Prospect Info: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Forge]

Saw an interesting mock from Graviteh on YouTube. Has the Devils trading down four spots, while picking up Dman Mario Ferarro from the Sharks. Devils select Brandsegg-Nygard at #14. Something like that could be pretty sweet.

I don't think a flip of 10 and 14 is enough to land Ferraro, tbh.

I'd be interested though for sure.

 

[StevenToddIves]

If Steven goes to the draft party everyone should buy him drinks.

Is the draft party at the Rock?

 

[Mgd31]

Devils scout Mark Dennehy on Sam Dickinson: “Horse. He’s just a horse. He’s a minute muncher. Excellent development too. You knew who he was last year because of his size and his mobility, but his puck play was a little bit ragged last year at times. He did a real good job continuing to progress, simplify his game and he ended up playing like 30 minutes a game in the Memorial Cup. Big, strong, has a pretty good wire from the blueline. We really, really like him. He’s a guy that could be on the ice if you’re down a goal, and is probably going to be on the ice late if you’re up a goal. There are not too many guys that have that potential.

Dennehy really likes Dickinson

 

[Zippy316]

I’m sure it has been discussed, but thoughts on the Devils dealing #10 for McGroarty?

Not sure if would cost more than that, but feels like the type of deal #10 should be on the table for.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I’m sure it has been discussed, but thoughts on the Devils dealing #10 for McGroarty?

Not sure if would cost more than that, but feels like the type of deal #10 should be on the table for.

Wouldn’t want to do it personally but wouldn’t be too mad. Think he’s solid but not that great of a prospect. Opinions are probably gonna come down to how good people think he is

 

[Guadana]

I’m sure it has been discussed, but thoughts on the Devils dealing #10 for McGroarty?

Not sure if would cost more than that, but feels like the type of deal #10 should be on the table for.

For me if the option is there, they should decide in moment on the draft. If they have an option to draft their favorite players - they should draft them. Especially if we are talking about defensemen. If they are very high on some players like Helenius or Nygard or Hage who can play center role it would be better to think twice. But I would not pencil out this opportunity.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Either Dennehy has far too loose lips or this is some sort of info ops to misdirect other teams on NJ's intent.

 

[Zacha37]

We should have McKenzie’s list coming very shortly

 

[Zacha37]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1805619991657447548

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Can someone post the list as they get it? I am at work and unable to watch.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Can someone post the list as they get it? I am at work and unable to watch.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1805618813888614612

https://x.com/i/web/status/1805620404318294070

https://x.com/i/web/status/1805621411907514679

 

[Guadana]

Can someone post the list as they get it? I am at work and unable to watch.

1- Celebrini
2- Demidov
3- Levshunov
4- Silayev
5- Lindstrom
6- Dickinson
7- Buium
8- Parekh
9- Helenius
10- Iginla
11. Sennecke
12. Catton
13. Yakemchuk
14. Eiserman

Ths what I found on twitter

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

1- Celebrini
2- Demidov
3- Levshunov
4- Silayev
5- Lindstrom
6- Dickinson
7- Buium
8- Parekh
9- Helenius
10- Iginla
11. Sennecke
12. Catton
13. Yakemchuk
14. Eiserman

Ths what I found on twitter

Damn, depressing if it works out this way. Iginla is fine but there are others I would prefer based on my limited viewing.

 

[Nubmer6]

The transcript is up

Bob McKenzie's Final NHL Draft Ranking: Many attractive and diverse options after Macklin Celebrini | TSN

This year’s final ranking, from No. 2 on, is much more challenging to assemble because of two factors - many more divergent opinions and variance on even the top 10 picks and two Russians forcing their way into the conversation in the upper echelon.

www.tsn.ca

 

[Guadana]

Damn, depressing if it works out this way. Iginla is fine but there are others I would prefer based on my limited viewing.

Yeah. There are at least three-four better more exciting options outside top 14 and I would prefer Catton over Iginla too. Yeah, worser fit, but still better skating, better all around IQ,. If he wil learn physical game he will be much better player. It will be harder for Iginla to better positionally and be better skater.
In this case I would prefer to trade back.

