NHL Draft | Ten safe bets from the first round

Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson, Michkov… Their names have become familiar over the weeks and months, but how do they differ from each other? Two days away from the 2023 NHL Draft, The Press features 10 of the hottest prospects right now.

Foreword

Rather than doing a mock draft (mock draftin English), The Press offers a presentation of the main prospects who should, in all likelihood, hear their names first, Wednesday night in Nashville.

OUR top 10 is primarily based on the aggregations of Hockey Pipeline and Elite Prospects, which have compiled dozens of pre-draft rankings made public by scouts or media organizations. Short of opting for a left-field candidate or trading their primary first-round pick, currently sitting at No. 5, the Canadiens would have to select one of those players.

The eight attackers and two defenders we have selected have been listed in alphabetical order and not in the expected order of their selection. As luck would have it, the first name on the list will almost certainly become the first choice.

Connor Bedard

• Position: center
• Team: Regina Pats (WHL)
• Date of birth: July 17, 2005
• Height: 5’10”
• Weight: 185 lbs.

The most anticipated and acclaimed prospect since Connor McDavid in 2015. From “exceptional” when he arrived at 15 in the Western Junior League, he went to “generational” in the ambient discussion. His 143 points in 57 games last season, which includes 71 goals, seems to be taken from the 1980s. He added 20 points in just 7 playoff games. Canada’s 2022-23 Most Outstanding Junior Player and 2023 World Juniors Most Outstanding Player, he is the absolutely unanimous choice of scouts. The quality of shooting and his individual skills are all rarities. He will put on, without a shadow of a doubt, the jersey of the Chicago Blackhawks, holders of the very first choice.

Zach Benson

• Position: left winger
• Team: Winnipeg Ice (WHL)
• Date of birth: May 12, 2005
• Height: 5’9″
• Weight: 163 lbs.

He finished the 2022-2023 season as the top scorer for the Winnipeg Ice, despite the presence on the team of Matthew Savoie and Connor Geekie, two first-round NHL picks last year. . This attacker is known for his combativeness, his sense of the game and his individual skills, but his speed has some observers doubting. Corey Pronmanathletic, describes him as one of the best passers in Canadian junior hockey. The comparison that is often made between him and Jonathan Marchessault is timely. However, small players still have to fight the prejudice against them. In the same way, the prize lists are not unanimous. However, it seems intended for top 10.

Leo Carlson

• Position: center
• Team: Orebro HK (Sweden, 1^D division)
• Date of birth: December 26, 2004
• Height: 6’3″
• Weight: 198 lbs.

If Carlsson had been born a few months earlier, he probably could have been selected first overall last year. However, to be in the same vintage as Connor Bedard is to be condemned to third, or second place – which is not so bad, all the same. He has just spent two seasons in his native country in the Swedish top flight, and unlike some of his predecessors of the same age, he has stood out for his attacking production. His strong size and his control of the puck make him a popular candidate, ranked first among international prospects by the Central Scouting of the NHL.

Dalibor Dvorsky

• Position: center
• Team: AIK (Sweden, 2^e division)
• Date of birth: June 15, 2005
• Height: 6’1″
• Weight: 201 lbs.

Strong centers will always be popular and Dvorsky, one of the main international prospects, is no exception. The prospect rankings aggregators put him in eighth place, which does not prevent opinions widely differing about him. Endowed with a lightning shot, the Slovak certainly has experience “against men”, but in a relatively weak level of opposition, where he has not, moreover, exploded offensively. However, he met many teams at the recent evaluation camp organized by the NHL, a sign of the curiosity of which he is the object. Projection analytic models are much less excited than recruiters.

Adam Fantilli

• Position: center
• Team: Michigan (NCAA)
• Date of birth: October 12, 2004
• Height: 6’2″
• Weight: 195 lbs.

This Canadian who went into exile in the United States was simply dominant in the university ranks, which earned him the Hobey-Baker trophy given to the best player in the country. Well served by his size and his exceptional handling of the puck, he looked good at the most recent World Senior Championship, against opponents older than him. Since the start of the season, he is the consensus second choice after Connor Bedard. A few days before the repechage, however, the frenzy towards him seemed to calm down, to the point where one wonders if, like Shane Wright last year, he will not lose a few ranks on the big night.

