2023 NHL Draft Thread

[bluejays]

Maybe it's been answered 100x over on here, but is there a reason that Michkov is rated so low overall, if he is in fact the best Russian since Ovechkin? Taking the politics out of it where he's stuck in Russia for 3 years or whatever it is, some of the rankings have him as ~5ish. Isn't that a little low for a player of his ilk? Or or players like Fantilli really that much better? It's a head scratcher for me.

[Tbull8]

There’s a risk he never comes over. 3 more years in the Khl isn’t even really the kicker. Add in what happened to his father and the fact that a lot of shady things happen in Russia, there’s definitely some risk.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Teams have also not been able to scout him in person, so it's all been done on video. And apparently even getting time to talk to him at the combine was hard.
so there's a bunch of red flags.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

There’s a risk he never comes over. 3 more years in the Khl isn’t even really the kicker. Add in what happened to his father and the fact that a lot of shady things happen in Russia, there’s definitely some risk.

Yeah, that's the thing. Michkov is a cash cow for that team and it's no secret that there are organized crime elements on the KHL business side.

Also, the 1st 3 years of being drafted are important for development, and I doubt his KHL team has the same facilities and caliber of experts to work with him that an NHL team would have. Then factor in that the competition isn't as good.

[Canada 02]

according to Google, the average tenure of an NHL GM is 5.5 years. So you are the GM of a bottom feeder, and maybe you are on shaky ground already since your team stinks. Can you afford to wait 3 years for your prized prospect to arrive? By the time Michkov plays a game, you've been unemployed for 15 months

[cral12]

Originally Posted by cral12

I've fallen a bit behind the profile-composing machine that is CP's Sandman, but have added more of his profiles since my last update. We must be at 140 or so now and I've got probably 15-20 or more to add.

On top of that, my East Coast based Chief of Scouting, E-Mac, just sent me his Final Rankings which we use as Upside's Final Rankings.
In this update (hopefully by end of weekend), I'm excited to see as he has added a top skills section to it as well.

Stay tuned. Don't get caught on the Dark Side for this draft. Join us on the Upside. (Friendly reminder that all our stuff is free, of course).

Phew! Upside Hockey's Final 2023 NHL Draft Rankings are now LIVE!

Our Chief of Scouting E-Mac puts in a ton of work on composing this mega spreadsheet, a quintessential draft resource imho - one of the reasons I created Upside was to feature this. Plus, now we have Sandman's super awesome profiles!

My fav latest feature he has included is bunch of cool top 10s (his Bestie Awards) in all your favourite categories.

Keep scrolling on the spreadsheet and there are lots of columns to explore - at the end he has links to Youtube videos as well of each prospect when available.

Direct link to website:
https://bit.ly/upsidehockey

Direct link to profiles:
https://bit.ly/upsidenhldraftprofiles

Next up: I'll gradually adding in more Sandman profiles! They might be based on Lottery Edition rankings for now - if I have time I'll resort to the FInal Rankings.

Enjoy and appreciate any feedback (and social media love or simply sharing with friends). Thanks!
I'll include a tweet to make this easy ; )

https://twitter.com/user/status/1670250108326395904

[Tkachukwagon]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1669830963118092290

https://twitter.com/user/status/1668064241448890370

My guess is the Sabres take Musty at 13th if he is still around.

[CKPThunder]

Originally Posted by aaronkarlpatton

I'm not sure why I can never open these links. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Sent from my SM-G990W2 using Tapatalk

When I use Tapatalk, I can’t read the tweets either. I read then by opening the post in web view from the app.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Royle9]

I appreciate the scouting reports but if Musty was that high in those categories he’d be a lock for the top 3-5.

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by cral12

Phew! Upside Hockey's Final 2023 NHL Draft Rankings are now LIVE!

Our Chief of Scouting E-Mac puts in a ton of work on composing this mega spreadsheet, a quintessential draft resource imho - one of the reasons I created Upside was to feature this. Plus, now we have Sandman's super awesome profiles!

My fav latest feature he has included is bunch of cool top 10s (his Bestie Awards) in all your favourite categories.

Keep scrolling on the spreadsheet and there are lots of columns to explore - at the end he has links to Youtube videos as well of each prospect when available.

Direct link to website:
https://bit.ly/upsidehockey

Direct link to profiles:
https://bit.ly/upsidenhldraftprofiles

Next up: I'll gradually adding in more Sandman profiles! They might be based on Lottery Edition rankings for now - if I have time I'll resort to the FInal Rankings.

Enjoy and appreciate any feedback (and social media love or simply sharing with friends). Thanks!
I'll include a tweet to make this easy ; )

https://twitter.com/user/status/1670250108326395904

Would be super surprised if heidt got out of first round

[cral12]

Originally Posted by Fan69

Would be super surprised if heidt got out of first round

Agreed our man E-Mac definitely lower on him than Sandman - otherwise, their opinions have matched on so many prospects.