The transcript is up

Bob McKenzie's Final NHL Draft Ranking: Many attractive and diverse options after Macklin Celebrini | TSN

This year’s final ranking, from No. 2 on, is much more challenging to assemble because of two factors - many more divergent opinions and variance on even the top 10 picks and two Russians forcing their way into the conversation in the upper echelon.

www.tsn.ca

Thanks!

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Damn, depressing if it works out this way. Iginla is fine but there are others I would prefer based on my limited viewing.

It’s a ranking not a mock draft

 

[HBK27]

Really hoping that Dickinson somehow drops to us at #10

 

[Guadana]

Really hoping that Dickinson somehow drops to us at #10

You can not worry, if we really want Defensive defenseman with mobility and good puck skills - Solberg isnt worser. Its just a question how fitz&co studied this draft and how they rank forwards from this draft.

For example there could be Buium and Dickinson available at the same time, but if they somehow fall in love with Eiserman - we can do nothing with it.

So its not about Dickinson or even Nygard(who is my favorite) - there are good other options - no Dickinson - go get Solberg, no Nygard - go get Chernyshov, no Helenius - go get Hage. Its about our scouting stuff.

 

[Alex NJD]

Either Dennehy has far too loose lips or this is some sort of info ops to misdirect other teams on NJ's intent.

Ya it's kind of odd but all we've gotten pretty much the same thing for all 3, along the lines of "I really like this guy, we think he can be a great player" and I'd bet we get the same thing for the next 2 guys he spoke to Novo about. I don't think it's going to make too big of a difference 8 picks in and 3-4 of the guys mentioned are still on the board.

 

[Brodeur]

Just a reminder that Bob's 2021 ranking/survey had a top 10 of Power-Beniers-Edvinsson-Eklund-McTavish-Guenther-Clarke-Hughes-Johnson-Lucius. It unfolded much differently at the draft. As I remember it, that was also the first year Bob wasn't involved in a broadcast, so he tweeted out a semi-spoiler before the draft saying that the top 5 would be three forwards and two D.

I think it was from the 2019 ranking, but Bob had a semi-disclaimer. One of the scouts worked for a team picking later and the scout said something to the effect of "We rank everybody but we really didn't spend that much time hashing out the top of the draft."

Bob's ranking/survey tends to be the best but we never know who might be contributing their rankings. A team like Colorado probably isn't using as much energy sorting out the top 10-15 and would be focused on guys more likely to be there at #24.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I think I’m hoping for Helenius based on who will be there realistically

 

[Alex NJD]

Wasn't Button's final mock going to come out after Bob's list, guess its still airing live? Despite the randomness of his rankings I think some here said his final mock usually does pretty well near the top of the draft thanks to his connections.

 

[Nubmer6]

Wasn't Button's final mock going to come out after Bob's list, guess its still airing live? Despite the randomness of his rankings I think some here said his final mock usually does pretty well near the top of the draft thanks to his connections.

I suspect because this is a particularly difficult year to mock he won't be all that accurate.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Ya it's kind of odd but all we've gotten pretty much the same thing for all 3, along the lines of "I really like this guy, we think he can be a great player" and I'd bet we get the same thing for the next 2 guys he spoke to Novo about. I don't think it's going to make too big of a difference 8 picks in and 3-4 of the guys mentioned are still on the board.

I thought the tone was certainly in the order of:
Dickinson
Helenius
Nygard

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Quotes from the Bob's article about the prospects who are probably available to us. Or at least most of them are available to us.

Konsta Helenius

No. 9 is Finn Konsta Helenius, a heady, two-way, sub-6 foot centre who put up solid numbers (14 goals and 36 points in 51 games) for Jukurit in Finland’s No. 1 Liiga. Helenius was ranked as high as No. 3 overall (by two scouts) and five scouts had him in their top seven while the other five ranked him in a range from 11 to 18.

