Day One of the 2023 NHL Draft didn’t disappoint. Held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, which had two picks in the first round, including a funny moment where Pekka Rinne couldn’t pronounce the last name of their 24th selection, it was a fun night for players, fans, and broadcasters.

Unlike the mind-numbing NBA Draft that turned into a yuck fest, ESPN did a great job covering hockey’s top prospects on a night where no trades were made. That was due in large part to the overall depth the first round had.

In the easiest decision of Wednesday night, the Blackhawks made it official by selecting the very talented Connor Bedard with the top pick out of Regina. The best prospect since Connor McDavid was everywhere during the ESPN telecast. He even joined the draft table to talk about his experience going number one. He even took time to provide a scouting report of Penguins 14th selection Brayden Yager. He sounded very down to earth.

Bedard would later join Scott Van Pelt for a spot on Sports Center. That went well. He has a good personality. It should be a home run for the NHL to market the generational talent who will be the odds on favorite to win the Calder. He’s playing in Chicago as part of a rebuilding team looking to recapture the glory days of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Corey Crawford.

There were questions about who the Ducks would take at number two. However, the latest reports were proven correct. They bypassed Adam Fantilli to select Swedish center Leo Carlson. I wasn’t surprised. That’s exactly what I had on my top 10 list. Predictably, the Blue Jackets didn’t hesitate to grab Fantilli at number 3. He is the power center who, in most years, would’ve gone number one. They’re thrilled to get a player of his stature.

Once the top three were revealed, the question became who would roll the dice on Matvei Michkov. It wasn’t the Sharks. They went for American center Will Smith. A player who was part of a great line with USA teammates Ryan Leonard and Gabriel Perreault. Both went in the first round.

The Canadiens were the only team rumored to possibly be looking to trade down. However, they instead kept the pick. Rather than go big for gifted Russian scorer Michkov, they took defenseman David Reinbacher. A player who was high on most lists despite it being mostly about forwards. While some Montreal fans couldn’t contain their disappointment, the pick made sense after adding Alex Newhook a day before. They aren’t deep on the back end. We’ll see if Kent Hughes is proven right.

When the Coyotes opted for Russian lefty defenseman Dmitriy Simashev at number 6, that changed things. It also guaranteed that the Flyers would get their coveted target. As expected, they took Matvei Michkov with the seventh pick. The gifted Russian scoring forward fell due to being signed in the KHL for three years with HC Sochi. He is a slippery, fast-moving player who can be a game changer. He did interview with the Flyers and expressed his excitement to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan about coming to Philadelphia soon. He made it clear that he wanted to win a Stanley Cup.

Instead of taking big Slovak center Dalibor Dvorsky, the Capitals went for American forward Ryan Leonard at number 8. A hard-working, gritty player who many like due to how hard he competes, Leonard was part of the USNDT big scoring line that featured Will Smith and Gabriel Perreault. Compared to Tom Wilson, who could be moved either this off-season or next year, he’ll be part of the future in Washington DC.

The Red Wings decided to take center Nate Danielson at number 9. He’s played for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. He moved up lists after putting up 33 goals, 45 assists, and 78 points. Steve Yzerman wasn’t done. He also had another trick up his sleeve later.

One team that I thought might go defenseman didn’t. For the Blues, it came down to the best overall player. They couldn’t pass up Dvorsky at the number 10 spot. Having played mostly in Sweden, the lefty center appeared in the last two U20 World Junior Championships for Slovakia. He posted a goal with two assists for his home country.

Picking 11th, the Canucks needed blue line help. They selected Swede Tom Willander. He was the third defenseman taken. That meant a run on forwards. The Coyotes decided to grab Danil But at number 12. He’ll play for hometown KHL team Yaraoslavl Lokomotiv.

With the 13th pick, the Sabres were happy to get scoring forward Zach Benson from the Winnipeg Ice. He was teammates with Buffalo 2022 first round pick Matthew Savoie. A young prospect who’ll play pro next season. With key forward Jack Quinn out for six months due to a ruptured Achilles, Buffalo fans could see Savoie around the corner.

While the Penguins selected Brayden Yager at number 14, Bedard gave a nice scouting report on a player he was familiar with at the ESPN draft table. It was a ringing endorsement. Having seen how comfortable he is speaking, including his Sports Center appearance with Scott Van Pelt, Bedard looks like an NHL dream. He can score highlight reel goals, set up teammates, and should be easy to promote. They can’t screw it up.

