We’ve finally hit crunch time. The 2023 NHL Entry Draft is just over a week away, and the Nashville Predators’ scouting department is preparing for their league-best 13 picks this summer. The Predators will have an excellent chance to take their decent prospect pipeline to the next step, starting with the 15th and 24th overall picks in the first round.
Below is a look at six players Nashville could be looking at for those two selections with a breakdown of what kind of game they would bring to the organization.
Oliver Moore (C) | U.S. NTDP (USHL) | 5’11”, 176 lbs. | PBR Rank: 10th
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | U.S. National U17 Team | NTDP | 43 | 24 | 15 | 39 |
| 2022-23 | U.S. National U18 Team | NTDP | 61 | 31 | 44 | 75 |
There’s a good chance that Oliver Moore is off the board at 15th overall (see my 10th overall ranking above); there’s also a not-bad chance that Moore could fall into Nashville’s lap. Regardless, the University of Minnesota commit perfectly fits Barry Trotz’s recently professed draft philosophy.
Moore centered the U.S. National Team Development Program’s (NTDP) second line this year, scoring 31 goals and 75 points in 61 games. Outside of Connor Bedard, Moore’s accelerating gear is one of if not the best in this class. He’s a quick, agile change-of-direction player that also launches himself up the ice with a ton of straight-line speed. He’s a confident puck mover who utilizes effective linear crossovers and good puck deception to stun defenders in transition. His size and strength (he is diminutive) showed their weaknesses at times this year, particularly when battling for the puck in the offensive-zone corners; but he’s got a very sleek set of hands to build puck protection skills off of.
Defensively, Moore is alright, and that side of his game will certainly improve with access to NHL development staff. Every now and then, he can get caught chasing the play in his own end, and a team may want to experiment with him at wing. But, he can wreak havoc against opponents who possess the puck and identifies good lanes to support his team’s breakout. His playmaking and shooting talent, along with his speed, help him project to be a top-six scoring threat in the NHL one day.
Axel Sandin Pellikka (D) | Skellefteå AIK J20 (J20 Nationell) | 5’11”, 181 lbs. | PBR Rank: 11th
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2022-23 | Skellefteå AIK J20 | J20 Nationell | 31 | 16 | 20 | 36 |
| 2022-23 | Skellefteå AIK | SHL | 22 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
It seems clear at this point that David Reinbahcer will be the first defender taken next week. But, years from now, Reinbacher, Axel Sandin Pellikka, and Dmitri Simashev may be on a collision course to determine who the best defender from this class ends up being.
Sandin Pellikka is the top Swedish defender in this class and is naturally drawing comparisons to Erik Karlsson. Standing at 5’11”, the right-shot defender isn’t the biggest, but he has all the bona fides of a first-round pick.
ASP, as he’s often referred to, dominated the U20 circuit this year, scoring 16 goals and 36 points in 31 games from the blue line. He earned a 22-game stint with Skellefteå’s SHL club, and when you watch his tape, it’s clear why. His best asset is his skating; he’s technically sound and excels at pivoting in any direction. He anticipates the course of play well and often gets a jump on where the puck is going so as not to need blistering speed to make a play. He lacks a significant dose of physicality and relies on his stick in most of his one-on-one defending. His crossover acceleration isn’t elite, leading to occasional breakdowns in his defense against more complex offensive cycles.
At the other end of the ice, he’s an effective puck handler and very confident in his touches and distribution. He often carries the puck out of his end in transition, weaving around forecheckers with deceptive footwork and his head up. He’s still prone to a careless pass here and there, and there is always a risk when leading the rush, but you’d prefer that over a more stationary defender. In his puck-support roles, he anticipates open ice well, jumping into lanes to benefit his team’s attack; plus, he’s an above-average shooter and most likely a future power-play quarterback.
Dmitri Simashev (D) | Loko Yaroslavl (MHL) | 6’4″, 201 lbs. | PBR Rank: 16th
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2022-23 | Loko Yaroslavl | MHL | 29 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
| 2022-23 | Loko-76 Yaroslavl | MHL | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2022-23 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | KHL | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
While this is a forward-heavy draft class, particularly in the first two rounds, there are a handful of defenders that should hear their names called on Wednesday night, including Dmitri Simashev. Simashev immediately stands out due to his size: 6’4″ and 201 pounds; it’s impossible not to notice him on the ice. And with those measurements, you may expect his skating to be lacking, but that’s far from the case.
His skating mechanics are very strong. And while there are some minor improvements to be had with his stride extension, he moves extremely well for his stature. His pivot timing and gap closure skills are impressive, and he’s rarely caught out of position in his own end. He uses a long, sweeping stick to end rush chances before they can really get started, and he engages early near the blue line. Faster forwards can get the best of him here and there, but for the most part, he excels at forcing opponents out wide and pressuring them into poor decisions.
Despite scoring just 12 points in the MHL regular season this year, Simashev has a decent foundation to his offensive game. He patrols the blue line well, remaining poised in the offensive zone. He keeps his feet moving off the puck, diving into good puck-support positions that give his teammates options to pass. While he may not be a scoring dynamo, he’s effective in transition, gaining the neutral zone before delivering precise first passes. On top of that, he focuses on getting pucks on-net and shooting for rebounds even under pressure. Simashev has a high ceiling to his game; with improved puckhandling and more confidence at the offensive end of the ice, he could be a true top-pair guy. But frankly, his floor isn’t that low either; I think a lot would have to go wrong for him to not play NHL games.
