2023 NHL Draft Thread

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

If Heidt is up when the Flames pick at 48th I will be shocked.

I mentioned in another post i would he blown away if he made it out of the first. I think its a fantasy he falls to 48; nice one but its fantasy nonetheless.

[Fan69]

https://youtu.be/EMF3gH-Cz80

Im on the Nate train if he is at 16. All the tools are their. Size, skating, passing, shot, one timer. Whats not to like ? I see an nhl top six here.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Fan69

https://youtu.be/EMF3gH-Cz80

Im on the Nate train if he is at 16. All the tools are their. Size, skating, passing, shot, one timer. Whats not to like ? I see an nhl top six here.

Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely he makes it to 16. The more recent mock drafts almost all have Danielson going top 12.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely he makes it to 16. The more recent mock drafts almost all have Danielson going top 12.

I think the X-factor in that is how many Dmen go before 16.
If it's just 2 then I think he's gone for sure
If 4 or more go then I think he could be there.
Wallinder is still the darkhorse for me at 16 for the Flames.

[SuperMatt18]

Really the mock drafts don't mean a ton here IMO

1 is a lock - Bedard

2-4 - is likely Fantilli, Carlsson, Smith but Michkov is a wild card in the top 10 all together.

Then to me 6-22 is a crap shoot.

Benson, Leonard, Dvorsky, Moore, Reinbacher, Pellikka, Barlow, Perreault, Wood, Danielson, Sale, Yager, Simashev, Musty, Cristall, Honzek, Willander, But

Any of those guys could go anywhere from pick 6-22, and IMO it wouldn't shock me. Think there will be that much variation in that range this year.

[stemit14]

Sale just said in an interview on TSN just mentioned Huberdeau as his favourite player. Thinks his game is similar.


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[Mass_nerder]

Originally Posted by Fan69

https://youtu.be/EMF3gH-Cz80

Im on the Nate train if he is at 16. All the tools are their. Size, skating, passing, shot, one timer. Whats not to like ? I see an nhl top six here.

I watch approximately zero CHL hockey, and these highlights are a very small sample, so I have no clue whether this is accurate, but what stands out to me is how he attacks from the outside a lot. He's big and can skate, so why isn't he driving the center of the ice more? He's clearly a good skater, but doesn't have McDavid level speed so he's not going to be able to beat NHL defensemen outside consistently.
We desperately need a few skilled players that can drive the center of the ice. No more guys who play on the periphery.

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Really the mock drafts don't mean a ton here IMO

1 is a lock - Bedard

2-4 - is likely Fantilli, Carlsson, Smith but Michkov is a wild card in the top 10 all together.

Then to me 6-22 is a crap shoot.

Benson, Leonard, Dvorsky, Moore, Reinbacher, Pellikka, Barlow, Perreault, Wood, Danielson, Sale, Yager, Simashev, Musty, Cristall, Honzek, Willander, But

Any of those guys could go anywhere from pick 6-22, and IMO it wouldn't shock me. Think there will be that much variation in that range this year.

Thats what i find so interesting about this draft. Any of these players could easily be a top ten pick as they all bring multiple high end talents at pro level. Is it just me or this draft full of snipers and deadly shots?

[kyuss275]

Is there any chance sandinpelikka drops to 16? I don’t follow the draft like I used to.

I also like Brayden yager

[mile]

Conroy and Tod Button on the draft: https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/salim-valji-a...raft-1.1976073

Conroy has an idea of a handful of players who will likely be available when the team makes their first-round selection.

“When it gets to 10, 11, 12, every [team] likes someone different,” Conroy said.

“Maybe someone goes for a need, someone goes for a defenceman, someone wants this type of player. In my mind, I have three or four guys that could possibly be there…if they’re there, I’d be very excited to pick one of them.”

Flames’ director of amateur scouting Tod Button feels they can get a good player in a deep draft.

“At the start of the year, you would have probably said it was defence-short, but over the course of the year, there’s a couple of defencemen that have emerged that people maybe didn’t know about earlier,” he said.

“I think you have a forward, defence-deep draft with a lot of talent so as scouts we’re really excited, not only at 16, but going into the second round as well.”

“We’re going to take the best player available,” Button said.

“To decide that, you have to go through the whole process. There’s different types of best players, right? Is it the best defenceman? Is it the best centre? Is it the best power winger? You put a good defenceman, a good centre, and a good power winger up against each other, as scouts, we have to rank those guys. Sometimes it’s not always equal, the best player available. You have to sort that out…that’s the hardest part of the process, when you have different types of players and they each bring something really valuable to your team down the road, but they’re different types.”

