My second list for this draft. Made this a little while ago, but after the season ended.
I think this draft is decent, but it doesn't have the sure things at the top like 2023. I have Demidov first, and then you could convince me of the next 5 or 6 players in any order. I'd probably give a different order of them tomorrow, that's kind of how variable I view it at this stage in the draft process.
Don't see any separation other than Demidov. A lot will likely change over the coming months and before the 2024 draft.
The two players I think could do a lot to challenge Demidov for my list are Levshunov and Catton. Levshunov needs to do a lot of what he did last year, but just better and really be the best defenseman in the USHL next season. Catton needs to start playing up to his potential more often. I think he's as talented as Demidov, but he doesn't always show it.
Saying that, I know Celebrini and Eiserman will probably be the top two in that order. I know, but don't care. I have reservations about both those players, even if they've been anointed. Not saying they're bad either. Just maybe a little less good than their reputations.
2024 Draft List:
1. Ivan Demidov-W
2. Mack Celebrini-C
3. Artyom Levshunov-RD
4. Berkly Catton-C
5. Cole Eiserman-W
6. Adam Jiricek-RD
7. Henry Mews-RD
8. Konsta Helenius-W
9. Zayne Parekh-RD
10. Aron Kiviharju-LD
11. Sam Dickinson-LD
12. Will Skahan-LD
13. Maxim Masse-W
14. Kamil Bednarik-C
15. Liam Greentree-W
16. Igor Chernyshov-W
17. Cole Hutson-LD
18. Michael Hage-C
19. Charlie Elick-RD
20. Mac Swanson-W
21. Veeti Vaisanen-LD
22. Anthony Cristoforo-RD
23. Niilopekka Muhonen-LD
24. Tomas Galvas-LD
25. Justin Poirier-W
26. Aidan Park-C
27. Ryder Ritchie-W
28. Tanner Howe-C
29. Stian Solberg-LD
30. Tory Pitner-RD
31. Alfons Freij-LD
32. Lucas Van Vliet-C
33. Michael Brandsegg Nygard-C
34. Tarin Smith-LD
35. Dominik Badinka-RD
36. Zeev Buium-LD
37. Carter Yakemchuk-RD
38. Simon Zether-C
39. Yegor Surin-C
40. Christian Humphreys-C
41. Alexander Shen-W
42. Brendan McMorrow-C
43. Bruno Idzan-W
44. Sebastian Soini-RD
45. Andrew Basha-W
46. Noah Lapointe-LD
47. Carson Wetsch-C
48. Tomas Lavoie-RD
49. Ivan Kornilov-LD
50. Ben Danford-RD
51. Sacha Boisvert-C
52. Eemil Vinni-G
53. Alex Zetterberg-W
54. Joona Saarelainen-C
55. Gavin Hodnett-W
56. Clarke Caswell-W
57. Karl Sterner-W
58. Cayden Lindstrom-C
59. Bryce Pickford-RD
60. Beckett Sennecke-W
61. Eric Olsson-G
62. Roope Vesterinen-W
63. Luke Misa-C
64. Matvei Babenko-W
32 Unordered HM's (approximates a third round): EJ Emery (RD), Emil Hemming (W), Jakub Chromiak (RD), Trevor Connelly (W), Thomas Desruisseaux (C), Jesse Heslop (W), Adam Jecho (W), Felix Lacerte (C), Miguel Marques (W), Paul Mayer (LD), Lucas Pettersson (C), Max Plante (W), Xavier Veilleux (LD), Oskar Vuollet (C), Petteri Rimpinen (G), Tuomas Suoniemi (C), Mitja Jokinen (LD), Frankie Marrelli (LD), Daniil Ustinkov (LD), Jamiro Reber (C), Elias Vatne (W), Vojtech Vochvest (LD), Louka Cloutier (G), Jack Parsons (G), Charlie Pardue (W), John Stout (LD), AJ Spellacy (C), Carson Pilgrim (W), Owen Keefe (LD), Matt Virgilio (LD), Edwin Tropmann (RD), Anton Linde (W)
I like this list
I only know the Czech players well from him and the two Czech defenders in the first round plus Badinka, this is another proof that the production of young, good defenders is doing much better than in the past. Jiříček looks really good, I'm personally glad that you also have Galvas on your radar, who was injured at U17 and then the coach didn't choose him for the U18 championship and was thus out of the attention of the fans. He needs to get back to the form before the injury, when he was a dominant player in the national team, even better than Jiříček.
