The NHL Draft is always a wonderful event where we get to watch young athletes’ dreams become reality. Now that the 2023 NHL Draft is complete, all we can do is wait and watch how these players develop over the next few years as they work their way toward their ultimate goal of being NHL players.
I want to take this opportunity to give you a snapshot of how I feel about this draft as a whole at this exact moment, with grades given to each team for their draft class. I’ll be grading them on many criteria including total value added, upside vs. certainty on players they selected, and how their picks fill perceived needs in their prospect pool.
Obviously this won’t age perfectly, so feel free to chirp me for my grades now or in the future. It’s impossible to accurately predict the outcome of a handful of players let alone over 200, so this article will also serve as a reference point for me to return to as I try to hone in my analysis and scouting of draft eligible prospects. Feel free to disagree with my grades here, just make sure you propose your own grade for that team and any reasoning you may have for a different grade.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Anaheim Ducks
All Picks: Leo Carlsson, Nico Myatovic, Carey Terrance, Damian Clara, Coulson Pitre, Yegor Sidorov, Konnor Smith, Rodwin Dionicio, Vojtech Port
Leo Carlsson is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here, as he has the potential to be a true top-line center in the NHL who can do it all. He’s got a ton of skill to go with his NHL-ready frame. Damian Clara was an intriguing addition for me as a goaltending prospect who has shown flashes of greatness.
Related: 2023 NHL Draft Guide
Nico Myatovic, Carey Terrance, Coulson Pitre, and Yegor Sidorov all strike me as guys with a chance to be long-time NHLers, though none of them have particularly high upside.
Grade: A-
Arizona Coyotes
All Picks: Dmitri Simashev, Daniil But, Michael Hrabal, Jonathan Castagna, Noel Nordh, Tanner Ludtke, Vadim Moroz, Terrell Goldsmith, Melker Thelin, Justin Kipkie, Samu Bau, Carsen Musser
Arizona added a ton of new names to their prospect pool, and while I’m not particularly excited by most of them, the top three selections they made were excellent in my opinion. I expect Dmitri Simashev to be a legit top-four defender for them, with Daniil But lining up in their top six. Michael Hrabal is my favourite goaltender of the group this year so landing him should be a real boon to their pool. The Coyotes added tons of size this year as well.
Grade: B+
Boston Bruins
All Picks: Christopher Pelosi, Beckett Hendrickson, Ryan Walsh, Casper Nässén, Kristian Kostadinski
I’m really not a fan of this group for Boston. While I believe that Christopher Pelosi and Beckett Hendrickson each have a chance to play games in the NHL someday, I doubt it will be in a significant role. I would’ve loved some bigger swings here for a team in desperate need of some life in their prospect pool.
Grade: D
Buffalo Sabres
All Picks: Zach Benson, Anton Wahlberg, Maxim Strbak, Gavin McCarthy, Ethan Miedema, Scott Ratzlaff, Sean Keohane, Norwin Panocha
It’s an annual tradition at this point for prospect writers like me to fawn over the picks made by the Buffalo Sabres in the draft and this year will be no different. Snagging Zach Benson at 13th overall was a great start but second rounders Anton Wahlberg and Maxim Strbak are good bets to be NHL players, even if neither takes a big step forward offensively.
Gavin McCarthy is another guy I think should at least have a career as a depth NHL defender, and Scott Ratzlaff went a little bit under the radar this year while excelling in Seattle alongside Thomas Milic. Overall, another successful draft in Buffalo.
Grade: A
Calgary Flames
All Picks: Samuel Honzek, Etienne Morin, Aydar Suniev, Jaden Lipinski, Yegor Yegorov, Axel Hurtig
I loved the Samuel Honzek pick for Calgary in the first round, and I expect he’ll be a fixture in their top-six forward group for a long time. He’ll provide value on the power play and the penalty kill, all while playing a skilled power forward game. Etiene Morin was a great pickup in the second and Aydar Suniev, who was selected with the pick Calgary got in the recent Tyler Toffoli trade, was super underrated all year as he dominated the BCHL.
Grade: B+
Carolina Hurricanes
All Picks: Bradly Nadeau, Felix Unger Sörum, Jayden Perron, Alexander Rykov, Stanislav Yarovoy, Charles-Alexis Legault, Ruslan Khazheyev, Timur Mukhanov, Michael Emerson, Yegor Velmakin
The Hurricanes surprised people last year by taking a ton of Russian players despite the general nervousness and uncertainty around them. They kept that trend going this year, adding five more Russian prospects to their system. They also added Bradly Nadeau, an undersized sniper, Jayden Perron, an undersized playmaker, and Timur Mukhanov, an undersized two-way center. Carolina drafted a ton of skill and potential this year, but they need one or two of these players to beat the odds for this draft class to be a true win.
