Post your 2023 Draft List

[dyldude]

Russia (skaters only):

1	Matvei Michkov	RW	SKA-Neva St. Petersburg
2	Dmitri Simashev	LD	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
3	Mikhail Gulyayev	LD	Avangard Omsk
4	Timur Mukhanov	LW/C	Omskie Krylya
5	Alexander Rykov	LW	Chelmet Chelyabinsk
6	Daniil But	LW	Loko Yaroslavl
7	Magomed Sharakanov	LD	MHK Dynamo Moskva
8	Ignat Lutfullin	LW	SKA-Varyagi im. Morozova
9	Alexander Suvorov**	RW	Severstal Cherepovets
10	Roman Kantserov	RW	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk
11	Mikhail Ye. Ilyin	LW	Almaz Cherepovets
12	Nikita Baklashev	LD	MHK Dynamo Moskva
13	Alexander Matveyev	LD	SKA-Varyagi im. Morozova
14	Ilya Kvochko*	C	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk
15	Daniil Karpovich	LD	Avto Yekaterinburg
16	Nikita Susuyev	LW	MHK Spartak Moskva
17	Daniil Davydov*	C	MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg
18	Yegor Rimashevsky	LW	MHK Dynamo Moskva
19	Eduard Golodnyuk	LW	Omskie Yastreby
20	Yegor Klimovich	RW	Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Russia (skaters only):

1	Matvei Michkov	RW	SKA-Neva St. Petersburg
2	Dmitri Simashev	LD	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
3	Mikhail Gulyayev	LD	Avangard Omsk
4	Timur Mukhanov	LW/C	Omskie Krylya
5	Alexander Rykov	LW	Chelmet Chelyabinsk
6	Daniil But	LW	Loko Yaroslavl
7	Magomed Sharakanov	LD	MHK Dynamo Moskva
8	Ignat Lutfullin	LW	SKA-Varyagi im. Morozova
9	Alexander Suvorov**	RW	Severstal Cherepovets
10	Roman Kantserov	RW	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk
11	Mikhail Ye. Ilyin	LW	Almaz Cherepovets
12	Nikita Baklashev	LD	MHK Dynamo Moskva
13	Alexander Matveyev	LD	SKA-Varyagi im. Morozova
14	Ilya Kvochko*	C	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk
15	Daniil Karpovich	LD	Avto Yekaterinburg
16	Nikita Susuyev	LW	MHK Spartak Moskva
17	Daniil Davydov*	C	MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg
18	Yegor Rimashevsky	LW	MHK Dynamo Moskva
19	Eduard Golodnyuk	LW	Omskie Yastreby
20	Yegor Klimovich	RW	Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk

Kantserov is the one I notice. What’s the thinking with having him lower than most will?

 

[dyldude]

Kantserov is the one I notice. What’s the thinking with having him lower than most will?

I've tried really hard with Kantserov, but I'm just not sure I'm seeing it. His game is built for the MHL in a way, so he's looked a step above a lot of his competition for the past two seasons, but I think there's a long road ahead of him to have an impact at higher levels. Not a lot of situational awareness, so often just skates with the puck with no end goal -- either ending with him trying something that's far too optimistic to actually work or literally just skating into traffic. I like the skill and his shot is pretty sweet, he just requires a lot of patience (not a big fan of that in a player who turned 18 in Sept.) and guys like Sharakanov and Lutfullin (who, similarly, are both going to need a lot of patience and TLC) have stood out much more for me.

He's still a guy who would probably be a fine pick in the third round, maybe even late-second if you're really feeling confident about his skill, but just not my cup of tea.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

I only have a top 10 right now, will look into it some more after the 22 draft:
1. Bedard
2. Michkov
3. Fantilli
4. Yager
5. Dvorsky
6. Carlsson
7. Ritchie
8. Sale
9. Benson
10. Allan

Since it's been almost half a year I'll update this:
1. Bedard
2. Fantilli
3. Michkov
4. Carlsson
5. Yager
6. Smith
7. Cristall
8. Benson
9. Dvorsky
10. Sale

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

My Top 10:

1. Bedard
2. Fantilli
3. Michkov
4. Carlsson

I dunno if Bedard is generational, but he's definitely a unicorn as a prospect and I want to see if the WJC sees him playing a more responsible game.

