2023 NHL Draft Thread

[FCAV]

Our latest mock has the Flames landing Colby Barlow, who is No. 13 in our Final ranking.

https://nhlentrydraft.com/news/fchoc...023-nhl-draft/

[Canada 02]

Several examples in draft history were a superstar prospect drags along a junior teammate into a high draft position only for that teammate to be mediocre or a bust

Lindros and Pearson
Crosby and Pouliot
Mackinnon and Drouin
McDavid and Strome

Is Will Smith inflating the value of one of his teammates?

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

Several examples in draft history were a superstar prospect drags along a junior teammate into a high draft position only for that teammate to be mediocre or a bust

Lindros and Pearson
Crosby and Pouliot
Mackinnon and Drouin
McDavid and Strome

Is Will Smith inflating the value of one of his teammates?

If anything, some of Smith's teammates have deflated point totals due to TOI competition.
Oliver Moore only had 25 points on the same USHL team, which translate to a pretty terrible NHLe. He was 9th on his team among points for forwards. Because of the competition, and Moore's usage, he is likely better than his stats suggest.
Cole Hutson, a 16 year old defenseman, had the same total, on the same team. But he's a defenseman, so perhaps he's not subject to the same crazy competition for TOI.

But between Perreault and Smith, I have no idea who drove more of the offense, if either of them did at all.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

Is Will Smith inflating the value of one of his teammates?

DJ Jazzy Jeff?

[Tkachukwagon]

Originally Posted by FCAV

Our latest mock has the Flames landing Colby Barlow, who is No. 13 in our Final ranking.

https://nhlentrydraft.com/news/fchoc...023-nhl-draft/

With Moore at #17 and Danielson at #18! Tough choice with those two centres left on the board.

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

Several examples in draft history were a superstar prospect drags along a junior teammate into a high draft position only for that teammate to be mediocre or a bust

Lindros and Pearson
Crosby and Pouliot
Mackinnon and Drouin
McDavid and Strome

Is Will Smith inflating the value of one of his teammates?

Dont forget Taylor Hall and Greg Nemisz that one was a doozy

[Tkachukwagon]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1669177024844550145

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by Tkachukwagon

https://twitter.com/user/status/1669177024844550145

I believe he has the 2nd highest NHLe in the draft for defensemen (12.8) after Gulyayev (13.3). SandinPellikka is close (10.5).

Dragicevic is also interesting because, as a defenseman, he led his team in points by a fairly large margin (Flames prospect Parker Bell was 2nd on the team in scoring). It doesn't seem like a team that racks up tons of PP points.

[stemit14]

Would be very interesting to see if Montreal ends up making a trade with San Jose to move up 1 spot to 4th overall. I’m not even really sure how much it will cost them. It’s been a long time since anyone did that kind of move in the top 5 of a draft. Montreal has the 31st pick in the draft… would that be enough to move up from 5th to 4th?

Also will be interesting to see who they take if they do… have to assume it’s Smith I guess. If the trade happens, the players taken and their teams will be forever linked/compared.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Would be very interesting to see if Montreal ends up making a trade with San Jose to move up 1 spot to 4th overall. I’m not even really sure how much it will cost them. It’s been a long time since anyone did that kind of move in the top 5 of a draft. Montreal has the 31st pick in the draft… would that be enough to move up from 5th to 4th?

Also will be interesting to see who they take if they do… have to assume it’s Smith I guess. If the trade happens, the players taken and their teams will be forever linked/compared.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If Montreal wants to trade up it's a clear signal they want no part of Michkov, would San Jose be ok waiting for the Russian winger? personally I don't think they would because they need a center to build around so that cost would be huge, Anaheim's #2 pick might be an easier grab.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Uncut Gems Edition):

-At first glance, RW Griffin Erdman's 41 points in 62 USHL games isn't really inspiring, until you learn that he tallied those numbers playing 3rd line minutes on a stacked Waterloo Black Hawks squad, and that 37 of those 41 points were tallied 5-on-5. In the playoffs, Erdman was Waterloo's top scorer, with 5 points in 3 games. Erdman is a mere 5'10",174lbs, but he plays an extremely hard-nosed game with unrelenting motor, battling for every inch of ice like each shift was his last, even dishing out hits if need be. He's a very good skater with his playmaking being his primary asset, and he has good skill and vision, taking the extra second to survey his options before executing. He attacks the middle, and drives the net like he was 6'2". Scouts would like him to shoot more, although his shot needs work on it's velocity. His skating and heads-up puck skill gives him the ability to skate the puck through transition, or make plays in the neutral zone. He brings the same compete and smarts to the defensive end. It's easy to see him playing in the bottom-6 of an NHL team one day, but he'll have another year in Waterloo, hopefully with expanded duties and ice-time to show his true offense ability, before heading to Northwestern University in 2024-25.

