It certainly doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone following the 2023 NHL Draft that there are two clear frontrunners to be drafted first and second among New Englanders.
U.S. National Team Development Program U-18 center Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and linemate Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) will be the first two players picked from this region when the draft commences on June 28 in Nashville, Tenn.
The pair of Boston College commits cemented their status as projected top-10 picks with dominating performances at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship. Smith was the top scorer and named tournament MVP while Leonard scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the United States captured the gold medal.
After Smith and Leonard, the field drops off significantly. It would be a stretch if any other native New Englander was chosen in the first three rounds. The number of drafted players from the region won’t be as high as in 2022, but there still will be a handful of other New Englanders whose names get called in Nashville.
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The fun thing about the lack of sure-things after Smith and Leonard is that there is a fluidity to these lists. Players have risen and fallen throughout the past 18 months. Players in their second and third years of eligibility have emerged, while the stock of a couple of first-year-eligible prospects has decreased.
Here is an in-depth look at the top 10 New England prospects eligible for the 2023 NHL draft:
