Scott Wheeler shows who’s left and was high on his ranking (a little description of each in the comments):
13. Andrew Cristall — LW, Kelowna Rockets, 5-foot-10
23. Riley Heidt — C, Prince George Cougars, 5-foot-10
24. Gavin Brindley — C/RW, University of Michigan, 5-foot-8
29. Jayden Perron — RW, Chicago Steel, 5-foot-9
30. Ethan Gauthier — RW, Sherbrooke Phoenix, 5-foot-11
31. Koehn Ziemmer — RW, Prince George Cougars, 6 feet
32. Etienne Morin — LHD, Moncton Wildcats, 6 feet
[https://theathletic.com/4629671/2023/06/29/nhl-draft-2023-first-round-winners-losers/](https://theathletic.com/4629671/2023/06/29/nhl-draft-2023-first-round-winners-losers/)
by veshpesh
5 Comments
13. Andrew Cristall — LW, Kelowna Rockets, 5-foot-10
«Cristall is a creative, crafty playmaker who isn’t afraid to try things and possesses a rare ability to play in small areas, pull eyes and bodies toward him, and then expose opposing structures to the weak side of coverage.»
23. Riley Heidt — C, Prince George Cougars, 5-foot-10
«Heidt, taken No. 2 in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft with the pick between Bedard and Yager (he and Yager were actually teammates in minor hockey), is a talented and hardworking playmaker who keeps himself involved in the play off the puck and then makes plays between battles in possession of the puck. He was the go-to center for the Cougars in the faceoff circle this year.»
24. Gavin Brindley — C/RW, University of Michigan, 5-foot-8
«Brindley’s a plus-level skater who gets through his extensions quickly (including from a standstill), excels on his edges, rounds corners sharply and darts around the ice, hunting pucks and pushing through holes.»
29. Jayden Perron — RW, Chicago Steel, 5-foot-9
«He’s got some of the best soft skill in the draft. His size is obviously a talking point, and there’s a boom-or-bust element to his projection, but he’s a first-round talent and was a clear play-creator on a team with a few of them in Chicago this year. I expect him to become a top point producer in college at the University of North Dakota.»
30. Ethan Gauthier — RW, Sherbrooke Phoenix, 5-foot-11
«He brings a lot to the table. He’s a versatile, hardworking player who excels in pretty much every facet of the game, gets to the middle of the ice, and makes plays around the net through skill and timing. He’s consistent shift to shift and game to game and while he might lack the dynamism of some of the players in front of him here, he can make plays in a variety of ways on and off the puck and the ice usually tilts in his team’s favour when he’s out there.»
31. Koehn Ziemmer — RW, Prince George Cougars, 6 feet
«He’s a strong, physically mature winger (some of which is a benefit of his 2004 birthday, some of which is him carrying a little too much weight, but some of which is obviously also a credit to the work the muscle he also has) who likes to shoot the puck and shoots it hard, but also regularly beats defenders and goalies one-on-one with a slick set of hands across his body so that they can’t plan for the shot. «
32. Etienne Morin — LHD, Moncton Wildcats, 6 feet
«He plays a highly involved game built around upper-echelon skill, confidence and calmness with the puck in all three zones, above-average skating (though I wouldn’t call it a strength and it can look a little upright at times) and a sound understanding of when and where he can impact play. He outlets the zone well, joins and supports the play effectively and reads and anticipates well. Defensively, his game is also physical and competitive — and has rounded out nicely thanks to all the reps he got this year.»
pretty good chance to get a top 6 caliber guy. think we’re at the point in the timeline where they need to take some swings on top offensive talent. the only guy in the pipeline that strikes me as top 6 potential is isaac howard. with colton gone i don’t think the team has any ammo to move into the mid rounds so this’ll be their only chance this year (unless they trade down and pull out the next brayden point at pick 85 or something)
I just want Oskar Fisker Mørgaald
I don’t care if it’s a fit or not. Get me the Fort Myers born and raised Gavin Brindley!
Give me Morin – physical and competitive Defenseman. This team’s biggest need.