whl bantam draft rankings 2023 whl bantam draft rankings 2023

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Without further ado, let's get to the 2023 draft board. Ravndahl spent parts of three seasons with the Prince Albert Mintos program, recording 25 points in 50 games played. This year, though he has struggled defensively in his limited minutes in the KHL, he has looked dominant at both ends in his returns to the MHL and comfortable in the second-tier VHL. I believe Austrian defender David Reinbacher is the best defenseman in the 2023 Draft class right now and an argument could be made that he could be ranked as high as the top-10. Hes a crafty handler who hangs onto pucks to spin away from pressure, attacks in and out of crowds, makes plays into space for himself, and can comfortably make plays through layers to others. While there are some great prospects in the top-five of the draft, theres no doubt that Bedard is the reason teams are tanking. His actual statistical profile is good without being great, though. Matvei Michkov might just be the smartest player in this draft class, with an incredible ability to manipulate opposing defenses. NHL Entry Draft -3004 - full list of selections with facts and stats. Wins it in OT for !!! I dont see a lot to nitpick in either his tools or his approach. So far, his offense has only improved, even considering the increased competition. Benson has been electric for the Western Hockey Leagues (WHL) Winnipeg Ice this year, and has been the teams best player more often than not even though teammates Conor Geekie and Matthew Savoie were both selected in the top-11 of the 2022 Draft. I think hes going to be a star regardless. I dont think hes going to become the kind of star that youre hoping to get when you draft him in the 5-7 range that some expected him to land in this year, but hes got 2C, PP1 upside if he can fill out his game and continue to add dimension. Im a big fan of his and hes still my top ranked defenseman in this draft, it has just become harder to rank him above certain forward prospects who have really begun to establish themselves. I think the bigger question is whether hes going to be more of a middle-six or a top-six one? You can also find an additional 32 honourable mentions below. Hell of a performance from Slovakia especially their Tendy! That continued to start this year as he struggled to have a real impact with the Badgers early on as a freshman (albeit it a young one, and albeit on a bad/at-times lost team). Stenberg is never the biggest guy on the ice, but hell drop a shoulder and push his way to the dangerous areas of the ice without hesitation. I believe Michkov could still easily be the second overall pick even though hes playing in Russia and has a contract that will keep him playing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for three full seasons following the draft. Then you add in instincts off the puck to get open even when hes a marked man, an improved physical engagement (hes really quite feisty and competitive), some underrated skill as a puck thief, and youve got a superstar prospect. Calgary, Alta. During every draft cycle there are a handful of prospects who are 5-foot-10 or shorter who get a ton of praise in public scouting circles before unceremoniously sliding on draft day. I think its only a matter of time until he starts to produce more consistently. He has been impressive thus far, scoring six points in 14 games with Sochi, with four of those points being goals. He has struggled in spurts with the pace required of centres at higher levels (whether that be last summers world juniors, or the pro game, he could stand to get and play a little quicker) and some scouts worry about his consistency at five-on-five, but he has shown important progress on that front and showed well at this winters world juniors at evens. Maxim Strbak, RD, Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL), 40. One of my favourites in the 2005 age group, Wood is the youngest player in college hockey this season (he was, for a moment, its only 17-year-old) and has stepped right in to become an impactful player on a good UConn team (albeit as a winger after playing mostly centre at the Jr. A level). But even when things arent going his way and the points arent falling, Ive always liked his involvement level, so its hard to get too down on him. Watch out for Stenberg in the last months of the season, hes been playing better and better and I think hell go in the first round despite his lack of production in the SHL this year. He has produced solid offense so far this year for the USA U-18 team which is made more impressive by the fact that he is usually playing on the second line behind the Smith, Moore, Perreault trio. Hunter Brzustewicz, RD, Kitchener Rangers (OHL), 43. Brindley is a 5-foot-9 forward who has been quite good in the NCAA as an 18-year-old, a very impressive feat. This may be a little low given that, but also underscores the strength of this draft. Chloe Primerano was the Giants final selection in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft. Yager plays a threatening, attacking, puck-dominant game with skill in straight lines and in cutting sequences in transition. He can pick apart opposing defenses with pin-point passes and sly fakes, and his effort level is admirable. For some, it will be. (other than Brad Lambert who's half Sask) but we'll see how the kids develop. This year, wearing an A as a 17-year-old with the Generals, hes been arguably their most consistent forward while playing a