What to Expect From the Round 2 of the 2023 NHL Draft And Why It’s Important for Dallas

Nils Lundkvist is an important player. But so is whoever Dallas would have selected with the 29th pick, which went to St. Louis, who selected defensemen Theo Lindstein. (The Rangers gave up the first rounder they got in the Lundkvist deal for Vladimir Tarasenko at the deadline.) That’s why I wrote what I did yesterday for D Magazine: because I believe in the power of the draft, and if you’re giving up that power, you darn well better receive something powerful in return.  

It’s easy to cast aside the draft as a lottery, and consider the picks human scratch-offs. “Magic beans” the more cynical kids like to say. And sure, there’s an element of randomness to the draft, but that doesn’t make the draft process random. I’ve always found this to be lazy, reductive, and cheap. Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Logan Stankoven, and Esa Lindell were all second round picks. Wyatt Johnston, Jake Oettinger, Ty Dellandrea, Mavrik Bourque, and Thomas Harley were all mid to late first rounders. Without a top 10 pick among them, I count two top line forwards, two top four defensemen (Harley will get there), one second line center, three middle six contributors, and a number one goalie. (At least I hope I counted right.)

Draft picks are unique in that they are as valuable for what they are as they are for what they’re not. Good teams don’t roll the dice at the draft table. Good teams simply do their homework. Whatever Dallas does at the draft table, they won’t have many opportunities but that doesn’t mean there’s no opportunity at all. Today they’ll go into the draft with just five picks:

• #61 (Round 2)
• #125 (Round 4)
• #157 (Round 5)
• #189 (Round 6)
• #221 (Round 7)

It’s not a lot, but Dallas has done a unique job of replacing their old core through the draft. While thinking about this draft—even without a first rounder—in the context of helping Dallas might seem silly, it’s exactly that mystery that makes it so alluring. Teams often find themselves stuck with bad contracts precisely because they got lazy at the draft table, and replaced their depth with expensive resumes (Tarasenko) and superficial hot hands (my brain is failing me but you know the type). If nothing else, the 2023 draft will define the depth that accompanies the Wyatt Johnstons, and the Thomas Harleys.

So what does this draft class offer and why is it so special?

Revisiting Our “Top Five”

If you haven’t read any of my profiles on Koehn Ziemmer (RW), Beau Akey (RHD), Andrew Cristall (LW), Hunter Brzustewicz (RHD), and Andrew Gibson (RHD), please do so.

I still think Dallas needs a right handed defenseman. In fact, they probably need multiple. Lian Bichsel will likely play on his weakside when he gets to Dallas, but that doesn’t mean it’s his natural position. As for the rest, who are we looking at? George Fegaras had a tough year for the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL); a team that missed the playoffs despite two semifinals appearances in the previous two years. I don’t take plus/minus seriously because nobody should. But his “-7” alluded to something worse.  

Gavin White and Christian Kyrou had better years as Dallas’ premiere right shot prospects, but you have to forgive me if I’m gonna need convincing. Both are older prospects, and in Kyrou’s case, despite his serious offensive gifts, he’s a smaller puck moving defender with choppy skating. Sound familiar? Players like Kyrou have to leave no doubt for professional coaching staffs.

My long winded point? Akey is my favorite, and would be the right pick even if Dallas were picking higher. He’s largely mastered the art of rush defense, but he’s not a defenseman who shuts down offense on both sides. In addition, hockey’s meta is shifting away from puck movers as essential minute munchers. No, I am not saying they are less valuable, or that bluelines need more grit instead. What I’m saying is that the meta changes. Shutdown defensemen have been phased out because the game has gotten faster. Now puck movers are getting phased out because rush attacks are harder to come by. (I’m using the word “phased” loosely here.)

Defensemen need to be more fluid, now. A player like Akey is exactly that kind of defender the Stars need. He defends at an elite level, but he’s versatile. His size is unusual for a profile like his, but teenagers tend to grow. Even if he doesn’t, who cares? Johnston didn’t need muscle to win battles in the playoffs. He needed brains. Akey, like Johnston, has plenty. My personal ranking after Akey?

• Andrew Cristall
• Hunter Brzustewicz
• Koehn Ziemmer
• Andrew Gibson

Most of these players won’t be there, but at least one of them should be.    

Other Names We’d Love to Hear Called

Jaden Lapinski, C (shoots right), WHL. 6’3, 198lbs.

2022-2023: 19 goals, 32 assists, 51 points (66 games).

Lapinski is the name Scott Wheeler has Dallas calling come pick 61.

