2023 NHL Draft: NHL Central Scouting's Top North American Prospects

The NHL Draft is almost here!

Arizonacoyotes.com is previewing some of the top-ranked prospects, as rated by NHL Central Scouting. The list is divided among North American and European skaters based upon what league they played in during the 2022-23 season.

Today's post looks at spots 3-10 of the North American rankings, as No. 1 overall (Connor Bedard) and No. 2 overall (Adam Fantilli) will almost assuredly be unavailable, barring a blockbuster trade from Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong.

This post marks the second-and-final part of this series.

On to the show!

Name: Will Smith
Position: Center
Age: 18
Home Country: USA
Height/Weight/Shot: 6-foot-0; 181 pounds; Right
2022-23 League: NTDP (US National U18), USHL (USNTDP Juniors)
NHL Central Scouting Rank: 3

Scouting Report
Anchored by a strong showing in the 2023 U18 World Championship, Smith has shot up the draft ranking board throughout the season. The Lexington, Mass. native posted nine goals and 11 assists in just seven tournament games. Smith earned a gold medal with Team USA, and was named the U18 Worlds' Most Valuable Player, Best Forward, and earned a nod as a Top-3 player on the team after scoring the most goals and amassing the most points in the tournament.

He finished his National Team Development Program (NTDP) with an eye-popping 127 points in 60 games, which is second all-time in a single season behind teammate Gabe Perreault (also set this season). His 191 career points are second behind Jack Hughes' 228, and two more than Coyotes All-Star forward Clayton Keller's mark of 189, which he set from 2014-16.

The 18-year-old is committed to Boston College (NCAA) for the 2023-24 season.

Name: Matthew Wood
Position: Right Wing
Age: 18
Home Country: Canada
Height/Weight/Shot: 6-foot-3; 190 pounds; Right
2022-23 League: NCAA (University of Connecticut)
NHL Central Scouting Rank: 4

Scouting Report
Wood has split the opinion of hockey pundits across North America, but he followed up a stellar 2021-22 season in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) by recording 11 goals and 23 assists in 35 NCAA games with the University of Connecticut. 2022-23 has been a special season for the 18-year-old, who won a Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal, along with bronze at the U18 Worlds, in which he was named one of Team Canada's Top-3 players after notching seven goals and six assists in seven games.

The Lethbridge, Alberta native sports a big frame at 6-foot-3, though most pundits agree his speed and edgework still need to be refined.

Name: Ryan Leonard
Position:Right Wing
Age: 18
Home Country: USA
Height/Weight/Shot: 5-foot-11; 192 pounds; Right
2022-23 League: NTDP (Us National U18 Team), USHL (USNTDP Juniors)
NHL Central Scouting Rank: 5

Scouting Report
Leonard was an alternate captain on the U18 Worlds team that won gold, and the Amherst, Mass. native posted eight goals and nine assists in seven games. He finished the tournament with the best plus/minus (plus-16), and was named a Top-3 player on the team alongside fellow prospect Will Smith. His strong wrist shot was on full display throughout the 2022-23 NTDP season, where he recorded 51 goals and 43 assists in 57 games.

Leonard will continue to gel with Smith in 2023-24, as he's also committed to play at Boston College (NCAA) for the academic year.

Name: Zach Benson
Position: Winger / Center
Age: 18
Home Country: Canada
Height/Weight/Shot: 5-foot-10; 163 pounds; Left
2022-23 League: WHL (Winnipeg ICE)
NHL Central Scouting Rank: 6

Scouting Report
Benson played alongside Coyotes prospect Conor Geekie in the WHL last season, where he helped the Winnipeg ICE to a league-best 57-10-1 regular season record. The 18-year-old won a Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal, in addition to being named to the WHL Eastern Conference's First All-Star Team and the CHL's Third All-Star Team. The Langley, British Columbia native usurped his solid 2021-22 campaign by posting 36 goals and 62 assists in 60 games with the ICE, chipping in 17 points in 15 playoff games.

Name: Nate Danielson
Position: Center
Age: 18
Home Country: Canada
Height/Weight/Shot: 6-foot-1; 185 pounds; Right
2022-23 League: WHL (Brandon Wheat Kings)
NHL Central Scouting Rank: 7

Scouting Report
Danielson already possesses the coveted leadership capabilities following a full season as the Brandon Wheat Kings' captain, and the 18-year-old excelled with 33 goals and 45 assists in 68 WHL games while earning Second All-Star Team honors in the WHL's Eastern Conference. The Red Deer, Alberta native has been a mainstay in Brandon since 2020-21, amassing 150 total points in 145 games.

Name: Oliver Moore
Position: Center
Age: 18
Home Country: USA
Height/Weight/Shot: 5-foot-11; 188 pounds; Left
2022-23 League: NTDP (US National U18 Team), USHL (USNTDP Juniors)
NHL Central Scouting Rank: 8

Scouting Report
Another produce of the US National Development Program, Moore also won a gold medal at the U18 Worlds, where he was an alternate captain with Team USA. The Mounds View, Minn. native notched four goals and five assists in the tournament, and added 75 points in 61 games with the US National U18 Team last season.

Moore will join Logan Cooley, who the Coyotes selected third overall at the 2022 NHL Draft, at the University of Minnesota for the 2023-24 season.

Name: Samuel Honzek
Position: Left Wing
Age: 18
Home Country: Slovakia
Height/Weight/Shot: 6-foot-4; 185 pounds; Left
2022-23 League: WHL (Vancouver Giants)
NHL Central Scouting Rank: 9

Scouting Report
Honzek started acclimating to North American hockey this past season, where he posted 23 goals and 33 assists in 43 games with the WHL's Vancouver Giants in 2022-23. The Trencin, Slovakia native is also accomplished at the international level, helping Slovakia to a Hlinka Gretzky Cup silver medal in 2021-22 while also winning gold at the U18 Division 1A Worlds that same year (D1A included Norway, France, Kazakhstan, Denmark, and Japan).

Honzek chipped in one goal and three assists in four WHL playoff games this season before the Giants bowed out to the Kamloops Blazers in the first round.

Name: Gabriel Perreault
Position: Right Wing
Age:18
Home Country: USA / Canada
Height/Weight/Shot: 5-foot-11; 165 pounds; Left
2022-23 League:NTDP (Us National U18 Team), USHL (USNTDP Juniors)
NHL Central Scouting Rank:10

Scouting Report
Like his USNTDP counterparts on this list, Perreault enjoyed a memorable 2022-23 season that included a gold medal at the U18 Worlds, where he notched the most assists (13) while being named a Top-3 player on the team. The Sherbrooke, Quebec native added five goals in the tourney to finish with 18 points in five games, and put together a truly special NTDP campaign with 132 points in 63 games, which is the most all-time in a single season, breaking Auston Matthews' record of 117.