Vegas Golden Knights have 5 picks in 2023 NHL Draft: Who will they select?

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The 2023 NHL Draft is underway. The Vegas Golden Knights have five picks overall this year. One was revealed during Round 1 on Wednesday night. Rounds 2-7 was on Thursday, which is when the gold and black made the rest of their selections. You can see the full list of pick below:

• Round 1, Pick 32 - David Edstrom

With the team's first pick, the Vegas Golden Knights selected David Edstrom, an 18-year-old from Goteborg, Sweden. He played in 31 games this year with the Frolunda HC Nationell teams and also helped Sweden earn a silver medal at the 2022-2023 U-18 World Junior Championship.
He said he's honored and proud to join the Golden Knights.

"I can't describe the feeling. It's amazing. Vegas is a really good organization," Edstrom said. "I started playing when I was 5. My best friend Vincent got me into playing hockey but he was the goalie. He's happy I'm here."

So what can VGK fans expect?

"I would describe myself as a hard-working two-way centerman that's good on both ends of the ice," Edstrom said. "I'm a reliable player that the coaches trust and I can be played in every situation, good hockey sense, always working hard and wanting to win."

He said he comes from a family of athletes.

"My dad is originally from Denver, Colorado. He went to college at ASU where he met my mom. They both played badminton and went there on scholarship," Edstrom said. "My dad was trying to make the Olympic team and every game was in Europe so they moved to Sweden."

Edstrom said he's looking forward to meeting everyone on the team including fellow Swede William Karlsson.

"The first year in Vegas, he had a terrific year. He's a good guy, I think," Edstrom said. "I'm hoping to meet him and know him. It's going to be fun."

• Round 3, Pick 77 - Mathieu Cataford

With the next pick, the Vegas Golden Knights selected Mathieu Cataford, an 18-year-old forward from Saint-Constant, Quebec. He was originally drafted in the first round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League back in 2021. He spent the last two years playing for the Halifax Mooseheads posting 75 points in 68 games.

• The smile says it all 😃
  
  Mathieu Cataford is pumped to be a Golden Knight ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/O9u03IaFc8

  — 🏆 - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 29, 2023

• Round 3, Pick 96 - Arttu Karki

With their third pick in the draft, the Vegas Golden Knights picked up Arttu Karki, an 18-year-old defenseman from Viiala, Finland. He spent the 2022-2023 season with the Tappara U20 team in the Finnish Premier Junior Men's Hockey League and posted 39 points this season.

• Welcome to Vegas, Arttu! 🤩 #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/uU13c4ct6j

  — 🏆 - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 29, 2023

• Round 6, Pick 192 - Tuomas Uronen

With their fourth pick of the NHL draft, the Vegas Golden Knights selected Tuomas Uronen, an 18-year-old forward from Kerava, Finland. He spent the 2022-2023 season with the Idrottsforeningen Kamratema i Helsingfors in the Finnish Premier Junior Men's Hockey League. He posted 43 points in 39 games this season. He also represented Finland at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2023, notching four points in four games. The team ended up winning a bronze medal.

• Round 7, Pick 224 - Traded pick

The Vegas Golden Knights traded their final pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft.
OFF-SEASON PREVIEW: Golden Knights management looking ahead to free agency, NHL draft

As for the Golden Knights, they're already making big moves this off-season. On Wednesday, the team announced they were trading original Misfit and fan favorite Reilly Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team also announced they were signing Ivan Barbashev to a five-year contract extension.

Other free agents the team is still discussing include Adin Hill, Phil Kessel, Jonathan Quick, Teddy Blueger, and Brett Howden.