Nashville Predators 2023 NHL Draft Board 3.0: First Round Targets

By Chad Minton | Jun 27, 2023

:goalkeeper Samuel Urban of Slovakia (R) saves on Gabe Perreault of United States (L) during the semi final of U18 Ice Hockey World Championship match between United States and Slovakia at St. Jakob-Park on April 29, 2023 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Jari Pestelacci/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images) /

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.

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