The fifth mock Hockey Buzz mock draft driven by the readers and a few special guests is underway. Zach Jarom did not go off the board with the Blackhawks pick, selecting Connor Bedard first overall, WHILE Ryan Armstrong, climbdenali12, selected Adam Fantilli with Anaheim's pick, Zak McMillian, HB Blue Jackets blogger, is up with Columbus' selection while Ken Peterson, Hockeygm. is on deck for San Jose. Below is the voting poll, please weigh in with your view.
First, some logistical information just for this blog: Thanks to all who have agreed to participate. All teams are spoken for, meaning we have a full complement of General Managers. As a reminder, when you have your pick, rationale for the selection, who else you considered and if you weighed a trade, please send that to me via email to jan.levine@gmail.com. As said previously, for those who agree to participate, please make sure I have your real name to go with your Hockey Buzz ID.
In terms of trades, I am happy to have them proposed, but for ease of purpose of the draft, I would prefer not to slow down the making of picks and the voting by waiting for a vote on if the deal is fair. Due to the late start for the draft, my view for this year's iteration is no trades.
The draft is June 28 and we are starting the draft Thursday, June 15 in the morning. That will give us 13 days or so to complete the draft, even factoring in the Sabbath. For weekdays and Sunday, I will post a pick in the morning, then a second in the evening with voting in between, for at least the first half or so of the draft. The second half or so, we can run three per day if needed so we get all 32 picks by or on the morning of June 28.
As a reminder, for each pick, included should be: a) Selection and reasoning/scouting report, and b) Alternatives considered(both players and trades). Please provide me via email your pick with the aforementioned information following the posting of the prior pick on the site. If I become aware of a pick or a few picks in a row, I will email you to help facilitate moving the mock draft along. I will post the blog with the pick and the voting poll within each blog. Overall Rules and Process
As mentioned previously, there is a little kicker. After the pick or trade is made, a poll will be posted to rate the selection or deal. If the majority of people like the pick or trade, that selection stands and it moves on to the next team’s picks. If not, the majority rules and that’s what happens with that team and pick. I have the last right of refusal to keep everything on the up and up and avoid ballot box stuffing. My request to you is that you take this seriously and not make a mockery of the mock draft, because that would be an insult to the others who are participating and makes the whole process a sham. But by playing this out, we get to have healthy debate and conversation to remain engaged up and possibly beyond the draft. If teams make deals and they occur before a team’s selection is due, that deal will play a part as to when each person’s selection occurs.Here how this will work: each evening (for now, one pick per day, but we will go to two when we get to second half of the mock draft and possibly even before that, so that we complete on time) the team’s selector will email me at jan.levine@gmail.com their pick and their rationale for that selection. If making a trade, the same applies, and all the selectors have been listed below along with their screen name if from this site or their twitter handle if external to help facilitate making trades. I will post that pick and rationale on the site and create a voting poll. For now, I was thinking solely just a yes or no vote for the poll, but if people want me to list other options for the selection at that pick number in cases of a no vote, I am happy to do so, to help make it more robust.
With the 2nd Pick in the 2023, HockeyBuzz mock draft, the Anaheim Ducks, represented by Ryan Armstrong, select University of Michigan Center, Adam Fantilli
If not for Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli likely would have been selected with the 1OA pick. He ranks second on every prospect list as seen below:
NHL Central Scouting: 2nd (amongst NA skaters) The Hockey Writers (Horn): 2nd The Hockey Writers (Baracchini): 2nd FC Hockey: 2nd TSN/McKenzie: 2nd Elite Prospects: 2nd McKeen’s Hockey: 2nd Smaht Scouting: 2nd Dobber Prospects: 2nd Sportsnet: 2nd
Fantilli possesses everything a scout looks for in a top-line center. From his size, (6’4…, 187 lbs) speed, and playmaking ability to his hockey IQ, puckhandling, and accurate shot, he has all the tools to be a massive difference-maker in the NHL one day.
His strength lies in his offense, as Fantilli posted 65 points in 36 games this season with the Michigan Wolverines, which was college hockey’s highest points total since Michigan’s Kyle Connor (who now plays for the Winnipeg Jets) recorded 71 as a freshman in 2015-16.
Fantilli’s skating is by far the biggest weapon in his arsenal. It is the motor that runs his game. Acceleration, edgework, and smooth crossovers all work in tandem to make him one of the best skaters in this year’s draft class. Some would say he is the best, even better than Bedard.
