2023 NHL Draft Round 1

oh thank you Kevin thank you L we are live in Nashville Tennessee a gorgeous evening to host an NHL draft the 2023 any Town drive and that is the man we take it first overall Miss NHL Superstar he'll make his NHL debut on ESPN opening night Tuesday October 10th in Pittsburgh against Sydney Crosby in the Pittsburgh Penguins a guy he's been compared to in terms of his Love of the Game let's draft everybody [Music] in Music City the dreams arrived so talented but still anonymous [Applause] tonight a name will be called that has been expected on the stage for years it went in an overtime and a star born he escapes life in David and shoots like Matthew generational type player [Music] [Applause] but look beyond that number one pick and we find others ready to change history stage is set the first notes of their tune will be written welcome to Nashville and the 2023 NHL draft ready Pretender drought NHL draft 2023 any Town draft from Nashville Tennessee the Buffalo Sabers and many other NHL teams either rebuilding are trying to make that next step like the Sabers get to the playoffs for that great fan base of theirs this is where it all starts Hall of Fame careers Stanley Cup championships at the NHL draft and this year we know that that 17 year old Connor Bedard he'll turn 18 next month will be the first pick Brian Boucher why should he be the first overall pick because he can do everything this kid is a superstar in the same breath as Conor McDavid Austin Matthews electric player great hands great shot great vision he does everything great uh he's going to be a superstar an absolute finisher Austin Matthews had 40 goals his rookie season for the Toronto Maple Leafs will not be surprised if this fella gets 40 in his rookie season but Megan chica of stop leads you dig deep in all these numbers to help us throughout the NHL regular season on ESPN and on the point it's not just Conor Bedard is this so there are multiple franchise centerpieces at this year's draft it from two to five we've heard rumors of everyone from mitchkoff the Russian to Adam vantilly NCAA player we have Leo Coulson and the shl player that's playing with men as well and Will Smith is thrown in the mix Vision playmaking a great top half of the night just a great night to talk hockey and be amongst hockey people because also we see Kevin weeks there could be NHL trades Brewing while we're on the air yeah there could be some trades I'm very curious to see what can happen from a goaltending standpoint boosh we're both here for that reason representing the goal Union but it's saying all of that could Conor hellebuck the Michigan native be on the move for the Winnipeg Jets potentially could the Boston Bruins who have Lena salmark who won the bezna and Jeremy swamin they're they're outstanding young Golia to University of Maine could they one of those two be on the Move question mark there will be some more moves here this evening that's what makes us more intriguing but again it all starts with this young man he looks nervous doesn't he he's like man they're going to call my name I'm gonna walk up there and put on a Chicago Blackhawk so sweater and hat the salt shed we see you out there hello Chicago all things go all things go the commissioner Gary Bettman will kick off this year's draft when we return to smashville first time ever the Chicago Blackhawks have had the first pick and we've probably select from the London Knights the Imperial Hockey League Patrick Kane that was 16 years ago turned out pretty well for Chicago three Stanley Cups and this Hall of Fame career from maybe the best american-born player ever to lace them up in the National Hockey League so far now for the second time in franchise history Chicago gets to pick number one overall and yeah like you're just sometimes it's just luck in the draw when you have that pick you want a guy like this available to take and Connor Bedard is available to be taken by the Chicago Blackhawks as always the commissioner of the NHL Gary Bettman kicks off the NHL draft proceedings this year held in Nashville Tennessee commissioner Gary Bettman [Music] [Music] [Applause] right foreign [Music] to all the prospects family members and friends and especially the hockey fans here with us in Bridgestone Arena and welcome to the many more watching around the world welcome to the 2023 Upper Deck NHL draft two nights ago in this building we honored the very best of the spectacular 2022-23 NHL season at the NHL awards tonight and tomorrow we celebrate the future of our clubs so that means we'll have had two major NHL events within four days in Nashville the city this city also has hosted a previous draft and within the last seven years an All-Star Game a Stadium Series game and a Stanley Cup Final that there should be no doubt that Nashville loves and supports NHL hockey so thank you and with the wonderful history of the Predators it is worth noting that no one has done more over the last 26 years to build this model franchise and the City of Nashville into a destination hockey Market than David Boyle David as this is your 26th and final draft as general manager of the Predators your 40th draft as an NHL general manager the league and the preds want to honor you on this special occasion and to do so I'm enlisting the help of a couple of your best all-time draft picks the 38th overall pick in the 2008 draft and current captain of the Predators Roman yossi and and an all-time late-ground gem the pred's eighth round pick in 2004 and franchise icon pecorane David um as a thank you we want to present you this guitar from Gibson so thank you Gibson um just want to say thank you for everything you've done for the NHL but especially for Nashville you're the reason this place called Smash Bros so from above heart thank you very much and we hope you enjoy retirement hmm uh Roman and Pekka thank you for your wonderful gift it's uh it's beautiful and uh Gary thank you for the the kind words uh in your introduction in 1997 I came here with the goal and the vision to make Nashville a successful hockey City a general manager who's only good as as the people around him and I've been very fortunate to work with many great people on and off the ice who have shared my goals and vision thank you to every one of my colleagues past and present and thank you to the smashville's great fans for making Nashville one of the most successful and passionate cities in the National Hockey League thank you and as I pass the torch to Barry trots I am very confident that The Best Is Yet To Come for the Nashville Predators may this year's draft class enjoy a great success good luck to all the players and all the teams Nashville thank you for the greatest 26 years in my hockey career thank you thank you Roman and Pekka David congratulations and it's time to get to work you can do better than that now you're talking the first pick in the 2023 NHL draft belongs to the Chicago Blackhawks Chicago you're on the clock wow what a response from these Blackhawk fans but uh first of all I always find it humorous that Gary Bettman fought to bring hockey to places like Nashville more than any other human and he gets food when he comes cities those Blackhawk fans [Applause] let's go hawk they are on the clock and they are about to of course we were there for draft lottery night we see you were there so much anticipation that night to lead to this night and now it's here this could very well be a watershed moment for this franchise as a part of their Transcendence from where they are now and where they ultimately want to go huge moment for their franchise and for the city of Chicago make and the brand of Conor Bedard he's already selling out 19 000 seats in Calgary he has Lululemon as an ambassador he's being bigger than hockey right now is a brand of its own walking into Blackhawks saw them jumping and hollering like Executives that never do so that's a huge win for that that's a great point that you brought that he's bigger than his talent and his resume right and that can help ignite a whole league he is I mean this kid is a superstar I mean plain and simple Conor McDavid Austin Matthews Sidney Crosby players like this Conor bedard's name is right there with him and for the Chicago Blackhawks remember they had to feel pain in in order to get to this point but as you said a watershed moment they're going to be making their way back up to the top in short order with a franchise player like this in Conor a lot of pressure on GM Kyle Davidson there you go leading the charge he's been in charge since March of 2022 he's the youngest active GM in the NHL he's got more in common with Conor Bernard that maybe does other GMS in the NHL closer to AIDS at Bernard than he is some other NHL GMS and there he is that's a lot of weight on that young man's shoulders there to try to build because this is only one piece this isn't the NBA this isn't an NFL quarterback you need 12 15 16 good players to be a championship team but the first step is a mighty big this might be three steps when you have a chance to get a dude like that the Chicago Blackhawks no longer on the clock they are ready to make it official here in Nashville Chicago Blackhawks would first like to recognize the incredible career of David Boyle and congratulate him on his retirement we'd also like to congratulate the Vegas golden knights on their Stanley Cup Championship and we'd like to say hi to all of the Blackhawks fans back in Chicago at the salt shed the Blackhawks fans here tonight and all the Blackhawks fans watching around the world and with the first overall selection in the 2023 NHL draft the Chicago Blackhawks are very proud to select from the Regina Pats the Western Hockey League Conor Bedard there's Dad who let him play hockey in the kitchen in the living room because you can't build a backyard rink in Vancouver where he grew up like other Canadian provinces and of course there's his mother who saw a lot of things get broken in her house picture frames vaz's whatever it was but the dream is now a reality he'll make his NHL debut on ESPN October the 10th a Tuesday opening night part of our triple header coverage game two in Pittsburgh against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins his skill set might be a little different as a player Brian Boucher he's more of a shooter he's a finisher he's going to pump in eventually 40 50 60 maybe 70 goals in his career but like Sidney Crosby he's the guy you build a franchise around he is this guy is uh look he's had all eyes on him forever I mean I feel like we've known about Conor Bedard for the last five six seven years we've heard about him and the amount of pressure that's on a kid like that in a country like Canada where hockey is is everything and for him to deliver and be at this moment in his life where he delivers as being the first overall pick and it looks like he's just scratching the surface that's the scary part I mean he's got hands he's got Vision he's got the elusiveness and he's got the shot to me the shot is what stands out he can beat you in a lot of different ways he's going to give a lot of nightmares to a lot of goals in the NHL for years to come he doesn't escape like Corner McDavid Megan shaika uh he's five nine and three quarters that can sometimes scare something he's not a big Burly Center ice and Willie B Center really be a Winger but what tells you about his greatness the most as you look at his numbers and break him down on film well his size isn't there but his skill and strength is there very underrated in play making so good on Chicago for putting Taylor Hall on possibly his line Taylor Hall had five goals in the playoffs this year he is the true finisher Conor Bedard had more assists than goals in the who so look for him to get extra assists this year if he has a finisher on his line yeah for those fantasy hockey players Taylor Hall might be a good because that guy there you go pro tip already right because we see that's the kind of guy to make his teammates better his line mates better or I say he'll make them Rich they'll have bigger houses because they get to play with him hey that's what Ryan gets left said all those years in Anaheim boys go to the net I'll make you rich yeah he made a lot of people Rich so yes for Connor Bedard what I love about this here is everything everybody expected of him he expected of himself and more importantly not only did he deliver over delivered that's the best part of it for me when the games were tight when the King was Big World Junior boost you mentioned earlier all the great players that have played for Team Canada History of the World Junior Graffiti's tournament he's the all-time scoring leader yep that tells you everything yeah Gretzky Lemieux lindross Korea how many names do we need to go down economic David and this guy did things that are historic Scouts used comparables right they try to see what a player was before the other players and the numbers that you talk about I mean it's astounding he's going to be an awesome player Chicago will pick again in the first round 19th overall so Kyle Davis did in his scouting Department run out really start to grind and see who couldn't be there at 19 but for now he's celebrating with Emily Kaplan thanks Gucci Kyle so much excitement about Conor Bedard what a realistic expectations for his rookie season uh you know what we'll we'll see we'll let him figure that out he's a pretty special player very special person and uh you know we'll let him determine how special that uh first season is you know we saw you make Trey yesterday for Taylor Hall and Nick folino what are other things you're going to do to ensure that he's successful in year one uh you know what we'll continue to look at the marketplace and see what kind of Veteran leaderships out there to potentially surround him with but we feel like we've got a lot right now within the locker room but uh that's something you can never have enough of so we'll keep looking and I know that you guys are still in a rebuild but when can we expect you guys in the playoffs again uh you know what I have no clue I wish I knew I wish I had that Crystal Ball but um all we'll do is keep collecting Talent letting these players develop put him in the best situation to develop and do uh the best players they can be and hopefully the best team we can be thanks Kyle thank you again the Chicago Blackhawks fan base has taken over his dad wipes the tears away from his eyes he and his sister and Mom it's really an emotional moment for them to see their boy on the precipice of a professional hockey career now here hit the reaction again that you knew it was coming since they won the draft lottery on ESPN but when it's official it's still a pretty cool moment because now it's for real and he'll be in their lineup again Tuesday October the 10th in Pittsburgh on ESPN against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins off the map who's got 40 goals his rookie season over under Bush Conor mcdodd 40 goals now you're going up the 40. I'm going to 40 now all right I'm gonna say under 40. but above 35. okay yeah okay that's why it's a good number right that's it's a tough number what do you think Megan could he get let's go over he's in Chicago he'll get a lot of playing time if he's surrounded by people that can feed him puck too his shot is incredible especially on the power play while he's whiffed Emily Kaplan Connor you just got drafted by an original six team one that won three Stanley Cups in your lifetime I was going through your mind when you put on that sweater yeah it's really hard to put into words I mean uh you know growing up like you said in an era where you know they were so dominant and so good with all the all the players they had and uh man it's just it's incredible looking down seeing it out myself so um couldn't be happier and can't wait to get started you know the hockey world has so many expectations for you but what are your expectations for your rookie season uh I mean just right now it's focusing on having a good good rest of the summer and obviously going into camp and making the team that's that's the main goal and then you know if that if that happens then you kind of set more rules from there but uh kind of keeping it short term as of right now in your first game is going to be on ESPN it's in Pittsburgh and you're playing against Sydney Crosby what's that gonna be like for you yeah like I said I gotta gotta make it first but um that would be unreal my favorite player growing up and a big Idol of mine so um you know like I don't think if if that happens that for me personally you could script it any better thanks Connor welcome to Chicago thank you thank you he was born in 2005. and Connor Bedard is a member of the Chicago Blackhawks at long last we mentioned he's a sturdy kid he's got quads he's got Dallas he did 14 pull-ups sweepsie at the old combine so he should be a ready-made guy and just a power play Menace he's put together well physically right I had a chance to meet him and speak with him in Vegas during the Stanley Cup Final and he's got a very similar build at this age to the great Sydney Crosby big quads big thighs hamstrings very developed lower half which gives him a great center of gravity and quite frankly the base not only for skating but more importantly for his ability to shoot and pass yeah he was born the same year 2005 as Crosby made his NHL debut in the fall of 2005. now up next a lot of intrigue a lot of mystery no one can figure out what tat verbeek the little ball of hate is gonna do with the number two overall pick here are their last five first round picks again they're strong up the Middle with Mason McTavish and Trevor's egress and there's three more centers sitting there for him to choose from Adam fantilly the Michigan man the Wolverines Leo Carlson the big Swede or Will Smith the kid from Lexington Massachusetts who's heading to Boston College there's Pat for beak right there shaking hands with Gary Bettman there really is all cut no one knows what Pat verbeek is going to do and now we'll find out Columbus who picks next is going to find out who's off the board and then of course San Jose is waiting as well the Anaheim Ducks with the number two overall pick of this year's draft we would like to welcome all our fans watching at our draft party at uh Brewery X with our first selection we are proud to select for more bro shl Leo Carlson big Swedish center six foot three can skater he's got size he's got hands he's got some marks and this looks like we talked about it Brian Boucher maybe the lowest floor yes of any player left High first round I I think that and that's the thing that stands out to me I think this kid has so much growth still in him right I mean when you watch him play maybe the one thing you could say maybe the foot speed's not quite there just yet but look at him he he looks thin to me yeah he's still got a lot to grow into when you look at Adam fantilly a little bit more developed this guy reminds me of Andre Kopitar you know and if you think about what the LA Kings had in Andre pretty darn good centerman that's been with him a long time helped them win Stanley Cups this is a smart player and also when he's playing professional this year in Sweden they didn't have him as a center he was playing as a wing and he's still delivered in the point Department uh and he had a strong playoff nine points and 13 playoff games this guy is going to be a a really good NHL Pro he's going to play for a long time and as you mentioned the floor is there I think we're only going to see better than what we see right now and very self-assured and confident young player Megan Jayco I think this is a great pick I mean Pierre Luke Dubois comes up as an NHL comparable which we saw how much he got paid this week Hawk possession Style on Zone x's and entries looks to carry the pot quality player with high controlled entry rate and attacks the middle of ice with speed there's no wrong answers fantilly Carlson both are a similar type of player playing in the shl with man you know he'll translate to an NHL Style hockey immediately third time the ducks have picked second overall remember they were the team that was after Sydney Crosby they took Bobby Ryan 05 Oleg tabardowski in uh as well in 1994. so it's the big Swede Kevin weeks well let me tell you why I think there could be a little bit of an influence in the decision okay Pat verbeek spent time with the Detroit Red Wings yep the Detroit Red Wings have really had a pension for Swedish players in their history that's putting it mild in quite frankly many great Swedish players I think that was influential in the decision here for pepper Peak and his staff with Leo Carlson congratulations to him and them but I gotta get a quick note in here okay because the hockey Community is a small one I want to send best wishes to their goalie coach sudsey Maharaj who's battling cancer right now and tuning in and watching so shout out to sudsy back in Oakville right now he's done an amazing job with their goalies there at Anaheim absolutely Anaheim will have three second round picks as well they'll have 33rd overall 59 and 60. but Carlson joins McTavish and ziegerson and really young yeah but in terms of up the middle we just saw a Vegas team win with three strong Swift skating centers and now they add their third Big Time Center Leo Carlson is with Emily Kaplan Leo you just got picked picked for all the NHL draft were you surprised when they called your name a little bit yeah I mean I had it on fields but yeah yeah a bit surprised but a super blessed growing up who did you model your game after I mean sitting across what's the guy for sure watched him on some highlights April when I was scared so we got him you won't play against him very often but what will be like when you finally get a play them that's gonna be amazing I mean I said the guru I grew up I grew up in some yeah it's gonna be unreal congratulations yeah thanks so much thanks Leo and like many swedes speak English so well uh even at a very young age so again he's just a big guy Puck for a truck with great hands he can dangle defenseman as well but just High Haiku hockey brain like we said that's why certainly it almost seems like those just pencil them in a thousand games a thousand points right you just seems like that kind of guy and I will say the world juniors there were some players that were picked uh you know in years prior in the draft there were supposed to be big time players to Sweden that didn't perform up to standard Leo Carlson was one guy that stepped up and to me I thought at that moment uh he really he really took a step forward this is a good pick for Anaheim you know it makes me wonder about Trevor ziegrist you know he's playing said you mentioned McTavish zigris you know now you get another big Center they've also got Nathan Goshay is this you know is Zeus the guy that maybe eventually does he move to the wing I mean