The NHL Draft will take place on Wednesday night, with Connor Bedard likely going No. 1 overall. Here's everything to know about the top-3 picks.
The NHL season is now over. The Las Vegas Golden Knights are the Stanley Cup champions after a complete domination of the Florida Panthers. We have learned a lot from this year's NHL season. We have seen that there are a lot of teams who have an immediate need.
This year's draft order really is the order of what teams have the greatest need. This season we have seen some of the best hockey ever played, but some teams that are truly desperate for an injection of youth.
Now we are going to look at the likely first three draft picks for this year's NHL Draft 2023.
NHL Draft 2023: What to expect
When looking at the top picks for the NHL Draft 2023, it's paramount to know the needs of the NHL teams drafting first. Right now, in the lead-up to Draft Day, we will see a lot of movement around the league.
Teams are signing players to long-term contracts. They are making moves, jockeying for positioning to draft the best players and get the most picks early. While the Blackhawks have the first-overall pick, the Blues have three first-round picks including the No. 10 overall. The Canadiens, Coyotes, Red Wings, Blue Jackets, and Predators all have two first-round selections.
Regardless, of how many or how few first-round picks a team has, this NHL Draft is jam-packed with fierce young competitors looking to eat up time on the ice next season.
NHL Draft 2023: Meeting the likely top-3
3. Leo Carlsson, C, Orebro (SHL)
Carlsson has a perfect blend of speed and size. He is light on his feet, can make quick cuts, hits hard, and can pivot on a dime. He wins puck battles like it's going out of style (because he is so fast).
In his last few seasons with Sweden's Orebro HK, he has amassed 20 goals and 32 assists in 79 games. This season, he had 25 points from 10 goals and 15 assists. Oh yeah, did I mention he is just 18 years old? Carlsson is widely considered the number one international prospect this year so his draft stock is definitely high.
Top Landing Spots: Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks
2 Will Smith, C, USNTDP
Will Smith has definitely been 'getting jiggy with it' in 2023. This young 18-year-old offense stud finished off this season with a U18 Gold Medal. He led that U18 tournament in points with 20 in seven games.
With 51 goals and 76 assists in 60 games, Smith was one of the world's best young hockey players. This season saw Smith win a number of awards including the U18 World Junior Championship Best Forward and the U18 WJC MVP.
Top Landing Spots: San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, Arizona Coyotes
1 Connor Bedard, C, Regina Pats (WHL)
With the Chicago Blackhawks having the No. 1 overall pick, I can imagine Connor Bedard is house-hunting in Illinois right now. That must be pretty cool being a 17-year-old ready to sign his first NHL contract. What's even cooler are his stat lines from this past season. In 57 games he amassed 71 goals and 143 points. In the WHL playoffs, Bedard had 10 goals and 20 points in just seven games. To say he is the most desired offensive weapon in the draft pool this year would be an understatement. Bedard has been drawing comparisons to Connor McDavid, which is a hell of a comparison for 17 year old.
Bedard was called the 'Future of Hockey' at age 13 by The Hockey News. He was playing for the West Van Hockey Academy at the time and had just landed five consecutive hat tricks. At age 14, Bedard was granted Exceptional Status by the Canadian Government. He became only the seventh player in history to earn such status, with the last being Connor McDavid. If you don't know what exceptional status means, it's essentially the government allowing a teenager to join the Canadian Hockey League.
We know where Connor will land — Chicago. Barring divine intervention he will have on a Blackhawks uniform and with his kind of generational talent he could turn that team around. We saw Connor McDavid do it for Edmonton and Bedard has been called an even greater talent by some.
Top Landing Spot: Chicago Blackhawks