whl bantam draft rankings 2023
whl bantam draft rankings 2023
Its not just his dominant, record-breaking performance at the World Juniors, dragging an underperforming Canada team to the gold medal, and its not just his 12 goals and 16 points in five games since returning to the WHL. His statistical profile is really strong and continued progress in his skating (which has also noticeably improved this year) will keep it that way into the NHL. Thats three more defencemen than my preliminary ranking, and while none still rank in the top 10 (which would be a first if it holds), theres a trio in the conversation for the 11-20 range and a ton of worthwhile second-round options behind them. And while hes probably not going to be a star at the next level, I like Ziemmer as a potential second-line winger who can contribute offensively in a variety of ways. Hes a natural scorer and creator, but hes also got plus vision and deft touch (though I wouldnt say his creativity is necessarily a strength). Smith is an incredibly shifty playmaker who can create high danger plays at will by threading passes through traffic, stickhandling around pressure, or taking a shot of his own. Alex Ciernik, LW/RW, Sdertlje SK J20 (J20 Nationell), 37. 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. Hes a pro-sized, hardworking pivot who can skate and excels in driving through the middle of the ice, pushing tempo, and playing with energy. 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. Ryan Leonard is a high energy winger who never takes his foot off the gas in terms of both speed and effort. Though hes currently still nursing a lower-body injury he suffered in early January, before that, it didnt take long watching this years Kelowna Rockets to realize just how much offence he creates for himself and his teammates. Nobody can defend his inside-out cut into that low, hard wrister of his at the junior level. Hes got time to put it all together given his summer birthday, too. Team management chose the name "Rebels". His transition play and wicked shot make him the most important player on his team on many nights. 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). His long stick can limit him catching and handling pucks in his feet at times, and he doesnt have a great shot, but those things should come and hes got great dexterity and reflexes. 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. He started to come on before the world juniors, though, and then he was good in a bottom-six role for Team USA and he has played quite well in his return to college hockey. 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. Dvorsky has shown solid defensive play so far against men and his vision and puck skills have looked right at home, especially on the power play. I love the way he slows down the game, adjusts and maneuvers his frame and shades pucks. 2023 Whl Bantam Draft - Elite Prospects 2023 Whl Bantam Draft Add to Favorites This is a custom user-submitted ranking. 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. The pro build, mentality and scoring tools are very appealing though and there will be teams that fall in love with his game/makeup. Ethan Gauthier is one of the most consistent players in this draft class in terms of effort and habits, not just production. 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. He is a very intelligent offensive player and can make these great reads and plays at full speed. Hes a slick one-on-one player. He has now impressed me wherever Ive watched him (NCAA, USHL, Five Nations, U18 Worlds, world juniors, etc.) The way he walks through coverage and hangs onto pucks is special. The U18 teams first line of Smith, Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault has been piling up points and attention (deservedly so) this year, but Ive been as impressed by Moore and the offence he has created as the focal point of its second line. He has a high floor and should safely become a strong third-line player but also has the upside to become more if things really click in his north-south game at the next level. His production has been disappointing so far this year, but his talent as a high-skill puck carrier is still clear.Otto Stenberg scores his first SHL goal and point! And while he creates a lot off the rush, he also has the finer skills to play the flank on the power play, create inside the offensive zone, finish from mid-range (hes got a nifty release) and dice up coverage. For some, it will be. With the puck on his stick, hes a treat to watch. Hell make plays through seams. There have been Lane Hutson (2022 Draft), Olen Zellweger (2021 Draft), Logan Stankoven (2020 Draft), and Cole Caufield (2019 Draft), to name a few. The way he patrolled the blue line for Sweden on the powerplay was very impressive and the trust that he earned from his coaches as a 17-year-old spoke volumes. The biggest question following Reinbachers great performance last year in the Swiss League (SL), the second-tier Swiss professional league, was if he had more offense in his game to show. The top 50 drafted NHL prospects ranking, 2023 edition:1. He can beat you by pushing through lanes to the middle third, driving the net, or dropping a shoulder to take space that isnt there. 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. Hes a big winger whose game really fit right from the get-go on North American ice, quickly establishing himself as a a go-to player in all-situations for the Giants (even though he was an underager, Slovakia was playing him a ton early on in the world juniors, too). I think its only a matter of time until he starts to produce more consistently. 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. Related: Every NHL Teams Top Prospect Midseason Update. On the puck, hes a multi-faceted playmaker who often looks like the player who was the No. I love the way he shields pucks and waits for his opportunities to attack. Hes great along the wall on the cycle, but he can also occasionally make a play that pulls you out of your seat. Hes got unbelievably quick hands and the loose grip that all great handlers have. 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. Get the inside scoop on the top prospects in the world with our comprehensive grading system and access to career stats, data, and news stories . Related: Early Look at the 2024 NHL Draft. 