I'm intrigued to see where he lands ultimately.

[oldschoolcalgary]

Cristall reminds me a bit of what happened to Stankoven...was ranked in the top half of the first and fell, presumably due to size issues, to the second.

I was praying Calgary would snap him up, but alas they did not.

Cristall could slip back into the 2nd round due to some of the questions surrounding him...hopefully, if he's available in the second, Calgary will pick him

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary

Cristall reminds me a bit of what happened to Stankoven...was ranked in the top half of the first and fell, presumably due to size issues, to the second.

I was praying Calgary would snap him up, but alas they did not.

Cristall could slip back into the 2nd round due to some of the questions surrounding him...hopefully, if he's available in the second, Calgary will pick him

Well, I don't think he'll be around for our 2nd pick, or for the second round at all, for that matter. Cristall's main weakness is his skating, but he's a much better player in this, his draft year, working with less firepower around him, than Stanky was in his draft year. I would be shocked if AC wasn't picked in the first.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary

Cristall reminds me a bit of what happened to Stankoven...was ranked in the top half of the first and fell, presumably due to size issues, to the second.

I was praying Calgary would snap him up, but alas they did not.

Cristall could slip back into the 2nd round due to some of the questions surrounding him...hopefully, if he's available in the second, Calgary will pick him

I assume if he’s available in the 2nd round, the Hawks will jump on him.

[FlamesAddiction]

The Daily Faceoff's top 10 draft risers:

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/th...2023-nhl-draft

Gracyn Sawchyn
Anton Wahlberg
Tom Willander
Bradley Nadeau
David Edstrom
Oscar Fisker Molgaard
Nick Lardis
Adam Gajan
Daniel Nelson
Aydar Suniev

Wahlberg sounds like he would be an excellent player to draft if he is available at 48th when the Flames pick in the 2nd round.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Royle9

I appreciate the scouting reports but if Musty was that high in those categories he’d be a lock for the top 3-5.

May have been top 10 if not for shoulder problems and he played on a pretty blah team with not much talent around him, from what I'm told if healthy he'll probably be an absolute beast at the NHL level.

Big, strong, awesome skater, great shot and vision, plus probably the youngest top ranked player in the draft. could very well be a steal late in the first round

[Samonadreau]

Musty is also a late Birthday, still 17. Could be a good pick.

[FranksandBean]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Yeah, that's the thing. Michkov is a cash cow for that team and it's no secret that there are organized crime elements on the KHL business side.

Also, the 1st 3 years of being drafted are important for development, and I doubt his KHL team has the same facilities and caliber of experts to work with him that an NHL team would have. Then factor in that the competition isn't as good.

Sorry to derail the discussion it I’m not sure I agree with the organized crime tag that has been placed on this, its more of just business in Russia they have lots of white collar crime. By that I mean there is a lot of creative accounting to avoid paying tax and lots of the super rich (people who own KHL teams) have deep ties to the FSB/GRU/Government. There is also a draft in Russia by law they are not allowed to hide outside the country to avoid it any more.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by FranksandBean

Sorry to derail the discussion it I’m not sure I agree with the organized crime tag that has been placed on this, its more of just business in Russia they have lots of white collar crime. By that I mean there is a lot of creative accounting to avoid paying tax and lots of the super rich (people who own KHL teams) have deep ties to the FSB/GRU/Government. There is also a draft in Russia by law they are not allowed to hide outside the country to avoid it any more.

Maybe painting the whole league as under the thumb of organized crime is not fair. I just remember a Rick Westhead story a few years back about the KHL, and it sounded pretty bad. I recall an incident where Oleg Tverdovsky's mother was kidnapped and held for ransom, and it turned out the people who did it were associated with the team. There was another story about a team owner who would brandish a gun at practices if he didn't like what he saw. There was another story about foreign players getting contraband planted on them at airports to get them kicked out of the country when the team didn't want to pay them any more.

That was quite a few years ago, so maybe that stuff doesn't happen anymore.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Uncut Gems Edition, Vol.4)

-The BCHL Showcase is a one-stop shop for scouts and college recruits to evaluate talent in one place, and consists of each team in the league playing one home, and one away game in 4 nights of action. This years event took place between Oct.17th-20th in Chilliwack, BC. Hoyt Stanley is a 6'2",196lb right-handed D playing in the BCHL for the Victoria Grizzlies, and some fans say he is usually the best player on the team most nights, but some of his shortcomings were on full display for scouts in the Showcase, although Cornell University has liked him enough over the span of the season to bring him into their fold next year. It's fair to say that Stanley is more potential than finished product right now. He is said to have good mobility for his size, and a smart two-way game, compiling 38 points in 53 games of Junior A- which was surprisingly good enough to be tied for 8th place in D-scoring in the league. Daniel Gee of Elite Prospects was at the Showcase, and said at the time that Stanley has some bad defensive habits and an immature game, struggling in multi-dimensional defensive situations, and failing to guide attackers to the outside in transition due to some faulty footwork where he struggles in pivots and lacks explosiveness in turns. Stanley has enough assets to pique the interest of NHL clubs, but he looks a bit like a project at this point.

