Official 2023 NHL Draft Thread

[pit]

Here's some horrible clickbait, the Button mock: Mock Draft: The fun starts after No. 1 in Craig Button's NHL Draft projection | TSN

For those who don't want to look, he has the Flyers taking Leonard at 7 and Ethan Gauthier at 22.

Benson is picked 13, no Brindley or Gulayev in the first.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

I put it on most random and let's just say I would not be unhappy if this was real life.

7 (1). Zach Benson (LW)
22 (1). Mikhail Gulyayev (LD)
87 (3). Lukas Dragicevic (RD)
95 (3). Andrew Cristall (LW)
103 (4). Gracyn Sawchyn (C)
120 (4). William Whitelaw (RW)
135 (5). Etienne Morin (LD)
167 (6). Alexander Rykov (RW)
172 (6). Jordan Tourigny (RD)
199 (7). Cole Knuble (C)

I would rather name five of my children "George Foreman" than one of my children "Gracyn Sawchyn."

 

[ajgoal]

7 (1). Dalibor Dvorsky (C)
22 (1). Tom Willander (RD)
87 (3). Felix Unger Sorum (RW)
95 (3). Rasmus Kumpulainen (C)
103 (4). Denver Barkey (C)
120 (4). Zach Nehring (RW)
135 (5). Zachary Schulz (LD)
167 (6). Axel Landen (RD)
172 (6). Konnor Smith (LD)
199 (7). Cole Knuble (C)

 

[Curufinwe]

Draft little Knuble, then sign old Knuble as another special advisor.

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

Here's some horrible clickbait, the Button mock: Mock Draft: The fun starts after No. 1 in Craig Button's NHL Draft projection | TSN

For those who don't want to look, he has the Flyers taking Leonard at 7 and Ethan Gauthier at 22.

Benson is picked 13, no Brindley or Gulayev in the first.

I am believing that he is a brother of Cutter? Hockey DB says he is from AZ and Sean Gauthier's (Cutter's Dad) Wikipedia page says he lives in AZ with his wife and sons. If so, guaranteed he is a Flyer by the end of next week.

 

[pit]

I am believing that he is a brother of Cutter? Hockey DB says he is from AZ and Sean Gauthier's (Cutter's Dad) Wikipedia page says he lives in AZ with his wife and sons. If so, guaranteed he is a Flyer by the end of next week.

No relation to Cutter. He's Denis Gauthier's son.

 

[bennysflyers16]

Reinbacher or Leonard, who do we prefer ?

Is Leonard like a TK ?

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

No relation to Cutter. He's Denis Gauthier's son.

#toomanygauthiers

 

[JojoTheWhale]

I finally got around to Benson. There are not 7 better prospects in any class.

Everyone I watch needs 95th+ Percentile outcomes to be stars. This is a breath of fresh air. Who cares if the bottom 20-30% of outcomes are lower?

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

Reinbacher or Leonard, who do we prefer ?

Is Leonard like a TK ?

I'd prefer Reinbacher if it is between those two but everyone usually hates what I say I assume the masses will say Leonard.

 

[Don Nachbaur 26]

Draft little Knuble, then sign old Knuble as another special advisor.

Old Knuble can teach them how to do net front presence

No relation to Cutter. He's Denis Gauthier's son.

Former Flyer. Make him an Asst. at LHV, hahahaha

 

[Rebels57]

I was over on Detroit's page and found this 2023 Draft Simulator .

My go at it. Just a fun way to waste 5 minutes
View attachment 720485

If the Flyers go RD with their first 2 picks im going to fight everyone

 

[ajgoal]

I finally got around to Benson. There are not 7 better prospects in any class.

Everyone I watch needs 95th+ Percentile outcomes to be stars. This is a breath of fresh air. Who cares if the bottom 20-30% of outcomes are lower?

I don't know what this means and need it explained as if I was a child.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Briere said they have a clear top 8.

 

[BigToe]

I was over on Detroit's page and found this 2023 Draft Simulator .

7 Zach Benson
22 Andrew Cristall
87 Luca Cagnoni
95 Caden Price
103 Andrew Strathmann
129 Matthew Mania
135 Brandon Svoboda
167 Jake Fisher
173 Francesco Dell’Elce
199 Gavyn Thoreson

 

[Magua]

I finally got around to Benson. There are not 7 better prospects in any class.

Everyone I watch needs 95th+ Percentile outcomes to be stars. This is a breath of fresh air. Who cares if the bottom 20-30% of outcomes are lower?

