2023 NHL Draft Thread

[Sandman]

More Draft Thoughts:

-Let's be honest- any one of us would end up with at least a couple of assists if we played this season on the powerhouse University of Michigan, a program that is populated by the likes of Adam Fantilli, Mackie Samoskevich, Rutger McGroarty, TJ Hughes, Dylan Duke, Luke Hughes, Seamus Casey, and Frank Nazar. Looking at RW Gavin Brindley's numbers in this, his Draft year, there's an argument to be made that he was just as much a facilitator, as he was a benefactor of being surrounded by all of that talent. First of all, 38 points in 41 games is jaw-dropping for a first-year draft-eligible in the NCAA, no matter what team that individual plays for. Secondly, he placed 5th in scoring on the team, with numbers close to 2022 Jets first-rounder, and top prospect, Rutger McGroarty- who was 4th on the Wolverines, with 39 points in 39 games. There were plenty of NHL Draftees that finished lower than him in scoring on the team. Brindley missed last year's draft by three weeks, being born on October 5th, making him a bit older than most of his contemporaries in the draft, but he also had very encouraging point totals in 2021-22, with 42 points in 51 games for Tri-City of the USHL, 9 points in 15 games for the USDP, and played in the U-18 tournament, putting up 4 points in 6 games. This season, he had the opportunity to play in the WJC as well, with 4 points in 7 games, getting much less ice-time than the big guns of Team USA. Pretty impressive resume. Brindley lacks size, at 5'9.5" (he'll play at 5'10" at least), but he makes his presence felt at both ends of the rink. Despite his diminutive stature, Brindley is a fiery competitor, with a hard-nosed, often physical approach, and he strives to make a difference in all 3 zones, never shying away from the dirty areas. He has speed and agility, but lacks an elite top gear- still he has the skating, the moves, the deception, and the stickhandling to weave through traffic, and beat defenders 1-on-1. He often displays a hard, accurate shot with a nice release, but he doesn't use it nearly enough, and it has affected his goal-scoring numbers. Even so, Brindley's high-quality playmaking is his the top weapon in his arsenal, and he's capable of threading tape-to-tape passes through traffic to high-danger areas, and he can confidently carry or pass the puck through transition. He has a non-stop motor, and plays with pace, making his game projectable to the next level, as a potential top-6 NHLer. Brindley will need to bulk up considerably, being listed at only 157lbs, and he will need to work on his top-speed. He also has to shoot a lot more. 2nd/3rd round.

[iloveicedhockey]

Apologies if I've missed it but I'd be interested to hear who Sandman would like us to take of those who realistically might be there at 16. Probably like a kid in a candy store I imagine.

[Moneyhands23]

We ate getting our pastarnack at 16. Book it

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by iloveicedhockey

Apologies if I've missed it but I'd be interested to hear who Sandman would like us to take of those who realistically might be there at 16. Probably like a kid in a candy store I imagine.

I really really love Danielson and Ritchie. Wood, Barlow and Heidt as well. Who are your picks?

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Moneyhands23

We ate getting our pastarnack at 16. Book it

Hopefully that's not a Pastrňák ordered on Wish.com

[iloveicedhockey]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I really really love Danielson and Ritchie. Wood, Barlow and Heidt as well. Who are your picks?

Barlow and I'm warming to Willander. I hardly watch junior so only really know them from highlights and your write ups. I'll be happy to be told if I should be excited or not!

[dammage79]

1.Yager
2.Danielson
3.Ritchie
4.Simashev
5. But
6. Stenberg
7. Bonk


Russian Factor be damned, those Russians in this range should be much higher. I don't know how many teams will sleeps on Simashev or Gulyayev for that matter, but it'll be too long in any case.

[Sandman]

Nice to hear everyone’s perspectives! I would love to hear more!

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by dammage79

1.Yager
2.Danielson
3.Ritchie
4.Simashev
5. But
6. Stenberg
7. Bonk


Russian Factor be damned, those Russians in this range should be much higher. I don't know how many teams will sleeps on Simashev or Gulyayev for that matter, but it'll be too long in any case.

I feel like one of the teams with multiple firsts will take a flier on Simashev, and end up drafting the next Victor Hedman.

[Jiri Hrdina]

My list for the Flames.

1. Oliver Moore (not likely to be there)
2. Sandin Pellikka (not likely to be there)
3. Nate Danielson
4. Samuel Honzek
5. Tom Willander
6. Oscar Stenberg
7. Quentin Musty

Drop down and pick up another pick scenario: Kasper Halttunen

[iloveicedhockey]

Yeah simashev, but or gulyayev would be great to get late in R1

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

My list for the Flames.

1. Oliver Moore (not likely to be there)
2. Sandin Pellikka (not likely to be there)
3. Nate Danielson
4. Samuel Honzek
5. Tom Willander
6. Oscar Stenberg
7. Quentin Musty

Drop down and pick up another pick scenario: Kasper Halttunen

Do you see either Matt Wood or Brayden Yager as solid options (who you think are maybe already off the board?)

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Do you see either Matt Wood or Brayden Yager as solid options (who you think are maybe already off the board?)

Yagers lack of progression really worries me.
Wood’s skating is my primary concern
I think both will be there but I don’t know if they are good choices
But that’s a very half ass opinion

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I feel like one of the teams with multiple firsts will take a flier on Simashev, and end up drafting the next Victor Hedman.