“He’s an exceptional two-way centre,” one scout said. “If he’s not the smartest or most cerebral prospect, he’s certainly one of them.”

The question some scouts ask is whether Helenius has enough offensive upside to be a No. 1 NHL centre.

“If you don’t think so, maybe you don’t want to use a Top 10 pick on him, but worst case, he’s going to be a good two-way No. 2 [centre],” a scout said.

“You can’t forget he was playing against men, he put up solid point totals in a tough league and when he gets with his peer group in junior events, his skill and sense really took off,” another scout added.

Tij Iginla

No. 10 is Tij Iginla, the son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla. The Kelowna Rockets winger scored 47 goals and 84 points in 64 games and has arguably the best shot of any prospect. Iginla was ranked as high as No. 6, no lower than No. 12 and six of 10 scouts had him in their Top 10.

“He literally just kept scoring goals and playing so well this season that he made you pay attention and move him up on your list,” a scout said.

“He’s not his dad — who is? — but he does have one of the hardest shots and best releases in the draft,” another scout said. “He’s showing flashes of having a power game; he’s hard to contain.”

Iginla was outstanding at the U-18 World Championship and demonstrated there he’s more than a one-trick (big shot) pony. He also tested and interviewed well at the NHL Central Scouting Bureau Combine in Buffalo.

Beckett Sennecke

No. 11 is Beckett Sennecke, the Oshawa General big (almost 6-foot-3) winger who has dynamic skill and, along with Iginla, has rocketed up the draft charts with great buzz and fanfare. Sennecke was ranked by our scouting panel as high as No. 5, no lower than No. 14 and had a total of four Top 10 votes.

“I didn’t like his game one bit in the first half of the season,” said a scout, “and I absolutely loved everything about him in the second half. From January on, he took off. He was better in February than he was in January; he was better in March than he was in February; he was better in April than March. He had a great playoff.”

Sennecke has the potential to provide highlight-reel material every time the puck is on his stick. Scouts expect him to considerably fill out his frame and when he does, there’s a sense he could be something special.

“A big forward with size and high-end skill who’s just realizing how good he can be, he also seems to have an F-you vibe to his game,” said another scout. “I don’t think I’m alone in asking this question, but is it possible he could turn out to be the best forward in the draft besides Celebrini?”

“If he goes in the top five of this draft, I wouldn’t be overly surprised,” said another scout. “I feel like he’s still surging.”

Berkly Catton

No. 12 is Berkly Catton, the smallish (5-foot-10, 175-pound) but prolific (54 goals and 116 points in 68 games) Spokane Chiefs centre. Catton was ranked as high as No. 7 and no lower than No. 18, with four Top 10 votes.

All Catton does is produce. He was Canada’s best player — “by a country mile,” one scout said — at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August, scoring eight goals and 10 points in five games. On a middling Spokane Chief team, he put up extraordinary goal and point totals, the most impressive of any player in the Class of 2024.

“The knock on him is obviously his size but he manufactures offence as well or better than any (draft eligible) player,” a scout said. “He wasn’t surrounded by a lot of elite talent on that Spokane team, and he still shot out the lights.”

Catton’s best-case scenario pro projection probably tops out at No. 2 centre and No. 1 power-play guy, but a couple of scouts expressed some concern about his size factor perhaps limiting his ceiling.

On the other hand?

“His hockey sense and skills are better than any forward [in the draft] with the exception of [Celebrini and Demidov],” said a scout.

Another closely monitored storyline in this year’s draft will be the tale of two Americans.

Carter Yakemchuk

No. 13 Yakemchuk gets some mixed reviews, but at 6-foot-3, plus a big shot that produced 30 goals for the Hitmen and more than 100 penalty minutes, there’s a lot to like, too.

“He’s big and long,” said a scout who believes Yakemchuk is a Top 5 overall prospect. “He boxes guys out pretty well and he does have some bite. He has great offensive instincts. His skating is a little funky, but he gets there.”

