2023 NHL Draft: Top 10 centers

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 centers. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Connor Bedard is the featured attraction as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

The 17-year-old right-hand shot (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) won the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospect, Top Scorer and David Branch Player of the Year awards this season after leading the Western Hockey League in goals (71) and points (143) in 57 games with Regina.

"It's very difficult for the youngest player on any team to be the best player on the team and he's been able to do that every outing, every event, almost every game that you're at," NHL Central Scouting vice president Dan Marr said. "It just puts him in that special category. There's a lot of words that start with 'C' that analytics can't judge like character. Another one is consistency. And he can consistently play that high-character game, game in and game out. It's truly impressive."

When Brandon goalie Carson Bjarnason was asked to describe Bedard in one word, he said, "humble."

There were five centers selected in the top 15 of the 2022 NHL Draft: Logan Cooley (No. 3, Arizona Coyotes), Shane Wright (No. 4, Seattle Kraken), Matthew Savoie (No. 9, Buffalo Sabres), Conor Geekie (No. 11, Coyotes), Frank Nazar (No. 13, Chicago Blackhawks).

RELATED: [More 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft Coverage]

Here are NHL.com's top 10 centers available for the 2023 draft:

1. Connor Bedard, Regina (WHL)

NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 1 (North American skaters)

Bedard became the first WHL skater with at least 140 points in 27 years and had a 35-game point streak (90 points) from Sept. 24, 2022, through Feb. 1, 2023. He had 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in seven WHL playoff games to become the first in the league since 2012 to score at least 10 goals in a single series. Bedard led all players at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) and was named the tournament's top forward and most valuable player, helping Canada win a second straight gold medal. He could become the second player from Regina selected No. 1 in the NHL draft, joining Doug Wickenheiser (Montreal Canadiens in the 1980 NHL Draft). The last player from the WHL chosen No. 1 was forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of Red Deer by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2011 NHL Draft.

2. Adam Fantilli, University of Michigan (NCAA)

NHL Central Scouting:No. 2 (North American skaters)

Fantilli (6-2, 195) won the Hobey Baker Award as the top men's player in NCAA ice hockey this season. The 18-year-old freshman led NCAA players with 65 points and was tied for first with 30 goals in 36 games. The Nobleton, Ontario, native had points in 33 of 36 games and 19 multipoint games. Fantilli's list of accomplishments as a college freshman also include the Tim Taylor National Rookie of the Year, first-team All-America, Big Ten Tournament MVP, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, College Hockey News and USCHO Player of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Rookie Team and NCAA All-Regional Team honors. He played with Bedard at the 2023 World Junior Championship, getting five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games to help Canada win gold. He also won gold at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, where he had three points (one goal, two assists) in 10 games.

3. Leo Carlsson, Orebro (SWE)

NHL Central Scouting:No. 1 (International skaters)

The 18-year-old center (6-3, 198) had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) and seven power-play goals in 44 games in the Swedish Hockey League, winning Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year after leading Sweden's top professional men's league (SHL) in his age category in assists and points, and finishing second in goals. Carlsson had six points (three goals, three assists) in seven games playing mostly on the wing for fourth-place Sweden at the 2023 WJC. He grew up a fan of Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and models his game after Auston Matthews and Anze Kopitar. Carlsson has a chance to become the seventh Sweden-born player to be chosen among the top-3 picks in the draft. He'd join Rasmus Dahlin,

Gabriel Landeskog

, Victor Hedman, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Mats Sundin.

4. William Smith, USA U-18 (NTDP)

NHL Central Scouting: No. 3 (North American skaters)

Smith (6-0, 181), a right-handed shot, was second on USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team with 127 points (51 goals, 76 assists) in 60 games, including 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 22 games against NCAA competition. Committed to play for Boston College next season, Smith led all players in the 2023 IIHF World Under-18 Championship with nine goals and 20 points in seven games to help the United States win a gold medal. He was named the tournament's top forward and most valuable player.

