Welcome, for a ninth time, to my re-draft and ranking review exercise at The Athletic.Each summer, I re-draft the class from three years prior and begin to review my draft board against the draft itself.While three years obviously isn’t the finish line for these players, it’s a natural point of re-entry as they are almost all now either established as NHLers or approaching the end of their prospect lifecycle.This piece — along with my annual prospects I was wrong about — is meant to audit my process and results in an effort to build trust with my readers.Let’s look at how I did in 2023 and how things have changed.Previous re-drafts and ranking reviews: 2022| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015Did the Panthers and Lightning fleece the Leafs?Sean McIndoe and Jonas Siegel1. Chicago Blackhawks: C Connor BedardActual draft pick: No. 1 (change: none) to Blackhawks
My final ranking: No. 1 (change: none)There’s more room for debate (I think it’s a short-lived debate, but you’d listen) now than there was then, but Bedard is still No. 1.2. Anaheim Ducks: C Leo CarlssonActual draft pick: No. 2 (change: none) to Ducks
My final ranking: No. 4 (change: +2)Carlsson is the highest-paid player from this class for now, and he holds as its No. 2 prospect. I felt he, Adam Fantilli and Matvei Michkov were neck-and-neck at the time, but the smoothness of his game with its combination of size, smarts and skating has given him the edge so far and probably should’ve given him the edge for me then.3. Columbus Blue Jackets: C Adam FantilliActual draft pick: No. 3 (change: none) to Blue Jackets
