NHL Draft Guide: Prospect rankings, mock drafts and more (2024)

By Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler

Jun 14, 2023

The Athletic’s live coverage of the NHL Draft 2023

The Chicago Blackhawks had the first pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, which took place June 28 and 29 in Nashville. Connor Bedard was selected first overall.

The Athletic’s staff, led by the endless research of prospects writers Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, will continue to provide insight ahead of the big event, including an in-depth look at the top draft-eligible prospects and the impact these players could have on an NHL team.

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Final analysis

Draft grades for all 32 teams, plus scouting reports for every player

Winners and losers of the 2023 NHL Draft

Ranking the top 15 undrafted players at the 2023 NHL Draft

First round

NHL Draft analysis for every 2023 first-round pick by Corey Pronman

Who won Round 1 of the NHL Draft? Which team performed the worst?

Ranking the best available players going into Day 2

The top prospects

Corey Pronman’s ranking
Corey Pronman ranks the top 142 prospects at the 2023 NHL Draft

Scott Wheeler’s final ranking
Scott Wheeler ranks the top 100 prospects at the 2023 NHL Draft

NHL Draft confidential: What scouts and executives think of Bedard, Michkov and more
Who should go No. 2? Where will Michkov land? Here’s what Corey Pronman is hearing about the top prospects ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft.

Pronman and Wheeler debate the top prospects, from Cristall to Simashev
The Athletic’s two prospect analysts, Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, debate some of the top names in this draft.

Pronman and Wheeler answer the biggest questions facing NHL teams
Consider this our experts’ pre-draft press conference of sorts.

The 2023 NHL Draft prospects who missed Scott Wheeler’s final top 100 ranking
The full scouting reports on 27 prospects who didn’t make Wheeler’s final draft ranking.

Which 2023 NHL Draft prospects have the most upside? Corey Pronman ranks the top 36
These rankings are based on pure skill and remove factors that could weigh into which player goes where.

2023 NHL Draft goalie rankings: Which prospects have the best chance of breaking through?
Corey Pronman breaks down which goalies in this year’s draft class have the best shot at helping an NHL team in five years.

The 2023 NHL Draft center crop: Who has the attributes to play the middle?
Teams are always looking to find a top center, so Corey Pronman breaks down the pivot talent in the 2023 NHL Draft.

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The 2023 NHL Draft’s top defensem*n: David Reinbacher, Tom Willander and more
Breaking down the top defensem*n available in this year’s draft.

How does the 2023 NHL Draft compare with the 2022 NHL Draft?
How do the top prospects from this year’s draft compare to the class of 2022?

Which 2023 NHL Draft prospects have the best skills? Ranking 6 different tools and traits
Highlighting the best skaters, puckhandlers, shooters, smartest players and hardest workers of the 2023 NHL Draft class.

2023 NHL Draft current comparables: Why Connor Bedard is similar to David Pastrnak
Corey Pronman finds the players who have similar games to 2023 NHL Draft picks

Mock drafts

Corey Pronman’s final mock draft (June 28)

Scott Wheeler’s final mock draft (June 27)

Corey Pronman’s seven-round mock draft (June 21)

Staff Mock 2.0 (June 14)

Connor Bedard

Raising Connor Bedard: The 2023 NHL Draft’s likely No. 1 is ‘the real thing’

The surprising hockey hotbed that’s oozing star power, including Connor Bedard

The deep loss that drives Connor Bedard: ‘I know he’s watching me’

How does Connor Bedard compare to recent No. 1 NHL Draft picks? Scouts and execs weigh in

How (and where) Connor Bedard scored 100 goals in his NHL Draft year

Why Connor Bedard could be a generational NHL talent: Film room

Connor Bedard’s close-up is coming

Scouting reports

Matvei Michkov ‘will be an NHL star,’ but his long KHL contract commits him to Russia for years to come | Michkov film study | Pronman: Why Matvei Michkov is worth the risk

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Adam Fantilli
Stories of Adam Fantilli, the 2023 NHL Draft’s “back alley” star

Leo Carlsson
Meet Leo Carlsson, 2023 NHL Draft star, whose stutter is just a “part of me”

Will Smith
Why Smith, the 2023 NHL Draft’s ankle-breaker, is just scratching the surface

Ryan Leonard
How Leonard’s “bulldog” mentality pushed him to the top of the 2023 NHL Draft

Zach Benson
He may be small, but Benson can do it all

Calum Ritchie
How Ritchie’s curiosity turned him into a top 2023 NHL Draft prospect

Gabe Perreault
How Perreault made history and shot to the top of the 2023 NHL Draft

Dalibor Dvorsky
How Dvorsky became a top 2023 NHL Draft prospect — and why he’s not done

Matthew Wood
Why Wood’s size and skill make him unlike any other 2023 NHL Draft prospect

Oliver Moore
Top 2023 NHL Draft prospect Oliver Moore’s speed is a “superpower”

Axel Sandin Pellikka
How Axel Sandin Pellikka became one of the 2023 NHL Draft’s biggest risers

Andrew Cristall
Why Cristall is “an offensive threat” who can’t be doubted

Luca Cagnoni
The unlikely rise of Luca Cagnoni, one of the 2023 NHL Draft’s great success stories

Oliver Bonk
What are the Flyers getting in Oliver Bonk? We watched a game with his dad, Radek

David Reinbacher
Canadiens make David Reinbacher highest-drafted Austrian defenceman ever

Otto Stenberg
Blues draftee Otto Stenberg defined by his versatility and play-driving

Quentin Musty
How San Jose Sharks NHL Draft pick Quentin Musty became Buffalo’s best prospect since Patrick Kane

Need to know

Who has the most to win (and lose)?
Why Connor Bedard is the crown jewel for the team with the No. 1 pick.

What is the scouting process for NHL Draft prospects? Everything you need to know in 2023
Scott Wheeler explains how he dissects the game and its players in order to put together his draft rankings.

(Photo: Mike Stobe / NHLI via Getty Images)

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