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Winners and losers of the 2023 NHL Draft
Winners and losers of the 2023 NHL Draft
Scott Wheeler
Jun 29, 2023
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Welcome to my complete review of how all 32 teams did at the 2023 NHL Draft, including thoughts on almost all of the 224 players selected.
After a year of travel, hundreds of viewings and countless conversations with industry sources and players, this piece is meant to be your one-stop shop for analysis of how each team’s scouting department fared against the selections that they had, carefully considering my own evaluations of the prospects, each player’s consensus expected draft range, and their statistical profile.
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This is not an evaluation of the total value each club got out of their picks but rather my view of the relative value mined compared to where they picked and the number of selections they had. As such, teams with more picks (or higher picks on average) are not guaranteed high grades, just as teams with few picks (or lower picks on average) are not guaranteed poor ones. I believe this to be the most nuanced and layered way of breaking down the draft. Note that the following analysis does not consider the trades that were made and focuses exclusively on the picks themselves.
This year, instead of separating my Day 1 and Day 2 grades, this piece is all-encompassing.
As always, the ranking is sorted into the following tiers for an added layer of context:
Winners: Teams I believe won out over their competition with consistent, sleuth, home-run-level selections relative to where they picked.
Overtime winners: Teams I believe did well with where they were slotted, even if they might not have picked the exact player(s) I would have.
Overtime losers: Teams I believe could have done better but might, in time, be happy with their pick(s) regardless.
Losers: Teams I believe will regret taking the player(s) they chose.
For more information on these players, here are links to my bank of 139 scouting reports:
Final top 100
27 missed cuts
12 overagers
Winners
Columbus Blue Jackets
It’s hard to understate what Adam Fantilli could mean to a Blue Jackets organization that already has a strong young group of prospects and players coming (particularly when you consider that their system is strongest on defence and the wings, and Fantilli checks the empty top-of-the-lineup centre box with emphasis).
It was really neat to see them go to Fantilli’s close friend and Michigan teammate (and occasional linemate), Gavin Brindley, with their first pick of Day 2. Fantilli has spoken about Brindley as the best teammate he has ever had.
As their draft continued, a theme began to develop as well: They were targeting competitive and skilled players, and apparently teammates. Those are the calling cards for Fantilli and Brindley, but they’re also the defining two qualities in third-round pick William Whitelaw’s and fourth-round pick Andrew Strathmann’s games. And like Fantilli and Brindley, Whitelaw and Strathmann were teammates in Youngstown this year. Like Fantilli and Brindley, I had both Whitelaw and Strathmann ranked higher than where they took them as well. A job well done.
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Luca Pinelli fits the same mould, too. He’s a worker bee who gets after it and has plenty of skill. He was No. 51 on my list, so needless to say I think he’s a better prospect than where they got him at No. 114. I think he plays in the NHL as a third-line player with some skill.
San Jose Sharks
Will Smith and Quentin Musty were one of the best hauls on Day 1. The former entertained me as much as any prospect in the draft this year, and I think they got really good value out of the latter in terms of talent, fit and range (Musty’s exactly what their pool needed there).
I liked them going to Kasper Halttunen early in the second round as well. With Musty and Halttunen, as well as Filip Bystedt last year, they’ve added some size to a pool that was small up front not that long ago.
I liked what they did the rest of the way for the most part, too. Third-rounder Brandon Svoboda wasn’t on my list but was an honourable mention. He’s an athletic kid with more skill than he was able to show on the USHL champs this year. He should take a big step there next season.
Fourth-rounder Luca Cagnoni was a second-round pick all day for me and one of my best players available (BPA) where they got him. He’s short (5-foot-10) by today’s standards for defencemen but is one of the very smartest players in the draft and I wouldn’t bet against him figuring things out all the way to the NHL level.
Defencemen Axel Landen and Eric Pohlkamp weren’t on my list but are both worthwhile picks of moderate intrigue. And the same goes for Yegor Rimashevsky, a B-minus or C-plus prospect in this Russian class who they can be patient with.
