Official 2023 NHL Draft Thread

[Kelmitchell2]

Remember the Flyers never talked to Coots at the draft.

Couts was also supposed to be a top 3 pick, not fall to 8 lol

 

[renberg]

There are some things about Benson that I like but I keep hearing that his skating is not NHL level. Then there are those who are also critical of his size. The skating doesn't bother me that much. That can be improved-see Foerster and it was also mentioned in today's article in the Inky on Grans that LAK got his skating up to a good level of speed. Size is what it is and can be a detriment or not like with Briere. Are these fatal flaws with him or the usual ragging down on prospects prior to the draft?

 

[Unger9]

The combination of below average speed (it projects to be below average in the NHL) and small frame is not a good one and introduces a good deal of risk. Players who make a name for themselves in the NHL with that combination are quite rare. The silver lining is that his first few strides are good. I think he can be a good player, but personally I'm not making the pick counting on 1st line production in the NHL

 

[deadhead]

There are some things about Benson that I like but I keep hearing that his skating is not NHL level. Then there are those who are also critical of his size. The skating doesn't bother me that much. That can be improved-see Foerster and it was also mentioned in today's article in the Inky on Grans that LAK got his skating up to a good level of speed. Size is what it is and can be a detriment or not like with Briere. Are these fatal flaws with him or the usual ragging down on prospects prior to the draft?

5'10 170 at the Combine. That's not that small, probably fill out to 185/190, talking G/TK size.

2023 NHL Combine Heights & Weights - The Hockey Writers Latest News, Analysis & More

The 2023 NHL Combine has come and gone. Here is the list of heights and weights for prospects that took part in the testing on Saturday.

thehockeywriters.com

 

[Columbus Hockey Dad]

5'10 170 at the Combine. That's not that small, probably fill out to 185/190, talking G/TK size.

Yeah, the size stuff is ridiculous. He's the same size as Bedard.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Yeah, the size stuff is ridiculous. He's the same size as Bedard.

I wonder if there are GMs that still think Kaprizov is too small...

 

[deadhead]

Yeah, the size stuff is ridiculous. He's the same size as Bedard.

Bedard is thicker, 5'10 185 which is good size at 18, probably play close to 200 at 22.
Moore is 5'11 195 at 18, that's already NHL size.

 

[Unger9]

A 5'10 here isn't necessarily the same as a 5'10 there. Travis Konecny in his draft year was a monster in puck battles and he's a very elusive player. I absolutely loved him from day 1. Benson doesn't have the same prowess in either area. Hell, Gavin Brindley's 5'9 is much less concerning to me given how mobile he is and the ground he covers. It's very much case by case. I also love Cristall a lot.. so.. lol it's not that Benson is small. His size just exacerbates the absence of some other critical things

I will say Benson looks to be very physically underdeveloped, so he may have untapped abilities

 

[Tarpongg]

I’m guessing Meltzer is pretty plugged in. He said he is not getting a Benson vibe for the pick, more like Leonard. Something to that effect

 

[deadhead]

I’m guessing Meltzer is pretty plugged in. He said he is not getting a Benson vibe for the pick, more like Leonard. Something to that effect

I doubt anyone outside of Briere and Flahr, even the scouts, know who they're targeting.
The scouts will know the draft board, since they help put it together. But not who Briere prefers within a tier.

Briere seems to have a handle on the disinformation game.
He manages to be truthful without saying much, like he'll listen to offers for anyone on the Flyers - well, yes.
The obvious you can't obscure, everyone knew Provorov wanted to move on and Hayes is a bad fit.
But notice how cool he's handling Laughton, saying the right things (in case they don't make a deal, no bad blood), yet not nixing the possibility of a deal.

I expect the same with the draft, "what do you think of Benson?" Well, he's a fine player, yada yada yada.

 

[Unger9]

Calum Ritchie looks rather untapped, raw, etc

 

[Gregor Samsa]

I’m over the playoffs already and just want the draft to happen so I know who we’ll get. A couple of great prospects will be added to our mediocre farm system. I don’t care much about the names anymore, I’m easy to please. Some kids will busy and some will surprise

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

 

[FLYguy3911]

Offensive skills translate to the defensive zone and in transition - vision, passing, moving pucks, awareness, etc. You can't really say the same for defensive skills.

