The fifth mock Hockey Buzz mock draft driven by the readers and a few special guests
rolls into the next 10 picks. David Wong, OrcaBlue, selected Axel Sandin-Pellikka for Vancouver with TJ Reilly adding Dimitri Simishov for Arizona. Paul Schott, lonsabres, made his pick for Buffalo with mkrisnosky, Matt Krisnosky, on the clock for Pittsburgh and eichiefs9 on deck for Nashville
Zach Jarom did not go off the board with the Blackhawks pick, selecting Connor Bedard first overall, while Ryan Armstrong, climbdenali12, selected Adam Fantilli with Anaheim's pick, Zak McMillian, HB Blue Jackets blogger, went with Leo Carlsson's with Columbus' selection. Ken Peterson, Hockeygm. selected Matvei Michkov with Karine Hains picking Will Smith Montreal..TJ Reilly selected David Reinbacher for Arizona while Bill Meltzer grabbed Ryan Leonard for Philly. Optimus-reim picked Zach Benson for Washington, Feds91stammer took Oliver Moore for Detroit while aecliptic closed out the top-10 with Dalibor Dvorsky for St. Louis, Below is the selection and voting poll, please weigh in with your view.
First, some logistical information just for this blog: Thanks to all who have agreed to participate. All teams are spoken for, meaning we have a full complement of General Managers. As a reminder, when you have your pick, rationale for the selection, who else you considered and if you weighed a trade, please send that to me via email to
[email protected]. As said previously, for those who agree to participate, please make sure I have your real name to go with your Hockey Buzz ID.
In terms of trades, I am happy to have them proposed, but for ease of purpose of the draft, I would prefer not to slow down the making of picks and the voting by waiting for a vote on if the deal is fair. Due to the late start for the draft, my view for this year's iteration is no trades.
The draft is June 28 and we are starting the draft Thursday, June 15 in the morning. That will give us 13 days or so to complete the draft, even factoring in the Sabbath. For weekdays and Sunday, I will post a pick in the morning, then a second in the evening with voting in between, for at least the first half or so of the draft. The second half or so, we can run three per day if needed so we get all 32 picks by or on the morning of June 28.
As a reminder, for each pick, included should be: a) Selection and reasoning/scouting report, and b) Alternatives considered(both players and trades). Please provide me via email your pick with the aforementioned information following the posting of the prior pick on the site. If I become aware of a pick or a few picks in a row, I will email you to help facilitate moving the mock draft along. I will post the blog with the pick and the voting poll within each blog.
Overall Rules and Process
As mentioned previously, there is a little kicker. After the pick or trade is made, a poll will be posted to rate the selection or deal. If the majority of people like the pick or trade, that selection stands and it moves on to the next team’s picks. If not, the majority rules and that’s what happens with that team and pick. I have the last right of refusal to keep everything on the up and up and avoid ballot box stuffing. My request to you is that you take this seriously and not make a mockery of the mock draft, because that would be an insult to the others who are participating and makes the whole process a sham. But by playing this out, we get to have healthy debate and conversation to remain engaged up and possibly beyond the draft. If teams make deals and they occur before a team’s selection is due, that deal will play a part as to when each person’s selection occurs.
Here how this will work: each evening (for now, one pick per day, but we will go to two when we get to second half of the mock draft and possibly even before that, so that we complete on time) the team’s selector will email me at [email protected] their pick and their rationale for that selection. If making a trade, the same applies, and all the selectors have been listed below along with their screen name if from this site or their twitter handle if external to help facilitate making trades. I will post that pick and rationale on the site and create a voting poll. For now, I was thinking solely just a yes or no vote for the poll, but if people want me to list other options for the selection at that pick number in cases of a no vote, I am happy to do so, to help make it more robust.
With the 13th selection in the 2023 HockeyBuzz Mock Draft, the Buffalo Sabres, represented by IonSabres, Paul Schott, proudly select Defenseman Tom Willander from Rogel BK, Sweden
Background:
At #13, Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams and his Staff find themselves in a very interesting spot for this Draft. Having analyzed 4 Prospect Rankings from four (4) Public Prospect Analysts and 8 Mock Drafts; it is apparent that selections after the Top 10 begin to differ. Furthermore, this past season the Prospect Rankings changed pretty significantly after the Top 6 of Bedard, Fantilli, Carlson, Michkov, Smith, Leonard with Prospects such as Reinbacher, Moore, Willander, Simishov, Benson, Dvorsky, Danielson, Barlow, Wood and others improving their Draft Stock to challenge for Top 10 selections or just outside. At 13 there is little consensus, however common selections include Moore, Simishov, Danielson, Wood and Willander.
