NHL Draft 2024 Round 1
1. San Jose Sharks – Macklin Celebrini
Macklin Celebrini was the overwhelming number 1 projected pick in the 2024 Draft. Like Connor Bedard, it will take some time for Celebrini to become an influential stud in the league for their team’s success.
Celebrini was a member of Canada’s IIHF team this year and they severely disappointed, losing in the Quarterfinals to the Czechs. Celebrini had 4 goals and 4 assists in 5 games. As much hype as there is around Celebrini, I was very underwhelmed by his performance in this year’s Juniors. Canada’s roster was a lot less star studded than it was a year ago when Canada won the Gold and Celebrini failed to lead his country to a significant win.
I’m very excited to watch this kid this year and it’s very possible Celebrini has a better rookie season than last year’s top pick, Connor Bedard. There is a significant difference in Celebrini and Bedard comparisons with Bedard being compared to Sidney Crosby, and Celebrini being compared to Jonathan Towes. I expect Connor Bedard to be a star regardless of who he plays with and lead as a star whereas Celebrini will shine in a more rounded role.
I give credit to the San Jose Sharks here in their ability to make significant moves this offseason to help Celebrini transition into the pros.Being an attraction to free agents with a finish of 47 points and 19 wins is difficult, but General Manager Mike Greir was able to go out and land Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, and Barclay Goodrow. While the Sharks won’t go out and put up 100 points next season, these three signings will be valuable additions to Celebrini’s development.
Celebrini should land on a line with Toffoli whether it’s the first or second line, and that line could see a third pairing of Logan Couture. The three of them together could immediately generate significant scoring for the Sharks in their first year together and become even more of a landing spot for free agents in 2025.
Celebrini is only 18 years old but comes in at nearly 200 lbs. The low expectation of the Sharks in the standings will give Celebrini more of an opportunity to develop his individual skill with the puck. The addition of Barclay Goodrow will provide some additional toughness to the lineup to protect Celebrini when needed.
2. Chicago Blackhawks – Artyom Levshunov
The Blackhawks are a year removed from drafting the highest touted #1 overall pick (Connor Bedard) since 2016 (Auston Matthews). With many promising offensive talents available at the number two pick to surround Bedard with, the Hawks chose Artyom Levshunov. Levshunov is considered the best defenseman in the 2024 Draft Class. and was drafted to rebuild a defense which ranked fourth worst in goals against last season. Levshunov is 6’2’’ 210 whose style has been compared to Brent Burns. Coming out of Michigan State, Levshunov was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Scouts have been concerned with Levshunov’s aggressiveness offensively and feel he’s susceptible to getting beat in transition against the NHL’s top skilled players, but have noticed Levshunov pulling back from his offensive game to become more of a defensive minded defenseman. His size, strength, and skill could make Levshunov a long-term number 1 defenseman for the Blackhawks. Levshunov should start the season in the AHL, but is considered the most NHL ready outside of Macklin Celebrini.
3. Anaheim Ducks – Beckett Sennecke
Beckett Sennecke had one of the best Draft Day reactions in any sport. Sennecke was viewed early as a projected late first-round pick whose stock rose over the course of the offseason to the mid-round. Expecting to go around pick 15, Sennecke, and the rest of us watching, were shocked when he became the first huge surprise of the draft, going third overall to the Anaheim Ducks.
Sennecke’s draft stock rose due to a sudden offensive and growth spurt in the second half of his OHL season. In his final 21 games Sennecke netted 29 points (12G/17A) with an additional 22 points in his 16 playoff games.
Sennecke is a 6 ‘3 180 wing who the Ducks may have overreached on. Sennecke’s size grew from 5 ’10 as a rookie to his now 6’3’’ size. It should take some time before we see Sennecke in the NHL as he’s expected to continue playing for the Oshawa Generals this season and potentially next. With Trevor Zegras extended through the 2025 season, Sennecke will need to develop quickly if he hopes to play with the Ducks original core, but Anaheim will need to reset from their hopes of Zegras and McTavish turning the franchise around.