Fantilli feels like a roided up version of the 401k, a safe investment with terrific upside; prototypical #1 centreman type prospect.

Michkov is the one with the most question marks for a few reasons (his contract is actually not much of a concern for me), but I can't deny the scoring instincts. A future powerplay machine.

3 & 4 are tight for, and 2 & 3 is not too far apart either. Really enjoy watching these four so far.

5. Benson
6. Sale
7. Cristall
8. Gulyayev
9. Smith
10. Yager

Gulyayev's offensive upside intrigues me, and the rest of the forwards are varied in skill sets.

I'm banking on Benson being able to improve his skating and allowing his top tier handles and IQ to do the rest in the NHL.

Smith and Cristall are exciting prospects whose skill I've fallen in love with. If Cristall can add an extra gear to his skating, I'd say he could be a surprise star in the NHL.

Sale does everything pretty well, seems like a safe bet if he can get into a better playing situation next season.

I actually do like Yager as a prospect, with his terrific shot in the slot and good straight line speed. For the time being, his game screams "complimentary" to me as an NHLer, and it appears I am somewhat alone on this one.

 

[denominator]

My current list:

1. Connor Bedard

2. Adam Fantilli

3. Matvei Michkov
4. Leo Carlsson

5. Brayden Yager
6. Will Smith
7. Zach Benson
8. Eduard Sale
9. Dalibor Dvorsky
10. Andrew Cristall

11. Riley Heidt
12. Nate Danielson
13. Mikhail Gulyayev
14. Colby Barlow
15. Matthew Wood
16. Oliver Moore
17. Otto Stenberg
18. Calum Ritchie
19. Charlie Stramel
20. Lukas Dragicevic

21. Koehn Ziemmer
22. Kasper Halttunen
23. Ryan Leonard
24. Caden Price
25. Quentin Musty
26. David Reinbacher
27. Carson Bjarnason
28. Axel Sandin Pellikka
29. Bradley Nadeau
30. Cameron Allen
31. Kalan Lind
32. Michael Hrabal

 

[Dominance]

Early look v2, slightly more complete list. I have had some time this weekend to watch games:

Haven't had any deep looks on USNTDP team this year yet so no Moore, Leonard yet. I expect both to be around top 15 range. This year's draft feels really stacked from top to deep in to the second round. I still like Ritchie but I don't know if he has enough hands to deliver points constantly. I also hate Michkov & Rotenberg combination this year. Bonk might also be too high but it is what it is.

Guys i really like more than others do:
brayden yager, riley heidt, koehn ziemmer, william whitelaw

At the moment notables i dont like as much as others do in here:
andrew cristall, dalibor dvorsky, charlie stramel, caden price

On the fence:
cameron allen, kasper halttunen

Want to see more:
will smith, ryan leonard, oliver moore, jayden perron, ethan gauthier, otto stenberg, andrew cristall, william whitelaw, michael hrabal, gavin brindley, kalan lind. Basically all of them.

Rising:
Yager, Heidt, Ziemmer, Smith

Falling:
Allen, Sale, Price, Dvorsky, Cristall

List:
1. connor bedard
2. adam fantilli
3. brayden yager
4. matvei michkov
5. leo carlsson
6. mikhail gulyayev
7. riley heidt
8. will smith
9. koehn ziemmer
10. zach benson
11. lukas dragicevic
12. quentin musty
13. matthew wood
14. calum ritchie
15. nate danielson
16. colby barlow
17. oliver bonk
18. william whitelaw
19. andrew cristall
20. dalibor dvorsky
21. eduard sale
22. axel sandin pellikka
23. cameron allen
24. charlie stramel
25. hunter brzustewicz
26. kasper halttunen
27. michael hrabal
28. emil järventie
29. caden price

Cristall…falling?

 

[vildurson]

Cristall…falling?

Yup. had few looks on his games and he was not good on those. Lots of turnovers and easy to knock off the puck and he was nowhere to´be seen when things did not go his way. He didn't show enough for smaller guy at least yet.

I will look more games but for now, he was meh.

I would probably take William Whitelaw first for now from the smaller guys but my current sample size is still low.

 

[Czechboy]

This will be a fun read in about 3 weeks.

