The NHL isn’t the only season fully underway. As we approach the end of October, all of the leagues throughout North America and Europe have gotten underway, including the CHL and NCAA seasons.
The 2023 NHL Draft is still seven months away, but NHL Central Scouting released its initial list of prospects for this upcoming year’s draft class. They gave out grades to players, either an A, B or C. Those with an A rating are considered potential first-round picks, B ratings are considered possible second- or third-round choices and C ratings are potential fourth-, fifth- or sixth-round selections.
To the surprise of no one, one of those players with an A rating is Connor Bedard, considered to be the consensus top pick in the 2023 draft. The Regina Pats star is off to a blazing start to the season with 10 goals and 11 points, totaling 21 points in the first 12 games.
Other players to receive an A rating to be on the lookout for are Russian star Matvei Michkov, Slovak talent Dalibor Dvorsky, University of Michigan forward Adam Fantilli and Czech prospect Eduard Sale.
NHL Power Rankings: Observations, overreaction after first two weeks
Here is a look at the top-rated prospects for the 2023 NHL draft.
NHL Central Scouting Rankings 2023: Top players to watch
| Player | Position | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Allen | D | Guelph | OHL |
| Colby Barlow | LW | Owen Sound | OHL |
| Connor Bedard | C | Regina | WHL |
| Zach Benson | LW | Winnipeg | WHL |
| Carson Bjarnason | G | Brandon | WHL |
| Daniil But | LW | Yaroslav Jr. | VHL |
| Leo Carlsson | C | Orebro | SHL |
| Nate Danielson | C | Brandon | WHL |
| Dalibor Dvorsky | C | AIK | HockeyAllsvenskan |
| Adam Fantilli | C | Michigan | NCAA |
| Ethan Gauthier | RW | Sherbrooke | QMJHL |
| Mikhail Gulyayev | D | Omsk | KHL |
| Kasper Halttunen | RW | HIFK | Liiga |
| Riley Heidt | C | Prince George | WHL |
| Samuel Honzek | LW | Vancouver | WHL |
| Michael Hrabel | G | Omaha | USHL |
| Ryan Leonard | RW | USA U-18 | USHL |
| Matvei Michkov | RW | SKA-Neva St. Petersburg | VHL |
| Oliver Moore | C | USA U-18 | USHL |
| Gabriel Perreault | RW | USA U-18 | USHL |
| Calum Ritchie | C | Oshawa | OHL |
| Eduard Sale | LW | Brno | Czech Extraliga |
| Axel Sandin Pellikka | D | Skelleftea J20 | J20 Nationell |
| Will Smith | C | USA U-18 | USHL |
| Otto Stenberg | C | Frolunda J20 | J20 Nationell |
| Charlie Stramel | C | Wisconsin | NCAA |
| Matthew Wood | RW | UConn | NCAA |
| Brayden Yager | C | Moose Jaw | WHL |
When is the 2023 NHL Draft?
- Day 1 date: Wednesday, June 28
- Day 1 start time: TBD
- Day 2 date: Thursday, June 29
- Day 2 start time: TBD
The 2023 NHL Draft will span two days. The first round will take place Wednesday, June 28, with representatives from all 32 teams in Nashville.
On Thursday, June 29, the picks in Rounds 2-7 will be made.
Where is the 2023 NHL Draft?
- Venue: Bridgestone Arena
- City: Nashville, Tenn.
Bridgestone Arena, home of the Predators, will be the location of the 2023 NHL Draft.
This is the second time that Nashville will host a draft. The city was the site of the 2003 draft.
Complete list of first-overall picks in NHL draft history
No team has had more No. 1 overall picks than the Canadiens. Picking first isn’t always easy and many teams have failed to identify the best player in the draft while picking first.
