Underrated potential late round 2023 Prospects

[sigx15]

A team should take a late flier on Lukas Gustafsson from BC. I was pretty impressed with him this year, got better in his own end as the year went on and has good offensive instincts

 

[wetcoast]

Op asks for underrated potential late round picks and then we get this.

Not exactly late as he'll probably go in the 2nd-4th round but Gracyn Sawchyn is very underrated

He has slowly been trending up everywhere but my pick is Saskatoon defender Tanner Molendyk. Incredibly smooth skater and smart player with puck. Also his teams work horse and affects everything positively for his team when he is on the ice. It's big difference for them when he is not on the ice.

He has been a first round pick for a while for me.

I'll do my part and say all three 4th rounders that the Canucks pick in the draft.

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

Not to be blunt but who the f*** is taking time out of their day to watch Rus-2 hockey

 

[GettingYourMoms]

I still have a ton of players to watch but I'm gonna try to give some underrated names that caught my eye on multiple occasions. These are player you never or almost never hear about. I think the first 5 will get drafted. I wouldn't expect the last 4 to be, but I'd be happy if they were:

- Petter Vesterheim (Very high IQ two-way center with a goalscoring touch, he's probably my favourite player in the draft to watch. Has looked very good as a third line center for one of the best team in the Allsvenskan every time I've watched him play there.)

- Anton Ohlsson (I liked him when watching Noel Nordh, he's smart and commands the ice with his positioning. He has good skating, can be physical, is good on faceoffs and is generally good at both ends of the ice. Nothing crazy about his production but he still has played in 3 SHL games. I'd consider him with a mid to late pick. I like the entire line of Nordh-Ohlsson-Crnkic in the J20. A young but very fun line.)

- Elias Zimmerman (Huge 6'6 center who has shown nice skills and intelligence whenever I have watched him. He moves well for his size. Quite young for the draft and seems to have started playing in the J20 only recently.)

- Charlie Cerrato (Not talked about too much despite being on the USNTDP but I think he's very good and there's a potential NHL player there. He works hard, is physical, takes very smart decisions with the puck from what I've seen and has surprisingly good hands. I'm curious to see how he does in the NCAA next season.)

- Vojtech Port (The Edmonton Oil Kings suck but there are 3 players that I personally like as mid to late rounders in Port, Miller and the goalie Cunningham. Port is the most interesting of them all in my opinion. He's quite skilled and smooth with the puck and is able to create offensive chances quite well and I think the rest of the team can't follow much of what he's trying to do so I think with time his production could really increase with a better team. He needs to work on his puck management in the defensive zone but he has all the tools and intelligence to improve on that.)

- Endo Meier (Very skilled and confident Swiss kid playing in the U20 Swiss league. He's excellent with the puck and constantly create many offensive chances but he struggles to finish his plays. His shot and finishing ability need to improve dramatically. He's very young for the draft, he plays center and is quite excellent on faceoffs. He doesn't play in a very good league so he's difficult to judge. I don't know how he'd do in a better league but I like what I saw.)

- Philéas Perrenoud (French kid who had excellent production in the Ligue Magnus for a D-1 but has been injured this year except for 4 games. I think he's quite smart but what surprised me the most was just how fast he can be. He looks like he makes no effort and reaches full skating speed in a few strides. I don't think he's gonna get drafted but I'll be curious to see how he does in his D+1.)

- Anton Maryshev (Skilled Russian defenseman but very inconsistent. I like his potential and he has caught my attention multiple times when I watched Spartak in the MHL. He's only 6'0 and these days for a defenseman I guess you need to show a little more to consider being drafted but I think there's something there.)

- Michael Hagens (Not talked about much on the deep Chicago Steel team but he's another smooth and skilled defenseman with nice skating who isn't big (also 6'0) and the production isn't great so I don't know if he'll get drafted but I like what I've seen everytime I've watched the Steel. His brother is talked about a lot more but I think big bro still shows some nice potential.)

Is he by any chance son of that guy who killed Trayvon? Not a troll, just curious.

 

[Realgud]

Is he by any chance son of that guy who killed Trayvon? Not a troll, just curious.

Well, he is swedish so I don't think so lol

 

[CraigBillington]

Well, he is swedish so I don't think so lol

Pfft you're suggesting that people who hail from Gävle cannot be from Florida

 

[10robinho10]

Juraj Pekarčík about WJC-18, four NHL teams and rituals.

 

[josi90]

Are there any Swiss Players you could consider in Late Draft Rounds?

 

[Hinterland]

I still have a ton of players to watch but I'm gonna try to give some underrated names that caught my eye on multiple occasions. These are player you never or almost never hear about. I think the first 5 will get drafted. I wouldn't expect the last 4 to be, but I'd be happy if they were:

- Petter Vesterheim (Very high IQ two-way center with a goalscoring touch, he's probably my favourite player in the draft to watch. Has looked very good as a third line center for one of the best team in the Allsvenskan every time I've watched him play there.)

