Seattle Kraken: 2023 2-Round Mock Draft Consensus
Ed Stein
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The Favorite
According to the mock drafts, there is a favorite to go to the Seattle Kraken with the 20th overall pick. Sudbury Wolves left wing Quenton Musty was the choice on eight of them.
Quenton Musky, RW – Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Age: 18
Height: 6”1 3/4”
Weight: 200-pounds
2022-23 Stats: Regular Season – 53 games, 26 goals, 52 assists, +16, 71 PIM. Playoffs – 4 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, -5, 6 PIM. At the Gretzky-Halinka Cup, Musty scored 5 points in 4 games for the USA U-18 squad.
Central Scouting Rank: 14th-ranked North American Skater, 7th-ranked North American Wing.
Musty is the kind of power forward NHL teams covet and certainly a talent the Seattle Kraken needs. He’s not afraid to drive the net or play in the dirty areas. Additionally, his hard shot makes him a threat to score outside the crease. It’s easy to envision Musty playing on Beniers’ wing.
He brings a little bit of everything to the table and does so in a projectable, imposing 6-foot- 2 frame. Better still, he’s not shy about leveraging every part of it to dispossess opponents of the puck, wreak havoc along the boards and at the net-front, and to barrel down the wing off the rush. His vision is top-notch, and he’s equipped with the cunning and passing skill necessary to connect with layered feeds around skates and sticks.
EliteProspects 2023 NHL Draft Guide
Not Far Behind
With six selections, defenseman Dmitri Simashev from the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl is the next most popular selection among mock drafters.
Dmitry Simashev, D – Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)
Age: 19
Height: 6”4”
Weight: 201-pounds
Central Scouting Rank: 19th-ranked International Skater, 7th-ranked International Defenseman
A stay-at-home, cover defenseman isn’t sexy, but it is necessary. Simashev has the physical tools and skating ability to be a top-notch shutdown defenseman. He could be the Seattle Kraken’s top defender for years.
At only 19 years old, he is still filling out his 6-4 frame. Simashev will get bigger and faster over the next few years.
He’s a monster defensively at every level, brings some spectacular skating, and though he might not be as dynamic offensively as some of the other top d-men in this draft, he’s always making good things happen for his team at both ends of the ice, even if the points don’t show it. He’s got some really promising play creation ability, and I believe that he could end up as a good #1 defenseman in the NHL, if everything goes right.
Smaht Scouting
The Field
These are the other players projected to the Seattle Kraken in Round 1:
3 selections – Colby Barlow, LW, Owen Sound.
2 selections – Brayden Yager, C, Moose Jaw; Calum Ritchie, C/RW, Oshawa Generals; Eduard Sale, LW, Kometa Brno (Czech); Oliver Bonk, D, London Knights.
1 selection – Andrew Cristal, W, Kelowna Rockets; Gavin Brindley, RW , Michigan; Jaden Perron, RW, Chicago Steel; Lukas Dragicevic, D, Tri-City Americans; Nate Danielson, C, Brandon Wheat Kings; Nick Lardis, LW, Hamilton Bulldogs; Otto Stenberg, C, Frolunda Jr. (Sweden); Tom Willander, D, Rogle BK (Sweden); and Oliver Moore, C, USNTDP.