Seattle Kraken
I liked the swing the Kraken took in Round 1 on Eduard Sale, who at No. 20 was one of the most talented players remaining — they’ve smartly recognized that while the expansion draft positioned them as a good, deep team, they need to use the draft to add more of the skill element.
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I really liked what they did in the second round, too. Carson Rehkopf is a really interesting prospect who has length, skating, skill, an NHL shot and another ceiling to reach. Oscar Fisker Molgaard is a well-liked player who could become a nice complementary player in the NHL and could stick at centre. Lukas Dragicevic is one of the most talented defencemen in the draft and a worthwhile bet if he can improve his skating and defending, which scared some teams off.
They continued to roll in the second round with the selection of Caden Price No. 84, too. Price was No. 46 on my list, sees the game at an advanced level and is one of the younger players in the draft, with another level to find I think.
Even Andrei Loshko in the fourth round and Zeb Forsfjall in the sixth round makes a lot of sense to me. Neither were on my list but both were honourable mentions. Forsfjall’s a more talented player than his statistical profile indicates and Loshko showed real skill throughout this season in Chicoutimi.
Philadelphia Flyers
There may not be a greater payoff in any one selection in the draft than the one the Flyers get in three years’ time with Matvei Michkov. Oliver Bonk should be a nice No. 4-5 two-way defenceman and I understand why they picked him where they did.
On the whole, I liked what the Flyers did on Day 2 as well. Carson Bjarnason was the sixth and final goalie on my list and while I’m lower on him than most, he’s got good tools and has some fans. Goaltender Yegor Zavragin wasn’t on my list but was one of the goalies in my honourable mentions and a worthwhile selection.
In Denver Barkey and Cole Knuble they got two worker types. Barkey was a dozen spots higher on my list than where he was taken and plays the game with a ton of energy and skill. Knuble was profiled in my overagers piece as a worthwhile re-entry guy.
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My favourite of their Day 2 picks, though, was the selection of Alex Ciernik in the fourth round. He was my BPA (No. 33 on my list) at that point and a kid that I think has a real skill-skating combo to work with.
Portland defenceman Carter Sotheran is a kid I spent some time on and considered for my list/honourable mentions but ultimately didn’t rank, so no issue with him in the fifth round. He’s toolsy.
Matteo Mann’s sluggish feet would have made him a do-not-draft guy for me but it’s hard to be too critical of a swing on a massive defenceman in the seventh round.
They probably would have been overtime winners or overtime losers for me here if not for the Michkov pick, so he’s carrying a lot of weight here.
Overtime winners
Chicago Blackhawks
Connor Bedard and Oliver Moore was an excellent start on Day 1, and may be the Blackhawks’ first- and second-line centres of the future (I think Frank Nazar is the most likely to shift to the wing at the NHL level).
They continued to prioritize speed again this year, too, drafting both Nick Lardis and Roman Kantserov, two scoring and fast wingers, in the second round. I don’t mind the bet on the athleticism and standout year of Adam Gajan, my fourth-ranked goalie, even if they took him as the first-drafted goalie at No. 35 (those top four goalies were all close for me).
Martin Misiak has it in him to make good on his second-round selection as well. He’s got plus-level skill and skating and just needs to put it all together more consistently.
I didn’t love their final five picks from the late third into the seventh, but their first six could produce a handful of NHL players conceivably and Alex Pharand and Milton Oscarson are peripherally intriguing for me as potential fourth-liners/AHL depth if all goes well.
Carolina Hurricanes
I might as well just copy and paste what I say about the Hurricanes every year at this point. No team has more of a type. No team’s picks are more predictable. And no team’s strategy has aligned more with my own for some time now.
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Bradly Nadeau. Felix Unger Sorum. Jayden Perron. Timur Mukhanov. There are your four skilled but undersized forwards. They got three Russians in Mukhanov, Alexander Rykov and goaltender Russian Khazheyev.
