5 forwards Canucks could pick at the 2023 NHL Draft

NHL.com

It would be an understatement to say the Vancouver Canucks have a lot of options with their 2023 first-round draft pick.

After looking at four potential defencemen the Canucks could select this week, here are five forwards who could be options with the 11th-overall pick at the NHL Draft Wednesday in Nashville.

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1. Nate Danielson (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)

Age: 18
Nationality: Canadian
Position: Centre
Size: 6-foot-1, 187 pounds
2022-23 stats (WHL): 68 GP, 33 G, 45 A, 78 PTS

Missing eligibility for the 2022 NHL Draft by just 12 days, Nate Danielson is one of the oldest players available across the class. The Brandon Wheat Kings captain is a 6-foot-1, 187-pound centre that was the primary option on a fairly undermanned roster this past season, managing to lead his team in all offensive categories.

While Danielson’s ceiling is most likely at the second centre position, a top-nine, two-way projection is more realistic. While you may shutter at the potential loss of upside when comparing other options, it’s important to realize that NHL clubs may weigh the two-way dimension of Danielson’s game differently than what the public sphere values.

For the Canucks, a speedy right-shot centreman with legitimate defensive acumen could very much outweigh the premium of 20-plus more points across a season, while also filling a vital hole at highly-sought after position.

Harman Dayal of the Athletic reported that the organization took Danielson out to dinner at the recent draft combine.

Speed is the name of Danielson’s offensive game. One of the fastest players in the WHL, the Red Deer-born forward uses crossover-laden, weight-shift-centric, outside drives to put defenders on their heels constantly. While inconsistent, flashes of dynamism are littered throughout Danielson’s game. Small-area handles, intense, layered passing plays, and pin-point placements via his above-average shooting tool suggest more nuance and projectability within his offensive game than the point totals suggest.

An incredible pass supporter, Danielson doesn’t need possession to be dangerous. Sneaky backdoor activations, bursts of acceleration to get behind unsuspecting defenders, and proactive protection habits make him an ever-present secondary threat.

Danielson’s defensive game is what pushes his projection forward. Proactive positioning, intense pressure pushing, and stick work allow the right-hand shot pivot to create stops. He harasses transitional puck carriers on the backcheck, seals off lanes, and can counter-attack off of stops.

2. Zach Benson (Winnipeg Ice, WHL)

Age: 18
Nationality: Canadian
Position: Wing
Size: 5-foot-10, 159 pounds
2022-23 stats (WHL): 60 GP, 36 G, 62 A, 98 PTS

Zach Benson has been one of the best players in the WHL over the past two seasons. He crushed competition this season, dropping 98 points across 60 games for the Winnipeg Ice, outscoring 2022 first-round picks Matthew Savoie and Connor Geekie. He’s undersized at 5-foot-10 and 159 pounds, but Benson is a pace monster who possesses a motor that’s hard to rival across this class.

While Benson doesn’t play centre, which isn’t ideal for the Canucks, after the puck is dropped, he essentially takes over those duties, including on the defensive end of the puck. The BC-born forward would also reinforce the high-upside pattern the organization followed with the Jonathan Lekkerimaki selection. Top-line upside and a home-grown player? That seems perfect for an organization that needs needle movers in its system.

A deceptive handler looking to create any advantage he can, the Chilliwack-born forward blends his top-of-the-class hockey sense throughout all his actions. He attacks triangles, baits defenders into overreacting, and employs manipulations like shoulder shakes, jukes, and eye-line misdirection to create space. Combine that with high-end edge work and Benson’s enveloping forechecking habits, and the diminutive winger makes you pay, both on and off-puck.

He separates himself from others in the draft class with his playmaking. Benson operates with a full mental map of his teammates and processes the play multiple steps ahead. This allows him to execute on the nastiest of passes, hitting teammates behind his back, or in his peripherals, often through the hard-to-process layering of opponents.

He creates advantages with his aforementioned deception use, can distribute off the backhand, and is one of the most creative players available this year. Despite having some issues with his stride, there’s a good chance he figures out the hurdles of the professional game by purely outthinking opponents.

3. Oliver Moore (USA Hockey National Team Development Program)

Age: 18
Nationality: American
Position: Centre
Size: 5-foot-11, 176 pounds
2022-23 stats (NTDP): 61 GP, 31G, 44 A, 75 PTS

Selecting Oliver Moore means you are buying into the speed that he brings on a constant basis. The fastest straight-line skater in the draft, the Minnesota-born centre is a hair among tortoises. Part of the always-loaded USA National Team Development Program, the 5-foot-11, 176-pound forward produced at a respectable level, despite operating in a secondary role away from often higher-rated forwards Will Smith and Ryan Leonard.

Like Danielson, Moore’s upside is likely top-nine, but he has the base to be a top-line winger just because of his mobility, especially if he stacks more refinement in his game. Regardless, for the Canucks, Moore would add much-needed speed and utility to the roster, something that the organization has been chasing.

