NHL Draft 2023: Updated Order, Top Prospects and 1st-Round Mock

Before the 2023 NHL draft takes place in Nashville, Tennessee, this June, the fate of the league's bottom teams will be decided by pingpong balls.

The NHL draft lottery, which will be broadcast from the league's New Jersey headquarters on May 8, will determine in two lotteries which teams get to draft first and second overall.

Teams can move up a maximum of 10 spots, so only squads ranked in the NHL's bottom 11 at the season's end on April 14 will have a shot at WHL phenom Connor Bedard.

This could be the most impactful lottery in years given the strength of the 2023 draft class. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler said these prospects are rivaled only by Connor McDavid's 2015 class for the best of the decade. TSN's Bob McKenzie described the class as having "sizzle, substance and a lot to like."

Who will get to pick first in one of the best drafts in the past 10 years?

It all depends on whether it's the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Ducks or San Jose Sharks that win out on the race to the bottom of the standings and the best lottery odds—and on how the balls decide to bounce.

Here's an outline of how this could go down on May 8, based on the latest mock draft from Tankathon.

2023 1st-Round Mock Draft

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HALIFAX, CANADA - JANUARY 04: Leo Carlsson #21 of Team Sweden skates during the third period against Team Czech Republic in the semifinal round of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre on January 4, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Team Czech Republic defeated Team Sweden 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

1. Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard, C, Regina Pats (WHL)
2. Columbus Blue Jackets: Adam Fantilli, C, University of Michigan (NCAA)
3. Anaheim Ducks: Matvei Michkov, RW, Sochi (KHL)
4. San Jose Sharks: Leo Carlsson, C, Orebro (SHL)
5. Montréal Canadiens: Will Smith, C (USNTDP)
6. Arizona Coyotes: Zachary Benson, LW, Winnipeg Ice (WHL)
7. Philadelphia Flyers: Dalibor Dvorsky, C, AIK (Allsvenskan)
8. Vancouver Canucks: Oliver Moore, C (USNTDP)
9. Detroit Red Wings: Eduard Sale, RW, Brno (Czechia)
10. Washington Capitals: Brayden Yager, C, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
11. St. Louis Blues: Andrew Cristall, LW, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
12. Arizona Coyotes (received pick from Ottawa Senators): Ryan Leonard, C (USNTDP)
13. Buffalo Sabres: David Reinbacher, D, Kloten (SUI)
14. Montréal Canadiens (received pick from Florida Panthers): Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, Skelleftea (Sweden J20)
15. Calgary Flames: Matthew Wood, RW, University of Connecticut (NCAA)
16. Nashville Predators: Colby Barlow, RW, Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
17. Pittsburgh Penguins: Riley Heidt, C, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
18. Detroit Red Wings: Mikhail Gulyayev, D, Omsk (MHL)
19. Winnipeg Jets: Nate Danielson, C, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
20. Seattle Kraken: Gabriel Perreault, RW (USNTDP)
21. Chicago Blackhawks (received pick from Lightning): Calum Ritchie, C, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
22. New York Rangers (received pick from Stars): Gavin Brindley, RW, University of Michigan (NCAA)
23. Minnesota Wild: Samuel Honzek, LW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
24. Nashville Predators (received pick from Oilers): Dmitri Simashev, D, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)
25. Columbus Blue Jackets (received pick from Kings): Quentin Musty, LW, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
26. St. Louis Blues (received pick from Rangers): Lukas Dragicevic, D, Tri-City Americans (WHL)
27. St. Louis Blues (received pick from Maple Leafs): Tanner Molendyk, D, Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
28. San Jose Sharks (received pick from Devils): Otto Stenberg, C, Frolunda (SHL)
29. Colorado Avalanche: Jayden Perron, LW, Chicago Steel (USHL)
30. Carolina Hurricanes: Daniil But, LW, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)
31. Vegas Golden Knights: Ethan Gauthier, RW, Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
32. Toronto Maple Leafs (received pick from Bruins): Koehn Ziemmer, RW, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

Other potential first-round picks: Nick Lardis, LW, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL); Gracyn Sawchyn, C, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL); Oliver Bonk, D, London Knights (OHL); Theo Lindstein, D, Brynas (SHL).

Connor Bedard, C, Regina Pats (WHL)

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LANGLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA - JANUARY 25: Forward Connor Bedard #98 of the Regina Pats skates for Team Red during the 2023 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game Practice at the Langley Events Centre on January 25, 2023 in Langley, British Columbia. (Photo by Dennis Pajot/Getty Images)

The IIHF might as well have called the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships the Connor Bedard show.

In case there were any doubts the Regina Pats captain, who just recorded the first 140-point season the WHL has seen since 1996, was this year's No. 1 pick, he put them to rest by leading Canada to the title with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in seven games.

Scouts have been discussing Bedard's future role as a potential generational talent since he was granted exceptional player status in order to play in the WHL at 15 years old, but you don't have to be a hockey developmental expert to see what makes Bedard special. It's visible in every highlight.

He is strong on the puck, talented at reading plays, capable of deft puck-handling maneuvers and fast enough to beat other skaters to the puck. His dominance was a main reason Regina reached the 2022-23 playoffs, and his entertainment value drew some of the largest crowds the Pats had ever seen.

There is no doubt that whichever team wins the draft lottery on May 8 will be adding Bedard to its roster.

Adam Fantilli, C, University of Michigan (NCAA)

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ALLENTOWN, PA - MARCH 26: Michigan Wolverines Forward Adam Fantilli (19) skates with the puck during the first period of the 2023 NCAA Division I Mens Ice Hockey Regional Final between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Michigan Wolverines on March 26, 2023, at the PPL Center in Allentown, PA. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Fantilli burst onto the college hockey scene in 2022 with one of the best season starts the University of Michigan had ever seen.

His 15 points in the first six games of his NCAA career, the most for a Wolverine since Bruno Baseotto in 1979, were no fluke. Fantilli finished the season as the most productive player in the NCAA, with 64 points (29 goals, 35 assists) in 35 games.

He is now a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and could be the third freshman in NCAA history to win it. If Fantilli wins, he will be in good company. The only other two college players who claimed the trophy in their first college season are Ducks legend Paul Kariya and Vegas star Jack Eichel.

Fantilli's 6'2" frame, end-to-end skating ability and precise shot would have been enough to earn him the No. 1 pick in a draft that did not feature potential generational talent at the top—think Eichel sitting behind Connor McDavid in the 2015 draft. As consolation prizes go, Fantilli will be a game-changing one for whichever team misses out on Bedard.

Matvei Michkov, RW, Sochi (KHL)

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ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2022/05/05: Matvei Michkov (No.39) of Russia U20 seen in action during the Liga Stavok St. Petersburg Cup, hockey tournament match between Russia and Russia U20 at Jubilee Arena in Saint Petersburg. (Final score; Russia 4:2 Russia U20). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Are you willing to sign a future NHL star—even if it will be three seasons before he plays for your team?

That's the question the team selecting at No. 3 will be facing as it grapples with the question of taking Matvei Michkov, the Russian goalscoring phenom who in 2020 signed with the KHL through 2025-26.

"It is my dream to play in the NHL one day," Michkov told NHL.com, through an interpreter, last month. "But for now I will continue to work on my game and develop as a player at home."

Michkov has a deadly shot, powerful release and the hands—and daring—required to pull off a lacrosse goal. He has been a top scorer in every Russian league he's touched since he became the first under-16 player to rack up a point per game in the MHL, the country's junior league.

His potential to add firepower to a team in need of goalscoring will make Michkov a smart pick at No. 3, even given the three-year wait.