Scott Wheeler’s 2023 Draft Rankings

https://theathletic.com/4575346/2023/06/05/nhl-draft-2023-ranking-wheeler?source=user-shared-article

I know a lot of us are all aboard the Fantilli hype train, but we were all aboard the Bedard hype train too until that didn’t pan out. I figure it would be good to get excited about other guys we might take at 2OA incase GMPV isn’t thinking Fantilli is the right choice. So I pulled some snippets from Scott Wheeler’s article ranking the top 100 players in the 2023 Draft.
>(excerpts will be written like this)

Here’s where he ranks the top 5 skaters:
Tier 1
1.) Bedard- 5’10 185lbs
Obviously in a tier of his own, unfortunately is likely Chicago’s.

Tier 2
2.) Michkov- 5’10 172lbs
He has Michkov rated as the 2nd best player but admits that the uncertainty around his ability to leave Russian is cause for concern.

3.) Fantilli- 6’2 195lbs
>Profile
>Fantilli is a big, strong, powerful center who takes pucks from the wall to the interior with force, ease and speed — the kind of player every team covets. He can beat you along the wall on the cycle. He can beat you carrying the puck in rotations around the perimeter of the offensive zone. He can beat you by pushing through lanes to the middle third, driving the net, or dropping a shoulder to take space that isn’t there. He can beat you flying out wide. He has regularly blown me away in viewings these last couple of years (at Hockey Canada’s showcase two summers ago, in games where he looked like a man among boys in the USHL, and again at various points throughout his historic, Hobey Baker-winning freshman year at Michigan).

>And even at 6-foot-2 and about 195 pounds, he’s one of the best skaters in this draft. It’s not often we see players his size who can move like him. His skating is balanced. It’s powerful when it needs to be and light and adjustable when it needs to be. Within his movement patterns, he can handle the puck on a string and shade opposing defenders off his hip. He’s going to be a transition monster. On top of it all, he’s physical, he’s a fiery competitor, he’ll get after it on forecheck and track pucks, he plays with energy, and he’ll pounce on turnovers and be opportunistic. He can score from midrange consistently with his low-kick wrister and one-timer, he’s got an ability to protect the puck in and out of coverage, he’s got a dangerous curl-and-drag wrister, and he’s comfortable in traffic. When he’s on, he can completely take over a game.

>He also shed some of the force-it plays this year that could frustrate me and others at lower levels (he made better decisions on shot selection, overhandled less, and utilized his linemates better). I think he’s going to play in the NHL next year and be successful on raw ability from the jump. And I wasn’t deterred from that belief by his low point totals at men’s worlds. Once he refines and rounds out his game some more and adds more muscle as he ages, watch out.

4.) Carlsson- 6’2 198lbs
>Profile
>Though he doesn’t play the game with some of the shine of the three players in front of him, Carlsson had a tremendous age-adjusted season between his play with Orebro in the SHL (including in the playoffs), at the world juniors (where he was one of Sweden’s top forwards despite playing sick/banged up), and then for the senior men’s national team for the first time (a team he is now the youngest player to ever score for), even considering his December 2004 birthday. This all came a year after playing to virtually two points per game at the J20 level (he looked good in an important role as a top-nine centre for Sweden at U18 worlds before an injury kept him out of their medal-round run to a gold medal, too).

>Carlsson’s a big kid who has begun to come into his body (he’s 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds), but he’s also got slick handling and finesse for a forward his size, regularly finding his way through traffic or around it by out-waiting defenders one-on-one in shielded puck protection off of his hip. He stays on pucks, he’s got great instincts and takes smart routes around the ice, he’s sound positionally, he applies pressure off of the puck and comes up with possession despite not being very physical, and he just always seems to be involved in positive things inside the offensive zone. His skating also continues to improve (he’s not fast, but he’s an above-average skater for his size by my measure and it shouldn’t be preventative in him reaching his NHL upside). His long stick can limit him catching and handling pucks in his feet at times, and he doesn’t have a great shot, but those things should come, he’s got soft hands and standout finesse skill as a passer, and he’s got great dexterity and reflexes all told.

>Carlsson’s also one of the smartest players in the draft and understands spacing and timing on and off the puck at an advanced level for his age. And while he played almost exclusively as a winger in the SHL the last two seasons, Carlsson came up as a centre and I like the way his game might fit there long term because of his combination of size, detail, talent and awareness. He projects as a pass-first playmaking centre with a middle-six floor, first-line potential, and clear PP value (in multiple roles, too, because he’s great around the net and below the goal line passing low to high, but can also run it from the flank).

5.) Smith- 6’0 181lbs
He’s been shooting up a ton of draft boards, and even though he hasn’t cracked the top 3 in any that I’ve seen yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does the closer we get to the draft.

(Sorry if the formatting sucks, I’m on moblue while on break at work lmao)

by ColonelFedj