2023 NHL Draft Thread

[AintLifeGrand]

might as well get this rollin since we dont have anything else to look fwd to

The Dec 12 mynhldraft has us taking Andrew Cristall at pick 13 although today we should be projected to draft around 7-8.

I still wouldnt mind Cristall if no compelling Centers are left and hes BPA

Hes only 5’9 160ish lbs but is lighting up thr Dub with 55pts in 29 games (21g 34a)

Click to read more...

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I think it's valid at this point to start draft-watching/Tank talk. Not because I agree with that as a managerial philosophy. But just to highlight in some small way to the apparently oblivious Preds front office that we are in the process of giving up on this season. They seem to think there is a magical turn-around that is possible in the current situation. Maybe they will keep thinking that all year, who knows. But if the whole fanbase starts talking about sucking hard for Bedard and all that, maybe at some point that will filter through?

 

[herzausstein]

Need either a center or a dman unless theres an aboslute cant pass up winger.

 

[AintLifeGrand]

Need either a center or a dman unless theres an aboslute cant pass up winger.

I think between Ufko, Matier, That finnish guy , Del Gaizo and Stastny we are ok on the D pipeline

Would rather have a scoring winger with dynamic playmaking and puck handling ability over a D man

Obv a center should be the priority

 

[herzausstein]

I think between Ufko, Matier, That finnish guy , Del Gaizo and Stastny we are ok on the D pipeline

Would rather have a scoring winger with dynamic playmaking and puck handling ability over a D man

Obv a center should be the priority

We have kemell, tomasino, L'Heureux, Evangelista though. I guess we could use another high end one but i like the prospects of any 2 of them turning out then our d prospects

 

[AintLifeGrand]

We have kemell, tomasino, L'Heureux, Evangelista though. I guess we could use another high end one but i like the prospects of any 2 of them turning out then our d prospects

check out Andrew Cristall- scoring close to the same rate as Bedard with an overall more electric game.

should be in our range as well

will be the infusion of skill we need

wouldnt call Kemell or L hereux as highly skilled imo

I think Evangelista’s upside is still in question as well- Is he a middle six guy or a a bonafide top 6 ?

 

[Scoresberg]

Haven't gotten into next year's class that deeply but it should be a great one. At the end of the day, I can't see us sucking enough to get a top-five, let alone a top-three pick. A top-ten pick should be on the table, however.

The top-3/4 is quite clear:

Bedard
Fantilli
Michkov
Carlsson

After that, there's a bit more variance. Interesting names include:

Brandon Yager
Zach Benson
Will Smith
Dalibor Dvorsky
Eduard Sale

For that group, I'd like to go with a center, preferably with size so Dvorksy seems interesting. Yager's a dynamic scoring center which is intriguing as well. Ditto for Smith. Benson's a smaller winger, which I don't think should be the direction for us. Sale's a bigger winger, but I'm not as high on him as many are.

After those names, a guy like Calum Ritchie pops out. A 6-2 center who has some playmaking and scoring skills to go along with. Charlie Stramel is another interesting name, a 6-3 center from the USNTDP.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

check out Andrew Cristall- scoring close to the same rate as Bedard with an overall more electric game.

should be in our range as well

will be the infusion of skill we need

wouldnt call Kemell or L hereux as highly skilled imo

I think Evangelista’s upside is still in question as well- Is he a middle six guy or a a bonafide top 6 ?

Free-fall for Cristall!

 

[Scoresberg]

Another smaller winger? Maybe not.

Matthew Wood seems interesting also. 6-3 winger, with scoring upside and has scored nearly PPG already in the NCAA.

 

[AintLifeGrand]

Another smaller winger? Maybe not.

Matthew Wood seems interesting also. 6-3 winger, with scoring upside and has scored nearly PPG already in the NCAA.

I dont think we need size- Hynes is proving the size and play a heavy game nonsense is irrelevant and obsolete with todays game

would rather have a bunch of skilled and fast short kings than a bunch of trenins and johansens

 

[Predation]

Even if we get one or two good draft picks this year, I don’t have a lot of confidence in this management group’s ability to draft and develop high end talent, unless it’s a defenseman.

 

[herzausstein]

Even if we get one or two good draft picks this year, I don’t have a lot of confidence in this management group’s ability to draft and develop high end talent, unless it’s a defenseman.

Considering we really have yet to do it this is a perfectly reasonable expectation when it comes to forwards.

 

[Kat Predator]

Considering we really have yet to do it this is a perfectly reasonable expectation when it comes to forwards.

Seriously though, if the coaches expect to bring up a young kid to the NHL level, plug him into a line blender set to liquify, and demand he make no mistakes and score at a 1+ PPG clip ... it just feeds into the self-fulfilling prophecy that the organization sucks massively at developing forwards.

 

[Olderfan]

Dear Mr Poile
You have an excellent reputation. You saved Ice Hockey for Nashville more than once. I am grateful for our still having a franchise to cheer for. Thank you!
Right now it has a relatively big problem causing great concern. Please give this situation your best attention and action with the thought that much support gained over the years is at risk.
I don’t profess to understand how to do your job but I know something isn’t right and needs urgent attention. Thanks again, I’ll trust your judgement, but please do something.

 

[101st_fan]

Dear Mr Poile
You have an excellent reputation. You saved Ice Hockey for Nashville more than once. I am grateful for our still having a franchise to cheer for. Thank you!
Right now it has a relatively big problem causing great concern. Please give this situation your best attention and action with the thought that much support gained over the years is at risk.
I don’t profess to understand how to do your job but I know something isn’t right and needs urgent attention. Thanks again, I’ll trust your judgement, but please do something.