-Ryan Conmy, like Griffin Erdman, is a 5'10" RW plying his trade in the USHL, in this case, the Sioux City Musketeers. 33 goals and 62 points in 60 games, putting his production 14th in the league, and according to Elite Prospects, his even strength per-minute production was second (behind Gavyn Thoreson) for non-USNTDP first-time draft-eligibles- beating out players like Jayden Perron, and Tanner Ludtke. Conmy is not the fastest player on the ice, but he's a high-IQ, 200-ft player with a sterling off-puck game. If he's not facilitating, he's finding the space to make himself an option for a pass, a lane to close down, or he's battling for possession on behalf of his team. He's always dangerous with his hard, accurate shot, or his creativity. He drives the middle, finds open areas, and can do a lot of damage if given a sliver of space to work in. The skills are very well-rounded, and he can stickhandle through traffic, or pass the puck through it. He's headed to the University of New Hampshire next year. He's probably more of a mid-round pick, or else some team will have a steal on their hands.

-C Joseph Henneberry already has an NHL frame, at 6'2",183lbs, and plays a hard-working, energetic power-forward style. 36 points in 59 games is respectable, considering he plays for the QMJHL's worst team- the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Henneberry has plenty of brute strength and physicality, being able to leverage his size in battles and impose his will all over the ice, but he's not without projectable skill. He's often a capable passer and play-connector through transition, moving the puck through the neutral zone, thereby allowing his team entry into the offensive zone. Like a true power-forward, he drives the net looking for scoring opportunities, or he can set up shop in front of the goalie in search of tips, rebounds, or just to set up the screen. He battles hard to gain, or keep possession, and he has good puck-protection skills, as well as puck-control. He keeps things simple, but he has skill and deception in his game, and some playmaking ability. Defensively, he battles hard and stays glued to his man, but needs a bit of work in this area, as well as his skating. I think this is a player who will pop in the next few years as he grows with his team.

-Henneberry's teammate on the Titan, RHD Ty Higgins, missed last years draft by only a few weeks, but his stats caught my eye- 13 goals and 41 points in 68 games to lead the Titan defense in scoring. Higgins eyes the defensive side of the ice as his first priority, but has skill as a two-way, responsible player and has vision in all 3 zones. He's a modern-day styled puck-mover, and he can start the rush from his own zone through the transition with a well-timed pass, or by skating it out himself, and he can kill the other team's rush coming back the other way. He uses his stick well and reads the play, proactively being in the right position to disrupt attackers- and he plays the body well. There's good IQ and vision here, and he consistently makes good decisions without giving up turnovers, and exhibits decent puck-control. Higgins has a decent shot that he can get on net through traffic, and shows deception in his distribution in the offensive zone to pry open lanes. The main problem with Higgins is his skating- he has a messy stride in need of agility, and better acceleration. He would be twice the player he is now if he could add a decent speed factor to his repertoire, and he'll have a few more years in junior to work on it.

-RHD Donovan McCoy is a 6'1",201lb two-way player, with an emphasis on the defensive end of the ice. 13 points, to go with 76 PIMs, in 65 games for the OHL Champions, the Peterborough Petes. He added an impressive 10 points in 22 playoff games, along with a plus-12, to lead the Petes defense in both categories- amazing. We may be talking about a player who will be taken in the first half of the draft. McCoy isn't the fastest player, but his stride is smooth and fluid. He's very physical, both along the boards and in open-ice, but he's smart about not sacrificing his positioning to throw a big hit. He moves well enough to keep good gaps on attackers, but he also has the size and reach to disrupt the play and turn it into breakouts. McCoy is a smart puck-mover, and actually has offensive skill that he managed to show in the playoffs- according to Elite Prospects, he's one of the OHL's top draft-eligible players by tracking data, which indicates that there's much more than meets the eye, and much more offense to come. He showed glimpses of his offensive awareness and playmaking ability in the regular season, but he may have turned a corner in the playoffs.