Expect Sennecke to be a top six forward who has skill and scores 20+ goals.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets – Cayden Lindstrom
If there’s one landing spot in the NHL that would be on my do not draft list, it would be Columbus. Since 2000, the Blue Jackets have had 17 picks in the top 10 of the draft. Outside of Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets top 10 picks have disappointed. They are hoping their picks over the past four seasons change that. Cole Sillinger (2021) and Kent Johnson (2021) continue to disappoint for the Jackets. Sillinger scored 13 goals last year after his disastrous 3 goal season a year before, while Johnson, who just signed this offseason for 1.2 million AAV, should be a player worth 5-6 million a year by now. Neither player has put up a 20 goal season. From there the Jackets drafted David Jiricek (Rd 1- Pick 6) and Denton Mateychuk (Rd 1 – Pick 12) in 2022 to establish their blue line, and Adam Fantilli (2023) as their second line center behind Sean Monahan.
Cayden Lindstrom is the next pick in their arsenal to help retool this Columbus franchise and get them back to the playoffs. Lindstrom comes in as a 6’4 214 lb center built on size and speed. Lindstrom averaged nearly a goal per game in 2023 but had his season cut short by injury.
While Lindstrom is a rare power forward, scouts are concerned with his awareness at center. Lindstrom should have some time to develop that as he isn’t expected to be on the Jackets opening night lineup, or play at all this season.
5. Montreal Canadiens – Ivan Demidov
Like Matvei Michkov of last year’s draft, falling to the Flyers at seventh overall, this year’s top Russian, Ivan Demidov, fell into the Montreal Canadiens lap at fifth overall. Projected to be the second overall pick. Demidov is considered arguably the most explosive pick in the draft, but his lack of public viewing could be why he fell to fifth overall. Demidov met with Montreal many times before the draft and it’s been said the Canadiens head scout Nick Bobrov being a Russian native led to more of Montreal’s impact in selecting Demidov outside of his pure skill.
Devidov is the Canadiens third top five pick in the last three years. Montreal surprised the league in 2022 selecting Juraj Slafkovsky over Shane Wright first overall, also adding Filip Mesar with the 26th pick that year. In 2023 Montreal selected David Reinbacher fifth overall, and in 2024, Montreal may have selected their best pick with Demidov at fifth; they also added Michael Hage at 21.
Demidov won the MVP of the Russian’s junior league in back to back years and won the title for his SKA junior team in Russia. Concerns of Demidov were how easily he skated through his junior competition leading to questions of how his skill would translate to a pro level. Currently unsigned, there is still one year left on his KHL contract. There have been changes to the structure of KHL contracts that could potentially allow Demidov to leave Russia early and join the Canadiens. If the Canadiens want to be patient with Demidov, they could allow him to finish out the final year on his contract, which should benefit Demidov playing more comparable talent to the NHL than he has seen in juniors. If Montreal does decide they want him here, the KHL now has the ability to negotiate a buyout of his contract with the Canadiens to bring him over sooner.
Demidov could be the best pick in the draft outside of Celebrini and Chicago, Anaheim, and Columbus could regret passing on this future star, especially Chicago who could have paired him with Connor Bedard. Demidov possesses Ovechkin-esque skill and will put on an absolute clinic when handling the puck. The worst part of this pick is that he went to Montreal and not somewhere more appealing as a fan. Keep an eye on this pick over the next year or two and watch Demidov turn into a star.
6. Utah Hockey Club – Tij Iginla
Tij Iginla is the son of Hall of Famer Jerome Iginla and was a projected top 10 pick in this year’s draft. There are a lot of comparisons between Tij and his father Jerome, but I do not think we will see Tij have multiple 40 and 50 goal seasons like his father did. Tij is the first ever draft pick of the new, but old, Utah Hockey Club who moved from Arizona this offseason.
