Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Mid-Season Draft Rankings

01/13/2023 at 11:05am EST

NEW YORK (Jan. 13, 2023)Connor Bedard (North Vancouver, B.C.), a center from the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats, ranks No. 1 among North American skaters for the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft as the NHL Central Scouting Bureau today released its mid-season rankings presented by BioSteel. Bedard, who was just named Most Valuable Player at the 2023 World Junior Championship while leading the tournament in scoring and helping Team Canada earn gold, all at the age of 17, can become the first WHL skater selected first overall in the NHL Draft since Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in 2011.

Bedard is the only WHL player to ever be granted exceptional player status to enter the Canadian Hockey League at an early age (seventh player at the time). He leads all WHL skaters with 31-39—70 in 29 games in 2022-23, holding an eight-point edge over the next closest skater despite missing 11 games while representing Canada at the World Junior Championship. In his first game back with his Regina teammates in almost a month following the tournament, he factored on all six goals (4-2—6) in a 6-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen.

Connor Bedard is an outstanding talent with the ability to utilize all of his skills and assets at top speed, placing him on a level of his own right now as the No. 1 prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft,” says Dan Marr, Vice President of NHL Central Scouting. “He is one of the more natural scorers to come along since Patrick Kane with a Draft hype reminiscent of Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. Like those three, Bedard is a player that can bring you out of your seat.”

CLICK HERE for #NHLStats: 10 Things to Know About Connor Bedard – a mix of on-ice achievements and off-ice storylines including the time he brought a hockey stick while on vacation in Hawaii and how a broken wrist helped make him a better player.

Leo Carlsson (Karlstad, Sweden), a center for Orebro of the Swedish Hockey League, ranks No. 1 among international skaters. Carlsson has 4-11—15 in 26 games this season while playing in Sweden’s top men’s league and also had an impact for Team Sweden’s fourth-place finish at the 2023 World Junior Championship (3-3—6 in 7 GP).

Leo Carlsson is a competitive two-way forward with all the tools needed to excel,” says Marr. “He is very athletic, a quick and fluid skater, strong on the puck and effective in battles. A very consistent performer capable of making the game look easy with his deceptive smarts and skills. He generates chances at crucial times and is capable of changing the momentum of games.”



Joining Bedard among the top-five North American skaters is his gold medal-winning teammate at the 2023 World Junior Championship and University of Michigan freshman Adam Fantilli (Nobleton, Ont.); a pair of forwards from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program Under-18 Team in No. 3-ranked William Smith (Boston, Mass.) and No. 4-ranked Ryan Leonard (Northampton, Mass.); followed by Moose Jaw (WHL) center Brayden Yager (Saskatoon, Sask.).

* Fantilli, who posted 2-3—5 in 7 games for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, ranks tied for 10th among U.S. College skaters with 11-15—26 in 16 games – leading a University of Michigan team in points that includes NHL first-round picks such as Luke Hughes (No. 4 in 2021 by NJD), Rutger McGroarty (No. 14 in 2022 by WPG) and Mackie Samoskevich (No. 24 in 2021 by FLA).

* Smith (22-37—59 in 31 GP) and Leonard (22-21—43 in 29 GP) rank second and third in points, respectively, on USA Hockey’s NTDP Under-18 Team. Smith leads all skaters on the club with 1.90 P/GP, while Leonard has recorded multiple points in nearly half of his outings this season (14 of 29 GP).

* Yager currently ranks second on his team in scoring and tied for 12th in the WHL with 18-32—50 in 40 games. He was named the CHL and WHL Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 after posting 34-25—59 in 63 games – the first player in the history of the Moose Jaw Warriors to claim CHL Rookie of the Year honors and the first WHL player to do so since Brett Connolly in 2008-09 (w/ Prince George).



Players from six different countries make up the top-10 international skaters. In addition to Carlsson, five other members of the top-10 international skaters participated in the 2023 World Junior Championship: Axel Sandin Pellikka (Sweden), Dalibor Dvorsky (Slovakia), Eduard Sale (Czechia), Lenni Hameenaho (Finland) and David Reinbacher (Austria).


Carson Bjarnason (Brandon, Man.) of Brandon (WHL) is the No. 1-ranked North American goaltender and Alexander Hellnemo (born in Boblingen, Germany), a Swedish national who plays for Skelleftea’s junior team, tops the list of international goaltenders.

The mid-season rankings feature the top 224 skaters and 32 goaltenders in North America as well as the top 130 skaters and 12 goaltenders internationally.

In its 48th year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. Headed by Vice President of Central Scouting Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs eight full-time scouts throughout North America. To report on prospects playing internationally, the NHL employs the services of Goran Stubb and his staff at European Scouting Services based in Finland.


The 2023 NHL Draft is scheduled from June 28-29 and will be hosted by the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

For NHL Draft history visit https://records.nhl.com/draft.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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