Will Smith was taken No. 4 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. (John Russell/Getty Images)
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 again.
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 the 2023 NHL Draft.
