2023 NHL Draft Thread

[Fighting Banana Slug]

I would guess Michkov doesn't get passed Mtl. (with the slight possibility Mtl flips 5 for 7 or 8)

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

I would guess Michkov doesn't get passed Mtl. (with the slight possibility Mtl flips 5 for 7 or 8)

Button thinks San Jose would take him at 4 in his mock draft.

[Jiri Hrdina]

A couple new mocks:
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article...rd-goes-first/ - Flames take Nate Danielson

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/202...131849369.html - Flames take Cristall

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article...rd-goes-first/ - Flames take Nate Danielson

Dvorsky at 19 is, well ... let's call it "bold".

also just can't get my head around those mocks that have Michkov at 8 or so. Even with all the issues there, my jaw would be on the floor if he fell out of the top 5. Don't think Anaheim will pass on Fantilli, but either San Jose or Montreal will risk it, I'd imagine.

[Spurs]

Love both those options, but I will admit that I am 100% biased towards WHL players as a WHL season ticket holder.

[mile]

https://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey...und-draft-pick

“I’m always looking for high hockey sense, skill, speed … ” Conroy continued. “You don’t know who you’re going to get. I think you’re going to get a well-rounded player, though. Whether it’s a forward or a defenceman, that will play itself out as the draft goes along.

“But there’s a group of guys that I think are going to be there. I’m not going to give a name, but it would be exciting to get one of those three guys in my mind.”

“It’s a deep draft, in my opinion,” Button said. “We can see it by numbers when we’re at our meetings. Right now, we pick at No. 16 and I think we have 22 guys in that range that we’re like, ‘Oh, these are really good guys at No. 16.’ So you take out the top five or six and you still have 16 or 17 that you’re excited about. Sometimes, it’s 11 guys for 16 spots so you’re sort of hoping somebody jumps ahead and takes someone that you don’t have as high and that pushes other guys down. In this case, we’re just sitting there going, ‘This is going to be great.’

[SuperMatt18]

I see the draft the same way as Button.

You have the top 5 (Bedard, Fantilli, Michkov, Carlsson, Smith, with maybe Reinbacher making it 6)

Then I do think there is a group there of 15 or so guys that you'd be very happy with drafting and the order might be a bit unpredictable.

My gut is there is going to be a guy remaining at 16 that the Flames are probably surprised is there.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

A couple new mocks:
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article...rd-goes-first/ - Flames take Nate Danielson

Average rankings had the following available for the Flames pick ....

8. Dvorsky
14. Wood
15. Danielson
16. Sale
17. Yager
19. Simashev
20. Crystall
21. Musty

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/202...131849369.html - Flames take Cristall

This one took a more predictable path leaving ...

13. Barlow
15. Danielson
17. Yager
18. Honzek
19. Simashev
20. Crystall
21. Musty

[Paulie Walnuts]

I wish we could get these guys a few more swings in this draft, we have been able to uncover some gems in later rounds makes me wonder if they had a few extra 1st rounders who they would take a swing on.

[dustygoon]

Originally Posted by mile

https://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey...und-draft-pick

Sounds like Conroy has a narrow group of three he particularly likes (ledge within a ledge!). Whilst Button has 22?


Conroy...

“But there’s a group of guys that I think are going to be there. I’m not going to give a name, but it would be exciting to get one of those three guys in my mind.”

Button....

Right now, we pick at No. 16 and I think we have 22 guys in that range that we’re like, ‘Oh, these are really good guys at No. 16.’ So you take out the top five or six and you still have 16 or 17 that you’re excited about. Sometimes, it’s 11 guys for 16 spots so you’re sort of hoping somebody jumps ahead and takes someone that you don’t have as high and that pushes other guys down. In this case, we’re just sitting there going, ‘This is going to be great.’

[dammage79]

I feel like Conroy knows centers are the gambit here. Yager, Danielson,Ritchie. My guess.purely just a guess. And yeah, I'm likely projecting a my own bias a bit.

[StrykerSteve]

Best player available. Always. In event of a tie, highest ceiling wins.

[Enoch Root]

BPA is easy to say, but it's an evaluation of future talent - hardly an exact science. Also, how do you compare a winger to a defenseman, to a center? BPA is whoever you like the most.

Just don't draft for position, at least until the 3rd round.

[stemit14]

If conroy could make two picks in the 13 to 18 range, I would love to see him come out of the draft with Danielson and Cristall. One safe pick and another a bit of a high-risk/high reward pick.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[1qqaaz]

One player that I am relatively low on is Brayden Yager - he's a center, can be sound defensively, and has a good shot, but there are quite a few shortcomings that I think are pretty big red flags.

First and foremost, I have concerns with his consistency. Scouting reports vary widely in this regard, but I've seen it stated from multiple sources that his engine seems to be pretty inconsistent on a night to night basis. This is especially concerning when the actual effort varies so wildly.

