Prospect Info: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Guadana]

Satan is big and skates very well for his size. But I actually did not even have him on my list of players to write up, because I don't think he brings much else to the table and does not play a big man's game. He's actually rail-thin at 6'7-190 and can be bodied off the puck fairly easily at this point, and does not like the physical style very much if at all.

He's certainly possessing some intrigue because of the height-skating combo, but I try to look at huge prospects and ask myself: "what if they were 5'11-170"? In Satan's case, I'm not certain he'd find himself on too many top 200 lists, much less top 100 lists.

If player can skate with his size - you cant just say "what if". He isnt. After 3-4 years in gym and AHL experience he can teach physical game and he will never be 5'11. He will be physical big player with good skating. Its a thing to draft in top-200.


But I would want to see Buium/Dickinson/Nygard/Chernyshov/Helenius pick and after that I want to see centers. May be Nabokov or Moiseevich if someone is available, but overall we need centers and we need them hard. So if we have different options of centers who can skate and play two way game, we need to target them in all rounds. Especially if there will be driving center available even if he is on the smaller side.

Dude, his name is Satan.

If I'm the Devils I'd draft him in the 7th round even if he were 4'11" and never played hockey in his life.

He will bite opponents legs to the death.

 

[devilsblood]

but overall we need centers and we need them hard. So if we have different options of centers who can skate and play two way game, we need to target them in all rounds. Especially if there will be driving center available even if he is on the smaller side.

Woah, settle down there tiger.

 

[Guadana]

Woah, settle down there tiger.

I cant stop to think about... draft, you know. Its only one month away. Im excited, agitated. So much attractive young... players for our club.

 

[evnted]

I really like Josephson overall as a player, but how early I'd draft him has a lot to do with whether we think he plays up as a center or a wing at the higher levels. What are your feelings on this?

You're definitely drafting Josephson for your bottom 6 either way, but as you said he's a player who "does not go away", and that is what strikes me positively about him, as well. I'd also call him a very capable defensive forward, and I think that will play up, too.

its a good question because i agree if we go late 3rd on him and he winds up at wing, we'd all be sitting here like uhhh well he competes at least lol

when i try to project C vs W, i would say some of the biggest things i factor in are: past experience, processing ability, transitional upside, and how much i think their play style benefits their linemates games. so lets take lindstrom for example here. hes awesome, we all really like his game, wed all be thrilled if the devils took him, etc., but when i look at how well he processes play and whether or not hes really elevating his linemates games, im a bit lukewarm on the center outlook. lots of play coming in off the wing, lots of individual driving to the net, some questionable entries or passing lanes attempted, etc. thats an elite power forward prospect im looking at, but i dont think hes an easy slot down the middle

back to the point though, i think josephson hits that criteria for me and if i was putting money down, id expect him to be a center. heavy center assignment this year (including internationally), he makes a lot of good reads and decisions with the puck, hes great at quickly getting the puck from point A to B particularly while attacking through the middle, and when you factor in his defensive contributions and willingness to play through contact so much, i do think his style directly benefits the two guys flanking him. as easy as i think it would be for him to apply his 200ft play and forechecking intensity to the wing, i think you lose a lot of that puck dominant play that sort of makes the player who he is

 

[forceten]

I really want to snag a 2nd somehow.

 

[evnted]

2024 Draft Profile:

RD Adam Kleber, Lincoln USHL

Every year it seems like there's some hulking defender no one can agree on, and I believe this year the role is filled by Kleber. Someone like Corey Pronman sees him as a fringe 1st rounder while others aren't even convinced he's a top 3 round prospect. Standing at 6'5" 207lb, you can already kind of expect what this profile is going to talk about, but I believe there's a bit more than initially meets the eye.

