GDT: The 2023 NHL Entry Draft, June 28 - 29, 2023

[SoupNazi]

Here it is: The 2023 NHL Draft GDT.

Our list of picks is for reference below. I will update the OP if we make any deals with some of these picks throughout the day.

Will also try to update the OP as picks are made, and link to each prospect's discussion thread.

Round	Pick	#OA	Conditions	Pick Made/Disposition
1st	DET	9	N/A	9OA: Nate Danielson
1st	NYI	17	From Vancouver (1 Mar 2023). Hronek Trade.	17OA: Axel Sandin Pellikka
2nd	DET	41
2nd	STL	42	From St. Louis (21 Mar 2022). Leddy Trade
2nd	Van	43	From Vancouver (1 Mar 2023). Hronek Trade.
3rd	DET	73
4th	MIN	117	From Minnesota (3 Mar 2023). Sundqvist Trade.
5th	DET	137
6th	DET	169
7th	DET	201

Click to read more...

 

[JohanFranzenstein]

Steve Yzerman walks up for pick 9, announces he's taking Bedard, and Chicago just relents.

 

[Barry Amsterdam]

hope for benson/perrault at 9 Danielson/Yager at 17

gut is saying willander at 9 Honzek at 17

 

[Detroit Knights]

hope for benson/perrault at 9 Danielson/Yager at 17

gut is saying willander at 9 Honzek at 17

Was going to report you for this..

 

[ZDH]

Yea I could totally see that happening. I'm good with whatever Stevie does ofc but not gonna lie I'd be let down if we walk away with willander/honzek.

 

[Barry Amsterdam]

Was going to report you for this..

almost reported myself tbh

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I like Kasper, I think it is a massive mistake if we don't get a center with one of the two first rounders. I think too many are just counting that as the end of the top 6 centers already. It helps that I like Danielson and Moore a lot and have them in my top 10. But I really do think it is important, Dvorsky would also be nice. I want one of those guys though to be honest, I think it is important to the pipeline. It allows for better development and wouldn't have us relying on Veleno's next step or Lombardi being a homerun. All those can happen, but I think Stevie needs to add another high end center to our mix.

 

[Detroit Knights]

almost reported myself tbh

 

[Holden Caufield]

Well let's talk about his skating for a second.

I read he broke McDavid's records at BioSteel at the same age group. It's not one of those this guy skates pretty well. It is a he skates at a McDavid, MacKinnon level. The program said he was the best skater since Larkin and in their opinion better than him. That seems an important distinction. Now do his hands keep up quite the same, of course not, because even Bedard would have issues at #1 if they did at this point. But he has an extremely elite tool, one that you could argue is massively important in the modern NHL.

He has driven his own line as well for an entire year, he wasn't a part of the mega line with the USMNTDP. To describe more of him as a player here is a quote from an Athletic article on Moore


This is the quote from the long-time strength and conditioning quote,

Oliver Moore is the 2023 NHL Draft prospect who makes fast players look slow

Moore could be a top-10 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, with "God-given" speed and athleticism currently on display at the 2023 U18 worlds.

theathletic.com

Dan Muse was also effusive in his praise of Moore the player, person and skill set. I think he has things to work on, does he slow the game down enough to his advantage, something that really took Larkin until year 3 in the NHL to figure out... But he has something you cannot teach to base honing his skills around and a high drive on and off the ice to believe in gambling shaping that in the right development. There he is going to a trusted college program and hopefully our new coaches in Grand Rapids and Detroit. He is already acknowledging that he is working on this. He was compared to Gutter Gauthier and Mark Scheifele for how much he loves the game and how he approaches it. I like Oliver Moore a lot, he isn't a finished product and we are probably lucky he isn't because he wouldn't be around for our pick if he was. People spend a lot of time talking about his floor and no ceiling, there is plenty there to work with and by almost all accounts a very serious and high character player to work with once that pick is made.