He also decreased his goal totals from the year prior - not something you like to see. Yager made a conscious effort to improve his passing this year, but I think that rather than improving his playmaking, he mostly gave up prime goal scoring opportunities.
Yager is also quite small for a center, and very light. His overall point totals are fairly disappointing and his skating is average.

Centers are great, but if Barlow and Danielson are gone, I think there's a strong change that better wingers will be available when the Flames pick at #16.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (Uncut Gems, Vol.8):

-C/LW Thomas Verdon is vanilla in a lot of ways, but he has more translatable assets than many of the players that will be picked before him in the draft. He's 5'11",176lbs, and compiled a tepid 46 points in 67 games for one of the better teams in the Q, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Verdon leans a bit more towards being a playmaker than a goal-scorer, but he did put up 5 goals (with 2 assists) in 9 playoff games. Not surprisingly, Verdon has been tagged with the old adage,"not great at anything, but good at everything". He's intelligent, and boasts a solid all-around game, with decent awareness in all areas. He exhibits good puck-protection, solid vision and creativity, and is a fine shooter with a quick release. His passing ability helps him immensely in the offensive zone, where he's able to create and exploit open space, and in transition, where he connects with teammates to advance the puck. He's a heads-up player, always scanning for options, and able to hold on to the puck for an extra second while those options become available. While he does get caught playing on the perimeter sometimes, he will often play around the net-front looking for tips and rebounds. Defensively, he shows awareness and a presence, with adequate positioning, but he could stand to be more impactful in this area- although his plus-20 led the team by 6. Mobility-wise, he's fairly average, but has a solid base of smooth mechanics and agility, and his puck skills help mask those deficiencies. Look for him in the later rounds.

-I'm a bit intrigued by Verdon's teammate on the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, D Emeric Gaudet. Gaudet is 6'5", and 185lbs, and he skates very well for a big man- although it's very obvious that he has a ton (no pun intended) of filling out to do. He's 19, and was passed over in last year's draft due to lack of offense and puck skill, although defensemen with his size have been drafted with less than his 23 points in 58 games in 2021-22. This season, he was third for D on the Huskies, with 27 points in 68 games, followed by 6 points in 9 games in the playoffs. Strangely enough though, while his regular season +14 was second on the Huskies behind Verdon, his -11 in the playoffs was by far a team-worst. Gaudet is not a gifted playmaker, nor does he have much puck skill or great handling ability, but he does own an excellent shot from the point. From what I've read, Gaudet gets time on both sides of special teams, which is encouraging. He also possesses good defensive awareness, and positioning, employing a long reach, an active stick, and the ability to angle attackers to boards to engage physically. Pretty sure he won't be picked, but he's worth mentioning.

-LHC Ethan Hay has his fair share of backers, and also detractors. Hay is 6'1",190lbs, and is your typical meat-and-potatoes, two-way C- and there's nothing wrong with that. Hay skates fairly well, and takes pride in his defense, shutting down other teams' top players, playing physically, and winning faceoffs. His style is details-oriented, disciplined, and projectable- he never cheats, and plays with energy and competitiveness. He's there with big hits, stick lifts, shot blocks, poke checks, and whatever else he needs to do to get the job done. His positioning and awareness in his own zone are exemplary, and he's a top penalty-killer. Simply put, his defense is NHL-level, while his game in the other 2 zones is not right now. He doesn't get too many opportunities to show what he can do in transition, but it's usually quick touches, deferring to his teammates. Offensively, he doesn't show a lot of vision or puck skill, putting up a 17-goal, 28-point season in 64 games for Flint of the OHL- but he did contribute a goal and 6 points in 7 playoff games. He keeps things simple, and he doesn't practice much deception- resulting in many of his passes getting picked off. Playmaking isn't his strong suit. He's not afraid of going to the middle, or crashing the net, but he tends to stay a little higher in the zone to be in the right position to switch to defense. Hay will be able to show more next year, with more ice-time and responsibility as some of the vets depart from the Firebirds, but he has a projectable checking game.

Got these added over at Upside Hockey - caught up with Sandman again!

I feel like Matthew Wood chasing after Oliver Moore over here lol

[Tkachukwagon]

Some profiles of Musty, Moore and Sawchyn

https://twitter.com/user/status/1673473225005862912

https://twitter.com/user/status/1673477762097762304

https://twitter.com/user/status/1673480022978596868

[Royle9]

Sawchyn looking good for a 2nd rounder for sure
He’s a great setup guy

[Sandman]

Those numbers for Musty are unreal. I’m sure scouts are aware, and he might be this year’s McTavish- being taken before anyone expects.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Those numbers are from 9 games seems like a small sample size?

The scouting report sounds great but such a small sample size is a bit of a red flag?