something to think about that but they definitely get a big body in Leo Carlson in the middle let's find out why Anaheim took Carlson with our Emily Kaplan Pat a lot of us were surprised to hear Leo Carlson's name there take us through that decision well I think it's uh it's been a process over the last month or so so we've had a lot of good debate um there's a lot of you know a lot of you know I would say real healthy debate on uh which player you know obviously to take and and I think in the end we're really uh intrigued with his with his you know hockey IQ his uh creativity um obviously he's got really good size and and um probably what I love the bottom is you know it's really it's two-way game and I think there's a potential for him to re be a dominant player at both ends of the ice what can we expect for him how will he fit into your team next season well we're we're going to go through that process because um obviously he's able to go back to uh you know uh and go back to Sweden uh and go play Junior there's there's lots of things that you can play the world you know junior Championship so we're gonna go through the process we're gonna start with going through a development camp and then uh once we get through that then you know there'll be a summer long discussion thanks Pat good my pleasure Richie Columbus is next I don't think they thought Adam fantilly would be here they were really high on Will Smith I heard they were going to take Will Smith I told someone in the San Jose organization I hear Columbus has taken Will Smith he said that'd be dumb not to but now suddenly fantilli's there from the state up north in Michigan so what are the Columbus Blue Jackets gonna do is it going to be Will Smith or is it going to be Adam fantilly they have a short time to make a big decision and the decision is in thank you [Applause] thank you Nashville we appreciate the great time you've shown us all congratulations Vegas to a hockey lifer and a good friend David Boyle again congratulations a good man um our fans back in Columbus they're called The Fifth Line they are at pins in Easton have a party gang we appreciate y'all to make our pick I'd like to invite our general manager yarmo kekalynen Columbus Blue Jackets are proud to select from University of Michigan fantilly it's the 614 cause you're getting a full-grown man 6-2-195 that's Jack eichel size he shoots it he can fly he can power a line more of a shooter than Michael this guy's Gonna Fill Up the Nets as well as play a 200 foot game along the wall he comes from a very close big Italian family played with his brother at Michigan he hasn't announced yet if he's going to return to Michigan or not but man this is a guy I don't think Columbus thought would be there this is the center they've been waiting for Brian Boucher I like I like Ben Tilly and you know what I like about him is he's he's a little bit quicker than Carlson right now he you know he may already be developing what you see is what you get right there he's a he's a young man already uh but he can play on the walls he can get inside he's got a powerful stride I just personally like bigger centermen I think that's how that's how you win guys that can skate you talked about the Vegas golden knights you got to have sides but you got to be able to skate as well I think he can do it he's just going right down the road from Michigan down to Columbus uh this is a great pick for the Columbus Blue Jackets and you know what playing in the World Championship big for him in the spring that was a very good experience for him because it was a slow start from it the world juniors but he finished strong in the world juniors really impressed with this young man what does he have that you like Megan Chico that goal in the world championships to piggyback on that was incredible I think he kind of dispelled that he couldn't play at an NHL level already and I talked to Brandon narado his coach at the University of Michigan he said earlier in the year he was trying to beat people with his hands and really learn to use his body to shield on the wall that translates very well into the NHL solid pick for Columbus I think they were running up there to get him the Buckeye state that's where he's going listen this guy to me is going to be turning on the cannon a lot you know the Canon there Nationwide Arena boom boom yep and I want to see more of that Cannon crew there in Columbus it's a great City it's a great area great market and I think in him they're getting a guy that has a big body Colby Baker winner asserts himself against defensive players you can see the Terrace in the eyes of his dad yeah I spoke to the Hughes family earlier today both Hughes parents they were raving they've got three kids that are studs they were raving about him that tells you a lot right there joins Owen power and Manny veneers has the only top three from Michigan I got a feeling he's going to be in Columbus this season and play right away his dad dad coached him hard he parents he said you're going to play 200 feet at a young age you're not going to be dangling you're going to learn to play the right way and he's rewarded tonight as his son is taken by the Columbus Blue Jackets he's a Canadian kid but again played college hockey last year took his team to the Frozen Four he won the Hobe as the best college player in America and so Columbus gets that franchise Center we talked about they spent eight first-round picks on centers in franchise history five in the top ten they've yet to hit a home run Brian Boucher they hope this is an upper deck blast and Adam fantastic I think this will hit this will be the one that hits and as I mentioned before you know sometimes you get a center and there there's little undersized and maybe you know there's some question marks long term for them when I watch Ben Tilly and the size that he has and the quickness that he has at 195 pounds to me that that is telling I think that extreme longevity uh and he's obviously got the finish that he proved to college 65 points in the freshman in college as an 18 year old is not easy to do 30 goals very difficult to do and what he did and now listen Michigan was a very talented team but obviously he's a guy that when you look at eichel's numbers I think we're looking at you know a similar trajectory for fan Tilly uh in that in that space and a similar type player to Jack Eiffel as well Stanley Cup champ Jack eichel I might add with the Vegas golden knights and uh he's already 18. he'll be 19 in October so those you know those years can make a little difference uh when you make that decision do I go to college for one more year turn pro in March and show up then or do I turn pro right away and begin collecting well welcome in again John Butcher Garth Brian Boucher Megan chaika Kevin weeks as we uh wait for Adam fantilly to join our Emily Kaplan my daughter works for the NHL social team and so she talks to these guys she said she's just texted me saying Adam can't tell he really wanted to go to Columbus that's awesome that's pretty cool so close awesome you're getting the guy that was really fun to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets great nugget I think you'll see him here this fall let me give you one take sure this is one thing I love when you're playing for the world championships as a young player you often defer why you got established NHL veterans this guy wanted to Puck on his team for Team Canada and had that huge goal at the men's World coming out of college hockey Meg take it away beautiful and I also think our data he's scoring on sex goaltenders so he's not only able to create dishes teammates but he can shoot it like anyone and like the NHL veteran so look for him to score for Columbus too which they desperately need right now yeah we have him again he made the Frozen four and he had a one-time blast on the power play which was impressive he is with Emily captain Adam you are a Michigan man going to Columbus Ohio what do you want the Buckeyes to know about you huh I'm super excited uh obviously you guys have a lot of Michigan men there already and they're doing tremendous things for the team so hopefully I can have a somewhat of an impact like them you have 125 people here we just saw one of them your dad tearing up who are all these people and what do they mean to you these are these are my best friends these are my this is my family these are my coaches my teammates everybody that's helped me get to where I'm at and and them being here and taking time out of their schedules and spending the money on the flights and the hotels that means the world to me I'm so grateful well congratulations congratulations Adam thank you thank you so much so here come the Sharks now Will Smith is there there's been a lot of mystery about the Sharks which way they would go but again I know they Love Will Smith a lot the kid is going to Boston College to play for Greg Brown the Massachusetts native let's see if his name is called next fourth overall by the San Jose Sharks [Music] thank you Nashville you guys have been a great host we've really enjoyed our time here uh congratulations to David poyle uh great career managing you know someone who's been great to me and helped Mentor me and through along my first year I'd also like to congratulate Vegas golden knights and the cup when George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon and like to say hello and thank you to our fans watching around the world and at the essay sap center tonight our to make our pick is shark's Legend NHL all-time games played later Patrick Marlowe with the first selection overall the San Jose Sharks are proud to select Will Smith from USA development programs not a surprise this is a high octane Center Iceman so The Bu Terrier Mike Guerrera who played his college hockey at bu takes the kid going to BC to play this fall only Jack Hughes scored more points at the U.S national team development program this guy's really electric Ryan Boucher they got a good one here he is and Mike Greer you know being in the Boston area before he went to San Jose was very much around the youth hockey circles and he knows Will Smith very very well he's seen him play a lot so there has to be a real comfortability in picking Will Smith from Mike Greer because he's seen him a lot this kid's a a really talented player I mean one-on-one he can beat a Defender right in front of him he can create in so many ways an unreal passer You could argue that his line that he played with with Gabe Perot uh and Ryan Leonard at the U.S program may have been the best ever uh you know it's worth debating about it's a real talented player and all three are going to Boston they're all going to Boston College and uh San Jose is a long way away from it he could probably be a little bit patient with with uh you know with this player but I I think it's a great pick and we didn't know how it was going to shake out but I know that they got a really talented player in Will Smith that the Sharks did and we'll hear his Wingers announced very soon Leonard will go first and then Perot goes soon after that so again that those three players all go into Boston College this fall and so Megan shica third time four straight centers go at the top of the draft happened in 1981 happened in 2015. we said coming in this is a strong Center ice drop what does this guy bring to the table and you're rebuilding when you're looking at centers right you're stocking the cupboards and Will Smith brings a lot of vision the ability to see the ice and passing lanes that others don't and he actually has a skill to complete those passes moves the puck into dangerous areas needs a lot like an NHL comparable Sebastian Ajo excellent player Elite level offensively creative play making Vision that's Will Smith's calling part I spoke to his agents the last couple days and I was literally on the phone with his agent one of them both are actually today they couldn't get off the phone when I said tell me more about them they just found more and more and they set Integrity very seldom do you hear that yeah yes the skill set yes the ability to beat people off the rush and and generate offense but Integrity they said and the reason why they said that I asked why they said because this is a guy that plays the game the right way that believes in himself believes in his teammates unselfish and believes he has to earn everything in the game and is willing to work to do so yeah he grew up in Lexington Mass a lot of his family and friends are there in Burlington tonight at Tavern in the Square rooting on their their young future Boston College Eagle Will Smith and yes he did walk up to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air music a little note from Pete krupsky who does the play-by-play play for the U.S national development team program the reason why it wears number two his favorite player growing up was Brian Leach and he's going going to Boston College another Eagle so well done great stuff all right the fresh prince of Chestnut Hill Will Smith is with Emily Kaplan well we're all talking about it you got The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song when you walk up there why'd you choose him what was going through your mind when you put on that Jersey I mean I feel like I kind of had to I mean uh the name I mean I'm I'm trying to uh trying to own it and uh I mean I love this song too can you sing it for us right now on camera why not csvn let's go in West Philadelphia born and raised or other playgrounds where I spent most of my days chilling out relaxing relaxing all cool chewing some b-ball outside of school that's incredible it might be more playing school but I know you are an impressive player so tell me who'd you grow up modeling your game after yeah I mean I loved Patrick and growing up um I mean ever since they were winning all those cups even though it was a Bruins fan I loved them awesome and your two linemates at the U.S programmer Ryan Leonard and gay Perot we should see them here tonight get called you're about to be line mates also at Belton College what's it going to be like and what are your expectations for them tonight yeah I mean those are my brothers I love those two guys and um I mean we also got Morty's in the crowd too so um I mean they're the best there I love hanging out with them I love playing with them and um I can't wait to get hear their name called you just wrapped on national TV you're incredible sport thank you will congratulations really well done says a lot about his confidence and personality Morsi is Oliver Moore another electric skater will hear his name as well part of this U.S program and Brian you're you're uh obviously well aware of this U.S development program what does it do for some fans who are unaware and why is it a good route to go when you're a young talented hockey player well I think you know the top players get selected to go there and you know these kids are all their best players in their own respective region and they got they get to go for two years Under One Roof train together practice together push one another you know it's a bunch of alpha dogs in the same place in the end they push each other and it's uh they've got they've had tremendous success in developing not only players but I think quality human beings that uh that are that are that are good leaders when they get to their teams in the National Hockey League and this is going to be another good one in Will Smith all right so Montreal a lot of intrigue around the Montreal pick would they trade it someone trying to move up they figured the first two players who were taken were going to be taken one through four weren't sure of the orders they probably know who they're taking here Megan I would think so but I also think this is a decision that you're looking at a couple times I mean there's Mitch cost yes rumored to be going to Montreal possibly but still we have good players on the board that you maybe think have a bit less downside risks too so I could see them going a variety of different ways haven't won a cup since 93 picking the top five now in consecutive draft for the first time since the 60s here's Montreal's pick [Music] we'd like to start by congratulating the Vegas golden knights [Applause] also like to wish David poyle all the best in retirement generous [Applause] to make our selection I will invite up our former fifth overall in 2005 Carrie Bryce Francois the Canadian Demario are proud to select David [Applause] we planned it that way David reinbacher so David reinbacher that was the player of many people thought they would take he's a big right-handed shooting defenseman Megan chaika 6-2-225 why is he the first defenseman off the board tonight when you're looking at picking that Defender and you're thinking someone's gonna pick him shortly after so Montreal jumping the gun he focuses on simple plays on exit distributes a puck with good timing teammates makes that good first pass enacted to his own well he's Offspring as well so he actually committed to playing in Switzerland I talked with some of his coaches I said he's an excellent person not just hockey player trains well he's a big kid who skates well combined with a great skill set and maybe compared to cider although cider's a little tougher and meaner his coaching actually thinks David has a higher threshold to get to so solid defenseman a little higher than I would expect but he would be the first one on my list second Austrian taken in the top five Thomas former predator in 2003. well here's my thing that I would tell you this with him now the D is open for the defenseman now Ben reinbacher because I wasn't sure it was going to be synonym Chef here right and it goes with reinbacher but Montreal's had a history of having european-born players certainly in the last 30 years they've had a lot of european-born players that have flourished in Montreal Montreal has kind of that International culture Moosh and I think this is a nice piece to add to their blue line which is very impressive right now right shot d-man good size you can see he can move he was able to close on players quickly with his feet maybe not overly nasty but I I think there's a smarts to his game playing a pro game in the Swiss League The Swiss League's a good lead very good it's very skilled it's a good League uh and for a big guy like that a big back yeah I'm big on big backs Bush yeah you can carry a lot of people yeah goes back to Gucci along the wall a good a good pick I mean look I think there's a lot of D in this in this draft that people are thinking about simichev as you mentioned maybe has a little bit more bite to his games but in a lot of people that I talked to they felt like reinbacher was the guy that was going to go first so not overly surprised at Montreal grabbed him a lot of mocks had the top five that were taken now the mystery really began ends here as Matt Bay meechoff The Talented Russian many think is the second best player in this draft but because of obviously geopolitical reasons the three-year PHL contract he's not available right away he is still on the board five picks in of the 2023 NHL draft streams are coming true the Arizona Coyotes first of two number one picks the coyotes on the clock they'll make their selection next on ESPN [Music] welcome back to the 2023 NHL draft John Butcher cross Megan chica from stop Leafs with us again as she was last year Kevin weeks Brian Boucher those are the top five picks taken so far for number one future NHL centers in a really well-rounded defenseman and David reinbacho should be just a solid NHL player big size right-handed shot as we see in the Stanley Cup Playoffs the last few years those are the kinds of guys you win cups with Big D who can move the puck now this is interesting the Arizona Coyotes they need a new Arena they have two number one picks six and 12. they're Russian Matt Bay mitchkoff is on the board some say after Conor Bedard the most talented player in this draft you have in certainty and their color coordinated suits once again the coyotes as they take the stage to make this pick this seems like Boo should take the rush and you're right you have a great asset anyway I would I mean you're you're years away from being that team you've got some Talent you don't know where you're playing right you don't know where you're playing you've got some talented forward prospects why don't you add a real game breaker in Matt Bay mitchcock I I think the coyotes should take them but I I think if you look at what they need I think defense is also an area of need you wonder if they go a different way but I would take mitchkoff seeing that he's there sometimes we see a run right when a defenseman goes you'll want to make sure you get one the Arizona Coyotes with the sixth overall selection of this draft [Music] on behalf of the Arizona Coyotes we'd like to congratulate the Vegas Knights on winning the Stanley Cup we'd also like to thank the Nashville Predators and their amazing fans for hosting us this week and to all of our fans in Arizona at wasted grain in Scottsdale go yotes and to make our selection I'd like to invite Ryan Janikowski the Arizona Coyotes are proud to select from locomotive yaroslava Dimitri simichev weak see that's your boy Zima chef he's shocked what me that's right get up there I'll tell you one thing right now some people have him as being the best D in the draft this is a huge pick by the Arizona Coyotes and keep in mind the fact that there's that defenseman Jacob chickman's no longer there he's in Ottawa keep also in mind the fact that the offensive defenseman is Shane Goss the spirit is no longer there Ekman Larson's no longer there so there's a big vacuum and a big opportunity I should say rather at the defense position I like this pick by them there and that going defense to defense maybe there's ideas that he was going to go earlier than they expected but still a bit of a surprise Puck carrying winning possession said Michelle is great to exit and entry The Zone ability to create and transition to he's you know a good core piece I'm just a bit surprised without really kicking the tires on Mitch cop that they're leaving him on board 6-4 198 now he's probably going to be one of those 6'4 215 beats again can't teach that can't teach that no that's a big boy his best is too small that's how big he is now now good hands right there it looks like he's got some some skill he does yeah got some offense I think the one thing that you hear is people wonder if there's offense to his game but one thing that is apparent to me is his size and the fat the fact that he competes he finishes and to me I like defenseman like that those guys are hard to play against I agree Bouche and I'm gonna Echo this he also only has a two-year deal back in the case okay I'm told from sources not a three-year deal that's a big swing because in the event that it's a three-year deal what happens if they want to retain you I think that's