2023 NHL Draft Thread: 7:00pm on ESPN

[Nextmanup]

Anyone watching?  Philly on the clock now at no. 7.

 

Sabres pick 13.

 

 

[Nextmanup]

DE-TROY-IT on the clock at 9...4 to go.

 

 

[Bad Things]

Let's go Buffalo!!!

[BillsFan4]

Some good players still sitting there. I thought maybe Buffalo would pick a defenseman with this pick but I don’t see one left worth pick #13.  There’s some really good forward prospects on the board!

 

Benson please! I can’t believe he’s still sitting there.

Moore would be good too

[Nextmanup]

We're on the clock!

 

[BillsFan4]

What are they waiting for?

 

please don’t trade back.

Yesss!!!!! Love this pick! Can’t believe he was still on the board!

[Nextmanup]

6 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

Some good players still sitting there. I thought maybe Buffalo would pick a defenseman with this pick but I don’t see one left worth pick #13.  There’s some really good forward prospects on the board!

 

Benson please! I can’t believe he’s still sitting there.

Hey, you got your guy.  He's small though.

 

 

[BillsFan4]

13 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Hey, you got your guy.  He's small though.

 

 

I’m honestly not worried about his size. He doesn’t play small.
 

Just love the way he plays so much! Sabres fans are going to like him IMO.

 

I thought he was one of the top 5-7 players in this draft. I would easily take him over at least 4-5 players drafted in front of him so far. I never thought he would make it out of the top 10.

 

 

Watch the highlight goal around 1 minute in!

Scouting report on Benson

 

https://lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2023/01/18/2023-nhl-draft-scouting-report-zach-benson/

 

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

Great pick by the Blackhawks. Crazy Moore fell to 19. I’d have taken him at 13 if Benson wasn’t there.

 

Man what a first round for Chicago between Bedard and Moore. Heck of a way to kick off their rebuild.

[Doc]

45 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Hey, you got your guy.  He's small though.

 

Conor Bedard is 5'10" and 185#.

[T&C]

48 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

I’m honestly not worried about his size. He doesn’t play small.
 

Just love the way he plays so much! Sabres fans are going to like him IMO.

 

I thought he was one of the top 5-7 players in this draft. I would easily take him over at least 4-5 players drafted in front of him so far. I never thought he would make it out of the top 10.

 

 

Watch the highlight goal around 1 minute in!

Scouting report on Benson

 

https://lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2023/01/18/2023-nhl-draft-scouting-report-zach-benson/

 

 

He looks naturally pissed off... climb on board.

[BillsFan4]

Nice pick by San Jose. I like Musty.

[Gregg]

I honestly don't know how anyone except those who really follow these prospects know how they will turn out as NHL players. Even the player the Blackhawks took who is supposed to be the next great generational talent, I have to be honest I never heard of him until yesterday. The NFL draft you know the players because college football is huge. Same for the NBA draft with college basketball. But the NHL and MLB draft are tough to get excited about because college hockey and baseball aren't big enough to follow. IMHO

[Doc]

32 minutes ago, Gregg said:

I honestly don't know how anyone except those who really follow these prospects know how they will turn out as NHL players. Even the player the Blackhawks took who is supposed to be the next great generational talent, I have to be honest I never heard of him until yesterday. The NFL draft you know the players because college football is huge. Same for the NBA draft with college basketball. But the NHL and MLB draft are tough to get excited about because college hockey and baseball aren't big enough to follow. IMHO

 

Nothing beats football because college FB is huge so you get to know the names.  And in the NHL, there are a lot of foreign players.

[Gregg]

1 minute ago, Doc said:

 

Nothing beats football because college FB is huge so you get to know the names.  And in the NHL, there are a lot of foreign players.

 

Agree with CFB and that is why the NFL draft is so exciting. But these foreign leagues in hockey I never see them on TV in America. I love hockey as it's my second favorite sport, but I don't know any of the players being drafted. This goes for every single year not just this draft.

[Jauronimo]

9 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Nothing beats football because college FB is huge so you get to know the names.  And in the NHL, there are a lot of foreign players.

Football draft is easy.  Every single eligible player comes from NCAA ball. Basketball is nearly the same.

 

Hockey drafts from so many different leagues. WHL, OHL, QMJL, BCHL, NCAA, USHL, KHL, and then every European country's pro leagues. It has got to be nearly impossible to compare players results across each of the leagues given the disparities in talent and the ages in play.  Some of these kids are playing against grown men. 

 

Meanwhile in the NFL we read about how hard it is to compare prospects across power conferences!

 

[BillsFan4]

Savoie must be pumped to see the Sabres draft his linemate.

 

I thought Benson was the better player this past season too. He’s younger than Savoie but still put up more points in less games all while being one of the best 2 way forwards and best PKers in juniors. He’s just relentless.
 

I am still so pumped he was available at #13! I was excited all night and woke up excited today.

 

 

The way Adams describes Benson’s game is exactly how I see him too. Pretty cool when the GM’s opinion of a player matches your own. I feel like it validates what I saw. It also makes me like Adams more 😂

[Gregg]

3 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

Savoie must be pumped to see the Sabres draft his linemate.

 

I thought Benson was the better player this past season too. He’s younger than Savoie but still put up more points in less games all while being one of the best 2 way forwards and best PKers in juniors. He’s just relentless.
 

I am still so pumped he was available at #13! I was excited all night and woke up excited today.

 

 

The way Adams describes Benson’s game is exactly how I see him too. Pretty cool when the GM’s opinion of a player matches your own. I feel like it validates what I saw. It also makes me like Adams more 😂

 

Does he have a chance to make the Sabres this year or does he need time in the minors/college to develop his skills for the NHL level?

[Jauronimo]

9 minutes ago, Gregg said:

 

Does he have a chance to make the Sabres this year or does he need time in the minors/college to develop his skills for the NHL level?

He has an outside chance but like his linemate and Sabres first round draft selection last year Savoie, Benson is likely to spend a year or two more in the CHL.  CHL rules are awful and forbid a player from playing in the professional minor leagues (AHL) before age 20.  Benson is 18 and Savoie is 19.  So its NHL or CHL and I think Adams would prefer both guys are seeing minutes rather than healthy scratches at the NHL level.

[Gregg]

1 minute ago, Jauronimo said:

He has an outside chance but like his linemate and Sabres first round draft selection last year Savoie, Benson is likely to spend a year or two more in the CHL.  CHL rules are awful and forbid a player from playing in the professional minor leagues (AHL) before age 20.  Benson is 18 and Savoie is 19.  So its NHL or CHL and I think Adams would prefer both guys are seeing minutes rather than healthy scratches at the NHL level.

 

This makes sense. At that age it probably is better to develop their skills and mature (physically) before playing at the pro level.

Edited June 29, 2023 by Gregg