Let's the get the obvious out of the way: this guy is massive. He's strong, he's got a long reach, and he's very difficult to get past. He makes life miserable for forecheckers around the crease and along the boards. If you're trying to gain space on him, good luck. But I should caution a bit here, Kleber is not a goon or anything. In fact, I don't even think he relies on physical play for the most part. Sure, when the situation calls for it, he's going to body guys, but I actually see him make a lot of smart, proactive plays with his stick, too.

Factoring in his size, Kleber is a fine skater. It can look a little cumbersome at times, and his top speed isn't quite there, but he gains momentum rather well, and his four-way mobility is much better than you'd expect. And, surprisingly, he can also make plays with the puck. His handling is above average for his profile, and he shows pretty decent vision and decision making with his puck movement. In fact, and this is a rarity for defenders of his size, it is not uncommon to see Kleber cut back on a breakout to buy more time to survey his options (rather than just launch a puck up the ice). He can even activate in the offensive zone. Now, I don't expect this to be a major part of his game long term, but showing the capability at this stage is encouraging because it gives you something to build off of. I'm less concerned that his offensive zone passing game is just sufficient at this point, and that his shot is more of a redirect option than a legitimate threat; the player's intent is of much more interest to me right now.

With that said, while you might think he's some top tier shutdown option, I really wouldn't say so. Certainly, Kleber could become one, and he's totally fine defensively as is, but he can lose his man, get outworked, and get beat by speed (or cuts in particular). His gap control is usually quite strong and he's always attentive to his own zone, but again, it's not out of the ordinary to see puck carriers find a way around him. And while, generally speaking, he's good on the puck, he'll definitely make some poor choices with it in the defensive end. I don't know if I have a strong enough read on whether it's a panic threshold issue or just diverting to an easy play, but regardless, there's way too many poor clear attempts he makes that wind up staying in the zone. I know he has the scanning ability to make better choices, but there are times, especially coming out of a puck battle, where you just see him lob it into traffic or recklessly chuck it up the boards and you wish he had taken the extra second to make a better play. He's more than willing to jump up on breakouts, too, so it's not coming from a reluctance to carry it up himself either.

Ultimately, a lot of what you see in Kleber is what you expect. He's a giant on the blue line who can play a heavy physical game and projects to be a solid defensive option, which I have no doubt is going to be the main reason he's picked. That said, there's definitely a bit more here when you look closely: he has legitimate offensive instincts, he's not a liability on the puck at all, and he has the ability to slow the game down and use it to his advantage to make strong decisions with the puck. This isn't really a New Jersey pick to me, mainly because I can't imagine he's available come the 3rd round but also because we really don't need to be targeting RD that early, much less ones who aren't particularly fast. Regardless, Kleber is an interesting player who I still think is worth learning about.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2024 Draft Profile:

RD Adam Kleber, Lincoln USHL

Every year it seems like there's some hulking defender no one can agree on, and I believe this year the role is filled by Kleber. Someone like Corey Pronman sees him as a fringe 1st rounder while others aren't even convinced he's a top 3 round prospect. Standing at 6'5" 207lb, you can already kind of expect what this profile is going to talk about, but I believe there's a bit more than initially meets the eye.

Let's the get the obvious out of the way: this guy is massive. He's strong, he's got a long reach, and he's very difficult to get past. He makes life miserable for forecheckers around the crease and along the boards. If you're trying to gain space on him, good luck. But I should caution a bit here, Kleber is not a goon or anything. In fact, I don't even think he relies on physical play for the most part. Sure, when the situation calls for it, he's going to body guys, but I actually see him make a lot of smart, proactive plays with his stick, too.

Factoring in his size, Kleber is a fine skater. It can look a little cumbersome at times, and his top speed isn't quite there, but he gains momentum rather well, and his four-way mobility is much better than you'd expect. And, surprisingly, he can also make plays with the puck. His handling is above average for his profile, and he shows pretty decent vision and decision making with his puck movement. In fact, and this is a rarity for defenders of his size, it is not uncommon to see Kleber cut back on a breakout to buy more time to survey his options (rather than just launch a puck up the ice). He can even activate in the offensive zone. Now, I don't expect this to be a major part of his game long term, but showing the capability at this stage is encouraging because it gives you something to build off of. I'm less concerned that his offensive zone passing game is just sufficient at this point, and that his shot is more of a redirect option than a legitimate threat; the player's intent is of much more interest to me right now.