part of the challenge right now with reach golf yeah that's part of the challenge so simichev has a rangey defenseman closes well gaps up very aggressive tough to play against I think this is a really good value pick for them right there he's a big chess player he plays like one to two times every day to improve his IQ that's why he does it played 18 KHL games last year won a bronze medal with Team Russia at the 2022 European Youth Olympic winter festival so it's Dimitri SE Michelle going to the Arizona Coyotes who again pick 12. they're going to get a real good player at 12 as well again for this franchise and flux they don't have an arena deal and so their future in Arizona is still in doubt they're confident they're going to find somebody and a place to play soon and we'll see if that announcement comes this summer the 2023 NHL draft best available players left according to our Megan chica Arizona last time they took a d-man in the top ten Oliver Ekman Larson who's out there in the world again the Flyers on the clock when we return [Music] foreign [Music] NHL draft welcome back and that man Connor Bedard taking first those calls tonight I'm very proud to select Connor Bedard man it's just it's incredible looking down and seeing it on myself so I couldn't be happier and can't wait to get started [Music] and he'll make his debut on ESPN opening night October the 10th in Pittsburgh so here come the Flyers Keith Jones the new president of course our boy John Tortorella second year as head coach new GM Daniel Briere their name Ryan Leonard has been talked about as the ideal flyer a lot of teams like Brian Leonard he's got muscles in his face I mean he's just a man he translates to the postseason and we wonder if he'll be the next pick here is Daniel Brier looks like a young Paul McCartney doesn't he the new gym let it be let it be bro let it be [Laughter] the Philadelphia Flyers would like to thank the city of Nashville for their outstanding hospitality we've had a very good time it's going to get more fun I would like to thank David poyle he was my general manager with the Washington Capitals drafted me in 1988 in the seventh round he got a lot better after that pick Danny with the seven select the seventh selection of the draft the Flyers are proud to select from Saint Petersburg in the KHL matvey mishkov there you go the Russian there he is Matt Bay meechoff some say the second best player in this draft but because of his three-year contract in the KHL certainly the geopolitical situation with the country are you certain to get this guy to come play for your team there's no mystery on his talent though Kevin weeks no no no no no mystery on his talent this guy is an absolute baller he's a gamer of a player he is so skilled some people kind of gave me two cops from people in the KHL in Russia said he reminds me a little bit of Caprice off a hybrid of capris off and of evgeny Malkin he just says stop them all concise right all of that to say all of that to say you're getting an absolute stunt of a player that can play the game any way you want it he's so electrifying so uniquely gifted and talented and now the question becomes for the people in the city of City of Brotherly Love where I was a couple days ago boosh your home of Philly how can we get this guy here what can we do to get him here that's why I say it kind of reminds me a little bit of the capris of situation but great pick about getting him here though you're in a rebuild you just you've traded Kevin Hayes you have time this three years fine developing in the cage y'all come back via 30 40 goal scorer be like capris off our staff leads data actually has a mad Couture off when you map out his style of play an elite shooter a goal scorer 20 points in 27 games higher clip than Ovechkin in his draft year huge ceiling for the seven pick I think this is incredible for Philadelphia it's exactly the type of player they need to rebuild the flyer fans the one argument they would probably save throughout the years they lack a game break correct right true yeah very true this is a game breaker yeah this is a game breaker this this is a guy that is going to be electrifying he doesn't need much time or space to put the puck in the back of the net look you're right Megan three years from now it's gonna go fast I mean because the Flyers are in a rebuild there's going to be more pain to be felt for this organization in the next little while but after that if you do it right you can see that the the optimism comes because you see the Chicago Blackhawks they stripped it down a little bit of pain now they got a lot of picks start to get a game breaker in Bedard the flyers in their own right get a game breaker in in mitchkoff this is this is a real exciting pick for the Philadelphia Flyers uh you just wish you could fast forward those three years real quick yeah exactly and now you have to start building some bridges with some of his folks from his Club over in the KHL complicated it's very complicated but you're gonna have to build Bridges there you're gonna have to establish relationships some of the club representatives from chesca are here with them I'm sold as well which was a little bit of a concern for some of the teams in the interview process but all but one thing that's undeniable is how good of a prospect this is and how electrifying of a player he is so you're right Bush Dave need the game breaker for a long time in Philly work on your Russian torts matvey michkov is with Emily Kaplan Matt Bay what do you want fans in the NHL to know about you foreign [Music] I have no words such emotional moment when do you expect to come to the NHL things quite soon it's your dream to be there and what does it mean to you to get drafted to the NHL um he says it means a lot for him it's his dream and his dream is also to win the Stanley Cup so with Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Deck up next at eight and you know they would have taken them Flyers yep take matte michkov so it's Back in the USSR for Daniel Brier and Paul McCartney exactly the first pick of this 2023 draft and uh again again this is this could be a big moment for the Flyers Megan it's a huge moment and it's a bit of a swing for the fences but if it does hit he comes over and he develops like he is and what is already a men's lead you can know he can score against NHL comparable players this is a gift at seven he and correct me if I'm wrong Megan but in in other years in a perfect world this could be a first overall pick absolutely think about that GMS everyone has said op I say choose the side the skill the elite scoring the shoot first mentality it's incredible you know the highest pick they had you know since was the Nolan Patrick number two correct right and that didn't work out so well this talent in due time this could be the electrifying player that the Flyers have been so so seeking for so long of course he telling Emily that he wants to be there soon well how soon Daniel Briere maybe he has an answer Emily Danny it's the question we all want to know when will metvay mitchkoff join the Philadelphia Flyers well we we can't wait to have that answer ourselves um it is what it is we know he's got a contract for three more season but for us we just felt you know after watching him play um and after meeting him we just felt it's a talent that we cannot pass up and if we have to wait we'll wait and um it is what it is what did he say in that meeting that convinced you that he was your guy um he seemed to have a really good time we met him actually we met him a couple times um and you could tell that for some reason he loved the Flyers he wanted to be part of the Flyers we saw it on stage his reaction was was amazing um you know he convinced us basically in the meeting that um he wanted to be there and he wanted to be a flyer so our staff all felt really really good about about selecting him awesome thanks Danny thanks him just a third Russian taken by the flyers in the first round and listen the Philadelphia Flyers are a global brand make no mistake about it they have Global reach Global fan base I think that's the best pick that they could have made based on who was available he's the best player that was remaining on the board fellas so now what do the capitals do Ryan Leonard is still there devorski Matthew Wood here come the Caps eighth overall with their first round selection [Music] uh the Washington Capitals would like to acknowledge David poyle's longtime contribution to our organization and congratulate him on an outstanding career with the eighth pick Washington selects Ryan Leonard from the U.S development program well there he is we mentioned this is a man muscles in his face he plays mean he played on that U.S line with Will Smith and Gabe Perot and they already got Tom Wilson and they're bringing another mean player to the team not quite the size of Tom Wilson but he certainly has some bite and some Jam to his game and maybe Washington saying okay you want to take our guy we'll take your guy I thought this uh this kid would have made a great Philadelphia Flyer just because of the way that he plays uh but this is a good pick for Washington you can't go wrong this you know we talk about certain types of players that that help you win in the regular season and then you find out about players that you need to win in the playoffs this guy falls into the category of guy that will help you win in the playoffs his game translates to Springtime hockey he's uh he's a sturdy guy he hits he gets in there yet he has skill and he can finish uh he really made significant strides at the at the national program and and a good pick here for the Washington Capital he'll head to Boston College again to play at least one year of college hockey this fall book when you looked at Tom Wilson and what Mr Wilson as I call him has done an impact the game for the Washington Capitals perhaps this is a diet Tom Wilson somebody they're looking at just saying hey a little low calorie but a lot of the same taste the same flavor Scouts are calming the world for another Tom Wilson Jamie Ben tight player so the fact that he has many of those attributes Meg I think bolts exactly will dwell rather for exactly what they're looking for in the nation's capital and not only does he have those attributes but he scored big goals right he had that OT goal he also had the most scoring chances per game in that u18 world championship so he's getting high quality shots he does Leonard has that shoot First Tennessee always looking to shoot in the offensive zone and Volume Plus quality makes scoring Leonard has that in Spades so big body scoring will be good for Washington but certainly looked like a Philadelphia Flyer type player he did he's got guts and I will say this you play with Tom Wilson and you're in the same locker room I'm the same ice as Tom Wilson you get even more guts like you get a little bit more courageous he's going to learn from one of the best in Wilson uh I'm really excited because I I feel like this is I like these kind of players me too I I kind of I just I just like these guys that are not afraid to go in there do the dirty work but also have the skill I think we celebrate skill and speed so much that we forget about what it takes to win and then when I watch him in the way that he plays I think this is the kind of guy that you win with no question and hey by the way when the Washington Capitals won they're standing up against Vegas in their inaugural year on the road Tom Wilson think of the jam that they had in that lineup yeah and those are space creators I love the fact that he's a space Creator out there Emily Kaplan is with Ryan Leonard Ryan at the combine one of the GMS said he remind you remind him of the Chuck Brothers what do you make of that comparison yeah I think it's pretty honoring uh those guys are truly special players and took a beat compared to those guys it's really honoring you're gonna get the chance to play with Alex Ovechkin what's that gonna be like yeah who knows hopefully he doesn't hit me with a one-timer in practice or anything like that but yeah it's really special and for fans in Washington what do you take most proud of in your game uh probably my competitiveness I think that's just kind of like who I am awesome congratulations Ryan thank you he grew up in Western Massachusetts Will Smith go on Boston and there's his family again just a great night we have this draft last year was in Montreal was still tough to get over the border before that it was the virtual draft so it's it's great that it's kind of like the first old school draft in a while but here he is how does this game translate to the next level specifically Brian Boucher is he play a heavy game well at 5 11 it's hard to say that it's heavy okay uh but I think it's one that has bite it's got jammed he's not afraid to get his nose dirty you know so you know I think Wilson's heavy he's six three right but he certainly has those same attributes and what I like about him too is that it's clear that he can play with good players that's right this is not just the guy that's going to go in there and and throw his body around and try and play a role you know he knows that he's got some some skill his game is adaptable it's an NHL game I think it's a guy that a lot of teams truthfully uh need more of they would kill the half I agree yeah and guess what the Vegas golden knights had those players in Spades what's the big part of why they just hoisted Lord Stanley's cup a couple weeks ago red rings are on the clock they pick it nine and 17. I'm told they really like Matthew Wood the Yukon husky who played last year he'll play again for Coach Mike Kavanaugh he'll play center for them probably translates as an NHL Winger he was 17 when the college hockey season started last fall it's kind of a big hockey brain big quad kind of guy again not a not a roadrunner still just 18 years old but maybe Matthew Wood Could Be the guy the Red Wings take here dip wants to get into college hockey as they have two picks I I think they need a center I think they're for a number one Center I mean obviously Dylan Larkin's their number one guy but I I think in a perfect world whether that's through trade or or whatnot that I think that's what they're they're looking for uh maybe maybe uh dalibur uh divorce perhaps um but you know they got plenty of good Wing prospects to me like their deer good as well but I think they could use some centers I think Casper's gonna be a good one a guy that was picked last year but we'll see what they do here they missed the playoffs for seven straight Seasons Steve Eiserman obviously has a lot of rope in Detroit the longest postseason drought for the Red Wings since the early 70s these picks are very important as they try to make the next step the Red Wings first round selection first I'd like to congratulate David poyle fantastic general manager fantastic person and a great friend on a tremendous career also I'd like to congratulate the Vegas golden knights on a Stanley Cup Championship with the ninth pick in the draft the Red Wing select from the Brandon Wheat Kings Center Nate Danielson well there's your Center boost yeah six feet 186 led the Branded Wheat Kings in goals assist and points 33 goals in 68 games what do you like about Nate danielson's game well he's a well-rounded player from from what I see Brandon team wasn't all that strong that he played on so you know that could have hurt his point production you know it's 78 points and maybe that doesn't jump off the page but it wasn't like he he necessarily played on a Powerhouse Powerhouse team some concerns about his skating but he's in all situations type of player and those players are truthfully they're valuable players I mean PP PK five on five he's ranging six foot one in the in the videos that I saw him Megan we talked about that right we did I thought he stayed to the outside a little bit too much for my liking but so there's an improvement there right there's something he can work on coming into this but maybe that speaks to maybe not playing with players that you know that weren't able to finish so he just kind of you know if it's a little bit difficult you don't have the guys the horses to play with maybe that's why you shoot from the outside but all accounts it sounds like this guy's a very good Prospect versatility comes to mind for me with him he's a guy that can do everything fairly well and by the way the one good thing about Brandon they've got a really good program in the fact that they develop NHL players it's an NHL Factory out there Kelly McCrimmon Vegas's GM his part ownership part of the ownership there they've done a really nice job developing players for the branding weekends he seems extremely relaxed doesn't it very chill he's chill he knows that's an original sixth friend [Music] you're kind of a big deal right now yeah and by the way you're exactly you're drafted by the Detroit Red Wings but I just like the I like the fact that there's versatility is the biggest thing that comes to mind in terms of his calling card as a player yeah not two-way sort of heart and soul guy will do well in Detroit the who said he kind of reminds them of it in Hopkins in the early days maybe with the grit and penalty kill not quite on the offensive side but he has that bite to his game that a lot of people really like he is at Edmonton Alberta native as well right-handed shot so again you know obviously the red Red Wings like smart players have Lucas Raymond right now and you know did you hear Gary Batman's announcement keep in mind keep keep in mind here I want to get this in for the fans at home okay the blues have multiple picks here in this draft in this first round so let's keep an eye on what the blues end up doing get some action get there could be some action with the blues they're sitting while and they don't want to just three rebuild this is a retool for Doug Armstrong he's aggressive they won the cup only a few years ago and they they know that if they can make some key moves this off season they could be right back to contending yeah they're trying to move out D and bring in new D that's right the Ford group looks solid maybe they'll bring back Ryan O'Reilly no at free agency always love to hear from Steve eisenmann Emily Kaplan where does Nate Danielson fit into your team both in the short term and long term well um you know obviously he's a centerman uh you know what truthfully we feel we need help you know we're looking for to add at every position but we like the fact that he's a big strong two-way centerman uh we'll plan we see him playing in all situations so I think it's just a valuable type of player to have in your on your team in your organization I asked you last year I'm going to ask you again where are the where are the Red Wings in your reveal sooner than last year uh obviously with the picks that we have with the moves we made at the deadline we're still in a rebuilding phase we're still in a you know collecting assets uh uh through through the draft we're still there we're not at a point where we feel like a we can really start to go for it so to speak so we're progressing I hope to be there sooner than later but where we are uh again is is trying to you know uh use these draft picks use them wisely and build a stable of good young players thanks Steve okay thank you I know the wings are really hoping Ryan Leonard would be there for that selection that was a guy they really had their eyes on but again like like Steve Irishman says you're at the mercy of what the draft board looks like right right you need some luck sometimes like the Flyers this could this could accelerate everything if this dude gets over here right exactly and then you're bad again this you get another pick next year now you're getting these assets cutter gochi he's going to be back next year so Nate Danielson Detroit Red Wing Emily Kaplan what does it mean to you to be a Detroit Red Wing uh it's really special I mean it's been a dream of mine ever since I was a little kid get drafted so to be a part of the Red Wings I'm super excited fans in Detroit want to know a little bit more about you what do you take most pride in as a player uh I think my skating is one of my best parts of my game also I just think I have a very well-rounded game and defensively very responsible and it's offensively very creative and skilled there what players did you model yourself after I like Dylan cousins a lot he's something that I've watched so Western guys so watched him a lot and then someone else like Nick Suzuki I've watched him a lot as well and what are your expectations for yourself next year uh I'm not really too sure right now I mean talking about motions going through my head right now so I'm just super excited to be part of the Red Wings awesome congratulations thank you all right from Detroit to St Louis the blues have three first round picks on the board for the second time in franchise history had that in 2007 took Laura Zeller Ian Cole David perrano I've had solid NHL careers absolutely but man they really are trying to change the face of their team in a big way we'll see what they do here how this is it knee based and just take the best player available and we'll let him develop at a slow rate I think the blues needed the defenseman okay if you look at their back uh you know their back end who do you see is the guy that they might take there's age I mean look it could be Axel sandeen yeah could be we Lander and their last top 10 pick was Petro Angelo boom there you go there's Doug Armstrong without the tie the GM there's a lot of you know the ages of their back end you know 30s I mean a lot of them are in their 30s so I think the defense they got to grab right here in the first pick I'm with you makes sense when you have three picks like they have there's Doug Armstrong the GM Craig barube the head coach chief see what the blues do and if they do indeed take that young defenseman with their first the three picks St Louis Blues are pleased to select dillabor divorceki aik Sweden maybe they were a bit surprised he was there at this 10th election and they probably view him Megan as the best player available perhaps divorce is like Bo Horvat too so an incredible player Puck possession play driver with high stick on Puck possession time he can transport the puck out of the d-zone and into the offensive zone creating offense and could create on his own shot by carrying the puck and creating space for himself was team Slovakia leading scorer in the 2023 under 18 World Championships and he let all forwards in possession time per game so he likes the puck on his deck at just over two minutes a lot of Blues like the puck on their stick Robert Thomas Jordan Cairo at some point we gotta dish it and shoot it boys but uh this is a good guy to get again a strong drive for centers we mentioned that yes and another one goes here the fourth time six centers went in the top ten happened