Some have compared Yakemchuk’s game to Edmonton Oiler offensive defenceman Evan Bouchard. They both shoot the puck from the blueline with authority, especially on the PP. Bouchard’s defensive game started to mature this season, but the scouts say Yakemchuk has a lot of room for improvement in that area. Bouchard is an elite NHL passer — and he was in his draft year — but Yakemchuk is a work in progress.

“His skating needs some work and so does his ability to defend, but he’s obviously got some tools,” another scout said. “He’s more of a scorer than a passer. He can be physical but it’s inconsistent.”

Cole Eiserman

Eiserman is often referred to as the most natural goal scorer and/or having the best shot in the class of 2024.

Small wonder. He had 58 goals and 89 points in 49 games for the U.S. U-18 national team this season and established the career goal-scoring record for the U.S. National Development Team Program (USNDTP) with 127, eclipsing Montreal Canadien Cole Caufield’s mark of 126. Eiserman is also second in career USNDTP points (193), behind only New Jersey Devil Jack Hughes’ 228.

What’s most notable about Eiserman’s story is how as his goal-scoring numbers continued to rise this season, his draft stock continued to decline.

In TSN’s pre-season rankings, he was ranked No. 2 behind Celebrini. Eiserman and Celebrini, incidentally, are close friends and former teammates/linemates at Shattuck St. Mary’s prep school. If Celebrini were to return to Boston University next season for his sophomore season he would be joined by incoming freshman Eiserman, who had previously committed to the Terriers.

Back in September, Eiserman was billed by some as a potential challenger to Celebrini for No. 1. In fact, one of the 10 scouts surveyed back then ranked Eiserman ahead of Celebrini.

In TSN’s mid-season rankings in late January, Eiserman dropped from No. 2 to No. 4.

But by the time TSN did its Draft Lottery Edition rankings in early May, he had plummeted all the way to No. 13.

Now he’s sitting solidly at No. 14 on our final list.

Eiserman didn’t get a single Top 10 vote from any of the 10 scouts in our final rankings. He was slotted as high as No. 11 but no lower than No. 16 on their lists, so he’s still a strong consensus Top 15 prospect.

But the slide, for a high-end pick, has been precipitous.

“He’s quite one dimensional, he’s a one-way shooter,” said a scout. “He has a great shot — no one has a better one timer — but is it going to translate [to pro] because he either can’t or won’t do the other things necessary [to score in the NHL]?”

Some scouts said he exhibits some selfish qualities on the ice, suggesting he’s more interested in personal achievement at the expense of developing his overall game or team play. Others, however, believe the criticisms are overblown and his strengths are too enticing to ignore.

“There may be an immaturity there, but there’s also a rare ability to put the puck in the net,” said another scout. “When [Philadelphia Flyer] Owen Tippett was in junior, he was viewed the same way and you saw this year that [Tippett] finally figured it out. Will [Eiserman] figure it out? If he does…well, look out, because this guy would allow himself to get hit by a truck if he thought he might score a goal on the play.”

It may well be that the worst of it — falling from No. 2 to 14 and hearing the disparaging remarks why — is over for Eiserman because there’s certainly reason to believe on draft day he will still be highly regarded as a blue-chip Top 15 pick with top six NHL potential.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard & Stian Solberg

A few final notes, observations and thoughts on TSN’s Final 2024 NHL Draft Rankings:

— It’s a big year for the Vikings. Well, the Norwegian branch anyway.

Norway has not one but two prospects in our Top 32. No Norwegian has ever been taken in the first round of the NHL draft. That drought should end Friday.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, an almost 6-foot-1 and 200-plus pound, hard-shooting right winger, is No. 17 on the TSN list and countryman Stian Solberg, a rugged shutdown defender who checks in at almost 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, is No. 20.

Eight of 10 scouts ranked Brandsegg-Nygard between Nos. 14 and 18; seven of 10 scouts had Solberg between Nos. 15 and 26. Solberg jumped 25 slots from the mid-season to final rankings. It’s fair to say the hottest commodities in the second half of this season were Iginla, Sennecke and Solberg.