If you really have something to say to Poile why post it in a place he isn't going to look rather than send it to him?

 

[Olderfan]

If you really have something to say to Poile why post it in a place he isn't going to look rather than send it to him?

Sorry, but I thought I could post most anything I want here as long as it was about my opinion and relevant. And maybe I will send it to him if I choose. Again, I’m sorry to have upset you.

 

[originalpredfan]

Seriously though, if the coaches expect to bring up a young kid to the NHL level, plug him into a line blender set to liquify, and demand he make no mistakes and score at a 1+ PPG clip ... it just feeds into the self-fulfilling prophecy that the organization sucks massively at developing forwards.

This is what concerns me the most about Hynes. I personally feel we have a very good pipeline of potential quality forwards in our system that he will stunt their growth. Glass, Parrsinan, Afanasyev, Novak, Nurmi, Tomasino and possibly Kondelick, L'Heureux, Kemell, and Evangelista come to mind. I imagine I've missed some. At least Glass, Parrsinan, and Novak are currently getting an opportunity, but who knows how long that will last.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

This is what concerns me the most about Hynes. I personally feel we have a very good pipeline of potential quality forwards in our system that he will stunt their growth. Glass, Parrsinan, Afanasyev, Novak, Nurmi, Tomasino and possibly Kondelick, L'Heureux, Kemell, and Evangelista come to mind. I imagine I've missed some. At least Glass, Parrsinan, and Novak are currently getting an opportunity, but who knows how long that will last.

How many games did it take for Parssinen to lose all his production? Came in nice and toasty from Milwaukee, and has nothing in how many games now?

No, I partially jest, because we can see he still does look good and does most of the same things. Still, it's kind of a strange "coincidence" (?) that he came in so hot and then has fallen off the map for production now that he has been here longer.


Watching you now, Mr. Novak...

Anyway, no, I definitely do not want Hynes coaching any of these guys. Glass is doing better lately, but there is NOTHING he's doing now that he couldn't have been doing from Day 1 of this season, nothing he learned from all the eggshells Hynes made him walk over for the first two months of the season.

 

[101st_fan]

Sorry, but I thought I could post most anything I want here as long as it was about my opinion and relevant. And maybe I will send it to him if I choose. Again, I’m sorry to have upset you.

You didn't upset me and the fact you assumed an emotional response is interesting. I did not say that you couldn't express an opinion. I questioned why write something here addressed to Poile ... which you didn't answer and instead went off on a tangent to address a strawman that you created.

If you really want to say something to Poile, not HF, he is easy to reach. Sometimes he even responds.

 

[Scoresberg]

The more I watch Team Sweden in the WJCs, the more I like the draft eligible defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka. He's basically been Sweden's top d-man in the tournament, and has fared very well on both sides of the puck.

He reminds me a bit of young Erik Karlsson. Both are a little smaller but nonetheless very elegant and smooth with a great vision.

Currently, he's listed #23 in Eliteprospects Consolidated Ranking, but you'd figure he's going to rise a bit to perhaps the highest ranked defenseman in the whole draft.

If we end up missing out on the top forwards (which we probably will) as well as the 2nd tier forwards (Yager, Smith, Stramel etc.), I wouldn't mind going for Sandin-Pellikka. Lord knows we know our way around smaller defenseman (I assume at this point, that when ASP would come over Hynes would be gone).

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I wonder how high we could even realistically hope to pick? 10th?

Well, that's where we are today, at least in terms of total pts, ignoring games in hand. But I have a hard time imagining the team being able to fall below at least 7 teams that are all going to be tanking hard down the stretch (CLB, CHI, ANA, SJ, ARI, MTL, PHI). So certainly not better than 8th?

But other teams are likely to give up and join the tank parade too as hopes fall by the wayside? STL seems a good candidate. Maybe VAN if they trade Horvat. FLO has no reason to tank, of course, since they traded away their pick. Younger teams that are trying to reach a next level like OTT and DET probably want to keep competing?

So 8th, possibly 11th *if* we suck?

I don't think that's really a high enough pick to get excited about. 3% odds of winning the lottery aren't really enough to move for either? Unless there is a host-team fix in the bag! (that would cause some fun meltdowns)! But all in all, I don't see much incentive to make any moves directly aimed at getting a higher pick (like trading away veterans). I never like that philosophy in general. But even in the specific situation this year of assuming we don't make the playoffs as a one-off, I still don't see much motivation in inching up from 12th-16th to 8th-11th?

 

[Scoresberg]

Good assessment, Porter. Let's do some calculations:

If we assume, that top-four is set in stone:

1. Bedard
2. Fantilli
3. Carlsson
4. Michkov

--

Then, the 2nd crop of great forwards:

5. Dvorsky
6. Benson
7. Smith
8. Yager
9. Sale
10. Ritchie

--

Then, the next wave:

11. Stramel
12. Barlow
13. Leonard
14. Sandin-Pellikka
15. Gulyayev
16. Wood
17. Danielson

So, I'd say if you're picking at the latest 9th or 10th, you should be able to land a pretty solid player. 11th or 12th is still very good, especially if you're targeting one of the defenseman, which is where you probably get the best defenseman of the draft as this is a forward-heavy crop of players.

 

[Church Hill]

Hey all, tangentially related question: I'll be visiting Nashville with a large group during the NHL draft and we were looking to get some tickets for the first day of the draft. I searched but it looks like nothing has been announced yet for when tickets go on sale.

Any season ticket holders or other insiders hear anything yet about that? Any suggestions or concerns anyone wants to share would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[hockey diva]

Nothing has been announced to STH yet.

 

[PredsV82]

Did they even have tickets in 2003? I dont remember but I think probably not. I think they just opened the doors and let anyone come in.