NHL Draft 2023: Predicting Where Elite Talent Will Land in 1st-Round Mock Draft
The race to the top of the 2022-23 NHL standings ended when the Boston Bruins claimed the Presidents' Trophy on March 30.
The last spot in the league, on the other hand, still remains up for grabs with just seven days left in the season.
The Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks sit neck-and-neck at a league-low 56 points heading into Saturday, and the stakes for the race to the bottom have rarely been higher.
The winner will earn the best odds to draft Connor Bedard, the high-scoring phenom who was so exciting to watch as he attracted record-breaking crowds to the WHL this season.
Thanks to the NHL lottery, 11 teams will have the chance to snag Bedard. The 10 teams that miss out on the Regina Pats star will still have plenty to look forward to when selecting in the top of one of the strongest drafts of the decade.
There are definite similarities between the 2023 draft and the highly-competitive 2015 class which brought Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel to the NHL. Just like in 2015, a Canadian hockey prodigy trailing a list of broken CHL records is expected to go first, while a high-scoring NCAA player is likely to get the No. 2 pick.
And like in 2015, there will still be notable talent left in the top of the first round after those top selections. All that's left to be decided is which players might turn out to be this year's Mikko Rantanen or Mitch Marner.
Let's take look at a mock draft of the first round based on the current standings, per Tankathon, and then check out what the three teams with the best odds to snag the biggest talents might be looking for in this stacked draft.
1st-Round Mock Draft
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1. Anaheim Ducks: Connor Bedard, C, Regina Pats (WHL)
2. Columbus Blue Jackets: Adam Fantilli, C, University of Michigan (NCAA)
3. Chicago Blackhawks: Matvei Michkov, RW, SKA (KHL)
4. San Jose Sharks: Leo Carlsson, C, Orebro HK (SHL)
5. Arizona Coyotes: Will Smith, C, USNTDP
6. Montreal Canadiens: Zach Benson, C, Winnipeg Ice (WHL)
7. Philadelphia Flyers: Dalibor Dvorsky, C, AIK (HockeyAllsvenskan)
8. Vancouver Canucks: Oliver Moore, C, USNTDP
9. Washington Capitals: Eduard Sale, RW, HC Kometa Brno (Czech Extraliga)
10. St. Louis Blues: Brayden Yager, C, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
11. Arizona Coyotes (received pick from Ottawa Senators): Andrew Cristall, LW, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
12. Detroit Red Wings: Ryan Leonard, C, USNTDP
13. Buffalo Sabres: David Reinbacher, D, EHC Kloten (Swiss League)
14. Pittsburgh Penguins: Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, Skelleftea AIK (SHL)
15. Calgary Flames: Matthew Wood, LW/C, University of Connecticut (NCAA)
16. Nashville Predators: Colby Barlow, LW, Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
17. Detroit Red Wings (received pick from New York Islanders): Riley Heidt, C, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
18. Montreal Canadiens (received pick from Florida Panthers): Mikhail Gulyayev, D, Omskie Yastreby (MHL)
19. Winnipeg Jets: Nate Danielson, C, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
20. Chicago Blackhawks (received pick from Tampa Bay Lightning): Gabe Perreault, RW, USNTDP
21. Seattle Kraken: Calum Ritchie, C, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
22. Minnesota Wild: Gavin Brindley, RW, University of Michigan (NCAA)
23. Columbus Blue Jackets (received pick from Los Angeles Kings): Samuel Honzek, C, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
24. New York Rangers (received pick from Dallas Stars): Dmitri Simashev, D, Loko Yaroslavl (KHL)
25. Nashville Predators (received pick from Edmonton Oilers): Quentin Musty, LW, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
26. St. Louis Blues (received pick from New York Rangers): Lukas Dragicevic, D, Tri-City Americans (WHL)
27. St. Louis Blues (received pick from Toronto Maple Leafs): Tanner Molendyk, D, Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
28. San Jose Sharks (received pick from New Jersey Devils): Otto Stenberg, C/W, Frolunda HC J20 (SHL)
29. Colorado Avalanche: Jayden Perron, LW/C/RW, Chicago Steel (USHL)
30. Carolina Hurricanes: Daniil But, LW, Loko Yaroslavl (KHL)
31. Vegas Golden Knights: Ethan Gauthier, RW, Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
32. Toronto Maple Leafs (received pick from Boston Bruins): Koehn Ziemmer, RW, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
Chicago Blackhawks
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The Chicago Blackhawks are ready to start over.