Yeah, seems like Neuenschwander just missed the cutoff date by a few days, I didn't know that. As a whole, I'd say the class is easily the best since the 00 birth year. Hopefully more players will reach their upside than with that class though.
Isn't it usually mid September so it's actually not that close for Neuenschwander. Jamiro Reber will be one of the youngest available though but there's others of that strong Swiss 06 group who won't be eligible until 2025. Kimi Körbler or Lenny Giger for example.
Besides the guys at the top and the overall theme of “defenseman draft”…I’m really curious to see how high Hutson and Swanson can go if they continue their elite performances despite their size.
I think a lot of teams should still be shaking their heads for having passed on Lane and frankly Cole’s record at the same age is even better. But as great as Lane has developed, there’s still gonna be some question as to his effectiveness at the NHL level and no doubt those same concerns will be their for little brother.
Swanson had an absurd 16 year-old USHL season. It would be great fun to see an Alaskan star in the NHL. Probably less concern at forward than defense but he’s still very, very small. We’ve seen small guys excel at forward in the NHL but at the end of the day teams are generally chasing the big bodies for playoff hockey.
A very strong defensive class with top end forwards as well. I have my doubts that both Demidov and Eiserman will fall out of the top 5. This draft is really stacked imo and hasn't gotten the hype it deserves yet.
A very strong defensive class with top end forwards as well. I have my doubts that both Demidov and Eiserman will fall out of the top 5. This draft is really stacked imo and hasn't gotten the hype it deserves yet.
But, 2012 didn’t have elite offensive talent like Demidov, Celebrini, and Eiserman. I won’t actually make a list until probably October, but I like what I’ve seen for the most part.
Yeah, he has been one of the players from last season that really got me to think: "Wow, this guy can do it."
Not sure if he will be a first rounder 2024 but as of right now he is the Swedish 06 born player with the most upside. Hopefully we can see him in SHL this season.
Two Swedish defensemen I see will work their way up the draft ranking this year is Jack Bodin (big frame) Örebro and Melker Sigurd (mobile & puck moving) MoDo.
Two Swedish defensemen I see will work their way up the draft ranking this year is Jack Bodin (big frame) Örebro and Melker Sigurd (mobile & puck moving) MoDo.
Celebrini: He doesn’t have otherworldly offensive talent, and I’m skeptical of comparisons like Bergeron or Crosby. Those guys are some of the best and smartest defensive and even offensive players ever. He may be more Toews, which is good, but even that’s more of his upside than his floor. There were quite a few games I saw this season where I thought he was outplayed by Perron on his own line. I didn’t watch every game obviously, but I’m struggling to piece together how he scored as much as he did this year. That wasn’t what I saw. Not saying he wasn’t the best offensive player in the USHL, but it’s hard to believe something when what you see says to the contrary. He was also pretty bad at the WHC17. Apparently he was sick. It’s a fine excuse, but playing well would’ve helped more than needing an excuse. Only time I’ve seen him at the level of the hype was the WJC18 and maybe the isolated USHL game or two.
Eiserman: One way winger. Great goal scorer. Weak defensive player. He’s also been like 5’11/6’0 for a few years. Very physically developed already. He’s not bad with his playmaking nor does he have weak hockey sense, but he’s very much almost entirely a goal-scorer. I also am a little skeptical of left-shot pure snipers. It’s not to say they can’t be successful. Some are, but when looking for pure snipers, it seems like there have been a lot more right shot ones that have had a lot of success. I’m just not sure I’d want that profile too high in a draft. Not saying he’s going to bust, but I think comparatively to some others, his upside may be a little limited.
Yeah, I don’t think it’s bad. Much better than 2023. It’ll also have Buium, and someone like Lapointe is also decent.
Emery needs to get better at hockey. He has the tools teams want, but it’s a little like Brady Cleveland where his hockey ability against his peers leaves a lot to desired.