Grade: A
Chicago Blackhawks
All Picks: Connor Bedard, Oliver Moore, Adam Gajan, Roman Kantserov, Martin Misiak, Nick Lardis, Jiri Felcman, Alex Pharand, Marcel Marcel, Milton Oscarson, Janne Peltonen
The Blackhawks could have gone on complete cruise control for day two of the draft and they’d still come out as a major winner based solely on the strength of their two first round selections. Connor Bedard is likely going to be a superstar in the NHL who immediately changes the entire outlook of the organization (just look at how they’re collecting high character veterans like infinity stones all of the sudden!).
Oliver Moore has a chance to be a legit top-six center which is a super valuable piece as well. I like the Adam Gajan pick although he’s got a long way to go before he’s playing in Chicago, and landing Nick Lardis in the third round was a minor steal in my eyes.
Grade: A+
Colorado Avalanche
All Picks: Calum Ritchie, Mikhail Gulyayev, Nikita Ishimnikov, Jeremy Hanzel, Maros Jedlicka
This is definitely not the deepest draft group in the league this year, but I do think Calum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyayev will be important players for Colorado’s future. I expect Ritchie to be at least as good as Alex Newhook (who Colorado just moved on from), and Gulyayev has a real chance to be a dynamic offensive player in the NHL. After Gulyayev, Colorado had to sit through 123 selections before they were back on the clock and I don’t think they added any meaningful pieces past the first round.
Grade: B
Columbus Blue Jackets
All Picks: Adam Fantilli, Gavin Brindley, William Whitelaw, Andrew Strathmann, Luca Pinelli, Melvin Strahl, Oiva Keskinen, Tyler Peddle
The Blue Jackets are one of the clear winners of the 2023 NHL Draft in my eyes, landing my second and 22nd ranked players at three and 34 in teammates Adam Fantilli and Gavin Brindley. I would not be surprised one bit if those two end up playing on a line together someday in Columbus.
They also added some high-upside swings in William Whitelaw and Luca Pinelli to go with a more safe and dependable pick in Andrew Strathmann.
Grade: A+
Dallas Stars
All Picks: Tristan Bertucci, Brad Gardiner, Aram Minnetian, Arno Tiefensee, Angus MacDonell, Sebastian Bradshaw
Obviously you don’t expect to land tons of future NHL players in a draft where your first selection lands at 61st overall, but this one is pretty bleak. Tristan Bertucci has a chance to be an NHLer and so does Aram Minnetian, but neither of them project as important pieces and nobody else here really moves the needle for me at this point.
Grade: D-
Detroit Red Wings
All Picks: Nate Danielson, Axel Sandin Pellikka, Trey Augustine, Andrew Gibson, Brady Cleveland, Noah Dower Nilsson, Larry Keenan, Jack Phelan, Kevin Bicker, Rudy Guimond, Emmitt Finnie
Leaving the first round with Nate Danielson and Axel Sandin Pellikka should have Red Wings fans jumping for joy, and the additions of Trey Augustine and Andrew Gibson in the second round reinforce a few weak positions in their prospect pool.
However, I am not a fan of the Brady Cleveland pick. I understand the appeal with his massive frame and his high-end physicality, but I don’t know if he’ll be clever enough or mobile enough to be an NHL defender.
Grade: B+
Edmonton Oilers
All Picks: Beau Akey, Nathaniel Day, Matt Copponi
The Oilers only had three picks in this draft, with just one in the top 180. Beau Akey is a nice pick for the late second round and could be a long-term NHLer, but the ceiling isn’t particularly high with him. I was rather underwhelmed with the Nathaniel Day and Matt Copponi picks so I doubt that Edmonton gets much value out of this draft.
Grade: D
Florida Panthers
All Picks: Gracyn Sawchyn, Albert Wikman, Olof Glifford, Luke Coughlin, Stepan Zvyagin
I’m pretty high on Gracyn Sawchyn so landing him with the second last pick of the second round represents a ton of value to me, he’s speedy, skilled, and tenacious. I like Sawchyn’s chances of scoring a lot more in the WHL next year and becoming a real NHL piece. Aside from that, Albert Wikman is the only other one who I think has a decent chance to play in the NHL someday.