5. Dalibor Dvorsky, AIK (SWE)

NHL Central Scouting: No. 3 (International skaters)

Dvorsky (6-1, 201) is great with the puck on his stick and can attack in several different ways, has good hands and is skilled at protecting the puck. The 17-year-old finished third among Under-19 Allsvenskan players with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 38 games with AIK's junior team and was tied for third among all Under-18 skaters in goals (20) on the Nationell junior under-20 team. He had 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in seven games for Slovakia at the 2023 IIHF World Under-18 Championship and three points (one goal, two assists) in five games for his country at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. Dvorsky broke a 24-year-old record set in 1998 by fellow countryman and former NHL forward Marian Gaborik when he became the youngest goal scorer in the Slovak Extraliga on Feb. 2, 2021. He scored his goal with Banska Bystrica at the age of 15 years, 7 months, 18 days.

6. Nate Danielson, Brandon (WHL)

NHL Central Scouting: No. 7 (North American skaters)

Danielson (6-1, 185) made one of the most significant jumps in the final ranking, from No. 13 on the midterm list. He led the Wheat Kings in goals (33), assists (45), points (78), power-play goals (13) and shorthanded goals (three) in 68 games. A dynamic skater with good speed who can play all situations, Danielson tied for the team lead with five game-winning goals. He led Brandon with 667 face-off wins on 1,267 chances (52.6 percent). The Wheat Kings did not qualify for the WHL playoffs.

7. Oliver Moore, USA U-18 (NTDP)

NHL Central Scouting: No. 8 (North American skaters)

Moore (5-11, 188) offers elite speed and is a potential top-line NHL player who will attend the University of Minnesota next season. It's possible he's moved to wing at the next level, but he did score 31 goals and 75 points in 61 games for the NTDP. The left-handed shot had nine points (four goals, five assists) in seven games for the United States at the U-18 Worlds.

8. Otto Stenberg, Frolunda Jr. (SWE)

NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 6 (International skaters)

An offensively gifted player with quick hands and accurate shot, Stenberg (5-11, 180) had 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in seven games for Sweden at the U-18 Worlds. He had three points (one goal, two assists) in 23 games for Frolunda of the SHL and 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 29 games with Frolunda's junior team. An outstanding leader with a propensity to come up big in clutch situations, Stenberg can play wing or center.

9. Brayden Yager, Moose Jaw (WHL)

NHL Central Scouting:No. 11 (North American skaters)

Yager (5-11, 166) improved his playmaking ability to complement his powerful shot, is responsible in all three zones and effective on face-offs (52.4 percent; 613-for-1,169). He had 78 points (28 goals, 50 assists) in 67 regular-season games and 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 10 playoff games. Yager was awarded the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy as the WHL's most sportsmanlike player after he had a career-low 14 penalty minutes this season.

10 (T). Calum Ritchie, Oshawa (OHL)

NHL Central Scouting:No. 13 (North American skaters)

Ritchie (6-2, 185) ranked third among Oshawa players with 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) and six power-play goals in 59 regular-season games. He also went 413-for-779 (53.0 percent) on face-offs and scored two game-winning goals. Ritchie had nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven games for bronze medal-winning Canada at the U-18 Worlds and is expected to begin on-ice training in two weeks after having shoulder surgery at the end of the season.

10 (T). Gavin Brindley, University of Michigan (NCAA)

NHL Central Scouting: No. 23 (North American skaters)

The right-handed shot (5-8, 165) was one of the most improved prospects over the second half of the season, finishing fifth on the Wolverines with 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) in 41 games. Brindley moved 17 spots from No. 40 at the midterm rankings in January. He was second on Michigan with 41 blocked shots and fourth with 127 shots on goal and scored three game-winning goals. The 18-year-old freshman, born in Estero, Florida, had four points (one goal, three assists) in seven games for the United States in the 2023 WJC.

Photo credit: Pagie Bednorz

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