 

[Lavar Ball]

Updated list:

1. Connor Bedard
2. Matvei Michkov
3. Adam Fantilli
4. Leo Carlsson
5. Will Smith
6. Brayden Yager
7. Zach Benson
8. Eduard Sale
9. Mikhail Gulyayev
10. Andrew Cristall
11. Dalibor Dvorsky
12. Colby Barlow
13. David Reinbacher
14. Riley Heidt
15. Lukas Dragicevic
16. Calum Ritchie
17. Nate Danielson
18. Quentin Musty
19. Matthew Wood
20. Samuel Honzek
21. Jayden Perron
22. Charlie Stramel
23. Axel Sandin Pellikka
24. Koehn Ziemmer
25. Oliver Moore
26. Gavin McCarthy
27. Otto Stenberg
28. Ethan Gauthier
29. Dmitri Simashev
30. Bradly Nadeau
31. Ryan Leonard
32. Hunter Brzustewicz

HM: Gabe Perreault, Cameron Allen, Daniil But, Lenni Hameenaho, Alex Ciernik, Jakub Dvorak, Caden Price, Etienne Morin, Kasper Halttunen, Michael Hrabal, Emil Jarventie, Carson Bjarnason, Trey Augustine, Roman Kantserov, Gavin Brindley, Danny Nelson, Noel Nordh, Maxim Strabak, William Whitelaw, Theo Lindstein, Andrew Strathmann, Noah Dower Nilsson, Jesse Nurmi, Arttu Karki,

 

[vildurson]

Pre-WJC draft list, starting to have decent idea on what the skaters are now.

I am not absolutely sold on Andrew Cristall but his results forces him to my current spot.

Still big fan of Heidt, Gulyayev, Yager.

This year's draft is crazy strong when it comes to forwards. D is not so high end after Gulyayev but still pretty good. I like Hrabal most from the goalies, I was not so impressed of Bjarnason when I saw him.

tier 1
1. connor bedard
2. adam fantilli

tier 2
3. brayden yager
4. leo carlsson
5. matvei michkov
6. mikhail gulyayev

tier 3
7. riley heidt
8. will smith
9. zach benson
10. andrew cristall

tier 4
11. calum ritchie
12. oliver moore
13. nate danielson

tier 5 and rest of draft
14. quentin musty
15. matthew wood
16. lukas dragicevic
17. colby barlow
18. koehn ziemmer
19. eduard sale
20. daniil but
21. axel sandin-pellikka
22. tanner molendyk
23. dalibor dvorsky
24. charlie stramel
25. kasper halttunen
26. cameron allen
27. hunter brzustewicz
28. david reinbacher
29. ryan leonard
30. michael hrabal
31. william whitelaw
32. oliver bonk
33. jayden perron
34. luca pinelli
35. caden price
36. emil järventie

 

[majormajor]

I can't post a full list without watching a lot more video but I'll share a couple early thoughts.

1. Bedard
2. Fantilli
3. Carlsson
4. Michkov

Carlsson and Fantilli over Michkov feels pretty easy for me right now. Carlsson's hands are incredible and when he fills out I think he should be a dominating electric #1C. Michkov is scaring me right now - seems stagnant by all accounts and not doing well vs men. He could fall a lot further even.

5. Benson?
6. Yager?
7. Smith?

This is where I'm frankly not that impressed with this draft. Last year I would have been more excited to pick between Jiricek and Gauthier in this position. Now I see a lot of guys with warts in that part of the draft.

Yager seems like more a winger and the only great quality I see is the shot. His overall game and general puck ability doesn't impress me yet. And shooting off that inner foot he'll need a lot of space. Rush and PP dependent shooters are not worth that much.

I prefer Benson I think he'll be a useful player. But I'm having a hard time thinking of great players with that small frame that play that type of do everything role.

Smith lacks any kind of role quality or positional advantage, he's just the most skilled scorer on a globetrotters style NTDP team. There's so little structure in his game that I kind of dislike watching him. Maybe that can be coached but I'm a bit wary of him being an unstructured Sonny Milano type.

I'll probably find players I prefer later in the year and have more of them in this 5-10 range. For now I've mostly seen players I'll be ranking after this group.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

I can't post a full list without watching a lot more video but I'll share a couple early thoughts.

