The 10 biggest risers for the 2023 NHL Draft

Credit: Brian Liesse

In a way, the 2023 NHL Draft season has felt both excruciatingly long – and lightning-quick.

On one hand, to get a true grasp on this draft class, you have to watch countless games every single week, zeroing in on aspects of a player’s game the average person wouldn’t care about in the slightest. On the other hand, it feels like the season-opening Hlinka Gretzky Cup was just a week ago.

We’re in the final preparation stages for the 2023 draft in Nashville. The on-ice action is done. The combine has come and gone. At this point, teams are starting to put together their final draft lists in preparation for the two-day affair at Bridgestone Arena from June 28-29.

The big guns have all been highly publicized, but the value pickups are the ones that can help elevate your team’s future. The biggest source of value can come from the second-half stalwarts – the guys that weren’t high on any draft boards at the midway point that end up becoming difference-makers. We’re talking about teenagers here, and so much can change in just a few months.

And for these 10 players, that’s exactly what happened this year:

Gracyn Sawchyn, C (Seattle, WHL)

Sawchyn took a big bet on himself last summer, leaving the esteemed United States National Team Development Program – where he finished as the team’s fourth top scorer – to join the Seattle Thunderbirds. Not only did that result in a WHL championship, but after putting up a point per game while showing good speed, smarts and an outstanding work ethic, it helped his draft status in a huge way. Scouts would have liked to see him put a bit more offense on the board, but he’s so good away from the puck that you’ll find yourself smiling, anyway. He’s a dynamic forward that brings back memories of Robert Thomas at the same age, and that might be enough to cement himself as a first-round prospect after not being on the radar early on.

Anton Wahlberg, C (Malmo, SHL)

Standing tall at 6-foot-3, Wahlberg was a C-rated prospect in the NHL’s initial Central Scouting Rankings. Now? I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go in the first round. He had an impressive season against men with Malmo to help the team avoid relegation. Wahlberg then closed the year out by helping Sweden win silver as one of the team’s most valuable forward threats. He’s a good skater for a prospect his size and works hard, hits hard and wins a ton of battles along the boards. Teams will appreciate his work ethic.

Tom Willander, D (Rogle, Sweden U-20)

Entering the year, all the focus on Swedish blueliners were on Axel Sandin Pellikka and Theo Lindstein. But Willander’s play internationally, especially at the World Junior A Challenge, is where he really put his case to get drafted early in the first round. Willander showed how confident he is rushing the puck down the ice at speed while being evasive with the puck. He has a good shot, but Willander excels more as a passer. I’m still not as high on him as much as some others – his defensive game still needs work – but I fully expect him to explode next year with so much value.

Bradly Nadeau, C (Penticton, BCHL)

It was easy to overlook Nadeau, given his time in the BCHL with very few other high-profile prospects to watch. But his 45-goal, 113-point season with the Penticton Vees was a better offensive output than almost anything seen by other recent Jr. A stars like Alex Newhook, Kent Johnson or Matthew Wood. The University of Maine commit has been projected to go anywhere between the late first round to the mid-second round, but there’s no shortage of scouts who thinks Nadeau could be a huge value pickup. He has one of the most powerful shots in the draft class – just ask goalies how they feel about it.

David Edstrom, C (Frolunda, Sweden U-20)

From being on nobody’s midseason rankings to absolutely flying into first-round conversation late in the year. Whether it be his improved production later on, or his outstanding showing at the U-18 World Championship on Sweden’s top line, Edstrom showed he meant business. He’s 6-foot-3 with a knack for the net and good footwork – mixed in with some pro experience – is a good start.

Oscar Fisker Molgaard, C (HV71, SHL)

Mølgaard didn’t produce much in the SHL, but the fact that a 2005-born played more than 40 games against some of the best competition in Europe is nothing to sneeze at. He was excellent against U-20 competition, and, honestly, the smart, controlled center could end up becoming one of the biggest steals of the draft given his pro-ready tools, with and without the puck. His hockey IQ really stands out, but he has NHL-quality acceleration and works his butt off at both ends of the ice.

Nick Lardis, LW (Hamilton, OHL)

Sure, Lardis missed out on winning the OHL title and a spot in the Memorial Cup with Peterborough. In the short term, that’ll burn. But in the long run, he’ll benefit from having left the Petes and joining Hamilton, where he put in one of the strongest second-halfs of anyone in the draft class. After posting just 19 points in 36 games with the Petes this year, he generated 25 goals and 46 points with the Bulldogs, only to pot another 10 in six postseason games. A pure goal-scorer, Lardis always seemd to have the potential to become a big-time scorer, but it just never clicked with the Petes. Now with all the momentum of a hot run with the Bulldogs, could he hit 50 next year?

Adam Gajan, G (Chippewa, NAHL)

Gajan arrived on the scene in a big way after winning the top goaltender award at the World Junior Championship. He started the tournament as the third-stringer but then helped Slovakia get within a goal of advancing to the final four over a Connor Bedard-led Team Canada. That tournament put him on the map, but he kept things rolling with good runs with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers and the NAHL’s Chippewa Steel. Gajan, a University of Minnesota-Duluth commit, is one some scouts think could be taken at the end of the first round by a team willing to take a big swing. It has to be quite a significant one, but with 6-foot-3 frame and other translatable skills in his game, there’s a chance Gajan can be a high-reward prospect.

Danny Nelson, C (USNTDP)

With USA possessing a dominant top line and some other key pieces throughout, it was so easy to overlook Nelson. Nelson had 47 points in 62 outings, finishing the year off with a point per game in his final 16 games. At 6-foot-3, he’s got the size teams want, and he’s not afraid to use it. He keeps his game simple, with a focus on making sure whomever he approaches doesn’t have possession of the puck as quickly as possible. But we also saw him get more comfortable showing flashes of skill as the season wore on. He projects to be a power forward in the NHL, and it’ll be interesting to see if a team finds enough value to pick him up in the second round after being nowhere near that entering the season.

Aydar Suniev, LW (Penticton, BCHL)

A University of Massachusetts commit, Suniev deserves a lot of love for his play in Penticton. He had 45 goals and 90 points in 50 games while playing alongside Nadeau, helping to round out the most dominant line in Canadian Jr. A hockey. He then finished with 23 points in the playoffs, good for fifth in postseason scoring. Suniev can shoot from anywhere, and can put some tremendous velocity behind his shots. He’s also deceptive, often making goalies think he’s shooting up high before either making a pass or going low. Suniev could end up being a top 70 pick after starting the season as a C-rated prospect, according to the NHL’s Central Scouting.

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