key role on the penalty kill and late in games in the faceoff circle (where he is really strong). Hes a good skater and should pick up another step as he gets stronger. WHL Network Tigers sign Gavin McKenna, first overall selection in 2022 WHL Prospects Draft 9 months ago forward. He has been dominating the Swedish J20 league this year and is scoring at a higher pace right now than both Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Noah Ostlund did last year (who were drafted 15th and 16th respectively in the 2022 NHL Draft). This ranking follows my way-too-early top 26 and my preseason top 32 (released in August). ), a quick move into a pass, a sudden stop-up, or an attacking cut. And while he may not be a driver on a top-six line, its not hard to imagine him as a first- or second-line playmaker who makes finishing plays off of a drivers work and does damage on PP1. His strength complements a competitive, physical, forechecking, middle-lane style that makes good use of his length and hard wrister from midrange. Before the season began, many people saw Otto Stenberg as a top-10 prospect for this draft following his incredible performance for Team Sweden at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The draft's top player this season is a borderline generational talent. He walks the line and bends coverage as an impressive and tactical power-play quarterback. by. Team management chose the name "Rebels". Michkovs brilliance comes primarily from his ability to read and process the play at an extremely advanced level, make his decisions quickly, and execute on them with incredible proficiency, whether thats ripping a patterned shot (his one-timer, his standstill wrister, his curl-and-drag, etc. However, his offensive production has left much to be desired, leaving many questions about if he will have much offense to provide in the NHL someday. Hes going to be a transition monster. Im prepared to stick my neck out on Perreault at this point. Final Thoughts: John Reid Memorial Tournament 2023 Joel Henderson. Reinbachers a solid forward and backwards skater (though he can look a little stilted at times) who gaps well and defends the rush effectively with a noticeably long stick. His near point-per-game production at the top of the Huskies stat sheet comes a year after he led the BCHL in goals (45 in 46 games) and points (85) for a 1.85 points-per-game clip that stands as the most productive 16-year-old season in the league in decades, besting Alex Newhook(1.47), Kyle Turris (1.26), Tyson Jost (0.98), and Kent Johnson (0.81) while being four months younger than Johnson was at the time. Luke Mittelstadt, LHD (U. of Minnesota) He also hunts pucks and applies pressure with the best of them, and his motor doesnt stop, bouncing from one won battle to the next. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Theres just this elusiveness to his game where you never know where hes going with the puck. 3 pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft. Last season was certainly a strange one for WHL scouts as they anticipated the task of two drafts in one calendar year. Reinbacher has fallen slightly on my list through no fault of his own, but because of the excellent play of prospects around him. Welcome to my March ranking of the top 64 prospects eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft. Honourable mentions (sorted alphabetically): Beau Akey, RHD (Barrie) I love the way he slows down the game, adjusts and maneuvers his frame and shades pucks. Related: The NHLs Top 100 Prospects Midseason Update. 1. Hes got quick hick hands (hes prolific on breakaways/in the shootout), a cleverness to his game as a passer (whether through seams or often blind), slick skill in traffic sliding pucks under sticks and rotating through coverage or past checks, and a knack for finessing pucks into spots for himself or his linemates to skate onto. Connor Levis, RW (Kamloops) He regularly makes difficult plays as a passer, demonstrating high-end spatial awareness and often finding second or even third options (constantly pre-scanning and shoulder-checking). Follow Scott on Twitter @scottcwheeler, Matvei Michkov. With the World Junior Hockey Championship coming. He has even driven results at both ends in those minutes, with a positive goal differential on an under-.500 team that has been outscored pretty significantly on the whole this season. This year, he has been pretty clearly one of the most talented players in J20 whenever he has been there, has shown some really positive signs in spurts in HockeyAllsvenskan (he has actually been equally as productive on a rate basis as Dvrosky), and I liked him at the world juniors before a quiet quarterfinal against Team Canada. One of the most skilled and slippery players in this draft is Andrew Cristall, the only draft eligible player in the WHL who has been able to roughly keep pace with Bedard in terms of production this year. Calum Ritchie has great puck skills and sometimes it looks like he has glued the puck to his stick while carving through defenders or when hes on a breakaway. One of the most surprising junior players so far this year is Lukas Dragicevic who has put up points at well above a point per game rate in the WHL from the back end, making him the highest scoring defender in the league as of writing. "The Mintos program was great. In fact, its not even the only element of his shooting arsenal that is one of one. I wondered if my thoughts were altered by the late start and had an effect on how I viewed. Of course, there are also some