Here’s a list of every No. 1 overall pick in NHL Draft history.
| Year | Team | Player | Previous |
| 1963 | Montreal Canadiens | Garry Monahan | St. Michael’s Juveniles |
| 1964 | Detroit Red Wings | Claude Gauthier | Rosemount |
| 1965 | New York Rangers | Andre Veilleux | Montreal Ranger Jr. B |
| 1966 | Boston Bruins | Barry Gibbs | Estevan Bruins |
| 1967 | Los Angeles Kings | Rick Pagnutti | Garson-Falconbridge |
| 1968 | Montreal Canadiens | Michel Plasse | Drummondville Rangers |
| 1969 | Montreal Canadiens | Rejean Houle | Montreal Junior Canadiens |
| 1970 | Buffalo Sabres | Gilbert Perreault | Montreal Junior Canadiens |
| 1971 | Montreal Canadiens | Guy Lafleur | Quebec Remparts |
| 1972 | New York Islanders | Billy Harris | Toronto Marlboros |
| 1973 | New York Islanders | Denis Potvin | Ottawa 67’s |
| 1974 | Washington Capitals | Greg Joly | Regina Pats |
| 1975 | Philadelphia Flyers | Mel Bridgman | Victoria Cougars |
| 1976 | Washington Capitals | Rick Green | London Knights |
| 1977 | Detroit Red Wings | Dale McCourt | St. Catharines Findcups |
| 1978 | Minnesota North Stars | Bobby Smith | Ottawa 67’s |
| 1979 | Colorado Rockies | Rob Ramage | Birmingham Bulls |
| 1980 | Montreal Canadiens | Doug Wickenheiser | Regina Pats |
| 1981 | Winnipeg Jets | Dale Hawerchuk | Cornwall Royals |
| 1982 | Boston Bruins | Gord Kluzak | Billings Bighorns |
| 1983 | Minnesota North Stars | Brian Lawton | Mount St. Charles High School |
| 1984 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Mario Lemieux | Laval Voisins |
| 1985 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Wendel Clark | Saskatoon Blades |
| 1986 | Detroit Red Wings | Joe Murphy | Michigan State |
| 1987 | Buffalo Sabres | Pierre Turgeon | Granby Bisons |
| 1988 | Minnesota North Stars | Mike Modano | Prince Albert Raiders |
| 1989 | Quebec Nordiques | Mats Sundin | Nacka |
| 1990 | Quebec Nordiques | Owen Nolan | Cornwall Royals |
| 1991 | Quebec Nordiques | Eric Lindros | Oshawa Generals |
| 1992 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Roman Hamrlik | Zlin ZPS AC |
| 1993 | Ottawa Senators | Alexandre Daigle | Victoriaville Tigres |
| 1994 | Florida Panthers | Ed Jovanovski | Windsor Spitfires |
| 1995 | Ottawa Senators | Bryan Berard | Detroit Jr. Red Wings |
| 1996 | Ottawa Senators | Chris Phillips | Prince Albert Raiders |
| 1997 | Boston Bruins | Joe Thornton | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds |
| 1998 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Vincent Lecavalier | Rimouski Oceanic |
| 1999 | Atlanta Thrashers | Patrik Stefan | Long Beach Ice Dogs |
| 2000 | New York Islanders | Rick DiPietro | Boston University |
| 2001 | Atlanta Thrashers | Ilya Kovalchuk | Spartak |
| 2002 | Columbus Blue Jackets | Rick Nash | London |
| 2003 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Marc-Andre Fleury | Cape Breton |
| 2004 | Washington Capitals | Alex Ovechkin | Dynamo |
| 2005 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Sidney Crosby | Rimouski |
| 2006 | St. Louis Blues | Erik Johnson | USA U-18 |
| 2007 | Chicago Blackhawks | Patrick Kane | London |
| 2008 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Steven Stamkos | Sarnia |
| 2009 | New York Islanders | John Tavares | London |
| 2010 | Edmonton Oilers | Taylor Hall | Windsor |
| 2011 | Edmonton Oilers | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | Red Deer |
| 2012 | Edmonton Oilers | Nail Yakupov | Sarnia |
| 2013 | Colorado Avalanche | Nathan MacKinnon | Halifax |
| 2014 | Florida Panthers | Aaron Ekblad | Barrie |
| 2015 | Edmonton Oilers | Connor McDavid | Erie |
| 2016 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Auston Matthews | Zurich |
| 2017 | New Jersey Devils | Nico Hischier | Halifax |
| 2018 | Buffalo Sabres | Rasmus Dahlin | Frolunda |
| 2019 | New Jersey Devils | Jack Hughes | USA U-18 |
| 2020 | New York Rangers | Alexis Lafreniere | Rimouski |
| 2021 | Buffalo Sabres | Owen Power | Michigan |
| 2022 | Montreal Canadiens | Juraj Slafkovsky | TPS |
