The 2023 NHL Entry Draft is fast approaching. The Nashville Predators host the draft, and if they want to keep both of their first-round picks, they have plenty of talent to choose from. The Predators pick 15 and 24, two great choices for drafting core talent for the future. Aside from Conor Bedard and Adam Fantelli, the first two expected off the board, the draft becomes highly unpredictable. Will the Columbus Blue Jackets choose William Smith or Leo Carlson, where will their first defenseman be recruited, and how far will Matvey Michkov fall? These questions will be answered on June 28th. The Predators have questions of their own, but with two first-round picks, they can chase top talent instead of picking the safe pick, which is something they should do.
General Manager (GM) Barry Trotz told scouts To take swings in the next draft, he wants players who will get fans off their seats. Trotz understands how to find the bottom six players, but players with superhuman potential only come around so often. This is the perfect mindset to have with predators. If Meshkov was available, the organization would probably recruit him without hesitation. With the prospect of passing the Washington Capitals in the eighth almost non-existent, looking at a different, smaller Russian prospect with massive skill is a good start.
Mikhail Guliyev
In Pick 24, the Predators may have a chance to craft a dynamic, offensive defensive lineman with exhilarating skating, creativity beyond his years, and elite passing ability — Mikhail Gulyaev. Gulyayev’s arrangement project Its size will be affected by the Russian factor. He is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound defenseman who has a defensive deficiency. Teams drafting him will not expect him to lock up the opposition’s best players but to outplay them and leave them in awe of his skill.
Related: Predators 2023 Project First Round Targets: Sandin Pellikka & Yager
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The Predators already have a defenseman similar to Guliaev in Tyson Barry. Barry is a power-playing quarterback and a solid puck holder. Gulyayev has a higher upside. His ability to create passing lanes and use spaces effectively is impressive. His size shouldn’t be about the Breeds, because he was playing against the men in Russia this past season.
“Mikhail Gulyaev is the only defensive prospect in this year’s draft that I’ve unquestionably seen a first-round pick the entire season so far… Gulyaev has emerged as a terrific offensive defenseman with some of the best skateboarding and offense potential in the season.”
Logan Horn, The Hockey Book
Playing in Russia also affects Gulyayev’s draft rating, as does Mechkov. Fortunately, the Predators are a team that can wait out Gulyayev’s arrival in North America. Gulyayev dominated the Russian junior leagues and played well in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) when he had the chance. In 22 games with Omsky Yastripe of the Molodyozhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga (MHL), a Russian junior league filled with players in his age group, he scored two goals and 23 assists for 25 points. Through 17 playoff appearances with Omski Yastripe, he has scored two goals and eight assists. His skating and attacking IQs help him dominate his peers. If the Predators’ motto for this draft is “go big or go home,” there’s no better player to pick than Gulyayev at 24, in my opinion.
Matthew Wood
With a first-round draft pick, Pick 15, the Predators can target Matthew Wood, who currently plays for the University of Connecticut (Uconn) in the NCAA. He scored 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in 35 games at UConn, showing consistency while displaying his impressive shooting. Wood is a winger who loves to shoot. He is deadly at close range or from distance and is a great stick handler, especially in front of the net. He’s also learning to use his body to his advantage.
Predators need trigger-happy gamers to complement their horde of early gamers in the gaming industry. Despite his excellent shooting, Wood’s most attractive traits are his 6-foot-4 frame and 193-pound weight. His skating is a weakness, but his other qualities make up for it. Wood’s size and offensive skill set make him an attractive option for the Breeds’ 15-year-old squad. He could be better defensively, but if Barry Trotz and coach Andrew Brunette can instill in him good defensive qualities, Wood could become an enduring All-Star for the Predators.
Before jumping to the NCAA, Wood played for the Victoria Grizzlies British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) during the 2021-22 season. He scored 45 goals and 40 assists for 85 points in 46 games. I spoke with a Grizzlies employee on the marketing team. He praised Wood’s work ethic and bragged about his great personality. The employee even thinks Wood will crack the top 10 in the 2023 NHL Draft. The high praise from the employee is a great vote of confidence. Personality is important in the NHL, and there shouldn’t be a concern about the prospect. If the Predators found Wood available at the age of 15, it would be hard to find a good reason not to pick him up. The rigors of his game may be intimidating, but with the right development, Wood could become an elite winger.
With two first-round picks, Predators can tolerate it To take risks on Wood and Guliayev. Wood, the safer of the two, already has the framing, puck handling, and shooting to make the NHL. If the Predators could teach him to be mean and use his body to his advantage, they would create a monster. A monster capable of destroying players with big blows and equipped with a vicious wrist shot and silky soft hands. Gulyaev, the more dangerous of the two, could eventually replace Roman José in the power play while being a strong martial player if he lives up to his potential. If Trotz wants to take a swing, he has to take them up against players with game-breaking or booming potential, and Gulyayev fits that description.