For New England, the first round was a cause for celebration.
Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) were off the board just eight picks into the night, with Smith rapping "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" on live TV and Leonard hoping he doesn't get hit by an Alex Ovechkin one-timer in practice. The vibes were high.
But then it took until the sixth round for another New England native to be selected.
In all, only four New Englanders were taken in the 2023 NHL Draft, down from the 10 who were taken in last year's event.
Here are three takeaways from this year's NHL Draft.
1. It didn't take long for Smith and Leonard to be selected
Smith was taken at No. 4 by the San Jose Sharks, while Leonard was picked by the Washington Capitals at No. 8. Both represent Massachusetts hockey well with Smith as a Boston Jr. Eagles and St. Sebastian's alum and Leonard having developed with Pope Francis and the Springfield Rifles.
In my eyes, the only reason why Smith didn't go at No. 3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets was because the Anaheim Ducks pulled a fast one and selected Swedish center Leo Carlsson at No. 2, leaving Adam Fantilli available for Columbus at No. 3.
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Still, it's cool that Mike Grier, a St. Sebastian's and Boston University product, took Smith at No. 4.
Both Smith and Leonard will be on display for locals to watch at Boston College this fall.
2. A tough draft for prep hockey
Only two current prep hockey players were taken in this draft — Taft goalie Rudy Guimond was taken in the sixth round by the Detroit Red Wings, while Dexter Southfield defender Sean Keohane (Milton, Mass.) went in the same round to the Buffalo Sabres.
It was a surprise that Cushing left wing Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass.) and Avon Old Farms left wing Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.) weren't selected. Both had the credentials to be picked. Both will use this motivation to reach the next level in the USHL next season.
This begs a question — is this a one-year thing or a long-term problem for prep hockey?
The fog hasn't yet settled on this draft, so it's hard to give a definitive answer. Last year saw six players who played prep hockey in 2021-22 get taken, along with six more who previously played prep. It's entirely possible it was just a down year for NHL Draft prospects in prep hockey.
Also, Fantilli was taken with the No. 3 pick and is a Kimball Union alum. The big center posted 18 goals and 36 points in 26 games for head coach Tim Whitehead's team during the 2019-20 season.
On the other hand, some top players are leaving prep before they're NHL Draft eligible, opting for the USHL and other junior leagues.
3. Lots of New England connections taken
While only four New England natives were selected, 21 players with ties to the region were taken.
The most notable was UConn star Matthew Wood, who was picked at No. 15 by the Nashville Predators. Seventeen of those 20 plan on playing college hockey in New England. Boston College led the way with six commits selected, while Boston University was right behind its rivals with four.
UMass was tied with the Terriers, as the Minutemen had four commits selected, too.
Former Salisbury standout Ryan Walsh, a Cornell commit, was taken by the Boston Bruins in the sixth round. Walsh ranked second in the USHL in scoring this year with 79 points in 61 games.