in 2006 2011 and 27. well I can tell you that Craig verube wants guys to compete correct calling card and this guy that he competes uh he plays a 200 foot game and if you don't do that Craig burubi's system you're gonna have a problem and I think this is a guy that perhaps I don't know of a lot of prognosticators had him sliding to 10. but the fact that he was available again Senator ice when we talk about what's the most important positions on your team yep I mean yeah goaltenders are probably the most important we would say that we see and I but centers defense that's how Vegas was built this guy uh he competes you know maybe skating is a concern but I always think you can that's something that you can work on the guy that wants to compete has skill has Vision has hands that's a little bit more difficult and he's got that yeah and I think of the same Lewis Blues team that won the Stanley Cup and you think of what the factor Ryan O'Reilly met down the middle right you start going down the middle of the players that they had in that lineup how those players are able to affect it from the center ice position and yes Craig verube Chief outs there he is there outstanding coach has intensity he's old school but new school and he wants guys that all he has to do is look at them to go over the boards Dallas born diversky is one of those players watching him at the UA team I was very impressed by him every time he got on there and he's also used in all situations including power play and penalty kills so he can tap him to go over the boards at any time and he's at 200 foot game high number of defensive Zone pocket touches shot recoveries and shot blocks so a great well-rounded player and another how High pick for Slovakia yeah a big year for them last year with Jerry slokovski going at one to Montreal this is a really good sign for their program because it's an outstanding hockey country that oftentimes is overshadowed just based on its size but they've had some outstanding players over their history they have and Megan you mentioned it right in the 22 u8 22 u18s and five games you had 12 points led to team that had slavkovsky that had major and then had Nemeth and he was the guy that led the team in scoring so another in uh in the list of players that are coming out of Slovakia they're doing a great job they gave Canada a scare Juniors they were almost there they almost did it probably would have been good for the United States no doubt they were definitely sweating absolutely yeah Slovakia is on a heater they're on a heater right now this is good this is a great sign because the more countries that are developing young players the better it is the NHL teams reap the benefits right on the men's side and certainly the same thing can be said on the woman's side if we can get more countries that are elevating on the girls side of the game yeah let's go let's go all right we are 10 picks into the 2023 NHL draft let's recap if you're perhaps just joining us now started a little early Conor Bedard as expected number one overall to the Chicago Blackhawks again opening night ESPN October 10th will be in Pittsburgh against Sydney Crosby Leo Carlson the big sweet Adam tantilly drops to Columbus at three the Michigan man will play hockey in Ohio Will Smith walked up to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air music as he makes his way reinbacher the first defenseman big right-handed shot Montreal many people thought they might move that pick defenseman we get two D's in a row Arizona with a couple of picks we thought maybe the rusher would go there but no Matt Bay mitchkoff goes to Daniel Brier Keith Jones in the Philadelphia Flyers the first draft pick in the new Administration Ryan Leonard the American off to Boston College goes to the Washington Capitals at eight overall Nate Danielson number nine overall to the Detroit Red Wings the center Iceman that Brian Boucher said that they needed to fill their organizational depth and then dalabor divorceki the Slovak 200 pounds already at age 18. St Louis blue so six of the top ten are centered six countries as weeks he mentioned the more players we develop the more teams we can add the more expansion fees we can collect the more the game can grow no trade jet we thought there'd be some action but so far the top 10 picks stayed where they were in this Talent Rich draft and take the player take the good young player perhaps the trades will pick up later but the Vancouver Canucks do not have a second round pick Rick tockett hired last January they've missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons a very important pick for them at 11. Gary Bettman welcomes Jim Rutherford Cami Granado and the rest of the Vancouver Canucks I I think it defends here out of their prospects only one is a d-man in their top prospects all right so the Vancouver Canucks with their first round think so all right I like that I like that yeah here is their pick who's going to step up come on don't be shy get involved Vancouver Canucks are proud to select from roguela Swedish Junior League Tom willander okay they do take the defensive take a d-man though good for them good for them I I Echo your point boosh and the fact that they need to really rebuild that stable on the back they have to stunt in Quinn Hughes right now but he needs help they need help on the back of their Meg they need them and the NHL comparable for him is Seth Jones boys with the puck High success rate when under pressure and in traffic which translates well in the NHL pop distribution by willender quick decisions and puts teammates in position to make the next play I think this is a solid pick for Vancouver if they're looking for a defenseman and these are hard to find you usually build through the draft you know how expensive they are in the trade market or impossible to get right stride demon he's got good size I mean the one thing about Axel sandeen kalika he's a little bit smaller yeah I think wheelander is a guy that can run a power play he's a good skater he moves the puck he plays hard he saw it all around he's going to Boston University yeah in the fall I think that Jay pandolfo my man was right there in the shot and and I think that uh this will give him a little bit more time to get a Little Bit Stronger but they needed prospects like I was saying before they made the pick out of their top nine prospects that they have only one is a d-man and that's Jack Rathbone they needed to they needed to get a d-man and I think this is a good one yeah if you're a college hockey fan you're excited all this high 10. high first round Talent going to play college hockey yeah this fall another one coming in Tom wheelander playing for Jay pandolfo both bu and BC will be loaded this year they'll be top 10 preseason teams the bean pot will be fine I was gonna say frozen fours and St Paul this year we'll see the fine folks of Minnesota up there in St Paul next April for the Frozen Four and Vancouver gets there Swedish defenseman hit them pretty well with swedes over the years my boy Ryan Johnson RJ with little stubble mint top next the Arizona Coyotes will pick again remember they pick sixth now they'll pick again 12 for their second of two first round picks it's all been about Conor Bernard a big contingent of Blackhawk fans made the drive down to Chicago to cheer him on yeah thank you for everything I love you so proud of you oh yeah foreign [Music] number one overall who will go 12th overall this is the pick that Arizona got in the Jacob chikron trade from Ottawa the pick is next here's the next UFC event from the Apex in Las Vegas middleweight Main Event the three limbs begin Saturday afternoon for Eastern one Pacific followed by the main card seven Eastern for Pacific on ESPN de Mortez and plus gorgeous night in this great American city of Nashville Tennessee so much on the line here come the color coordinated Arizona Coyotes we saw Matt Bay mitchkoff who had the same colored suit on maybe he thought he was going to go to Arizona here's how they got this pick remember the Jacob chicken trade we waited forever to trade Jacob chick when he finally did and we got a 12th overall now this pick a second conditionally next year and then the second way back in 2026. so this is a result of trading Jacob chicken it could take another D here as well if they wanted to there's some good ones on the board [Music] Here Comes the Arizona coyote contingent to make the 12th overall pick their second year of the first round [Applause] the Arizona Coyotes are proud to select from Yaris level Daniel boot all right so it's boot [Music] nowhere fans or boots about it weeks no F adds our boots about it and another Russian has taken absolutely and for the Arizona counties at this point and going for somebody like boot it's a little bit earlier than some people anticipated he would have been selected but nonetheless there's a lot of skill there's really good size and they have the benefit that who should touched upon earlier of not having that urgency in their window to be able to allow something like boot to develop so to pick this early you hope they see a very high ceiling exactly his NHL comparable is an Alex talk shoe first tendency always looking to shoot when the offensive zone Elite Russian in that sense is in and around the puck in the ozone and gets to the net as a passer has a high completion rate but tends to keep things simple which might not translate as much in the NHL Arizona takes two Russians with these yeah first two picks at six and twelve yeah high level skill is is in a long time people a long time well you know better than short like mine yeah I I agree I think I I think along tie is better than a short guy but you know high level skill for a big guy yes right rangy he's not the most physical guy but clearly there's room to grow inside that frame have you got a guy that's big like that that can they can dangle guys to me those guys are hard to find and if the comparable is Alex tuck you know he's the guy that when he's on he's on and look at the hands right there I mean able to get around that Defender he's got a guy like that in a dangerous area and they're gonna they're gonna do some damage yeah six five and I think when you look at the progression of somebody like Alex tuck in Buffalo and also Tage Thompson in Buffalo maybe that kind of enticed yeah Arizona Coyotes wrong development correct 25 100 yeah longer development Arc and say Hey listen once they grow into their body they get they become not just familiar but comfortable in their own size and learn how to kind of assert themselves with that size Meg they're seeing they're seeing the fruits of that in Buffalo right now to their credit but how many how many people how many people gave up on Dave Thompson oh yeah right absolutely there was injuries a lot of people forgot about him and that Ryan O'Reilly trade and it just took a little bit of time you just gotta hang in there with some players I know he's not a centerman but this is a big guy that's got the skill just like that and I if I'm the Arizona counties I'm going to Thompson's dad and trying to get Daniel Booth into the exactly yeah 100 get him in the big man cap developing the big man because that's exactly what happened with Chase Thompson and you could see a lot of that in Alex tucks game as well but you need that commitment to work on improving that more complex plays no questions getting your body yeah that training element to be able to compete at an NHL level for sure and that's uh that's a high bar yeah it is Boom it definitely is Boost dad Anton was a fifth round pick of the devils in 1998. at 6'5 with skill I'm sorry what I see right there is nasty I'm telling you all right guys and reach I mean they're playing the left wing on his offside yeah I see he's got the skill to do it I I think uh players like this they're hard to find and if they hit their their grand slams I couldn't agree more I could not agree more second time since 2005. three Russians in the top 15. as the coyotes take two Russians of those three kind of senko sketchnikoff and claps off with a three taken in 2018 in the top 15. three Russians taken in the first 12 picks and the Buffalo Sabers are on the clock and as he's the Sabers in the really interesting part of their obviously maturation as a team looking to make the playoffs they missed it for the 12th straight season they're getting closer under Kevin Adams and Don Granado they have a lot to choose from right here I love Oliver Moore who's still out there reads here guys absolutely fly here are their last five first round selections power came in right away as we mentioned the other four were still waiting to make obviously make an impact they haven't played yet they haven't played yet but a lot of depth in this organization a lot of depth and I'm always partial to Buffalo being a Toronto horn kid I want they have such amazing fans there you'd love to see them take the next step of the progression they just missed the playoffs this year and I think I look at somebody like is it a Richie is it musty I look at some is it Colby Barlow and on sound I look at somebody that's a little bit more of a power forward maybe to add to their group what about when you said musty he's a buffalo kid yes that would be a great pick he has a saver spin too a big body with some skill um I do think they need defenseman I mean when you look at their d uh Darlene power Samuelson and then after that I think they could do something you know they got Matt Savoy that they they drafted last year Isaac Rosine Yuri Coolidge yep so I I mean they could go defense here but boy the musty the musty one sounds awfully intriguing seeing that he's a local kid 91 points last year for Buffalo their highest point total in 12 years Emily what's the latest on the floor you know I'm right here by the Blackhawks table I just saw Kyle Davidson on the phone I know they're one of the teams that wanted to move up in the first round they have a boatload of picks 11. it's been really difficult for them to do it's been difficult for anyone to move up in the first round the only two teams I've heard about shopping their first round picks are the Toronto Maple Leafs and St Louis Blues both of them have late first round picks but they're looking for roster players so we'll see if something materializes here but so far no no trades to report okay so the Buffalo Sabers but there's Kevin Adams the Miami University product in Oxford Ohio Stanley Cup champion done a terrific job absolutely done a great job shout out to our boy Rico blasey who was there in Miami with him Miami of Ohio absolutely here we go up at St Thomas now building that new D1 program up in St Paul so who will the Buffalo Sabers take at 13th overall as they continue their march to try to end that missing the playoff drought the Buffalo Sabers are proud to select from Winnipeg and the Western Hockey League Zach Benson a lot of people like this guy just smart right High hockey IQ again not a big dude five nine one seventy what does he project to Megan chica well shout out to Dom galamini and Sam Venture are their analytics group clearly have the data on this young gentleman Travis connectney is the nearest NHL comparable hi tenacity player with offensive instincts who is always around the puck and goes to high traffic areas and plays bigger than his size yeah you know he's a high-end motor and my favorite trade of this player is that he was the engine for Winnipeg All Season that also has high-end talents correct really push them forward really really push them forward 98 points this year it was a big year for him and this is one of those players that yes plays bigger than his size very competitive offensive gifted offensive player and everybody I talked in the who kept telling me we see I hope this guy does not fall because he's such a skilled player he's such a consistent player and he's a player that you love to have on your team for all the right reasons slick player makes plays down low Megan you said it not afraid to go to high traffic areas at five nine you know guys can guys can shy yeah you know from wanting to play in those areas he does not he he likes to draw players to him a slick passer some of those passes that he made down low on the goal line remind me of Patrick Kane now I'm not saying no I know exactly I'm saying when you watch some of the videos you're like wow you know the boys to hang on to it draw a couple people in and then boom you slide it to your teammate uh this by all accounts uh they're not big aside from Tuck and Tage Thompson not a lot of their prospects are huge right for the Sabers well they're going skilled they're right there let's get the best team weekend high-end talent and he actually led the who in shorthand points this season we'll see if that if that theory works well there was word that the Pittsburgh Penguins had their eye on Zach Benson well they're not going to be able to take him now they're on the clock the first selection of Kyle dubis as the man in charge in Pittsburgh is next [Music] the start of another season of the National Hockey League on ESPN [Applause] that's hustle does it again the fans on their feet the golden knights are Stanley Cup champions [Applause] opening night is Tuesday October the 10th triple header coverage part of that triple header game two Chicago Blackhawks at the Pittsburgh Penguins the Penguins on the clock they picked next 14th overall and a member of the Blackhawks joins us now who will be in that game Connor Bedard congratulations if the penguins pick we'll take a quick timeout and then continue our discussion with you as they make their way to the stage now so just the first quick question how do you feel right now are you tired are you are you you want to go home or you're still pumped I'm just excited and um so just uh excited honored to be here and um you know this organization you know means so much to the city of Chicago and um you know the NHL so um you know I couldn't be couldn't be more thrilled with well hang on for a second here comes the Penguins fan that's good first like to recognize the great career of Nashville Predators General Manager David poyle not only a great general managers than great for hockey but a great mentor to Young general managers getting into the game thank you David with the 14th selection in the 2023 NHL entry draft the Pittsburgh Penguins are proud to select from the Moosejaw Warriors Braden Yeager all right so it's Braden Yeager what do you know about Braden yeah I know him uh know him pretty well so I'm super excited to see him what's the strength of his game what kind of player play analysts for us how would you describe his game oh there's there's so much I mean he's so good 200 foot so so fast so powerful he can he can score goals from anywhere and uh make great create a lot of offense so uh you know I'm really happy for him to see him go and uh Pittsburgh's getting a very far A little right-handed shot right there yeah I had a bit of a lazy back check there we've got to play 200 feet now yeah awesome so I have goalies man but let's talk about you again you're going to play your first NHL game if everything goes well in Pittsburgh against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins that's really cool national television in Canada and here in the U.S when you look at always Crosby's attributes what's your favorite one what's the most important one you think he has ah man there's so many I think I gotta go with this Hawkeye IQ um the way he thinks the game the way he can you know create plays obviously but also in his own end and you know on face-offs and everything can he can manipulate the game in so many ways and um you know obviously he's my idol growing up then um you know it's so fun so fun watching every year he hasn't slowed down at all so uh he's incredible can you take a mini stick in the nose or something or run into a door what happened there yeah Saturday night I was on the ice take a high stick thank you I have a question for you because I I've said this a couple times here at the desk I feel like we've known about you for six seven years and the amount of pressure that is on a young man to come through after you know with all the hype what do you attribute your ability to do that too who helped you get through all that to get you to this moment um I think it's been nice for me to have it kind of gradually grow it wasn't an overnight thing and um for me my parents are great agency's great with all that my sister but uh you know for me personally it's uh just focusing on what I can control and you know I wake up I want to get better on the ice every day and off the ice of course so um you know that's kind of my mindset and but um you know kind of that outside noise nothing I really focus on too much I've got a question because I love the fact that you're a hockey nerd you just alluded to it we spoke about it earlier you're a fellow hockey nerd you can sleep read the game at what age that you can remember were you telling your parents okay I want to bring the rollerblades on vacation but at what age did that kind of come to fruition for you you can recall ever since I can remember really uh I remember the first time I skated I didn't like it but the second time I loved it and ever since I spent like six hours on the ice if I could like whatever it was I just always want to be on the ice and it hasn't really changed it's awesome and I'm not just a hockey nerd I'm also into sports science and training so take me through what your training looks like this off season to prepare for the NHL yeah I mean that's so important the offi standpoint nutrition and of course being in the gym and you know I've been working out um since early April I guess since we got knocked out and for me that's so huge it helps you try to get faster and stronger more powerful everything in the gym for because the NHL's you know pretty good League above average what's up what's the flex what's the flex that you're going with now on the stick what's your Flex that you're using right now it's like 71 72. wow kind of in there so I like it uh yeah but personally you could yeah at what age did you go to that to that Flex did you tweak it along the way it's always been pretty pretty this the same yeah um yeah I don't know just I try going out but it wasn't wasn't really for me and um you know I like kind of where I'm at with that right now well the natural predators are on the clock like when you come in here to play Road games you'll hear a lot of your own fans here and them as well it's pretty cool atmosphere isn't it yeah it's awesome um you know I think I think that they've been they've been booing every other team except the Fred so that's that's I actually got to watch a playoff game here when I was about 12 years old so um it was crazy how passionate they are yeah thank you for all you've done your ambassador to the game and you haven't played a game yet it's a really