We've done this enough to know when guys smack you in the face. Benson smacks me in the face. He's one of those guys where if you see 1-2 games, you've seen 50. It's the same every time. Toe and I talked about stopping watching him because we just couldn't learn any more. But he's kind of like crack, I can't stop. Which is why the Flyers will take a middle 6/2nd pair upside player who looks like a MAN and call it a day. That he exists at the confluence of HockeyGuy-isms AND elite playmaking makes it all the more mind-boggling.

Even the idea he's an "average" skater seems like a gross oversimplification, or the ultimate form over function argument. His edge work is plus with real burst, he sees lanes and angles others do not, he's adept moving with guys on his hip, his problem solving as a puck transporter is nearly flawless.

I would rather name five of my children "George Foreman" than one of my children "Gracyn Sawchyn."

I didn't care for him that much, so there's that.

 

[bennysflyers16]

We've done this enough to know when guys smack you in the face. Benson smacks me in the face. He's one of those guys where if you see 1-2 games, you've seen 50. It's the same every game. Toe and I talked about stopping watching him because we just couldn't learn any more. But he's kind of like crack, I can't stop. Which is why the Flyers will take a middle 6/2nd pair upside player who looks like a MAN and call it a day.

Even the idea he's an "average" skater seems like a gross oversimplification, or the ultimate form over function debate.



I didn't care for him that much, so there's that.

Who is your comp ?
I saw him twice live this year and is just stupid good.

Skating I guess could be slower, but sure didn't appear that way at that level.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

I don't know what this means and need it explained as if I was a child.

Imagine you simulated the careers of Benson and Leonard 100 times and then ranked each outcome for each player by whatever criteria you wanted.

For my definition of a star, let's say 5 out of those 100 meet the threshold. Since we've ranked them, that means the 95th+ Percentile outcomes are stars.

I think Benson gets a star outcome significantly more than that. Let's just say 20 times out of 100 to make the math easy. That means 80th+ Percentile outcomes are stars.

Now do the opposite with their bust outcomes. We'll keep the numbers the same for clarity. Benson is a bust 20% of the time. Leonard busts 5%.

To me, the extra 15% of the time you get a star outcome with Benson dwarfs the value of the rainbow of lower end outcomes where Leonard is your 6th or 7th best Winger and Benson was shipped off for Future Considerations.

Essentially, every click up an ideal lineup is significantly harder to find. These players almost always come with more risk on the low end unless you're picking at the very tops of drafts.

 

[BringBackHakstol]

Really hope they don't take Reinbacher, don't see the upside for 7 OA

 

[Magua]

My bold take is I'm not sure if Reinbacher is the 3rd or 4th best defender I've watched.

Who is your comp ?

I'll just say: pick your favorite 5'10ish star who marries elite skill with high end hustle. How they thrive is how Benson thrives. Will he hit that exact ceiling? Dunno. But it's in there.

 

[Pantokrator]

Really hope they don't take Reinbacher, don't see the upside for 7 OA

If they do, it will destroy all the good will they have won with me with the trading of Provorov. I want players who can make a real impact, not project to be a good #3 defenseman. Besides, the best defenseman we have ever drafted and trained was Chris Therien.... I don't have a lot of confidence in our ability to train d men,

 

[FatTugboatFlahr]

My bold take is I'm not sure if Reinbacher is the 3rd or 4th best defender I've watched.



I'll just say: pick your favorite 5'10ish star who marries elite skill with high end hustle. How they thrive is how Benson thrives. Will he hit that exact ceiling? Dunno. But it's in there.

In a headlock match, who wins, Dvorsky or Gauthier?

 

[BringBackHakstol]

If they do, it will destroy all the good will they have won with me with the trading of Provorov. I want players who can make a real impact, not project to be a good #3 defenseman. Besides, the best defenseman we have ever drafted and trained was Chris Therien.... I don't have a lot of confidence in our ability to train d men,

I don't know what people's comps have been for him, but he looks like a right handed Sanheim to me

 

[FLYguy3911]

Gotta admit, it'd be pretty ironic to trade a former #7 overall defenseman just to effectively draft his replacement and shoehorn him into the same role he may not be able to live up to.

 

[Magua]

In a headlock match, who wins, Dvorsky or Gauthier?

Gauthier probably, since he can hit a golf ball 300 yards off either side. That type of arm flexibility is key in wrestling.

If you're seriously asking, I think Dvorsky can project at center, while I'm skeptical Gauthier can. But I think Gauthier actually has a couple plus traits I can identify (his shot + transition offense/carrying), even in complementary ways. Dvorsky just strikes me as a middle 6 jack of all trades type. I don't know what to latch onto for a ceiling.