-LHD Lucas St.Louis, the son of Martin St.Louis, tallied only 24 points in 61 games for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, despite being perhaps one of the best offensive-generating defensemen in the draft. According to an eight-game sample by EP, St.Louis created more chances per 60 than 97 percent of defensemen in the USHL and CHL. St. Louis is small (5'10",170lbs), and has a smooth stride with some agility, but he's not outright fast. To make up for this, he plays with extreme deceptiveness to throw off attackers, and give him the ability to move around the ice untouched. He has a dazzling array of ankle-breaking moves, head fakes, stick fakes, and skate fakes to open lanes and weave through bewildered opponents. There's plenty of work to do defensively, as he needs to anticipate and engage quicker, and keep tighter gaps. If he isn't drafted, which is a possibility, I'll still keep my eye on him.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Tkachukwagon

https://twitter.com/user/status/1669177024844550145

I'm a fan of Dragicevic, and I think concerns about his defensive game are overblown a bit. In the U-18 tournament, he really stunk the first game against Sweden, he was -5 and the worst player on the ice. After that, he was pretty solid in all areas, and his ice-time varied from 20:58, up to 32:30 in the bronze-medal game against Slovakia. Does he have work to do in this area? Sure he does, and he needs some work on his mobility too, but I wouldn't be afraid to take him, he's competitive enough to overcome his issues with time. His offense in undeniable. 2/3 of his points were primary...

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by FCAV

Our latest mock has the Flames landing Colby Barlow, who is No. 13 in our Final ranking.

https://nhlentrydraft.com/news/fchoc...023-nhl-draft/

Interesting mock draft when compared to the ranking averages.

- Top 8 all taken as expected
- 4 players taken beyond the 16 rank (Yager, Simashev, Musty and Willander).

On the board when Calgary selects ...

9. Moore
12. Barlow
14. Perreault
15. Danielson
16. Sale
19. Honzek

I think I'd take Perreault.

[loob job]

I just hope we don't pull a Jankowski type pick and go off the board.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by loob job

I just hope we don't pull a Jankowski type pick and go off the board.

I am not too worried about that. If there is one thing the organization has been good with since Treliving (and post 2014 since he didn't really have much to say in that draft), it's drafting well.

[ForeverFlameFan]

@Sandman, that Erdman kid would be a great pickup in the 3rd/4th round. Hoping he drops, love that 5v5 production. Gives me Garland vibes.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by loob job

I just hope we don't pull a Jankowski type pick and go off the board.

I wasn't a Feaster fan (nor Weisbrod), and I hated their patting themselves on the back after the pick, but the Jankowski thing gets over played.

That was a weak draft and the guy played ... 322 games and counting so far. And if Sieloff plays it was a pretty good move. At the time Sieloff was a menace on the blueline (Dennis Gauthier like) and a WJ with the US.

Hindsight says you don't move down and take Vasilevsky, but all in all it wasn't a bad pick, the guy played.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I wasn't a Feaster fan (nor Weisbrod), and I hated their patting themselves on the back after the pick, but the Jankowski thing gets over played.

That was a weak draft and the guy played ... 322 games and counting so far. And if Sieloff plays it was a pretty good move. At the time Sieloff was a menace on the blueline (Dennis Gauthier like) and a WJ with the US.

Hindsight says you don't move down and take Vasilevsky, but all in all it wasn't a bad pick, the guy played.

Big centre who could skate and has skill. Yup I never had a problem with that pick.
Nor did I have a problem with the move down to get a 2nd.
Though I think Sieloff as a pick wasn't great simply because he was an odd combination of a tough player, who was undersized and had zero offense.

Not very projectable in terms of probability to make the NHL. Not sure what they saw there.

[Tkachukwagon]

Some interesting articles on Calgary Kid Aiden Fink. Top ranked AJHL player with the Brooks Bandits and a clone of Mangiapane (looks, no idea about playing style).

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/calg...nk/c-344797778

All he does is win.

Literally.

Aiden Fink and the Brooks Bandits claimed every piece of hardware there was to win this past season.

The Bandits were AJHL regular season champs after a ridiculous 55-5-2 run, won the AJHL Championship and topped it off with the CJHL crown, becoming the first team to win the Centennial Cup three times in a row.

And for Fink, how about being named to the AJHL South All-Star Team, AJHL Top Forward, AJHL MVP, CJHL Top Forward and finally CJHL MVP.

The top ranked AJHL player, Fink is listed at 63 on NHL Central Scouting's Final North American Skaters rankings after posting 97 points (41G, 56A) in just 54 games.

https://www.brooksbandits.ca/aiden-f...2022-23-season

Through two years with the Bandits, Fink has 150 points to his credit, in 114 outings, on 60 tallies and 90 helpers.

Among his other achievements this season was being selected to the Team Canada West roster that competed at the 2022 World Junior A Challenge and being chosen as the CJHL’s 1st Star of the Month for October.

Added accolades for the highly-skilled forward included two AJHL Player of the Month awards, a pair of league Player of the Week selections, along with being tabbed an AJHL game star on seven occasions.

Fink is currently slotted as the highest-listed CJHL player, 63rd overall, among North American Skaters, in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings, heading towards the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft, this June in Nashville.

The Brooks’ assistant captain is also committed to NCAA Division I Penn State on scholarship.

[TheIronMaiden]

13 days until the draft.

It will be a long two weeks.