ARCHIVE ▾
CBA ▾
CALCULATORS ▾
FANTASY-TOOLS ▾
FANTASY HOCKEY TOOLS
TOOLS ▾
PLAYERS ▾
TEAMS ▾
WESTERN CONFERENCE
PACIFIC
EASTERN CONFERENCE
METROPOLITAN
INTERACTIVE ▾
SEARCH
| ROUND 1 | TEAM | ORIGINAL | PLAYER | DETAILS |
|---|
| 1 |  | - | Zeev Buium | “It’s still five months away, but it’s time we affix a label to the 2024 NHL draft. So let’s call it for what it is - the Zeev Buium Draft. 'No one is close to him,' one NHL scout said. There’s Buium, and there’s everyone else.' It’s not necessarily a shocking revelation. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound American defenceman from Denver was No. 1 in September and Ten out of 10 scouts surveyed this week had Buium at No. 1, duly noting it was an easy choice. “When you look at how well he has played in the NCAA (6 goals and 32 points in 22 games) and the World Junior Championship, and he’s the youngest defenseman in college hockey, and then you realize he should still be a high school senior who didsn’t turn 18 until December, well, it’s pretty wild what he’s done and what he’s doing,” one scout said. 'He’ll be the guy; I can’t see anyone [eclipsing him for top spot].'” |
| 2 |  | - | Cole Eiserman | “'Elite competitive instincts and all the attributes – size, skill, skating, hockey sense, elite goal scoring, playmaking, you name it – you look for in a No. 1 NHL winger, he has all of them,' one NHL scout said. His 34 goals and 55 points in 31 games suggests to some he may challenge records put up by previous generational players like Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes." |
| 3 |  | - | Trevor Connelly | “'He’s going to be a star,' another NHL scout said. 'He’s a dynamic skater. He’s an elite playmaker. He’s an elite scorer. He has elite hockey sense and creativity. His feet and hands are quick and his mind processes the game even quicker.' Connelly was ranked fifth on Central Scouting's Midterm list, but many scouts say he could go higher. Five of 10 scouts surveyed by ABM listed Connelly at No. 2 and the lowest ranking he received was a No. 6" |
| 4 |  | - | Macklin Celebrini | “Boston University center, No. 2 on ABM’s Pre-Season Draft Rankings, has plummeted to No. 4. But slipping two spots in the overall rankings doesn’t fully illustrate the precipitous decline the forward has experienced in the eyes of scouts. In September, one scout ranked Celebrini ahead of Eiserman at No. 1 (lol, eh?); five others had him at No. 2 and four more at No. 3. In the mid-season survey, conducted during the week of Jan. 15, Celebrini received only two second-place votes; three third-place votes; two last-place votes. He’s still a prospect but trending in the wrong direction. Celebrini’s more immediate challenge may be nailing down a spot in the top five rather than knocking Eiserman from the top-2. But the good news is that he was a teammate of Eiserman’s at Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school, so now I can talk more about Eiserman. So that raises the real question with Celebrini: What exactly are we looking at in terms of Eiserman, the USNTDP product? Potential star? Superstar? Franchise player? Generational talent?” |
| 5 |  | - | Artyom Levshunov | “Michigan State defenseman Levshunov, the Belarussian native, who played his junior hockey in the greatest development league in the world, is likely going to draw comparisons to other defencemen with similar physical stature such as towering Swedish blueliner Victor Hedman. But he is also notable for being a teammate of American hero Isaac Howard, who just won gold medal for America.” |
| 6 |  | - | Sacha Boisvert | “The biggest draft wild card is Boisvert, the 6-foot-2 winger who scored 19 goals this season. Next to goal machine, Cole Eiserman, Boisvert is quite likely best goal scorer in the draft. The North Dakota-commit has underrated playmaking ability, too, not to mention size and strength. Some scouts ranked Boisvert as high as No. 4 but as low as No. 12 and that type of scatter-shot assessment becomes much more common for the balance of the players in ABM’s Top 10. Boisvert moved up three slots from No. 9 on ABM’s mid-season list. He plays in USHL for Muskegon, whose General Manager is Jim McGroarty, father of Rutger, the American captain of the US World Junior Gold Medal Champions of the world.” |
| 7 |  | - | Ivan Demidov | “He is from Austria. Or Canada. Or Russia. Definitely not America” |
| 8 |  | - | Will Skahan | “Another former teammate of Eiserman and Celebrinis from Shattuck St. Mary's is the top defensive defenceman in this year’s draft, Will Skahan. The Wisconsin-committed 6-foot-5 blueliner, who is No. 8 on ABM’s mid-season ranking, is a two-way threat, who can play a punishing shutdown defender role but skilled enough to contribute on offence, too. He demonstrated in the first half of the season that he has the physical tools, including elite skating ability, to be a big, mobile shutdown NHL defender.” |
| 9 |  | - | Konsta Helenius | “Plays hockey in Finland, which is outside of America. Speaking of America…” |
