The Athletic has live coverage of the 2024 NHL Draft.
By Max Bultman, Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler
The calling card of the 2024 NHL Draft class may be on the blue line, but that doesn’t mean this year’s class is light on forwards. Between expected top pick Macklin Celebrini, skilled Russian Winger Ivan Demidov and WHL dynamos Berkly Catton and Cayden Lindstrom, there’s plenty of potential star power up front.
But that doesn’t mean The Athletic’s prospect writers, Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, agree about which forwards belong at the top of the class.
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So today, we asked them to debate some of the more divisive forward prospects on their respective lists.
Max Bultman: We already had you two debate Ivan Demidov at length, when you discussed the Blackhawks’ decision at No. 2. So let’s start this round with a much more divisive scoring winger in this year’s class: U.S. NTDP winger Cole Eiserman. Corey has him at No. 16 on his final ranking. Scott, you finished with Eiserman at No. 7.
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Scott, what’s your pitch for Eiserman as a top-10 pick?
Scott Wheeler: I think any conversation about Cole Eiserman has to start with the fact that he’s the best scorer in the draft, and that goals come at a premium. Tij Iginla, Macklin Celebrini, Berkly Catton, Cayden Lindstrom, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and even Emil Hemming are all guys who can really shoot the puck in this draft. None of them have the goal-scoring arsenal, nor the track record, that Eiserman does. His critics will compare him to NTDP alum Oliver Wahlstrom, who didn’t reach his potential because the rest of his game never got there. Wahlstrom scored 72 goals in 125 games at the program. Eiserman scored 127 in 119 games. I think we’re talking about a different level of finisher. And while I share some of the concerns people have about his B game, and his play selection, and his defensive habits, I’ve also seen him impose himself physically and block shots (he’s also a better skater than Wahlstrom was at the same age).
He has also done it as an August 29 birthday who is just a little over two weeks away from 2025 eligibility. I expect him to continue to score at BU and score a lot of goals in the NHL.
Bultman: Corey, you’re a little bit lower on Eiserman. First, do you agree that he’s the best scorer in the draft? And second, what are your hesitations with him?
Corey Pronman: I think he is the best scorer, but I’m not convinced it’s by a notable margin. I think Macklin Celebrini and Tij Iginla are just as natural goal scorers while having other great elements in their game. Eiserman may have the best power play one-timer in the draft though. That is where the concerns on his game are for me. He’s deadly on the man advantage, but at even strength, he doesn’t create enough offense for himself and others. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t create chances, he is very skilled and skates well and has solid vision, but I don’t see him as a premium play-driver. He was in the background for me in too many games.
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Wheeler: I would say that the power play is a big part of deciding hockey games, but also that Eiserman’s 33 non-power-play goals in 57 games this season were still tops at the NTDP (one more than James Hagens in one fewer game), so it’s not as though he’s had trouble scoring there either. He also just happened to outscore the field on his team by nearly five-to-one on the power play as well. I don’t think you’re drafting Eiserman to be a player driver or at the front of the bus. He’s not going to be that. But I think there is room for growth in that area and there is also a long list of great scorers in NHL history who weren’t either of those things and did their damage in moments.
Bultman: One more follow-up to you here, Scott: When you say you’re not drafting Eiserman to be a play-driver or at the front of the bus, is that a statement that would give you pause for a top-10 pick?
Wheeler: Not necessarily, especially if the defining quality of the player is a game-breaking one. I don’t think every player needs to check every box. Matvei Michkov isn’t a bus driver but he has the unique offensive execution. Will Smith isn’t a bus driver but he has the unique puck skill and craft. The list goes on. Kent Johnson isn’t a bus driver. Cole Perfetti isn’t a bus driver but he has the IQ piece. Trevor Zegras isn’t a bus driver. Evan Bouchard and Luke Hughes weren’t bus-driving D. Clayton Keller and Patrik Laine weren’t bus drivers. All top-10 picks. Does it keep him out of the top five? Yeah, I think it should. He’s not Michkov or Smith level. But I don’t think it should preclude him from the top-10 conversation.
Bultman: Onto the next player you two are split on. Beckett Sennecke has been a big riser this summer, finishing at No. 16 for Scott and No. 7 for Corey. Corey, we’ll start with you here. Why did Sennecke end up so high on your list?
Pronman: I would disagree that some of those players above aren’t bus drivers! In particular Michkov, Hughes and Smith.
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I think if you look at why Oshawa won so many games down the stretch, a lot of it was due to Colorado pick Calum Ritchie, but a lot of it also was due to Sennecke. He was so dynamic, especially in the playoffs. He has a rare combination of size, speed and elite puck skills. He’s a highlight-reel machine. I also thought he was much more competitive and consistent as the year went on. His regular season production is a bit scary, but in context of the talent, playoffs and great 16-year-old season I’m not that concerned. I think he has the potential to be a legit top-line wing in the NHL.
Bultman: Scott, what’s your read on Sennecke? Obviously you still have him ranked fairly high, but what keeps him out of that top-10 range?
