Chicago Blackhawks

The first day of the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft came and went to the fans’ great satisfaction, albeit without any major pops – the exception possibly being that Örebro’s Leo Carlsson beat Adam Fantilli in the fight to be selected after Connor Bedard.

Day two, with rounds 2-7 of the draft, offered more Swedes selected, more trades and more young players who had their dreams fulfilled.
Here are ten things we take away from day two of the draft.

The Swedes who were elected on day two

Six Swedes were selected in the first round during the first day of the draft. During day two, another 19 Swedes were drafted – first of them Anton Wahlberg who went to the Buffalo Sabers with the 39th pick overall (seventh in the second round).
Felix Nilsson (43rd overall, Nashville Predators) and Felix Unger Sörum (62nd overall, Carolina Hurricanes) were also selected in the second round of the draft. The last Swede to be selected was Kristian Kostadinski, who was selected by the Boston Bruins in the seventh round as the 220th player overall.

Zeb Forsfjälls fall

One of the Swedes selected on Thursday was Skellefteå AIK’s Zeb Forsfjäll, who was picked by the Seattle Kraken in the sixth round (180th player overall). A relatively strong fall for the 176-centimeter-tall and 76-kilogram forward who, before the draft, was ranked around place 100 by several publications; this after, among other things, being successful at the U18 World Cup where he accounted for eight points (2+6) in seven games.

Chicago Blackhawks bytesaffärer

The Blackhawks were in the spotlight on Day Two of the draft as well. This when, in addition to selecting players, two separate trades were carried out; partly the team brought in Corey Perry from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a pick in the seventh round in 2024, partly they received a pick in the second round of the draft in 2026 to also receive Josh Bailey and his contract from the New York Islanders.
The Blackhawks thus sent nothing to the Islanders beyond “future options.” Additionally, the prevailing consensus seems to be that Chicago intends to buy Bailey out of his contract.

[Läs också: Bedard etta, sen valdes sex svenskar i första rundan]

Oilers and Red Wings traded

However, the Blackhawks weren’t the only team to make trades during Day Two. The Edmonton Oilers sent the rights to Klim Kostin (RFA on July 1) as well as Kailer Yamamoto (one year remaining on his contract at a $3.1 million salary cap hit) to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for future options.

The trade was a way for the Oilers to create space under the salary cap and in the lineup.

David Poile’s last draft and three

Nashville Predators so far only general manager David Poile made his last draft before his impending retirement. In a nice gesture on the first day of the draft, representatives of selecting teams took the opportunity to thank Poile for his service and wish him well in retirement. On Day Two, Poile completed his final official trades as he traded pick #218 in the draft in exchange for a 2024 seventh round pick.

Even more special? He completed the trade with New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald, who was the Nashville Predators’ first team captain during his playing career.

Tweet from @NHL: David Poile���s final trade as Nashville���s GM: He swaps seventh-round picks with @NJDevils GM Tom Fitzgerald, the first captain @PredsNHL history. #NHLDraft So cool. Such an awesome moment. Enjoy your retirement, David. 👏 pic.twitter.com/p4EZmxqjkI

Controversial Cristall was selected by the Capitals at #40

Andrew Cristall, ranked as a first-round talent by most draft publications (as high as 12th overall by some!), fell in the draft and was eventually selected 40th overall by the Washington Capitals. Cristall is seen by many as one of the most skilled players in this year’s draft and is considered to have all the tools to succeed – possibly with the exception of the skating.

– I am ready to prove that Washington made the right choice, said Cristall.

Cristall himself believes that he shapes his game after NHL stars such as Mitch Marner, Nikita Kucherov and Nicklas Bäckström.

Frölunda to Detroit in express speed

The Detroit Red Wings continued their trend of selecting Swedes from Frölunda when they picked Noah Dower Nilsson in the third round as the 73rd player overall.

– It’s only funny when there are many Swedes, said Dower Nilsson. It will probably be a little easier for me to spend time with them. It’s crazy fun and funny that we come from the same association.

First Swedish back to be drafted on day two

85 centimeters tall and 90 kilos Albert Wikman from Färjestad BK’s J20 team became the first Swedish defender to be selected during the second draft day.

His new club address in the NHL? The Stanley Cup finalists Florida Panthers, who drafted him in the fourth round as the 127th player overall.

Worldwide

A total of 224 players were selected during the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville. Players born in 16 different countries were represented; including one player each from Kazakhstan, France, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Denmark and Austria.
The players came on from 36 (!) different leagues around the world.

Twelve picks versus three picks

The contrasts were great in terms of how many draft picks the various clubs made in this year’s draft. Before the draft, the Nashville Predators had the most picks, 13, but after various trades of draft picks, the team ended up with eleven completed picks. The most picks were made by the Arizona Coyotes, who made a total of twelve. The first choice was made by the Canadian clubs Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, who only made three choices each.

2023-06-29 21:18:05
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