Jets should have solid options with 18th pick By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 2:05 PM CDT Monday, Jun. 26, 2023 Last Modified: 2:54 PM CDT Monday, Jun. 26, 2023 Updates

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This article was published 26/06/2023 (1129 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

No, the Winnipeg Jets are not getting Connor Bedard. Nor will they be selecting Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson or Will Smith. You can also put Russian wildcard Matvei Michkov and talented Zach Benson of the recently departed Winnipeg Ice in the category of wishful thinking.

Those highly touted teenage hockey prospects will be long gone by the time Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff steps up to the podium Wednesday night in Nashville and announces the 18th-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

While it’s easy to say which players the Jets won’t be landing, it’s more challenging to nail down exactly who the Central Division squad will target with that pick. One thing is clear: They will be welcoming a very good young player, who should instantly join the likes of Chaz Lucius, Rutger McGroarty and Brad Lambert as among the most promising in the system.

It’s a bit of a fool’s game to predict how it may play out, given that Winnipeg will be at the mercy of what the 17 organizations in front of them do. But after scouring more than a dozen “mock drafts” that have been done by various pundits and publications, we’ve put together an intriguing list of players who just might be waiting to hear their name called by the time the Jets are on the clock.

Below is a list of a dozen players who could fit the bill, in order of where NHL Central Scouting has them ranked, and why they could be really nice fits in Winnipeg.

Just a reminder, Round 1 is set to go at 6 p.m. (Sportsnet) at Bridgestone Arena, while selections in rounds two through seven begin at 10 a.m. Thursday (Sportsnet) at the home of the Predators.

FORWARDS:

C Nate Danielson: The kid would feel right at home, having played the last three seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. He’s coming off a monster campaign in which he had 78 points (33 goals, 45 assists) in 68 games. The Red Deer, Alta., product has size (6-2, 185 pounds), skill and high character. Maybe the best praise of all came from Bedard, who called Danielson the toughest player to go up against in the league. Some mock drafts have him going in the Top 10, while others have him falling as low as 20, so whether he’s still around is a bit of a mystery. He’s ranked No. 7 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

C Oliver Moore: This pick would make sense of many levels. He’s from Minnesota, which the Jets love. He’s part of the U.S. National Development team, which the Jets love. He’s also got speed to burn, regarded as the fastest skater in his draft class, and would provide a nice one-two punch in that department along with the up-and-coming Lambert. He’s not the biggest player, at just 5-11, 188 pounds, but there is a ton to like about his upside. Interestingly, he’s the player that most often was linked to Winnipeg in mock drafts. He’s ranked No. 8 among North American skaters.

C/LW Samuel Honzek: Born in Slovakia, he spent last season with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL where he had 56 points (23G, 33A) in 43 games. He’s got plenty of potential as a power forward, at 6-4, 186 pounds. He suffered a deep cut to his left calf during the World Junior Championship last winter which cost him nearly two months but has fully recovered and opened plenty of eyes at the recent scouting combine. He’s ranked No. 9 among North American skaters.

RW Gabriel Perreault: No relation to Winnipeg’s former Swiss army knife, Mathieu Perreault. But he has hockey in his genes as his father, Yanic, played 859 NHL games. The Illinois product led the U.S. National Development team in scoring with a whopping 110 points (46G, 64A) in 55 games. One of the best pure skilled prospects available this year despite only standing 5-11 and weighing 165 pounds. He’s ranked No. 10 among North American skaters.

C Brayden Yager: Another product of the WHL, the Saskatoon product had 78 points (28G, 50A) in 67 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Winnipeg hasn’t picked many Western Canadian kids in recent years, but this might present an opportunity to do so. At 5-11, 166 pounds, there’s room for some physical growth, especially if he’s going to develop as a future NHL centre (rather than a winger). Skating and shooting are his specialties. He’s ranked No. 11 among North American skaters.