[Teroy]

Originally Posted by Fan69

https://youtu.be/EMF3gH-Cz80

Im on the Nate train if he is at 16. All the tools are their. Size, skating, passing, shot, one timer. Whats not to like ? I see an nhl top six here.

Me too. He's the center we need. Big, great skater, scorer. Hopefully we get him.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

If Heidt is up when the Flames pick at 48th I will be shocked.

Agreed. Sandman a fan as he's stated. Upside's E-Mac loves him as a playmaker (in his top 10 playmakers), but for some reason has him ranked 46th overall - might be just a numbers game - more guys he simply liked more...

In any event, the Dub class, as we know, is insane this year:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1671703037071753217

[Teroy]

Ranking

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...nhl-mock-draft

[Monahammer]

Really wouldn't love picking Yager over Moore or Perreault.

Danielson is still my favourite, really hope he's available.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Uncut Gems, Vol.5):

-LW Vilmer Alriksson might get some love on the second day of the draft, but it won't be because of his mediocre offensive production of 21 points in 43 games for Djurgardens J20. Alriksson's main attributes are his size (6'6", 214lbs), and the fact that he skates very well for a big guy. He uses his size and stength to win plenty of contested pucks, and to park in front of the net to set up the screen and look for rebounds, but he's not really an intimidating physical presence, or a big hitter. Over the course of the season, he has become a decent defensive player, using his enourmous wingspan to limit opportunities, disrupt plays, and he has the feet to stick to his man like glue. In the offensive zone, he has a decent shot and release, but hasn't shown much creativity or vision- though he is not devoid of competitiveness, and works hard. Alriksson has plenty of defensive skills, but must work on his stickhandling, and decision-making with the puck.

-When evaluating 6'3",205lb C Brandon Svoboda, don't pay too much attention to his rather paltry 26 points in 59 USHL games; after all, the league champion Youngstown Phantoms were a stacked team. Offense may not be Svoboda's main weapon, although it's hard to tell right now due to the fact that he's so raw, and wasn't given the greatest opportunity to create. He sometimes flashes high-end vision and distribution skill, being able to connect on complex passing plays that few could see or complete. He has good compete and motor, and will attack the net looking for rebounds and tips. He plays the typical power-forward game, having a physical presence in all three zones, and wins more than his fair share of battles in the dirty areas. Though he wasn't tasked with a lot of offensive duties, he made a mark defensively in most games, having the proactive awareness to assume the correct positioning to kill plays, engage physically, and disrupt passes. Still, on the other side of the puck, he shows good battle around the net, intimidating forechecking, and a hard, quick wrister. Skating-wise, he has an ok top-speed, but his acceleration and agility are lacking, and some say he needs better puck-protection. It's possible that we see Svoboda in the NHL someday as a physical, bottom-6 checker and penalty killer, and he could be a nice mid-round pick. He's committed to Boston U next season.

-Despite a lack of notable offensive numbers (14 points in 41 games) for a powerhouse team in the Waterloo Black Hawks, 5'10", 192lb fire-hydrant D Gennadi Chaly is an offensive-generator. It may have hurt his numbers to be playing on a blueline crowded with names like Sam Rinzel (Chicago first-rounder), Nate Benoit (Minnesota 6th-rounder), 20 yo Aaron Pionk (Nate's brother), and fellow draft-eligible Ben Robertson. I have to say, this kid is fun to watch- he skates well, and has a variety of shifty and deceptive 1-on-1 moves to break ankles. The Russian-born Chaly is an aggressive attacker, pinching down the boards, or slicing through traffic with his stickhandling and repertoire of fakes and dekes, along with his slick edgework and agility. Scouts say, however, that he needs to pick his spots better to avoid the needless giveaways that his aggressiveness can sometimes create. He needs to capitalize more on the open space he manufactures, but he will have the chance to grow more next year as older players depart. Right now, as raw as his offense is, he makes a difference in the defensive end with his awareness, and active stick, as well as his tight gap-control. He's able to break up plays, block shots, and angle attackers to the boards, while boxing opponents away from the net-front, and playing a physical game. Despite his size, he's strong and has a chip on his shoulder, evidenced by his 47 PIM, and some say he might actually have a high floor, with the potential to be able to play bottom-4 minutes in the NHL someday. Chaly is committed to the University of Vermont for 2024-25.