They’re focused on players who can play with the puck on their stick and figuring out fit and NHL likelihood later. They’re comfortable missing on players, likely with the belief that the hits will play their style and, in theory, give them dimensions which are harder to find in free agency. They got all of Nadeau, Perron and Rykov lower than where I had them ranked. Both Khazheyev and Mukhanov were honourable mentions on my list. I like Unger Sorum, even though I had him lower than where they took him. A typically sleuth draft with what they had.
Vegas Golden Knights
David Edstrom was more of a second-round pick than a first-rounder for me, but I liked what the Golden Knights did with what they had on Day 2.
I was a little surprised that Mathieu Cataford was still there for the Golden Knights at No. 77, not just because he was higher on my list (No. 48) but because he plays a pro style and scouts spoke glowingly about his work ethic and versatility whenever he came up in conversations this year. He’s got a chance to become a useful third-line forward.
Arttu Karki, who they took with their second third-rounder, is a talented, offensively inclined defenceman who I also had ranked higher than where they got him.
And though Tuomas Uronen wasn’t on my list, he was an honourable mention and is well regarded in this Finnish age group. He’s short but sneaky strong with a well-rounded toolkit. The belief is he’s going to be a good pro player even if he doesn’t rise as far as the NHL.
St. Louis Blues
I like the Blues’ selection of Juraj Pekarcik at No. 76 better than their pick of Quinton Burns at No. 74. Burns has size and skates well, which is the way the league is going on defence, but I’ve felt watching him these last two years like I was looking at more of an AHL defenceman than an NHL one (maybe he becomes a depth guy?). Pekarcik really surged up lists after a standout performance at U18 worlds, where he flashed a ton of speed and skill.
And while Jakub Stancl, Paul Fischer and Nikita Susuyev didn’t ultimately make my list, all three were in the conversation and there was a time this season when Fischer was on my lists. He might become a third-pairing guy.
The Blues’ Day 1 haul of Dalibor Dvorsky and Otto Stenberg keeps them here, though. I’m a big fan of both of those kids’ games.
Nashville Predators
The Preds made 11 picks in this year’s draft and I really liked two of them: Matthew Wood at No. 15 and Aiden Fink at No. 218, in what was David Poile’s last selection with the organization. I think Wood has an opportunity to be a star, or a top-six scorer at minimum, if they handle his development properly. And Fink, ranked No. 73 on my list, was the most talented player drafted in the seventh round. He’s tiny and his skating is an issue, but he’s no more flawed than any of the other kids in that range and the skill and smarts are close to high end.
Tanner Molendyk was taken in his expected range (No. 24) and profiles as a high-end skater who thrives in transition and has another level to find offensively, even if I thought there were better players available there.
They took two very different kinds of forwards with their two second-round picks after moving up to draft the slick Felix Nilsson and then taking Kalan Lind, maybe the draft’s most competitive and hard-nosed forward. Both were taken higher than where I slotted them but in the range they were projected to go.
I’m not sure if Dylan MacKinnon, who they took in the third round, has the requisite sense and skill to make it, but he’s the meanest, toughest defenceman in the draft, with a bit of a cowboy style. He hits hard, will drop the gloves in an instant and was suspended this year for fighting too often after the QMJHL instituted a ban (he actually fought almost double-digit times in his 16-year-old season!).
I like Jesse Kiiskinen, who they took in the early third round, too. He’s got skill of the flanks, works hard and has consistently been one of the most threatening players offensively in this Finnish age group.
Even the roll of the dice on standout overager Austin Roest in the sixth round made sense. They picked a good group.
Washington Capitals
I liked the Ryan Leonard pick at No. 8. He’s going to be a top-six scoring winger and driver who brings his linemates into the fight and excels when the games get tough.
Andrew Cristall was the highest-ranked player on my board heading into Day 2, so I obviously think there’s significant value there at No. 40. Teams are always reluctant to take small, slow, offensively tilted wingers high, but if he can get stronger and quicker and iron out some of the kinks in his stride, he’s got the kind of skill and creativity that you just can’t find in the second round.
Cam Allen has the tools, if he can ever figure out the decision-making piece and get his once-promising status back.
Their three picks are non-factors for me though, and if not for the Cristall pick, they would have been overtime losers here.