Not to mention his shot.
Moore can absolutely rip it.

 

[Frk It]

Lol. I answered the question that was asked! In a very literal way

I'm still going to mention his skating, because it's elite plus, and I value skating probably a hair more than the average fan. I didn't realize how good it is until going down the rabbit hole recently. It's borderline generational. Advanced metrics supposedly show that the only player with better skating at his age was McDavid.

IQ is the other quality I value maybe more than most. He by all accounts has that in spades.

Compete is maxed out.

Shot is plus.

Transition game projects amazingly at the NHL level.

Collectively, these strengths (skating, IQ, compete, shot) are the ones that can't easily be taught, and are difficult to improve on if you don't have those talents. The obvious conclusion is that this gives him a high floor, but what excites me more is that it sets the stage for a very high ceiling.

The question marks in his game is a short list to me. The size/strength quotient is one, but with the strengths listed above, I couldn't give a flying F about that with an 18yo. It's one of the easier things to work on and he has plenty of time. Some question his offensive talent, but I think he gets sold short there. His production at the NTDP was remarkable, given his scrub linesmates compared to the top-3 forwards, and the fact he had a lot less PP time. I'm not worried about offensive talent. The last question I've seen is his processing speed, and this one is more legit. I don't claim to know how that will project to the NHL level for him. It's what snagged Zadina, so it's a risk. But it's a risk that stands in the face of so many key strengths. And if it turns out to not be a problem, I think you could see a player who could be the steal of the draft if he falls outside the top-10.

Fascinating. Truly. Everything I've read about his IQ and what he opens up for his linemates has been the opposite. I haven't watched the kid enough to form a strong opinion on that, but if there's debate, then sure, it changes the equation. But "low IQ" is news to me.

I don’t necessarily agree with everything they’re saying. But I think there is something to what they’re saying.

For example I disagree pretty strongly on them questioning if he’s a center and suggesting he might be a winger. He’s an elite athlete who’s very good on faceoffs and an effective forechecker who embraces being a 200 ft player. That’s a center all day to me.

I think the question of how far in the lineup will he play is a valid one and one I’m still pretty torn on.

 

[SantosHalper]

Im gonna put my money on Dvorsky #9.

And then Yzerman trades up the #17 to Pittsburg and picks Honzek.

 

[lilidk]

just admit it.

Ken Daniels: Wallinder walks the line, drops it back for Willander now Wallinder back to Willander. One-timerrrrrrr **silence** GOOOOOOOOALLL!!! TIPPED BY SODERBLOM.

I could see this scenario in Frolunda

 

[Perfect Human]

My five dolla bet for picks #9 and #17 if not traded are Willander and Stenberg.

This is not who I think the wings should pick but who I would put five dolla on them picking.

Looking forward to tomorrow. What time does the draft start. I thought I saw 8pm but now am seeing 7pm. Is that just for coverage?

 

[stillwater]

Benson at 9, Musty at 17.

 

[lilidk]

Im gonna put my money on Dvorsky #9.

And then Yzerman trades up the #17 to Pittsburg and picks Honzek.

No reason to trade up for Honzek. If he is still available, you just need to choose between him and about 5 more prospects

I totally expect Barlow at 9, then Danielson, no, Sawchyn at17

 

[Pavels Dog]

Honzek 9, ASP 17

 

[Frk It]

My five dolla bet for picks #9 and #17 if not traded are Willander and Stenberg.

This is not who I think the wings should pick but who I would put five dolla on them picking.

Looking forward to tomorrow. What time does the draft start. I thought I saw 8pm but now am seeing 7pm. Is that just for coverage?

There are so many NA forwards I like better than Stenberg (in my opinion), I hope not.

Honzek 9, ASP 17

I think there are like 20 forwards in this draft I would take before I would take ASP.

