ROUND 1 | TEAM | ORIGINAL | PLAYER | DETAILS |
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1 | - | Connor BEDARD | So far,yes. | |
2 | - | Adam FANTILLI | If he wants to challenge Bedard for no. 1, I'm all for it. This player is a difference-maker. | |
3 | - | Leo CARLSSON | His contract runs through 2024/25. Otherwise, only sky looks like a limit. | |
4 | - | Matthew WOOD | He will need to do more, but the potential is there. Man, go out there and do the dirty job, don't just wait for your teammates. It is similar to Shane Wright in 2021/22 and can be overturned. | |
5 | - | Lukas DRAGICEVIC | He is 1st scorer on a team and amongst all D-men in WHL. Backward skating is questionable, but it can be improved (Brandt Clarke). Keep in mind D-men are more important than forwards and GMs prefer to draft them early. | |
6 | David REINBACHER | He is putting up crazy numbers in top Swiss league. He is 0.5 PPG, for comparison Auston Matthews in his draft year had 1.27 PPG. Most recently J.J. Moser as triple-overage D-man had 0.6 PPG. Act surprise if some GM pulls Yzerman's move from Seider's draft. | ||
7 | Matvei MICHKOV | Probably the best hockey-hands I've ever seen, combined with great IQ. But he is not fast, he is small and will need enforcer on his line. It was hard to watch him in 2021/22 MHL playoffs finale against CSKA's youth team, when he took a lot of abuse from big opponents (Averochkin, Dronyk, Dolzhenkov). Somebody might broke his backbone. With all the abuse around he gets frustrated and as consequence takes bad penalties. His contract runs through 2025/26 and combine that with Russian factor... Ultimate bum-or-bust and gambling is not for me. I prefer safer options. | ||
8 | - | Zach BENSON | The best player on a loaded team and also good forechecker. I am just afraid he might not improve much more. His Scouting Combine results should be interesting and might push him downwards. | |
9 | - | Andrew CRISTALL | He is head and shoulder above his teammates, putting close to 2 PPG. Kelowna might have the best program in WHL, but their approach is suited for bigger players. But top 10 is not out of realm of possibility. | |
10 | - | Samuel HONZEK | Vancouver is very good program for training safe, NHL-style (Lucic, E. Kane, Gallagher, Martinook...). Leading scorer on a team with team-best +/-, 6ft3 C. He will attract some attention. | |
11 | Quentin MUSTY | There is a lot to like about Musty. He looks like safe pick to me, but as just LW he will probably go lower. | ||
12 | - | Dalibor DVORSKY | Safe pick with slower progress as expected. Team player the coaches love, not tremendous skater, on the younger side. Work in progress. | |
13 | Gavin McCARTHY | Young RD with some room to grow. Probably the best player on his USHL team, involved on the both sides of the ice, committed to Boston University. It sounds as at least top-4 D-man on a NHL team to me. | ||
14 | - | Hunter BRZUSTEWICZ | 1st player from the NTDP selected might be... former NTDP player (as are Stramel and Brindley). Kitchener tends to produce decent NHLers on the back end (Bortuzzo, Xhekaj, Murphy...). Brzustewicz looks like safe pick to me. | |
15 | - | William SMITH | As of recently NTDP has some issues. Older players prefer to play elsewhere and when Smith is their best player of the draft class... Beside playmaking he is average. I am not impressed when the generation is being overshadowed by the younger players (Hagens, Eiserman). | |
16 | Nate DANIELSON | The best player on a average Brandon team. So far he looks suitable as C at the NHL level and that is always attractive. It is worth of note he is one of the oldest 1st time-eligible players, so have realistic expectations about his upside. | ||
17 | - | Colby BARLOW | He might be the best player on the decent Owen Sound team, but as just another LW he might be available in the last third of the 1st round. | |
18 | - | Charlie STRAMEL | Slow power-forward. His skating is problematic, but some teams can improve even that. His size alone will attract some attention. | |
19 | Lenni HAMEENAHO | Liiga is not the best league on the world, but he is putting up decent numbers. He is 4th scorer on a below-average team. It is also worth of note he plays for Finnish U-20 team instead of U-18. | ||
20 | - | Mikhail GULYAYEV | I love Omsk's program (Gritsyuk, Miroshnichenko, Trikozov...). Gulyayev is bum-or-bust. Creative offensive D-man with suspicious defense. Combine that with smaller stature and Russian factor... | |
21 | - | Eduard SALE | I am not sold on his performance in top Czechia league. He is very good on the tournaments, but has some struggles against men. | |
22 | Caden PRICE | As august-born I assume he will be 6ft3 at the end of growing process. Kelowna has a boatload of defensively-oriented D-men products of big stature (Weber, Severson, Schenn, Myers, Foote, Korczak, Johansen...). Take him and be patient. | ||
23 | - | Ryan LEONARD | Leonard and Moore are close. I prefer Leonard's slightly more aggressive style and he is also committed to Boston College in 2023/24... | |
24 | - | Oliver MOORE | … while Oliver Moore is commited to University of Minnesota in 2024/25. Pick your poison, Minnesota's program maybe be even better as Boston College's one and Cole Eiserman is also commited to Minny in 2024/25. But I would rather have player available sooner and I like leaders, not just supporting parts. That's why at the moment I prefer Leonard ahead. | |
25 | Axel SANDIN PELIKKA | He came out of nowhere. His offensive output is impressive, but I got some Brannstrom vibes. I am not sure I like that in 1st round, but some GM probably will take him high. | ||
26 | Andrew STRATHMANN | The best D-man on a team. He would like to do too much at one time and can be impatient. Some of his penalties are unnecesserely. He is going to North Dakota, which is on the better side of NCAA defensive programs. | ||
27 | Calum RITCHIE | I would compare him to Nathan Gaucher from the past Draft. He hasn't improved much from 2021/22. Safe pick with low upside. | ||
28 | Brayden YAGER | He fits Moose Jaw's current roster (Firkus, Mateychuk). His 165lbs don't impress me and he is not doing enough on the ice. His shot is good, but not enough. He is at least 3 years away from the NHL. | ||
29 | Danny NELSON | He is on the younger side. Currently at 6ft3, 200+lbs, NTDP player... Wait for the Scouting Combine and act surprise when somebody will pick him in the 1st round. | ||
30 | Etienne MORIN | In general I don't like QMJHL, but over 1 PPG D-man is worth of consideration for late 1st round pick. He is 1st scorer on a team and some D-men already came from the Moncton (Yandle, Savard, Spence...). | ||
31 | - | Koehn ZIMMER | Prince George has one of the worst programs in the WHL. When Connolly and Harkins are your best offensive references... I wouldn't risk with Zimmer or Heidt before late 1st/early 2nd round. Heidt has more attractive style, but so far I prefer Zimmer. | |
32 | Oliver BONK | London's program for D-men is not as successful as for forwards, but still very good. Assume Bonk will grow to roughly 6ft2, has NHL bloodline and is right-shot. Sounds as low-risk pick. |