Prospect Info: 2024 NHL Entry Draft (Ducks pick #3, They didn’t drop! OMG It’s a Miracle!)

[Hockey Duckie]

At age 17 in the top Finnish league, Helenius is over 50% in the faceoff circle, so that bodes well for at least being able to handle that particular aspect of the center position moving forward. He seems like he's going to be a well rounded, dependable player wherever he ends up positionally. Skilled as well, not much to dislike there outside of lacking above average size

Helenius reminds me so much 2021 draftee William Eklund, but Helenius is an inch taller.

 

[Kalv]

At age 17 in the top Finnish league, Helenius is over 50% in the faceoff circle, so that bodes well for at least being able to handle that particular aspect of the center position moving forward. He seems like he's going to be a well rounded, dependable player wherever he ends up positionally. Skilled as well, not much to dislike there outside of lacking above average size

He's also a righty IIRC which we need

 

[tomd]

Helenius when fed into the Pat Verbeek PC:
"Under 6' - does not compute. Try again."

 

[Gliff]

Helenius reminds me so much 2021 draftee William Eklund, but Helenius is an inch taller.

Maybe I need to watch more film, but I dont see nearly as much creativity with Helenius.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

After Celebrini, i might have Helenius as the 2nd forward in the draft (Demidov prob there skill wise, but will likely go further down due to russian)

I had heard before that Helenius is a high IQ/high hockey sense player that Verbeek may like, he was there when Detroit drafted Raymond who's like the same size in his draft year.

I quite like this list actually, though my personal tiers would look something like

Celebrini

Silayev
Yakemchuk
Lindstrom

Levshunov
Dickinson
Demidov
Helenius

Eiserman
Catton
Connolly
Greentree
Parekh
Buium
Iginla

Does seem like Yakemchuck may have moved into that tier with his shot + size + RD.
Prime Shea Weber's are hard to find.

 

[MMC]

Surprised I’m not seeing more people in this thread talking about Demidov

 

[goonsaredumb]

Surprised I’m not seeing more people in this thread talking about Demidov

I can only assume it's purely because he's Russian, IMO he's got the 2nd highest ceiling in the draft and he doesn't have nearly as many of the concerns Michkov had/has, Demidov is only signed for 1 more year unlike Michkov who was signed for 3 more years post-draft and Demidov is while still not huge, bigger than Michkov.

The only thing is I wish he was playing in the KHL instead of the MHL since he's absolutely annihilating that league but he doesn't exactly have much control over that unfortunately.

Demidov would be the perfect last piece for our future top-6 and I would be over the moon to pick him on draft day.

 

[Rasp]

Surprised I’m not seeing more people in this thread talking about Demidov

He has been on fire since he got back from his injury. The recent article about Russian players facing a mandatory 4-5 years in Russia before they are allowed to move scares me a bit.

 

[JabbaJabba]

This draft is crazy. Every list is so different after Celebrini. I expect that the variance between lists will decrease as we approach the draft like it usually does. Still it is pretty interesting thing to observe how all over the place this draft group is. I can see a case to be made for a lot of players that the Ducks could pick, even in top 3.

 

[Kalv]

This draft class seems pretty weak, no?

 

[WhatTheDuck]

This draft class seems pretty weak, no?

Top end is pretty decent. Celebrini is a legit #1 and there are some other really intriguing options at the top. The depth doesn't come close to last year's draft though, and it's definitely looking like a weaker year for goalies.

But yeah I guess overall, I'd expect this to be a C+/B- draft class unless a few guys really take off. This is a year where I wouldn't hesitate to move up and ensure you get the guys you want.

 

[Rasp]

This draft class seems pretty weak, no?

Average to above average. It has a strong #1 and solid first 12ish picks.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Cayden Lindstrom apparently compared his own playing style to Roope Hintz. I think we'd all gladly take that kind of presence in this lineup.

Hintz is a point per game player over the last four years, obviously so much more than that as well, and cranks it up to another level come playoff time.

 

[Kalv]

Average to above average. It has a strong #1 and solid first 12ish picks.

Eiserman looks like a bust in the making. Lindstrom is the #2 highest forward usually but he seems perhaps a poor mans Byfield (different style but impact wise). Looks like the Helenius might be the best option for #2 F. His production is good.

Then some intriguing Dmen but yeah overall I'm a bit suspicious of this group. A lot of "what-if's" it seems.

 

[Rasp]

Eiserman looks like a bust in the making. Lindstrom is the #2 highest forward usually but he seems perhaps a poor mans Byfield (different style but impact wise). Looks like the Helenius might be the best option for #2 F. His production is good.

Then some intriguing Dmen but yeah overall I'm a bit suspicious of this group. A lot of "what-if's" it seems.

Every draft is full of what ifs and lots of busts. Lindstrom is high mainly for his size and therefore potential. He would be behind Demidov, Catton and Helenius if he was small. Eiserman isn't top 10 quality.

