KJ Dangler
Registered User
Here’s from the Athletic today …
Scout 3: First of all, Fantilli and Carlsson are both really good players. If we were talking about last year, I think either Bedard, Fantilli or Carlsson would’ve gone first overall. All three of the top guys are better than the top of the draft class last year
Scout 4: All three are exceptional prospects, and they’d have all gone No. 1 overall last year. Without question. Like, I think you might have to get to pick 6 or 7 before you’d find a player who wouldn’t have been the consensus No. 1 overall pick last year. It’s probably the best top-10 we’ve seen since 2015.
Scout 1: For Fantilli, he was above expectations for me this season. And not that I thought his transition wasn’t going to be successful, I just didn’t see a Hobey Baker.
That (disappointing) world juniors was the outlier. The body, the speed, the compete (are excellent). I know he had awesome production but I think that came more from his compete level than his hockey sense, but that’s not going to hurt him. He has a similar game at the same age and probably a little better than (Quinton) Byfield.
That said, Carlsson is No. 2 for me. I think he’ll be a centre at the next level. When you compare him and Fantilli, Carlsson has superior hockey sense. Carlsson doesn’t have the same pace, he doesn’t play with the same frenetic motor, but he’s like a (Anze) Kopitar with the two-way brain, size and he’s going to make his linemates better. I think the high side is higher than with Fantilli.
Scout 2: The top three in the draft are elite players who process the game at a high level. Bedard is obviously No. 1 but (the gap between Bedard and Carlsson) is probably closer than a lot of people may think.
Bedard has been so big in world juniors and sort of that international stage over the last couple of years where it gives him the bright lights of stardom, but Carlsson is a dynamic player in his own right and probably isn’t getting enough credit for how good he is
Scout 3: For me, honestly, it’s a very good debate between No. 2 and No. 3. I think Carlsson at the end of the day might be the best pick at second overall.
Now is he the second best prospect in the draft class today? No. And I think it would be hard to argue that Carlsson is more advanced than Adam Fantilli right now, but Carlsson is potentially a 6-foot-3, first-line centreman and I wonder if Fantilli might be more inclined to play the wing going forward.
I love Carlsson and I don’t think you’re seeing everything that he can do just yet. Down the road he may be the second best player in this class, heck, he could be the best player in this class down the road — I don’t know. When you get a 6-foot-3 player with his size and skill, that’s very hard to find.
Fantilli has more power, more north-south in his game. His motor and work ethic is through the roof. I’d give the hockey sense edge to Carlsson, however, between those two guys. That said, like Bedard, Fantilli has had a year that speaks for itself. You can’t take away from what he did and it’s hard not to reward him with the No. 2 spot on your list. His performance has been absolutely outstanding
Heres a blurb from Scott Wheeler
What about at No. 2? Is Adam Fantilli a slam dunk to be the next player selected, or could we see a 2022-style curveball at the top of the draft order this year?
Fantilli is the consensus second overall pick in 2023, but Carlsson, the rangy Swedish forward, and US National Development Team forward Will Smith appear to be barging their way into consideration in the top three. Our sample of four scouts is small, so this is hardly scientific, but we were struck by the extent to which the debate between Fantilli and Carlsson was an active one for our panel.Scout 3: First of all, Fantilli and Carlsson are both really good players. If we were talking about last year, I think either Bedard, Fantilli or Carlsson would’ve gone first overall. All three of the top guys are better than the top of the draft class last year
Scout 4: All three are exceptional prospects, and they’d have all gone No. 1 overall last year. Without question. Like, I think you might have to get to pick 6 or 7 before you’d find a player who wouldn’t have been the consensus No. 1 overall pick last year. It’s probably the best top-10 we’ve seen since 2015.
Scout 1: For Fantilli, he was above expectations for me this season. And not that I thought his transition wasn’t going to be successful, I just didn’t see a Hobey Baker.
That (disappointing) world juniors was the outlier. The body, the speed, the compete (are excellent). I know he had awesome production but I think that came more from his compete level than his hockey sense, but that’s not going to hurt him. He has a similar game at the same age and probably a little better than (Quinton) Byfield.
That said, Carlsson is No. 2 for me. I think he’ll be a centre at the next level. When you compare him and Fantilli, Carlsson has superior hockey sense. Carlsson doesn’t have the same pace, he doesn’t play with the same frenetic motor, but he’s like a (Anze) Kopitar with the two-way brain, size and he’s going to make his linemates better. I think the high side is higher than with Fantilli.
Scout 2: The top three in the draft are elite players who process the game at a high level. Bedard is obviously No. 1 but (the gap between Bedard and Carlsson) is probably closer than a lot of people may think.
Bedard has been so big in world juniors and sort of that international stage over the last couple of years where it gives him the bright lights of stardom, but Carlsson is a dynamic player in his own right and probably isn’t getting enough credit for how good he is
Scout 3: For me, honestly, it’s a very good debate between No. 2 and No. 3. I think Carlsson at the end of the day might be the best pick at second overall.
Now is he the second best prospect in the draft class today? No. And I think it would be hard to argue that Carlsson is more advanced than Adam Fantilli right now, but Carlsson is potentially a 6-foot-3, first-line centreman and I wonder if Fantilli might be more inclined to play the wing going forward.
I love Carlsson and I don’t think you’re seeing everything that he can do just yet. Down the road he may be the second best player in this class, heck, he could be the best player in this class down the road — I don’t know. When you get a 6-foot-3 player with his size and skill, that’s very hard to find.
Fantilli has more power, more north-south in his game. His motor and work ethic is through the roof. I’d give the hockey sense edge to Carlsson, however, between those two guys. That said, like Bedard, Fantilli has had a year that speaks for itself. You can’t take away from what he did and it’s hard not to reward him with the No. 2 spot on your list. His performance has been absolutely outstanding
Heres a blurb from Scott Wheeler