great job appreciate your energy and your love of the game thank you make it a better League that you're here now appreciate thank you so again Nashville the hometown team at this year's draft is on the clock Connor by the way we'll head to Chicago Chicago this Friday so maybe you'll see Connor walking around the city say hi thank you all right so again the natural Predators have a new man in charge Ferry trots as the new guy taking over for David Foyle who's been honored tonight multiple times and you can see they have a new coach and Andrew brunette he's going to get another shot to go in for Joel quenville in Florida last year guided them to a president's trophy was let go by the Panthers they decide to go with Paul Maurice Bruno went to New Jersey to be an assistant with Lindy Ruff matril plucks him and it's interesting about Barry trucks right we consider him a defensive coach not now he wants talents get me skill get me a lot of skill get me a ton of creativity speed that's a big part of the Mandate under Barry trotz in the transition from David Foyle and with my man Andrew Burnett as the head coach they want to be fun to play fun to watch and play a very up-temple stop they got cap space 15 million yeah to build that bottom six if they want to do it that way missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years in Nashville they were a team that had they were so deep on the back end not as deep as they were once were I wonder if they go defense or maybe they go for the X Predator kid and Yannick parole yes I'd like to see David Boyle say before he make my pick I like to honor myself for my contribution to the NHL all right the preds will it be Perot in some sick skill [Music] here we go smashville from the University of Connecticut Matthew Wood so there he is yeah Matthew Wood I talked to his college coach Mike Kavanaugh on Monday he'll return to college hockey and play for Kavanaugh in the fall he says he'll play center for him at UConn he's a British Columbia product he was 17 when the college season last year started led the UConn Huskies in scoring still just 18 years old but he's 6'4 he's big yeah he's got you know a good lower frame and I asked what's his best attribute coach Cavanaugh says his brain he's got he thinks the game and he's a smart player well because his skating is not right the strength of his I think you have to think the game in order to have success but make no mistake this guy's got high-end skill and the numbers that he's put up like you mentioned at UConn impressive almost a point per game at the u18s 13 points in seven games wow this is a really talented player again I feel like skating that's something that you can work on maybe the first step's not there he's a big boy maybe it takes a little bit longer uh but no mistake make no mistake about it this guy can fill the net and more u18 advanced stats in scoring chances per game he was third and he was also leading Canada trailing Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perot who we might see go as well so high-end talent that he's competing with getting those high quality shots that you want to see because that's what translates in the NHL so here's the salary cap you have to make some moves and get creative the Predators did that they were able to move on from Ryan Johansen move him out to Colorado and this is a similar tight player to Ryan Johansen in terms of size he's got the skill 6-4 Center can pass and shoot so I think this is a really good solid pick for congrats his NHL comparable with Brock besser so make that exactly like that I like that I like that a lot I get back to college for maybe maybe even three years in college this is a long-term project here but a guy who could turn to be a really good Pro with that size Parts in hands you see what Mark Stone has done with head in hand you've got Elite head in hands you can play in this and I love you saying that because you saw those attributes from Mark Stone in Ottawa yeah and by the way absolutely Ottawa shift to shift and credit to the Vegas goal the knights were being aggressive going out and getting and bringing him into the fold by the way two back surgeries later and they just hold twice Lord Stanley's cup he's the captain of that team so I like to point there UConn hasn't been a D1 program very long but now they have two number ones Tage Thompson was the first back in 2016 and this is you know not quite as big as Tage Paige was real skinny at this age this guy's already got again he's got a big big legs and he's going to be a strong guy who can you know be tough to move around the net and use those hands and bring right and you can tell he's a smart player right now exactly he knows where to go to get to spaces where he can get Puck get the puck and then rip it uh when you have those instincts those are the guys that get the points the fourth husky taken in the NHL draft Emily Kaplan is with Mr wood Mather you're the youngest player in college hockey last season what was that like for you um yeah I mean I was able to you know go to University of Connecticut and they welcomed me really well and it's a great culture there and I love playing there I love playing for the coaches there and I love the the guys there and I'm really happy uh that I'm able to play there I hear that you wear number 71 because you love evgeny Malkin what do you like specifically about him uh I mean I've always you know looked up to him he's a big you know forward that can score and he makes unbelievable plays and he's a really really special player so I've always looked up to him we're talking so much with him tell me something I don't know about that kid um I mean he's you probably already know this but he's just an unbelievable person down to earth and um I mean he works super hard and he's going to be really special awesome congratulations yes thank you guys all right I'll tell you this too Matthew Wood is another product of the bcj yep the BC Junior League out west in British Columbia that's the best tier two league in terms of producing college players in North America right now they're on a heater out there in terms of producing College hockey players offensive players like the correct the guys that come out of there they can score yes create offense I would say the USA I love USHL too the USA tells it seems more structured yes you know we're the BC League like that the top two lines those guys can go and they can create and generate and uh so if that's what you're looking for yeah that that's where you can find some talent and you know for Matthew Wood obviously he's a bigger guy I think college is the right route from seeing that it's going to take a little bit longer to physically mature Barry trots with Emily Kaplan Barry where does Matthew Wood fit into your team both the short and long term well I think in the short term we're going to let them develop you know you look at the profile goal score we feel that he's got he's a long way to to grow I mean you know but he's a he's a big body uh he can score um you know we're just going to let him develop and you know we feel that we can get the right right profiles you know those Dynamic people to get you out of these seats a little bit um you got to score goals in this game and uh you need some size to win in the playoffs so hopefully he uh checks two of those boxes and I keep hearing about how active you've been this past big other phone hate mentor and David and and surrounded by some some great assistant general managers right now and you know I'm just trying to touch base I'm trying to try different things you know that uh we want to you know we've got so many young kids coming you know I want to change the profile uh we were you know a defensive team for a number of years and I coached it um we found ways we you know we had the greatest breaks and the Chicago teams we have to take care of himself and the guys are adopting a little more offense awesome thanks Barry like this ninth the uh congratulate the uh Vegas golden knights on the Stanley Cup Championship and finally uh there's not a general manager sitting at the table tonight or anybody that's been a manager in this league for the last 25 years it hasn't been plausibly influenced by David Foyle he did his job with class and dignity and honesty and uh wish him lots of success much success in his uh future for our first pick I'd like to introduce our new general manager Craig Conroy [Applause] I want to thank all our season ticket holders back at the draft party at the Telus Club in the Scotiabank Saddle Dome hope they're having a good time uh with our first pick we're going to take from the Vancouver Giants Samuel hanzig Conroy Begins the popular Calgary flame so much energy from Craig Conroy I was gonna say this continues that Trend and for Samuel hanzig he has potential there's a high ceiling certainly for the Calgary Flames they would have a chance of seeing hanzek play against the Calgary Hitman right there in their own building so they got a real good sample size in terms of getting their eyes on him but I look at him as being more of an all upside pick at this point get out of that size too is NHL comparable to Timo Meyer yeah who we were talking about a lot today he grows to the front of the net in the offensive zone and around high traffic areas consistently High number shot attempts off rebounds jury is still out for some people on warehill land but Essentials are there good big skater good hands strong solid pick for Calgary they've seen him a lot in the who is a huge year for the who yes it is absolutely he's a big north-south type player so if you want an honest player this is this is who you're getting and I think look I mean he's got he's got good he's got good skills not great skills but he's the type of guy that can play on a top line and compliment you know some high-end players but he's also a guy if you got to drop him down so maybe the bottom half of your your bottom nine he can go in there and be a banger too so I think he will determine what he becomes at the next level will he be that guy that's more of a third line guy that is big and physical and keeps it simple or is he a guy that is your north south guy that plays on the walls and can play with good players and then produce his second half of his season was really good after the world juniors he got hurt at the world Slovakia and his second half was really strong which is a positive sign all right a new era in Calgary begins new GM new head coach up next the Detroit Red Wings with their second first round pick Broadway in Nashville is cooking the Red Wings on the clock and they pick next [Music] foreign College hockey news yesterday in 2021 in a continued effort to grow hockey at the college level the NHL and NHL PA in collaboration with Tennessee State the Predators and college hockey Inc funded a feasibility study through the NHL and the PA's industry growth fund armed with positive results from that study all sides continued to work towards making hockey a TCU a reality that announcement came yesterday so the first HBCU to have an ice hockey program at any level congratulations Tennessee State the Red Wings pick when we come back welcome back to the draft the Red Wings on the clock this pick part of the Philip heronic deal no trade yet quiet I can't understand very quiet quiet cell service is not good here maybe that's the reason why not right wrong it is not right it's trify we're trying to find it for NCAA prospects recruits taken in this draft another good night for Russia and Slovakia and as we mentioned no trade the top 16 Picks kept their selections the Red Wings on the clock now they certainly could move down if they want it or do something Jim nil got the Jim Gregory award for GM of the year so the clock was uh the draft clock was kind of paused for a bit so here are the Red Wings Steve Eiserman of course with another first round pick as they continue to slowly build assets they haven't quite got that home run franchise guy like icono Bedard when they picked High [Applause] that's the heronic trade he went to Vancouver along with a fourth they got a the 17th overall pick and also a second round pick they have three seconds so they'll pick five of the top 43 players in this deep draft see the pick originally belonged to the Islanders trades the connection the Horvat deal and now it's the red wing selection best available Megan what do you think if you were in Steve eisenman's shoes as they make their way to the stage well I have parole but you're looking at Eiserman he loves to draft out of these European pro teams I'm thinking he goes with palika defense NHL comparable to Chris Letang strong pick for him and he's still available at this point so I would guess he's leaning that way but you can't go wrong with parole either again they missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season 80 points last year was the highest point total in seven years so they're trending up but there's a lot of teams coming Ottawa Buffalo New Jersey certainly On The Rise already they made the playoffs last year so it's these picks are all so important here come the Red Wings pick number two in the first round for them here comes Steve Eiserman to the microphone one more time before making our selection I'd like to thank all the Red Wing fans back in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena who are watching the draft live we really appreciate your support with the 17th pick the Red Wings select from Celestia Sweden of the shl axel sandinpalica here we go almost too easy oh you nailed it give us some of this guys uh some more attributes on him well at that u18 tournament in 2023 he was a top defenseman and he also not only shot attempts but possession time per game he was second with 245. that puck possession polica influencing the pace of play with decision making and pop control toys Beyond his years he holds on the puck and makes those plays you can see why Detroit would like that style of player a little bit of a no-brainer in terms of Eiserman always reaching for Europe but he didn't have to reach for this one he fell to him there were some people that feel this is the best defenseman in the draft absolutely maybe he's not still wise yeah yeah right and maybe he doesn't have the size of maybe a reinbacher or simichev but from a skill standpoint this guy's got it and he can skate himself out of trouble great feat he passes it well I think this fits the mold of what the Detroit Red Wings are trying to become which is a a skill based team uh that has talent not only up front but on the back end as well they had quite the success in a Swedish defenseman and Nick Lynch from uh in years past their pedigrees yeah exactly that's their pedigree in Detroit they've had so much success and familiarity with swedish-born players in their modern history and in saying all of that you have Simon Edmondson back there already you also have Moe cider already and now you get a guy that's kind of a cop to a crystal tang-esque yeah type player and a defenseman that can generate offense and when when the Puck's on his tape he's that skill this Morse high-end skill forwards that is absolutely Dynamite for the wingspan back in Motown and for the pure michiganders that are tuned in drinking the Vernors right now during this draft I like this selection this is a bit of a slow build for Detroit but they're gonna come out on waves when they're ready yeah you know eiserman's playing a long game here and they're going to hit a lot of teams very hard with this high-end talent and there's my man Chris Draper to the left of the movie yeah had such a successful career with Detroit he's an outstanding executive he's in rinks all the time and I'll say this about Steve Eisman as well he's not the the most the warmest in terms of Personality per se but he too is in rinks all the time he's won the hardest working exact Steve Eisman I got to give him a lot of credit for that you know what what really the respect that I have for Steve Eiserman and his staff is that they they are so real in what their assessment of their group is if you ask them like they're not they don't try and paint a picture that isn't there they're honest they know that they they still are a ways away they're not ready to strike they want it like as you mentioned that slow build that's what they want to get to uh I really respect that because a lot of teams at trade deadline yeah would have gotten excited and really said hey maybe where we can make a push here and get in Steve Eisenman knows they're still a couple years away keep building stay the course and in the end uh this team could be a good one once again for a long long time Emily Kaplan with the newest Red Wing Axel the Detroit Red Wings have such a rich history with Swedish players what does it mean to you to wear this jersey uh I mean it's an unbelievable feeling uh I mean I've had great talks with Detroit before and you know I had a great feeling when when they were coming up to pick and I'm very happy that they picked me so I'm very happy what went on to those talks when you talked to Steve Eiserman and his staff what set uh nothing special really like the meetings are pretty usual to the other teams but uh you know the Swedish Scouts talk to me a lot and you know they like me and yeah I have a great feeling about the organization I'm excited to join them yeah when do you think you can play in the NHL uh we'll see it's hard to tell but uh the next area I'm gonna play shl so we'll see what what happens after that awesome Tech yep thank you one of two defensemen in this class under six feet and 180 pounds or lighter so those are the two red wing picks on this evening they're also be active in the second round up next the Winnipeg Jets he might if you go on Craigslist and see a Winnipeg jet for sale don't be surprised because uh we see they're there to be aggressive they're a big player they're looking to restock and they're they're kind of like St Louis they don't want to stink they don't want to tear it down they want to reward their fan base for the you know the Loyalty they show and the ticket prices they pay for and have a good team what can they do well I don't know I talked to some members of their staff that I know quite well on the way in here and I asked specifically what's the latest on Connor hellebuck and one member of the staff's like I don't comment on individual players well I got news for you I got news for you spicy Cooks was very real in his season ending press conference and saying he doesn't want to be a part of a rebuild right and that's a Michigan native so I know there are a lot of teams that are eyeing Connor hellebuck to me what'll be very interesting is what they end up doing with Connor hellebuck they made the big trade of course with Pierre Luke Dubois I think they got a great return and Gabe belardi and I have following some of the pieces in that deal so I'm curious to see what they do with the selection but all things are for their franchise goalie AKA franchise quarterback where does this go that's what I want to see yeah that's uh that's a tough loss in hellebuck there's no doubt about that in Winnipeg let's be honest I mean it's a tough place to attract players so you have to you have to draft well you have to develop them while you have them under your control the trade with the LA Kings those are young guys that are under their control so when you draft the player right now you hope you dropped a good one you hope you got him for seven years at least and if he leaves after that he leaves after that but hopefully he can get the talent and skill that'll help you win in that in that time frame when they're young they made the play 2005 of the last six seasons of course they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions in five games the Vegas golden knights the pick is in for the Winnipeg Jets at 18th overall in the 2023 drought [Music] [Applause] behalf of the Winnipeg Jets I'd like to thank the city of Nashville for tremendous events I'd love to congratulate David poyle for a tremendous career thank you very much for all your mentorship I also would like to say hello to all our fans back at Canada Life Center our draft barbecue Winnipeg Jets are proud to select from Owen Sound of the OHL Colby Barlow you like it wigsy you like them boosh I do um again if you if you pay attention to the players that I like I mean there's a trend you're a Ruffian yeah I uh I like the guys that play the game hard and this is another one of those guys that that plays the game hard he reminds me like when you look at him he reminds me a little bit of Mason McTavish like that kind of build um he's got a great Dragon release his one time is a great he plays hard he's strong he was a captain in Owen Sound he's an old school player the the one thing maybe is that when you look at him you can see he's got a full beard yeah perhaps that's what he is right and maybe that's why uh he goes at number 18 but the intangibles are there for a player that I think you can you can wrap your your team around and say this is a guy that's gonna lead us into the fight and and be a good player for us hey look I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't play an Owen Sound in two years my first two year as a junior and one thing about playing in Owen Sound is just a small tight building and you've got to be able to willing to pay the price you can't put up Phantom numbers playing in that building and this guy is a hard Edge player a skill player a real prototypical power forward he gets to all of the areas that not everybody loves going to to generate his offense and he's a leader and you can see by his face he's the man that's an NHL guy already and he's only gonna film out and get even bigger physically I love this selection by the Winnipeg Jets and he gets to those closed areas but he also has good hands in those tight areas so he can finish and you're right Brian effective one-timer I had that underline twice I heard that from everyone but he also is smart he actually was the OHL Scholastic Player of the Year award so you're getting smart sense good human being as well off the ice dedicated to to being better which should translate in the NHL when you're thinking about that long pathway that it'll have 46 goals and he had a big year and on sound man 46 goals I mean he could have gotten to 50 and fifth in the league yeah with those 46. I mean you know to me he's an NHL type of player his game it translates to the NHL game and again another one of those players that make when you get to the postseason season I think his game becomes even more valuable the youngest captain in Owen Sound attack history yeah first player selected from the O the OHL the Ontario Hockey League this year been a great night for the who but the first one the O and still none from the queue yet right we're still waiting for our first correct pick correct when we come back Chicago who began the