[GT] 2023 NHL Draft Round 1. 5pm MT. SN. ESPN.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Royle9

I’m not saying draft rankings are accurate and the gospel.
But go watch his game play and tell me his upside is better than those that were still available.

He’s a “safe” pick and was bigger than most kids in the WHL so he was able to put muscle a lot of them just based on size.

His stride is awkward, he’s not fast, he’s not flashy and he doesn’t have a hard shot.
He plays small for his size, there’s just so many things that don’t translate, but hey the flames seem to think he’s the next Rantanen, I’ll happy eat crow if that happens but I’m pretty confident he’s borderline 3rd liner.

Almost all of this is incorrect. His skating is considered a plus for his size, and his shot is one of his strengths.

[bax]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

I hope Conroy and company take a good look at what STL is doing.
Recent cup winners who haven't been afraid to make big moves to retool with high end draft capital quickly.

I wish the Flames treated the last trade deadline like they did instead of chasing that last wild card spot.
Imagine the excitement we'd all be having with 3 picks today in the 1st round.

They picked a couple low ceiling guys with their later picks though. Hate the way they drafted

[3rd line Grinder]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

I guess I was thinking the way this went down perhaps he might have received a 1st rounder today. But sounds like he wanted the roster player we got.

Certainly not in any deal with NJ, that 1st rounder went out the door in the Timo Meyer deal....

[Southside]

So tomorrow things move alot faster. Flames picks;

Round 2 48 OA
Round 3 80 OA
Round 4 112 OA
Round 6 176 OA
Round 7 208 OA

Should still get a decent prospect at 48 and hopefully the scouts can make something out of the remaining picks. Looking forward to another Round 4 gem.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

I hope Conroy and company take a good look at what STL is doing.
Recent cup winners who haven't been afraid to make big moves to retool with high end draft capital quickly.

I wish the Flames treated the last trade deadline like they did instead of chasing that last wild card spot.
Imagine the excitement we'd all be having with 3 picks today in the 1st round.

Yeah, I posted the same thing about STL. They could've gone the Flames route but likely had an honest discussion of where they were realistically. Good organizations do that. Imagine getting three picks in this year.

[SuperMatt18]

The Honzek pick was fine. Lots of upside there but unfortunately Benson didn't fall a bit further.

Real dissapointment was that they weren't able to add another 1st or make a deal.

Avs being as good as they are and adding Ritchie and Gulyayev seems like a win for them.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Almost all of this is incorrect. His skating is considered a plus for his size, and his shot is one of his strengths.

I'm not seeing this great skating. I agree with Royale9, he's got an awkward stride. He gets around just fine, but I wouldn't say his skating is a strength regardless of his size. He's not a burner. That is not to say that it will hold him back but is an area where he could improve and make great gains. I agree on his shot. It appears to be heavy and accurate although he is slow to get it off at times. He could work on making it a little more compact and that will help there. I like the comparison someone made to Ruzicka. Kind of similar. So a blend between Monahan and Ruzicka, which isn't all that bad.

[Royle9]

Ruzicka is definitely a good "flames player" comparable, except I would give Honzek the nod for more compete/care and desire to improve.

I still don't see his skating being elite/above average, he's got a huge stride and his first 3 strides are about the same as the avg guy taking 6-7 so its a bit deceiving. His #1 strength in my mind is puck control/edgework and keeping players away from him.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Royle9

I’m not saying draft rankings are accurate and the gospel.
But go watch his game play and tell me his upside is better than those that were still available.

He’s a “safe” pick and was bigger than most kids in the WHL so he was able to put muscle a lot of them just based on size.

His stride is awkward, he’s not fast, he’s not flashy and he doesn’t have a hard shot.
He plays small for his size, there’s just so many things that don’t translate, but hey the flames seem to think he’s the next Rantanen, I’ll happy eat crow if that happens but I’m pretty confident he’s borderline 3rd liner.

That's 100% fine if you have other specific players in mind that you really wanted, but what you are describing Honzek as is simply not what is seen in any of the videos or what is being described by scouting outlets (at least the few I read about).


He is wispy. He is 'bigger' in height, but he is absolutely NOT out-muscling anyone. He did have a couple of big hits in some of those packages, but if anything, he leaves you feeling like he isn't using his size and strength nearly enough. He is producing with skill, not strength.



