Top prospects from WHL 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 some of the top skaters of the Western Hockey League in a Q&A with John Williams of NHL Central Scouting. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Samuel Honzek proved to be quite a force in his North American debut with Vancouver of the Western Hockey League this season.

The 18-year-old left wing (6-foot-3, 195 pounds), No. 9 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters presented by BioSteel, had 56 points (23 goals, 33 assists) in 43 regular-season games and four points (one goal, three assists) in four WHL playoff games as a rookie.

Only two Vancouver rookies have had more points in their first full season: Fabian Lysell (62 points, 2021-22) and Gilbert Brule (60, 2003-04).

"Since this was his first year here I didn't know him, but what impressed me right off the bat was the fact he just looked like a pro," said John Williams of Central Scouting. "For a big guy he got around the ice really well and adapted to the North American game quickly. I think his confidence grew and he saw that he could play at this level and just continued to get better and better."

Honzek, compared by some to Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha, played two games for Slovakia at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship; he missed the remainder of the tournament because of a skate cut to his left calf that sidelined him for six weeks.

The WHL had 54 players in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2023 draft.

Topping the WHL list is Regina right-shot center Connor Bedard (5-10, 185), Central Scouting's No. 1-ranked North American skater and the projected No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. Bedard is joined by 11 other WHL players among the top 28 on Central Scouting's list of North American skaters, including Winnipeg forward Zach Benson (No. 6) and Brandon forward Nate Danielson (No. 7).

Seattle, the WHL champion, leads all WHL teams with six players on Central Scouting's final list; Vancouver is second with five.

To break it down, here are five questions with Williams:

What had made Bedard unique in his own way unlike any prospect you have ever scouted?

"I think the one thing they all share is that ability to do things that nobody else on the ice can do and they're able to rise to the moment whatever the situation is. But the difference for Connor was when I saw him in the bubble in Regina (2020-21), his shot really was the thing that you just went like, 'Wow, this guy can shoot from anywhere.' He changes the direction, changes the alignment of his stick to put it through people. And the release is so quick and so heavy off his stick, it just surprised people. It surprised the goalies ... they just weren't ready for this thing."

Andrew Cristall (5-9, 175; No. 15), a left wing with Kelowna, stood out on his own merits. What did you like about him?

"In the scouting community you tend to look for faults and what this guy can't do and I remember a guy said to me, years ago ... some guys are just good players and Cristall falls into that category for me. He's got that swagger about him, that confidence in his own game, and not in a bad or negative way either. He plays his game, he's confident in his own ability and he's got that little bit of a chip on his shoulder. I'm sure he's heard about his size or skating his whole life. But he goes out and proves everybody wrong every single night. There was a lot of buzz when Regina visited Kelowna during the regular season ... Bedard had one assist that night, and Cristall had two goals and two assists and was named the game's first star (in a 6-5 overtime loss Nov. 29), so he rises to the occasion too. His ability to think the game is exceptional and he finds those open spots. I don't think he's a guy that's going to transport the puck but he's a guy that just makes things happen offensively."

There are three defensemen from the Canadian Hockey League ranked one after the other by Central Scouting: No. 18 Lukas Dragicevic (6-1, 194) of Tri-City, No. 19 Etienne Morin (6-0, 180) of Moncton (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) and No. 20 Oliver Bonk (6-1, 180) of London (Ontario Hockey League). What separates Dragicevic from not just that group, but what makes him the best defenseman available in the CHL this year?

"His game with the puck is exceptional. All three of those guys are very good players and I wouldn't be surprised if the order is different on draft day. There's also Tanner Molendyk (No. 28; 5-11, 181) in Saskatoon, he's a phenomenal skater. I think he might come into that mix as well. I think Lukas' game with the puck is exceptional for a guy with his size. He moves pretty well, and the game slows down for him. He picks apart the forecheck and his zone exits are exceptional. On the power play, he's at the top and for a 17-year-old kid (he turned 18 on April 25) playing in the WHL, his numbers were phenomenal (60 assists, 75 points in 68 games)."

Right-shot center Gracyn Sawchyn (No. 24; 5-11, 155) of Seattle had one of the biggest jumps from the midterm rankings in January (No. 42) to the final rankings in April. What did the Central Scouting staff see from Sawchyn over the second half of the season?

"From my perspective, it was more that he just continued to do the things that we saw early on. He was with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-17 team last year so he was a first-year WHL player and not the prettiest skater in the world so you had that in the back of your mind. But his hands are phenomenal and he was able to put up points, get power-play time. When guys on his team went away for the World Junior Championship, he stepped in and did a great job. When those guys returned, I was concerned they would take away his minutes, but he was still a big part of that team. He managed to find himself a spot in that very talented lineup and was a big contributor. I think his consistency and how his game evolved over the course of the year were things that forced us to move him up the list."

Can you give us a few WHL players you feel could be sleeper picks in the draft and become productive professionals in 3-5 years?

"There are some very good players out here. There's a couple of defensemen, Carter Sotheran (No. 71; 6-3, 197) of Portland and Justin Kipkie (No. 107; 6-3, 195) of Victoria ... they're both big, rangy defenseman with some offensive upside and they both manage the puck well. As first-year players they were able to contribute to their teams. I think those two guys have a lot of potential. The other kid in Portland is Luca Cagnoni (No. 35; 5-9, 182). He's an undersized defenseman but I just love to watch this kid play. He plays the way Cale Makar plays his game; he's playing a different game than everybody else. He just does his own thing and it's so fun to watch. He's productive and smart. Another defenseman that we had rated a couple of years ago in Seattle is Jeremy Hanzel (No. 124; 6-1, 196). I really thought his game evolved over the last couple of years. It's always difficult with the guys who've been through the draft a couple of times to where they're going to be selected, but he's a guy that I liked a couple years ago. He didn't get picked and has had some injuries. But this year he was a major contributor on a Seattle team that was the best team in the Western Hockey League and one of the best teams in Canada. I kind of lean towards defenseman a little bit. I just think that it's such an important position that you can never have enough good ones."

Photos: Kevin Light (WHL); Erica Perreaux (WHL)

Listen: Video: Sam Cosentino sits with Connor Bedard