night with Conor mcdard select again their second pick number 19 overall they got four in the second round they got two in the third they are building the cupboards in Chicago the draft continues with the Blackhawks next foreign won the Jim Gregory GM of the Year congrats to him you see the candidates were Bill Zito of Florida Don Sweeney of the Bruins all deserving yeah the congrats to Jim Mill one of the great Statesmen in the game he's a gentleman 100 Plastering through long time Red Wing front office opening night is Tuesday October 10th we have a triple header for you which will be a lot of fun we'll begin in where Tampa you got it as the Predators these Predators host of the draft will play the Tampa Bay Lightning then it's Conor Bernard's first NHL game in Pittsburgh and then Vegas raises this cup Banner against Seattle so here's how the Blackhawks got this 19th overall selection the big trade last year when once again Tampa Bay hold an exciting trade they give us so much entertainment in the trade again Brandon Hagel has turned out to be an excellent acquisition by then got a fourth and a fourth give up a couple prospects and this number one so what does Kyle Davison do here the youngest active GM in the NHL Anna Bedard was the easy pick now it gets a little more difficult 19th overall and again he can really go anywhere it's a very candid long-term project for them this is multiple years three four five so let's see what Davidson does with his second first round pick of the night again he's got four seconds as well to play with two-thirds [Music] with the 19th pick in the NHL draft the Chicago Blackhawks are very proud to select Oliver Moore from the U.S national development program I love this dude I mean this dude is electric everyone can skate well this guy stands out yep this guy can fly oh my goodness can he moved hands down the best skater in the draft uh his Giddy Up step I mean it is something else he can create off the rush the question is can he create other ways but the one thing I do know whether he can or can't is at speed is a problem if the speed is a problem for Defenders and for the opposition and this guy has got it in spades uh him you know along with Connor Bedard like you think about you know you got a dynamic player in Bedard they can do it all and then you got a guy and Oliver Moore will probably plan another line who's just going to back people off with his speed the thing about Oliver Moore is that at the program he did not play on the top line he was the guy playing on the other line and yet uh he still put up 75 points had nine points in the u18s so this was not the guy that was playing with the best players at all times and yet he's still produced uh but this is a guy with speed that you just don't see all the time he'll probably play with Logan Cooley at Minnesota this year he's a gopher and I'll tell you gopher fans this guy's gonna bring you out of your seats at Mariucci oh yeah he definitely will bring them out there in the land of 10 000 lakes and what he does is by attacking the opposition with that feed he puts them under duress yeah he's got a V12 it's not a V8 engine it's a V12 you can hear that exhaust when he steps on it in a blink of an eye he can gain not only acceleration but zones with his speed it's that electrifying from our data set you on the cycle he can actually move the puck into that middle of the ice and set up teammates High involvement players so he probably can make an impact on the cycle but off the Record is his bread and butter with that speed Puck retrieval in anticipation you know shows that determination and tenacity which is maybe why he got up to this point yeah second and third efforts is the stuff that I saw that's a great point right and you know like when I when I I think of Dylan Larkin when I see him because he's still a marketing the NFL comparable I have some data yeah you know I like speed kills I mean it's tough to play against I mean you hope that he can catch up with the speed at the NHL level that it can all click if it can you've got yourself a dangerous project I love you saying the second and third effort because quite often with the speed Merchants they figure that the speed is enough to get them there yeah to win a battle to be first to put position to generate an opportunity so when you add that speed with the second and third effort there it is it's being that competitive and that's why I was saying on this desk all year long give Dylan Larkin is free yeah in Detroit you got it and I'm you remember booty yes I do and I'm glad he finally got it because he has that ability he saw his mom Shauna saw his mom Shawna she's won 10 marathons including one Boston so incredible she's got a lot of stamina and Emily Oliver's got speed Oliver we keep talking about your speed someone at the U.S program said you're in the same speed category as Conor McDavid what do you think of that comparison yeah I mean that's a that's a stretch for sure I think he's obviously a great player but I think yeah I like to use my speed out there to my advantage and um anytime I can it's awesome so Buchi mentioned that your mom Shawna ran marathons I hear you run a sub Five Mile when you're in a middle schooler how does that shape you as a hockey player yeah in middle school I was in Middle School remember that so uh yeah I mean I think it just helped me be athletic and obviously like I said I like to use my speed and I'm an athletic player so um yeah that's probably where it helped me but yeah and you're coming to the Chicago Blackhawks ushering in a new error with Connor Bedard like what's going through might even as I say that so excited like watching him all year it's unbelievable what he's been able to do and to have the Blackhawks organization draft me and have the trust in me I mean it's unbelievable feeling right now I can't even describe it awesome well congratulations welcome to Chicago thank you so much yeah you ran track in middle school with St John the Baptist in New Brighton Minnesota four minute 55 Second Mile in middle school but listen if you're going to run marathons you're not going to be able to run with speed you pace yourself in America I suggest he doesn't ever run America stick with the 800 stick with the 400 stick with the 100 yeah keep the speed up well said but you know what Lex feed the Wolves right and I was talking I mentioned earlier I was talking to a Hughes family this afternoon uh one of the first families of hockey of course with uh the parents of Luke Jack and of course Quinn in Vancouver and and their mom really had a huge hand in their development absolutely right Escape as from a skating standpoint her having played college hockey both are dad and here's a look at my former teammate the great Ron Francis they're not messing around investing around in Seattle but they're up next they are up next and it was an outstanding season for Seattle I got to give them a lot of credit I didn't see that coming 40 Point improvement from their inaugural season uh only the Devils had a larger Improvement again it's nice to see a team like that take that jump so fast and they took Shane right he didn't have to play more than eight games this season allowing him to develop so really interesting to see what they're stopping the cupboards with this season yeah Ron France has got that three-year contract extension they're a hot they're a high profit team they sell five already top five already in terms of Revenue ticket prices are high so they can create a lot of Revenue yeah and Crown Jewel game rink and a crown jewel practice facility no very similar to what Vegas did from that standpoint I feel like they need defense prospects I mean when you look at their their draft picks right their prospects it's all forwards yes they're you know Larson's 30 years old Alexia x30 Justin Schultz is 32 Vince Dunn had a big year Vincent had a big year but I think but I agree with that but is there anybody that's is that the next best player available that's the question I have a question now you're back now you're back all right so let's see what Ron Francis does with the 20th overall pick normally year three team would be lower than 20 but they were good last year Seattle crocken is proud to select from cometa berno Edward Charlotte there we go yep it looks like sale like Chris Sale right but inshallah and uh what do we know about him Megan Jacob his NHL comparable is cassberry kapitan okay Puck management doesn't Force plays and limits giveaways he creates space and excels using skating and tight turns to separate from opponents average nearly a point per game and check here at the 2022 2023 world junior Championship and he led the team in scoring as well so they're getting some offense great skater this seems like a Crockett right what's that it just seems like a crack and they plug it in their deep team and they just keep rolling them out well look I mean I think they do need defense in their system there's no doubt about that but this is a case of Best Player available yeah and he's got offensive ability there's no question about that top two lines if he can get there and play there he's going to be an effective player I think the the one question mark on him is sometimes his compete and whether or not he could if he doesn't play in the top six would he be able to play you know third line in that in that role so is he a top six or bust that's what you're exactly yeah he's he's the best player available maybe the defense prospects that were there they just didn't feel like there was a high enough ceiling take a take a shot in this guy who's got good size six two yes and if he and if he turns out you got yourself a skilled player in your top six yeah and there's room to grow physically not necessarily from a height standpoint but more in terms of the stature of his body being a 175 pound guy could he fill out at a 200 195 and when you look at the Seattle Krakens team right now what's interesting for them is they don't have game Breakers that are they're going to break a game open per se I really love Maddie veneers I love what Maddie veneers is and will be but for their team the way they're built they do it collectively yeah right so this is a guy that you might be able to integrate into your folds who doesn't necessarily have to be the guy in time but there's enough there and there's some upside there because he's a good skaters yes you know he's the guy that you talk about being a game breaker he can be that guy I feel uh with that ability the question is you know will he will he grow into that role so that he can be a top ticket that's the question some people just don't feel like if he doesn't get to that point it's kind of like he's just gonna have a tough time and it would have to be handed to him right we'll see if he can do it but there's no doubt that that skating ability is there in the offensive instincts are there as well he definitely has a shoot first mentality too so you're right if he's not getting pucked to him there may be a challenge and that's something with this Seattle building up their run where they maybe put high-end players with them they're not quite there they're still on the development side Emily with Edward Shala Edward what were you thinking of when you put on that Jersey yeah I hate it was unbelievable yeah I a little bit long waiting and long day all day but yeah I'm very excited to be in Kraken and yeah I am looking forward you know growing up how much NHL were you able to watch and have you watched any Seattle Kraken yeah I don't know yeah I have uh some teams yeah but yeah I'm I I like to be here and yeah we'll see what happened growing up what players did you model your game after uh Jonathan why I don't know I think I have a little bit same style like him and I watch him all the time awesome congratulations yeah thank you thank you 17 years old he played the top men's league exactly good at the world juniors as well one goal five assists in seven games that's the first game of the year opening night Nashville in Tampa game two of our opening night triple header on October the 10th Conor mcdark's debut against Sydney Crosby and the Penguins and then triple Heather opening night ends with Vegas raising their Stanley Cup Banner against a team that would like to get one themselves the Seattle Kraken it's all part of our triple header Tuesday October the 10th on ESPN we can't wait to be back again it's the only Cup Final next year on ESPN as well Minnesota Wild on the clock next 21st overall they got two twos then wait for the fifth 103 points this past season for Bill Garren's organization past regular season yeah 100 Point season for the second time in franchise history lost the opening playoff series in each of their last six playoffs well that brings me to this Caprice off the best player in their history of course gabrick right there who is outstanding and electric for them but what I want to see now is the next step for this team in the postseason and I'm curious to see if they end up I see megsby I'm curious to see if they draft somebody that they feel bushes you were saying all along this evening that could help them from April through June right and Bill's done a nice job of transforming this team he told me we're too vanilla we're two vanilla so he's done a nice job of transforming this team but now I think the next step in their progression would be adding a player that can help them in crunch time Gucci get involved but gay Perot is still out there really Ultra talented this year playing with Leonard and playing with Will Smith so he's kind of dropped a little more than people have thought I agree you know so maybe but like you said maybe they're looking for a certain trait or the best player available let's find out one of the most popular guys to hang around the always fun Bill Garren see who makes the Picker won't be Billy for Minnesota oh there we go first of all I'd like to congratulate David poyle on an amazing career David thank you for your friendship uh like Kyle said being a mentor to so many young general managers out there we appreciate everything you've done for for us in the game uh also a great thank you to uh the city of Nashville uh especially especially tootsies for keeping this entire group well hydrated and entertained [Applause] Minnesota Wild ly select from the University of Wisconsin Charlie schrammel all right all right we had back to back nights at Tootsie so we know what Billy's talking about but so a badger goes what do you have on uh this is a big guy this is a guy that was rated uh inside the top ten coming into this season and he plummeted because the points weren't there yeah it didn't score left and it was a tough freshman year for him I got to see him firsthand at the world juniors for the U.S and he played uh a fourth line roll penalty kill and he played that role perfectly he he's got some he's got some real Jam in him and that size and that physic that physical play and he likes to get in on the four check um so for for Billy Garen I think he can relate to this player you know understanding that look surround him with some players give him some confidence I'm not saying that this guy's gonna score you 50 goals but there's something there to his game that I think is translatable to the National Hockey League because he's willing to play hard and he's a big body and we'll see how he develops I mean look I mean look his NHL Role Models Matthew could chuck yeah he can play a little bit like that that to me is is what Billy Garen is looking for heaviest guy at the combine 222 and born in St Paul Minnesota that's right perfect exactly and listen if he can play 75 of Matthew or Brady could chuck that'd be huge for the Minnesota Wild because as we talked about I love where their team is but for them to take the next step everybody ladies and gentlemen to me it's just about having the type of players that can get to those hard areas in front of both Nets and make those plays there's a great shot of his mom there presumably can you imagine what goes through the mom's Hearts oh man see your boy up there amazing amazing amazing stuff so that's kind of what I see here at megu absolutely that grid and jam you were talking about beforehand you predicted this pick here NHL comparable Anders Lee actually said he's a lot like Alex stuck in his mind High success rate in tight areas and under pressure and plays out aggressive physical game that we all know translates in the playoffs fourth USA born guy to be taken Will Smith was the first there's his linemate Ryan Leonard both going to Boston College this fall Oliver Moore heading to Minnesota Charlie's Dremel heading back to Madison Flyers are next WNBA game on ABC Saturday afternoon a rematch of last year's final these teams have the best rusher in the league as well the sun free Eastern noon Pacific the aces the Sun coverage tips off with WNBA countdown well the Flyers got another first round pick 22nd overall you see it's pretty convoluted of course the pro for off trade to go to Columbus La retains some of the Provost salary the mountain and Hodgkin go there and the Flyers you can see they get a second next year this first now and also some choices and 24-25 a lot going on but the only thing that matters is they're picking again yeah they are picking again and you you think they might take radic box son maybe I think or maybe Perot All right either either way they can't go wrong there yep I'm in on those and different types of players too so you're making that decisions on what you think is critical at this point with the 20 second selection the Flyers are proud to select from the London Knights of the OHL Oliver Bank [Applause] radic played 969 games he's drafted on the 29th anniversary of his dad radic taken third overall by Ottawa in 1994 that's why he was born in Ottawa a London Knight and I and I I like guys that have you know family pedigree in the National Hockey League I think it's I think it's a real bonus for some of these kids you know you get you get that feedback from your father that you know you know you're getting it real uh from I mean this is a guy that London took their time with him they sent him back to Junior B because they wanted him to play more the year prior and then he came to London this year and he just got better and better and better uh as the year went on he's got he's long uh he kills plays you know I think there's more offense in there uh than maybe what you see but I think defending wise he closes on guys very well the question that I have is will that offense get there Megan maybe you know more about that and the London Knights are an extremely great program in some cases their Player Development is you know comparable to some NHL teams so make no mistake bomb went there for development he was actually second in even strength possession time per game over a minute on his stick and he led the London Knights in the playoffs in past completion rate at just under 82 percent so he's making those passes Scouts are seeing those little aspects of his game that they're working through with him and they're able to play that long game or they're sending them back they're the hunters are zeroed in on making incredible NHL players and it's not sexy but it's it's effective and Dale Hunter is a good friend of Keith Jones so there's a real comfortability there between those two they played together in Washington right I'm sure they had a lot of conversations about you know this this player yeah I'm just speaking to his representatives and they said that there have been a lot of conversations with the London Knights regarding Bonk this is a great selection I love the fact that you mentioned he went back to tier two Junior B in St Thomas lit it up before he got back up to the London Knights props to him well it's been a great week for the New Jersey Devils and their GM Tom Fitzgerald Let's get a devil's update with Emily Kaplan Tom what a week holy should we be viewing the Devils of Stanley Cup contenders right now well you know what last year was a glimpse of really what we think we can be we got a fantastic year led by our coach Lindy rough our entire staff the growth and development of all our young players um yeah I think we're there and you know what we've got great ownership that has allowed me to to show them my vision and actually just exercise on it are you done this summer always trying to get better and what's your plan and goal you know we've traded Mackenzie Blackwood but you've got Vanna check if you've got Schmidt are you comfortable with those two guys great question we're definitely comfortable with those two guys we just want to figure out internally what's best for us what's best for Kerry Schmidt what's best for a V-Tech so you know what it's just it's it's something that we discussed daily so could you be active on July 1st after all I'm always trying to better the team all right we'll have to wait and see thank you Tom they got to make a move in that unless they're too good up front now I played with Tom Fitzgerald I'm going to tell you this right now if I am the New Jersey Devils when you're looking and you're seeing Igor schusterkin and you're seeing Soroka in the Long Island and you have the opportunity to maybe strike for hellebuck you have to look at it through the devil if so their legitimate Stanley Cup Contender take it away Gucci just five selections for the Rangers of course new head coach Peter Laviolette Chris Drury was hired May 5th of 2021. you see their cap space there's been some trade whispers about la franier still have an RFA signed in chandre Miller it's maybe a little tricky sign there after last year of course yeah got some ufas as well with Kane don't think he'd be back you never know Vladimir Tarasenko so the Rangers are an interesting place they're seeing the Devils kind of trend up quickly yeah all of a sudden all of a sudden they close the gap they bring in Peter Laviolette and obviously he's been around he's won a cup coached here Cup finals coached here in Nashville brought them to a cup final as well as the Flyers one one with Caroline that's right well hey this is I like your point for the New York Rangers I thought it was a bit of a disappointing postseason being at a lot of their games in in New York on off nights and seeing them play at the Garden uh that I feel they took a step back this year from what they were in the season prior but there's so many good pieces there I'm curious to see what they're going to reach for here maybe a Callum Richie off the Ottawa generals I like his game he's a really good player they also have a youngster in their group uh in othman that's a kind of hard Edge forward as well and Brennan often so I'm curious to see what they do here Meg there's Gabriel Perot also available he's still out there too Gavin Brinley is a little guy but man I love it smart and a competitor yeah he played with Adam fantilly and he'll play with him again if then