 

[deadhead]

Offensive skills translate to the defensive zone and in transition - vision, passing, moving pucks, awareness, etc. You can't really say the same for defensive skills.

Not as simple, Desnoyers had awful offensive stats, used in a bottom six, defensive specialist role, then gets traded and given a top six role and blossoms.
Cates played in an ultra-conservative offense in college as a LW.

It's more a self-selection thing, talented players who blossom young get 1st line, PP1 minutes and score a lot.
Which is why the best bets later in the draft are late bloomers, and why late birthdays outperform their draft slot.
Kids don't mature at the same rate, but a 16 year old who matures early will get an edge that sustains at 17-18 when other kids catch up physical, but lag in terms of PT and experience.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

 

[Magua]

Musty is a guy I'm going to circle back on because he bored me when I first tried to watch.

I’m guessing Meltzer is pretty plugged in. He said he is not getting a Benson vibe for the pick, more like Leonard. Something to that effect

Ask yourself if the Fletcher/Flahr led amateur group once selected a forward prospect because of his playmaking abilities (the most important hockey skill that every elite player shares). The answer would be no. Foerster has always been a sneaky good passer, but I know that's not what they saw/focused on. Brink is a good passer, but he had more goals than assists his draft year -- he was the best goal scorer in the USHL, period.

Briere is a wild card with final say, but Flahr is still his scouting director. Keith Jones surely is offering up an opinion in the mold we won't like. Who knows about Torts, given the Flyers have the most incomprehensible front office structure in the league. Maybe he is involved in some indirect capacity -- identifying a "Torts prospect" because their process is that ass backwards. But I'm not flabbergasted when every name thrown out by Meltzer, or whoever, is generously an average passer without much creativity -- and I won't be flabbergasted when it comes to fruition.

 

[deadhead]

Musty is a guy I'm going to circle back on because he bored me when I first tried to watch.



Ask yourself if the Fletcher/Flahr led amateur group once selected a forward prospect because of his passing (the most important hockey skill that every elite player shares). The answer would be no. Foerster has always been a sneaky good passer, but I know that's not what they saw/focused on. Brink is a good passer, but he had more goals than assists his draft year -- he was the best goal scorer in the USHL, period.

Briere is a wild card with final say, but Flahr is still his scouting director. Keith Jones surely is offering up an opinion in the mold we won't like. Who knows about Torts, given the Flyers have the most incomprehensible front office structure in the league. But I'm not flabbergasted when every name thrown out, by Meltzer or whoever, is generously an average passer without much creativity -- and I won't be flabbergasted when that's the pick.

Brink was primarily known for his playmaking, not his shot.
Kaplan was also touted for his vision.
York as a PP QB as well as his hockey IQ.

The shooters were Gauthier (choice between him and Jiricek), Foerster, and Attard (3rd rd).
Tuomaala was more about speed than his shot.

I don't think they were obsessed with shooters, what great playmaking forward did they leave on the board when they took Foerster?
Same when they took Gauthier, Cooley was off the board, after that there was no elite playmaker left.
Sometimes it's just how the draft unfolds.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Musty checks a lot of boxes. Big, young, skilled, productive, pedigree. I think he goes between 7 and 22, but maybe the skating kicks him out of that range. It's on the rougher side. Seems to lack a separating gear atm.

 

[CutOnDime97]

 

[Tripod]

I can't cheer for a guy with that last name

 

[Kelmitchell2]

Bedard is thicker, 5'10 185 which is good size at 18, probably play close to 200 at 22.
Moore is 5'11 195 at 18, that's already NHL size.

Bedard measured in at 5'9 and some change at the combine

Musty checks a lot of boxes. Big, young, skilled, productive, pedigree. I think he goes between 7 and 22, but maybe the skating kicks him out of that range. It's on the rougher side. Seems to lack a separating gear atm.

I've been a musty supporter all year long, I'd def take him at 22 depending on who's still on the board

 

[CutOnDime97]

Bedard measured in at 5'9 and some change at the combine

 

[deadhead]

Bedard measured in at 5'9 and some change at the combine


I've been a musty supporter all year long, I'd def take him at 22 depending on who's still on the board

5'9 3/4.

 

[Kelmitchell2]

5'9 3/4.

Which is why I said and some change. He's not quite 5'10, that's not a knock on him, or a shot at you, just stating a fact, small players can still be great players, some people really over value size