouts about prospects and watching them play in real time, who are the players you feel are ranked much higher on your lists compared to NHL teams? Guys that your group can't stop raving about. Who are guys you have much lower on your lists compared to some teams or other outlets that you feel have bigger issues at hand?

Answering any of these questions would be great!

Top 32

MCKEEN'S 2023 NHL DRAFT - FINAL RANKINGS - TOP 32

McKeen's Hockey releases its final ranking for the 2023 NHL Draft. In advance of the release of their annual, McKeen's 2023 NHL Draft Guide, in early June.

www.mckeenshockey.com

Top 224 and HM's (behind a paywall)

Subscribe

www.mckeenshockey.com

Happy to share our Top 64 with you all:

1	Connor Bedard	C	5-10/185	17-Jul-05	Canada	Regina (WHL)	57-71-72-143
2	Adam Fantilli	C	6-2/195	12-Oct-04	Canada	Michigan (B1G)	36-30-35-65
3	Leo Carlsson	C	6-3/200	26-Dec-04	Sweden	Orebro (SHL)	44-10-15-25
4	Will Smith	C	6-0/175	17-Mar-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	59-51-75-126
5	Matvei Michkov	RW	5-10/170	9-Dec-04	Russia	SKA St. Petersburg-HK Sochi (KHL)	30-9-11-20
6	Zach Benson	LW	5-9/160	12-May-05	Canada	Winnipeg (WHL)	60-36-62-98
7	Dalibor Dvorsky	C	6-1/200	15-Jun-05	Slovakia	AIK (HockeyAllsvenskan)	38-6-8-14
8	Ryan Leonard	RW	5-11/190	21-Jan-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	56-50-43-93
9	Dmitri Simashev	D	6-4/200	4-Feb-05	Russia	Loko Yaroslavl-Loko-76 Yaroslavl (MHL)	33-1-11-12
10	Matthew Wood	RW	6-3/195	6-Feb-05	Canada	Connecticut (HE)	35-11-23-34
11	Oliver Moore	C	5-11/185	22-Jan-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	60-31-43-74
12	Colby Barlow	LW	6-0/195	14-Feb-05	Canada	Owen Sound (OHL)	59-46-33-79
13	Nate Danielson	C	6-1/185	27-Sep-04	Canada	Brandon (WHL)	68-33-45-78
14	Axel Sandin Pellikka	D	5-11/180	11-Mar-05	Sweden	Skelleftea (Swe J20)	31-16-20-36
15	Daniil But	LW	6-5/200	15-Feb-05	Russia	Loko Yaroslavl-Loko-76 Yaroslavl (MHL)	32-18-14-32
16	David Reinbacher	D	6-2/185	25-Oct-04	Austria	Kloten (Sui-NL)	46-3-19-22
17	Eduard Sale	LW	6-1/170	10-Mar-05	Czech	HC Kometa Brno (Czechia)	43-7-7-14
18	Samuel Honzek	LW	6-3/185	12-Nov-04	Slovakia	Vancouver (WHL)	43-23-33-56
19	Mikhail Gulyayev	D	5-11/170	26-Apr-05	Russia	Omskie Yastreby (MHL)	22-2-23-25
20	Lukas Dragicevic	D	6-1/190	25-Apr-05	Canada	Tri-City (WHL)	68-15-60-75
21	Gabe Perreault	RW	5-11/165	7-May-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	62-53-79-132
22	Otto Stenberg	C	5-11/180	29-May-05	Sweden	Frolunda (Swe J20)	29-11-15-26
23	Tom Willander	D	6-1/180	9-Feb-05	Sweden	Rogle (Swe J20)	39-4-21-25
24	Calum Ritchie	C	6-2/185	21-Jan-05	Canada	Oshawa (OHL)	59-24-35-59
25	Andrew Cristall	LW	5-9/165	4-Feb-05	Canada	Kelowna (WHL)	54-39-56-95
26	Gavin Brindley	C	5-8/165	5-Oct-04	USA	Michigan (B1G)	41-12-26-38
27	Bradly Nadeau	LW	5-10/165	5-May-05	Canada	Penticton (BCHL)	54-45-68-113