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. Carson Rekhopf, C/LW, Kitchener Rangers (OHL), 60. forward. After the season, the WHL holds a draft specifically to allow teams to add bantam players in an orderly manner to their protected lists. And after how good he looked as an underager at U18 worlds in Germany last April, nobody has been surprised by his near goal-per-game breakout this season (in fact, I wrote I wont be surprised if he challenges Smith and Moore on the stat sheet this year while providing all of the energy that he does in my preseason ranking). It has been a few rough age groups for Russian defencemen but Gulyayevs got a chance to flip the script. 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. We believe in fully disclosing the methods to which we collect and use your personal information. Check out his skating and awareness! Last season was certainly a strange one for WHL scouts as they anticipated the task of two drafts in one calendar year. Catton is the early front runner for 1st overall in next years WHL bantam draft and has recently been granted exceptional player status to play up in Midget AAA next year for the Saskatoon Contacts as a underage player. 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). Carson Bjarnason, G (Brandon) by. He has regularly blown me away in viewings these last couple of years (at Hockey Canadas showcase two summers ago, in games where he looked like a man among boys in the USHL, and now again at various points throughout his historic freshman year at Michigan, where he was the best player in college hockey from the jump andseems to have found another level of late). Hes an entry machine driving play through the neutral zone and across the line in control. Scouts are having a tough time slotting him due primarily to so-so production this season (though staff with Frolunda insist he has been better than his numbers at the J20 level and that has been reflected in several stints with the SHL. He has also proven to be a bit too good for the OHL, scoring over 30 goals in his draft-1 year and not being on pace to eclipse the 50-goal mark. He is so difficult for defenders to pin down because of the way he manipulates defenders movements (like waiting for them to turn their skates in one direction before darting in the other), and him being a right-handed centerman doesnt hurt either. Sign up for EP Premium to create your own ranking. But youll also see him make the heady escape play out of his own zone under pressure at five-on-five, or slide into a passing line to intercept a pass, or disrupt an opposing carrier with a tight gap and active stick. Sign up for EP Premium to create your own ranking. Hes got an impressive one-timer from the right flank and can really lean into and rip his catch-and-release or in-stride wrister. Ondrej Molnar, LW (Erie) He works hard when hes on the ice, making high effort plays without the puck that give me more confidence that he will continue to play as a center in the NHL. 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. Jayden Perron is an excellent play-driving winger with tons of offensive talent. After a solid showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer, Quentin Musty was considered by many to be the best U.S. born prospect in this draft class. He draws tons of attention in the offensive zone and is great at making smart plays under pressure to help open teammates up to make their jobs easier. Yager is a prospect that I fully expect to still be drafted very early on draft day, I just havent been that impressed with his game this year. At this point I think his offensive abilities will at least make him a power play threat even if his skating never catches up. 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. Some scorers tunnel-vision the net and even though the goalie is his focus, theres a lot to his game between the offensive-zone blue line and the shot he takes thats inventive. The six lowest-place teams involved in the lottery include the Swift Current Broncos, Moose Jaw Warriors,. In the 2021-22 season, Gulyayev set a new MHL (the top Russian junior league) record for points by a 16-year-old defenseman with 35 points in 54 games. . When you think youve got him trapped, you usually dont. Increasingly, Ive been impressed by his agility in and out of breaks and cuts (his skating is a real asset for him and particularly impressive through his edges and crossovers, though he can get going the length of the ice too). And while hell fade in stretches, the talent level is clear. Luke Hughes3-50 (plus full evaluations, 55 honourable mentions, player tiers, and more at @TheAthletic): https://t.co/JpsFEKs7Ax, Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) February 13, 2023. Id eagerly bet on him. Subscribe Now. Logan Cooley, C, U.S. National U18. His play in transition leaves something to be desired, but once hes in the offensive zone his ability to maintain control of the puck and make smart passes at an efficient rate makes him a consistent threat. 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. And this season theres no doubt: Hes the best forward on arguably the CHLs most talented team at forward. He walks the line and bends coverage as an impressive and tactical power-play quarterback. League. 2020 All rights reserved to Puck Preps. 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. His skating is balanced. This kid is as prolific from long distance as any shooter Ive ever scouted. His consistency, effort, speed, and skill make him a coachs dream even though he doesnt have the dynamic offensive qualities of some of his peers. 1. You want the play to run through his hands and brain. For all the talk about how strong the 2022 draft class was for Slovakia, Dvorsky leads another excellent group into 2023. Four 2005-born standout defenders in the CHL, Breaking down four top 2005 forwards in the WHL, Six WHL Players from the 2021 Draft selected outside of the Top-10 whove had early success, The Five Star Hockey Show: 2023 Canada Winter Games Preview, Western Canada Ramblings: NHL and WHL Draft, The Checklist: 2008-born Manitoba players in the WAAA U15, January 2023 WHL Draft Ranking update | Top-80, Final Thoughts: John Reid Memorial Tournament 2023, 10 Puck Touches: Day Three and Four 2023 John Reid Memorial Tournament, 10 Puck Touches: Day Two, 2023 John Reid Memorial Tournament, 10 Puck Touches: Day One 2023 John Reid Memorial Tournament, The Checklist: Seven 2008-born Western Canadian Players to Watch, 2022 WHL Draft Review: From Prince George to Winnipeg, 2023 NHL Draft: Breaking down the WHL Defensemen in the CHL Top Prospects game, Rocky Mountain Classic 2022: Rambling Part Two, 9 forwards who impressed at the Graham Tuer U15 Challenge, Preliminary Top 25 2023 WHL Draft Rankings Released.
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