With that said, while you might think he's some top tier shutdown option, I really wouldn't say so. Certainly, Kleber could become one, and he's totally fine defensively as is, but he can lose his man, get outworked, and get beat by speed (or cuts in particular). His gap control is usually quite strong and he's always attentive to his own zone, but again, it's not out of the ordinary to see puck carriers find a way around him. And while, generally speaking, he's good on the puck, he'll definitely make some poor choices with it in the defensive end. I don't know if I have a strong enough read on whether it's a panic threshold issue or just diverting to an easy play, but regardless, there's way too many poor clear attempts he makes that wind up staying in the zone. I know he has the scanning ability to make better choices, but there are times, especially coming out of a puck battle, where you just see him lob it into traffic or recklessly chuck it up the boards and you wish he had taken the extra second to make a better play. He's more than willing to jump up on breakouts, too, so it's not coming from a reluctance to carry it up himself either.

Ultimately, a lot of what you see in Kleber is what you expect. He's a giant on the blue line who can play a heavy physical game and projects to be a solid defensive option, which I have no doubt is going to be the main reason he's picked. That said, there's definitely a bit more here when you look closely: he has legitimate offensive instincts, he's not a liability on the puck at all, and he has the ability to slow the game down and use it to his advantage to make strong decisions with the puck. This isn't really a New Jersey pick to me, mainly because I can't imagine he's available come the 3rd round but also because we really don't need to be targeting RD that early, much less ones who aren't particularly fast. Regardless, Kleber is an interesting player who I still think is worth learning about.

Great write-up, and I agree Kleber is an intriguing prospect for the obvious and not obvious reasons alike.

It's an interesting RD class, but from a Devils standpoint I'm not sure how important that is, because there is no way NJ takes a RD at #10 and it's unlikely they take one later unless you see a really good player take an unexpected draft-day plummet.

My RD rankings would be greatly different than most, because there are a couple players I have higher regard for than the consensus (Emery, Badinka) and one in particular I have some issues with (Parekh).

Right now, I think my RD rankings look something like this:

1 Levshunov
2 Yakemchuk
3 Emery
4 Jiricek
5 Parekh
6 Badinka
7 Elick
8 Brunnicke
9 Mews
10 Pitner

Kleber right now I'd slot in at 11, I think. I have some more studying up to do on a few intriguing RDs, primarily Sanford, Gill, Lavoie, Marrelli and Soini so there still could be some changes by draft day.

I also would add that 3-8 range on my rankings is extremely strong for the position of RD. The idea that guys like Emery, Badinka, Elick and Brunnicke could fall to the second round shows more depth at the position than normal.

 

[evnted]

Great write-up, and I agree Kleber is an intriguing prospect for the obvious and not obvious reasons alike.

It's an interesting RD class, but from a Devils standpoint I'm not sure how important that is, because there is no way NJ takes a RD at #10 and it's unlikely they take one later unless you see a really good player take an unexpected draft-day plummet.

My RD rankings would be greatly different than most, because there are a couple players I have higher regard for than the consensus (Emery, Badinka) and one in particular I have some issues with (Parekh).

Right now, I think my RD rankings look something like this:

1 Levshunov
2 Yakemchuk
3 Emery
4 Jiricek
5 Parekh
6 Badinka
7 Elick
8 Brunnicke
9 Mews
10 Pitner

Kleber right now I'd slot in at 11, I think. I have some more studying up to do on a few intriguing RDs, primarily Sanford, Gill, Lavoie, Marrelli and Soini so there still could be some changes by draft day.