The host Predators had two picks in the opening round. At number 15, they took Matthew Wood. When it came down to their 24th selection, out came Roman Josi and Nashville legend Pekka Rinne. They decided to have Rinne make the pick. It turned into one of the funniest moments. He struggled to pronounce the last name of defenseman Tanner Molendyk. It wasn’t the only highlight of Round One.

Earlier, the Canadiens had Carey Price make the fifth overall pick. He completely forgot how to pronounce David Reinbacher’s last name. It definitely was a viral moment. The poor kid has gotten ridiculous hate messages on social media from irrational fans. That is unacceptable. Hopefully, he will be a worthy pick that stabilizes their back end.

As the first round continued, one thing was apparent. As much as I liked Charlie Stramel for the Rangers at number 23, Gabriel Perreault kept slipping. Having heard about him, I liked the scouting report. When the Wild grabbed Stramel at number 21, that meant the Rangers could possibly get Perreault. Once the Flyers selected Oliver Bonk (the son of Radek Bonk) to continue to overhaul their defense, the opportunity was there for them to steal Perreault.

The forward who’s best attributes are his hockey IQ and intelligence was too good to pass up. Ironically, he’s the son of former NHLer Yanic Perreault. A player whose game I respected. He was a solid center who was successful with the Kings, Maple Leafs, and Canadiens. He also spent time with the Coyotes and Blackhawks. Perreault had three different stints with Toronto.

One of the reasons the younger Perreault fell was due to his skating. However, I don’t recall his Dad being the best skater either. But he was a smart player who you noticed during games. How can you argue with that?

Gabriel Perreault led the USNDT with 45 points (19-26-45). Listed as a right wing, he’s headed to Boston College this fall. Interestingly, one of his teammates will be Rangers’ third round pick Drew Fortescue. A defenseman who a few of our fans liked, the Rangers liked him enough to move up one spot. They traded their 91st pick and a 2024 seventh round pick to the Pens for number 90 to get Fortescue.

One interesting discovery is that Fortescue actually played with Chris Drury’s son Luke as a teenager. So. Drury is familiar with the left defenseman, who also teamed up with Perreault to win the gold medal at the IIHF World U18 Championships. A former Islanders fan who grew up in Peatl River, NY, he knows those days are over.

“It’s pretty awesome to be drafted by the Rangers, I know it’s a rival. I can tell you I’m a Rangers fan now.”

It’s definitely unique to have both Perreault and Fortescue playing for Boston College. They’ll be easy to follow. Of course, the most successful current Ranger who went in the first round from BC is Chris Kreider. The former 19th pick in 2009 has grown into one of the game’s top power forwards. Over the past two seasons, he’s totaled 88 goals, along with 16 combined goals in the playoffs.

Considering that the organization has produced all-time Ranger Brian Leetch and Kreider from Boston College, that’s a good sign for the team’s future. That should generate some excitement.

While other teams loaded up on Thursday during Rounds 2-7, the Blueshirts took three more players after moving up to get Fortescue. They are defenseman Rasmus Larsson, center Dylan Roobroeck, and left wing Ty Hendricks. I’ll have something up by the weekend.

One takeaway from this draft is that the Rangers are preparing for life after Artemi Panarin. With Brennan Othmann, Adam Sykora, and Perreault in the system, changes are coming. If Othmann proves ready, he’ll be part of the roster in 2023-24.

Obviously, the clock is ticking on the window to win with Panarin, Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and captain Jacob Trouba. Those are the veteran leaders of a group that includes Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and the all-important Igor Shesterkin.

We have dissected this time and time again. With Jonathan Quick likely on the way to replace Jaroslav Halak as the backup goalie, it’s gonna be interesting. I never would’ve believed they’d target him. But here we are.

As far as what else happens, that’s up to Drury. Barclay Goodrow remains a potential trade candidate due to his moderated no-trade clause and $3.64 million cap hit. He wasn’t bought out during the first amnesty period.

Popular Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler and former Predator Matt Duchene were. Kudos to Wheeler on his sincere thank you to the Jets for 12 great years.

Both are now available for July 1st. That’s tomorrow on a Saturday. Happy Canada Day to all the proud Canadians. As we get ready for the Fourth of July, there will be more activity. I’ll provide the usual on what’s happening around the league.

It’s a fun time of year. There will be some players moved due to the cap. It’s sure to be interesting. One of the smartest moves was made by the Golden Knights, who parted with misfit Reilly Smith by dealing him to the Penguins for a 2024 third round pick. They freed up room to re-sign Ivan Barbashev. That’s forward thinking.

What else will happen? Who knows. Let’s enjoy whatever it brings.