-LW Mikey DeAngelo burst on the scene in 2020-21, when he managed 6 points in 8 games with the USNTDP Juniors, as a 16 year-old. He went cold the following year, putting forth only 6 points in 38 USHL games with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, but he showed better numbers this season, with 35 points in 52 games for Dubuque. The first thing mentioned about DeAngelo always seems to be his off-puck game, but then it's his tireless hard-work and relentless motor- he leaves it all on the ice every shift of every game, and his work rate is contagious to his team. He often puts himself in the right place at the right time to be available for high-danger opportunities, or to pounce on loose pucks to make plays out of nothing. There's vision and IQ in his game, as well as deception and manipulation in creating space for himself and his teammates. He also shows a wide array of hard shots that can fool goalies, or create opportunities for rebounds in front of the net. He's details-oriented, and a responsible 200-ft player, capable of killing plays with his awareness, positioning, and active stick that he uses to block lanes. There's flashes of a high-skill game, but right now he's one of those players who is good, not great at anything. He's a good skater, but needs more explosiveness and a better top-speed. He's smallish, at 5'11",181lbs, and not particularly physical. He posesses a good two-way game, but needs to improve his overall play- which he will do next year at Michigan State. Could be a solid mid-round pick, as he could be considered a player with a high floor, if he can learn to be more impactful in the defensive zone.

-Despite only getting 20 points in 67 games, 6'3" LHD Noah Chadwick of the Lethbridge Hurricanes actually has the toolkit to put up big numbers in the next two seasons. The Hurricanes' top-6 consists of two 20 year-olds, two 19 year-olds, then 18 year-old Chadwick, then 17 year-old Tristen Doyle- so I'm not sure what kind of ice-time Chadwick is getting. At any rate, this is what Elite Prospects says about his offensive game: "Chadwick moves through pass receptions, fakes plays, uses space, looks for teammates around the slot over shooting from the point. If the point shot's the best play, he usually aims for sticks instead of corners. He shows a similar desire to create in transition, forgoing dump-outs for passes through opponents, deceiving if necessary." Chadwick distributes well from the line, and has a pretty good shot. He knows how to open space, but is limited in how he can exploit it, due to his below-average skating and hands. He's a good defensive player, angling opponents to the outside and away from danger, and he's said to be one of the best defenders against the rush in the WHL. In short, if he can improve his mobility and puck skill, he will unlock a vast untapped dimension to his game. Look for him in the mid-to-late rounds.

[sureLoss]

Julien McKenzie has an article on Flames draft strategy:

https://theathletic.com/4599586/2023...-draft-button/

The Flames compiled a list of over 20 different players they’ve shown interest in with many of them forwards, which makes sense considering the quality of attackers available.

Calgary hasn’t selected a defenceman with their first-rounder, or any pick that ended up being their first, since Juuso Valimaki in 2017. If picking a defenceman makes sense this year, they’re more likely to jump at names like Dmitri Simashev and Axel Sandin-Pellikka — both are expected to be gone within the top 15.

If either defenceman is selected by the Flames, they’d join a small list of rearguards selected with their first pick of the draft in the 21st century.

In regard to Simashev, the Flames are fine with selecting a Russian player in the draft if they’re the best player available. Button said former GM Brad Treliving expressed no issue with it during their scouting meetings in January. New GM Craig Conroy reiterated that sentiment in their most recent pre-draft meetups.

[dammage79]

Those are sweet sweet words to read. Simashev is my favorite D prospect in this draft. To me he's a defenseman unicorn. Skates like Gaudreau but is 6'4". And that's not hyperbole, go watch his videos.


Now I really want the Flames to trade for another mid 1st. Simashev and a Center would be the best friggin outcome for the Flames at this stage.

One can dream.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Those are sweet sweet words to read. Simashev is my favorite D prospect in this draft. To me he's a defenseman unicorn. Skates like Gaudreau but is 6'4". And that's not hyperbole, go watch his videos.


Now I really want the Flames to trade for another mid 1st. Simashev and a Center would be the best friggin outcome for the Flames at this stage.

One can dream.

I think all of us, including the Flames, would like another mid first.

The question is, are any realistically available. The teams that hold them will not give them us easily.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

I think all of us, including the Flames, would like another mid first.

The question is, are any realistically available. The teams that hold them will not give them us easily.

Historically, the answer is yes. Many picks will be available to them. Especially if a Lindholm or Hanifin are on the table and you look at the UFA class this year.


Yes, teams will pony up.

[Tkachukwagon]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1671893757611102211

Sounds like Simashev might go early in the draft