2023 NHL Draft Thread

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by the-rasta-masta

I did a two round mock draft on this site: https://draftprospectshockey.com/draftsim/#/

Ended up liking a bunch of players left at 16, so I traded the 16th and 48th picks to Columbus for the 22nd and 34th Overall. Got Gabe Perrault at 22 and Willander at 34, I'd be ecstatic with that draft.

That... is a fun tool. I like the "randomness factor".
In the draft i simulated, will smith went 3 and Leo Carlsson fell to 7th overall.

I got Danielson, But, and Cam Squires in rounds 1-3. I was hoping for a dman but having But and squires available in both slots was too easy to say yes to.
We got some D in the system and could look to trade for one.

[1qqaaz]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1663981518526529566

I kind of wish the Flames would do this, to be honest.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

https://twitter.com/user/status/1663981518526529566

I kind of wish the Flames would do this, to be honest.

I think they have.

You don't draft the Phillips and Mangiapane types without taking a swing (betting against size being an issue)

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I think they have.

You don't draft the Phillips and Mangiapane types without taking a swing (betting against size being an issue)

Wolf is the prime example of it IMO

[bdubbs]

Mangiapane and Gaudreau as successful NHL examples. As has been said in other threads, aside from the COVID draft, our amateur scouting has been doing a really good job finding diamonds in the rough.

[Canada 02]

taking a swing also means striking out. I think fans interpret the strikeouts as bad picks
Gotta live with the good and the bad if this is the approach you want to take.

Regarding the covid draft, Beck is about as big of a swing as you can take. They didn't see the guy play for a year.

[Icon]

I think good draft years need a couple safe/consensus picks, and a couple swing for the fences long shots that could pan out... because even those safe/consensus picks may not, so Whynot...

Too soon?

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

taking a swing also means striking out. I think fans interpret the strikeouts as bad picks
Gotta live with the good and the bad if this is the approach you want to take
speaking of the covid draft, Beck is about as big of a swing as you can take. They didn't see the guy play for a year.

Yup we look at the Gaudreau, Mangiapane, Adam Fox and to some extent Phillips as the good picks where you overlook size for skill.

But then you also have the Ryan Francis, Jack Beck, Demetrios Koumontzis, etc type picks at the other end of the spectrum.

Overall though I think that Trotz has the right philosophy. Don't worry about finding bottom of the lineup guys. Draft to take players that are impact players at the NHL level.

[the-rasta-masta]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

That... is a fun tool. I like the "randomness factor".
In the draft i simulated, will smith went 3 and Leo Carlsson fell to 7th overall.

I got Danielson, But, and Cam Squires in rounds 1-3. I was hoping for a dman but having But and squires available in both slots was too easy to say yes to.
We got some D in the system and could look to trade for one.

Ya the randomness slider is fun. I just tried another one with full randomness and had Smith taken 1st overall and Bedard fall to 2nd, so maybe a bit too random haha.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Here's my shelves (thanks for asking):

1)Bedard
2)Fantilli
3)Carlsson
4)Smith
5)Dvorsky/Michkov
6)ASP/Reinbacher/Benson/Leonard/Barlow
7)Sale/Danielson/Wood/Moore
8)Ritchie/Willander/Heidt/Perreault
9)Musty/Gauthier/Dragicevic/Cristall/Gulyayev/Honzek/Yager
10)Stenberg/Halttunen/Ziemmer/Simashev/Nadeau/Cataford
11)Kiiskinen/But/DowerNilsson/Hameenaho/Edstrom/Lindstein/Fowler/Hrabal

Would love to see everyone's lists!

Think I've caught up to Sandman again temporarily (lol) in getting profiles added to Upside Hockey website. I've also added his prospect tiers to the top of the page for reference!

[Sandman]

Please support our boy cral12, and Upside Hockey!

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Yeah Cristall doesn't have bad skating per se, but he's still a pizza skater if that makes sense. Speed looks fine, edges are meh but the mechanics are that of an 8 year old.


Not sure why the NHL. Com guys have Sale dropping, that guys a top 5 talent stuck in a deep deep draft. No way he makes it to 16 let alone 13 The only thing I don't like about Sale for the Flames is he's a pure LW.

Excellent posts today, dammage! (If you don’t mind me saying).Appreciate your knowledge!