Grade: C+
Los Angeles Kings
All Picks: Jakub Dvorak, Koehn Ziemmer, Hampton Slukynsky, Matthew Mania, Ryan Conmy
Koehn Ziemmer fell even further than I expected him to, landing at 78th overall despite scoring 41 goals in the WHL this year. Ziemmer’s skating is a legitimate issue (which is why he fell to the third round) and his development in that area will most likely be the deciding factor whether he makes the NHL or not.
Related: Grading Every First Rounder in the 2023 NHL Draft
Regardless, I like the pick for the Kings and Jakub Dvorak represents a good value pick in the late second round if he can finally get healthy soon. No clear high-end talents in this group but a couple guys with good NHL potential.
Grade C+
Minnesota Wild
All Picks: Charlie Stramel, Rasmus Kumpulainen, Riley Heidt, Aaron Pionk, Kalem Parker, Jimmy Clark
I’m not a huge fan of the Charlie Stramel pick at 21st overall, but he looked like a no-doubt top-10 prospect until the NCAA season began this year so a bounce back year offensively would go a long way in giving me confidence he can be a legit middle-six NHL center. I love the Riley Heidt pick at 64th, roughly 40 picks after I had him ranked at the end of the year. He’s undersized but he’s a great skater with good enough hands to transport the puck really well through the neutral zone.
Grade: C+
Montreal Canadiens
All Picks: David Reinbacher, Jacob Fowler, Florian Xhekaj, Bogdan Konyushkov, Quentin Miller, Sam Harris, Yevgeni Volokhin, Filip Eriksson, Luke Mittelstadt
I love the David Reinbacher pick for Montreal and I think he was the best pick for them once it became clear they weren’t comfortable taking the risk with Matvei Michkov. I understood arguments for guys like Dalibor Dvorsky or Ryan Leonard here but Reinbacher is not some high-floor safe pick, there’s real number one defender upside in his game.
Past Reinbacher, the Canadiens’ draft makes very little sense to me. Reinbacher is doing some really heavy lifting for their final grade here as I think they’re only going to get one NHL skater out of this group (with Jacob Fowler possibly being an NHL goalie someday down the road).
Grade: C-
Nashville Predators
All Picks: Matthew Wood, Tanner Molendyk, Felix Nilsson, Kalan Lind, Jesse Kiiskinen, Dylan MacKinnon, Joseph Willis, Juha Jatkola, Sutter Muzzatti, Austin Roest, Aiden Fink
The Predators did a great job of landing a pretty good number of prospects with real NHL upside, from Matthew Wood and Tanner Molendyk in the first round to Aiden Fink in the seventh. While there are some questions about Wood’s skating, I think he improved enough this year that I’m relatively confident he will produce offense in the NHL, potentially at a high level. Molendyk has top-four upside and second rounders Felix Nilsson and Kalan Lind both have the chance to be good bottom-sixers in the NHL. Although his selection was overshadowed a bit by it being Predators GM David Poile’s final draft selection, I think nabbing Aiden Fink near the end of the seventh round was incredibly savvy. Fink is undersized but has a ton of skill and a real chance to be an NHLer in my eyes.
Grade: A
New Jersey Devils
All Picks: Lenni Hämeenaho, Cam Squires, Chase Cheslock, Cole Brown, Daniil Karpovich
Despite not selecting their first prospect until late in the second round, I think the Devils did relatively well here, taking Lenni Hämeenaho at 58th, who is excellent around the crease and scored at a good rate in Liiga this year. Belarussian defender Daniil Karpovich was their final pick and I think he has the best chance to make the NHL aside from Hämeenaho as a big defender with NHL skating, a strong defensive game and a heavy shot.
Grade: C-
New York Islanders
All Picks: Danny Nelson, Jesse Nurmi, Justin Gill, Zach Schulz, Dennis Good Bogg
Danny Nelson is the only player selected by the New York Islanders that I’m expecting to have an NHL career. He’s a big centerman who played defense until this past year so he could be developed at either position. Nelson has some work to do offensively if he wants to be a meaningful contributor in the NHL, but I liked that pick at 49th overall for the Islanders. Aside from Nelson, I think Jesse Nurmi has a shot at being an NHL regular but that’s about it.