Wheeler: I think it has more to do with the players in my top 10 than it does with a lack of belief in Sennecke’s skill. He’s one of the most talented players in the draft and his physical potential is nowhere near tapped out. That’s exciting. He’s right there with Tij Iginla and Co. for me even if they’re slightly in front of him on my board, and I think those debates would come down to fit.
As far as top 10 goes, though, I just love the top five D on my board, and would lean D over winger on each of them. Add in Celebrini, Demidov and Lindstrom and all of a sudden you’re at eight players. The other two guys in my top 10 are Catton and Eiserman, who’ve both just accomplished so much more to this point while also being among the draft’s most talented players (just like Sennecke). I do think the glossiness of Sennecke’s second half has forgotten some of the struggles/frustrations his one-on-one style created in the first half, too. Wing, some inefficiencies in his game, a statistical profile that doesn’t have the same sample size as the others. Those things kept him just outside the top 10 for me, though I understand the case.
Pronman: I think Sennecke belongs in the grouping with Demidov. Demidov has more puck play, he’s more skilled and smarter, but Sennecke is notably bigger and faster and has elite skill as well. To me he clears the boundary to be considered a premium wing prospect and merit a top-10 pick.
Bultman: Let’s move into a player a little bit further down your lists, but who might be one of the most interesting profiles in this class. Dean Letourneau is a 6-6 right-shot center committed to Boston College, but he hasn’t yet faced much high-level competition. Corey, you have him in your first-round range, though, ranked at No. 28. What do you see in Letourneau?
Pronman: The toolkit is rather unique. He’s 6-foot-6, skates very well for his size and has offensive skill. How much offensive skill? Well, it’s tough to gauge given he played prep hockey this season. You compare him to a lot of the recent high picks from St. Andrew’s College and he compares very favorably. He’s better than Jonathan Castagna, for example, who was a third-round pick by then-Arizona and looked good as a freshman in college. I could be wrong, but I saw him dominate enough even considering the level that he has a real chance to translate offense up levels. He has a chance to be a middle-six forward.
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Bultman: Scott you’ve got him ranked a good bit lower, more in the mid-second round at No. 45. What’s your read on Letourneau?
Wheeler: I certainly see the appeal of Letourneau. He’s huge. He’s a center. He has really very impressive finesse/handling/passing/shooting skills. He’s a great athlete and a positive skater. There’s a belief out there, though, too, that he’s much too passive both offensively and defensively and frankly the multiple times I saw him live at SAC this year that was very evident. He doesn’t impose himself or work to get pucks back like you’d like and there’s a lot of standing around. He’s definitely not your prototypical big man. I’m quite high on the offensive upside (I think it’s real and he’s the most talented player I’ve watched at SAC dating all the way back to Warren Foegele) but I also totally get some of the frustrations and questions people have not just about the level but also his style/drive on the ice. That was enough to slot him in the 40s instead of the 20s/30s for me (though he was in the 30s earlier in the year, a return viewing dropped him).
Bultman: Let’s shift gears to a player who generated some buzz coming out of the U18 worlds. Corey, you rank Jett Luchanko up at 19. Scott, you have him at 31. Corey, what would be your pitch for Luchanko in the top 20 at a draft table?
Pronman: He has clear NHL speed, work ethic and his puck game is better than his stats suggest. On Guelph and Canada’s U18 team, he was a play-driver and true playmaker. He can win a lot of battles, he is great in transition, he has hard area skill, and he can create for his teammates off the perimeter. Frank Nazar went top 20 and this guy is just as good, and I’d argue he may have more offense when it’s all said and done.
Bultman: Scott, what kept Luchanko a bit lower for you?
Wheeler: I saw Luchanko play live a lot this year and always liked him but was never wowed by him. The skating, work ethic, athleticism, and playmaking instincts are all good. The skating is really strong in particular. He’s a winning player type that teams like for good reason.
My hiccup with him was the lack of finishing and shot creation. He actually plays in the middle third and creates a lot of entries through the middle. But he’s a very deferential player, often making the early pass and rarely holding pucks to create his own looks. At the OHL level, I wanted to see more of that. Is he going to be able to score more than 15-20 goals was a question I often asked myself when watching him. And while he’s got those natural playmaking instincts, I wouldn’t call him one of the most creative players in the draft or anything. He’s going to have a good career as a middle-sixer in the NHL, though.
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Bultman: Corey, going back to you here to finish. Would the goal scoring make you nervous for Luchanko? He had 20 in 68 OHL games this season.
Pronman: Mildly yes, but I think his playmaking is excellent. You watch how he creates off the perimeter in the OHL and for Team Canada at the U18s and he clearly has the touch and brain to make NHL plays. I don’t think he’s a natural finisher and may limit his offense a bit in the NHL but I do expect he’s going to be a top OHL scorer next season and put any skill questions to rest.
(Top photos of Cole Eiserman and Beckett Sennecke: Michael Miller / ISI Photos / Getty Images and Chris Tanouye / Getty Images)