Buffalo Sabres
It’s no secret I’ve been a huge proponent of Zach Benson’s over the last two years. He’s a tremendous hockey player who just gets it, never stops working, thrives defensively as a smaller forward and has top-of-the-lineup smarts and skill.
I liked the decision to take Scott Ratzlaff in the fifth round. He was one of six goalies on my list this year and the last to be selected, but I’m not sure he’s two or three rounds worse than the other guys in terms of upside and talent. They’re clearly not shy about taking smaller goalies, either. Between him and Devon Levi, there’s a theme there (although he’s taller than Levi).
Second-round picks Anton Wahlberg and Maxim Strbak were both taken too high for my liking but are both B-grade prospects who could become pieces of the puzzle there in time and are going to be big parts of their national teams in the interim.
Gavin McCarthy’s a competitive defenceman who could become a third-pairing guy if he can refine his decision-making and reads in college.
And Ethan Miedema, taken at No. 109, was No. 86 on my board and has size, real skill and an opportunity to be an NHLer if he can make progress in his skating.
Calgary Flames
Samuel Honzek was a fine Day 1 pick, but I liked the Flames’ Day 2 picks better.
I thought the Flames were sleuth to take Etienne Morin, who ranked 32nd on my list, at No. 48. He was outstanding in the QMJHL playoffs for Moncton. I’m high on third-rounder Aydar Suniev, despite concerns about his skating and visa issues. If he can get a little quicker, he might be a legit NHL player. And Jaden Lipinski profiles as a potential fourth-line player who has the size, smart and well-roundedness to fill a role.
New York Rangers
Gabriel Perreault could become one of the home runs of the first round if his strength piece comes along. He has high, high-end talent and offensive IQ.
The Rangers’ Day 2 underwhelmed me, though. They didn’t have a second- or fourth-round pick, so their assets were limited in that regard, but I don’t see NHL upside in fifth-round Swedish defenceman Rasmus Larsson, 6-foot-7 Generals forward Dylan Roobroeck or 6-foot-5 forward Ty Henricks.
Third-rounder Drew Fortescue was an honourable mention for me. His game is unspectacular but effective. If he makes it, it’ll be as a third-pairing guy after a full four years at Boston College (where both he and Perreault are headed).
I thought about making them overtime losers here, but I think the win on Perreault could be significant.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets weren’t in a position to draft stars, but they might get a second-line scorer in Colby Barlow. Shattuck standout Zach Nehring and Kamloops forward Connor Levis have NHL potential as role-playing forwards with some skill if they can get stronger, hit some checkpoints and the Jets can be patient with their development.
I was glad to see Thomas Milic taken this time around. He didn’t make my 2023 list, but was close and just kept adding to his pedigree until the Jets probably felt they couldn’t ignore it on the basis of him being a smaller goalie. He has been a top goaltender domestically and internationally across a years-long sample size at this point.
I was pretty surprised to see Knights forward Jacob Julien get picked, let alone in the fifth round, but I liked four of their five picks, even if there isn’t a lot to get super excited about.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning had to wait to No. 37 to make their first pick of the draft, and they got a kid who ranked at the end of the first round on my list in Ethan Gauthier, a well-rounded winger with pro habits and an up-and-down-the-linup upside/versatility.
Though I haven’t watched MJHL defenceman Warren Clark, who the Lightning took in the sixth round, I’ve got time for the two Minnesota kids they took in Rounds 4 and 7, Jayson Shaugabay and Jack Harvey. Shaugabay has been a star of the Minnesota high school circuit and lives and dies on his smarts. Harvey’s an overager I’ve always enjoyed watching who some believe has been underrated.
Los Angeles Kings
I think the Koehn Ziemmer pick could pay dividends at No. 78. He was in the BPA conversation for me there and ranked at the end of the first round on my list. Teams had concerns about his fitness and skating, but he has found the highlight reel in the WHL a ton over the last couple of years and gets high marks for his puck skill and game inside the offensive zone. You don’t often find players who nearly cracked 100 points in the CHL in their draft year in the third round.