- Anton Ohlsson (I liked him when watching Noel Nordh, he's smart and commands the ice with his positioning. He has good skating, can be physical, is good on faceoffs and is generally good at both ends of the ice. Nothing crazy about his production but he still has played in 3 SHL games. I'd consider him with a mid to late pick. I like the entire line of Nordh-Ohlsson-Crnkic in the J20. A young but very fun line.)

- Elias Zimmerman (Huge 6'6 center who has shown nice skills and intelligence whenever I have watched him. He moves well for his size. Quite young for the draft and seems to have started playing in the J20 only recently.)

- Charlie Cerrato (Not talked about too much despite being on the USNTDP but I think he's very good and there's a potential NHL player there. He works hard, is physical, takes very smart decisions with the puck from what I've seen and has surprisingly good hands. I'm curious to see how he does in the NCAA next season.)

- Vojtech Port (The Edmonton Oil Kings suck but there are 3 players that I personally like as mid to late rounders in Port, Miller and the goalie Cunningham. Port is the most interesting of them all in my opinion. He's quite skilled and smooth with the puck and is able to create offensive chances quite well and I think the rest of the team can't follow much of what he's trying to do so I think with time his production could really increase with a better team. He needs to work on his puck management in the defensive zone but he has all the tools and intelligence to improve on that.)

- Endo Meier (Very skilled and confident Swiss kid playing in the U20 Swiss league. He's excellent with the puck and constantly create many offensive chances but he struggles to finish his plays. His shot and finishing ability need to improve dramatically. He's very young for the draft, he plays center and is quite excellent on faceoffs. He doesn't play in a very good league so he's difficult to judge. I don't know how he'd do in a better league but I like what I saw.)

- Philéas Perrenoud (French kid who had excellent production in the Ligue Magnus for a D-1 but has been injured this year except for 4 games. I think he's quite smart but what surprised me the most was just how fast he can be. He looks like he makes no effort and reaches full skating speed in a few strides. I don't think he's gonna get drafted but I'll be curious to see how he does in his D+1.)

- Anton Maryshev (Skilled Russian defenseman but very inconsistent. I like his potential and he has caught my attention multiple times when I watched Spartak in the MHL. He's only 6'0 and these days for a defenseman I guess you need to show a little more to consider being drafted but I think there's something there.)

- Michael Hagens (Not talked about much on the deep Chicago Steel team but he's another smooth and skilled defenseman with nice skating who isn't big (also 6'0) and the production isn't great so I don't know if he'll get drafted but I like what I've seen everytime I've watched the Steel. His brother is talked about a lot more but I think big bro still shows some nice potential.)

Don't think there's a chance Endo Meier gets drafted. Good prospect from a national view point but most likely not NHL material.

Simon Meier (not related to Endo) is a more interesting prospect with huge upside. Has all the skills and tools to get drafted even in the earlier rounds. However, much like Endo, he does still play in the Swiss junior leagues (they're trash) and he's also undersized and much too soft. Even at the WJC18 he was overmatched physically. He'd be a long shot and massive gamble even in the later rounds but you never know. Skill is there.

 

[Hinterland]

Are there any Swiss Players you could consider in Late Draft Rounds?

De Luca should go under normal circumstances. Other than that it doesn't look good this year for the Swiss kids. Next year is probably gonna be different but this year De Luca could be the only one. Braillard and Schneller probably should get drafted but most likely won't. Others like Huet or Simon Meier probably have chances but are long shots.

 

[Realgud]

Don't think there's a chance Endo Meier gets drafted. Good prospect from a national view point but most likely not NHL material.

Simon Meier (not related to Endo) is a more interesting prospect with huge upside. Has all the skills and tools to get drafted even in the earlier rounds. However, much like Endo, he does still play in the Swiss junior leagues (they're trash) and he's also undersized and much too soft. Even at the WJC18 he was overmatched physically. He'd be a long shot and massive gamble even in the later rounds but you never know. Skill is there.

Yeah that's the point. That's why I said I like him but I don't see him getting drafted, but he could be a 7th round swing if a team really likes his skillset and let him develop. This thread is about underrated late round picks, and I gave potential underrated late round picks. I really liked Endo when I watched him in his league (more than at the U18) but like I said it's not a great league so I'll be curious to see him potentially in the SL next season. He's very young for the draft too.

 

[Hinterland]

Yeah that's the point. That's why I said I like him but I don't see him getting drafted, but he could be a 7th round swing if a team really likes his skillset and let him develop. This thread is about underrated late round picks, and I gave potential underrated late round picks. I really liked Endo when I watched him in his league (more than at the U18) but like I said it's not a great league so I'll be curious to see him potentially in the SL next season. He's very young for the draft too.

Endo won't get drafted. Simon has much higher upside but he's still a very long shot even for the later rounds.

Another interesting Meier is defenseman Gian Meier (not related to Simon or Endo) but he's not yet eligible this year.

 

[josi90]

De Luca should go under normal circumstances. Other than that it doesn't look good this year for the Swiss kids. Next year is probably gonna be different but this year De Luca could be the only one. Braillard and Schneller probably should get drafted but most likely won't. Others like Huet or Simon Meier probably have chances but are long shots.