Matthew Wood (F) | Univ. of Connecticut (NCAA) | 6’3″, 190 lbs. | PBR Rank: 17th
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | Victoria Grizzlies | BCHL | 46 | 45 | 40 | 85 |
| 2022-23 | Univ. of Connecticut | NCAA | 35 | 11 | 23 | 34 |
Matthew Wood has every asset you would want in a top scorer at the NHL level: size (6’3″), muscle, an absolute laser of a shot, decent hands, etc. It’s all there, except… his skating. Regardless, let’s start with the positives.
Wood’s frame gives him built-in puck-protection skills that smaller players just don’t automatically get. He has the size to hold onto the puck a second longer and wait for a teammate to find open ice or another lane. He has the reach to frustrate opponents, toying them with the puck when he’s at the top of his game. As his freshman season at UConn wore on, his stick handling got better; he cradled the puck all around his body, forcing defenders to take dives for possession when they couldn’t knock down his sturdy body. And finally, his shot. It’s a rocket, a laser, whatever you want to call it. He can snipe the puck past goalies off the rush or coming out of a cycle, and sometimes it looks like he’s relying on almost no weight transfer to whip it off his blade. But he isn’t a one-dimensional scorer. He can screen goalies and poke away at loose pucks, ensuring he could be valuable not just on the power-play at higher levels.
The biggest red flag here, as mentioned, is his skating. His mechanics might be the worst of the top-32 prospects in this class. The knee bend, extensions, recovery, posture… it all needs work, and you can’t imagine him being an elite scorer in the NHL without significant improvements in that department. With time, his top speed isn’t terrible, but his reaction speed and standstill acceleration are lacking. If a franchise can work on the skating and add some depth to his off-puck game, Wood could be a nightmare to play against for years to come.
Gavin Brindley (W) | Univ. of Michigan (NCAA) | 5’9″, 157 lbs. | PBR Rank: 18th
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | Tri-City Storm | USHL | 51 | 14 | 28 | 42 |
| 2021-22 | U.S. National U18 Team | NTDP | 15 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| 2022-23 | Univ. of Michigan | NCAA | 41 | 12 | 26 | 38 |
I love Gavin Brindley. Outside the obvious cream-of-the-crop, he may be my favorite player in this draft class. And if he’s available, he could be the perfect pick at 24th overall. The Florida native stands at just 5’9″, and he is on the older side for this class (October 2004 birthday). But I think he could fill a great role in the offense Andrew Brunette and Barry Trotz want to run.
The word motor gets thrown around a lot in scouting circles, and if Gavin Brindley doesn’t epitomize it, then I don’t know who does. This kid is everywhere on the ice, and he’s such a fun player to watch. He keeps his feet moving the entirety of his shifts, he scans the ice well off the puck, he divebombs open slots to receive a pass or distract a defender, and he does so much more. Brindley has a solid set of hands, and he’s a confident puck-handler under pressure. He can spin off of defenders or drive them one way before cutting back with his aggressive stop-and-start style game. In one word, he’s evasive, and he cashes in by attacking soft spots of the ice at the right time.
Off the puck, he’s persistent—if not always successful—on the forecheck. His angles could improve to make up for his lack of size, but he’s tenacious and annoying. He’s quick but doesn’t have elite speed without a bit of time needed to reach his top gear. Like other smaller players, he’ll need to add muscle and better puck-protection smarts to be more effective in the pro ranks. Defensively, Brindley maintains good positioning but his stops and starts sometimes devolve into wide, ineffective swings; nothing an NHL development staff can’t refine. Brindley will look to take a big step at Michigan next year, where he may be counted on to carry more of the torch depending on where Adam Fantilli plays. Regardless, he’s close to a lock to be some level of NHL player for me.
Andrew Cristall (W) | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) | 5’10”, 165 lbs. | PBR Rank: 19th
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 2021-22 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 61 | 28 | 41 | 69 |
| 2022-23 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 54 | 39 | 56 | 95 |
A few weeks ago, when Barry Trotz’s comments about what he wants Nashville’s scouts to target (i.e. take big swings) blew up on Twitter, so many of the replies mentioned Andrew Cristall’s name. And for good reason. The Vancouver native—at all of 5’10″—is one of the flashiest players in this class, and he didn’t finish sixth in WHL scoring this year by mistake.
Simply put, with the puck, Andrew Cristall is dazzling. He executes brilliant moves at top speed on nearly every shift, and he does something smart in all three zones on every play. Without the puck, he maps the ice extremely well, planning a step or two ahead of his opponents so he’s prepared to execute the best play possible. With the puck, he can burst forward in transition and take a defender one-on-one, or he can catalyze a breakout before shooting a gap in a give-and-go style offense. This kid loves to score goals, he’s a creative passer, and he often forces defenders to respect his hands in transition and when they go to close their gaps.
With all that said, there are some downsides. Obviously, his size will force him to learn better puck protection skills, so he can muscle his way out of NHL puck battles. And, his skating mechanics aren’t amazing; his accelerating steps are slightly slower than you’d like them to be, and his stride extension is limiting. Like all confident puck carriers at this age, he can be overconfident, working himself into trouble spots that pro defenders won’t let him out of easily. Regardless, there’s so much skill to Cristall’s game, that he could be a 30+-goal scorer in the NHL. With the right refinements and improvements in displaying his skill more in high-danger areas, Cristall may be a homerun pick, but I think the concerns are justified… Swing away, Barry.
All statistics are courtesy of eliteprospects.com.