Matthew Mania could be a really sleuth pick in the second half of the fifth round at No. 150. He was No. 88 on my list at year’s end and has real appeal for his transition game and skating. He does feel a little raw at times, but there’s some upside there and I could see him taking a big step in Sudbury next year.
Ryan Conmy is a good pick in the sixth round. He wasn’t on my board but it’s not easy to score 33 goals in the USHL in your draft year and he’s got some skill.
Even goaltender Hampton Slukynsky, despite an extremely unconventional path for a goaltender and smallish size, is an interesting roll of the dice. He’s a very smart, anticipatory goalie in the net.
The only pick of theirs that I didn’t like was their highest: Jakub Dvorak. He’s big and strong, and I see the appeal that way. But his skating is brutal — like a massive red flag.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche’s pool needed a refresh and I liked what they did with their two late firsts to add two B-plus (or slightly better) prospects to their system, both of whom play premium positions in Calum Ritchie (a natural centre) and Mikhail Gulyayev (a talented offensive defenceman).
Though I admittedly know very little about the Avs’ fifth-round pick, Nikita Ishimnikov, they might get NHL games out of their sixth-rounder, overager Jeremy Hanzel. Hanzel was the WHL’s plus-minus king and a huge part of the Thunderbirds’ WHL championship. He’s got a strong two-way foundation.
The selection of 20-year-old forward Maros Jedlicka, who has been extremely productive in a poor pro league in Slovakia for two consecutive seasons now, is intriguing as well. They should try to get him over to the AHL in the next year or two.
Overtime losers
Detroit Red Wings
I had mixed feelings about the Red Wings’ draft. On total value, they did well. Part of that is because of how many high picks they had (two firsts in the top 20 and back-to-back picks in the early 40s).
Nate Danielson is a well-liked player who is going to be a good middle-six NHL centre and was going to go in the picks shortly after the Red Wings’ if they didn’t take him, even if I think it was a bit rich for me. I liked the Axel Sandin Pellikka pick. He was my top-ranked defenceman in this draft after David Reinbacher and he gives them a different look than what they already have on defence in the NHL and within their pool.
Trey Augustine was also my top-ranked goalie, so I didn’t mind them taking him at No. 41 at all. And while Andrew Gibson was the final cut for my list this year, I’ve written that he was going to be a second-round pick (I do think he’s got some work to do to make good on being picked as high as he was, but he has gotten better rapidly year over year throughout his young career).
The selection of Brady Cleveland at No. 47 was a head-scratcher for me. I’ve watched a ton of Cleveland and he’s not a player who was ever in serious consideration for my list. Though he’s massive and a strong athlete overall, he’s got one of the choppiest strides I’ve ever seen in a defenceman at this level.
My favourite pick of theirs on Day 2, both for sentimental reasons (they already have his brother!) and in terms of the value I think they got, might have been the selection of Noah Dower Nilsson. Nilsson has legit talent and finesse to his profile and torched Sweden’s J20 level this year, making high-skill plays on a nightly basis.
Larry Keenan in the fourth round also works for me. He’s a toolsy defender who skates really well and could be something by the time he’s done at college.
I don’t think any of their four picks in Rounds 5-7 have a shot, although Kevin Bicker is semi-interesting as the top German forward prospect in a weak class. They’re going to get two NHL players out of their firsts and I like the Sandin Pellikka, Augustine and Dower Nilsson picks enough to not be too critical of the Cleveland pick and some of the upside I think they left on the table taking Danielson at No. 9. I thought about going overtime winners here on the whole.
Anaheim Ducks
I was partial to Fantilli at No. 2, but it’s close enough to me that I still like the Leo Carlsson pick — and certainly understand it, at minimum (I’m sure they saw a gap in their sense and creativity and leaned Carlsson on that basis, and that’s a perfectly reasonable place to land).
Nico Myatovic with the first pick of Day 2 wasn’t a surprise, even if I had him ranked as more of a late second than an early second. There were multiple teams prepared to take him in the 30s.
They did fairly well with their three picks in quick success in the late second and early third, too. The speedy Carey Terrance and hardworking and well-rounded Coulson Pitre could both become solid bottom-six players below Carlsson, Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish and company.
Overager Rodwin Dionicio wasn’t on my board but he took a huge step in the OHL this season to emerge as one of its top offensive defencemen. I’m not convinced he has NHL upside on the whole, but I didn’t mind him being picked in the fifth round. In particular, he steps around coverage at the top of the offensive zone really well. Same goes for overaged forward Yegor Sidorov. I wouldn’t have taken him in the third round, but he scored 40 goals this year and was always going to get picked this time around for his scoring profile.
Taking Petes defenceman Konnor Smith in the fourth round was a bit of a head-scratcher for me because you’re really counting on him emerging next season and showing more offence than he showed on the OHL champions this year. He’s huge (6-foot-6), but I think it mostly stops there.
As someone with a soft spot for great stories, I was happy to see towering goaltender Damian Clara, the first Italian player ever drafted into the NHL, taken as high as the second round. He was an honourable mention for me and a worthwhile midround pick, even if the late second was a bit high for me.
Vancouver Canucks
Tom Willander’s going to be a top-four defenceman in the NHL in all likelihood even if I was partial to some of the forwards available there.
Hunter Brzustewicz, ranked No. 40 on my list, was my highest-ranked defenceman when the Canucks took him at No. 75. His game is defined by his sense on the ice but I think there’s more skill and athleticism there than people realize.
After that, I don’t think the Canucks’ other five picks have much in the way of NHL upside. Sawyer Mynio was good on a stacked Thunderbirds team this year and should take a step next season in a more prominent role in the WHL, but the third round felt a round or two too high for me.
Ty Mueller had a good sophomore season in college but he’s 20, looks like an AHLer-ceiling type to me and doesn’t have the skill needed at 5-foot-11 to project.
The next three weren’t even in consideration for my list, and I spent time on each.
Minnesota Wild
It’s funny: I had two centres ranked higher than Charlie Stramel on my board when the Wild took him in the first round, and one of them was Riley Heidt, who they then drafted with the last pick of the second round. Heidt’s a kid I believe in, with legit playmaking instincts and an increasingly competitive approach. They clearly set out to restock their pipeline down the middle. They even used the pick between those two selections on a centre when they took Finnish pivot Rasmus Kumpulainen at No. 53. Kumpulainen’s going to top out as a depth piece, so the second round was a little high for me there, but that’s the range scouts mentioned when talking about him in the second half of the season, so it wasn’t a surprise or anything.
Kalem Parker in the sixth round felt like a fine choice to me, even if he wasn’t in serious consideration for my list. I’ve watched a lot of him to see if his stay-at-home game has enough. He’s a shot-blocking, penalty-killing type.
Aaron Pionk was excellent in the USHL this season but he’s a long shot given his age (he’ll be 21 in January) and track record.
If not for the Heidt pick, I probably would have been lower on the Wild’s job this year, and I’ve normally been pretty in sync with their group.
New Jersey Devils
I liked the Devils’ first two picks more than their next two. Lenni Hameenaho, who they used their first pick of the draft on at No. 58, ranked a few spots higher on my board and projects as an up-and-down-the-lineup forward. There’s nothing dynamic about his profile, but he gets above-average grades across the board.
Cam Squires, taken No. 122, ranked No. 90 on my list, is one of the smarter forwards in the draft, and is someone I expect to take a pronounced step in the QMJHL next season.
I don’t mind the Chase Cheslock pick in Round 5. He’s a toolsy but raw defenceman. I’m just not sure he ever quite gets to NHL quality and it may be four or five years before the Devils even know what they have there.
We’ll see on Cole Brown. He was a good prospect in minor hockey whose numbers haven’t popped in the OHL with the Bulldogs. There are some who believe he’s going to prove himself next year, though.
I did like the Daniil Karpovich bet with their last pick. He was an honourable mention for me and plays a little too much on instinct instead of reads, but he’s got plenty of pro tools and could become a player.
