Biggest surprises from the 2023 NHL Draft

Leo Carlsson over Adam Fantilli at No. 2

Most scouting services had Fantilli, who won the Hobey Baker Award this season as the top player in college hockey, as the No. 2 prospect in the draft class behind No. 1 pick Connor Bedard. It was all but assumed that Fantilli was the slam-dunk pick for the Anaheim Ducks, who have just one center in their top 10 organizational prospects and desperately needed a blue-chip player at the position.

However, Ducks GM Pat Verbeek told reporters after grabbing Carlsson with the second pick that his ability to dominate in both the offensive and defensive zones made him the smarter option for him over Fantilli.

Matvei Michkov falling to No. 7

Perhaps no player in the 2023 draft class was talked about more than Michkov. Some scouting services ranked him as high as No. 2, while others slotted him in the No. 8-10 range due to his contract status in Russia that prevents him from coming to North America until after the 2025-26 season. But most were in agreement that Michkov has top-of-the-draft talent and whichever team took him was getting a future offensive difference-maker. 

On the draft floor, the feeling was the 18-year-old forward wouldn’t make it past the Canadiens at No. 5, who ended up taking a defenseman. While Michkov didn’t have an Aaron Rodgers-like fall, most draft experts believe the Flyers got a steal at seventh overall with Michkov, who could end up being the second-best player from this draft class.

Teams reaching for centers

Twelve of the top 32 picks were centermen, including the first four selections. While it’s not surprising that there was a run on centers (arguably the most important offensive position), what was puzzling was some of the names that were called and how high they went.

Wisconsin’s Charlie Stramel, who most scouting services had projected to go in the 30-45 range, went 21st overall to Minnesota. Otto Stenberg went four picks later to St. Louis despite being projected in the 30-35 range. Vegas grabbed David Edstrom with the No. 32 pick, around 10 to 15 spots higher than where he was expected to go. While all could turn into fine NHL players, all three were reaches for their respective draft slots.

Two defensemen go in top six picks

Leading into the draft, David Reinbacher was considered by most as the top-ranked defenseman in the class. However, scouts rarely agreed where he would go. So when the Canadiens grabbed him with the No. 5 pick, it wasn’t overly unexpected despite most draft pundits calling the pick a slight reach.

After Reinbacher, there were arguably only two other blue-liners with a first-round grade, but most mock drafts had them going in the 15-20 range. So when the Arizona Coyotes took Dmitri Simashev, who was projected to go in the mid-20s, with the No. 6 pick, the gasps were quite audible from inside Bridgestone Arena. Had Arizona not taken Simashev, it would have been the first time since 2018 that at least two defensemen didn’t go in the first six picks.