Over the next few weeks leading into the 2023 NHL Draft, we’ll be counting down the Top 100 prospects in this year’s class based on Daily Faceoff’s list. Today, we have No. 65 Adam Gajan, No. 64 Aram Minnetian, No. 63 Danny Nelson, No. 62 Carson Rehkopf, and No. 61 Luca Pinelli.
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No. 65: Adam Gajan
Date of Birth: May 6, 2004
Nation: Slovakia
Position: Goaltender
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 176 lbs
Scouting Report: “He is a big, athletic goalie with long legs and excellent reflexes who never gives up on the play. He keeps his positioning tight and square to the shooter. His rebound control is good, and the same can be said of his glove hand. His poise is solid, as seen at the World Juniors.” – Marc-Antoine Levis, Habs Eyes on The Prize
No. 64: Aram Minnetian
Date of Birth: March 19, 2005
Nation: United States
Position: Defenceman
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 170 lbs
Scouting Report: “On the blueline, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. But the one defender receiving a ton of praise recently is Aram Minnetian. The offensive blueliner had an excellent Five Nations tournament with eight points and is really starting to look comfortable. He spent a lot of time as a forward as a youth, and you can notice that in the way he pinches in and helps drive plays. Minnetian does an excellent job of rushing the puck down the ice and his high offensive IQ allows him to find teammates through his peripheral vision, which can be highly deceptive. Minnetian should have no issue finding a role in the NHL one day once he finishes at Boston College.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
No. 63: Danny Nelson
Date of Birth: August 3, 2005
Nation: United States
Position: Forward
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 203 lbs
Scouting Report: “A former defenseman who has transitioned very nicely to a winger, who moves really well for a big man and also has soft mitts. He is a powerful skater with excellent balance who is tough to move off the puck. He is more of a complementary attacker – a huge horse who eagerly does a lot of dirty work down low and creates more time and space for his more highly skilled linemates. He wins plenty of puck battles along the wall and behind the net. He will move out of them with power moves towards the net, and funnels pucks to the middle.” – Bill Placzek, Lines
No. 62: Carson Rehkopf
Date of Birth: January 7, 2005
Nation: Canada
Position: Centre / Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 194 lbs
Scouting Report: “He has one of the most explosive wrist shots in the draft. Combining his quickness, size, and finishing ability, Rehkopf could be a consistent 30 goal scorer at the NHL level. He also offers positional versatility, with the current ability to play center and the wing. Given his length, range, and physical potential, there would likely be a desire to keep him as a pivot in hopes that he can be an elite two-way center.” – Brock Otten, McKeen’s Hockey
No. 61: Luca Pinelli
Date of Birth: April 5, 2005
Nation: Canada
Position: Centre
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 161 lbs
Scouting Report: “The younger Pinelli is a good skater who uses his edges efficiently to weave through traffic while stickhandling, showcasing an entertaining brand of hockey. His passing ability is what his game is built on as he scans the ice and spots teammates in opportune positions.” – Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News
More from the 2023 NHL Draft Top 100 Countdown…
- No. 100-96: Jesse Nurmi, Francesco Dell’elce, Quinton Burns, Griffin Erdman, Matthew Soto
- No. 95-91: Hoyt Stanley, Tristan Bertucci, Easton Cowan, Arvid Bergstrom, Ryan Fine
- No. 90-86: Felix Unger Sorum, Martin Misiak, Connor Levis, Aydar Suniev, Jordan Tourigny
- No. 85-81: Ignat Lutfullin, Rasmus Kumpulainen, Cole Knuble, Tanner Ludtke, Albert Wikman
- No. 80-76: Aiden Fink, Emil Jarventie, Felix Nilsson, Andrew Gibson, Nico Myatovic
- No. 75-71: Joey Willis, Theo Lindstein, Alexander Rykov, Andrew Strathmann, Matthew Mania
- No. 70-66: Alex Ciernik, Lenni Hämeenaho, Denver Barkey, Coulson Pitre, Jakub Dvorak