At 18 years old, 6’ 185 Tij will fill out nicely as a top six forward in the league when his time comes. What Tij possesses that other names of this draft do not is the ability to come into his role as a complete player. What having a hall of fame father should do in this instance is raise the awareness of the game that Tij has. Tij has size and skill, and the wherewithal to become an immediate impact for the Utah Hockey Club. At worst, Iginla should be a player who plays ten years in the league with multiple twenty goal seasons with ceilings as high as having thirty or forty goal years- just not consistently. He will be a major contributor to a teams success and be a role player that motivates and raises the game of the players around him.
Tij’s game and draft analysis makes him comparable to Matthew Tkachuk in my opinion. Between his size, his shot, and his awareness with the puck, I see Tij as having the safest floor of any draft pick outside of Celebrini in this class.
7. Ottawa Senators – Carter Yakemchuk
Carter Yakemchuk is a big defenseman with offensive prowess. Yakemchuk has been compared to Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers for his size and skill. Yakemchuk scored 30 goals in the WHL last season and has a booming shot from the blue line. The concerns with Yakemchuk is his size and ability to skate. Projected as a mid to late round pick, the Senators took him seventh overall in hopes of rebuilding their defense around him and 2020 fifth overall pick Jake Sanderson.
Concerns for Yakemchuk revolve around his positional awareness. Being such a big defenseman with a long reach has analysts worried about the likelihood of getting caught and reaching to take penalties when caught out of position. The expectation is that his size and offensive abilities will overshadow his early missteps allowing him to develop into a solid top four defenseman with the Senators.
8. Seattle Kraken – Berkly Catton
The Seattle Kraken have had four 1st round draft picks in their franchise’s short history. Three of those picks have been second overall (Matty Beniers), fourth overall (Shane Wright), and eight overall Berkly Catton. You can argue that Beniers and Wright are first overall pick worth and now they add another skilled scorer to their arsenal.
Berkly Catton is a small forward with speed who has significant skill with the puck. Last year in the WHL Catton had a whopping 116 points with 54 of those being goals. If the Kraken resign Beniers this offseason, Seattle could be primed for an elite top three. Catton will bring skill and intelligence and be a mainstay at center for the Kraken for years to come.
9. Calgary Flames – Zayne Parekh
The Flames were most likely hoping Tij Iginla fell to them at 9 to continue the Iginla legacy in Calgary. With Iginla gone, Calgary committed to their blueline. Like the two defensemen drafted ahead of him, Parekh brings an offensive skill to his game, but comes in as the defenseman with the most to work on defensively.
10. New Jersey Devils – Anton Silayev
The Devils opted to go with a big defenseman here instead of a skilled forward like Cole Eiserman.
Many analysts had Silayev as their top defenseman in this draft and top international pick, mocked as high as second overall. Coming in at 6’7, Silayev is said to be a defensive defenseman who can move and transition with the puck. The Devils love his size and ability to skate with the puck though it should be some time however, before we see Silayev in the NHL. Silayev has three years left on his KHL contract (Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod) where he is being coached by former NHLer and Devil Igor Larionov. Silayev should develop well over these next few years under Larionov and come into a Devils team already ready to make a run at the Cup.
11. San Jose Sharks – Sam Dickinson
Sam Dickinson is the Sharks second pick in the first round this year and provides a left handed shot from the point. Said to be able to play both sides of the ice, Dickinson is another highly touted defenseman in a very deep defensive draft.
Dickinson is a very nice pick for the Sharks here who lack defensive depth or a star. We should see Dickinson develop into a top defenseman for the Sharks who had size, skill, and leadership. It may not be long before he cracks the Sharks lineup and ends up on their penalty killing unit, and don’t be surprised if we see him earn a letter on his sweater.
12. Minnesota Wild – Zeev Buium
Zeev Buium has two Gold meals over the past two seasons playing for Team USA on the U18 and world juniors teams. After winning the Gold for USA at the World Juniors, Buium finished his year with a National Championship for Denver adding an assist in their 2-0 shutout.
Touted as another top defenseman in this draft, team after team passed on Buium with the Philadelphia Flyers even trading back one spot to pick up Minnesota’s 2025 third round pick.
