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NHL 24 rookies: Every Round 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft

By Frank Mueller

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 28: Connor Bedard speaks to the media after being selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the first overall pick during round one of the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena on June 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 28: Connor Bedard speaks to the media after being selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the first overall pick during round one of the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena on June 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) /
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The 2023 NHL Entry Draft was highly hyped about because of one man named Connor Bedard. With the Chicago Blackhawks winning the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery, it was all but confirmed that Connor Bedard would be putting on a Blackhawks sweater come the 2023-2024 NHL regular season.

One thing that wasn’t as certain was how the rest of the 2023 NHL Draft would pan out. Now that the 2023 NHL Draft is officially over, it is time to take a look at potential NHL 24 rookies that were drafted.

Every 1st round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft

  1. Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard (C)
  2. Anaheim Ducks: Leo Carlsson (C)
  3. Columbus Blue Jackets: Adam Fantilli (C)
  4. San Jose Sharks: Will Smith (C)
  5. Montreal Canadiens: David Reinbacher (D)
  6. Arizona Coyotes: Dmitriy Simashev (D)
  7. Philadelphia Flyers: Matvei Michkov (RW)
  8. Washington Capitals: Ryan Leonard (RW)
  9. Detroit Red Wings: Nate Danielson (C)
  10. St. Louis Blues: Dalibor Dvorsky (C)
  11. Vancouver Canucks: Tom Willander (D)
  12. Arizona Coyotes (from OTT): Danil But (LW)
  13. Buffalo Sabres: Zach Benson (LW)
  14. Pittsburgh Penguins: Brayden Yager (C)
  15. Nashville Predators: Matthew Wood (RW)
  16. Calgary Flames: Samuel Honzek (LW)
  17. Detroit Red Wings (from NYI via VAN): Axel Sandin Pellikka (D)
  18. Winnipeg Jets: Colby Barlow (LW)
  19. Chicago Blackhawks (from TB): Oliver Moore (C)
  20. Seattle Kraken: Eduard Sale (LW)
  21. Minnesota Wild: Charlie Stramel (C)
  22. Philadelphia Flyers (from LA via CBJ): Oliver Bonk (D)
  23. New York Rangers: Gabriel Perreault (RW)
  24. Nashville Predators (from EDM): Tanner Molendyk (D)
  25. St. Louis Blues (from TOR): Otto Stenberg (C)
  26. San Jose Sharks (from NJ): Quentin Musty (LW)
  27. Colorado Avalanche: Calum Ritchie (C)
  28. Toronto Maple Leafs (from BOS via WSH): Easton Cowan (RW)
  29. St. Louis Blues (from DAL via NYR): Theo Lindstein (D)
  30. Carolina Hurricanes: Bradly Nadeau (LW)
  31. Colorado Avalanche (from FLA via MTL): Mikhail Gulyayev (D)
  32. Vegas Golden Knights: David Edstrom (C)

The Draft order that was expected coming into the 2023 NHL Entry Draft was the same by the end of the night. For the first time since 2007, there were no first-round trades made. This was one of the most stacked Drafts in quite a while so there being no trades doesn’t come as a complete surprise.

With so much talent said to be in this year’s draft, there were not a ton of surprises the whole night. The only major surprise was that the Anaheim Ducks passed up on Adam Fantilli and chose Leo Carlsson instead. Adam Fantilli was a highly rated number 2 pick that was expected to go to the Ducks, but it appeared GM Pat Verbeek had other ideas up his sleeve. Leo Carlsson is a tremendous talent, but we will see how the Duck’s pick pans out down the line after passing up on Adam Fantilli.

The final question mark of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft was where Matvei Michkov was going to be drafted. Matvei Michkov still has 3 years left on his KHL contract, meaning whatever team decides to draft him wouldn’t receive him for at least another three years. If you are in a position of rebuilding and willing to wait three years, Michkov is a great choice. If Michkov’s KHL deal was finished, there was a very big chance that he would have been drafted second overall by the Anaheim Ducks. However, because of his lengthy 3-year KHL contract, he fell to the Philadelphia Flyers at 7. The Flyers’ window to be competitive in the NHL is still a long way away, so this was the perfect pick for the Philadelphia Flyers.

When it comes to NHL 24, Connor Bedard will no doubt be on the Blackhawks. On release day, when you load up the game for the first time and select the Chicago Blackhawks to play as, you will get the opportunity to play as Connor Bedard. The same can’t be said for the other athletes on this list.

Some great players were drafted this year, but most of them are not NHL-ready. It will take some time for them to improve their game before they make it to the NHL. Even highly talked about Adam Fantilli hasn’t decided if he is going to return to Michigan for his Sophomore year or take a dive into the NHL. If he goes to Michigan, Ducks fans won’t get the luxury of using Adam Fantilli in NHL 24.

That said, you never know who truly will make their debut and who will not. While most of these young talents won’t make their debut this year because of other prior commitments, it is still great to see the NHL filling up with so many great talents.

Related Story. NHL 24: Predicting Connor Bedard’s rookie overall rating. light

There is no official release date set in stone for NHL 24, but I can not wait to use Connor Bedard as a Blackhawk for the very first time.

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