Smith is one of the very best slot passers in the draft and uses his unique puckhandling ability to dodge close-outs, weave off of the wall, and make plays through holes in coverage in possession with ease, regularly hanging onto pucks to delay his way into his spots or carve in. Hes quick side-to-side on little jumps and drags. Elite Prospects - CSDHL 13U Stats 2022-2023 Im not sure he has the star power of the names in front of him here, but hes got some unique attributes in this class and hes going to make a heck of an NHL player. They are: 1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-22, 23-33, 34-64+. Reinbacher is looking like a potential top-four mainstay in the NHL with exciting defensive potential. Oliver Bonk, RD, London Knights (OHL), 48. The Kamloops Blazers drafted the former Burnaby Winter Club star No. Id like to see him pick up a bit more of an acceleration gear from a standstill (his stride can look a little short/stunted/heavy), and fill the scoresheet a little more (though the talent around him has something to do with that too), but theres a lot to like. WHL bantam draft: A foot in the door, but not the be-all and - Yahoo! Connor McDavid (F) 2 pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection and an OHL First All-Rookie Team member. Auston Matthews had Patrik Laine, Jack Hughes had Kaapo Kakko, and Alexis Lafreniere had Quinton Byfiled, its hard for top prospects to separate themselves from the pack but Bedard has done just that.WELCOME TO THE BEDARD SHOW! 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. 2023 WHL Draft Ranking Update: . Elite Prospects - Erste Liga Stats 2023-2024 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. Hes as fun to watch with the puck on his stick as almost anyone in this draft. A number of years ago, WHL Clubs were allowed to list first-year bantam players as of a set date in September. All 22 WHL Clubs participated in the four-phase lottery . He has now impressed me wherever Ive watched him (NCAA, USHL, Five Nations, U18 Worlds, world juniors, etc.) Scott Wheeler. When they got to the 2007-born player class, many had admitted to me that they had understandably focused all their attention on the 2006-born class from September to December so after a few. The 2023 draft is led by three maybe four A-plus (or close) prospects at the very top, a superb collection of high-end talents at forward behind them that will run deep into the first round and produce additional stars, and better depth on defence and in net than I anticipated when the year started. 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. The annual Western Hockey League bantam draft coming on May 7 will be full of mixed emotions for hundreds of Grade 9 kids in Western Canada and parts of the United States. Finesse. Noah Dower Nilsson is purely an offensive player at this point, but hes a very skilled one. Michkov wasnt earning regular minutes in the KHL earlier this year, so he was loaned to HK Sochi which is one of the KHLs bottom feeders so that he could get substantial ice time. His skills make him very well suited as a center at the next level with good size, a coveted right-handed shot, good defensive habits (kills penalties quite well), and solid faceoff results. Though hes not big, he plays hard and engages in battles in the defensive zone with some sneaky strength. But thats what the Austrian has done in Switzerlands top flight this season, where he plays over 20 minutes in a game more often than he plays under it. Eventually, when the points pile up like they have, and they happen making the kinds of plays that he does, you cant ignore them. Jesse Nurmi, LW, KooKoo U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 58. He can get a little ahead of the play, and hes got work to do on his game defensively if he doesnt want to get hemmed in at the next level, but those are things you live with with a talent as singular as his. We believe in fully disclosing the methods to which we collect and use your personal information. Denver Barkey, C (London) Brayden Yager has been talked about in the public scouting sphere for nearly as long as Connor Bedard, being drafted third overall in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and winning the CHL Rookie of the Year award last year on the back of a remarkable 34-goal, 59-point rookie season. I like the way he has learned to hunt and come up with pucks, too. Manage Settings He is a special player and looks like he will become a franchise-defining player for whoever selects him, when he finally makes it to North America that is. The bantam draft allows for the orderly transfer of players to WHL Protected Player Lists (PPL) from the bantam ranks (13-14 year-olds). 2023-2024 playoffs qc player stats for Poland, including top goal scorers, most games played, PPG leaders and more. 2022 WHL Prospects Draft - First Round Order of Selection 1) Medicine Hat Tigers 2) Tri-City Americans 3) Victoria Royals 4) Calgary Hitmen 5) Swift Current Broncos 6) Regina Pats 7) Vancouver Giants 8) Spokane Chiefs 9) Prince George Cougars 10) Prince Albert Raiders 11) Lethbridge Hurricanes 12) Brandon Wheat Kings 13) Saskatoon Blades Wins it in OT for !!! Hes got excellent touch and weight on his passes (hes a great saucer passer off of his forehand and backhand, in particular), and does a beautiful job waiting for lanes to open. (other than Brad Lambert who's half Sask) but we'll see how the kids develop. Hes got some of the best soft skill in the draft. WHL Draft Territory Alberta - British Columbia - Manitoba - Northwest Territories - Saskatchewan - Yukon Alaska - Arizona - California - Colorado - Hawaii - Idaho - Kansas - Minnesota - Montana - Nebraska - Nevada - New Mexico - North Dakota - Oklahoma - Oregon - South Dakota - Texas - Utah - Washington - Wyoming 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. Viewed as a mid-round pick by most, Ciernik is a player I diverge from the public and private scouting communities on. Youll commonly see him activate to lead plays into the offensive zone and create something. The combination of his skating, shot, and playmaking skills makes him a true offensive weapon. And even at 6-foot-2 and about 200 pounds, hes one of the best skaters in this draft. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. by. Id like to see him go past effective and really take over more, but he makes his fair share of plays, hes a sub-.500 teams leading scorer, and it does feel like he has middle-six centre written all over him. Hes different than Bedard in tools and approach. Gabriel Szturc, C (Kelowna) Cam Squires, RW (Cape Bretton) Tyler Peddle, LW (Drummondville) Elite Prospects - NHL Entry Draft -3004 Hes going to be a transition monster. Musty is an athletic winger who can beat goalies with his hard shot or by crashing the net and scoring in tight. He loves attacking defenders and beating them in one-on-one skill battles. It will be followed by my midseason top 64 (released in February), an updated top 32 following U18 Worlds. I expect him to become a top point producer in college at the University of North Dakota, too. 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. Hes the go-to center for the Cougars in the faceoff circle. Try a week on us. Hes got good tools all around with solid speed, stick skills, and defensive play. Hes got quick hands one-on-one, he drops pucks back into his shooting stance effortlessly, and hes got a beautiful curl-and-drag motion. Hes strong. Elite Prospects - WHL Bantam Draft 2023 I think hes going to play in the NHL next year and be successful on raw ability from the jump. Mix in a multi-dimensional shooting arsenal and I see top-six upside. Beyond his natural skill in possession, he also impresses with his smarts with the puck, his cerebral play style, and his ability to play to his linemates. Elite Prospects - CCHL Bantam Protected Draft 2023. Still, though he is a dominant junior player and could chase down a 50-goal season this year, its also fair to ask if his advanced growth gives him less runway for improvement (he really does look like a man already). Im less and less convinced of that. He has been off to a hot start this season, averaging just under a goal per game. Although he is just 5-foot-9, Perron is earning more and more buzz as a potential first rounder due to his excellent skating, playmaking, and offensive awareness. 2022 WHL Prospects Draft Results - First Round #1 - Medicine Hat Tigers Name: Gavin McKenna Position: Forward Hometown: Whitehorse, Yukon Team: Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna U18 Prep Stats: 35 GP - 23G-42A-65 points #2 - Tri-City Americans Name: Jackson Smith Position: Defence Hometown: Calgary, Alta. Reinbacher is a 6-foot-2 defender with a right-handed shot and great mobility who is playing lots of minutes in the National League (NL), Switzerlands top professional mens league. If this werent a draft that also featured Bedard and Benson, he was in the midst of one of the most productive draft-eligible seasons in recent WHL history (pacing to outproduce, for example, the 106 in 69 that 2011 No. Leschyshyn played junior hockey for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League, serving as . Hes a commanding offensive defenceman who is at his best when hes looking to take charge with his feet. Jacob Fowler, G (Youngstown) 1 or No. Nobody can defend his inside-out cut into that low, hard wrister of his at the junior level. When you spend some time watching him and asking around about him, you quickly realize why. Hunter Brzustewicz, RD, Kitchener Rangers (OHL), 43. Few centers in junior hockey enter their draft year as well-rounded as Nate Danielson. ), but he has shown that his timing and puck protection skills are strong enough for him to succeed in college. Hes got some poise and processing under pressure, even if his play with the puck on his stick isnt dynamic per se. He has shown a knack for making big plays at big moments. Caden Price, LD, Kelowna Rockets (WHL), 35. 1 pick in the 2021 QMJHL draft and son of former 10-year NHLer Denis Gauthier, followed up a strong showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (where he scored six goals in five games) with a strong start to his draft year at the top of a stacked Sherbrooke lineup, before seeing his production taper off some as they added more talent ahead of the deadline. He may become a darn good, hard and heavy bottom-six player at the next level in time, but hell have to show me more to warrant a projection higher than that (a projection some others do still believe in). There has been a lot of hockey since my last rankings and tons of prospects are on the move as a result. I expect hell be the first defenceman picked when all is said and done, and he may be my top-ranked one too even though Gulyayev excites me a little more and remains there for now. His skating is a bit of a weakness with less-than-ideal speed, but he more than makes up for it with his offensive creativity and hands. Barlow plays a direct, intentional game built around great hands, a physically mature pro frame, and an NHL shot (he can cleanly beat goalies from mid-range). The drafts order of selection depends on where the team finishes in the League standings. After scoring 30 goals as a rookie in the OHL last season, Colby Barlow has been on my radar as a pro-sized winger with a legit NHL-caliber shot. WHL News. Hes unafraid to try things and has the skill to execute difficult plays. Paul Fischer, LHD (NTDP) Because of his genetics, he should add the necessary weight and strength eventually. He was more impressive than his already-impressive 61-points-in-68-games season last year (where he led the Cougars in scoring), and the same is true in his strong production on a middle-of-the-pack Cougars team this year. He looks like he could be a hard-working top-six winger who complements your top guys really well while providing real offensive value on his own. For all the talk about how strong the 2022 draft class was for Slovakia, Dvorsky leads another excellent group into 2023. I love him on the half-wall/point on the PP with his ability to hit east-west seams (he just seems to see every lane and opening). Beckett Hendrickson, C (NTDP) While that bent-sideways cannon that he has off of his right hip is his defining quality, its not the only tool he has that is singular, either. Related: The NHLs Best Farm Systems Ranked Midseason Update.