No Defender else then Schneller? For sure he got good O-Zone Skills but in the WJC he‘s Breakouts in the PP where terrible and he had the worst +/- from all D‘s from Team Switzerland with -7…. For being so bad defensively, there was too little offensively in my opinion. Sure he is good but what are your arguments why he should be drafted?

 

[josi90]

De Luca should go under normal circumstances. Other than that it doesn't look good this year for the Swiss kids. Next year is probably gonna be different but this year De Luca could be the only one. Braillard and Schneller probably should get drafted but most likely won't. Others like Huet or Simon Meier probably have chances but are long shots.

Who could be drafted in your Opinion next Year?

 

[Hallzy]

Over-ager Kocha Delic

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Thomas Milic

Would someone please just finally draft him? I was shocked he went undrafted last season and he's been even better this season.

Even if he never becomes an NHL goalie, he will definately be a good goalie to have in a teams system to win games in the AHL

 

[Hinterland]

No Defender else then Schneller? For sure he got good O-Zone Skills but in the WJC he‘s Breakouts in the PP where terrible and he had the worst +/- from all D‘s from Team Switzerland with -7…. For being so bad defensively, there was too little offensively in my opinion. Sure he is good but what are your arguments why he should be drafted?

4 of the 7 are from the USA game where the goalies just didn't stop anything. Also, Schneller was assigned tough matchups and was mostly paired with Nils Rhyn a lot who had zero business even being on that team. That kid was barely ever on the radar of any national teams (and probably for good reasons) but all of a sudden, Jenni thought it would be smart to give a complete nobody a prominent role on a WJC18 squad

You can pretty much disregard +/- for those kind of tournaments. Braillard was -5 (likewise 4 of them from the USA game) despite clearly being the team's best player.

I think Schneller played a fantastic tournament. So did Muggli (who's not yet eligible for the 2023 draft) but Schneller is far more confident with the puck.

So to summarize I think De Luca is gonna get drafted but he's most likely the lone Swiss player to go. Braillard and Schneller probably should get drafted but likely still won't. Simon Meier is a very long shot after his poor WJC18 but I wouldn't rule him out completely based on his upside. The rest I'd be shocked if they did get drafted.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Thomas Milic

Would someone please just finally draft him? I was shocked he went undrafted last season and he's been even better this season.

Even if he never becomes an NHL goalie, he will definately be a good goalie to have in a teams system to win games in the AHL

I'll add Dylan Ernst who is another WHL overage goalie worth taking, imo.

He's right behind Milic is most statistical categories. He's also a little bit bigger.

 

[josi90]

4 of the 7 are from the USA game where the goalies just didn't stop anything. Also, Schneller was assigned tough matchups and was mostly paire with Nils Rhyn a lot who had zero business even being on that team. That kid was barely ever on the radar of any national teams (and probably for good reasons) but all of a sudden, Jenni thought it would be smart to give a complete nobody a prominent role on a WJC18 squad

You can pretty much disregard +/- for those kind of tournaments. Braillard was -5 (likewise 4 of them from the USA game) despite clearly being the team's best player.

I think Schneller played a fantastic tournament. So did Muggli (who's not yet eligible for the 2023 draft) but Schneller is far more confident with the puck.

So to summarize I think De Luca is gonna get drafted but he's most likely the lone Swiss player to go. Braillard and Schneller probably should get drafted but likely still won't. Simon Meier is a very long shot after his poor WJC18 but I wouldn't rule him out completely based on his upside. The rest I'd be shocked if they did get drafted.

Thanks! Really appreciate your comments.

 

[josi90]

4 of the 7 are from the USA game where the goalies just didn't stop anything. Also, Schneller was assigned tough matchups and was mostly paire with Nils Rhyn a lot who had zero business even being on that team. That kid was barely ever on the radar of any national teams (and probably for good reasons) but all of a sudden, Jenni thought it would be smart to give a complete nobody a prominent role on a WJC18 squad

You can pretty much disregard +/- for those kind of tournaments. Braillard was -5 (likewise 4 of them from the USA game) despite clearly being the team's best player.

I think Schneller played a fantastic tournament. So did Muggli (who's not yet eligible for the 2023 draft) but Schneller is far more confident with the puck.

So to summarize I think De Luca is gonna get drafted but he's most likely the lone Swiss player to go. Braillard and Schneller probably should get drafted but likely still won't. Simon Meier is a very long shot after his poor WJC18 but I wouldn't rule him out completely based on his upside. The rest I'd be shocked if they did get drafted.

Still don't know how Jenni could have taken him. He has no international experience and his stats were not outstanding.
Horak and Lekic were definitely robbed.
Schneller and Horak were a duo in the summer camp which I liked a lot because both have their offensive qualities. Would have been another great duo at the WJC....

 

[Bubbles]

Thomas Milic


I'll add Dylan Ernst who is another WHL overage goalie worth taking, imo.

He's right behind Milic is most statistical categories. He's also a little bit bigger.

I'll add Kyle Kelsey to the list as well.

 

[superdeluxe]

Jeremy Hanzel. Wasn’t listed before the final nhl central scouting skating rankings. Hope he gets drafted