LW Colby Barlow: The Jets love their high IQ players, and Barlow is certainly that. He was recently named the Ontario Hockey League’s scholastic player of the year (an honour that Josh Morrissey and Adam Lowry both won in the WHL years ago). Barlow (6-0, 190 pounds) had a big year with the Owen Sound Attack (46G, 33A in 59 games) and has all the qualities you’d want from a future top-six NHL forward. He’s ranked No. 12 among North American skaters.

C Calum Ritchie: Like Barlow, he’s an Ontario product skating in the OHL, although playmaking rather than scoring is more his forte (24G, 35A in 59 games) with the Oshawa Generals). He stands 6-2 and weighing 185 pounds. Scouts say his numbers were hampered by a shoulder injury he played through all year, which is now healing from off-season surgery. Another strong skater. He’s ranked No. 13 among North American skaters.

C/LW Otto Stenberg: The lone forward on this list who is currently plying his trade in Europe. The slick Swedish skater did well against his peers (11G, 15A in 29 games the country’s top junior league) but struggled against older players when he moved up to the top men’s league (1G, 2A in 23 games). The 5-11, 180-pounder is viewed as a talented, two-way centre with a strong work ethic. He’s ranked No. 6 among European skaters.

HONOURABLE MENTION: LW Eduard Sale, LW Daniel But, LW Quentin Musty.

DEFENCEMEN:

One wonder if Winnipeg might prefer to take a swing at a defenceman, instead, given the team’s current depth chart which is top heavy when it comes to up-and-coming forwards.

David Reinbacher of Switzerland is the top-ranked blue-liner who is expected to easily go in the Top 10 but it’s a bit dicey after that with a handful of names who could still be around at No. 18 (and beyond).

D Axel Sandin Pellikka: Some view him as an even better prospect than Reinbacher, so it’s a stretch to think he might still be available at N0. 18. The Jets already have a similar prospect in the system in Ville Heinola, although Pellikka is a right-shot D and Winnipeg is thin in that department. A bit undersized at 5-11 and 180 pounds, but the smooth-skating Swede is an offensive driver. He’s ranked No. 7 among European skaters.

D Tom Willander: Another slick Swede, but unlike Pellikka he’s coming to North America next season to play at Boston University. He rose up the rankings as the season went on. More of a two-way game projected for the 6-1, 180 pounder. Another right-shooting defenceman. He’s ranked No. 12 among European skaters.

D Dmitri Simashev: He’s big (6-4, 201 pounds) and mean, with not nearly the offensive upside of others. He, like all Russian players still back in their homeland, is a major question mark these days given the current state of the world. Played in the KHL last year, so drafting the left-shootoing D-man is not without significant risk. He’s ranked No. 19 among European skaters.

D Oliver Bonk: The son of 1994 third-overall pick Radek Bonk was born in Ottawa and has spent the past two years with the London Knights of the OHL. At 6-2, 180 pounds, he is coming off a solid offensive year (10G, 30A in 67 games). Bonk is a right-shot blue-liner ranked No. 20 among European skaters. Both Simashev and Bonk could fall into the 20s, so if the Jets were truly interested in one you wonder if they’d consider trading down.

HONOURABLE MENTION: D Mikhail Gulyayev, D Theo Lindstein, D Lukas Dragicevic.

The Jets currently have five picks in the 2023 draft. In addition to 18th-overall selection, they also hold a third-round pick, a pair of fifth-round picks and another in the seventh-round.

Their second-round pick was traded to the Washington Capitals as part of the Brenden Dillon deal, their fourth-rounder was shipped to the Seattle Kraken in the Mason Appleton swap, and their sixth rounder went to the New York Rangers as part of the Andrew Copp trade.

Winnipeg did get an additional fifth-rounder back from the Broadway Blueshirts, along with Morgan Barron and a pair of picks that have already turned into Brad Lambert (1st round, 2022) and Elias Salomonsson (2nd round, 2022)

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

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