New York Islanders
Danny Nelson was the first player on Day 2 to be taken exactly where I had him ranked on my list (No. 49). He’s a big forward with some skill who played his best hockey late in the season to show the promise that many were excited about heading into the year.
I’ve really enjoyed watching Jesse Nurmi, who may not get to the middle-six winger outcome I think he’s got a small chance of getting to but certainly has what it takes to be a tweener who eventually scores in the AHL and gives himself at least a chance.
While Justin Gill scored 90-plus points in the QMJHL on an excellent Sherbrooke team this season, he’s 20 and his game has always looked like an AHLer’s to me.
Zach Schulz, this year’s captain at the NTDP, is going to be a good college defenceman but I haven’t seen enough with the puck to suggest he’s got upside beyond that (maybe he becomes a No. 7/8 type who can play no-fuss minutes?).
Ottawa Senators
The Senators had to wait until No. 108 for their first pick, but I liked what they did with it when it was finally their turn. Hoyt Stanley, a kid who ranked 10 spots higher on my list, has coveted length, mobility and handedness, and I think he’s got a legitimate opportunity to go to Cornell and emerge as an Ivy League grad and a potential NHL defenceman in a few years.
Kitchener defenceman Matt Andonovski, BCHL standout Owen Beckner and 6-foot-4 overager Nicholas VanTassell are all long shots, although I do think VanTassell looks better on the ice than on his statistical profile and he impressed me in some viewings this year.
I haven’t seen goaltender Vladimir Nikitin play, but I’ll make some time for him in the BCHL next season and get back to Sens fans on that one.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins got a good one with Brayden Yager in Round 1. He’s going to be a second-line scorer who can play centre or the wing and offers a committed game off the puck.
There are some who believe third-round pick Emil Pieniniemi might become a depth defenceman, but I’m less sure.
Emil Jarventie’s game is defined by his speed, but I think he has another level to find with a little more consistency.
Kalle Kangas is huge but that’s where it ends for me. There’s a good chance Yager’s the only NHLer out of their six picks.
Florida Panthers
It’s hard when you don’t have a first or a third to find NHL players. I think the Panthers might get one in the competitive and skilled Gracyn Sawchyn, who has some of the quicker hands in this draft class and could really pop in the WHL in a more prominent role next season after finishing as a bottom-sixer due to Seattle’s impressive depth this year.
Albert Wikman has impressed me in live and on-tape viewings, but I couldn’t justify ranking on the back of a statistical profile that rarely results in NHL games. He might become a depth defenceman or good AHL defender. That’s about it for them, though.
Dallas Stars
I couldn’t justify putting Brad Gardiner on my list with how sparse his statistical profile is, but he’s a player two scouts told me was underrated when I did my survey a few weeks ago and he’s an impressive athlete who might carve out a niche as a worker depth type, even if I think he’s more of a late-round guy for me than a third-rounder.
I like both of the defencemen they took in Rounds 2 and 4. Tristan Bertucci’s a very active player who wants to involve himself all over the ice and might become a busy third-pairing guy. And Aram Minnetian was among my BPA considerations at No. 125 (No. 52 on my list). Minnetian, in particular, is a kid I’ve really studied and have spent a lot of time asking around about. There were real concerns about his decision-making coming into this season and I thought he made huge progress to emerge as a big-time player in big moments all over the ice at the NTDP. I think he plays in the NHL.
The scrappy and pesky Angus MacDonell, the last player ranked in my top 100, went exactly where he should have in the sixth round as well. He’s a long shot, but I wouldn’t bet against him becoming a fourth-liner. Their draft gets a shrug on the whole.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers only had three picks in this year’s draft, and two of them were in Rounds 6-7. They did well with Beau Akey, an athletic, smooth-skating defenceman who has another level to find production-wise and clear talent in transition and inside the offensive zone.
Merrimack’s breakout sophomore Matt Copponi is interesting as a kid who bloomed late and may work his way into the entry-level contract conversation if he continues to progress at the rate he did last year.
I must admit though, I was pretty stunned when they took Flint goaltender Nathaniel Day in the sixth. He’s got some athletic tools to work with and shape and they need goaltending depth, but he just hasn’t stopped nearly enough pucks over the last two seasons to warrant a selection for me.