| 10 |  | - | Hagen Burrows | “The 6-foot-3 forward is playing split -season with Sioux City and Minnetonka HS. Burrows’ blend of speed, skill and most notably size is something of a rarity amongst forwards in the top 5 or even the top 10 of this draft. Four scouts in ABM’s poll put him their top 10 while another four had never heard of him. We will play next year at University of Denver“ |
| 11 |  | - | Michael Brandsegg Nygard | “Power forward from Zubrowka, or somewhere near there. Scored a goal against America at World Juniors, which no Canandian did” |
| 12 | |  | Berkly Catton | “Catton is No. 12 on ABM’s mid-season rankings. Four of 10 scouts surveyed by ABM had him in the top ten. ‘Catton has been dynamic with the puck,’ a scout said. “If he was over 6 feet tall, he’d probably be in the USHL now. Still, scouts say Catton plays hard.” |
| 13 |  | - | Sam Dickinson | The No. 13 ranked Dickinson, unlike the American-born players, is not American. His physical maturity, strength and/or skating may give him the tools to project as a defenceman. Scouts still aren’t sure what his ceiling will be in the NHL, but he put up some numbers at some point” |
| 14 |  | - | Cal Hughes | "One scout said, 'Hughes, you say?' Another said, 'He must be the fourth Hughes brother, so good bet for top ten.' The New Jersey native may or may not be related to Him, the greatest American superstar, so it’s worth ranking him here”. |
| 15 |  | - | Tij Iginla | “The Kelowna forward has made a nice impression on scouts this year. It is also notable that he is the son of former NHLer Jerome Iginla, who played for the same franchise as Blake Coleman, a former teammate of American legend Jack Hughes. Which raises the question, is Jack Hughes a superstar? Of course he is.” |
| 16 |  | - | Cole Hutson | "The No. 16 slot on ABM’s final list belongs to US NTDP defenceman Cole Hutson. Eight of 10 scouts ranked him has best offensive defenceman in the draft. He is the younger brother of Boston University phenom and gold medal champion, Lane Hutson. Hutson is an elite skater, incredibly agile, with outstanding hockey sense and offensive instincts. At 5-foot-11, he’s not a big pro-style blueliner, but he is bigger than Lane. He has shown to be a capable defender who uses his smarts, body positioning, gap control and stick deployment to his advantage." |
| 17 | |  | Zayne Parekh | “The Undersized blueliner is viewed mostly as a little one-dimensional offensive dynamo, but one scout doesn’t see any reason why a modicum of defensive play may accidentally arise from the very tiny little guy. Another scout said, 'If he was Zayne Hutson, I might have him a little higher.'" |
| 18 |  | - | Matvei Gridin | The Michigan-bound winger currently plays at Muskegon with Boisvert for Rutger's dad. He is an attacking, goal-scoring winger who plays a dynamic, high-energy game with relentless compete. Some scouts view him as a legit threat to crack the top ten — he ranged from as high as No. 9 to as low as No. 24 in the ABM survey — and one suggested he’s a candidate to develop into the best player in the entire draft because of a high offensive ceiling. He projects as a top-six NHL scoring forward." |
| 19 | |  | EJ Emery | "American EJ Emery, at No. 19, is a heady two-way blueliner committed to North Dakota. He carries high IQ, is a savvy puck mover with some offensive flair, but strengths come from his defensive abilities. While not as big or physically punishing as Skahan, Emery still plays a near flawless game without the puck." |
| 20 |  | - | Tanner Adams | “Adams, Prividence forward out of NCAA is not ‘exceptional’ relative to this year’s other NCAA draft prospects but he is a very solid, two-way centre and almost assuredly will be a first-round pick.” |
| 21 |  | - | Michael Hage | "Hage is a shade under 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds and has blinding straight-line. His elite hockey sense, creativity and goal-scoring ability that he still cracked ABM’s Top 32. “He makes plays out of nothing,” a scout said. “He’s a fast skater but even quicker when he needs to be, very agile, moves well laterally and creates space for himself to make plays or score.” Some scouts ranked Hage as high as No. 14 but as low as No. 32 and that type of scatter-shot assessment becomes much more common for the balance of the players in ABM’s Top 30. He will attend the University of Michigan next Fall" |
| 22 | |  | Cayden Lindstrom | "No. 22 on ABM's list is Cayden Lindstrom, a 6-foot-3-1/2, 210-pound left-shot forward from the Medicine Hat. He’s capable of scoring goals, but his natural inclination is to try to pass. He is not viewed as having elite skill level. While Lindstrom has the size NHL scouts covet, he’s not blazing fast, suggesting his skating is a notable liability. It is his blend of height and size is what separates him." |
