Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, is set to welcome hundreds of hockey’s finest this week for the 2023 NHL Draft. Numerous top prospects and their family members will be in attendance on June 28 and 29 anxiously waiting to hear their names called by one of the 32 NHL clubs.
In total, 225 players aged 17 to 20 will be selected in the draft. However, there are multiple ways to achieve the dream of playing in the NHL and the NHL Draft process is merely the beginning of a player’s journey to the professional ranks. National Hockey League teams will invite their prospects and some undrafted players to attend development camps this summer.
The Wheat Kings take pride in helping players prepare for the next step in their hockey careers. Three Wheat Kings who played in Brandon during the 2022-23 season were recognized by NHL Central Scouting this season.
Nate Danielson finished the year as the highest-ranked Wheat King, owning the 7th spot on the North American Skaters list. The late 2004-born forward ranked among the CHL’s best with a career-high with 33 goals and 78 points in 68 games, and was invited to participate in the NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game in January.
Carson Bjarnason ranked 1st on Central Scouting’s Final North American Goaltenders Rankings. Bjarnason played in 47 games and posted a G.A.A. of 3.08 with a save percentage of .900. Carson was also invited and participated in the NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game in January.
Quinn Mantei earned an end-of-season ranking of 138th among North American Skaters. Quinn put up 25 points in 67 games while finishing with a +/- of +10. He also won the Doc Seaman memorial WHL award for most scholastic player.
The NHL Scouting Combine showcases the top draft-eligible prospects from North America and Europe ahead of the NHL Draft. The event consists of player interviews, medical assessments and a series of physical fitness tests. Each NHL team will also have the opportunity to conduct individual interviews with players in preparation for the draft.
HOW TO WATCH THE DRAFT
The first round is scheduled for Wednesday, June 28 at 6:00 p.m. CT and fans can watch live on Sportsnet.
Rounds 2-7 will be held on Thursday, June 29 beginning at 10:00 a.m. CT on NHL Network and Sportsnet.
NHL DRAFT NOTABLES
– A total of 38 Wheat Kings have been selected over the last 20 NHL Drafts, including 8 first-round picks.
– At least one Wheat King has been selected in all but 7 NHL Draft years.
– The Philadelpia Flyers have drafted the most Wheat Kings all time with 10.
– Other NHL teams ranked in order of Wheat Kings selected: Vancouver (9), Buffalo (7), Washington(7), Pittsburgh (5), Chicago (5), Boston (5), St Louis (5), Arizona/Winnipeg 1.0 (4), Dallas/Minnesota North Stars (4), New York Rangers (4), Ottawa (4), Toronto (4), Winnipeg Jets 2.0/Atlanta (4), Florida (3), New York Islanders (3), Detroit (2), Los Angeles (2), San Jose (2), Tampa Bay (2), Colorado (2), Columbus (2), Montreal (1), Nashvile (1), New Jersey (1), Anaheim (1), Carolina (1), Edmonton (1)
– Minnesota Wild, Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights are the only teams to have not yet selected a Brandon Wheat King at the NHL Draft.
(Article courtesy of the Brandon Wheat Kings)