Minnesota traded up one spot to pick up a defenseman who was ranked as high as third best in this class. This pick is argued to be one of the steals of the first round with Buium being very close to NHL ready.
At 6 feet tall Buium, Buium is one of the smaller defenseman in the Draft that could have kept teams off of him sooner. Analysts have argued that Buium should come in as a top defenseman for the Wild but when is the question. Coming off a National Championship in his freshman year, there have been discussions about letting Buium develop further at the collegiate level. Comparable to Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Adam Fox who all played at least two years in college, they all eventually went on to win the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman. Buium could find himself in that category.
13. Philadelphia Flyers – Jett Luchanko
Watching Jett Luchanko get drafted by Michael Buffer was incredible (if you haven’t seen it go watch it), but it has some question marks around it. There are a lot of questions as to why the Flyers passed on Zeev Buium and traded back one spot to pick up a third round pick in next year’s draft. There has been speculation as to the relationship Buium has with the same agency that represents the Flyers 2022 fifth overall pick Cutter Gauthier. Gauthier made it clear to the Flyers he would not sign with them when his college career was up and wanted out of Philadelphia. The Flyers moved him for Jamie Drysdale, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft. The relationship between Gauthier and the Flyers turned sour and analysts speculate the Flyers did not want to work with the same agency the represented Gauthier forcing his way out of Philly because of it. If there is merit to that rumor then you can’t blame the organization or Danny Brier for not risking another top pick in the first round for a player who may go that same route.
Luchanko is by no means a runner-up pick for the Flyers, and with the departure of Gauthier for a top defensive prospect in Drysdale, the Flyers opted to replace the hole at center that Gauthier left. Luchanko is a skilled player who has speed. He’s been said to not be the star of the draft, but a significant player who can become the Flyers number two center. Scouts lauded Luchanko for his awareness of the game at only 17 years old and his ability to play on both ends of the ice. His speed and awareness make him more of a complete player than an individually skilled player like Ivan Demidov has been described as. His size is a factor as well coming in at 5’11 and 187 lbs with room to still grow.
There will be a lot of eyes on GM Danny Brier for this pick taking Luchanko over Buium, but Luchanko’s hockey sense may make this pick an easy one for Brier to defend.
14. Buffalo Sabres – Konsta Helenius
Buffalo traded down three spots with San Jose to the 14th spot and took Finnish center Konsta Helenius. Some mocks had Helenius going ahead of Iginla, Sennecke, Yakemchuk, and Catton, so many see this pick as a steal for the Sabres.
The Sabres see Helenius similar to their 2023 first round pick Zach Benson who went thirteenth overall. Benson played in 71 games last year and Helenius could be just as ready to play in the NHL this season. The only players who had better seasons in the U18 Liiga League are Alex Barkov, Mikael Granlund, and Kaapo Kakko- a good list to be in the likes of.
Helenius is said to be strong on the puck, especially for his size and with the Sabres yearning for a playoff berth, we should see him relatively early this year.
15. Detroit Red Wings – Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is a player you most likely won’t hear much unless you’re a Red Wings fan. I was surprised the Wings, as well as a few more teams behind them, passed on Cole Eiserman but here we are. I doubt you will see Brandsegg-Nygard having 30-goal seasons, and may hit the 20-25 goal mark once or twice in his career. I expect this pick to fall into a third line role with the Red Wings who are still trying to rebuild and find their identity.
16. St. Louis Blues – Adam Jiricek
Jiricek’s older brother is the top prospect in the Blue Jackets organization that we mentioned earlier, and Adam has the billings to fit right in for the Blues as a top-4 defenseman for them. Jiricek has the ability to provide some offensive skill to his game but needs some more development and confidence in himself. He’s big and likes to throw his body around and knows how to play and move the puck. Jiricek could become a top defenseman for the Blues who lack youth and depth in their system. This should be a nice fit for Jiricek to develop and become a valuable asset for the Blues franchise.
17. Washington Capitals – Terik Parascak
Aside from Beckett Sennecke, who rapidly moved up the draft boards leading into the draft, Terik Parascak is the first real reach of the first round. Projected to go late in the first round, if not later, the Capitals selected Parascak seventeenth overall.