1. Bedard
2. Fantilli
3. Carlsson
4. Michkov

Carlsson and Fantilli over Michkov feels pretty easy for me right now. Carlsson's hands are incredible and when he fills out I think he should be a dominating electric #1C. Michkov is scaring me right now - seems stagnant by all accounts and not doing well vs men. He could fall a lot further even.

5. Benson?
6. Yager?
7. Smith?

This is where I'm frankly not that impressed with this draft. Last year I would have been more excited to pick between Jiricek and Gauthier in this position. Now I see a lot of guys with warts in that part of the draft.

Yager seems like more a winger and the only great quality I see is the shot. His overall game and general puck ability doesn't impress me yet. And shooting off that inner foot he'll need a lot of space. Rush and PP dependent shooters are not worth that much.

Michkov seems like someone who could fall like a rock depending on how the rest of his season goes. I find his scoring resume too impressive to toss aside for now, but I think him being in the KHL for another two (or is it three) years is actually a blessing.

I also think you'll like the rest of the top 10 as you dive into other players like Cristall and even some of the Euro d-men.

 

[majormajor]

Michkov seems like someone who could fall like a rock depending on how the rest of his season goes. I find his scoring resume too impressive to toss aside for now, but I think him being in the KHL for another two (or is it three) years is actually a blessing.

Exactly.

I also think you'll like the rest of the top 10 as you dive into other players like Cristall and even some of the Euro d-men.

I think so too. There's usually a couple D that I like a lot more than the consensus (last year was Mintyukov and Mateychuk).

 

[vildurson]

This is where I'm frankly not that impressed with this draft. Last year I would have been more excited to pick between Jiricek and Gauthier in this position. Now I see a lot of guys with warts in that part of the draft.

This draft has lot of good smaller forwards(Pinelli, Whitelaw, Perron, Cristall), good two-way centers(Danielson, Ritchie, Moore) and some solid d-mans(Sandin-Pellikka, Molendyk, Reinbacher) that might be fun for you.

 

[Nipsey]

1. Connor Bedard
2. Matvei Michkov
3. Andrew Cristall
4. Leo Carlsson
5. Axel Sandin Pellikka
6. Adam Fantilli
7. David Reinbacher
8. Will Smith
9. Zach Benson
10. Mikhail Gulyayev
11. Dalibor Dvorsky
12. Dimitri Simashev
13. Lukas Dragicevic
14. Colby Barlow
15. Hunter Brzustewicz

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

1. Connor Bedard
2. Matvei Michkov
3. Andrew Cristall
4. Leo Carlsson
5. Axel Sandin Pellikka
6. Adam Fantilli
7. David Reinbacher
8. Will Smith
9. Zach Benson
10. Mikhail Gulyayev
11. Dalibor Dvorsky
12. Dimitri Simashe

I like your list, seems like you are just putting out who you like rather than trying to adhere to general standards.

 

[NewEraGM]

Been seeing 2 European right shot defensemen move up recently in Reinbacher and SandinPellika. Why is that? What’s the scouting report on them

 

[NatusVincere]

Reinbacher should be in everyone’s Top 10. He is playing the #1/2 and is already super calm with almost no mistakes. He has 14 Points in the NLA as a D (the same as Carlsson in the SHL).

Gulaev is a little bit underrated too IMO. He is clearly one of if not the best skater in this draft. Really flying over the ice. 2 PPG in the MHL (people should check the all time MHL rankings for U19 Ds) and already 20 min average in the V.

This 2 Ds are much more special than the Yagers and Bensons of this Draft. And the statement that Michkov is stagnating is one of the biggest nonsense here. It's a pity that he doesn't play in the CHL and hangs up around 3 PPG there.

 

[denominator]

1. Connor Bedard
2. Matvei Michkov
3. Andrew Cristall
4. Leo Carlsson
5. Axel Sandin Pellikka
6. Adam Fantilli
7. David Reinbacher
8. Will Smith
9. Zach Benson
10. Mikhail Gulyayev
11. Dalibor Dvorsky
12. Dimitri Simashev
13. Lukas Dragicevic
14. Colby Barlow
15. Hunter Brzustewicz

Craig Button is that you?

 

[wetcoast]

Michkov seems like someone who could fall like a rock depending on how the rest of his season goes. I find his scoring resume too impressive to toss aside for now, but I think him being in the KHL for another two (or is it three) years is actually a blessing.