The Sabres Prospect Pool has been ranked very high over the past several seasons as Adams and staff have embarked upon a Draft & Develop model after having jettisoned the previous Core of Eichel, Reinhart and Ristolainen and replacing them with young Prospects and Draft Selection, thereby ushering in a youth movement. At the 2022 Draft, Adams doubled down on that strategy with three 1st round selections of highly skilled, fast and competitive choices in Matthew Savoie (9th), Noah Ostund (16th), and Jiri Kulich (28th) all who play Center adding to an already strong Forward group in the Pipeline lead by Isak Rosen and Lukas Rousek, and recent graduates to the NHL of Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka. So the Forward ranks are incredibly strong with skill, speed, hockey sense and compete level. Additionally, the Sabres NHL roster was a prolific scoring machine having finished in the Top 5 of NHL Teams in Goals For.
The opportunity in the Prospect Pool exists at Defense, with only recently signed Ryan Johnson, Nikita Novikov, and potentially Vsevolod Komarov projected as NHLers. More specifically, the right side is lacking when considering the existing Defensive Core of Dahlin, Samuelsson, Power are all lefties who play both sides given the high skill level each possesses. Last season the team struggled in limiting Goals Against as a result of Defensive System/Structure/Focus, weak bottom 3 defensemen and very weak Goaltending.
The conclusion is that Team Need is a factor that simply must be considered given: a) the strategy of Draft & Develop, b) the highly unbalanced Pipeline that will fuel the future of the club. While closing one's eyes and simply employing BPA only is an option, the better choice is to marry BPA with Team Need. Adding a right-handed, defensively sound defenseman is a critical need for the future. Adding goal-scoring, highly-skilled Forwards is very redundant for this franchise. When BPA and Need so closely align one must act on it.
Players Considered
Even in view of the strong Forward Pipeline, we considered the following players for the 13th pick: Nate Danielson (C), Matthew Wood (LW) and Gabe Perrault (RW). Matthew Wood offered an intriguing mix of size, scoring, playmaking, net front presence which is a style of play the Sabres could absolutely use, no doubt. Gabe Perrault seemed to be somewhat redundant to the existing pipeline of Forwards, and Nate Danielson at C will be challenged to unseat Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens in the Top 6 now or for the next 7 years as both are locked up at very reasonable contracts (steals even), while young players in Casey Mittelstadt and Peyton Krebs are challenging for the 3C position.
Defensemen considered include Dimitri Shimshev who we had ranked as our Top Prospect at 13, and Willander as both provide a higher level of Defensive play and Skating ability which are two of our critical attributes.
Critical Attributes Considered
Above Average, Excellent Skater
Two-way Defenseman,
Defensively Stout, Excellent Gap Control, Deny Zone Entries, Push opponents to outside
Solid Transition, Very Good Puck Retrieval/First Pass
PK Contributor
Above Average Hockey IQ
High-end Compete / Motor
The Case for Willander
Consider the following Prospect Reviews which aligns well to the Critical attributes
"Elite skater, very similar to teammate Sandin-Pellikka. Two-way, transitional defenceman who has added more offence to his game. Scored three goals on the power play at U18s. More deception and confidence-making plays directing pucks on goal from range. Active defender. Smart and reliable. He’s not a physical player, but isn’t shy about battling for pucks and boxing out opponents around his net. The kind of defender who can play north of 20 minutes per game with ease. Leans middle pairing defenceman with a chance at top pairing in time." - Jason Bukala, SportsNet.
"Willander's skating is his main asset for the NHL; he is one of the best skaters in the draft. He has a quick, powerful skating stride and can push the pace up ice with the puck. Willander's skating allows him to close on checks well and be a quality defender especially when combined with the fact he has some physicality in his game. I wasn't always sold on his offensive touch. I don't see a big-time playmaker as a pro, but Willander has good enough skill and vision to move pucks at higher levels well, especially given the space his feet can generate. He has the making of a good two-way top four defenseman." Cory Pronman, The Athletic
"One of the better-skating defencemen...he’s a strong-in-all-three-zones two-way defenceman who plays a confident and decisive game that uses his beautiful, balanced skating to push forward or fall back onto his heels and outlet the puck. He pulls away or retreats from pressure with ease and excels on exits. His head is always up. He gets his shots through. And then on top of the pro frame, and the skating, and the general athleticism, he also just plays the game with an intentionality that is rare in players his age. He looks and operates like a pro out there, his passes are quick and firm, he’s aggressive on pinches and closing gaps, and rarely mistimes them, swallowing up play defensively. Willander doesn’t have dynamic skill or creativity on the puck, but he projects safely as an NHL defenceman and might be a two-way transition monster in a second-pairing role with the right development. I expect him to step right into the college game and be impactful." - Scott Wheeler, The Athletic.