As a center, Fantilli will need to improve his defensive acumen to break into “elite… status, but a few years of seasoning should have him there in quick order. He will also quickly realize that he does not have to do it all by himself at the pro level.
Here is what some others are saying:
“Adam Fantilli has every tool that an NHL team would dream of having with their top overall selection. He’s got the physical tools of size, strength, speed and lateral mobility. He has amazing puck skill with the ability to do it at full speed and in small area situations. He can protect the puck, put his shoulder down and power through a defender, or put it under a defender’s stick and put them through the spin cycle.…
– Austin Garrett, Smaht Scouting
“[Fantilli’s] so fast, so dynamic…Obviously he’s someone who kind of pops out just with his speed, his size. He’s so powerful and what he’s doing in college is kind of unheard of.…
– Connor Bedard
“Fantilli’s game is based on extending possessions and getting to the danger areas without the puck to position himself for a pass or rebound. He reads the play at an incredibly high level and is almost always in the right spots. However, there are also several situations in a game where he tries too much on his own.…
– Kyle Pereira, LWOH
“Fantilli is a big, strong, powerful kid who takes pucks from the wall to the interior with force, and ease, and speed. He can beat you along the wall on the cycle. He can beat you carrying the puck in rotations around the perimeter of the offensive zone. He can beat you by pushing through lanes to the middle third, driving the net, or dropping a shoulder to take space that isn’t there. He can beat you flying out wide.…
– Scott Wheeler, The Athletic (from ‘2023 NHL Draft top 64 prospects: Scott Wheeler’s March ranking’, 3/1/23)
Strengths: - Size - Skating - Speed - Hockey IQ - Wrist shot - Puckhandling- Playmaking- Strong motor and work ethic
Needs to Improve: - Has a tendency to get tunnel vision and try and do everything himself - Defensive game - Shot accuracy
Outlook: Fantilli has the potential to become an elite first-line center at the NHL level. He also has a power forward package every general manager and coach would like to have in their lineup on a nightly basis.
2023 NHL DRAFT ORDER 1 Chicago - Zach Jarom, HB Blackhawks blogger, Connor Bedard, C, Regina (WHL) 2 Anaheim - Ryan Armstrong - climbdenali12, Adam Fantilli, C, Univ. of Michigan 3 Columbus - Zak McMillian, HB Blue Jackets blogger, Friday, June 16, am 4 San Jose - Ken Peterson, Hockeygm, Friday, June 16 pm 5 Montreal - Karine Hains, HB Canadiens blogger, Saturday, June 17, pm 6 Arizona - slimtj, TJ Reilly, Sunday, June 18, am 7 Philadelphia - Bill Meltzer, HB Flyers blogger, Sunday, June 18, pm 8 Washington - optimus-reim, Monday, June 19, am 9 Detroit - Feds91Stammer, Monday, June 19, pm 10 St. Louis - aecliptic, Tuesday, June 20, am
11 Vancouver - David Wong, OrcaBlue, Tuesday, June 20, pm 12 Arizona via OTT - slimtj, TJ Reilly, Wednesday, June 21, am 13 Buffalo - Paul Schott, lonsabres, Wednesday, June 21, pm 14 Pittsburgh - mkrisnosky, Matt Krisnosky 15 Nashville - eichiefs9 16 Calgary - Trevor Neufeld, HB Flames blogger 17 Detroit via NYI - Feds91stammer 18 Winnipeg - Jacob Billingham, HB Jets blogger 19 Chicago via TB - Zach Jarom, HB Blackhawks blogger 20 Seattle - NYRangers1124
21 Minnesota - TC88, Todd Piepho 22 Philadelphia via Columbus via LA - Bill Meltzer, HB Flyers blogger 23 NY Rangers - Jan Levine 24 Nashville via EDM - eichiefs9 25 St. Louis via TOR - aecliptic 26 San Jose via NJ - Russ Cohen 27 Colorado - John Ryan, jryan88 28 Toronto via BOS - Michael Augello, HB Maple Leafs blogger 29 St. Louis via DAL - aecliptic 30 Carolina - BINGO!, Chris Cole
31 Montreal via FLA - Karine Hains, HB Canadiens blogger 32 Vegas- Brendan Smith, tbsmith
Looking forward to running this again. We had a ton of fun the last few seasons. That should be the same again this year with New York having the 23rd pick in the first round.