Grade: C-
New York Rangers
All Picks: Gabe Perreault, Drew Fortescue, Rasmus Larsson, Dylan Roobroeck, Ty Henricks
I wasn’t shocked to see Gabe Perrault on the board after the first 22 picks, but I thought he was the best player available by a significant margin. Although the Rangers have plenty of quality top-six wingers in their lineup and prospect pool, they did well to add another in Perreault who has high-end hockey sense and tons of skill with the puck.
I don’t love any of their other picks here but guys like Drew Fortescue and Rasmus Larsson have a chance to play NHL games.
Grade: B
Ottawa Senators
All Picks: Hoyt Stanley, Matthew Andonovski, Owen Beckner, Vladimir Nikitin, Nicholas VanTassell.
This was a tough draft year for Ottawa, with their first pick being 108th overall. They did well at that pick, taking and under-appreciated and under-viewed prospect in Hoyt Stanley out of the BCHL. Stanley has NHL size, a right-handed shot, and he skates well so I think he has a chance to be a third pairing guy long term. Aside from Stanley, I doubt the Senators will get many NHL games from this class if any.
Grade: D
Philadelphia Flyers
All Picks: Matvei Michkov, Oliver Bonk, Carson Bjarnason, Yegor Zavragin, Denver Barkey, Cole Knuble, Alex Ciernik, Carter Sotheran, Ryan MacPherson, Matto Mann
Landing Matvei Michkov at seventh overall could go down in Flyers history as one of their greatest ever draft picks, but Philadelphia added a ton of value in other areas of the draft as well. They added high upside goaltender Carson Bjarnason in the second round as well as Denver Barkey and Alex Ciernik, guys I had ranked significantly higher than they ultimately went. Carter Sotheran was their pick at 135 in the fifth round and I think he has a very real chance to be a good shut down defender in the NHL. I wouldn’t be shocked if Philadelphia ended up with four or five good NHLers from the 2023 Draft.
Grade: A+
Pittsburgh Penguins
All Picks: Brayden Yager, Emil Pieniniemi, Mikhail Ye. Ilyin, Cooper Foster, Emil Järventie, Kalle Kangas
Selecting Brayden Yager gives the Penguins the high-end forward prospect that they’ve lacked for years. Yager can begin his career on the wing before moving to the center position as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin end their careers. Emil Järventie skates well enough to have a chance at the NHL someday and Emil Pieniniemi is a big defender who also skates well, but I doubt the Penguins get a ton of NHL value out of this draft aside from Yager.
Grade: C+
San Jose Sharks
All Picks: Will Smith, Quentin Musty, Kasper Halttunen, Brandon Svoboda, Luca Cagnoni, Axel Landén, Eric Pohlkamp, David Klee, Yegor Rimashevsky
It’s clear that the Sharks wanted to add some size to their prospect pool this year and I think they did a really good job of filling that need while still adding players with skill in Quentin Musty and Kasper Halttunen. Musty has a clear path to being a second-line caliber power-forward winger and Halttunen’s shot is good enough that I can see a long NHL career ahead for him.
Will Smith was a near no-brainer at fourth overall and I think he’ll be a really great player for the Sharks in the near future. Later picks like Luca Cagnoni and Axel Landén have real chances to beat the odds and be meaningful pieces as well. A great year for San Jose at the draft.
Grade: A+
Seattle Kraken
All Picks: Eduard Sale, Carson Rehkopf, Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, Lukas Dragicevic, Caden Price, Andrei Loshko, Kaden Hammell, Visa Vedenpää, Zeb Forsfjäll, Zaccharya Wisdom.
After taking a big swing on day one of the draft on the highly skilled but inconsistent Eduard Sale, the Kraken did a great job of adding talent on day two. Carson Rehkopf was underappreciated for much of this year and he nearly cracked my top-32 at the end of the season. Oscar Fisker Mølgaard held down a second-line center spot in the SHL as a teenager this year and could be a great piece if his offense continues to grow. Lukas Dragicevic and Caden Price both have a chance to be long time NHLers as well. Another great draft for Seattle as they establish their team and continue to build a great prospect pool from scratch
Grade: A
St. Louis Blues
All Picks: Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg, Theo Lindstein, Quinton Burns, Juraj Pekarcik, Jakub Stancl, Paul Fischer, Matthew Mayich, Nikita Susuyev
The Blues had a busy day one, using all three of the first round picks they entered the day with, something that very few people expected to happen. Getting Dalibor Dvorsky at 10th overall was excellent and Otto Stenberg at 25 was a great pick too. Theo Lindstein wasn’t in the first round for me just because he’s got a pretty vanilla game at this point, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he develops into a good second pairing defender so it wasn’t a bad pick by any means. Day two was significantly less exciting for St. Louis, with one exception. I really liked the addition of Juraj Pekarcik in the third round, a tenacious Slovakian winger who shone at the U18s while playing on a line with fellow Blues prospect Dvorsky.