I also would add that 3-8 range on my rankings is extremely strong for the position of RD. The idea that guys like Emery, Badinka, Elick and Brunnicke could fall to the second round shows more depth at the position than normal.

id say im largely in agreement w that list. couple spots flipped here or there but nothing major

that said i actually like yakemchuk as the top RD in the class. carries more risk than levshunov, sure, but contrary to what people say, i trust his hockey sense more. i think a lot of yaks low points in that regard are more attributed to trying to do too much for a barren hitmen team than it is legitimate processing issues. and, not to mention, i find his game to be much more special when you factor in his shot, physicality, and breakout passing. lots of good from levshunov, and a much safer bet to be a top 4, but not a lot of truly great imo

colton roberts w the giants might be worth adding to your list, hes a project but i like him more than most of the ones you plan to look at

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Pronman, Wheeler and Bultman had a three-way mock draft. Pronman picked Sam Dickinson to the Devils.

2024 NHL Mock Draft: Pronman, Wheeler and Bultman play GM and pick the first round

The Athletic's Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and Max Bultman make their own selections for each team in the 2024 NHL Draft's opening round.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Guadana]

Pronman, Wheeler and Bultman had a three-way mock draft. Pronman picked Sam Dickinson to the Devils.

2024 NHL Mock Draft: Pronman, Wheeler and Bultman play GM and pick the first round

The Athletic's Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and Max Bultman make their own selections for each team in the 2024 NHL Draft's opening round.

www.nytimes.com

I really dont understand pronman on this draft. Looks like he has prolems in his life or at least more important things I dont know. Jackets already have Werenski and Severson, hey drafted couple years ago Jiricek (and Mateychuk) and now he is saying that Jackets will draft Yakemchuk.

Why?



Dickinson is okay pick in this circumstances, I believe Fitz is having his candidature as potential pick, may be higher than other available, may be lower. I believe higher.

(Wheeler is his smart buddy wants to draft Eiserman for Buffalo who are set with offensive guys and will prefer to draft defensemen or more complimentary players)

 

[BurntToast]

Rankings vs Mock drafts.

Some people love Demidov, but they also feel he could fall in the draft because some teams didn’t get a good look at him. Some teams will question why he never went to the KHL. (Some things that have come up in PODs or mocks)

Some have Lindstrom #2 other have dropped him because of his injury.

I do feel like sometimes the internet draft guy will subuocnously merge their mocks and rankings. They get a feather in their cap for predictability.

Plus, these guys need views and to differentiate from each other.

 

[Guadana]

Rankings vs Mock drafts.

Some people love Demidov, but they also feel he could fall in the draft because some teams didn’t get a good look at him. Some teams will question why he never went to the KHL. (Some things that have come up in PODs or mocks)

Some have Lindstrom #2 other have dropped him because of his injury.

I do feel like sometimes the internet draft guy will subuocnously merge their mocks and rankings. They get a feather in their cap for predictability.

Plus, these guys need views and to differentiate from each other.

Of course they can. Michkov was drafted by 7th pick. Are Montreal non smart organisation who tried to sh1t on talented player and tell false about him? yes. Is Michkov only 7th best player from the previous draft? No, he isnt worser player because of the number of the pick. If some gms dont want to draft Demidov because he didnt play in KHL - than good luck to them.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

I really dont understand pronman on this draft. Looks like he has prolems in his life or at least more important things I dont know. Jackets already have Werenski and Severson, hey drafted couple years ago Jiricek (and Mateychuk) and now he is saying that Jackets will draft Yakemchuk.

Why?

I don't see a problem with this selection if you only consider Yakemchuk's position. Jiricek and Severson are their only RHD's, and Severson excels when playing on the third pairing. Werenski is a great player, but Mateychuk is a small-ish defenseman, and many seems to wonder how his game will translate to the NHL. Svozil is also a LHD, so their prospect pool is pretty barren after Jiricek. Of course, there are probably better prospects available out there than Yakemchuk, but I don't see a problem if the Blue Jackets will select another RHD.

