With the 10th pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the St. Louis Blues have selected Dalibor Dvorský from AIK of the HockeyAllsvenskan.
About Dalibor Dvorsky
One of the top two-way centers available in the 2023 NHL Draft, Dalibor Dvorský is going to make an impact in the NHL for a long time. An extremely intelligent player, he understands where he needs to be at both ends of the ice to have the biggest impact on the play. While he can produce in the offensive zone, his ability to shut down the opposition’s top players is his best asset.
Related: 2023 NHL Draft: Live Tracker
This season, Dvorksý spent the majority of the season with AIK in the HockeyAllsvenskan. At just 17, he finished third among U19 players in points with 14 and second in games played with 38. A prospect that has shown he can compete against older and tougher competition, he looks close to NHL-ready despite being one of the youngest prospects in the draft.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
“Dalibor Dvorský is an excellent center prospect with a great shot and the defensive instincts to be a two-way force in the NHL someday. Playing in the second tier Swedish pro league HockeyAllsvenskan, Dvorsky has established himself as one of the top-10 prospects in most prospect evaluators’ minds, with the vast majority seeing him as a top-16 talent. This is his first year playing against grown men, after several years of being the youngest player on his team at the junior level, and he has remained effective while showing off more of what he could be in the NHL.
“Dvorský is a creative offensive player with a wicked shot that projects to score quite a bit in the NHL when he hits his prime. Both his wrist shot and slap shot have a remarkable quickness and power to them, allowing him to catch defenders and goalies off guard. He is also quite good at making tough passes, threading the puck through tight spaces between skates and sticks to find an open teammate. Dvorsky has been excellent on the powerplay, controlling play from the right circle where he sets up shop as a distributor or a finisher with his heavy slapper, playing a similar role to Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks.
Related: THW’s 2023 NHL Draft Guide
“Few young players show the defensive instincts and tenacity that Dvorský has shown, let alone in a professional league against tough competition. He is good at using his solid frame to win puck battles along the boards before moving the puck back in the other direction. I expect he’ll be an above average defensive centerman in the NHL with solid offensive results as well, while playing significant minutes on both special teams units for whichever team lands him.”
Full player profile can be found here.
How This Affects the Blues Plans
Dvorský joins a St. Louis Blues organization that is rich with prospects down the middle. With players like Zachary Bolduc and Zach Dean, it is only a matter of time before the Blues return to being one of the best teams in the league. One of the top two-way forwards available in this draft, it should be long before fans in St. Louis get a chance to see him at the NHL level.