until he goes back again I don't think he will but here soon yeah exactly your point so the Rangers pick is in 23rd overall for them did not have a first round pick last year so here comes the Rangers pick and round one the New York Rangers are proud to select from the U.S under 18 team Gabrielle Perot who scored 50 goals as did his line mates Leonard and Smith I saw my best development [Music] villagers in the ozone with both passing and shooting and he gets to the slot too so when you're looking at adding some of those players that can you know have that Dynamic offense Perot slipped and I also think that some of those teams got picked a bit higher that passed on him were looking for defense right right it wasn't that hey he's not good enough to be a top ball player it just was a different pick his skating was the issue right his skating is the issue much like his dad Yannick Perot he slows the game down but IQ is off the charts with this guy he is probably the smartest player in the draft wow and and you think about ntdp single season point record he shattered it by 15 points who did he beat Austin so thanks for coming he was part of that he's part of that Dynamic line uh there at the program with Will Smith and Ryan Leonard correct uh he makes guys miss though this guy creates while not moving yeah it's it's so interesting to watch because I see us create meal I'm sorry yeah you got another player that comes from a father that played yeah had an excellent career too yeah I think that I think you you know what you're getting in a player it's predictable uh he's but like I said the IQ is off the charts here uh yeah maybe the pace is an issue but when you're smart like that you find a way to get points the new head coach here in an original Predator Andrew Burnett I played with Jamie store and I played with him a rookie or an Owen Sound Andrew Burnett had a 162 points to lead the Cho he was the seventh rounder everybody kept telling us he could Escape that's what everybody kept saying and we know that was one of his deficiencies went on to play over a thousand games in the National Hockey League and now he's the head coach here at Nashville so all of that to say and this young man Indiana her old son Gabriel Perron very very brilliant hockey mine almost a savant offensively on the ice and the ability to make plays all over the offensive zone I think this is a steal for the Rangers potential here at this pick well he certainly fouleds with them I mean he was second in the under 18 World Championship in scoring chances for games when you talk about hockey IQ it's not just volume of shots correct he's getting high expected goals high probability scores on a shot he'll play in Boston College with his linemates at the program and he's with Emily Kaplan dad Yannick played over itself what are some of the big yeah I think growing up he always wanted me to you know have fun with it and oh you always wanted to be creative and I think I I took those things and they always stuck with me you said the US program record for points breaking Aston Matthews also the single season record for assists brick and Jack Hughes what yeah I think it's it's pretty cool and those are the guys you kind of look up to so having my my name with those guys is definitely pretty special come on I did my suit with glorious costumes uh they had a couple pages in there with family friends I had my team in there so oh yeah I think that's that's kind of what was in it are you guys into style you're gonna put your personality out there oh yeah a little bit I think I like I like the nice jackets and stuff like that so I've always liked to have a good style you'll find none of those in New York gonna have a hard time shopping thanks thank you thank you so much so the the line has now been taken we told you all three would be in the first round waited a little bit longer than Gabe Pro then thought he might but again these three they played the program and they'll head and they'll play together at Boston College in the ball as you mentioned for Greg Brown in a few months so Smith Perrault and Leonard teammates at the program and they'll continue at college but then after that they're on three different squads hey the program is is well named the program they've done and they do an incredible job of not only developing players but also coaches and the coach of his UA team there at the program Dan Muse is now an assistant coach with the New York Rangers so right maybe in due time they will have a reunion of sorts Paul good call hey another pick for the Predators here the hometown predators some reports that will be in Vegas next year for the drought we'll see if it comes true love that every time they got this pick that was the yak home trade going to Edmonton the Oilers giving up this first round pick No Cap room and no draft picks for the Oilers it's going to be uh interesting summer for them as they try to get their players that Stanley Cup so it's the preds again very Trot David Boyle kind of a combo effort this year and the hometown team will get to see their team make another pick still no trades here at the 2023 draft oh and Barry trots is mandate to his Scouts was hey let's take swings here right coming into this exactly Matthew Wood I think I think was a swing yeah my question is is there a d-man that's a swing that's left on the board um EV perhaps Ghoulia is very talented very very skilled d-net I just wonder if there's another forward it doesn't have the size that has that get out of your seat yeah yeah I wonder if there's another forward out there that that can do what Barry trots mentioned you know the the electricity that they're looking for Crystal's one of those guys that people think they're not sure right right yeah he's definitely a super polarizing pick in terms of risk for war right smaller guy played on a bat yeah I'll say it again give me Calum Richie all right let's see what Barry trots and the preds do with their second first round pick thank you thank you thank you smashville you know to make our second pick in the first round our captain Roman yossi and legendary goaltender peccarene or to you guys with 24th pick of 20-23 draft Nashville is proud to select Tanner [Applause] yeah he was hoping for Will Smith but he didn't get him all right is this a swing Megan Jacob it's a bit of a swing a lot of people actually have turned on him because he didn't put up crazy numbers but he has poison talk to Legends High success rates in tight areas not a proctor great and Montfort is one of his NHL comparables so if so people watched Florida yes absolutely and he also makes plays allowing the team to transition to offense so he's creating offense for what could be natural constantly looking to go yeah his point totals were down because he didn't get a lot of power play time so that that hurt his point production but he moves a puck and he creates offense had good feet so yeah maybe this is one of those swings right well he's smart and capable just maybe you don't think the bar is as high as he might need to be to make the NHL and make an impact day over day but he certainly had skills that can translate to the internet and I think when you look at the forward group that's left I don't know that there's anybody of high-end skills that Barry trust is looking for so maybe you look to the D side and maybe this guy fits the mold when you're picking at 24. hey baby this is the guy that could potentially have a higher ceiling uh to be that guy that can get you out of your seat yeah and one thing we know that Nashville has been an outstanding development model it's been a spawning ground never mind it's been a spawning ground per day for D and that for years yeah for years and now you add somebody that has a different Dynamic from the other D that are on the board the other players that are on the board with that go go offensive kind of mentality so I I for those reasons based on his new mandate I like I think their last team in they drafted was Dante Barbara I don't think it's exactly correct so yeah exactly so the draft post City with two number ones naked dreams come true there's Megan's best available St Louis is on the clock they'll make their second first round pick of the evening partying it inside and partying just outside there on Broadway great scene and the 2023 NHL draft still no trades at the 2023 NHL draft Emily Kaplan have you found any crumbs on that floor with all those GMS down there I'm not I'm not eating crumbs but I will give you guys a similar report that I gave a little while ago but I'm right here by the Blackhawks table Kyle Davidson is both working his cell phone and the landline on their table I do believe the Blackhawks are still trying to trade up and get back into this first round they already have two first round picks of course Connor Bedard and Oliver Moore but they have 11 picks total in this draft including nine in the top 100 four in the top 50. they want to surround Conor Bernard with as much talent as possible they already got Taylor Hall to play on his wing Nick fellino as a leader and protector I think they want to bring him in with a strong rookie class so let's see if they can get back into this first round also Mike Donahue is assistant GMOs to his left meanwhile it's Army the guy they called Army Doug Armstrong once again making his way to the stage they're set to pick 25th and 29th here late in the first we thought they could be a possible trade team as they try to imagine their defensive lot core so Craig Berube Doug Armstrong here comes the second Blues pick of the evening St Louis Blues are pleased to select Otto Stenberg Rolanda Sweden so a Swede headed to St Louis four-time medalist for Sweden on the international stage good solid steady pick here 5-11 185 yep absolutely and from a really good program in for Londa as well over in Sweden absolutely outstanding program over there Freddie shustrum now the general manager Joel Lundquist henrik's brother recently retired I think this is a very steady player a safe pick really good job here go ahead you're looking at skill the NHL comparable forsberg yeah perfect for this Arena and off the rush per game at four in the u18s puck possession two and Poise with the puck he does hold on to it and wants to make the right play yes control Zone threes are also high would you like to see attacks the offensive zone with speed and finds and creates the space to use the shot so he will shoot as well so carried in play driver for Sweden High skill good solid pick at this level of the draft that's a good release right there really good numbers at the UA teams right I mean 16 points seven games the pro numbers obviously were they they look disappointing but when you're a draft eligible player playing pro not not easy to do but when he's played it with his peers at the junior level yeah yeah right play with his peers you can see the points are there and that to me is uh probably what's most important yeah I'm impressed by how well he's played on the international stage oh I'll look at the emotion presumably that's his little brother I love his game on the international stage because here's one thing we don't factor in on the international stage when you're playing against Team USA and or you're playing against Team Canada and you have this many Elite prospects right not to suggest that Sweden doesn't but for a lot of the European nations they know that that's the opportunity for them to deliver to get on the global radar of these NHL Scouts and that's how you move up the draft that's right you perform in those big games against the high-end players in North America and you start getting more views maybe a little Alexander steenish in his game and and to your point he's now the head of Player Development for the Blues he's a part of their player development model Alex Dean scored 33 for them he's a bit of himself in this place that's right yeah and a steady Pro yeah it's Daddy Pro Cup winner in him and certainly yeah perhaps you can see some shades of himself in Otto Stenberg steam played over a thousand games unreal career 765 with the blues right that none real career so Otto Stenberg yeah this is a really solid very good pick don't buy a lot of Autos anymore not a lot of Autos oh you're right look at that little baby Auto that's what I knew maybe yeah consistency too so shl hard League have to stay consistent to produce I'm sure Emily hasn't interviewed many Autos take it away Otto this year as an 18 year old you were playing some games in Sweden's top League against men what did you learn about yourself I mean to play against men to play against bigger players it's I think it it's it has been helped me a lot yeah no I have to be stronger over the park and play play more play smart so yeah I think it has been helped me a lot well much I'm really good friend with darworld dorski so it was it was really fun and I heard it I know I know Alex understand as a player so yeah I think that's all he's now the ahead of Player Development yeah what's that going to be like just being able to learn under him I mean really fun it's been a really good player and uh yeah so yes yes really fun all right and what do you want St Louis people to know about you I don't know uh two-way forward uh smart player and I will help the team to to win games for sure it's a great City just don't eat the bagels there they slice them weird that's nice sounds good uh texting me kit yeah awesome Bagel action there from Kaplan yeah she has high standards Jersey man that's why Jersey nice couple solid picks there by Army and the blues oh yeah he's got a restock that forward position they're in a good pretty good shape and remember they have three so we were exclusively with me I was very intrigued to see what they would do with those three selections would they make all three would they trade one where are they gonna go so they could trade them in the future right exactly if they need to get a defense when they want to get yeah these are all possible chips for all these teams especially a team like the blues who wants to continue to win and go for it again with her nice young core of Thomas and Cairo and be interesting to see now the shots are up again again another long-term long rebuilding program that's right trade they might trade hurdle yeah it's a tough contract Eckland who's a really good Prospect they might move yeah you have Sebastian bordel's son who's a very good prospect there skilled as well yeah uh very curious to see what they end up doing with general manager Mike Greer and Company here just saw the uncomfortably handsome David Quinn make his way to the stage as well why not why not I mean I think they need that's a good call Boost like last 636 it's a good call right benning's 29 Erickson 33 what's gonna happen yeah good call there who will the San Jose Sharks select with pick number 26 play musty for me oh the 26 pick the sharks are proud to select from the Sudbury Wolves Quinton musty a drive yes I like this pick why I like this pick because I think there's a lot there but quick musty he can score he's physical I spoke to former teammate of mine Wayne Primo played in the league Primo's brother Uncle of Kaden and he knows this draft class very well he had a lot of great things to say about Clinton musty everybody in the OHL said he's a gamer they like his game they like the fact that he too plays with a bit of an edge I think it's a good selection he can play so many different ways right and he can create so many different ways he's a a complete offensive player yes I I you know he's strong he likes contact steel here he'll play in the cycle uh a playoff type player I think this is a good pick you know he was in his first year he wanted to shoot a lot the second year he looked to be more of a playmaker and uh you know they leaned on him quite a bit uh in the second half of the season a guy that you know was the first overall pick in the OHL and they were high expectations and I thought he had a good year this is this is a good pick and and you know what's interesting about musty is that he had a chance to be on that uh ntdp team with some of those guys talked about right and he actually chose to not go there yeah he wanted that series a good program and he wanted to play in the OHL I mean that takes some guts so kudos to this kid and he ends up being the 26th pick good stuff yeah fifth american-born player taken in this draft and like you said the first American to play junior hockey last season just from South and buffalo and Hamburg New York so good stuff yeah we talk about growing the game right so it's nice to see a Buffalo area player yeah that's really really a really good sign and for him to go all the way up North up Highway 69 in Sudbury Ontario american-born player props to him all right the Colorado Avalanche they uh they picked 27 and 31. they've been in a sneaky and fun aggressive team in the off-season rebuilding their team trying to win another cup next year Cavs are next we're in Nashville [Music] welcome back to Nashville Tennessee 2023 NHL draft winding down round one tonight the rest of the draft tomorrow Colorado's been on the move this offseason they get Ryan Johansen from these Nashville Predators got a good cap hit for them they trade Alex new hook the Montreal for one in the two they gave the two to Tampa for Ross Colton and now we'll pick the first pick so basically it'll be this pick coming up Joe and Ross Colton for Alex new hook well they don't need D this I know it's a thing d a lot but this is one group that does not need to do yeah they're so they're so stacked up they're so stacked on the back on the back end what about a goalie goalies uh blades in the first round Could Happen yeah Gavin Brinley oh yeah let's go Gavin let's go ABS All the Small Things David hey what the Colorado Avalanche are proud to select from Oshawa Callum Richie there you go there's your boy I'm telling you go ahead get in there Boosh get out of him well he had a shoulder injury that I think slowed him down exactly and his point totals weren't there but he also that that Oshawa team was not a strong team he's a very good skater he's creative he's smart he's big I don't think he got as physically as engaged as probably as I would have liked but it's you know once you know why and it's probably because of the shoulder injury that that tells you the answer but I think this guy there was a high expectations on him coming into the season and yeah maybe the point totals weren't there but I think this guy's gonna be a good player I think this is a good pick and the fact that he played through it you know not a hundred percent and performed at the UA teams to me I I think this is uh this is going to be a solid NHL player with his size I'm going to read a text aloud I'll won't say which former NHL player known him since he's a kid honestly believe he's the top 10 pick if he goes after that the team that grabs him is going to get a steal in my opinion to boost his point play with a dislocated shoulder all year and still a point per game player in Oshawa and he did lead in the 2022 holinka Gretzky cop in points so there's that element where you're seeing maybe he has that rebound after this injury the NHL comparable is Logan Couture so a nice style of player effective creating offense on the cycle and below the goal line should be a splash if he can come back and to that fine form yeah I think he's solid at everything yes I think musty is a guy that has a little bit more offense but I think he's solid at everything and the fact that he played to me it shows he's got guts the the fact that he's willing to play through injury it's not draft here not an easy thing because you know you're being scrutinized for everything and you want to hang in there and try to do the best you can to impress the teams and Scouts and the fact that he did that not full marks for the Kid full marks you're playing an Oshawa 15 minutes east up Highway 401 out of Toronto you get a lot of Scouts in Oshawa every home game NHL Scouts are always there you can't hide and I like the point boost the fact that he was willing to pay play through those injuries for his teammates pain threshold to play through that in a league that's physical that's very impressive and you can't hide from analytics either we see every single game and he actually had a high number of steals interceptions meaning that anticipation and reading plays in a tough League like the OHL he comes out really strong in the year prior uh he was teammates with Oscar olison who was a 21 first round pick 28th overall for Colorado so I'm sure the Colorado Scouts got a chance to see him the year prior when he was healthy a little younger and then the comparables to the next season and felt comfortable making this pick couldn't agree more I I give the Colorado Scouts a lot of credit for what they've done they've done an outstanding job with their group they've gotten players from different regions they've gotten different styles of players which is a big point of why there's the Stanley Cup they won that Stanley Cup a couple years ago I got to give them a lot of credit for that certainly looked like a team that could repeat but then the unexpected pothole of Gabriel landiscog missing the whole year and what's his future for next year yeah that'll be the question he started his Rehabilitation process he's a little over a month in their Captain to his real his Rehabilitation process it's a long arduous Road it's daunting but it's not impossible with the sports science and the Medical Science that's available no big comeback yeah it'd be amazing well they always headline grabbing Toronto Maple Leafs as they honor bore you saw me there and the lady behind us obviously as the AVS just make their pick and the Maple Leafs now with new front office reimagine Kyle dubis goes to Pittsburgh he already made his first penguin pick and now Brad tree living in Brendan Shanahan will try to get this Toronto team once again back to the playoffs win that first round again and then win the second round and we we if we look at Broad tree living flash drafts he's only drafted five forwards in the first round all right Emily Kaplan Callum and we're wearing light blue pants it almost matches the sweater are you expecting this um no I mean I mean you never know what's gonna happen on draft day and uh yeah you're kind of just going through waiting for your name to be called and I'm I mean I'm it's a dream coming true to be drafted by Colorado it's uh it's unbelievable I can't can't put into words there's a team that won the Stanley Cup just two years ago which players are you most excited to play with there I mean all I got all the guys they're like Nathan McKinnon obviously Lana Scott granted and then um those guys are obviously really tough guys and uh yeah they all they all do really uh do everything really well and they're great leaders so I mean anything I can learn from them would be great we talked about