The Stars used their first four picks on defencemen last year and their pool could use a little more size at forward. In the 6-foot-4 Lipinski, they get a player who could fit in nicely behind the Stankovens, Bourques and Johnstons.

It’s a logic that has some legs. Size for the sake of size is dumb. But if you can find talented players who happen to have size that they can leverage as another dimension to their game (in the same way someone like Conor Garland uses his lack of size to maximize his agility), then now we’re talking. Lapinski fits that bill.  

Lapinski’s hard skills are somewhat lacking with neither a super powerful shot, nor a quick skater. But his combination of soft skills and size are intriguing. He’s got deft hands in close, with excellent processing to move in and out of traffic. Obviously good along the exterior of the ice (which is where most of the game is played), and surprisingly good in transition, a large center with size in the next five years sounds a fine addition to a roster that will need some smart muscle in the future.    

Highlight reel.

Albert Wikman, LHD (shoots left), SHL. 6’1, 194 lbs.

2022-2023: 2 goals, 10 assists, 12 points (43 games).

A left-handed defender might not be what Dallas needs right now, but who cares? This is about the next five years, and who knows what Dallas will need then. One thing that tends to happen in a player’s draft year is that they find another gear halfway throguh. That was Wikman’s season according to most scouts. As for Wikman himself, he’s a prototype of your modern hybrid defender.

If Akey is gone, Wikman is a darn good bet for someone similar. He moves extremely well through all three zones while profiling like a shutdown defender. With good awareness and timing, he has the ability to take over a shift in transition. I’d always rather see good passing than good shooting in a defender, and Wikman has that. Heiskanen, Harley, and Wikman down the middle in 2028? Sign me up.

Highlight reel.

Gavin Brindley, RW/C (shoots right), NCAA. 5’8, 165 lbs.

2022-2023: 12 goals, 26 assists, 38 points (41 games).

I know Dallas is pretty set at right wing, and I know Dallas “needs” size. But the best prospect pools have redundancy. Brindley would give Dallas some redundancy, but he’d also be Dallas’ best right winger in their system.

(Yager was picked 14th overall: a nice reminder just how good this draft is, and just how much value is still left.)

Yes, I know Bourque, and Stankoven exist but they’re natural centers. Although oddly enough, Brindley has experience at center. Nonetheless, what makes Brindley so sharp is that he checks every box: shooting, passing, ability to create off the cycle and off the rush while playing a responsible game sounds like the profile of a perfect forward. Just because he’s 5’8 should mean jack s**t. He sometimes reminds of Johnston, with his ability to select the perfect routes on or off the puck.  

Highlight reel.

Coulson Pitre, C (shoots right), OHL. 6’1, 172 lbs.

2022-2023: 25 goals, 35 assists, 60 points (59 games).

Looking for the right ingredients in a prospect can be daunting, but it can be easy to overthink too. Sometimes all you need are the meat and potatoes, and the Flint Firebirds’ pivot is exactly that.  

The main thing that stands out about Pitre is his ability to generate chances for himself, and for others. He’s fearless when he has control of the puck, but he also has the vision to create chances for others. That kind of drive can backfire, but if you’re making your opponent defend more than you, then you know the old cliche about the hammer and the nail. Pitre is a forward hammer. Every team needs one of those.  

Highlight reel.

Adam Gajan, G, 6’3, 176 lbs.

2022-2023: .917 SV % (NAHL), .936 SV % (WJC-20).

I didn’t know anything about Gajan until I saw the World Juniors when he represented Team Slovakia. Talk about showing out. (He was the best goalie in that tournament.)  

Analyzing goalies is not my thing, but it’s hard to argue with the tape in such a high pressure situation like the world juniors. Stopping players like Connor Bedard with the perfect blend of size and agility is what makes him one of the five best goalies in the draft. Also, bonus highlight for his Lian Bichsel connection.  

General thoughts about Dallas’ prospect pool

Dallas has one of the better prospect pools in the league. But I do have a little devil on one of my shoulder’s reminding me about the Stars 2013-2016 stretch, when it seemed like they were drafting to support their Benn and Seguin core rather than finding ways to replace them. It’s hard to square that draft stretch with the one that followed, so all I’m saying is that I hope they’re not looking for ways to support the young core they have now. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.

Right now the Stars need left wingers, right handed defensemen, and power forwards. Behind Robertson is a wasteland of maybes in the next five years. Good luck even listing a right shot defenseman Dallas has in the system who can play top four minutes. Again, the Stars have a great prospect pool but it has its blindspots. This draft will go a long way towards helping fix that.

With so much depth in this year’s draft class, don’t be surprised if some of these players define Dallas’ depth in the distant future.