Welcome to the 2023 NHL Draft!
This summer’s NHL draft has been highly anticipated for some time. Between a generational hockey talent who went No. 1 overall and the general depth of this draft class, all eyes were on Wednesday’s first round of 32 picks.
Headed into Wednesday’s draft, NHL teams were quite active. Taylor Hall was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks to help usher in the franchise’s next era. The Winnipeg Jets got a haul and a half from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois. And there’s no doubt more moves will be made as the NHL offseason finally kicks into high gear.
We all knew Connor Bedard was going No. 1 overall, but after that, hockey fans saw some real surprises across the board as the night progressed. Maybe the biggest stunner came when the Philadelphia Flyers selected Matvei Michkov at No. 7 overall after the talented forward fell out of the top five.
As the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft has hit its conclusion, here is the full list of all 32 picks made by teams, with analysis and grades as well!
- The NHL Draft 2023 winners (Blue Jackets and Flyers) and losers (no trades?) from the first round
- Ranking the 20 best NHL free agents in the 2023 offseason
- Sharks’ NHL Draft pick Will Smith awkwardly ‘sang’ the Fresh Prince theme song after his selection
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