your shoulder injury you had to deal with this year how did that affect you I mean yeah it was it was tough going to the season with an entry and uh kind of going just kind of wait until the season was over to to get procedure done on it but I'm glad I was able to play the season and uh finish strongly I thought so awesome congratulations thank you thank you appreciate it all right so Toronto's up next so many big decisions last year of Austin Matthews and William nylander's contracts talking extension what's gonna happen with them this pick is probably for the the Future Let's see which direction they could as they make their first pick of the 2023 draft Jared Bettner and I by the way are both wearing the same tie with happened last year during an NHL game yesterday to thank the city of Nashville for some great Hospitality thank Billy Garen for the open bar bill at tootsies all week um and we'd like to congratulate and thank David poyle he's been a mentor to many of us and congratulations on a great career uh to make our selection I'll uh call up our head scope Wes Clark [Applause] Toronto selects from the London Knights Easton Cowan all right another night get it get it Boosh this kid climbed uh in the second half of the year in the playoffs the heartbeat of the London Knights and I got a a couple of Rumblings from people that they felt like this guy could slide into the first round I mean the ratings were really not there but he had such a good second half of the year and played in the line with Denver Barky and Ryan Winterton he's small smart quick plays pppk but make no mistake this guy has a motor he's darty and he's a hard worker so kudos to this kid because you know maybe he wasn't on people's radar early on but a strong second half in playoff and he finds himself as a first round pick for the Toronto Maple Leafs great points there boosh some of the people I've spoken to say that he has some shades of Mitch Martin and Mitch Marner played in London now he doesn't have the same offensive output as Mitch Marner but the versatility plan in all situations the fact that as the year went along he got better and better and showed that Improvement and oh by the way the least president of hockey operation as Brandon Shan had played for the London Knights as well so there's a lot of familiarity it's two hours West of Toronto on the highway and this guy's a player what impressed me is as the season went on he got better and better that's what really impressed me with him in Ontario we watched the London Knights on national TV so we get a lot of viewings of them um and he does play in those all situations Elite penalty killer he's willingness to take the puck to the net my NHL comparable from data is TJ Oshie okay so quite a skilled player um like you said well-rounded Puck recoveries quick reactions allow him to get pucks back too so if you're a skill watching an arena that's something that jumps out at you yeah uh and to me what what stood out is that London they kind of were laying in the weeds at the start of the year and they kind of caught fires in the second half and they ended up having a terrific playoff and this guy was a huge reason as to why they were able to go deep uh in the OHL playoffs uh he really worked his way into the first round that's really competitive yeah got a lot of respect for that absolutely absolutely no OHL picks in the first 17 but now five of the last 11 from the Ontario Hockey League part of the Canadian junior system up in Canada another emotional mom and the second from the London Knights that's right so going back to that well once again St Louis is on the clock for the third time as we look at some of the video from Easton good hockey name awesome hockey name my buddy Dave demarovski named his son that as well young budding player uh growing up in Toronto and I think specifically here for Easton Cowan the fact that when you're a little bit of an undersized player but you're willing to play in traffic and you're willing to earn your ice time that's why I like that cop to your point of TJ Oshie I like that comp I mentioned Mitch Marner as well but this is a really really good pick the shows me that the Toronto Maple Leaf Scouts did their homework and geographically where they're located it's a huge Advantage for them so this is a really good pick for them Emily Kaplan Brad you're starting to put your stamp on this roster why is Easton in Maple Leaf and when can we expect him on your team well our staff really loved his competitiveness like he's he's he's sort of an all-situation player um big motor real competitive guy we think he you know he really the development he's had and the growth that he's had this game the last two years he's been uh phenomenal and uh you know he's going to take some time you know we're he'll get in with our development team right now and um I think he'll have a little bit of a longer Runway but a real real competitive player and we think's got lots upside so you're speaking to an American audience here we have to ask about our American Born Austin Matthews Where did things stand with contract negotiations right now oh we're working away at it you know there these things take time uh Austin's a great kid I think it's a great opportunity like I said to him when I was uh came to Toronto I think it's a great opportunity to work with him but a great responsibility to be able to work with one of the best in the game so we'll keep working away at it and uh I'm very confident we'll get to a good conclusion so far what are some of important considerations for the club and also for Austin in these contracts well I think everything's good every every contract's got negotiations got its own Ebbs and flows and you know first of all it was just really him and I get to know each other new manager in here so um you know just walking him through the plan is for the team and where these things go on and he's been really positive he's excited he loves Toronto wants to win in Toronto and uh you know that's the goal for all of us thanks for Brad thanks for having me all right so it sounds like Austin Matthews will at some capacity stay in Toronto for the time being whether it be short term or long all right so the blues once again very active first round picks 10 25 and 29. they've already made picks 10 and 25 right there now they get their third first round pick they have none in the second so this pick was acquired as part of the deal that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the Rangers get them all get as many as you can right if if you're St Louis as we talked about they're a team that isn't shy they're not bashful they're very aggressive and that's led by Doug Armstrong and they're staff the coaching staff keep control big wall could chuck I'll tell you one thing he's had his fingers all over this organization in a good way amateur Scouts amateur Scout from youth hockey by the way yeah he's had a good good pulse of players in them here in the states and in Canada as well talking about a hockey nerd like you mentioned 100 it doesn't need to be anything it doesn't need to be there he doesn't mean he made a lot of sheets a lot of sheets and his kids are making a lot of sheets but but a lot of balloons but this that shows you his love and commitment to the game and he loves it he's a ring crap yeah he's a rink rat I love it and his boys play like green crack love them both all right pick number three in the first round for the St Louis Blues St Louis Blues are pleased to select Theo lidstein breenis Sweden another Swede a defenseman played in the top professional League last year didn't do much I'm only one goal one assist so this is obviously a late blooming young kid long-term development project and that's that's exactly why Bush you had mentioned a little bit earlier in the show how you feel like they need to add more defenseman to the pool and in this one you add somebody that you don't necessarily have to rush into your lineup right now but somebody that you feel that there's some really good opportunity for growth in this game and I'll come back to this point for our panel Mega I'll pass it to you when the St Louis Blues won a lot of teams are trying to replicate their defense that they had with their and by the way the Vegas Golden Knights by bringing for tarantula there and the makeup of the defense that they had that's a big part of why the biggest gold Knights won who do you think the NHL comparable is for him then based on your answer right there oh that's a top one I got it with the data it's Petra Angelo yeah I was gonna smell if I was gonna go with I was gonna go with Martinez from from Vegas yeah I was gonna go with Martinez and he was actually second and shot assist per game meeting he's setting up his teammates for high quality shots and Puck touches as well so he's a high involvement player Puck possession influences the pace of play with decision making like you said they saw Vegas win and then also had a lot of success with Petra Angelo the most success absolutely so if you're seeing shades of him again in a player great pick for a third pick in the first round yeah I wondered if they might go the goalie route uh with that third pick in the first round you know you want to just you know you got that third first round pick get it get ahead of it but uh I as I said when they pick uh when they picked divorce against Denver they needed defense I was kind of you're on mystified you know we're on it but this is a guy that is smooth he's a puck mover and he'll take a little time but this could be uh this could be a good selection for them fifth Swedish foreign player chosen so far tonight matching last year's first round total in terms of swedes selected we're winding down three picks left Carolina Hurricanes Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup champion Vegas golden knights beautiful night in Nashville Tennessee three picks left in the first round the rest of the draft tomorrow [Music] hey I'm Scott Van pelkin set for Sports Center we visit with the top pick Connor Bedard and I'm terribly sorry Buchi who just found out he's going to stay overtime with his biggest takeaways when he joins the show to talk about what happened after the top pick show Tani looking to stay hot for the angels and we uh we have a president in our studio no joke for real wow now back to Nashville John Butcher drops I'm a hungry Scott but I'll stick around for you my man all right anything for SVP we'll be quick all right here come the Carolina Hurricanes making their way to the stage about to make their first selection they have a pick in the first second third fourth fifth sixth and seventh they got you know two in the fifth two in the six yeah I spoke to their head coach my mad Rod renamore former teammate NHL Jack Adams coach of the year and one of the best coaches and leaders in the business so I'd be very curious to see to me I still think they need goal scoring and I told him that earlier today so curious to see what Don Waddell goes with here there's Don Waddell first time picking in the first round since they took Seth Jarvis that was a good pick 13th overall in 2020. Waddell makes his way to the microphone I'd like to congratulate the Vegas golden knights on winning the Stanley Cup thank you the city of Nashville for all your hospitality and then to my good friend David poyle you've been tremendous friend Mentor for all of us here in the league enjoy uh the next chapter of your life to make our pick Darren York our assistant general manager Carolina is proud to select Bradley nado thank you get to the point the end of the first round kids want to be picked tonight don't they of course they do a lot of a lot of queasy stomachs hoping they're one of these last couple picks I told you about the bcj earlier you did right you warned us so the bcj and the USHL we know they're the two the two top producing leagues certainly for college hockey but a lot of high octane as boo said earlier a lot of high octane players come out of the bcj and now for the Carolina Hurricanes again here I'm going to make a point that a lot of people might not recognize their head coach Rod brindamore is from BC I know he's been here for 30 plus years but he's a BC native and what they're getting here is an offensive player that's got a ton of skill a ton of hockey cents that can make plays our analytics math amount to Corel Capri sauce so it's very offensive pot carrying comfortable with the popcorn he did lead the bchl regular seasoning goals assist and points and his brother had 35-2 second to his brother and assists so family Dynamic there too quality entry player attacks the middle of the ice with speed Carolina heavy on analytics with Eric talski leading them another AGM so you know you're looking at that data and finding those gems in the bchl tonight this guy is a top Junior a player in North America correct like not major Junior so for people to understand you're not playing at the program not right exactly so it you know he didn't play the UA teams because he wanted to stay with his his team in Pentagon and he's going to University of Maine next year 113 points I mean this guy this guy he's got a great shot one timer he shoots It Off The Rush has an NHL release you talked about needing game Breakers this guy could potentially turn into a game breaker with his shot and University in Maine has seen their Fair shave of them the black bears over the years and by the way the one that wore number nine the great Paul Korea who's also happens to be from BC who also played out there at the bcj but in this case when you get an offensive player that's a 50-50 player between their ability to pass and generate but also finish and score that make those players are so difficult to defend against absolutely yeah right yeah if if you try to play the shot he's gonna beat you on a playmaking and he's in that League where you can develop they give them time and space and ice time to play in so whether it's a HomeTown idea or to get more playing time pan out for him being a first round overall pick as it's great it's a really good value pick for them as I said earlier I told you guys I told Ron redmore I think they need more offense in their group they're an outstanding team they're well coached this is a really good pick by Don Waddell in their group and he'll go play for Ben Barr at the University of Maine Emily Kappa with Don Waddell Atlanta Thrasher Pride Don you have one of the most high energy coaches in the league why is Bradley one of the players that Rod Bruno is going to love to coach yeah yeah if he just watch this player he brings it every night you know he's got tremendous work ethic great skill and you know we do interviews background checks we got to have good players but we have on good people and he certainly fit all checked all the boxes as we head into we gotta address our goaltending you know we still uh talking to the goalies that we had last year Anderson naranta and then you know if we can add some goal scoring you never have enough goal scorer I said uh you know last year when I had a couple of injuries yeah we felt we were a little short but you know we like our group so if we don't make any changes I think we're going to be fine Sebastian Ajo is one year away from UFA where do we stand with contract negotiations it's great great conversations with Jerry Johansen his agent uh we met again yesterday uh there's no real deadline or timetable I'm very confident we're going to get this done in the near future awesome thanks Don great thank you dear yeah they'll figure that out for sure Sebastian Ajo yeah and also it's a long road back for Andre specsakov one of their their All-Stars they're young All-Star we know Sebastian Ajo has been an All-Star multiple times as well there's Jared bertner with his high yeah exactly did he go to the same stylist or something yeah look at that he's following you into the store yeah who wore it better uh here's how the AVS got this big again they get picks one in 37. Canadians get new hook they turn that two to get thrust Colton that's a great value pick for them [Music] and now this guy I was gonna say now the ads I know from speaking of people in their group numerous times they want to really emphasize getting skilled players but size they want to get size in their group okay they've had a lot of that that was a big part of their DNA in winning land Discord rantanen McKinnon those guys play hard nichooshkin there are a lot of guys that played hard in their group they certainly missed NASA Cadre by the way but nonetheless I'm curious to see where they go here on the board there it is there's the tie it's a great tie best tie in the building tied for first Ty Domi [Music] last pick of the first round will be made by the Avalanche with the 31st pick the Colorado Avalanche are very proud to select from Omsk Mikhail guliaev yes well see don't have the size but he has incredible skill set incredible skill set do they need another demon Hey Hey listen I love your question there's his agent Dan milstein I'll tell you this four years from now you might right hey everybody ride him for a lot if you don't everybody I talked to raved about this kid they said if he was six foot six one he'd be a top five pick based on his skill set on the back end a very very talented defensive and is NHL comparable is Adam Fox if that's what you jump off the page at you maybe it's not getting as many view viewings too because he's in Russia but he really does push that puck in transition looking to create off the rush Vision Puck carrying offensive instincts all of the landmarks of a great NHL defenseman so do they have enough defense and probably but are you going to take someone that maybe he has a high ceiling yeah to participate in NHL right I I agree with you I mean build to the Blue Line you're absolutely you fill it to the brim and then you know you decide options which guy is is an asset that you can move correct to help you out uh down the road he's a one-man breakout this guy is right this guy is highly skilled very good Poise on the blue line you can see the the highlights there what he was able to do to me this is a good pick because I just don't know that there's a forward that has a higher ceiling than he has right now so you think the best player and stylistically yeah he fits into how they play yeah I like his attitude too lots of energy smiling he's got a little bounce final pick of the first round the Champions the Vegas golden knights it began with Conor Bedard three plus hours ago the first pick of the draft Connor Bedard Leo Carlson the big Swede he went second to Anaheim Adam fan Tilly the Michigan man dropped it by o-h-i-o [Music] welcome back the final pick of the 2023 NHL draft is in they are the champions my friend and they will make the final selection [Music] the Vegas golden knights would like to congratulate David poyle on a tremendous career as a general manager in the National Hockey League and Echo the comments of many of my previous colleagues thanking him for his mentorship and leadership in the game so all the best to you in the future David the Vegas golden knights are pleased with the 32nd selection in the first round of the entry draft to select from for Londa Sweden David edstrom good night for the swedes it's number six and another Center too and I can tell you this from speaking people closer to vegan golden night Vegas golden knights this is who they wanted this was the guy in their board based on where they were selecting right they figure he's a top 15 player and for the Vegas golden knights the reigning fresh Stanley Cup champs out there in Vegas Nevada this is awesome the fact that they identified this player and that this player was still available to them and more importantly that they went out and selected them first line Center on that UA team uh kind of reminds me of Joel Erickson neck okay well-rounded yeah consistent not flashy but wins battles competes hard that seems to fit right into the mold of the way Vegas wants to play exactly he gets to the front like you're saying high percentage of a shot attempts come from this thought and that scoring ability so he's not only getting the shots in front of the net he's converting yeah and you like to see that in a player you know when you're looking at Eric's neck was actually the data comparable as well so you nailed that one but his Poise and patience with a puck on a stick too sub maturity to hold onto the puck and wants to make that play an aggressive style engaged physically and wins tuck battles we had high Puck battle wins on our data sheet so a pretty good tick for centerman you like to see them get in there get the puck and ditch it to someone else this late too yeah this is ball value you can take time and develop them you don't have to rush them out of Swedish look at the size exactly the long he's rangy this is a really good value pick for the Vegas golden knights and I might Dairy say in Breaking this today that they've moved Riley Smith right that they traded rally Smith today for that third round picks the Vegas gold Knights you know they have to make some decisions they resigned Barbershop have and you also resign Aiden Hill they're cooking in Vegas boys first round is over Gary Bettman will put a bow on this evening 2023 NHL draft the draft will resume tomorrow with the second round at 10 A.M Central local time 11 A.M eastern time and you'll be able to watch it on the NHL Network ESPN Plus Rogers Sportsnet or TVA thank you have a good night and travel safely so you can watch the second round streaming on ESPN plus tomorrow still lots of good players on the board all right final thoughts time with the panel Brian Boucher why don't you lead things off the headline well for me uh the U.S national program again uh produces high-end players uh four guys from the U.S national program in the first round Quentin musty another American goes so good stuff Megan big year for the who we also saw two from the London Knights and I'm actually surprised to see Andrew christelle still on the board I would say Sweden had a huge year as well in this draft a lot of swedish-born players that were selected here once again huge year for Sweden in this draft and for Chicago Blackhawk fans man to get a couple of really good high-end young guys Oliver Moore and of course Connor Bedard the future is bright in Chicago a night where dreams came true once again here in Nashville around the draft continues tomorrow for our entire ESPN crew we love this game like you do I'm honored to be here great to be in the city of Nashville Scotty stick tap all around to the crew great scene in Nashville tonight first round of the NHL draft we welcome you to Sports Center live from the nation's capital

Channel: LA Royalty

Views: 174,081

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Id: imHF9ic28k0

Length: 192min 14sec (11534 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 29 2023