I'd be a happy dude if the Flames did some draft floor trading and got one of those extra 1sts and snagged Simashev.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Yagers lack of progression really worries me.
Wood’s skating is my primary concern
I think both will be there but I don’t know if they are good choices
But that’s a very half ass opinion

Everything I've read about Yagers lack of progression this year has a lot to do with where he put his focus on which was his 200ft game. His goal was to round himself put and become a more complete player. I value that as it tells me he's a team 1st guy and that once he figures that out, the offense will come back. But I get the consternation, I just dug a little deeper into the "why" of his plateau this year.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Hopefully that's not a Pastrňák ordered on Wish.com

Pastrnot

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Everything I've read about Yagers lack of progression this year has a lot to do with where he put his focus on which was his 200ft game. His goal was to round himself put and become a more complete player. I value that as it tells me he's a team 1st guy and that once he figures that out, the offense will come back. But I get the consternation, I just dug a little deeper into the "why" of his plateau this year.

I see it different
I think he’s got an elite shot and not much else and will struggle to produce at higher levels

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

My list for the Flames.

1. Oliver Moore (not likely to be there)
2. Sandin Pellikka (not likely to be there)
3. Nate Danielson
4. Samuel Honzek
5. Tom Willander
6. Oscar Stenberg
7. Quentin Musty

Drop down and pick up another pick scenario: Kasper Halttunen

I admire the fact that you picked Honzek and Musty- two excellent players that don't get the respect they deserve.

[Sandman]

Here's my write-up on Yager, in response to queries about him slipping in the rankings:

Draft Thoughts:

I really thought I had Brayden Yager pegged, and I may have misled some people on what kind of player he is. I apologize profusely. Scouting reports on him have changed fairly drastically since the first third of the WHL season, when he was talked about glowingly- even compared somewhere to Patrice Bergeron in his approach to defense (can't find the article now). Brayden Yager is still an offensive weapon (78 points in 67 games for Moose Jaw), and they say his main weapon is his shot, which can be lethal- but why then, only 28 goals? Surely nothing to sniff at, but not the kind of numbers one would expect. It seems there are caveats to most aspects of Yager's game, from his shooting, to his playmaking, to his skating, and his defense. His inconsistent off-puck game is being criticized as well, and may be the root of his problems. At even strength, he doesn't seek out the high-danger areas to exploit his shot well enough, or recieve passes, and he spends too much time on the perimeter, with few touches, and not much on-puck time. Yager's vision and passing are good enough, but he often passes to low-danger. Many writers say his playmaking isn't his best trait, and he could be more accurate with his shot. In transition, his exits are good when he's passing, and not carrying, but his entries are inefficient. Defensively, he's inconsistent as well, and doesn't always succeed in keeping opponents out of danger areas, or separating them from the puck. He can be overly aggressive sometimes, passive other times. Another part of the problem is that he has a hitch in his skating- he has sound technique, but poor acceleration and edges. Fast in a straight line, but loses speed in crossovers. Perhaps his numbers are inflated in Moose Jaw, where they have the 8th-best goals-for, but have a pretty good top-6 in my estimation. I'm reading an article right now that compares him to Mike Hoffman. Yikes. I still think he'll be a good player at the NHL level, but he has a lot to iron out. He's been slipping in some mocks, out of the top-10, and I think he may slip some more, but I still see potential.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

-I think we can all agree that we like C Alex Newhook, who was drafted 16th overall in 2019, out of the BCHL by Colorado. We're not shy about bringing his name up in trade proposals with the Avs- but what if I made the statement that C Bradly Nadeau might be on the same level as Newhook was in his draft year? First off, I've seen Nadeau listed between 5'9" 155lbs, up to 5'11",179lbs by eliteprospects, while Newhook is 5'10",190lbs. Newhook amassed 102 points in 53 BCHL games for the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL in his draft year, followed by 24 points in 15 playoff games. Compare that to Nadeau's stats from this, his draft year- 113 points in 54 games for the Penticton Vees, with 35 points in 17 playoff games, en route to winning the BCHL Championship. To be fair, this year's edition of the Vees scored 304 goals in 54 games (5.6 g/gp), compared to the 2018-19 Grizzlies total of 231 goals in 58 games (3.9 g/gp), which is a rather large chasm of 73 goals, for a difference of 1.7 g/gp. Simply put, Nadeau has a lot more talent around him to prop up his totals. You may remember that Newhook went on in his D+1 year to tear up the NCAA, with an impressive 42 points in 34 games for Boston College. If you look at the player, however, you get the full picture. First of all, both players are known for their speed, agility, and elusiveness- good enough to get around, or weave through opponents, or just flat-out burn them. The edge goes to Newhook, who has more game-breaking speed, but both have good puck control and playmaking at high speeds, both push the pace, and both drive play. Nadeau is the better shooter though, with a wrister and one-timer that are said to be NHL-calibre. Logan Horn of The Hockey Writers says,"I'm comfortable saying he is one of the 5-best shooters in the 2023 Draft, and I don't think he's number 5". Both use their speed and smarts to be excellent 200-ft players, both are amazing on both sides of transition, but both have high offensive awareness, and both see the ice extremely well. Nadeau's main weakness is that he plays in the BCHL, but he will need to bulk up, get stronger, and perhaps improve his physical play. He is committed to the University of Maine for next year. He'll go in the second round, if he doesn't get picked in the late first.