Ryan Leonard

• Position: right winger
• Team: US National Development Team
• Date of birth: January 21, 2005
• Size: 6′
• Weight: 192 lbs.

In a recent press briefing, the general manager of the Canadian, Kent Hughes, did not go easy on comparing his style of play to that of the Brady brothers and Matthew Tkachuk. “Physically aggressive, very intense”, detailed the DG. Go for the style, but the template is not there. The website athletic rather compares him to Artturi Lehkonen. We are elsewhere. Here is another that analytical projections do not favor. However, players of his style always find takers, even more so when they score goals with ease. His trio with Will Smith and Gabriel Perreault was a power at the last U18 World Cup.

Matvei Michkov

• Position: right winger
• Team: SKA Saint Petersburg (KHL)
• Date of birth: December 9, 2004
• Height: 5’10”
• Weight: 172 lbs.

Without a doubt THE hidden card of this 2023 draft. It is said of him that he is the only one who can compete in talent with Connor Bedard – some, daring, even believe him to be superior. A magician with the puck, a total offensive threat: the praise is raining. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, his country of origin, however, changes the situation. His father died in troubled circumstances. He is under contract for another three years with his KHL club, which can cool NHL GMs. He could be available at the selection rank of CH, but Kent Hughes wondered if he will not sign another contract in Russia in three years. A mystery that remains to be clarified.

David Reinbacher

• Position: defender
• Team: Kloten (Switzerland)
• Date of birth: October 25, 2004
• Height: 6’2″
• Weight: 185 lbs.

The 2023 vintage is not very rich in defenders, which does not mean that there are not good ones either. To paraphrase an English cliché, Reinbacher’s stock has skyrocketed in recent months. At mid-season, it was not certain that he would be selected in the first round; here he is today knocking at the door of the top 10. This strong Swiss – who still needs to gain muscle – can contribute both offensively and defensively. He may not be unanimous, Kent Hughes still called him “best defenseman in the draft”. He is also one of the only players of this vintage, with Carlsson and Fantilli, to have participated in the Senior World Championship.

Axel Sandin Pellikka

• Position: defender
• Team: Skelleftea AIK (Sweden, 1^D division)
• Date of birth: March 11, 2005
• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 176 lbs.

He has, in a way, known the opposite curve of Reinbacher during the last season: considered as one of the most beautiful international hopes at mid-season, he saw his popularity rating gradually drop. As prolific as he is, this Swedish defender could be a victim of both his small size and the quality of the attackers available, which could make him tumble in the first round. An exceptional offensive contributor in the junior ranks and defender par excellence of the most recent U18 World Cup, he made the leap to the pros during the last season, in a more subdued role.

Will Smith

• Position: center
• Team: US National Development Team
• Date of birth: May 17, 2005
• Size: 6′
• Weight: 181 lbs.

One of the hottest names in this draft. Different projections put him around fifth, but it’s not far-fetched to think he could join the top 3. The main center for the American Development Team over the past season, he is considered a real offensive threat, particularly because of his outstanding control of the disc. He also produced at a rate greater than two points per game in the USHL in 2022-2023, a peak. His name is naturally linked to the Canadiens, since Kent Hughes was his minor hockey coach. However, will it still be available for CH? Nothing is less sure.

In extension

Colby Barlow

Left winger with a devastating shot and main prospect from the Ontario Junior League. He is expected in the middle of the first round.

Andrew Cristall

One of the WHL’s leading scorers despite an injury-shortened season. Analytical indices love it. Recruiters are more lukewarm, especially because of its speed. Another small format.

Oliver Moore

Second center of the American Development Team, behind Will Smith, he is perceived as one of the most reliable attackers defensively of this vintage. Its speed is its main asset.

Eduard Sale

The attacking potential of this great Czech winger seems to be a consensus. Its intensity and level of competition, less. TSN’s Craig Button sees him in the top 10. Other projections exclude him from the first round.

Brayden-Yager

Another center player from the Junior League of the West, which recruiters seem to see rather as a future winger in the NHL. He too is well served by a shot well above average.