2024 NHL Draft Thread

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Yeah I can't see them giving up a top pick in the draft, especially as it is a top 10 pick. I still am amazed as to the fact that the Senators have to give up a first round pick, in what seems like a case of the Knights also not doing their due diligence and reading the contract for the player they traded for.

I know that it isn't the most popular thing to do but I do think that if it wasn't the Knights complaining I don't think anything would have been done but they are the golden child of the NHL right now. There are teams that have done much worse things and there hasn't been any indication of them having a first round pick stripped away.

One is the darling favourite new franchise of the league, one is a small market Canadian team. As I have said before, different rules.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Any discussion on who might be available at #25-30 with the Canucks 1st?

[dustygoon]

^^Cole Beaudoin!

https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe.../cole-beaudoin

[Monahammer]

Terry Parascak
Tanner Howe
Andrew Basha

I'd take all these guys over Beaudoin.

But short answer is yes, there have been discussions spread throughout the thread on who we should look at with the nucks pick.

[devo22]

Beckett Sennecke, Aron Kiviharju, Terik Parascak and Ryder Ritchie are all players I'd love to take a flyer on in the second half of the first round. Maybe Cole Hutson too.

some of those will surely be off the board by then, but who knows.

[FlamesAddiction]

It's just so hard to predict the tail end of the 1st round. At least in the top 15 or so, you have a pretty good idea which players will be around. After that, it seems like the wild west.

I've seen players like Basha, Vanacker, Misa, and Parascak around that point in mock drafts, but I have also seen them ranked a lot higher. Those are a few forwards that I hope are around for that pick, plus Henry Mews for defense.

[Roof-Daddy]

Parascak seems like a no brainer to me, the guy plays on a stacked team but he had 40+ goals and 100+ points as a 17yo rookie in the dub.

He was also 2nd in scoring last season to Gavin McKenna in CSSHL.

I don't think he's riding coat tails in PG, the guy makes it happen.

If he's still on the board at the Van pick I sure hope they take him.

[cral12]

Profile update at Upside! 6 more added...

From Adams to Zetterberg...

(dang, now it's Ziemer but Zetterberg more catchy to my eye lol)

We have One Hundred and Twenty-Four GD profiles completed thus far. It's not quite April.

Thankfully there's no testing for PEDs in prospect profiling - Sandman killing it.

*As always, Sandman's profiles are easily found at Upside Hockey
(along with our exclusive rankings in super-detailed mega spreadsheet format with which I'm sure an update is soon upon us from rankings guru E-Mac)

Alphabetical with a hyperlinked table of contents at the top...

Sharing and feedback always appreciated.

https://bit.ly/2024nhldraftprofiles

[Sandman]

Sorry cral, got some more incoming, lol....

Draft Thoughts (A Walk In The Park Edition):

Everything you can say about C/RW Aidan Park comes with an asterisk, because his performance this year came at the Prep School level with Shattuck-St.Mary's 18U program, a lower level of competition than most prospects, making him a bit harder to project. His 28 goals and 76 points puts him 9th overall in scoring in the Prep circuit, but I think he cemented his status as a legitimate option in the top four rounds of the draft with his performance in the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer, where he was tied for 4th on Team USA with 3 goals and 4 points in 5 games, and was used in all situations. Park had the opportunity to play with Cole Eiserman and Macklin Celebrini at Shattuck in 2020-21, where all 3 played 14U AAA, and he put up 133 points in 50 games. Park stands 6'1", and weighs in at 185lbs.

No matter what can be said about Park's offensive game, he is at the very least versatile, with the ability to play center or wing, both sides of special teams, and is a dual threat with the ability to both score and make plays. He's fun to watch, with effortless skating that puts out speed that is approaching elite, but held back a bit by a wonky stride with less-than-perfect mechanics. Despite employing an unconventional stride, he still manages to generate good power and quickness, and his footspeed facilitates his whole game. Get him with the right skating coach, and he'll be a burner. To augment his mobility, he keeps his legs pumping hard, stays active, and pushes supreme pace. Park's hands and brain keep up with his feet, as he's a smooth handler with tight puck-control at top speed with slick 1-on-1 moves, and makes quick decisions in full flight. All of the above abilities make him highly effective in transition, especially when combined with his shiftiness, and smooth edgework- he plays a dominant puck-possession game in all 3 zones, at least in the Prep league.