Pronman also said he doesn't expect Yakemchuk to go this high on actual draft day.

 

[evnted]

I don't see a problem with this selection if you only consider Yakemchuk's position. Jiricek and Severson are their only RHD's, and Severson excels when playing on the third pairing. Werenski is a great player, but Mateychuk is a small-ish defenseman, and many seems to wonder how his game will translate to the NHL. Svozil is also a LHD, so their prospect pool is pretty barren after Jiricek. Of course, there are probably better prospects available out there than Yakemchuk, but I don't see a problem if the Blue Jackets will select another RHD.

Pronman also said he doesn't expect Yakemchuk to go this high on actual draft day.

i agree, i could see them picking yak given how little else they have going down the right side (the ceulemans pick blew up, for example, and no one else is worth talking about). with jarmo gone and jd sliding out of the picture, i dont know how heavily we can lean into their past trends as much, but someone like yak would definitely fit the bill for how theyve typically drafted at the top end. that said, mateychuk has put in good work the last few years, i dont think theres much concern at all about his game translating anymore (that was more a DY issue)

lindstrom is a common mock for them and to me, they already have so many big pieces on that roster who are super athletic, lone wolf, sights set on the net, shoot first type players. fantilli, jiricek, marchenko, brindley, so on. the ones who arent are hardcore underperforming (johnny) or not progressing well enough (kj). i think lindstrom is too much of the same for them. im not saying hes a bad pick by any means, but that core is going to have some very obvious (and recurring) issues with vision, problem solving, play driving, etc. if they dont try to diversify more

 

[Guadana]

I don't see a problem with this selection if you only consider Yakemchuk's position. Jiricek and Severson are their only RHD's, and Severson excels when playing on the third pairing. Werenski is a great player, but Mateychuk is a small-ish defenseman, and many seems to wonder how his game will translate to the NHL. Svozil is also a LHD, so their prospect pool is pretty barren after Jiricek. Of course, there are probably better prospects available out there than Yakemchuk, but I don't see a problem if the Blue Jackets will select another RHD.

Pronman also said he doesn't expect Yakemchuk to go this high on actual draft day.

Yakemchuk will not be picked by jackets. Severson excels when he isn't first pairing and he signed long term. They are hardly need in offensive pure talent, not in another defenseman.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Yakemchuk will not be picked by jackets. Severson excels when he isn't first pairing and he signed long term. They are hardly need in offensive pure talent, not in another defenseman.

Yeah, it's likely they won't pick Yakemchuk. But otherwise I disagree with you. There's a very good chance they'll pick Levshunov or Silayev if they're available. Or Lindstrom if they select a forward, or Demidov.

 

[Guadana]

Yeah, it's likely they won't pick Yakemchuk. But otherwise I disagree with you. There's a very good chance they'll pick Levshunov or Silayev if they're available. Or Lindstrom if they select a forward, or Demidov.

Its more about Yakemchuk than position overall. But I think they have Demidov and Lindstrom higher in their list.

 

[bossram]

I really dont understand pronman on this draft. Looks like he has prolems in his life or at least more important things I dont know. Jackets already have Werenski and Severson, hey drafted couple years ago Jiricek (and Mateychuk) and now he is saying that Jackets will draft Yakemchuk.

Why?



Dickinson is okay pick in this circumstances, I believe Fitz is having his candidature as potential pick, may be higher than other available, may be lower. I believe higher.

(Wheeler is his smart buddy wants to draft Eiserman for Buffalo who are set with offensive guys and will prefer to draft defensemen or more complimentary players)

It's not a mock draft. They're not predicting who the teams will pick. They're drafting as if they were the GMs.

I.e. they're basically picking guys they like at each spot. Pronman is really high on Yakemchuk. He takes him. Wheeler is high on Eiserman. He takes him.

There's not more to read into it than that.

 

[Guadana]

It's not a mock draft. They're not predicting who the teams will pick. They're drafting as if they were the GMs.