Taking Parascak, who is further out from being NHL ready, was questionable to the Capitals short-term goals with the Alex Ovechkin era almost over. Parascak impressed with a 43 goal rookie season in the WHL and played on both sides of special teams giving Washington what they believe will be the next era. Parascak will have a few more years to develop his already impressive hands before we see him in the pros.
18. Chicago Blackhawks – Sacha Boisvert
The second of three first round picks for the Blackhawks, Boisvert is starting a path similar to Jonathan Toews. Boisvert is a Canadian center set to join North Dakota in the NCAA this year, where Toews played for two seasons. While other forwards in this draft may have some size, Boisvert is bigger at 6’2 and one who is said to know how to use it and isn’t afraid to. Boisvert should be a physical player that could land on the Blackhawks top six if he develops and transitions into the NHL successfully.
Consistency is a need for Boisvert to develop in his time at North Dakota, and the program historically has had success. Boisvert will look to get the Fighting Hawks back to the Frozen Four where they haven’t been since 2016. The Hawks may have found their next Toews-Kane era with Bedard and Boisvert.
19. Las Vegas Golden Knights – Trevor Connelly
The Knights caused some controversy taking Connelly with the nineteenth pick and kept him off the microphone for any interviews. You can google any interest you have in the controversy around him.
Connelly is one of the best skilled forwards available in the draft and would have gone higher without the circumstances around him. This kid has skill and the ability to deliver in high pressure situations and heads into a franchise with Vegas that gets the most and best out of their players. This is one pick worth keeping an extra eye on over the years and will be fun to watch this year at Providence.
20. New York Islanders – Cole Eiserman
Cole Eiserman may be one of the steals of the draft, and the Islanders should consider themselves extremely lucky to get such a pick at 20 overall. Lou Lamoriello has destroyed this Islanders team the past few years and the lack of first round picks make the future even more daunting.
Eiserman is the first first-round pick for the Islanders since 2019 where they drafted Simon Holstrom who the Isles just re-signed for a year for less than a million dollars. Eiserman’s talent is undeniable and scouts had him projected to go to the Sharks with his close relationship to Macklin Cellebrini.
Eiserman’s shot is his biggest attraction, arguably the best in the draft, but his draft stock fell due to concerns about the rest of his game. Eiserman will play at Boston U for at least one more season before joining the Islanders. If Eiserman can develop his 200-ft game and become more of a playmaker than just a devastating shot, then the Isles have hit gold with this pick.
21. Montreal Canadiens – Michael Hage
Montreal traded up with the Kings to acquire this pick and draft Hage. Michael Hage was ecstatic to be drafted by the team he grew up watching, and the Canadiens were happy to take him. Hage was projected to go early to mid first-round and is a two-way player. Hage will be playing at the University of Michigan this year where he’ll be expected to develop more consistency in his drive. Scouts worried about Hage’s ability to play at 110% consistently but don’t doubt the skill he brings to the game.
Montreal secured two great picks in this draft with Demidov and Hage who may be able to provide more for them than their 1st overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky.
22. Nashville Predators – Yegor Surin
Yegor Surin looks like the player who will replace what the Predators wanted Tanner Jeannot to be. It should be two years before we see Surin in the NHL with the time remaining on his KHL contract. In his draft interview Surin said “for me also if no problem if I fight.”
Surin is not someone who was high on anyone’s draft boards, but with the Free Agency plan the Predators had- we will discuss this later in the guide- the Predators seemed to know exactly what they were looking for and went out and got Surin. Surin is a big kid with skill and grit and should fit on the bottom six of the Preds depth chart very nicely.
23. Anaheim Ducks – Stian Solberg
Solberg is a big defenseman who will stay at home and use his physicality and size. Solberg won’t provide much offense for the Ducks but should come in as a bottom four defenseman that provides consistency for them.
24. Utah Hockey Club – Cole Beaudoin
Beaudoin is a player advertised as a complete all around player that isn’t going to be the star of the draft or on the ice. Utah is in a stage looking to re identify themselves and getting a consistent mid-liner to develop in their system is a safe place to start.
