By Regan Bartel

Rockets forward not chosen in 1st round

Cristall left watching; waiting at NHL Draft

Jun 29, 2023 | 6:00 AM

(Update: Cristall was taken 40th overall by the Washington Capitals)

You could see the disappointment on his face.

The same expression was clearly evident on his parents and brothers too, as the opening round of the NHL Draft came to a close.

Touted as a top pick in the 2023 draft, expectations were high that one of the 32 NHL teams would choose Kelowna Rockets’ leading scorer Andrew Cristall on day one of the proceedings in Nashville, Tennessee.

Instead, teams looked to Europe, plucking six Swedish-born players off the board while the Toronto Maple Leafs, in particular, went rogue by choosing a player many suggest could have been available in the third round.

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The 2023 NHL Draft was full of surprises, with no goalies chosen, nor any trades being made.

You can throw Andrew Cristall being snubbed as another head-scratcher.

The consensus heading into Nashville, the site of the annual draft of top talent, was Cristall’s stock had dropped.

Why?

Skating appeared to be the issue and typically size was another despite putting up an impressive 95 points in his second season in the WHL, on a team that was the 8th seed in the Western Conference.

Falling in the draft and not hearing his name called was clearly a punch to the gut of the dynamic forward, who had to return to T-Mobile a second day when the draft resumed with nowhere near the fan fair that the opening round brings.

One must remember, while being chosen in the opening round comes with a certain cache, many top players find themselves in the same boat as Cristall. Kamloops Blazers captain Logan Stankoven and Seattle Thunderbirds forward Colton Dach, a teammate of Cristall’s, were left wondering why they too weren’t chosen in the opening round.

Both have flourished despite the disappointment, winning gold medals for Canada at the world juniors and more importantly signing NHL contracts.

Using the half-cup full approach, maybe it all works out in his favour, when the Chicago Blackhawks use one of three selections in round two, and he becomes teammates with longtime friend Connor Bedard.