The fifth mock Hockey Buzz mock draft driven by the readers and a few special guests is in the final 12 picks. TC88 selected Brayden Yager for Minnesota followed by Bill Meltzer, HB Flyers blogger, adding Daniil But for Philadelphia. The Rangers, represented by me, and eichiefs9, for Nashville, have made their picks. St. Louis, represented by aecliptic, and San Jose, with Russ Cohen picking, are up with Colorado, represented by John Ryan, jryan88, and Toronto, with Michael Augello, HB Maple Leafs blogger, on deck.
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, went with Leo Carlsson's with Columbus' selection. Ken Peterson, Hockeygm. selected Matvei Michkov with Karine Hains picking Will Smith Montreal..TJ Reilly selected David Reinbacher for Arizona while Bill Meltzer grabbed Ryan Leonard for Philly. Optimus-reim picked Zach Benson for Washington, Feds91stammer took Oliver Moore for Detroit while aecliptic closed out the top-10 with Dalibor Dvorsky for St. Louis, Below is the selection and voting poll, please weigh in with your view.
Picks 11-20 started with David Wong, OrcaBlue, selecting Axel Sandin-Pellikka for Vancouver with TJ Reilly adding Dimitri Simishov for Arizona. Paul Schott, lonsabres, picked Tom Willander for Buffalo with mkrisnosky, Matt Krisnosky's went with Matthew Wood for Pittsburgh. eichiefs9 added Colby Barlow for Nashville while Trevor Neufeld, HB Flames blogger, snagged Eduard Sale for Calgary. Feds91stammer selected Nate Danielson for Detroit, and Jacob Billingham, HB Jets blogger, picked Andrew Cristall Winnipeg. Zach Jarom, HB Blackhawks blogger, added Gabe Peerault for Chicago, with NYRangers1124 closing out the 10 picks with Quintin Musty for the Kraken.
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
[email protected]. 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 [email protected] 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.
GM Chris Drury has several different directions he can go. New York needs depth at right wing, center as well as on the blue line in addition to speed and a bit of a physical presence. But at this point, Drury should be focused on the best player available.
Sitting with the 23rd pick, a handful of players, all rated somewhat similarly, remain on the board based on the mock draft to date. Samuel Honzek is a big winger with speed who brings a two-way game. Calum Ritchie, now a center but projected to move to wing, is likely high on Drury's board. Oliver Bonk, if concerns about signing K'Andre Miller long-term would be a fine add. David Edstrom, a well-rounded center, who projects as a top-six center, also has to be on the short list. Depending on your view, Charlie Stramel also has upside and brings the type of skating New York needs. Add in Riley Heidt, another potential pivot, andMikhail Gulyayev, another blueliner with upside, and Drury has options.
It's because of those options that I think Drury would be better served by trading down. Not just due to the variety of similar players available, but because the Rangers only have five rather than seven draft picks (23rd, 91st, 152nd, 178th, and 183rd). Boosting the depth, as well as improving the current team, is a major factor. If Drury can slide down a few picks and still obtain one of the above while adding a mid-tier pick, it's a win-win situation.
If Drury keeps the pick, my selection is not one of the above additional players but a player that has grown on me.
With the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Level Draft, the New York Rangers, represented by me, select Gavin Brindley, RW, Michigan
Brindley showed he could thrive with the talent around him at Michigan. Add in someone who plays much bigger than his size, still has room to grow and has a motor that never stops, and I think you have the perfect add. I project Brindley as a second line right winger, which also fills a need while adding the bpa, best player available. All that said, don't be surprised if Drury keeps the pick, he goes with Honzek or Ritchie.
Elite Prospects:
Gavin Brindley is the Swiss Army Knife of the 2023 NHL Draft;the “Break in Case of Emergency” player capable of meeting thedemands of any situation on a moment’s notice.
That much is reflected in his deployment. Only one forward onMichigan – you might’ve heard of this guy, goes by the name ofAdam Fantilli – played more all-situations minutes on a per-gamebasis than Brindley’s 19:15 last season.
You can’t say Brindley didn’t make the most of those minutes either.The sixth-most productive draft-eligible season in the Salary Cap Era.A plus-18 goal differential and 58.3 percent shot attempt share atevens. Stellar micro statistics, as recorded by Elite Prospects Dir. ofNorth American Scouting Mitch Brown.
Hell, Brindley even played like his team’s mascot in many of ourviewings – an unrelenting ball of ferocious energy bouncing aroundthe ice at lightning speed from one player to the next. You know, awolverine.
“Brindley is a high-motor player who excels on the defensiveside of the puck,” Elite Prospects American regional scout JoeyPadmanabhan wrote ahead of the World Juniors. “He’s a tenaciousforechecker and reliable in defensive zone coverage.
