The Athletic has live coverage of the 2024 NHL Draft.
The 2024 NHL Draft is finally (almost) here. I’m off to Las Vegas today, and to put a bow on this year’s pre-draft coverage (plenty more to come post-draft), here are some last-minute thoughts and tidbits I’ve gathered, player comparables for my top 17 prospects in the class, and final-hours ranking tweaks I’ve been thinking about.
Player comparables
I hate doing these, so let’s just get them out of the way off the top. Consider this my gift to you, the obsessed reader, on the eve of the draft.
Note: Try to keep in mind these comps are meant to be more stylistic than projection. They’re meant to give you a better visual image of what they look like, not how good they’ll be.
Advertisement
Macklin Celebrini: I see a little of each of Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Marleau.
Ivan Demidov: I see some David Pastrnak and Artemi Panarin, frankly.
Artyom Levshunov: Noah Dobson without the maturity (yet). There’s some Thomas Harley in him, too (though with a frame and disposition closer to Aaron Ekblad).
Zeev Buium: Somewhere between Josh Morrissey, John Carlson and Kris Letang.
Zayne Parekh: Very limited comps but Erik Karlsson has some of the same look/style on offense and defense.
Sam Dickinson: A little Noah Hanifin, a little Moritz Seider. I’ve heard Jake Sanderson and Cam Fowler but don’t love those.
Cole Eiserman: Phil Kessel with more jam. Have heard names like Owen Tippett and Cole Caufield, but don’t like either of those.
Berkly Catton: What people thought Jonathan Drouin was going to be.
Anton Silayev: Zdeno Chara feels like the easy one, but I think he might be closer to Colton Parayko. I don’t like the Victor Hedman comp that I’ve heard.
Cayden Lindstrom: Roope Hintz with more jam.
Konsta Helenius: I’ve thought about each of Thomas Vanek, Marco Rossi and Nick Suzuki when watching him.
Tij Iginla: A cross between Kyle Connor and Tyler Toffoli with more pace.
Carter Yakemchuk: Brent Burns (I’ve had some people use Evan Bouchard, too, but Yakemchuk plays meaner and beats more guys one-on-one, even though there are some other parallels).
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard: He’ll be a Gabe Landeskog, T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams type.
Michael Hage: Jordan Kyrou.
Beckett Sennecke: Martin Necas, or Marian Gaborik without the strength (yet).
Trevor Connelly: If Nazem Kadri had speed? Alexander Semin if he got after it more?
Last-minute draft ranking tweaks?
Every year, in the days between the release of my final draft board and the draft itself, continued conversations and video work (normally prompted by those conversations) always seem to lead me to some flip-flopping and hair-pulling about my list.
Advertisement
Here are some rankings I’ve been ruminating on in the wee hours before the draft:
• The big one I’ve been rethinking is Aron Kiviharju’s (25th) slotting. I think I’d slide him down about 10 behind Marek Vanacker (35th).
• I might move Beckett Sennecke (16th) up one or two, as much as I love both Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (14th) and Michael Hage (15th).
• I think I’d leapfrog Stian Solberg (21st) up two past Emil Hemming (19th) and Terik Parascak (20th).
• I’d definitely swap Charlie Elick (43rd) and Dominik Badinka (44th).
• I’d also move John Mustard (51st) and Sam O’Reilly (52nd) past Luke Misa (50th).
• I’d add Kevin He and A.J. Spellacy to my honorable mentions list.
A nugget on the Ducks and the No. 3 pick
The Ducks have been the hardest team to get a read on in this process. I heard Anton Silayev and Cayden Lindstrom early on, but as time has passed and I’ve continued to gather more info around them, I’m not convinced they’ll take either (I’d wager Silayev is more likely than Lindstrom based on what I’ve heard in the last couple of weeks). Pat Verbeek has a type, and both of those guys would fit it. So would Sam Dickinson.
But the one name I’ve had tossed around twice now in the final hours with the Ducks is Beckett Sennecke. I believe Sennecke’s firmly in the mix starting there and I think the Ducks are considering him. That would shake things up.
A note on Macklin Celebrini
It sounds like Celebrini is leaning toward signing (there were real rumblings, earlier in the year, about a willingness and maybe even desire to go back and chase a national title with BU and a gold medal with Canada at the world juniors, both of which evaded him this year) but that he’ll wait until after free agency before finalizing anything in order to see which veteran players the Sharks surround him with. The Sharks aren’t going to be competitive again next year, but that roster can’t look as barebones as it did this season and I think everyone involved recognizes he needs to be surrounded with players who can help him have a successful rookie campaign.
Advertisement
Adam Jiricek vs. Stian Solberg?
There were no surprises for me in Bob McKenzie’s final draft ranking (which polls 10 NHL scouts) other than Jiricek at No. 16 and Solberg at No. 20. In the conversations I’ve had with NHL clubs over the last few weeks, Solberg emerged as the top-ranked D after the big six for the majority of those I surveyed. I still think he’s going to be the first of the two to get picked, but that did make me pause and it’s noteworthy that Jiricek has held strong in that range despite the knee injury. I wonder if ranking him there and actually taking him there are two different things, though, given the lost time. Will teams get gun-shy on draft day with him? People really liked him last summer at the Hlinka and that seems to be persisting, even after he didn’t play to the same standard both professionally in Czechia and in November with the U20 national team. I’ll be fascinated to see where he goes and what he looks like coming back next season.
(Photo of Macklin Celebrini: Richard T Gagnon / Getty Images)