Celebrini: He doesn’t have otherworldly offensive talent, and I’m skeptical of comparisons like Bergeron or Crosby. Those guys are some of the best and smartest defensive and even offensive players ever. He may be more Toews, which is good, but even that’s more of his upside than his floor. There were quite a few games I saw this season where I thought he was outplayed by Perron on his own line. I didn’t watch every game obviously, but I’m struggling to piece together how he scored as much as he did this year. That wasn’t what I saw. Not saying he wasn’t the best offensive player in the USHL, but it’s hard to believe something when what you see says to the contrary. He was also pretty bad at the WHC17. Apparently he was sick. It’s a fine excuse, but playing well would’ve helped more than needing an excuse. Only time I’ve seen him at the level of the hype was the WJC18 and maybe the isolated USHL game or two.
Eiserman: One way winger. Great goal scorer. Weak defensive player. He’s also been like 5’11/6’0 for a few years. Very physically developed already. He’s not bad with his playmaking nor does he have weak hockey sense, but he’s very much almost entirely a goal-scorer. I also am a little skeptical of left-shot pure snipers. It’s not to say they can’t be successful. Some are, but when looking for pure snipers, it seems like there have been a lot more right shot ones that have had a lot of success. I’m just not sure I’d want that profile too high in a draft. Not saying he’s going to bust, but I think comparatively to some others, his upside may be a little limited.
Ah ok, interesting insight. Given the time difference where I live I’ve only seen both of them at u18 so the difference between that and the USHL is curious. I can’t speak to Demidov since I haven’t seen him play of outside of YouTube highlights, but I think both of them are in front of Catton, Kiviharju etc.
For Eiserman I see Kyle Connor XL. North-South burner with a Phil Kessel type (low telegraphing) release and decent amount of vision and deception. Drawbacks on him would be nothing major for a D-1 player but tended to float a bit in his own zone especially when was the weak side winger, and looked more comfortable on the periphery in the offensive zone, which at that level his shot permitted him to do; but going up levels that becomes harder and harder to do. To be honest I think his linemate Hagens has a much higher ceiling than him.
As for Celebrini it must have been quite the difference between the USHL and the U18 because I came away very impressed. First thing that stood out was the galloping explosive stride that’s not unlike MacKinnon’s skating mechanics. Good defensive instincts for someone his age and was the best player on Canada in terms of play driving, creating transition chances and zone entries. Decent shot but he’s not Eiserman and certainly not Bedard. Found him weak in offensive puck battles and found that he tended to skate to his death a bit too much for my liking. I’ll be keen to see how he compares to Fantilli in NCAA because I liked his game a lot more than I did Fantilli’s at last year’s u18.
Ah ok, interesting insight. Given the time difference where I live I’ve only seen both of them at u18 so the difference between that and the USHL is curious. I can’t speak to Demidov since I haven’t seen him play of outside of YouTube highlights, but I think both of them are in front of Catton, Kiviharju etc.
For Eiserman I see Kyle Connor XL. North-South burner with a Phil Kessel type (low telegraphing) release and decent amount of vision and deception. Drawbacks on him would be nothing major for a D-1 player but tended to float a bit in his own zone especially when was the weak side winger, and looked more comfortable on the periphery in the offensive zone, which at that level his shot permitted him to do; but going up levels that becomes harder and harder to do. To be honest I think his linemate Hagens has a much higher ceiling than him.
As for Celebrini it must have been quite the difference between the USHL and the U18 because I came away very impressed. First thing that stood out was the galloping explosive stride that’s not unlike MacKinnon’s skating mechanics. Good defensive instincts for someone his age and was the best player on Canada in terms of play driving, creating transition chances and zone entries. Decent shot but he’s not Eiserman and certainly not Bedard. Found him weak in offensive puck battles and found that he tended to skate to his death a bit too much for my liking. I’ll be keen to see how he compares to Fantilli in NCAA because I liked his game a lot more than I did Fantilli’s at last year’s u18.
Definitely agree with you that Hagens is the better prospect than Eiserman, although Eiserman was probably a little better at the World U18's. Hagens was very snakebite at that tournament.