[Sandman]

More Draft Thoughts (6-foot European Center Edition):

-It seems like every prospect coming out of Europe in this year's Draft is about 6'0" tall and a C, so here's another one. 5'11",170lb C/W Petter Vesterheim is a Norwegian, playing in Sweden's J20, with one of the top teams, Mora IK. He's one of the older prospects in the draft, with a Sept.30th birthday, so he missed last year's draft by 2 weeks. 39 points in 41 games, putting him 27th in league scoring, but his 27 assists were 21st overall. He also was promoted for 12 games to the Allsvenskan, Swedens's second-tier league, where he managed 2 goals, then 1 assist in 7 playoff games there. Vesterheim played in the most recent World Championship for Norway as well, where he got some good reviews for his mature game, and for being able to keep up with men, despite playing mostly 4th-line minutes and getting no points. Vesterheim already demonstrates a polished, cerebral defensive game, and he plays with a high motor. Though he tends to be on the losing end of a lot of the physical battles due to his slight build, he is excellent at moving around, supporting his D along the walls and in front of the net, and has high awareness in this area. He exhibits confidence in carrying on the breakout, or he can be a link to other wingers in transition, and works diligently off-puck. This quality off-puck game helps him be an option in all areas of the ice. Offensively, he has a pretty good shot, and can score from pretty far out, but he's more of a playmaker with above-average IQ and creativity, though he's still growing in this area- scouts would like to see better numbers. They would also like to see him go to the net more, and get a few more goals. Skating-wise, he's very mobile, but needs to improve his technique to get more acceleration and a better top-speed. All in all, Vesterheim has a lot of work to do in many areas, and he will picked in the mid-to late rounds of the draft because of this.

-6'0",181lb LHC Kalle Carlsson was heralded as a potential first-rounder in this draft, but his numbers have slipped, along with his rankings. In the J20 league in 2021-22, as one of the youngest members of Orebro HK, he put up 27 points in just 30 games, for a ppg of 0.9, good enough to rank 3rd (just behind Otto Stenberg) for players under-17 in that league. The next highest-ranking U-17 player was David Edstrom, with 11 points. This year, his ppg slipped to 0.8, with 35 points in 44 games, with no points in 3 games in the SHL. Every description of KC starts the about the same, with the mention that he's a smart, creative, hard-working C with high IQ and top-tier playmaking. Even better, he plays a good 200-ft game. Carlsson is an excellent skater, but perhaps not elite, as there's room to grow- but he is strong on his skates, and agile. He owns a very hard shot with accuracy and deceptiveness, but he perhaps doesn't use it enough. Playmaking seems to be his forte, and he is an expert in finding teammates in open spaces, or finding open ice for himself to pull off plays, and he sees seams that few can. Defensively, he knows where to go to kill plays, intercept passes, and clog lanes- he's highly aware in all areas. He's known to be physical on occasion, to neutralize his opponents, and he will battle in the dirty areas. Dayton Reimer of The Hockey Writers likens his situation to that of Attu Raty, in that Carlsson needs time to "figure out the finer aspects of his game", and will grow in his patience, and creativity. It's hard not to like this kid, and I think he'll be a mid-round pick.

-Can't believe I forgot to do a write-up on 6'0",179lb LHC Tom Leppa. It might be because he looked a bit invisible on a disappointing Team Finland in the U-18 Tournament in the games I watched, despite finishing with 3 points in 5 games. I still like him, despite having a lot of work to do in order to have hope of getting into the NHL. It looks like he's serious about making it though, as he's going to be playing in North America next year, for Fargo of the USHL, and then he's committed to Penn State in 2024-25. This season, he scored 19 goals (tied for 14th in the league) and 31 points in 45 games for Jokerit's U20 team, followed by 9 points in 12 playoff games-losing in the finals. I do wonder though, if Jokerit's defensive style of play (7th out of 12 teams in goals-for, 1st in goals-against) had a bit of an effect on Leppa's numbers. At any rate, Leppa is another smart, 200-ft center with an above average IQ, with a specialty being his defensive duties, and penalty-killing. His work-ethic and compete are some of his best qualities- he never gives up on a play, uses physicality, and he battles hard all over the ice. His defense starts in the neutral zone, where he is in his opponents faces with good reads, limiting time and space, and he uses smart positioning and an active stick to cut off plays. Mobility wise, he has a clunky, choppy stride that gives him ok top-speed, but he needs more power, as well as better edges and acceleration. His main offensive weapon is his willingness to go to the front of the net and battle for tips and rebounds, but he's neither a dynamic playmaker, or scorer at this level. If he doesn't develop a better offensive game, he still has a chance at being a bottom-6 defensive player in the NHL, but he has a ton of work to do in other parts of his game.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Giants Edition):