25. Boston Bruins – Dean Letourneau
Coming in at a booming 6’7, Letourneau scored 127 points in 56 games which included 61 goals. Letourneau will join the Boston College Eagles this season. Consider Letourneau an anomaly with the way he can carry the puck and move with his size, with scouts comparing him to Tage Thompson. Letourneau is an all or nothing pick and the Bruins and their fans are excited to see what this kid can bring to the table.
26. Los Angeles Kings – Liam Greentree
Greentree comes in as a pick with high potential for the Kings. At 6’2 214 lbs Greentree is built to be an NHL pro. What analysts worry about in Greentree’s game is his ability to keep up with the flow of the game. If Greentree adapts to the pace of play in the OHL and carries it to the NHL Greentree could prove to be one of the best offensive talents that come out of this year’s draft.
27. Chicago Blackhawks – Marek Vanacker
Vancaker is the Blackhawks third pick in the first round and will be an interesting pick to see how he develops. It was revealed that Vanacker played his previous year with a torn labrum and played with it through multiple leagues/tournaments. Vanacker had surgery in the offseason and won’t be back on the ice until roughly December. Vanacker’s ability to play through the injury for so long likely rose his draft capital and why the Blackhawks took him higher than he was projected. With two solid first rounds picks already in this draft, the Blackhawks could afford to take a chance on a high upside grinder like Vanacker.
28. Calgary Flames – Matvei Gridin
We’re at the point of the draft where teams begin taking chances on their research and that’s what Calgary is doing here. Matvei Gridin wasn’t projected to go in the first round but is a play that could have a decent payoff. The Flames took Zayne Parekh at nine overall so the addition of a forward here makes sense. Gridin’s biggest knock is his passiveness in play. What scouts would like to see more from Gidin is an assertiveness to get himself into the play more instead of coasting the perimeter. Gridin at best projects to be a second line player but more likely falls into a third line player which won’t help the Flames to get back in contention anytime soon.
29. Dallas Stars – Emil Hemming
Emil Hemming could be a good fit for this Dallas organization if developed properly. Dallas has shown they don’t always do that. The Tyler Seguin/Jamie Benn era has come with a lot of disappointment at times and held this Stars franchise back at times, but the development of the Roope Hintz/Wyatt Johnston/Jason Robertson era is taking bigger steps.
Hemming has a tremendous shot and snipe capabilities so if the Stars can develop Hemming into a more complete player we could see him crack the top six when his time comes. He’s not expected to show the athleticism of the names mentioned above, but getting him on a line with said players could translate to 20+ goals if he finds his true game and hits his corners.
30. New York Rangers – EJ Emery
Emery will be playing in North Dakota with Sacha Boisvert this season. Emery is said to model and look up to current Ranger K’Andre Miller which I do not view as a positive for Emery. Honestly, I see Miller as a p.o.s and don’t like anything about him. I hope Emery takes a different approach to his game and doesn’t play like the coward Miller is.
Emery is a big boy and could develop into a big stay at home defenseman that fills the Rangers second unit when ready. He will develop for a year or two in College and I would like to see him become a better, more disciplined, more respectable version of Miller.
31. Toronto Maple Leafs – Ben Danford
Seen as a pick that the Leafs could have gotten later in the draft, Toronto is looking to rebuild a defensive unit to help propel their offense in the standings. Goaltending has a lot to do with that, but their pick in Danford is a hope for back end depth. Danford shouldn’t be a top 4 defenseman with high offensive upside so at best he could be a third line pairing that journey’s the league after his time in Toronto.
32. Edmonton Oilers- Sam O’Reilly
The Edmonton Oilers traded up and gave up a future first round pick to the Flyers to acquire this pick. Sam O’Reilly fits what the Edmonton Oilers are made of and will be coming out of the highly respected Ontario Knights. With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s contracts both ending next year and the year after, the Oilers could be preparing for the next era of their franchise with O’Reilly.
