What analysts are saying about the Knights’ draft class

The Golden Knights didn’t grab many headlines at the 2023 NHL draft, given they only made four selections and picked at the end of the first, third and sixth rounds.

They still received solid marks from most draft analysts, who believed the team did well despite limited resources.

The Knights were never going to steal the show in Nashville given their status as Stanley Cup champions. But they feel they added help to their system — ranked 21st before the start of last season by Elite Prospects and 23rd in January by The Athletic — by picking center David Edstrom (32nd), center Mathieu Cataford (77th), defenseman Arttu Karki (96th) and right wing Tuomas Uronen (192nd).

“We were really excited with where we had these guys on our list,” Knights assistant director of player personnel Bob Lowes said in an interview with the team. “It’s easy to say that, but it really did work out that way.”

Here are what some draft experts are saying about the team’s haul:

The Athletic, Corey Pronman: B

The Knights received one of five Bs Pronman handed out, while 16 teams got a B- or below on his grading scale. Edstrom was his 18th-ranked player in the draft. He had Karki 41st.

“The Golden Knights only had four picks, and none until 32, but they picked a lot of prospects I was high on,” Pronman wrote. “I felt like I was the high man on David Edstrom and Arttu Karki. But Edstrom reminds me of the kinds of players Vegas just won a Stanley Cup with, and Karki has an NHL toolkit, even if he has a lot of issues to iron out.”

The Athletic, Scott Wheeler: “Overtime winners”

Wheeler breaks down teams into four categories: Winners, overtime winners, overtime losers and losers. The Knights were one of 13 teams he put in the second bin, as only four walked away as “winners.” Wheeler wasn’t as high on Edstrom — putting him 49th in his rankings — but liked the club’s Day 2 selections.

“I was a little surprised that Mathieu Cataford was still there for the Golden Knights at No. 77, not just because he was higher on my list (No. 48) but because he plays a pro style and scouts spoke glowingly about his work ethic and versatility whenever he came up in conversations this year,” Wheeler wrote. “He’s got a chance to become a useful third-line forward.”

Daily Faceoff: C+

The Knights were one of three teams that received a C+ from analyst Steven Ellis, putting them in the 23rd to 25th range among the NHL’s 32 teams. He had Edstrom 30th on his rankings, Cataford 60th and Uronen 99th.

“I loved the Edstrom pick, someone who, if they don’t trade him like every other first-rounder, could be a great middle-six forward with size and good skating,” Ellis wrote. “Cataford and Tuomas Uronen were both nice value picks.”

FloHockey: B

Analyst Chris Peters had all four of the Knights’ selections ranked among his top 100 players in the draft. Unsurprisingly, that made him a fan of their work. They got one of his six Bs, with only 12 clubs receiving higher marks.

“I really like the value they picked up in the first round with David Edstrom who should be a good stylistic fit for their franchise,” Peters wrote. “He has the size they covet, but he can skate and has skill. Meanwhile, they got a bunch of other players with good compete that can play aggressive hockey. Cataford at 77th overall in particular looked like a tremendous value addition for the team as he had a very strong season with Halifax. Meanwhile, Karki gives them another big defenseman with a bit of puck-moving value.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.