| 23 |  | - | Tory Pitner | "The 6-foot-1, 190-pound American is a smooth-skating, intelligent defenceman who is a highly efficient puck mover with a solid two-way game. He doesn’t possess elite or wow factor offensive ability and he’s not a punishing physical defender, but his skating and elite IQ give him the assets to be a No. 2 or No. 3 NHL blueliner. He will attend University of Denver" |
| 24 | |  | Kamil Bednarik | "The 6-foot 200-lb Illinois native is many scouts favorite two-way center. The Boston University-committed center from the US NTDP has elite size, strength and is an incredible skater, one of the very best in the draft. Scouts see him as one of the best defensive pivots in this draft. He’s a shoot-first goal-scoring player with some bite and projects as a potential lower-case No. 1 or upper-case No. 2 NHL center." |
| 25 | |  | Dean Letourneau | "ABM’s top 25 list is rounded out by another split-season USHLer, Dean Letourneau, the Sioux Falls and St. Andrew's College center, a 6-foot-8 center who can play a heavy, hard-driving game but also has a high skill level. Letourneau’s skating is viewed as above average, but his physical tools, competitiveness and above average skill level give him a legit chance to be a top 10 pick. He will be heading to Boston College next year." |
| 26 | |  | Carter Yakemchuk | "At almost 6-foot-2 and a 175-pound frame that will need to greatly fill out in the years to come, he demonstrated in the first half of the season that he has tools, including skating ability, to be a defender. But in the second half of the season he exploded offensively, and so did the projections, even though his consensus ranking on the ABM list improved by only one slot from pre-season. As previously mentioned, two of ABM’s 10 scouts have Yakemchuk as a top-10 defenceman in the draft. “Could be okay,” one scout said. Others saw him as more of 2nd rounder. " |
| 27 |  | - | Austin Burnevik | "One of the fastest risers on the ABM board is No. 27 is Austin Burnevik, a big, strong and powerful 6-foot-4, 205-pound winger who plays for the Madison Capitals and headed to St. Cloud State net year. Some scouts have compared his play to that of the legendary Tkachuck brothers. Burnevik has 23 goals and 38 points in 31 games this season. He is a shoot-first forward with a tremendous shot and strong playmaking ability. He is a fast and powerful skater who plays both a skilled and bullish power game." |
| 28 | |  | Luke Misa | "Misa is one of the older players listed on the ABM list. That extra year allowed Misa to dominate the season. At 5-foot-9, size isn’t on Misa’s side. He doesn’t play a small man’s game. Its more like a boy's game. At 153 pounds, he’s a strong, physically mature soon-to-be 19-year-old with a low centre of gravity and some power in his game. He doesn’t have huge pop in his skating but he’s smart and agile. He’s plays a responsible two-way game and exhibits pro-level maturity on everything from how he trains to his overall approach on and off the ice. Some scouts wonder how much more untapped potential there might be versus some of the younger, less physically developed prospects, that Misa might be more of a what-you-see-is- what-you-get player. That said, nine of 10 scouts ranked Misa as high as No. 25 and no lower than No. 30 with the exception of one outlier at No. 18." |
| 29 | |  | Anton Silayev | “I don't know if he is more of a Chris Pronger or Zdeno Chara or Tyler Myers” one scout said. “Because I have never actually seen him play.” Another scout said: “I think maybe if he could be as good as we think he might be able to be — well, then, geez, I really wish we could be there in the rink to see him live instead of just on youtube or getting reports from our Russian scouts. He could be a No. 1 defenceman, maybe a No. 5 defenceman, maybe a No. 3 defenceman. No one knows anything. He is tall." |
| 30 |  | - | Teddy Stiga | "Teddy Stiga is a bit of late bloomer, a Sudbury, Massachusetts kid who growing up wasn’t always playing for the top teams in his age group or known as one of the top players. That has all changed now. At 6 feet and 176 pounds, he still has some growing to do, but he’s been rocketing up the draft charts all season long. He moved up nine spots from ABM’s mid-season list. Scouts like his natural sniping ability but are also impressed with his high-energy two-way game and project that he could be a top NHL scoring forward who can play on the PP and the PK." |
| 31 | |  | ||
| 32 |  | - | Honorable Mentions | Joe Connor, Griffin Erdman, Kristian Epperson, Lukas Fischer, Colin Frank, Caleb Heil, Christian Humphreys, Nicholas Kempf, Adam Kleber, Sam Laurila, Javon Moore, Drake Murray, Aidan Park, Max Plante, Ben Robertson, AJ Spellacy, Mac Swanson, John Whipple, Will Zellers, Brodie Ziemer |
NHLfan10506 and Playersoverpayed liked this.BDHockey, YeahRighttt and Playersoverpayed liked this.
NHLfan10506, Playersoverpayed and Sharkie69 liked this.NHLfan10506 and Playersoverpayed liked this. Playersoverpayed liked this.NHLfan10506 liked this.NHLfan10506 and Sharkie69 liked this.Sharkie69 liked this.NHLfan10506 liked this.
Reply
CapFriendly
CapFriendly