28	Anton Wahlberg	C	6-3/195	4-Jul-05	Sweden	Malmo (Swe J20)	32-14-13-27
29	Riley Heidt	C	5-10/180	25-Mar-05	Canada	Prince George (WHL)	68-25-72-97
30	Brayden Yager	C	5-11/165	3-Jan-05	Canada	Moose Jaw (WHL)	67-28-50-78
31	David Edstrom	C	6-3/185	18-Feb-05	Sweden	Frolunda (Swe J20)	28-15-13-28
32	Nick Lardis	LW	5-10/165	8-Jul-05	Canada	Pbo-Ham (OHL)	69-37-28-65
33	Kasper Halttunen	RW	6-3/205	7-Jun-05	Finland	HIFK (Fin-Liiga)	27-0-1-1
34	Jayden Perron	RW	5-9/165	11-Jan-05	Canada	Chicago (USHL)	61-24-48-72
35	Oliver Bonk	D	6-2/175	9-Jan-05	Canada	London (OHL)	67-10-30-40
36	Quentin Musty	LW	6-2/200	6-Jul-05	USA	Sudbury (OHL)	53-26-52-78
37	Trey Augustine	G	6-1/185	23-Feb-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	28-1, 2.14, 0.925
38	Tanner Molendyk	D	5-11/185	3-Feb-05	Canada	Saskatoon (WHL)	67-9-28-37
39	William Whitelaw	RW	5-9/170	5-Feb-05	USA	Youngstown (USHL)	62-36-25-61
40	Ethan Gauthier	RW	5-11/175	26-Jan-05	Canada	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	66-30-39-69
41	Gracyn Sawchyn	C	5-11/160	19-Jan-05	USA	Seattle (WHL)	58-18-40-58
42	Carson Bjarnason	G	6-3/185	30-Jun-05	Canada	Brandon (WHL)	21-19, 3.08, 0.900
43	Aram Minnetian	D	5-11/190	19-Mar-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	61-7-24-31
44	Michael Hrabal	G	6-6/210	20-Jan-05	Czech	Omaha (USHL)	9-13, 2.86, 0.908
45	Jacob Fowler	G	6-1/215	24-Nov-04	USA	Youngstown (USHL)	27-9, 2.28, 0.921
46	Oscar Fisker Molgaard	C	6-0/165	18-Feb-05	Denmark	HV 71 (SHL)	41-4-3-7
47	Carson Rehkopf	LW	6-1/195	7-Jan-05	Canada	Kitchener (OHL)	68-30-29-59
48	Beau Akey	D	5-11/170	11-Feb-05	Canada	Barrie (OHL)	66-11-36-47
49	Danny Nelson	C	6-3/200	3-Aug-05	USA	USN U18 (USDP)	61-20-26-46
50	Etienne Morin	D	6-0/180	9-Mar-05	Canada	Moncton (QMJHL)	67-21-51-72
51	Felix Nilsson	C	6-0/175	22-Jun-05	Sweden	Rogle (Swe J20)	36-19-22-41
52	Maxim Strbak	D	6-1/205	13-Apr-05	Slovakia	Sioux Falls (USHL)	46-5-13-18
53	Jakub Dvorak	D	6-5/205	25-May-05	Czech	Bili Tygri Liberec (Czechia)	24-0-2-2
54	Carey Terrance	C	6-0/175	10-May-05	USA	Erie (OHL)	67-30-17-47
55	Jesse Kiiskinen	RW	5-11/180	23-Aug-05	Finland	Pelicans (Fin-U20)	31-20-23-43
56	Mathieu Cataford	C	5-11/185	1-Mar-05	Canada	Halifax (QMJHL)	68-31-44-75
57	Roman Kantserov	RW	5-9/175	20-Sep-04	Russia	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)	45-27-27-54
58	Tristan Bertucci	D	6-1/170	12-Jul-05	Canada	Flint (OHL)	63-11-39-50
59	Andrew Gibson	D	6-3/195	13-Feb-05	Canada	Soo Greyhounds (OHL)	45-7-14-21
60	Caden Price	D	6-0/185	24-Aug-05	Canada	Kelowna (WHL)	65-5-35-40
61	Charlie Stramel	C	6-3/215	15-Oct-04	USA	Wisconsin (B1G)	33-5-7-12
62	Coulson Pitre	RW	6-0/170	13-Dec-04	Canada	Flint (OHL)	59-25-35-60
63	Adam Gajan	G	6-2/165	6-May-04	Slovakia	Chippewa Steel (NAHL)	19-12, 2.57, 0.917
64	Hoyt Stanley	D	6-2/185	4-Feb-05	Canada	Victoria (BCHL)	53-4-34-38

Our draft guide should be available the first week of June. We're hard at work finishing it up.

