2023 NHL Draft: Top 3 goalie prospects teams could look at

The 2023 NHL Draft goes down next Wednesday, and although all the attention is on the forwards, there are some good goaltenders who will be selected.

Often in the NHL draft, goalies fall into the later rounds, as they take longer to develop. Moreover, teams don't want to use a first-round pick on a player who may not play in the NHL for five years.

However, in the 2023 NHL Draft, there are goalies who look like they could be future NHL starters, and one could sneak into the first round. Let's take a look at the top three goalie prospects in next week's 2023 NHL Draft.

#1 Michael Hrabal, G, Omaha (USHL)

If a goalie is going to go in the first round, Michael Hrabal seems likely to be that goalie.

The USHL goaltender has been linked to the San Jose Sharks at 26th overall, as San Jose has two first-round picks. Hrabala is 6' 7", so his size is something that NHL scouts are very interested in. He also played well in his final games, going 3-3-1 with a 1.62 GAA and .945 save percentage.

At the 2023 IIHF U-18 tournament, Hrabal had a .920 save percentage in five games for Czechia. Hrabal is expected to play another year in the USHL and will then go to the University of Massachusetts for the 2024-25 season, so he's likely four years away from turning pro, which is why he could slip.

However, the size and fundamentals are there for Hrabal to be the best goalie in the NHL Draft.

#2 Carson Bjarnason, G, Brandon (WHL)

Carson Bjarnason played well for the Brandon Wheat Kings last season, a team that wasn't the strongest in the WHL.

Bjarnason went 21-19-6 with a 3.08 GAA with a .900 save percentage and three shutouts in 47 games. Although the stats aren't the best, the 17-year-old was on a very poor team, and he kept Brandon in more games than they deserved to be in.

The Canadian prospect is 6' 3" and should benefit from another year in the WHL and could be the starting goalie for Team Canada in the world juniors. It's expected that he will go in the early-to-mid second round.

#3 Trey Augustine, G, USNTDP

Trey Augustine and Carson Bjarnason are both likely to go in the middle of the second round in the NHL Draft and could flip-flop positions.

Augustine dominated last season with the US National Team Development Program, going 29-1-2 with a 2.13 GAA, .926 save percentage and one shutout in 33 games.

Although the USNTDP always dominates every year, at the world juniors, he went 4-1 with a 2.85 GAA and .891 save percentage in six games and helped the States win bronze.

Trey Augustine will play at Michigan State University next season and will likely start for USA at the world juniors next year.