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By: Nick Bass

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Just two years removed from being drafted, ten of the 32 first round picks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft have made it to professional hockey in North America. While six of them have gone straight to the NHL, four of the ten have found themselves in the AHL. These four have quickly adjusted to the pace and heaviness of North American professional hockey and have adapted into quite the players early into their careers.

Dalibor Dvorsky, F – After splitting last season between IK Oskarshamn in the SHL and the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL, the former 10th overall pick has played with the Springfield Thunderbirds and has been one of the best U20 players in the AHL. With 29 points in 38 games, the AHL All Star finds himself in second in scoring on both the Thunderbirds and in U20 scoring in the AHL. While his shot has been lauded as his best attribute, his playmaking has continued to improve, and it should not be too long before Dvorsky is showing his offensive talent at the NHL level.

Eduard Sale, F – It has been an up and down year for Sale so far, having multiple multi- point games while also going for five or more games without a point. In 31 games played, he has five goals and ten assists for 15 points. What he has found success with early on has been his ability to find open ice to wait and capitalize on. His playmaking has also been translating early on, being able to make the same passes he made in the OHL at the professional level. Sale just needs to find a level of consistency, which will come with more time at this level, and the points will start rolling in.

Otto Stenberg, F – Stenberg joined Dvorsky and the Springfield Thunderbirds after the World Junior championship and immediately found success. In eight games, Stenberg has one goal and four assists for five points while mostly playing a fourth line role and limited power play minutes. Averaging around two shots a game, Stenberg’s ability to find open space around goalies is second to none, seen by his first AHL goal. Taking a puck from in close, he found a way to shoot around a defender while also going short side high and beating the goalie. It’s a limited sample size, but Stenberg is off to a nice start.

Bradly Nadeau, F – The leader in all U20 scoring at the AHL level, Bradly Nadeau has settled into a groove since coming back from a disappointing World Juniors run with Canada. In the 13 games since returning, Nadeau has 10 goals and 5 assists for 15 points. At the beginning of the season, it always looked like he was timid with the puck on his stick, waiting the extra second to make the play. Now, Nadeau has been much better with anticipating the play he wants to make and making that play with speed and precision.