If you have any questions, drop them here and I'll do my best to answer them all!

Thank you for the list Brock! I have a couple questions for you.

Obviously you guys are much lower on David Reinbacher than most rankings. After consulting with other scouts about prospects and watching them play in real time, who are the players you feel are ranked much higher on your lists compared to NHL teams? Guys that your group can't stop raving about. Who are guys you have much lower on your lists compared to some teams or other outlets that you feel have bigger issues at hand?

Answering any of these questions would be great!

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Obviously it’s in no way a mock draft but If the wings drafted Simashev at 9 and Sale at 17 I would be dead inside lol

I would be too...because I'd be so damn jealous.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

If Brzustewicz falls out of the 2nd round, I think some team is going to be extremely happy. I see him (talent wise) as a late 1st to mid 2nd (30-45ish). I know some of the knocks on him, but I just don't see some of them, combined with having a very good season and one of few consistently good players on a horrendously coached team.

 

[57special]

Thanks for the list, Brock. It's different, but I like it. Can you give a rough idea of what the talent tiers are of this draft are for the first couple of rounds? Seems to me to be;

1-5

5-8

8- 15'ish

15- 25

25-40

Also, do you agree that this is still a very talented forward draft after you get past the first 5? I'm having a hard time calling a Barlow or Danielson better than a Boldy or Lundell, for instance, though that's picking on individuals.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

How does Kasper Halttunen make it so high? 27 games and 1 assist? Just lighting it up.

Halttunen was once considered a top-10 pick because of his U20 production in his D-1 season. In his D+0 season, HIFK promoted him from U20 to Liiga and Halttunen struggled. HIFK kept trying to put a square peg into a round hole to make Halttunen's stock drop drastically. Once HIFK finally sent him to U20 again, then Halttunen's production popped up again and at a better rate.

Halttunen U20 production

D-1: 41 games, 24g + 14a = 38 pts, 0.92 ppg​

D+0: 18 games, 18g + 6a = 24 pts, 1.33 ppg and 1.0 goal per game​

That scoring touch is still there for Halttunen against his age peers. Lost in all this is Halttunen doesn't turn 18 years old until Jun. It could be that HIFK promoted Halttunen too early into Liiga.

 

[wetcoast]

If the Habs could get Michkov (5OA), Yager (30OA) and Trey Augustine (37OA) with their first 3 picks, that would be a sensational draft.

Ysger isn't falling to 30 but Michov might although talent wise he should be the second guy taken.

goalies are such a crapshoot so no comment on Trey.

 

[wetcoast]

I don’t understand why Morin is so low on peoples rankings. I watched at least 10 of his games this year and was on the third or fourth before I realized he wasn’t an overager. Plays a very good all around game with a few minor flaws and is coachable. Some kids are over scouted. I’m sure he hasn’t been viewed enough for proper assessment

If you look at any past draft you will understand why as different teams have draftees at different NHL projections and sometimes they work out sometimes they don't.

If it actually was a science instead of an art with some luck all lists would be more or less the same right?

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Fantinelli ahead of Leo Carlsson, good one. He did not watch WC i see..

Well when it became elimination round and the going got tough, Carlsson choked vs Latvia terribly and then Fantilli was Canada's hero vs Latvia. Latvia played great this year, they beat USA for Bronze.

Well setting aside your unnecessary snark, the two are very close. Just because Fantilli is ranked 2nd doesn't mean there is a big gap between them. I'd rank them 2A and 2B depending on team preference. The Ducks picking 2nd could have Fantilli ranked above Carlsson b/c of the type of player they are trying to build with while Columbus could have them reversed for the same reason. Although Carlsson looked great in the WC tournament, grading the two players based on that tournament is very problematic for lots of reasons including larger ice surface, "European" rules/style of play, linemates, and what position they were playing.

