[GT] 2023 NHL Draft Rounds 2-7. 9AM MT

[Johnny Makarov]

6'4 210lbs!

[getbak]

A giant from the Giants.

[Tbull8]

I doubt Fink makes it out of the 5th. But I pray haha

[cral12]

Upside's 96th ranked: Jaden Lipinski
"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."


~ from Sandman's Scouting Notebook

[getbak]

A Slovakian, a Canadian, a Russian, and an American so far for the Flames, but they all played in Canada last season (3 in BC).

None under 6' or 180 lbs.

[1qqaaz]

Now take Mazden Leslie and make it a Vancouver Giants trifecta.

[dustygoon]

Some themes....

We are picking big dudes coming from Canadian teams but nationality is wide ranging. Mostly wingers.

[iloveicedhockey]

Looks like we're getting good value today. Excellent.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

Now take Mazden Leslie and make it a Vancouver Giants trifecta.

That's who I want, but we don't have a 5th rounder....

[Hockey_Ninja]

Is it weird that I’m more intrigued by late round picks than the 1st round picks?

[cral12]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1674461452856594432

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

Is it weird that I’m more intrigued by late round picks than the 1st round picks?

Not at all, there's more mystery.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Next up for the Flames, Yegor Rimashevskiy. Need another Belarusian in the mix.

[DJones]

So far no reaches at all. Based on rankings in line or going for kids that dropped.

Hard to fault the logic. I like it.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

Kind of hoping for local product Jaden Lipinski.

You called it!

[cral12]

Upside's Top 10 Sleeper picks - fwiw - quite a few lads left:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1671321096564654080

[Sandman]

Really surprised Connor Levis is still on the board too. He would be good.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Really surprised Connor Levis is still on the board too. He would be good.

Feel like he's gone by the time the Flames pick again in the 6th unfortunately

[Lanny_McDonald]

So far a really good draft. The next big thing will be seeing how these kids look when they take their first twirl in the professional ranks, so in two or three years.

[JohnnyB]

Gotta say, I find the drafts and to some extent the whole league so much less interesting since I stopped watching the world juniors. I just have no idea who anybody is in the draft now.

The world juniors really contributes a lot to enjoyment of the NHL.