In 2005, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the lottery for Sidney Crosby. In 2015, the Edmonton Oilers won the lottery for Connor McDavid. In 2023, another NHL team will inherit a young prodigy, Connor Bedard.
• Also read: Kent Hughes is looking forward to the 2023 vintage
“They have no choice but to put him in the rare form of a generational talent. He has an incredible talent, but an equally incredible attitude, says a western scout. It will change the image of a franchise like McDavid and Crosby.”
Gary Bettman and Bill Daly will be running the lottery on May 8th. There will be two lotteries, one for first choice and one for second choice. Two draws that will change the history of two teams.
The Canadian will have his share of the famous abacus. Mathematically, the CH has an 8.5% chance of inheriting the phenomenon from the Regina Pats. In the spring of 2022, the Habs won the lottery for the first pick, and a few months later targeted Slovakian winger Juraj Slafkovsky. But at this point, the Habs had a 25.5% chance of winning the bet, the best percentage possible.
“We’re confident that regardless of the outcome, we’re going to have a very good player to draft,” Hughes said in his April 14 assessment of his team. Yes, we want to win the lottery again. But there are many bright hopes.”
Depending on the results of the lottery, the Habs could get the first, second, fifth, sixth, or seventh pick in the first round. There is also a tiny probability of speaking in the third level (0.3%).
favorite ducks
A year later, the Anaheim Ducks find themselves in the same position thanks to their 32nd and final place overall.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek therefore has a 25.5% chance of welcoming Bedard to the land of Walt Disney, California. The Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks are also likely to see their logos in Daily’s hands when he turns over his card.
A talented vintage
If the 2022 draft wasn’t magical with Slafkosvky, Simon Nemec, Logan Cooley and Shane Wright, it’s a different story for the 2023 auction, which is being described as one of the very good ones in recent years.
“CH didn’t win the right year,” replied a recruiter from the West. Among the hopefuls for 2023 there are easily four or five who could have been best in class in 2022.
After Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Matvei Michkov, Leo Carlsson and Will Smith also have the label of very talented attackers.
At 18 and in his freshman year with the Michigan Wolverines, Fantilli engraved his name on the Hobey-Baker Trophy, awarded to the NCAA’s Most Valuable Player. The tall, 6ft 2 forward from Ontario had a remarkable season in Michigan with 65 points in 36 games.
The Michkov secret
The Connor Bedard of Russia. That’s the comparison that often comes with Michkov. He’s a very dynamic winger but his pass is likely to set back a lot of DGs. Russia remains at war with Ukraine, his father mysteriously died in recent weeks and he has a contract with SKA Saint Petersburg until 2025-2026.
“It’s going to be the mystery of the hope run,” predicted one recruiter from the East. The team that picks him up can wait as long as the Wild with Kirill Kaprizov. But Kaprizov was a fifth-round pick, not a second, third, or fourth pick overall!”
If Michkov drops out of the top three, Swede Leo Carlsson or American Will Smith will be invited. In a brave new world, Carlsson has the potential to become Mats Sundin, while Smith has rare offensive skills.
The 10 beacons of hope analyzed
Recruiter card methodology
The Journal interviewed four scouts, three from the Western Association and one from the Eastern Association, to create the scout maps. Our four spies gave five out of five points for five different aspects: Acumen, Speed, Character/Competitor, Puck Skills, and Physical Strength. You get the average results after compiling the records of the four recruiters.
A score of five out of five remains a rare element. To illustrate his generational talent, Connor Bedard landed three perfect marks. Matvei Michkov and William Smith also received a perfect score, but only in one category. In the shadow of the biggest names, Colby Barlow landed a five for his character.