 

[wetcoast]

If Brzustewicz falls out of the 2nd round, I think some team is going to be extremely happy. I see him (talent wise) as a late 1st to mid 2nd (30-45ish). I know some of the knocks on him, but I just don't see some of them, combined with having a very good season and one of few consistently good players on a horrendously coached team.

Since my Bedard dream is dead maybe my Canucks can luck into Brzustewicz?

If they had not traded for Hronek I could see Calum Ritchie and Brzustewicz as Canucks prospects but now they will simply become quality NHLers on other NHL teams I fear.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Those write ups you speak of come from the draft guide, which won't be released until the first or second week of June. Once it's released, they will be synched with the players to create profiles. All of those write ups are still being written as we prepare to release the guide. It's just not feasible to get the guide out any faster. You can finalize your rankings leading up to and just after the U18's and then it's the grind of getting the guide completed.

Many of those players do have lengthy write ups and reports. At the bottom of the Top 32, for example, you will see player tags. They are included in all of our pieces thanks to our web master. Click on the player you want and you'll find all the pieces written about said player.

Apologize that the guide won't be out before your draft. That's a very early one. Other than maybe The Hockey News, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone getting a guide out that quickly/early.



Totally. We understand that he'll probably be the first defender drafted...and early. We just have other preferences. I answered a similar question on twitter too. I like Reinbacher. I just feel like he's more likely to be a solid second pairing guy. That obviously has a ton of value, but I (and we) like the potential ceiling of a few other players ahead of him.

With so many high end forwards available this year, I'd probably steer clear of drafting a defender that early this year. I think the top defender in the class is just as likely to come out of the second round as he is the first.

I swear I recall scouting reports used to be included for subs before the guide was released.

I dunno I'm having a hard time finding any info on these prospects by clicking on their name,
only one I can easily find a scouting report for is Leo Carlsson.

do you really think the guide will release sometime in the 2nd week of June? I think this will be the first time in 4 or 5 years Im going into my draft without your guys guide or even scouting reports

and no need to apologize I understand its alot of work. its unfortunate but Ill live. I hope I can use the guide for the late rounds atleast

 

[Brock]

Ultimately not bad but I have a hard time believing that Reinbacher is that low.

And the goaltending rankings really throw me off.. there's just no way Augustine is the best goalie in the class. Zach Fucale floor with Jake Allen upside.

Honestly, Augustine wouldn't be my first choice either. That would be Jacob Fowler. But the goalie rankings were very interesting this year. When we discussed them, it seemed like everyone had a different favourite. And Augustine was sort of the #2 and #3 for everyone. So he ends up ahead because it was sort of a happy medium and he was the most consistently favoured goalie of the staff. Not sure if that makes sense or not.

Thanks

How close did Petr or Koci get? Pavel Simek?

Port is one I really wanted to see at U18.

Petr and Koci were both close. Nearly snuck on but were final cuts essentially.

 

[Brock]

I‘m a little surprised to see Lardis get in above Musty.

I know Musty has… questions around him game but the upside is much greater than Lardis.

Disagree whole heartedly with the Clara ranking - is there a reason why he comes in so low?

I love how high Dell’Ece is, he and Castagna are quite undervalued from what I have seen online. Love the mention of both.

Love the ranking of Stanley, I too am a big fan of his and can see him becoming one of the better defenders in this class.

None of our Ontario based scouts are huge fans of Musty. That's basically what it comes down to. I'm probably the largest fan of his game of our crew and I like where we have him. The feet scare me more than anything. The off puck habits could improve, but poor feet and inconsistent work ethic are often difficult things to overcome.

On Clara, our European scouts are just not huge on his game. That's basically what it comes down to. I see the upside, certainly, but I'd have other goaltender preferences myself.

 

[Brock]

Thank you for the list Brock! I have a couple questions for you.

Obviously you guys are much lower on David Reinbacher than most rankings. After consulting with other scouts about prospects and watching them play in real time, who are the players you feel are ranked much higher on your lists compared to NHL teams? Guys that your group can't stop raving about. Who are guys you have much lower on your lists compared to some teams or other outlets that you feel have bigger issues at hand?