prospects who dropped in this edition of my rankings, including Brayden Yager and David Reinbacher. Hes not just the energy guy though either. When you think youve got him trapped, you usually dont. Hes going to be an NHLer. And while we dont often see smaller defenceman taken as high as I have him ranked here, he doesnt play small and I like his game at both ends of the ice because of his mobility and the confidence with which he reads the play. On talent, and upside, and pedigree, his game checks all three boxes. He is agile enough that I expect hell be very successful on zone entries in the NHL some day, giving his team a chance to control play in the offensive zone whenever he touches the puck. Selected first overall in the WHL bantam draft that year, he played 22 games with the Winnipeg Ice in 2019-20 when he became . We also invite you to ask us about our policies or feel free to let us know how we can better serve your privacy concerns. After no Manitobans were selected in the opening round of the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, five players from the province were picked in round two. Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read over 5 million times every month. Hes still got room to get stronger, too, so its not as though hes a finished product. After playing on Russias Hlinka Gretzky team twosummers ago, But played to a point-per-game level in the MHL as one of its top 2005s last season and began his draft year on a tear in the MHL, scoring 11 goals in his first 15 games of the season before earning a mid-October promotion to the KHL for the first time (he has since scored his first two pro goals and has bounced between the KHL and MHL). Hes just a natural creator for himself and others who manufactures offence in a variety of ways. 2023 Whl Draft Projected Rankings - Elite Prospects 2023 Whl Draft Projected Rankings Add to Favorites This is a custom user-submitted ranking. Priority Draft 10 months ago 44 players were selected by the 22 WHL member Clubs in Wednesday's U.S. 7 overall in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft and he made his debut in 2019-20 playing in four games. Barlows size, strength, and maturity as a teenager lead me to believe he could have a real shot at making the NHL out of training camp for whichever team selects him, hes that talented and reliable. Hes also not fast despite his strength, although he has made progress in his skating and does at times look powerful in straight lines. . Hes the kind of player who can beat you with a pass, a dangerous wrister (in fact, while he has played facilitator so often in games this year, hes got an excellent wrister while moving), or a deke. A brilliant handler and manipulator of the puck, including at full speed, Smith is a tantalizing and slippery talent who blends deception, baits and fakes (with his eyes, shoulders and head) into his movements to not just make opposing players miss but often send them the wrong way. Felix Nilsson, C (Rogle) Connor Bedard, C, Regina (WHL), 5-foot-10, 187 pounds. Honzek has played and succeeded on both special teams this year and his size and strength have made him too much for opposing defenders to handle on more than a few occasions. And despite suffering a lower-body injury in a KHL preseason game, Michkov (who played to a goal a game last year in the MHL) played to a goal a game in Russias second-tier VHL and has been very productive for his age since the move to Sochi in the KHL. To say he has met those expectations would be a profound understatement. The big question with Dvorsky for a while was whether or not hed be a centre or a winger long term. Hes a smooth skater. Hes got unbelievably quick hands and the loose grip that all great handlers have. There has been a lot of hockey since my last rankings and tons of prospects are on the move as a result. He is a very intelligent offensive player and can make these great reads and plays at full speed. Few centers in junior hockey enter their draft year as well-rounded as Nate Danielson. Hes a versatile, hard-working player who excels in pretty much every facet of the game, gets to the middle of the ice, and makes plays around the net through skill and timing. Hes a very responsible defender who shuts down tons of rush attempts with an active stick and stellar positioning.David Reinbacher (#64 blue) (Draft 2023) just overskating former NHLer Alex Formenton, following up on his shots, winning a puck against Formenton and Former NHler Tim Heed before serving his teammate on a plate. He has also learned to use the attention his shot gets as a tool to open up passing and find linemates at the backdoor with blind passes through seams. Western Hockey League. Theres a lot to work with though. Charlie Stramel, C, University of Wisconsin (NCAA), 34. Martin Misiak, RW/LW (Youngstown) His skating is excellent, and his high energy level makes him a possession monster. I cant think of a first overall pick so far above the rest of the competition since Connor McDavid back in 2015, of course some tried to argue for Jack Eichel (as they do now for Adam Fantilli), but that argument doesnt hold up well. Hes quick side-to-side on little jumps and drags. The top pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection, Musty is one the focal points of the Wolves offence and would be their leader in shots on goal, assists and points were it not for a few weeks lost in January to a hand injury (following up on a strong showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer). Theres his variety of