NHL Draft 2023: Most Notable Prospects amid Mock Draft Predictions

The 2023 NHL draft will start without any drama on Wednesday.

Connor Bedard has been the No. 1 prospect in the draft class for quite some time, and he will hear his name called first in Nashville.

The Chicago Blackhawks have the easiest decision of the night with Bedard, and the Anaheim Ducks may have the second simplest call.

Adam Fantilli is the No. 2 overall pick in most mock drafts, and if that pick happens, the real drama of the draft starts with the Columbus Blue Jackets at No. 3.

Columbus could go in a handful of directions, but the one sure thing is it will pick a forward.

The Blue Jackets already traded for Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson this offseason to reinforce their defensive unit, so the focus should be on improving the forward line through the draft.

Connor Bedard

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LANGLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA - JANUARY 25: Forward Connor Bedard #98 of the Regina Pats moves the puck against forward Brayden Yager of the Moose Jaw Warriors and defenceman Lukas Dragicevic #2 of the Tri-City Americans during the 2023 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game at the Langley Events Centre on January 25, 2023 in Langley, British Columbia. (Photo by Dennis Pajot/Getty Images)

The Blackhawks have the easiest decision to make in the NHL draft.

All they have to do is write Connor Bedard's name on the card handed to commissioner Gary Bettman once they are officially on the clock.

Bedard has long been viewed as the prize for whomever won the draft lottery. Chicago landed the top spot last month after having the third-best odds to select there.

Sportsnet's Jason Bukala called Bedard an "elite offensive talent who will be the centrepiece of the Blackhawks' rebuild for years to come."

ESPN.com's Kevin Weekes compared the impact Bedard could have to two previous Chicago stars.

"You saw the gold the Blackhawks struck in the mid-2000s. If Bedard can be even 70% or 80% of what Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane was, it'd be great for Chicago," Weekes wrote.

The 17-year-old Canadian lit up the WHL for 243 points in the last two seasons. He produced a strong balance of goals and assists in that span.

Bedard had 71 goals and 72 assists for Regina in the most-recent WHL season. He had 51 goals and 49 assists two seasons ago.

Bedard will be must-watch television from the second he steps on the ice for the first time in Chicago, and he will take up most of the spotlight during the team's rebuild for good reason.

Adam Fantilli

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RIGA, LATVIA - MAY 27: Adam Fantilli of Canada in action during the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Finland - Latvia game between Canada and Latvia at Nokia Arena on May 27, 2023 in Tampere, Finland. (Photo by Andrea Branca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Fantilli is the best player to come out of the American collegiate ranks.

The Michigan center should be the second player off the board to the Ducks.

The Athletic's Scott Wheeler wrote that Fantilli is the front-runner for the No. 2 pick in his latest mock draft.

"The belief is that Fantilli remains the frontrunner to go second to the Ducks, with Leo Carlsson a bigger part of the conversation than the rest of their peers," Wheeler wrote. "But almost all of what I've turned up, combined with what the Ducks have drafted in recent years and are trying to build, has still brought me back to Fantilli."

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported on Monday that "several people I've talked to aren't convinced that's where the Ducks go" when it comes to Fantilli at No. 2.

That could just be a product of the Ducks keeping information within the organization.

Fantilli would provide a scoring boost to the Anaheim offense right away. He produced 65 points in his freshman season at Michigan.

If Fantilli somehow falls to No. 3, Columbus would likely swoop him up in an instant as it looks for playmakers to surround Johnny Gaudreau with.

Leo Carlsson

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MONCTON, NB - JANUARY 02: Leo Carlsson #21 of Team Sweden skates the puck to the net with Jimi Suomi #2 of Team Finland defending in the third period of a Quarterfinal game during the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Avenir Centre on January 2, 2023 in Moncton, Canada. (Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images)

Leo Carlsson is the top European prospect in most mock drafts.

Bukala and Weekes both projected Carlsson to land with the Blue Jackets at No. 3, while Wheeler placed the Swede fourth with the San Jose Sharks.

A Carlsson-Blue Jackets pairing makes plenty of sense because the Eastern Conference side needs a playmaker in the middle.

Carlsson would provide a boost to the Columbus offense, and his selection would continue a strong offseason for the Blue Jackets as they look to get back into the postseason.

The one wild-card in all of this is Russian winger Matvei Michkov, but as Weekes noted, his timeline to get to the NHL could be different than Carlsson.

" I'd go with Carlsson. He's got size, he's long and rangy, and he's been playing against men. I think center is the more responsible play for them with where they are right now, and they won't have to wait (as teams will with Michkov)," Weekes wrote.

Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told the Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli that his team would draft a "franchise center".

That would narrow the selection down to Carlsson and Fantilli, and if Fantilli goes to Anaheim, Carlsson is the best fit for that description.