5 questions entering NHL Central Scouting final meetings

TORONTO --NHL scouts are expected to do plenty of cramming over the next few months compiling their wish list of prospects they hope are available in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft on June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

NHL Central Scouting hopes to ease that process when the bureau conducts its meetings to determine the final rankings of the top North American skaters and goaltenders eligible for the 2023 draft beginning Monday. Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, will chair the five-day meeting that will include the input of eight fulltime scouts.
Goran Stubb, NHL Director of European Scouting, will provide and recommend to Marr the ranking of the top skaters and goaltenders on the International list.
"The challenging part of any final ranking meeting is determining the order between each of the players, particularly those in the first round, based on our scouting history with the player, their development and NHL projection," Marr said. "The 2023 final ranking will have some significant moves from midseason which is a direct result of many players advancing their development over the course of the season to move ahead of some of the pre-established prospects. It's been quite impressive to watch the continued growth and development of many of these prospects over the course of the 2022-23 season."
Here are five questions to consider entering NHL Central Scouting's final meetings:
Connor Bedard is expected to be No. 1 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters presented by BioSteel, but how wide is the margin between he and the next player chosen in the 2023 NHL Draft?
Bedard (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) of Regina in the Western Hockey League has lived up to all the hype. The 17-year-old captain had 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 regular-season games, the most points in the WHL since Frank Banham had 152 points (83 goals, 69 assists) for Saskatoon in 1995-96.
"Connor Bedard is an entirely different conversation with respect to any other player in the 2023 draft class and the margin is significant," Marr said. "The debate will be who is selected with the next couple picks. It could be a tough call to give an edge to one of Adam Fantilli (University of Michigan) or Leo Carlsson (Orebro, Sweden).
Will it be difficult to determine the No. 2 player on the North American list?
Probably not with the way left-handed center Fantilli has performed as a freshman for Michigan. Fantilli (6-2, 195) is No. 2 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking and also was named a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Award finalist, presented annually to the top NCAA men's hockey player. He leads NCAA Division I men's hockey in points (64) and points per game (1.83) and is second in goals (29).
One other North American player to keep in an eye on is right-handed center William Smith of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team. Smith (6-0, 178) is the seventh NTDP forward in the program's history to score at least 100 points. He has 103 points (41 goals, 62 assists) in 50 games, including 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 22 games against NCAA competition this season.
Is there a dark horse to keep an eye on down the stretch?
Forward Gavin Brindley (5-8, 165), No. 40 on Central Scouting's midterm list of North American skaters, has impressed as a freshman at Michigan. He has scored 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) in 40 games and has 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 20 games since returning from the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. Brindley had four points (one goal, three assists) in seven games to help the United States win a bronze medal at the 2023 WJC.
"Brindley has made substantial strides in the second half, establishing himself as a solid first-round selection," Marr said. "He plays all situations at Michigan and finds ways to contribute with and without the puck which has translated to team success. He may not have size, yet he's one of the best at competing with his skills and attributes."
Are there any high school players to keep an eye on for the 2023 draft?
The top scholastic player in January was senior forward Jayson Shaugabay (5-9, 153) of Warroad High School in Minnesota. The right-handed shot, No. 64 on Central Scouting's midterm list of North American skaters, had 96 points (33 goals, 63 assists) in 31 games.
He won the 2023 Mr. Hockey Award as Minnesota's best scholastic boy's hockey player and scored eight points (two goals, six assists) in the 2022-23 Minnesota state tournament to help Warroad to a second-place finish in the state Class 1A tournament. He ranks sixth on the state's all-time scoring list with 304 points (114 goals, 190 assists) in 110 games over four seasons and is committed to the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2023-24.
How many players from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program under-18 team are potential first-round draft picks?
Smith is one of five players from the program who could hear his name called in the first round of the 2023 draft.
The 18-year-old, who will attend Boston College in 2023-24, and three other NTDP teammates are projected to be selected among the top 25 of the 2023 draft. The list includes right wing Ryan Leonard (No. 4), center Oliver Moore (No. 6) and right wing Gabriel Perreault (No. 15).
Additionally, center Danny Nelson (No. 22) is also a projected first-round option.
"The NTDP always has some of the top American prospects and for 2023 there is depth with elite forwards such as Leonard, Moore, Perreault and Smith, and goaltender Trey Augustine is worth being in the conversation as a first-round candidate," Marr said.
A record eight NTDP players, including seven in the top 15, were selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. There were six NTDP players selected in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft, including four among the top 15 (Logan Cooley, No. 3, Arizona Coyotes; Cutter Gauthier, No. 5, Philadelphia Flyers; Frank Nazar, No. 13, Chicago Blackhawks; Rutger McGroarty, No. 14, Winnipeg Jets).
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