Celebrini, there's really not been a ton of difference statistically for Celebrini from the U18's and USHL. He put up great stats both places. I'm just saying the games I tuned into for Celebrini in the USHL this season were not strong performances. This has happened before. Not completely the same thing, but I remember that I didn't see Byfield play well once until he was like a year or so past being drafted. I know the reputation, I know the numbers. I fully believe Celebrini's very good. It's just hard to be exceptionally high on a player when they don't play well the games you watch.
So I take a little more of a reserved view on Celebrini. I've seen a lot of his bad games. I've also seen some at the World U18's where I thought he was very good. Maybe it's bad luck or a coincidence. Maybe it suggests I may be onto something with being a little less bullish about him than others. I don't really know, but I try to not just parrot what others say. I try to follow what I see, whether it's right or not. I agree about his skating. I think he's a rather good skater. I'm a little less bullish on the raw offensive skills, although they are certainly good. Just a matter of how good is my question. I've not seen outstanding, but maybe it's just random occurrence that I've seen the wrong games.
Celebrini: He doesn’t have otherworldly offensive talent, and I’m skeptical of comparisons like Bergeron or Crosby. Those guys are some of the best and smartest defensive and even offensive players ever. He may be more Toews, which is good, but even that’s more of his upside than his floor. There were quite a few games I saw this season where I thought he was outplayed by Perron on his own line. I didn’t watch every game obviously, but I’m struggling to piece together how he scored as much as he did this year. That wasn’t what I saw. Not saying he wasn’t the best offensive player in the USHL, but it’s hard to believe something when what you see says to the contrary. He was also pretty bad at the WHC17. Apparently he was sick. It’s a fine excuse, but playing well would’ve helped more than needing an excuse. Only time I’ve seen him at the level of the hype was the WJC18 and maybe the isolated USHL game or two.
Eiserman: One way winger. Great goal scorer. Weak defensive player. He’s also been like 5’11/6’0 for a few years. Very physically developed already. He’s not bad with his playmaking nor does he have weak hockey sense, but he’s very much almost entirely a goal-scorer. I also am a little skeptical of left-shot pure snipers. It’s not to say they can’t be successful. Some are, but when looking for pure snipers, it seems like there have been a lot more right shot ones that have had a lot of success. I’m just not sure I’d want that profile too high in a draft. Not saying he’s going to bust, but I think comparatively to some others, his upside may be a little limited.
This is a problem that will get fixed outside of the NTDP
The rest of it reads like Michkov but he's your second best player in the 2023 class, but he is probably a better skater and more physically developed than michkov
The rest of it reads like Michkov but he's your second best player in the 2023 class, but he is probably a better skater and more physically developed than michkov
I think there are notable differences than the two though.
Eiserman is a sniper. He can score in other ways, but the dude is a powerful athlete that is focused on shooting the puck and often from mid/long distance. If you want to say who he's actually more comparable to from the 2023 draft, I'd say more Leonard among the top 10 picks than Michkov. Mind you, I think he's better in a bunch of areas than Leonard, but the skating, power, big shot, very good puck-skills combination going North-South is what Leonard does.
Michkov is left-shot goal-scorer, like Leonard. However, I think the similarities pretty much end there. Michkov scores his goals very differently. A lot more around the net. He does it more with his hockey sense than pure power (shot, speed, pace) that we see from how Eiserman plays. They similarly have amazing goal-scoring records, but I see Eiserman's as one that has more of a logical ceiling, while Michkov may just end up literally the smartest player in hockey and dominate the NHL too. Michkov's is based off being a hockey genius. I think Michkov's cerebral approach will translate a lot better. He's already a player with some weaknesses compared to juniors with his size, skating, and compete level. That will likely also be a weakness in the NHL, but I think he's shown it doesn't matter. Put Eiserman in the NHL, and I think he's just the easier player to defend with a game that will meet his match physically and with the skating. That's not to say he'll struggle. I think he'll be really good. Being a better Kyle Connor is very possible. I just wouldn't take that player 1OA.
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, who was injured at U17 and then the coach didn't choose him for the U18 championship and was thus out of the attention of the fans. He needs to get back to the form before the injury, when he was a dominant player in the national team, even better than Jiříček.