The Dmen are awesome this year and are looking at least as good as 2022. The big issue with this draft is that the top forwards are small.

I think a lot of the downplaying of this draft is due to it following 2023 which had Bedard, Carlsson and Fantilli etc. That was a generationally good draft.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

 

[Gliff]

Someone is going to get a good one. Michkov wasnt even a thought to me because the guys at 2 and 3 were so good too. But if a team needs a forward at #2 this year then I could totally see it. Especially if his interview goes well and wants to come.

I will cry if we pick Lindstrom. You dont use a top 5 pick on a guy with questionable hockey sense and his best attribute is he has a mans body.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Someone is going to get a good one. Michkov wasnt even a thought to me because the guys at 2 and 3 were so good too. But if a team needs a forward at #2 this year then I could totally see it. Especially if his interview goes well and wants to come.

I've seen comments alluding to a lack of drive - that he turns it on and off as he sees fit etc. But there are high end players in this league who aren't all heart. He's obviously insanely talented

 

[FlyingV09]

Reminds me of Mike Ribeiro

 

[WhatTheDuck]

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Completed the first mock of the season. Traded up from 35 to get back into the first round.

1-4 - LD Anton Silayev
1-27 - RC Dean Letourneau
Dean Letourneau at eliteprospects.com
3-66 - G Pavel Moysevich

Pavel Moysevich - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Pavel Moysevich, 2004-09-29 Minsk, BLR Belarus. Most recently in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

3-68 - LW Logan Sawyer

Logan Sawyer - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Logan Sawyer, 2006-05-06 Orangeville, ON, CAN Canada. Most recently in the NCAA with Providence College. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

3-80 - LC Linus Eriksson

Linus Eriksson - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Linus Eriksson, 2006-03-23 Stockholm, SWE Sweden. Most recently in the HockeyAllsvenskan with Djurgårdens IF. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

4-100 - LC Svante Sjodin

Svante Sjödin - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Svante Sjödin, 2005-09-15 Nyköping, SWE Sweden. Most recently in the HockeyAllsvenskan with Västerås IK. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

5-132 - RW Tyler Thorpe

Tyler Thorpe - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tyler Thorpe, 2005-08-11 Richmond, BC, CAN Canada. Most recently in the WHL with Vancouver Giants. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

6- 164 - LD Luke Ashton

Luke Ashton - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Luke Ashton, 2005-01-21 North Vancouver, BC, CAN Canada. Most recently in the NCAA with Minnesota State Univ. (Mankato). Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

7- 196 - LC Daniil Anatsky

Daniil Anatsky - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Daniil Anatsky, 2006-06-17 Khanty-Mansiysk, RUS Russia. Most recently in the MHL with SKA-Yunior Krasnogorsk. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[FlyingV09]

Reminds me of Jamie Drysdale

 

[robbieboy3686]

Helenius when fed into the Pat Verbeek PC:
"Under 6' - does not compute. Try again."

+1000 and i whole heartedly agree

 

[Masch78]

Helenius when fed into the Pat Verbeek PC:
"Under 6' - does not compute. Try again."

You mean like Frank Vatrano?

Maybe it is more about the way they play and not so much about inches.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

You mean like Frank Vatrano?

Maybe it is more about the way they play and not so much about inches.

Frank was signed as a proven 8-year, NHL vet. He blossomed with his 2nd team, Florida, after cutting his teeth for three years with Boston. Therein lies the difference.

The shortest forward that GM Verbeek has drafted in his past two drafts is 6'0 RW Sidorov.

I actually like 5'11 and 181 lbs, right shooting, centerman Helenius a lot because he is playing against men in Liiga and producing very well, 9g + 19 pts = 28 points in 38 games. He is 6th in team scoring, despite playing fewer games due to his participation with the WJC-20 team.

To put his game play into perspective, there's another Finnish forward I like later in the first round in RW Emil Hemming. He is an EP reported 6'2 and 194 lbs (could be 6'0.75" in height) also playing in Liiga. In 33 Liiga games, Emil has scored 7g + 3a = 10 points.

Both Finns are 17 year olds, but Helenius is far more advanced in his game against men than Hemming. Yet both struggled to light up at the WJC-20. Could be a certain pecking order... I have no idea. Plus side is both will still be 17 years old when the WJC-18 comes around before the draft.

It is possible that Helenius might grow an inch to make him 6'0. That's what happened to our own Jacob Perreault (from 5'11 to 6') and Brayden Tracey (from 6' to 6'1). (Source for Perreault and Tracey: Gulls current roster.)

Also, there are two, short centermen who were recently drafted that look promising in the NHL in 2021 seventh overall pick Eklund with SJ and 2022 third overall pick Cooley in Arizona.

With all that said, I'm hoping that we're in a position to draft RD Levshunov instead of a forward.