Grade: B+
Tampa Bay Lightning
All Picks: Ethan Gauthier, Jayson Shaugabay, Warren Clark, Jack Harvey, Ethan Hay
As per usual, the Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t have a ton of draft picks in the lead up to the 2023 Draft. They added the 37th overall pick when they traded Ross Colton to the Avalanche, and they landed Ethan Gauthier there. Gauthier is a hard-working winger with some skill and scoring prowess. He feels like a safe bet to be yet another good middle-six option on a great Lightning team in a few years. After Gauthier, the Lightning didn’t really add anyone that I’m confident will get NHL games, but Jayson Shaugay and Jack Harvey are intriguing picks.
Grade: C-
Toronto Maple Leafs
All Picks: Easton Cowan, Hudson Malinoski, Noah Chadwick
Easton Cowan going to Toronto at 28th overall was the biggest surprise of the first round though it appears that many other teams were interested in him in the 30-40 range and he likely wouldn’t have been on the board much longer even if the Maple Leafs hadn’t selected him.
Cowan is an undersized winger who is super competitive and difficult to play against, and it doesn’t hurt that he played his best hockey of the season down the stretch. He doesn’t project that high in an NHL lineup, but I expect Cowan will play lots of NHL games. Hudson Malinoski had a great year in the AJHL and I think he’s a bit of a sleeper pick who could be a legit bottom-six option in the future. Ultimately, the Leafs suffered from only having three total picks here, with just one in the top 150.
Grade: C
Vancouver Canucks
All Picks: Tom Willander, Hunter Brzustewicz, Sawyer Mynio, Ty Mueller, Vilmer Alriksson, Matthew Perkins, Aiden Celebrini
The Vancouver Canucks and Tom Willander feel like a match made in heaven. A smooth skating, defensive defender with a right-handed shot is exactly what Vancouver needs so while 11th overall may have been a little bit early for him I think this was a solid pick. I didn’t expect Hunter Brzustewicz to be available in the third round where the Canucks landed him, so I think they did well snagging him, adding another good right-shot defender to their prospect pool that desperately needs them. After Brzustewicz, Vancouver didn’t do all that well in my opinion, though I love hearing stories from Aiden Celebrini (who they took 171st) about growing up in Rogers Arena (his father, Rick Celebrini, worked for the Canucks at the time) and dreaming of being drafted by the Canucks.
Grade: B-
Vegas Golden Knights
All Picks: David Edstrom, Mathieu Cataford, Arttu Kärki, Tuomas Uronen
David Edstrom is the perfect Golden Knights player. He’s big, skates well, works hard on both ends of the ice and is a prospect which means they can trade him away for a star in the next 18 months. All jokes aside, this fit makes a ton of sense and I like it a lot for Vegas. Snagging Mathieu Cataford and Arttu Kärki in the third round was some good work as well and I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of them has an NHL career. The Knight’s grade suffers due to them only having four picks total in the draft, but I think they did well all things considered.
Grade: B-
Washington Capitals
All Picks: Ryan Leonard, Andrew Cristall, Patrick Thomas, Cameron Allen, Brett Hyland, Antoine Keller
The Washington Capitals should be thrilled with all the talent they added in this year’s draft. Ryan Leonard is a great two-way winger who could have some scoring pop in the NHL and Andrew Cristall is a high upside swing. If Cristall can improve his skating, he has the shot and skill to be a top-six winger.
Taking Cam Allen in the fifth round is another smart move, betting on Allen bouncing back after a disappointing draft year saw him slide from the consensus top defender in the class and into the fifth round.
Grade: A-
Winnipeg Jets
All Picks: Colby Barlow, Zachary Nehring, Jacob Julien, Thomas Milic, Connor Levis
The Winnipeg Jets have added tons of great forwards to their prospect pool in recent years, not to mention adding Gabe Villardi and Rasmus Kupari in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, so I’m sure they were hoping to add a high-end defender this year. Unfortunately, the top four defenders all went in the top-17 picks so Winnipeg added Colby Barlow, a goal scoring wing with good two-way play. It was nice to see Thomas Milic finally get drafted, but aside from those two, the Jets didn’t add a ton of value and have only deepened their need on defense in their prospect pool.
Grade: C+