I also think you'll like the rest of the top 10 as you dive into other players like Cristall and even some of the Euro d-men.

If falling like a rock means from being picked 2nd to being picked 3 or 4 then yeas, any lower is the kind of stuff people just laugh at on draft day and in the future as his skillset is just so darn good.

I get the "concerns" but man after Bedard the enxt 3 could go in any order mainly depending on the draft teams needs, ie a big center like Fantilli or Carlsson, but Michkov just has an almost generational type of skillset as far as draft eligible players in their draft years IMO.

 

[wetcoast]

Reinbacher should be in everyone’s Top 10. He is playing the #1/2 and is already super calm with almost no mistakes. He has 14 Points in the NLA as a D (the same as Carlsson in the SHL).

Gulaev is a little bit underrated too IMO. He is clearly one of if not the best skater in this draft. Really flying over the ice. 2 PPG in the MHL (people should check the all time MHL rankings for U19 Ds) and already 20 min average in the V.

This 2 Ds are much more special than the Yagers and Bensons of this Draft. And the statement that Michkov is stagnating is one of the biggest nonsense here. It's a pity that he doesn't play in the CHL and hangs up around 3 PPG there.

Agree with alot of this and even as good as Michov is, he wouldn't be putting up 3 PPG in the CHL on any team.

McDavid put up 2.55 in his draft year with some decent linemates.

 

[Postulates]

Postulates December NHL 2023 Draft Ranking:
1. Connor Bedard
2. Adam Fantilli
3. Will Smith
4. Matvei Michkov
5. Zachary Benson
6. Mikhail Gulyayev
7. Leo Carlsson
8. Ryan Leonard
9. Brayden Yager
10. Axel Sandin-Pellikka

Very close to adding Reinbacher or Musty in

 

[ClarkBolzano]

Pre-WJC draft list, starting to have decent idea on what the skaters are now.

I am not absolutely sold on Andrew Cristall but his results forces him to my current spot.

Still big fan of Heidt, Gulyayev, Yager.

This year's draft is crazy strong when it comes to forwards. D is not so high end after Gulyayev but still pretty good. I like Hrabal most from the goalies, I was not so impressed of Bjarnason when I saw him.

tier 1
1. connor bedard
2. adam fantilli

tier 2
3. brayden yager
4. leo carlsson
5. matvei michkov
6. mikhail gulyayev

tier 3
7. riley heidt
8. will smith
9. zach benson
10. andrew cristall

tier 4
11. calum ritchie
12. oliver moore
13. nate danielson

tier 5 and rest of draft
14. quentin musty
15. matthew wood
16. lukas dragicevic
17. colby barlow
18. koehn ziemmer
19. eduard sale
20. daniil but
21. axel sandin-pellikka
22. tanner molendyk
23. dalibor dvorsky
24. charlie stramel
25. kasper halttunen
26. cameron allen
27. hunter brzustewicz
28. david reinbacher
29. ryan leonard
30. michael hrabal
31. william whitelaw
32. oliver bonk
33. jayden perron
34. luca pinelli
35. caden price
36. emil järventie

Michkov Tier 2??? I Hope you are Not serious. Michkov is playing in vhl against men and ist scoring almost a Goal a Game. Now in the khl, Scores in His second Game. If Not for the current Situation i think there would bei some Gms that would Take him even Number 1.

 

[vildurson]

Michkov Tier 2??? I Hope you are Not serious. Michkov is playing in vhl against men and ist scoring almost a Goal a Game. Now in the khl, Scores in His second Game. If Not for the current Situation i think there would bei some Gms that would Take him even Number 1.

It depends on how his rest of season goes in Sochi. At least now he should get more consistent minutes. I was not fan of combination of him and Rotenberg. That had lot of possibilities to go wrong. And it was hard to get good gauge of where he was due to switching team all the time.

If he performs better, then I can see tier 1 arguments. Right now though, tier 2 is what I feel is correct. He is step below Fantilli and Bedard and on even level for others at tier 2 for me. You could pretty much switch spots at tier 2 on my list and I would be fine with any order. (or in any tier respectively)

Also, I've been fan of Yager's(more than others tend to be in this forum) game the whole season, but that's just me. I like his game and tend to think that Yager has more abilities to play complete game than he is playing right now.

Reinbacher is one of the more interesting names for the WJC because it is hard to see his games currently.