2023 NHL Draft: Ranking the top 10 defensemen

The first round of the 2023 NHL draft is set to go down on Wednesday, June 28 in Nashville, Tennessee. Defenseman will be highly sought after, just as they are every year.

Although the first five or six picks may all be forwards, after that, defensemen could come off in bunches as teams look to add impact.

Let's take a look at the best 10 defensemen in the 2023 NHL draft.

#10. Andrew Gibson, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

Andrew Gibson enters the NHL draft after a solid year with the Greyhounds in the OHL. The right-hander can score from the point, but he is more of a playmaker and could be a second-unit powerplay to quarterback the PP.

#9. Etienne Morin, Moncton (QMJHL)

Etienne Morin is a left-shot defenseman who has been praised for his poise, hockey IQ and smarts with the puck. The defenseman is a great passer who sees the ice well and can send forwards on breakaways from his own end.

#8. Beau Ackey, Barrie (OHL)

Beau Ackey really took over when Brandt Clarke was in the NHL - but once Clarke was sent back, Ackey still played well. He recorded 30 more points than he did the previous year and really took care of the puck more and didn't have too many turnovers.

#7. Mikhail Gulyayev, Omsk Jr. (RUS Jr.)

Mikhail Gulyayev ended up playing 13 games in the KHL this season and played less than 7 minutes a night. But, with the junior teams, he recorded 25 points in 22 games and is a left-shot defenseman which every NHL team is after.

#6. Oliver Bonk, London (OHL)

Oliver Bonk is the son of NHL veteran Radek so he has grown around the game. Bonk is just a solid defenseman who doesn't excel offensively or defensively but is solid on both ends of the ice so could be a third-pairing defenseman in the NHL.

#5. Dmitri Simashev, Lokomotiv (KHL)

Dmitri Simashev was playing in the KHL at just 18 years old and got a tad under 7 minutes of ice time per game. With the limited amount of ice, it was hard to see how good Simashev was - which makes him arguably the most intriguing defenseman available in the NHL draft. The talent showed he could compete but whether or not he can do it for 20 minutes a night is uncertain.

#4. Tom Willander, Rogle Jr. (SWE Jr.)

Tom Willander is a great skater and has been praised for his poise and hockey IQ. The Swede had success in the Jr. league putting up 25 points in 39 games and will head to Boston University in NCAA this season which will be great for his development as he can get to used to playing North American hockey.

#3. Lukas Dragicevic, Tri-City (WHL)

Even though Dragicevic is ranked third, he may not be the third defenseman picked.

Dragicevic is an offensive-defenseman who will likely take two to three years before he gets to the NHL as he needs to work on his overall game. But his passing and shooting are great, which is why a team will likely use a first-round pick on him.

#2. Axel Sandin Pellikka, Skellefta Jr (SWE Jr.)

Axel Sandin Pellikka is the clear-cut number-two defenseman in the NHL draft and could go in the top 10 overall. The Swedish defenseman is the best offensive defenseman in the NHL draft as he can quarterback a powerplay while also going on rushes and creating offense.

#1. David Reinbacher, Kloten (NL)

David Reinbacher is the consensus number-one defenseman in the NHL draft as he played so well in Switzerland this season. He left Austria for Switzerland at 14 to play pro hockey and really develop into an offensive defenseman.

Reinbacher had 22 points in 46 games - which was the second-most points by an under-19 defenseman in league history, only behind Roman Josi who has gone on to have a successful NHL career with the Nashville Predators.