His shot is good. Great accuracy, he is also patient with his shot, and he can also get it off in a real hurry. Some of the highlights explicitly shows a shot that is quick off the stick, at a high velocity, and accurate. There were a few shots he made that I thought was absolutely elite.


100% right on his stride - it is absolutely awkward... but he is FAST, and he has really great edges too. Apparently most of his stride will be fixed naturally as he gains strength (or so I heard on one of those videos posted). He regularly beats defencemen and is elusive on his edges. So awkward? Yep. However, he is fast and strong on his edges. Best comparison would be Emile Poirier back in the day - really, really fast with fantastic edge-work, but super awkward looking as well.


Yes, you are right - plays small for his size (so I am not sure why you stated that he out-muscled players), but that's largely because he is really thin still. Like I posted above, he made some big hits too, so it isn't like he is shy. He had a big open-ice hit and really blew the guy up. Jankowski was a real beanpole as well, but had really strong IQ, great skating, and fantastic skills. Why didn't he pan out? IMO, it had a lot to do with a seeming unwillingness to play 'strong' hockey. Honzek is willing - at least so far he is.


I can understand that you are not in the mood to look through all the material posted so far (and go looking for more), but it is all there. Hopefully this post will make you feel better about him, and if not, that's ok too. Nobody can ever know for sure if someone is making it, and if they make it, how good of a career they will have. At the end of the day, you still don't have to like this pick, especially if after you analyze it with a bit more of an open mind after seeing firsthand what type of player he is. We all have our preferences, and we all have our biases. Cheers.

[sureLoss]

McKenzie says size played a significant role in why some players fell and rose in the 1st round.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1674252273575157761

[Royle9]

Agreed C4L, great take and I appreciate it.
Just not sold... yet at least. I'm watching more now though, and will continue to review all aspects.

As for 2nd round aspirations now:

Cristall LHS LW - 5'10
Heidt RHS C - 5'11
Sawchyn LHS C - 5'10

Super high skill/high reward guys but considered undersized.
Almost guaranteed Cristall and Heidt are gone.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Yeah Ruzicka with a consistent motor and effort would be a compelling player.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Royle9

Agreed C4L, great take and I appreciate it.
Just not sold... yet at least. I'm watching more now though, and will continue to review all aspects.

As for 2nd round aspirations now:

Cristall LHS LW - 5'10
Heidt RHS C - 5'11
Sawchyn LHS C - 5'10

Super high skill/high reward guys but considered undersized.
Almost guaranteed Cristall and Heidt are gone.

A couple other guys I would add as possible targets in the 2nd, that could also be gone:
- Ethan Gauthier (Denis' son!)
- Lukas Dragacevic (boom/bust pick, lots of issues to resolve, but not dissimilar in some ways to the Poirier pick a few years ago)
- Kasper Halttunen
- Danny Nelson
- Oscar Molgaard Fisker
- Koehn Ziemmer
- Maxm Strbak

There's a lot of intriguing names still on the board.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Royle9

Ruzicka is definitely a good "flames player" comparable, except I would give Honzek the nod for more compete/care and desire to improve.

I still don't see his skating being elite/above average, he's got a huge stride and his first 3 strides are about the same as the avg guy taking 6-7 so its a bit deceiving. His #1 strength in my mind is puck control/edgework and keeping players away from him.

Hard to go wrong with sharing a primary strength with Jaromir Jagr.

[FlamesAddiction]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1674240607752171520

Sheesh. I haven't checked any Leafs forums, but I imagine they are tripping out over this.

[tkflames]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

https://twitter.com/user/status/1674240607752171520

Sheesh. I haven't checked any Leafs forums, but I imagine they are tripping out over this.

Definitely used his flames intel on that one. Have a look at where Button has ranked the last decade and compare that to where his brother drafts for the flames. The fact that every other scout has him as a 2nd/3rd rounder except Button, reeks of insider knowledge...

[Enoch Root]

yeah, the fact that Button loves him is... interesting?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

McKenzie says size played a significant role in why some players fell and rose in the 1st round.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1674252273575157761

More proof that NHL scouts and execs still value size more than the amateur bloggers and stats mavens who make draft rankings.

[Robbob]

I wonder if that is why Treliving called Conroy when the Leafs were on the clock. Knowing the Flames were high on the player and wanted to leverage that in getting the Flames to pay to move up.

[fotze2]

They should have picked Sergei Samsonov or Mattias Tedenby.