 

[norrisnick]

Honzek 9, ASP 17

Ew

 

[Gniwder]

As we know though, it takes more than being a super athlete to be a high end hockey player. I’ve heard a lot of stories about how good of an athlete Helm was/is. Something like he had a 40 inch vertical jumping off 1 leg or along those lines.

My concern with Moore is his ceiling might be capped for some similar concerns as Helm.

Helm always comes up in these discussions, I don't think most people realize he was a late bloomer that played Junior B and A in his D-1 season. 10 goals in his draft season

In his own words:
"Sizewise, I was pretty small and skinny. Going into junior (hockey), I was about 5-9, 160 pounds. As the height came, I really had to work harder to put on weight and muscle. My biggest obstacle was to get stronger while physically maturing for the next level."

Moore is well beyond that in terms of shooting, skating, and everything else. IQ aside, Helm didn't have good puck reflexes or shot. His legs were always faster than his hands. I'm almost 100% sure Moore will convert more than 5% of his breakaways.

The big question is how well he'll be able to utilize his linemates. I think both Helm and Veleno are low bars as far as that is concerned. Worst case he skates like Helm (pre-injury), shoots like Veleno, and has the hockey IQ and passing of Copp. I think that still makes him a 2C, or at least better than Copp.

https://griffinshockey.com/news/one-on-one-with-darren-helm

Moore will be there at 17. If we want him, we'll get him there.

If he's available at 17 (which I highly doubt) , and Stevie doesn't pick him I will throw a freakin' hissy fit. If he drops to 20 and Francis picks him then the hissy fit will end.

We could talk about Veleno falling in the draft, but he's still comparable or better than the 5 centers picked before him. Can't play in the NHL without NHL level abilities.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I think there are like 20 forwards in this draft I would take before I would take ASP.

What if they’re all gone by 17 tho

 

[stillwater]

What if they’re all gone by 17 tho

Then the math was wrong.

 

[JediOrderPizza]

All I see is Honkez.

What if they’re all gone by 17 tho

He takes one of the other three that are still available.

 

[Frk It]

Helm always comes up in these discussions, I don't think most people realize he was a late bloomer that played Junior B and A in his D-1 season. 10 goals in his draft season

In his own words:
"Sizewise, I was pretty small and skinny. Going into junior (hockey), I was about 5-9, 160 pounds. As the height came, I really had to work harder to put on weight and muscle. My biggest obstacle was to get stronger while physically maturing for the next level."

Moore is well beyond that in terms of shooting, skating, and everything else. IQ aside, Helm didn't have good puck reflexes or shot. His legs were always faster than his hands. I'm almost 100% sure Moore will convert more than 5% of his breakaways.

The big question is how well he'll be able to utilize his linemates. I think both Helm and Veleno are low bars as far as that is concerned. Worst case he skates like Helm (pre-injury), shoots like Veleno, and has the hockey IQ and passing of Copp. I think that still makes him a 2C, or at least better than Copp.

https://griffinshockey.com/news/one-on-one-with-darren-helm

If he's available at 17 (which I highly doubt) , and Stevie doesn't pick him I will throw a freakin' hissy fit. If he drops to 20 and Francis picks him then the hissy fit will end.

We could talk about Veleno falling in the draft, but he's still comparable or better than the 5 centers picked before him. Can't play in the NHL without NHL level abilities.

Helm is an extreme example but he is an elite skater that struggles in a cycle and with puck possession.

If the floor for Moore was a 2C he would be a consensus top 5-6 pick in this draft.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Helm is an extreme example but he is an elite skater that struggles in a cycle and with puck possession.

If the floor for Moore was a 2C he would be a consensus top 5-6 pick in this draft.

Moore's floor is a third-line winger. People need to get that straight before we go any further.

 

[Shaman464]

Detroit needs centers bad. Anything short of a center with 9 is a loss.

 

[norrisnick]

Moore's floor is a third-line winger in the AHL. People need to get that straight before we go any further.

Fixed that. For all we know he has a John Madden-esque fear of flying.