-Russian-born Aydar Suniev had some very positive reviews for his play in the 2022 BCHL Showcase, and the comments are in line with everything else I've read about him this year. Suniev is a sturdily built 6'2", 205lb power-forward playing LW for the BCHL Champions, the Penticton Vees, and finished 3rd in league scoring behind teammates Bradly and Josh Nadeau, with 45 goals and 45 assists in 50 games, followed by 23 points in 15 playoff games. Suniev uses his size and strength proficiently in all situations, and fights hard- winning more than his fair share of puck battles, and muscling through traffic. He's a load to handle on both the forecheck and the backcheck, and his game has plenty of deception to shake off defenders, and he has excellent protection skills as well as stickhandling. He attacks the middle, and there's little anyone can do to stop him. He's a force along the boards, and nearly impossible to move from in front of the net, and he's strong on his skates. There's effort, and awareness in his game defensively, and he can steer his man to the outside, and away from danger. His shot and release are NHL-calibre, but unfortunately, his skating is not. Some say he has a good short-area burst, but he has a stiff, lumbering stride in need of improvements to his acceleration, top-speed, and his crossovers. More important to me is the fact that he's not really a play-driver or facilitator, and is more a player that feeds off of the more skilled playmakers- and in his case, I wonder how much he's propped up by playing with two of the best in the league, one of them (Bradly Nadeau) being a potential first-round pick. Another question is- how much does he benefit from being so well-developed physically in a Junior A league? Suniev is committed to UMass next year.

-This year's recipient of the Mr.Hockey Award, given out to the most outstanding senior high-school player in Minnesota, was Warroad High RHC Jayson Shaugabay. Between his high-school season, and his 27 games with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL, he finished the year with 76 assists in 61 games. Shaugabay is only the sixth player in USHS-Minnesota history to surpass the 300-pt mark for their career. Warroad High compiled a 29-1-1 record, but lost in the Championship game. If you haven't guessed, Shaugabay is far-and-away a playmaker, and his distribution skills are his best tool. He has a quality shot that is both hard and accurate, and he most definitely needs to use it more, but he defers mostly to his deft passing game. Like most playmakers, he knows how to open and exploit space, and he likes to make plays from the boards to teammates in high danger, as he can manipulate defenders easier there, and get a better view of the ice from that vantage point. It may also have something to do with his size (5'9",168lbs), and his average skating-stride, which lacks explosiveness, and often prevents him from penetrating consistently. He will drive the middle occasionally, but prefers the perimeter at this stage. In spite of this, he is a very adept puckhandler, with the moves and protection to beat opponents 1-on-1, and slice through traffic, but he lacks the strength to push his way through. His defensive game is lacking, as well. If he can get stronger and faster at the Unversity of Minnesota-Duluth, who he has committed to for next season, there could be a real good offensive player there.

-Calgarian Aiden Fink plays RW in the AJHL for the Champs, the Brooks Bandits, who regularly dominated the competition. His 97 points in 54 games was tops in the league, and he added 13 points in 15 playoff games. In the World Junior A Challenge, Fink finished 1st in tournament scoring by 3 points, with 12 points in 6 games- though Canada West finished 4th out of 5 teams. The event featured names like Otto Stenberg, Zeb Forsfjall, Cole Knuble, Felix Unger Sorum, Tanner Ludtke, Felix Nilsson, Anton Wahlberg, Tanner Adams, and Tom Willander. Though Fink is only 5'9",152lbs, he plays much bigger, winning battles regularly with his high compete and hard-nosed approach to the game. He can make plays at high speed confidently, even under pressure. Fink is excellent at puck-distribution, be it in transition or to high-danger areas in the offensive zone. He works with advanced offensive awareness and vision, and uses all the space he can to draw attackers and open seams for his wide array of high-end passes, as well as weave through traffic to scan for options. There's also a good shot with a deceptive release in his arsenal. He is intense, and has high motor and compete, and strives to be a difference-maker in all 3 zones- he is a dedicated defensive player, and can carry through transition with full control. Though he lacks an efficient stride and top-end speed, he makes up for it somewhat with his hard work in always keeping his feet in motion, and manages to play with pace. It's still a little difficult to project Junior A players, being that the competition is not as good, and Fink will probably need the full 4 years of college to develop, as he is committed to Penn State.