Answering any of these questions would be great!

Great question.

Guys we're higher on:
Dmitri Simashev
Tom Willander
David Edstrom
Anton Wahlberg
Aram Minnetian
Carson Rehkopf
Carey Terrance

Guys we're lower on:
Brayden Yager
Charlie Stramel
Lenni Hameenaho
Emil Jarventie
Luca Cagnoni
Aydar Suniev
Noah Dower Nilsson

 

[Brock]

Thanks for the list, Brock. It's different, but I like it. Can you give a rough idea of what the talent tiers are of this draft are for the first couple of rounds? Seems to me to be;

1-5

5-8

8- 15'ish

15- 25

25-40

Also, do you agree that this is still a very talented forward draft after you get past the first 5? I'm having a hard time calling a Barlow or Danielson better than a Boldy or Lundell, for instance, though that's picking on individuals.

Almost agree completely with those tiers.

I'd have the end ones about 15-35 then 35-60. Very closely grouped together I would say there.

And I do think that it's a very talented forward draft. It's not just the lack of high end defenders making them look better. I think guys like Barlow, Leonard, Oliver Moore, etc, have a chance to be just as good as the likes of Boldy and Lundell.

Halttunen was once considered a top-10 pick because of his U20 production in his D-1 season. In his D+0 season, HIFK promoted him from U20 to Liiga and Halttunen struggled. HIFK kept trying to put a square peg into a round hole to make Halttunen's stock drop drastically. Once HIFK finally sent him to U20 again, then Halttunen's production popped up again and at a better rate.

Halttunen U20 production

D-1: 41 games, 24g + 14a = 38 pts, 0.92 ppg​

D+0: 18 games, 18g + 6a = 24 pts, 1.33 ppg and 1.0 goal per game​

That scoring touch is still there for Halttunen against his age peers. Lost in all this is Halttunen doesn't turn 18 years old until Jun. It could be that HIFK promoted Halttunen too early into Liiga.

It's not always a good fit for players, but I really think Halttunen made a poor choice not coming to London this year. He could have been a prime time player for that team, which ended up nearly winning an OHL championship. Dale Hunter would have been the perfect coach for him, to coax out more consistency in his off puck play to help bring out the best in his scoring potential.

 

[Brock]

I swear I recall scouting reports used to be included for subs before the guide was released.

I dunno I'm having a hard time finding any info on these prospects by clicking on their name,
only one I can easily find a scouting report for is Leo Carlsson.

do you really think the guide will release sometime in the 2nd week of June? I think this will be the first time in 4 or 5 years Im going into my draft without your guys guide or even scouting reports

and no need to apologize I understand its alot of work. its unfortunate but Ill live. I hope I can use the guide for the late rounds atleast

Lots of those guys should have in depth reports and video reviews. Will Smith. Oliver Moore. Colby Barlow. Nate Danielson, David Reinbacher, Cal Ritchie, Andrew Cristall, etc.

And the goal and strict deadline we have given ourselves and our publishing company/graphics department is that 2nd week of June. We are on schedule for that.

Apologize again. I know how many subscribers fork out the cash to ensure that they have the guide before their fantasy/keeper league drafts. Has to be frustrating.

 

[Dr Quincy]

Was he one of the villains in The Goonies?

Also the band behind CHI's goal song.

 

[deca guard]

Brock , are 6 thru 20 as unpredictable as any draft youve ever seen ?

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Lots of those guys should have in depth reports and video reviews. Will Smith. Oliver Moore. Colby Barlow. Nate Danielson, David Reinbacher, Cal Ritchie, Andrew Cristall, etc.

And the goal and strict deadline we have given ourselves and our publishing company/graphics department is that 2nd week of June. We are on schedule for that.

Apologize again. I know how many subscribers fork out the cash to ensure that they have the guide before their fantasy/keeper league drafts. Has to be frustrating.

its fine, I understand. its unfortunate but nothing to apologize for. I hope next year the release date will be a little quicker, I still look forward to reading it

 

[Brock]

Brock , are 6 thru 20 as unpredictable as any draft youve ever seen ?

I think in most drafts, the mid first round is pretty unpredictable. This year is definitely no different. We have a lot of guys who could go 10th or they could go 32nd.