2023 NHL DRAFT ORDER
1 Chicago - Zach Jarom, HB Blackhawks blogger, Connor Bedard, C, Regina (WHL)
2 Anaheim - Ryan Armstrong - climbdenali12, Adam Fantilli, C, Univ. of Michigan
3 Columbus - Zak McMillian, HB Blue Jackets blogger, Leo Carlsson, C, Orebro HK, (SHL)
4 San Jose - Ken Peterson, Hockeygm, Matvei Michkov, RW, SKA, KHL
5 Montreal - Karine Hains, HB Canadiens blogger, Will Smith, C, US NTDP
6 Arizona - slimtj, TJ Reilly, David Reinbacher, D, Kloten (SWISS)
7 Philadelphia - Bill Meltzer, HB Flyers blogger, Ryan Leonard, RW, US, NTDP
8 Washington - optimus-reim, Zach Benson, LW, Winnipeg, WHL
9 Detroit - Feds91Stammer, Oliver Moore, C, US NTDP
10 St. Louis - aecliptic, Dalibor Dvorsky, C, AIK, Slovakia
11 Vancouver - David Wong, OrcaBlue, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, Skelleftea Jr. (SWEDEN-JR.)
12 Arizona via OTT - slimtj, TJ Reilly, Dimitri Simishov, D, Yaroslavl Jr. (RUSSIA-JR.)
13 Buffalo - Paul Schott, lonsabres, Tom Willander, D, Rogel BK, Sweden
14 Pittsburgh - mkrisnosky, Matt Krisnosky
15 Nashville - eichiefs9
16 Calgary - Trevor Neufeld, HB Flames blogger
17 Detroit via NYI - Feds91stammer
18 Winnipeg - Jacob Billingham, HB Jets blogger
19 Chicago via TB - Zach Jarom, HB Blackhawks blogger
20 Seattle - NYRangers1124
21 Minnesota - TC88, Todd Piepho
22 Philadelphia via Columbus via LA - Bill Meltzer, HB Flyers blogger
23 NY Rangers - Jan Levine
24 Nashville via EDM - eichiefs9
25 St. Louis via TOR - aecliptic
26 San Jose via NJ - Russ Cohen
27 Colorado - John Ryan, jryan88
28 Toronto via BOS - Michael Augello, HB Maple Leafs blogger
29 St. Louis via DAL - aecliptic
30 Carolina - BINGO!, Chris Cole
31 Montreal via FLA - Karine Hains, HB Canadiens blogger
32 Vegas- Brendan Smith, tbsmith
Looking forward to running this again. We had a ton of fun the last few seasons. That should be the same again this year with New York having the 23rd pick in the first round.
Henrik Lundqvist will take his place with the pantheon of greats after rightfully being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame today. Lundqvist will be joined by Ken Hitchcock, Pierre Lacroix, Tom Barrasso, Pierre Turgeon, Mike Vernon, and Caroline Ouellette in this year's class. He was elected - as expected and deserved - his first time on the ballot.
The press release quoted by TSN tells you all you need to know on Lundqvist, at least stats wise. What's not included is that he was the heart and soul of the Rangers for the 15 years he wore the red, white and blue. Lundqvist backstopped the team to the 2012 and 2015 ECF as well as the 2014 SCF and without him, New York would have been on the outside looking into the playoffs almost every year. He wore the jersey with pride and brought honor to the team every day, which is why his #30 is in the rafters at MSG.
Lundqvist, 41, is selected in his first year of eligibility after a 15-season career with the New York Rangers.
Selected 205th overall (seventh round) by the Rangers in the 2000 NHL Draft, Lundqvist compiled a career 459-310-96 record with a .918 save percentage, 2.43 goals-against average and 64 shutouts in his 15 seasons with the Rangers.
He ranks sixth all-time in wins just behind Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Marc-Andre Fleury, Roberto Luongo, and Ed Belfour.
Lundqvist’s name is all over the Rangers’ record book as the franchise leader in wins, playoff wins (61), shutouts, and games played (887). He led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 where they would succumb to the Los Angeles Kings in five games.
After the 2019-20 campaign, Lundqvist signed a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals but never played a game after having surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat.
The 6-foot-1 netminder was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy five times and won the award in 2012. He was also named as a first-team all-star in 2012, second-team all-star in 2013, and was recognized as one of the best goaltenders in the league by representing the Rangers five times at the NHL All Star Game.
A native of Are, Sweden, Lundqvist has a decorated international career which is highlighted with gold medals at the Olympics (2006), IIHF World Championship (2017), and IIHF World Junior Championship (2002). He also has an Olympic silver medal (2014), two World Championship silver medals (2003, 2004), and a third-place finish at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Congratulations to all who were elected. But if someone can explain why Alexander Mogilny remains on the outside looking in,I am all ears because it's pure BS. The lack of transparency in the voting process remains a major concern. I can see why Mike Vernon was elected but why not Chris Ogood or Curtis Joseph? Why was Pierre Turgeon chosen over Keith Tkachuk? We can argue the validity over several who were voted in, especially compared to those who remain on the outside looking in. Mogilny's exclusion is egregious.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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