You aren’t beating Moore in large-ice scenarios. He turns defenders almost immediately with his two-step explosiveness, separates, and has some ability to finish in tight. He’s skilled, flashing some inconsistent, but otherworldly handles and playmaking at high speeds.

Even when set up in the offensive zone, the skating base still stands out. He escapes from pressure so easily because of his edge work and can punch-turn, or cut-back create space. Moore even employs a high-end shot at times, able to pick corners from a distance. The American is regularly first on the forecheck, establishes proactive body positioning, and legitimately swings momentum by winning races.

A hard worker by all accounts, his offensive game lacks nuance more often than not. Public sphere evaluators worry that Moore just plays too fast at times. The 2023 Elite Prospects NHL Entry Draft Guide points out tunnel vision, hope-passing, and poor decision-making as major caveats in his game.

Nevertheless, Moore’s defensive game helps his projection greatly. He’s so mobile that pressure pushing is a relatively easy task for the pivot. Blend proactive processing and it’s rare for Moore not to have a couple of sequences in a game where he swoops in and steals a puck out of a passing lane.

4. Colby Barlow (Owen Sound Attack, OHL)

Age: 18
Nationality: Canadian
Position: Left wing
Size: 6-foot-1, 187 pounds
2022-23 stats (OHL): 59 GP, 46 G, 33 A, 79 PTS

Across the entire Ontario Hockey League, there was no first-time draft-eligible goal scorer better than Colby Barlow. Standing at 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds, the winger scored 46 goals over 59 games this past season while captaining the Owen Sound Attack.

Goal scorers make money at the NHL level, and there is little doubt that Barlow has the shooting tool to be a prevalent one. There’s a path where the Owen Sound captain becomes a proficient top-six forward if he’s paired with a skilled distributor. In an interview with Mark Masters of TSN, Barlow mentioned that he models his game after Canucks forward J.T. Miller. These archetypes are valuable to organizations, especially in the postseason.

Already a sophisticated shooter, Barlow’s release is on another level when considering the blend of mechanics and deception. Actively changing the angle of his shots by firing off his inside foot, the Ontario-born forward left OHL goalies constantly bewildered this season. Shooting through defensive triangles to use defenders as a natural screen, Barlow also uses eye-line manipulation to sell passes and has a powerful one-time shot that can do damage in odd-man attacks.

Part of his scoring success is built around his pass-support game. He times his activations into open lanes, sets his feet and hands, and can one-touch and catch-and-release pucks. These quick strike-scoring opportunities only expand his scoring projection to the NHL game, as he needs little time or space to get his shot off.

While Barlow isn’t the most creative on-puck attacker, lacking a separating playmaking and handling dimension, he brings a physical element to the game that others on this list just do not possess. He’s rough on forecheck, wins pucks on retrievals, and fights tooth-and-nail on the perimeter of the ice, absolutely throwing his weight into opponents. He’s a dedicated, high-effort defender as well.

5. Matthew Wood (University of Connecticut, NCAA)

Age: 18
Nationality: Canadian
Position: Left wing/ centre
Size: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds
2022-23 stats (NCAA): 35 GP, 11 G, 23 A, 34 PTS

Matthew Wood should not be discounted as an option for the 11th overall selection.

A hulking 6-foot-3 forward, the Alberta-born right-shot winger scored just under a point per game for the University of Connecticut — a feat for a player who is essentially the youngest quantity across the NCAA. Wood previously dominated the BCHL in his draft-minus-one season, putting up 45 goals and 40 assists in 46 games, and has been part of the BC Hockey circuit for his whole hockey career.

If the Canucks decide to take Wood, he changes the complexion of their future top-six. A bigger, more physically stable element, he has top-six upside, barring he improves his mobility in the coming years and would represent as another homegrown prospect.

Wood’s range and ability to handle the puck in small ice adds a special dimension to his game. He protects the puck at his hip, attacks the backs of defenders, can fully pull the puck across his body, and hunts for seams to attack through. It’s almost comical to see such a big player finesse his way through traffic. Out of these handle plays, Wood’s shooting represents as a standout tool in his arsenal.

He generates so much power through the leveraging of his frame that the puck actually explodes off his stick. Wood’s release is also adaptable, as he’s able to handle away from incoming sticks, still getting the shot off under pressure. He creates so much offence with his shooting, as his attempts are so hard to reel in.

Wood’s size is such an asset when he has possession of the puck. Protection habits only help him hold onto pucks longer to open up opportunities to flash his playmaking. He’s a cheeky playmaker, gathering attention and moving pucks into high-danger areas to slip and layer a puck through to a teammate.

In Wood’s current form, his skating represents an issue. The Canadian lumbers around the ice, lacking power off his side-to-side push-offs, among other mechanical issues. He doesn’t have the explosiveness element that you would typically want in today’s top-six forward. There’s reason to believe that this might not be as big of a factor, because of all the other things he brings to the table. In an interview with Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff, Wood described his favourite player as Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin — which turns out to be an incredible stylistic comparison.