Superstar scorer Patrick Kane has been shipped off to the New York Rangers, and captain Jonathan Toews is unsure if he will be able to play next season, marking a potential end of the core which once brought three Stanley Cups to Chicago in five years.
This is a team ready to start fresh in 2023-24. What better way to kick things off than by adding new leadership to the roster?
That's why it might be notable for Chicago that 17-year-old Connor Bedard was named the youngest captain in Regina Pats history earlier this year.
"In Connor, we could see very early that he sets a good example on and off the ice, as well as in his preparation, wanting to win and that he was going to be a captain," said Pats general manager and head coach John Paddock after giving Bedard the "C" last September.
The Blackhawks could benefit from centering a rebuild around a player who is ready to lead in the near future. That's not to mention the offensive firepower a player like Bedard would add to a team ranked last in goals per game for the second year in a row.
In the past six seasons, Chicago has only qualified for the playoffs once. That was in the 2019-20 bubble, where the Hawks were bumped out of the first round. Adding a player who would be interesting to watch right away would be an instant boost for a franchise trying to become competitive enough to sell more tickets.
Columbus Blue Jackets
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This is not how superstar winger Johnny Gaudreau pictured the season ending when he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets last summer.
Gaudreau didn't ink his massive seven-year, $9.75 million AAV contract with the Jackets in July after an incredible 115-point Flames campaign for the cash—he reportedly left money on the table in Calgary. He did it to start a family in Columbus and "to win hockey games."
Columbus did not end up winning all that many.
Season-ending injuries to key players like defenseman Zach Werenski and winger Jakub Voracek, sporadic absences from star winger Patrik Laine which prevented him from developing chemistry with Gaudreau, and a career-low .876 save percentage for starting netminder Elvis Merzlikins saw Columbus plummet to the bottom of the standings.
Unlike some of the other teams in the race for the top draft picks, however, the Blue Jackets don't feel like they have that far to go before becoming a competitor.
A decent defensive corps, which will be immediately bolstered by the return of Werenski, could help Merzlikins bounce back. Fewer injuries could help the offense jell.
In addition, the Blue Jackets could use a center who can help get Laine into a scoring rhythm or return Gaudreau to his point-per-game capabilities. Why not find him in the draft?
The Blue Jackets would be hugely bolstered by an addition like the University of Michigan's Adam Fantilli or the Swedish Hockey League's Leo Carlsson. Both are large players (Fantilli is 6'2" and 195 pounds, while Carlsson is 6'3", 198) and deeply talented scorers. Either of them would be a vital addition at center to a team looking to anchor its talented wingers in 2022-23.
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Anaheim Ducks
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The Anaheim Ducks already know how young talent can boost a team.
The addition of ninth overall 2019 pick Trevor Zegras hasn't gotten Anaheim back into the playoff picture yet—but it has already made the Ducks fun to watch. Who doesn't want to tune in to see one of the only NHL players daring enough to pull off multiple lacrosse-style goals?
Anaheim, which was one of the oldest teams in the NHL last season, needs more of that youth.
The Ducks have selected in the top 10 for four years in a row, collecting Zegras at center, defenseman Jamie Drysdale, center Mason McTavish and defenseman Pavel Mintyukov.
Mintyukov has not yet made his NHL debut. The absence of Drysdale's defense was noticeable during his season-long loss to a shoulder injury. Rookie McTavish has made an argument for the Calder Trophy with his work centering the second line this season.
Now, with their fifth top pick in as many years, is it time for the Ducks to go for their first winger?
A high-scoring winger to slot in beside Zegras on the first line could be the boost the Ducks' ability to start becoming competitive in 2023-24. Enter players like Leo Carlsson, who led U20 skaters in scoring in the SHL this season and impressed with his deft skating, or KHL star winger Matvei Michkov, whose precise shot helped him produce in Russia's top league as a teenager (although he would be a delayed addition, as he will remain in his home country through 2025-26.)
The Ducks have two centers they are looking to build around in Zegras and McTavish. Handing them a winger who can score at the NHL level could be a huge boost for a franchise which has been one of the lowest-scoring squads in the league for the last decade.
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