I.e. they're basically picking guys they like at each spot. Pronman is really high on Yakemchuk. He takes him. Wheeler is high on Eiserman. He takes him.

There's not more to read into it than that.

They are picking for teams. You cant pick for teams without understanding the situation with this teams. For other things its enough to make draft rankings.


So its a redundant gig or incompetent gig. Or both. Тhanks for the clarification.

 

[bossram]

They are picking for teams. You cant pick for teams without understanding the situation with this teams. For other things its enough to make draft rankings.

So its a redundant gig or incompetent gig. Or both. Тhanks for the clarification.

It's just content man. They're just writing for their site. It's fine. We don't need to read into it more than that.

They'll have actual mock draft content at some point too.

 

[Guadana]

It's just content man. They're just writing for their site. It's fine. We don't need to read into it more than that.

They'll have actual mock draft content at some point too.

They need to mark "just content" and "actual content". It will help me to understand.

 

[evnted]

They need to mark "just content" and "actual content". It will help me to understand.

i believe pronman is pretty well connected nowadays, but i dont think his mocks mean too much prior to the combine. thats where he really seems to get his intel, and subsequently when we start to see things converge toward an expected outcome (ie leo going 2 last year). at this point its more of "here are the trends im hearing" than a "this is what i expect the team to do" type thing. think something like this should be taken more seriously in a couple weeks

 

[Guadana]

i believe pronman is pretty well connected nowadays, but i dont think his mocks mean too much prior to the combine. thats where he really seems to get his intel, and subsequently when we start to see things converge toward an expected outcome (ie leo going 2 last year). at this point its more of "here are the trends im hearing" than a "this is what i expect the team to do" type thing. think something like this should be taken more seriously in a couple weeks

Yeah... As I remember he changing his vision, starting to make more loud statements much closer to draft. Its good point.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2024 Draft Profile:

C Sacha Boisvert, Muskegon USHL
Boisvert is a Quebec native who took the unconventional route of American amateur hockey -- first with the USHL's Lumberjacks, and beginning next year at the University of North Dakota. A natural center with strong upside on both sides of the puck and a pro-style frame of 6'2-180, Boisvert's median ranking is somewhere in the low 20s.

Boisvert is a toolsy player who also works hard and plays with a great deal of intelligence. He can beat you a lot of ways -- Boisvert features a quick and vicious wrist-shot, extremely crafty puck-handling skills and some outstanding passing vision. He is good at using his long reach to manipulate defenders before quickly drawing it back in to enable one of his many capabilities to beat you -- with a quick shot, slick pass or simply by stick handling around you himself.

He plays hard on both ends of the rink and, although I have heard some criticisms of his defensive play, I don't really buy into that. Although Boisvert often tries to do too much by himself which can lead to the occasionally harrowing turnover, I find his decision-making is mostly sound with the intermittent brain-lock. As he is mostly a heady player, I feel this will be alleviated as he broadens his experience in professional hockey.

What really strikes me as Boisvert's singular caveat is his skating, which is probably average at the USHL level. Unless there is improvement, this projects as below average at the NHL level. Although I feel Boisvert's skill, head and heart are at a high enough level where he will certainly make the pros, it is also possible that the skating level he reaches will be the determining factor as to whether he'll be a top 6 or bottom 6 player at the highest levels.

I would absolutely draft Sacha Boisvert in the area where he is usually ranked. There are simply too many positives with this player to discount him in the back third of Round One. The high floor makes him a relatively safe pick and, as with many player, the question is the ceiling. But it's also a draft which is a bit thin up the middle, which only increases the overall value of a Sacha Boisvert.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2024 Draft Profile:
C/LW John Mustard, Waterloo USHL
Every once in a while a player comes along who is completely impossible to accurately project for myriad reasons, but so exciting to watch and full of potential that you almost need to force yourself to break away from his tape in order to watch other prospects. With John Mustard, there are a lot of questions involving a player who came out of the utter obscurity of low-level NJ hockey, just missed the cut for the 2025 draft (August 2006 birthdate), and entered his draft-eligible season on the draft radars of virtually no one outside of the New Jersey area.