-The Vancouver Giants finished 16 out of 22 teams in the WHL, but their offense was second-last in the league. That might make 6'3",198lb C Jaden Lipinski's offensive output of 51 points in 66 games look a bit more shiny. Lipinski is not fleet-of-foot, with sluggish speed and acceleration, and his agility is not great, but the good news is that he's smart, plays a physical 200-ft game, and perhaps most importantly- he has gained confidence carrying the puck by greatly developing his puck-protection skills. Lipinski will move the puck up ice by shielding the puck with his body, arms, and rear-end, and this skill helps him in all 3 zones, in traffic, and in tight spaces. He doesn't need to just put the puck off the glass, or dump it in- he has confidence in puck possession. He won't be confused with teammate Sam Honzek, but he has a reasonable offensive toolkit, and some IQ and vision in all situations to go along with it. The Giants don't hesitate to use him on both sides of special teams. He has good hands, will go to the net, and not surprisingly, he's a down-low force, and a nightmare along the boards. Some big players don't use their size, but that's not a problem with Lipinski- he throws his weight around, and uses it to win pucks for his team. Defensively, he has the anticipation to know where to position himself to limit time and space for attackers, and has that physicality plus an active stick. If Lipinski can improve his speed, suddenly you have a very good prospect with a shot at bottom-6 duty, and the potential for even more. 4th round.

-5'11",181lb RW Ty Halaburda is another one of those "not elite in any one thing, but good at everything" types, scoring 21 goals and 37 points in 66 games for the second-worst offensive team in the WHL, the Vancouver Giants. He added 3 points in 7 games for Team Canada in the U-18's. Halaburda's calling card is his speed, being one of Vancouver's fastest players, but he also has an uncommon motor, and a refined off-puck game. Some consider him one of the top penalty-killers in the league, but he is trusted in all situations. Off the puck, he is intense-chasing down puck-carriers, and working to limit time, space, and opportunity for opponents. He will not be outworked, plays physically, and never takes a shift off. Defensively, he is mature and well-rounded, with excellent awareness and anticipation, and he clogs lanes, and blocks shots with aplomb. He's a pest, and causes many turnovers. He is fairly calm and patient when carrying the puck, keeping his head up to scan for options, but his creatvity has not been shown to be high-end- he keeps things simple and workman-like. Halaburda will go to to the greasy areas, and will crash the net looking for opportunities, and he does get pretty good velocity on his shot. I like this kid, and I feel like he's the type to put up much bigger numbers in his D+1 year and beyond. I think he could one day be in an NHL team's bottom-6. 4th-6th round.

[iloveicedhockey]

Pronman has a new mock up and has us taking ASP. Also suggests that the penguins aren't a guarantee to keep the pick, though with dubas heading that way, that will likely change.

[Flamesfan05]

Would rather take a swing at Gaudreau and Fox than take a safe 3rd liner sure thing

[8sPOT]

Getting ASP would be the dream in my opinion. I've been high on that kid since he was an underager on the U20 Swedish team.

Absolutely my #1 pick for the Flames at 16.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I think they have.

You don't draft the Phillips and Mangiapane types without taking a swing (betting against size being an issue)

I agree, but it seems like this mindset has been used in the 4th through 6th rounds, not the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Since 2017, it almost seems as if the 4th-7th round picks have been better than the 2nd/3rd round picks.

[cannon7]

Was looking at Riley Height and noticed that the Dallas Stars signed undrafted Calgary-born Chase Wheatcroft to an ELC back in March. This is how it is done, Stars snap up a 6'2" 47 goal scoring overager / late bloomer. Wonder if the Flames were even in talks with this kid?

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

I agree, but it seems like this mindset has been used in the 4th through 6th rounds, not the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Since 2017, it almost seems as if the 4th-7th round picks have been better than the 2nd/3rd round picks.

Even then more of an issue of not having 2nd round picks.

When they had them they took some swings

2nd/3rd picks

2015 - Andersson/Kylington
2016 - Parsons/Dube/Fox
2017 - no picks
2018 - no picks
2019 - Nikolaev
2020 - Kuznetsov/Porier
2021 - Stromgren/Huckins/Whynot
2022 - Ronni

In 8 years they should have 16 picks, they chose 12 times

Not sure I'd call any safe picks