As the season wore on, Brindley’s play with the puck began to improve, too. And as the calendar turned to 2023, it all cametogether for him.
At once a straight-line, single-speed puck carrier, Brindley started to change lanes and tempos, developed a give-and-go game,added some deceptive elements as a distributor, and his handling skill just seemed straight up better. Suddenly, there was causefor optimism among our staff for a more optimistic projection, perhaps even from an NHL bottom-six to middle-six.
Under ordinary circumstances, a player this productive with those specific skills would be a lock for the first round and thensome.Not so in this case. Brindley sits in the final third of the first round on most boards as of this writing, according to the EliteProspects consolidated rankings on the Draft Center page.
So, what gives? The obvious starting point is Brindley’s 5-foot-9 frame. Even in a contemporary NHL that drafts more according to a player’s merits than their capacity to ride roller coasters, that’s a red flag that many have to overcome in the eyes of the 200Hockey Men’s™️ most antiquated evaluators.
For some, the skating isn’t good enough for him to work in a depth role; for others, the skill is not sufficient to work in an NHL topsix.Those are understandable skepticisms, even if we don’t necessarily share their concerns at Elite Prospects. Not to the samedegree anyway.
As we close the book on this scouting season, we do so with the belief that Brindley actually represents one of the safer bets inthis year’s draft. His skating, motor, and defensive intelligence make for a really solid foundation. He’ll play; it’s just a matter of howhigh up an NHL lineup he’ll ply his trade.
McKeens:
While overshadowed by teammate Adam Fantilli, Gavin Brindley stepped into the NCAA this season and had an excellent season. He finished fifth on the team in scoring, behind some of the best prospects in the world in Fantilli, Luke Hughes, Mackie Samoskevich, and Rutger McGroarty. It’s extremely likely that Brindley would have had a bigger offensive season without these offensive players in front of him. Still, he finished just under a point per game on the season with 38 points in 41 games. He also helped Team USA to a World Juniors bronze medal. Returning to the University of Michigan next season, expect a big year next season.
It’s hard to miss Brindley on the ice, as he plays a hard, highly competitive game. He plays with such a high intensity, diving into puck battles, fighting hard on the forecheck, and working to force turnovers. When the other team has the puck, you want Brindley on the ice. He’s fearless in his play despite his 5-foot-9, 157-pound frame. He never takes his foot off the gas, and he gets results due to that effort. He’s a player who would easily become a fan favourite for the NHL team that drafts him.
On top of this competitiveness, Brindley brings excellent hands, allowing him to navigate traffic with ease and get the puck into the high-danger areas himself. He also has excellent speed and an intriguing amount of deception to his game. He consistently changes his direction when attacking, and his hands allow him to get creative with the puck. The result of this is that you never know how he’s coming at you, making him unpredictable in his pursuit. He’s a strong playmaker, doing very well to create offense for his teammates. Brindley’s game’s underlying numbers are excellent- among the best in the class. He’s almost just as strong defensively as he is offensively.
The Estero, Florida native is a well-rounded prospect, one who has all the tools in place to become a reliable, middle-six winger. The biggest knock against him is his size and strength, as he does need to put on some muscle in order to see his style of play succeed at the next level. It would also be important to see him shoot a little more, as he’s very much a pass-first player and he wastes some strong opportunities when that happens. There are times when he seems to lack confidence in his shot, where he has an excellent look but opts for a difficult pass instead. Shooting more and gaining confidence in this part of his game will be important.
Brindley will be heading back to the University of Michigan for the 2023-24 season and could very well spend at least one more season there as well to round out his game and continue to develop. While it might be a few years before he reaches the NHL, he has the foundation in place to become a very promising middle-six winger who could move up and down the lineup as needed and be reliable in all three zones. He’ll be a fan favourite due to his never-give-up style. Expect him to break out in the NCAA next season as he takes on a more offensive role. He’s an early candidate to be a riser in re-drafts.
Corey Pronman:
Background
Brindley was a top player for a top college team in Michigan this season and saw his role elevate as the season went along. He also played a notable role on USA's world juniors team. A rare top prospect from the Florida area who came up in the Florida Alliance program, Brindley was very good in Tri-City of the USHL as well. He played for Team USA last season at the U18s too.
Analysis
With excellent skating and work ethic, Brindley buzzes around the ice, playing with a ton of pace and giving his best effort nightly. He's able to make skilled plays at full speed, and plays with courage, going to the net and engaging along the walls. Brindley's pure offensive touch won't dazzle, but he has good hands and hockey sense and can make plays at higher levels. There aren't a ton of two-way forwards in the NHL who barely touch 5-foot-9, but Brindley has the right mix of traits to be the next one even if there's risk on his projection. I see a middle-six forward whether at center or the wing, but likely the latter.
