Nashville Predators 2023 NHL Draft Board 3.0: First Round Targets

We’re just two days away from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft as the host Nashville Predators hold 13 picks and coming fresh off the heels of trading away Ryan Johansen on Saturday.

Much speculation has been made about whether or not the Predators will be big movers in the draft, and even try to push their way into as high up as the top-5, which is stacked with generational talent.

If the Predators hold serve at picks No.15 and No.24, there will be plenty of outstanding talent available on the board. It’s the beauty of this 2023 draft class and relieves some pressure of feeling the urge to trade up into a higher draft position and risk making a horrendous choice.

Draft day trades to move up for a specific draft pick is shaky territory to be in because you’re literally rolling the dice on your scouting department betting on a player that you have no idea how will adapt to the NHL one day.

So with that said, here’s my final edition of my Nashville Predators First Round Draft Board. You can check out my first two editions below:

#5: Andrew Cristall, LW, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Projected Pick Range: Mid to Late 1st Round 

Insert another potential steal at No.24 for the Nashville Predators. Andrew Cristall from the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL was a goal scoring machine this past season putting up 39 goals and 95 points in 54 games.

Only fellow WHL draft prospects Connor Bedard, Zach Benson and Riley Heidt had more points than Cristall. Teams just get spooked when “undersized” enters the equation.

Cristall’s main attribute he brings to the table that give him potential to go in the top-20 is obviously his flashy ability to generate space with his skating and putting the puck between the pipes.

From the Elite Prospects 2023 Draft Guide:

“He’s an inventive playmaker, capable of turning the mundane into the brilliant, breaking down opponents with feints and deception before sending perfectly weighted passes to his teammates to do the rest”.

Sounds like a player that would be hard to pass up at the 15th pick, much less the 24th overall pick. If you pass Cristall at 15, then you’re taking a gamble that he slips by another eight picks. That would be a beautiful scenario for Nashville, assuming they don’t take a similar style player before that.

Cristall does bring a high risk, high reward factor which is why picking him at 15 might be an overreach. He sometimes will follow up a dominant performance with a no-show. I still like him on my draft board at the 24th pick for Nashville.

Samuel Honzek, LW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)

Projected Pick: 15 to 20

You want a hard-hitting, grinder of a player that plays smart and already has a solid NHL foundation to develop on? Samuel Honzek could be your guy, and I wouldn’t be disappointed at all if the Predators take him at the 15th pick.

Honzek, unlike many of the other forward prospects the Predators could be interested in selecting, has a big body that’s NHL-ready. He gives everything he has virtually every shift, backchecks hard but still has effective skating ability to create offense.

In other words, you’re getting a polished two-way prospect in Honzek, who may not have the lofty ceiling of some of the others, but has a high floor that makes him a safer pick.

Teams will start having Honzek near the top of their best available on the board once we get to the Predators at the 15th pick. There are others that if they’re still on the board as well that I would take before Honzek, but he’s a solid backup option if the Predators top choices come off the board early.

Honzek put up 56 points in 43 games in his first season in the WHL, and has a lot of junior hockey experience playing for his homeland in Slovakia.

Dmitri Simashev, D, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)

Projected Pick: 10 to 15

I’m extremely torn on Dmitr Simashev and his potential match with the Nashville Predators. One side says to me that the Predators need to pass on taking one-way players who don’t projected to bring much offense, especially with their 15th pick.

However, another side of me is a reminder that Simashev is high-regarded as the best defensive defenseman in this draft and has all the tools to be lockdown blueline defender in the NHL. At 6’4″ and the rare combination of effective skating and ability to defend the ice against fast opponents is tantalizing.

The situation for the Nashville Predators is obviously the dire need of offense, but you can’t put all of your eggs into that basket. It might be a situation of drafting the best player available regardless of position, and I’m not sold on the Predators defensive core in the long-term future.

“Simashev combines great size at 6’4″ wth outstanding skating ability. He has a long and powerful stride. This helps him to generate excellent speed and acceleration in both directions. Simashev also has very good edgework and agility.”- Kyle Pereira of Last Word on Sports

Sure, going into 2023-24 the starting six on defense looks pretty set. However, I’m still very unsure about Dante Fabbro’s extended future past this upcoming season, Tyson Barrie might be trade bait at the 2024 deadline, Alexandre Carrier has RFA negotiations coming up, and Mark Borowiecki just retired.

There is also the unfortunate outside factors of the Russia-Ukraine war. Simashev is reportedly signed to 2025 in the KHL, so there is that mitigating factor that might cause Simashev to plummet down the draft boards even past the Predators’ initial pick.

So yeah, drafting a stalwart defensive defenseman isn’t the worst idea in the world. In fact, it could end up being rather brilliant. I remain torn, but I’m debuting Simashev on my final Predators draft board.

#2 Gabe Perrault, LW, USNTDP

Projected Pick 12 to 17

Gabe Perrault has remained on all three of my Predators draft boards. I absolutely love his all-around game and his potential to thrive in the right system. Although he has some improvement to make on his skating and defensive skills, these are things that don’t worry me too much.

Perrault, son of former NHL player Yanic Perrault, stockpiled the points for the Team USA National Development team.

This isn’t a typo; Perrault put up 132 points in 63 games for the national development team in 2022-23, and also added another 45 points at the juniors in the USHL. Just insane production, and he does most of his crafty work by dissecting the opposition and making his linemates around him better.

Look at how he baits the defense in this highlight that find his teammate for a goal:

Perrault’s NHL ceiling for me is to eventually become a consistent top-six player. It will take time to round out his game, which is why scouts are all over the place with where he might be drafted. I’ve seen him as high as No.12 to all the way outside the top-20.

If Perrault is available at the 15th pick for the Predators, then there’s only one other player that I’d take over him that might be realistically available at 15.

And for clarification, I’m still leaving Zach Benson off my board. Of course if some whack scenario happens where Benson falls, then we throw a parade on Broadway that the Predators get the unequivocal steal of the draft.

#1: Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, Sweden/SHL

Projected Pick: 10 to 15

With this draft class being so deep, the requirement for the Predators to have to trade up isn’t as high as a draft with a steep talent drop off outside of the top-10. Axel Sandin-Pellikka is a prime example of that.

Sandin-Pellikka is probably the best offensive defenseman in the draft class. A potential power play quarterback style player in his NHL future. He also uses his strong skating to get into transition and make plays off the rush.

Yes, please. The Predators need another defenseman in their prospect pool who has those traits.

“He’s great at manoeuvring along the offensive blue line to find holes in which to get pucks to the net. He plays with great poise, and is smart enough to know what to do with the puck, managing it well in all zones.”- Sam Consentino of Sportsnet 

Sandin-Pellikka actually has two-way skills to his game. Although not his strong suite, Sandin-Pellikka can be a worthy defender as well, but will need to round out his game with the right coaching once getting to the NHL.

One of the biggest risers over the past year in this draft class is Sandin-Pellikka. He really got scouts’ attention by playing in the top pro league in Sweden and not looking bad at all. Not an easy task for a player who just turned 18.

Unlike Simashev, Sandin-Pellikka isn’t a heavy hitting defenseman. But in an evolving NHL game that rewards offensively aggressive players, Sandin-Pellikka has the higher upside than Simashev if he can just improve a bit on the physical part of his game.

Sandin-Pellikka may get taken as high as the 10th pick, which is why if the Predators have him circled, don’t completely discount a trade up by Trotz.

Sandin-Pellikka would fill a major need for the Predators’ prospect pool and that’s another offensive driver for their blueline that can eventually become a power play specialist.