Mustard's rookie season in the USHL was, for many reasons, one of the most impressive rookie campaigns that league has ever seen. There is no way to describe the leap he made -- from an extremely low-level high school league in a non-traditional hockey region where the very act of bodychecking is often flagged as a minor penalty -- to an extremely physical and competitive league where the best players on most teams are 19 or 20 years old. Mustard did this having just turned 17, the youngest regular on his entire team. The ex-Bergen Catholic standout didn't just forge his way into the line-up, but he quickly established himself as the very best player on his team and one of the most exciting players in the entire league. After easily winning the Rookie of the Year for the USHL despite being an overall raw product still learning with every game, I feel a lot of NHL front offices and draft writers are wondering where he should be considered for the 2024 draft.

It's important to ask the questions and laud the obvious strengths. Mustard is a terrific skater with ideal size at 6'0-185 and tremendous strength. He is an athlete, plain and simple. This is accentuated by the fact he plays a high-energy, high-compete game with no small amount of effective physicality. It's not unusual to see him manhandle the opposition on the forecheck -- blowing by a 19 year old defender and then swatting a 20 year old defender out of the way as he picks the puck clean and surveys the ice for a route to the net. And everything Mustard does is focused on getting the puck to the net. He's a crease crasher and hellraiser. He's got a terrific shot, featuring a quick-twitch release and a whole lot of velocity.

Mustard reminds me of Blake Coleman in several ways, in that the speed, headiness and energy he plays with plays up all of his other qualities to the point where it's hard to take your eyes off him. He's not a traditional "creative" passer where he's scanning the ice like a chessboard and thinking three moves ahead, but he's a kid who is hell-bent on getting the puck into a high danger area and knows how to beat a guy or two in order to get it there. When Mustard is on his game, it's almost like he plays with a mind-set of: I'm going to do what I want to do and no one on the other side is going to stop me. What's amazing is how often he's right in this assessment.

Mustard is a very good defender who looked good, if raw, at center. It's a question whether NHL coaches will want to keep him up the middle or slot him to the wing. The wing allows him to simplify his game to the point where he's just a north-south terror for the opposition, but he shows a steep learning curve and his doggedness and competitiveness make me think he could work up the middle, not to mention his strength and high-end skating.

Talent-wise and intangible-wise, I'd say John Mustard is certainly a 1st round talent. Though he's much more raw than the average prospect I'd rank so high, there are several elements which make him special and really no downside aside from how far he is from the NHL and his relative youth and inexperience playing at high levels. He's going to be back with Waterloo in the USHL next season, and he's enrolled at Providence College for the 2025-26 season. It might be 2027 or 2028 before he's ready for the NHL. But I also think that Mustard becoming a 1st-line star or 40+ goal scorer is not an absurd projection. He essentially scored 30 goals as a rookie in the USHL having never played any level of competitive hockey, and did so as one of the youngest players in the league while playing an excellent 200-foot game. He also did this having hit a wall just past midway through the season where he slumped for 1 goal in a 14 game span. Take that away -- excusable considering the age and having never played in a competitive league -- and he had 28 goals in 46 games. The development arc could be absolutely huge here going forward.

John Mustard's median ranking among the draft consensus is somewhere in the 40s. It's a bit of a risk, but the payoff is huge so I'm going to have him in my 20s. He's a potential gamebreaker who affects a team positively on every inch of ice and makes life hell for the opposition on both sides of the puck. His speed, determination and competitive-drive are all 1st round qualities without a doubt, and he's also an outstanding shooter with almost a supernatural ability to get pucks to the net. No one in the USHL played with greater pace or intensity this year, and Mustard did so as one of the youngest players in the entire league. His intangibles give him a higher floor than many might realize, and the upside is positively huge.