shooting stances above and beyond that pop off of his hip (right down to his curl-and-drag, his one-timer, and his feel off of his backhand). The only player to ever score at a rate of two points per game on the U18 team for a full season is Jack Hughes, you might have heard of him. Get access to our unique free agency lists and many more premium features. Its not that he plays poorly (he rarely does) but I dont see enough playmaking to warrant a top-20 slotting and hes a little sluggishfrom a standstill through his first few strides (once he gets moving, his stride actually has good power and hes a decent skater for his size on the whole). Im talking nobody. He uses his body to gain inside positioning on defenders and shields pucks effectively. Then he got back in late February and after a pointless return put up two goals on six shots in his second game back. 2023-2024 playoffs qc player stats for Poland, including top goal scorers, most games played, PPG leaders and more. pic.twitter.com/OOjR1KDavy. There are the little delays and stutters he uses to create separation and get to his spots. His head is always up and on a swivel and he does a good job pre-surveying the ice when hes going back to get pucks through frequent shoulder checks. Hes got impressive shooting mechanics given how long his stick is, and regularly pulls pucks into his feet to change his angle face-up against goalies. 2023 NFL Mock Draft . Tyler Bertuzzi (F) NHL. He goes to the front of the net and will bail out to make effort plays. The 18-year-old has accumulated 54 points (25 goals, 29 assists) in 60 games so far this season. NHL. With a hot start in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) as a 17-year-old Leo Carlsson has shot up draft boards and quickly made the top tier of the draft a four-player group. Carlssons ability to find and make space off the puck is also impressive for such a young player playing against grown men. Hes as fun to watch with the puck on his stick as almost anyone in this draft. Name. Hell make plays to the inside from the perimeter on one shift, and then go right to the guts of the ice to make something happen in a congested area the next. I have questions about his talent level, though. A hand injury kept Moore out of action late last year and prevented him from likely playing at U18 worlds as an underager, but he impressed me on three trips down to Plymouth these last two years (last November when he was already playing up, this fall for U18 Five Nations, and this winter for the BioSteel All-American Game. The 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Pre-Show begins with co-hosts Chris Wahl and Taylor Rocca at 9:30 a.m. MT, with live draft coverage beginning at 10 a.m. MT. His release is lightning-quick. I love the way he shields pucks and waits for his opportunities to attack. The Rebels' first game was on September 25, 1992, in Red Deer against the Prince Albert Raiders (the Rebels won 6 to 3 in front of 5,240 fans). Hell make the soft play to the middle of the ice from the perimeter, or go there to get to rebounds or position himself on screens/tips. Hes got gallops, cutbacks, crossovers, all of it. More and more his game has shown dimension inside the offensive zone so that he can make things happen shift after shift out of all of his effort plays up and under sticks. Im not sure hes got the soft skill to become the true No. NHL Entry Draft -3005 - full list of selections with facts and stats. Reinbacher is looking like a potential top-four mainstay in the NHL with exciting defensive potential. Without further ado, lets get into the January edition of my 2023 NHL Draft Rankings. Viewed as a mid-round pick by most, Ciernik is a player I diverge from the public and private scouting communities on. Scouts are drawn to him because of his size-skill combo and while he can look a little uncoordinated out there at times, that draw is real and theres some definite tools there. He can beat you carrying the puck in rotations around the perimeter of the offensive zone. He can score from mid range consistently with his low-kick wrister, hes got an ability to protect the puck and shade in and out of coverage, hes got a dangerous curl-and-drag wrister, and hes comfortable in traffic. Aiden Fink, RW, Brooks Bandits (AJHL), HM: Ian Scherzer, C, Rgle BK J20 (J20 Nationell), HM: Gracyn Sawchyn, C, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL), HM: Isac Born, C, Frlunda J20 (J20 Nationell), HM: David Edstrom, C, Frlunda J20 (J20 Nationell), HM: Noel Nordh, LW/RW, Bryns IF J20 (J20 Nationell), HM: Zeb Forsfjll, C, Skellefte AIK J20 (J20 Nationell), HM: Jakub Dvorak, LD, Bl Tygri Liberec (Czechia). Problem-solving. This past season, he played for the Chicago Cougars of the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) and scored 11 points (two goals, nine assists) 10 games. Check out his skating and awareness! 10 Puck Touches: . I watch him and I see an NHL player with the kind of well-rounded, high-effort skill set that could see him move around an NHL lineup (in a good way) someday. Early results are extremely positive with Wood being one of the top rookie point scorers and one of the top scorers on his team despite being the youngest player in all of mens NCAA hockey. 5 pick into the WHL, was a point-per-game player and one of Brandons top producers last season before being named captain for his draft year. Wins it in OT for !!! Theres a lot of belief out there that hes going to be a good, well-rounded NHLer. Finesse. Sign up for EP Premium to create your own ranking.