Losers
Montreal Canadiens
I really liked the Canadiens’ draft a year ago. This one was filled with some peculiar picks, though.
David Reinbacher’s going to be a really good top-four defenceman and they’re going to be happy with the outcome there, even if I’m of the mind they should have taken Michkov.
I did like the value they got in nabbing BC-committed goaltender Jacob Fowler in the third round after a handful of the other top goalie prospects went in quick succession in the second as teams scrambled to get the netminder they liked before they were all gone. Fowler’s got work to do on his fitness, but otherwise profiles as a legit goalie prospect and I don’t see much (if any) of a gap between him and the goalies who went higher. He was my third-ranked goalie.
On the other hand, though, the Habs’ selections of Florian Xhekaj (yes, Arber’s brother), 5-foot-11 double-overage Russian defenceman Bogdan Konyushkov, Sioux Falls overager Sam Harris and Swede Filip Eriksson, who wasn’t ranked by NHL Central Scouting and didn’t play much this year, did strike me as reaches. I’m quite familiar with the first three players and am sure they could have gotten Xhekaj later.
My favourite of their picks might have been Luke Mittelstadt in the seventh round, though. Mittelstadt wasn’t on my board this year but he was on my board two years ago and turned the coaching staff at the University of Minnesota into big believers with his play as a freshman this season. He’s got legit skill and smarts.
Arizona Coyotes
Though I understand the tact they took in selecting Lokomotiv teammates Dmitri Simashev and Daniil But, and both are legit prospects who can now come over together while adding a different dimension to their pool, I did think the Coyotes gave up some value relative to how high both of those picks were in a draft as talented as this one.
In third-round pick Jonathan Castagna, the Coyotes took a swing on one of the best athletes in the draft. Castagna didn’t make my list (in part because he went an unconventional route and it’s hard to measure his track record), but he was an honourable mention and I’ve heard only good things about the kid.
Their second and third picks in the third round are two kids I have time for. Noel Nordh was lower on my list than where they took him and probably tops out as a fourth-liner, but Tanner Ludtke is a relentless worker type who rose sharply this year and could become a third-line guy.
Vadim Moroz, their fourth and final third-rounder, was one of the Day 2 picks that really caught me off guard. He’s an averaged forward who played this season in the KHL for Dinamo Minsk in Belarus. I only watched him sparingly, but didn’t see an NHLer when I did and he wasn’t on anybody’s radar for the draft last year. I’m pretty confident they could have got him in the fourth or fifth round, too, so that felt like leaving some value on the table to me.
It was kind of a similar story with their five picks after Moroz, too.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Easton Cowan was high. He’s a good player. He’s a plus-level skater and worker with more skill than the point totals suggest. He was excellent in London’s playoff run playing with Denver Barkey and Ryan Winterton on their top line. But he was still high, and the expectation was that he was going to be a second-round pick (I think that was his own expectation, even).
I didn’t rank overage Providence commit Hudson Malinoski, but he was a driver for Brooks in the AJHL this season, he’s got pro size and athleticism, and there’s a belief among some that he’s got the tools to potentially become a bottom-sixer in the NHL.
I’d be pretty surprised if their third and last pick, Noah Chadwick, becomes more than an AHL defenceman. He’s got pro size and more to give offensively than his low-end statistical profile indicates (he’s actually quite comfortable with the puck on his stick), though.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins and I are rarely in sync at this. It’s tough when your first pick isn’t until 92 and you only have five picks total, but I don’t think they got anything more than two C-plus prospects in Beckett Hendrickson (who I actually really like and ranked but is going to take some time and will top out as a role player even if everything clicks) and overager Ryan Walsh.
(Illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic. Photos: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images, Jason Kempin / Getty Images, John Russell / NHLI via Getty Images)
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Scott Wheeler covers the NHL draft and prospects nationally for The Athletic. Scott has written for the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, The Toronto Sun, the National Post, SB Nation and several other outlets in the past
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