Another pillar of Park's game is his elite compete level, and high motor. He is quite athletic, and applies relentless hustle to hounding puck-carriers in all 3 zones, and winning puck battles along the boards. He's a net-front presence with a goal-scorer's touch, and has excellent hand-eye coordination for tipping pucks. In a 1-on-1 scenario with a goalie, Park wins much of the time, but he will also crash the net to clean up garbage. He has a rather deep arsenal of shots, and the inate ability to find pockets of space to unleash them- he gets a wicked snap on his wrister, with a deceptive release. He's a skilled playmaker as well, and his 48 assists rank 6th in the league, ahead of teammate Will Zellers. Park plays a fairly mature, responsible game, and seems to take pride in being a good defensive player, as he's often the first forward back in the zone in defensive situations. He takes away the middle of the ice, battles along the wall, and supports his D down low. The coaches trust him with penalty-killing duties, and he rewards them with his proficiency in this area, with the speed and defensive awareness to pressure puck-carriers and cause turnovers. He's a good faceoff man, and quickly secures the puck in the defensive zone in order to start the breakout.

Park is in the midst of his fourth season with Shattuck-St.Mary's, and many of his past teammates have seemingly passed him by, or have moved on to higher levels. Will Zellers led the prep school league with 95 points in 48 games this season, which is 19 points more than Park's 76, and Zellers looks like he could be a legitimate top-6 player at the NHL level in the future. Berkly Catton is tearing up the WHL, Ryker Lee has 84 points at Shattuck, and we all know how Celebrini and Eiserman are doing. Though I like Park's game, I have to wonder about his offensive ceiling, and there are indeed questions about his IQ as he can be rushed into making bad plays, and sometimes makes questionable decisions and egregious errors. I really like the tools he has to work with though, and I think he'll make an excellent defensive-minded middle-six player with some grit and hustle, perhaps a third-line center who chip in some offense- and there's nothing wrong with that. Park is committed to the University of Michigan for 2025-26, and will be in the USHL next season, so there's a whole lot of runway to round out his game. I think he'll be taken in the 4th round.

[cral12]

lol, keep 'em comin'!
I'll likely do next update Monday.

[FFF]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (Saku's Boy Edition):

If there was an award for the most improved player in the 2024 NHL Draft, the trophy would surely go to Saku's son, RHC Aatos Koivu. He wasn't even on the radar last year, with only 7 points in 20 games in the U18 Sarja with TPS, and even spent 2 games in the U18 Mestis- the secondary league at the U18 level, so his rise has been nothing short of meteoric. His 2022-23 season was also limited to 30 games due to injury. This season, he has shuffled between the U18 level (22 points in 20 games), the U20 (31 points in 28 games, 5th in scoring for U-18 players), and even the Liiga (4 games, no points), and is as late-blooming as you can get, growing 6 inches over the last two seasons. He now measures 6'0" (some say he's 6'1"), weighs in at 165lbs, and is still quite young with a June 22nd birthday. Koivu centered the top line for Finland at the most recent 5 Nations, where he tied for 10th overall in scoring with 3 points in 4 games, and is currently in the playoffs with TPS' U20 squad, posting 6 points in 6 games.