Scott Wheeler:
One of three players on this list playing college hockey this season, it felt like Brindley got better with every game at the University of Michigan, to the point where he went from comfortable to impactful every single night, including at centre and on the wing (I think he’ll be a winger at the next level though). Brindley’s a plus-level skater who gets through his extensions quickly (including from a standstill), excels on his edges, rounds corners sharply, and darts around the ice, hunting pucks and pushing through holes.
He’s also got some of the quicker hands and better touch on this list. He thrives in the small-area game, using light passes and rapid movements to play in and out of coverage. He has now impressed me wherever I’ve watched him (NCAA, USHL, Five Nations, U18 worlds, world juniors, etc.) as a small but highly involved forward who plays the game with energy and pace, making little skill plays between coverage. He buzzes around the ice and does such a good job releasing from one battle or chance to hunting or getting open for the next one. He’s always moving. He’ll make the soft play to the middle of the ice from the perimeter, or go there to get to rebounds or position himself on screens/tips. He’s excellent in puck protection twisting away from coverage to make things happen along the boards. And he just always seems to play well, no matter the role/usage/stage. And the beauty of Brindley’s game is that while he may prove talented enough to play in a skill role at the NHL level, he’s got the approach/tools to play an effective bottom-six game too (plus, he's built quite strongly for his height). That will limit concerns about his height (he has certainly never played small).
With the 24th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Level Draft, the Nashville Predators, represented by eichiefs9, select Mikhail Gulyayev, D, OMSK Jr
Blog to be updated when I have the rationale for the Gulyayev pick
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, Leo Carlsson, C, Orebro HK, (SHL)
4 San Jose - Ken Peterson, Hockeygm, Matvei Michkov, RW, SKA, KHL
5 Montreal - Karine Hains, HB Canadiens blogger, Will Smith, C, US NTDP
6 Arizona - slimtj, TJ Reilly, David Reinbacher, D, Kloten (SWISS)
7 Philadelphia - Bill Meltzer, HB Flyers blogger, Ryan Leonard, RW, US, NTDP
8 Washington - optimus-reim, Zach Benson, LW, Winnipeg, WHL
9 Detroit - Feds91Stammer, Oliver Moore, C, US NTDP
10 St. Louis - aecliptic, Dalibor Dvorsky, C, AIK, Slovakia
11 Vancouver - David Wong, OrcaBlue, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, Skelleftea Jr. (SWEDEN-JR.)
12 Arizona via OTT - slimtj, TJ Reilly, Dimitri Simishov, D, Yaroslavl Jr. (RUSSIA-JR.)
13 Buffalo - Paul Schott, lonsabres, Tom Willander, D, Rogel BK, Sweden
14 Pittsburgh - mkrisnosky, Matt Krisnosky, Matthew Wood, RW, University of Connecticut
15 Nashville - eichiefs9, Colby Barlow, LW, Owen Sound
16 Calgary - Trevor Neufeld, HB Flames blogger, Eduard Sale, LW, Bryno (Czech)
17 Detroit via NYI - Feds91stammer, Nate Danielson, C, Brandon (WHL)
18 Winnipeg - Jacob Billingham, HB Jets blogger, Andrew Cristall, LW, Kelowna, (WHL)
19 Chicago via TB - Zach Jarom, HB Blackhawks blogger, Gabe Perreault, RW, US NTDP
20 Seattle - NYRangers1124, Quintin Musty, LW, Sudbury (OHL)
21 Minnesota - TC88, Todd Piepho,
[email protected], Brayden Yager, C, Moose Jaw, (WHL)
22 Philadelphia via Columbus via LA - Bill Meltzer, HB Flyers blogger, Daniil But, LW, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, (KHL)
23 NY Rangers - Jan Levine, Gavin Brindley, RW, University of Michigan
24 Nashville via EDM - eichiefs9, Mikhail Gulyayev, D, OMSK Jr
25 St. Louis via TOR - aecliptic, Sunday, June 25 pm
26 San Jose via NJ - Russ Cohen, Sunday, June 25 pm
27 Colorado - John Ryan, jryan88, Monday, June 26, am
28 Toronto via BOS - Michael Augello, HB Maple Leafs blogger, Monday, June 26, am
29 St. Louis via DAL - aecliptic, Monday, June 26, pm
30 Carolina - BINGO!, Chris Cole, Monday, June 26, pm
31 Montreal via FLA - Karine Hains, HB Canadiens blogger, Tuesday, June 27, am
32 Vegas- Brendan Smith, tbsmith, Tuesday, June 27, am
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.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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