Top goalie prospects discussed ahead of 2023 NHL Draft

The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The first round will be June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are June 29 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at the top-eligible North American goalies in a Q&A with Al Jensen of NHL Central Scouting. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Carson Bjarnason of Brandon in the Western Hockey League only started playing goalie six years ago but has worked on his craft to become one of the top players at his position in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

Bjarnason (6-foot-3, 186 pounds), No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goalies presented by BioSteel, was 21-19-6 with a 3.08 goals-against average, .900 save percentage and three shutouts in 47 games with the Wheat Kings.

He was a defenseman for six years before switching to goalie when he was 12. He went unselected in the 2020 WHL draft and signed with Brandon on Sept. 14, 2021.

"My dad stressed that I had to be one of the better, smoother skaters on the team so I played defense, and then I started playing with my older brother who needed someone to shoot on and I ended up liking it," Bjarnason said.

Today, Bjarnason has "an excellent chance to be a quality NHL starter someday" because of his presence and poise, according to Al Jensen of NHL Central Scouting.

"For being such a young goalie, the presence that he has, the confidence, the poise and skill level at this point in his career is amazing," Jensen said. "He can carry the load and he very rarely leaves holes."

There were 20 goalies chosen in the 2022 NHL Draft, including two in the second round: Topias Leinonen to the Buffalo Sabres (No. 41) and Niklas Kokko to the Seattle Kraken (No. 58).

To break down many of the top-eligible North American goalies in the 2023 draft, here are five questions with Jensen:

Michael Hrabal of Omaha in the United States Hockey League is an imposing prospect in the crease at 6-foot-6, 209 pounds. What did you see down the stretch in the USHL for him to remain No. 2 on Central Scouting's list of North American goalies?

"He's a giant in the net and for his size, he moves very well. I don't think I've seen a goalie move this well at that size at this time in his development. When he's on his game, there's not much room for shooters. When you reach the NHL level, you need to be able to cover the holes and he does it already at this age (18). I remember how strong he was in the first half of the year, but then he had about a month where his play kind of dipped and it looked like he lost some energy but that's understandable for a young kid coming over his first year from Czechia. It could have been a little bit of homesickness, a long schedule, getting lots of shots. I'd say the last month-and-a-half, his play turned around immensely. I think he's got huge upside and, down the road, has a chance of becoming a quality NHL starter."

Trey Augustine (6-1, 183) of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team is No. 3 on the North American list. How much did his strong play at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship help in showcasing what he could potentially be as he continues to develop?

"Being on the big stage was a big plus for him. Leading up to World Juniors, he had the fundamentals, and his technical ability was already ahead of a lot of the goalies. He doesn't have the huge size but it's not bad. He has good positional play and he's very smart so it makes up for any lack of size he might have. He always seems to be in good position, has great quickness, great compete. Trey's got phenomenal leg strength for his lateral pushes to get across on the one-time attempts. He's got very good post-to-post play and his technique makes him look like he's a couple of years ahead of the game. He's got a really good chance to be a top-end NHL starter down the road."

Is Avon Old Farms goalie Stephen Peck (No. 7; 6-2, 170) a sleeper among this year's goalie crop? What do you like about Peck and do you see him as a possible steal in the later rounds?

"I don't know about him being a sleeper anymore; he's a quality goalie. He's got loads of confidence, is strong, has that poise and he was probably Avon's most important player in winning a championship at the Connecticut school this season. He's got great technical ability and net coverage. You can see he could take that next step at that next level; I felt he could have played at a higher level with no problem and be an effective goalie last year. I heard he's going to the University of Michigan in 2024 so he could play in the British Columbia Hockey League or the United States Hockey League next season. In my opinion, he could step into the USHL and be a very good goalie. I really believe he's going to be one of those goalies to probably go in the third or fourth round. I think he has a really good future ahead of him and there's a lot to work with. The sky's the limit for this kid."

What stood out about Seattle goalie Scott Ratzlaff (No. 4; 6-0, 175) of the Western Hockey League this season?

"This kid impressed me right off the get-go. He's not as big as the other goalies but his skill level, mechanics and IQ are really good. I know he's playing behind Thomas Milic (No. 28), who's a very good goalie as well, but I believe Ratzlaf will be in the NHL. He has great footwork, great positioning and good reactionary play. I could keep going on and on about those high qualities he has."

Can you give us your analysis of a few overage goalies who starred at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship for their country, were passed over in last year's draft but could be chosen this year?

Adam Gajan (No. 6) of Green Bay (USHL): "I like his strength, his competitiveness. He's got good size (6-2, 167), there's a lot to like about. He played most of the season with Chippewa (NAHL) with great results and was called up with Green Bay. Even though he got passed over last year, I think he's got an excellent chance of being drafted this year."

Tomas Suchanek (No. 9) of Tri-City (WHL): "Another competitive goaltender, played with Czechia at the World Juniors. Suchanek is one of these guys who can help you steal a game and for a coach, that's a very relaxing thing. Very good compete, strong, smart, very skilled. There's just

Thomas Milic (No. 28) of Seattle (WHL): "Milic is had a great playoff. He's just carried on after helping Canada win the World Juniors. He's been consistent the last three years and is another one of those goalies who doesn't have the big size (6-0, 179), but is technically very sound and smart. I hope that someone will give him a chance."

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