As one can deduce, Koivu is still very much physically raw, and I can't imagine that going through a growth spurt like the one he has experienced would be easy, or good for one's co-ordination. Still, his top asset might just be his skating, with superb first-step quickness and acceleration, to go with a separation gear at top speed, and smooth edges for balance and agility. Koivu has flashes of playmaking ability, but leans more into his goal-scoring ability, as he owns a dangerous shot that he can pick corners with, and a release that fools goalies. His wrister could use more zip, but he can uncork an absolutely blistering one-timer that is hard to stop, and is already NHL-quality. He's good in-close too, with soft hands, and the moves to deke a netminder out of his jockstrap. As far as passing goes, he doesn't really do anything that would qualify as being too dynamic, and though he has a fair amount of smarts and awareness, he keeps it fairly simple. Like his father, Aatos is scrappy and plays with a big chip on his shoulder- he's ultra competitive, aggressive, and tough to play against. He finishes his checks, throws hits to dislodge pucks, and battles hard in the greasy areas. He is effective in transition, and can make clean entries with possession. He has shown the ability to pass off the rush, or attack the middle to shoot. On the forecheck, he catches up to puck-carriers quickly, and makes life difficult for them, taking away time and space.

Koivu's defensive game is in need of improvement, and he himself acknowledges that fact. He shows good puck-pursuit, and can cause turnovers on occasion that he then turns into offensive rushes, but he lacks composure, and tends to rush things when pressured. He doesn't always know where to be, and can be caught puck-watching from time-to-time. His overall IQ and awareness has been called into question, with some saying that he needs to speed up his processing, and use his teammates more. Koivu needs to add a lot more strength and bulk, as he can be overpowered in puck battles, and knocked off the puck- adding more muscle will help him in front of the net, as well. His stickhandling could use a tune-up, as he can overhandle the puck in flight, which leads to turnovers. Some of these issues could be tied to how much he's grown physically in such a short time, as it must cause some co-ordination problems, but he seems to have the right attitude, character, and mindset to improve his weaknesses and become an NHLer, as well as a fantastic support system in his corner. McKenzie has him ranked 60th, which is the late 2nd-round- I could definitely see that happening, but I'm going to guess early 3rd round.

That's a great report, thanks! He'll be playing in the U20 finals beginning tomorrow, I'll be closely watching.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Flying Vee Edition):

The 2023-24 season has been a two-part saga for RW Hiroki Gojsic- the first part was about a player who struggles to adapt to the jump to the WHL after spending the previous campaign playing with the BCHL's Penticton Vees, and in the second act, he starts to put it all together. In his first 20 WHL games, Gojsic only managed 7 points- by contrast, he amassed 25 points in the last 20 games of the regular season, finishing at 50 points in 68 games, to go with 51 penalty minutes. Gojsic played the 2022-23 season performing bottom-6 duties for the Vees, on the same squad as Aydar Suniev, and managed only 21 points in 36 games. He was originally drafted by the Victoria Royals in the second round of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft (23rd overall), but was traded to Kelowna in May of 2023, just a few weeks after his younger brother Kanjyu was drafted by the Rockets. Hiroki has been a frequent linemate of Tij Iginla's this season.

Gojsic is a 6'3",198lb power forward with a nose for the net, and a goal-scorer's ability to find open space in dangerous areas to shoot- and he packs a lethal wrister. He can snipe with his bullet of a shot, or he can finish in-close, driving the crease with a defender draped all over him. He's a net-front presence, with superb hand-eye coordination to cash in on tips and rebounds, and he will collect garbage- if he is given an inch, he will go a country mile. He doesn't need to score pretty goals, he'll take them any way he can get them, and most of his tallies (there have been 21 of them this season) are from within 10 feet of the crease. Gojsic is skilled, but definitely not flashy or dynamic in any way. He's also not a high-end playmaker, and keeps his passes short and simple- he doesn't try to pull off complex plays, or stretch the ice. His playmaking is mostly extending plays in the zone, and getting pucks deep, but he can occasionally find teammates in high-danger with short passes off of quick touches- his shoot-first mentality facilitates a ton of rebounds and second-chance opportunities as well. Mobility isn't a problem here, as he moves around the ice well, and can pressure opponents with his speed, but he's definitely not a burner and his first-step, acceleration, and explosiveness all need work. He has a long reach, which helps him to protect the puck well, especially along the wall.

Gojsic's defensive game has improved immensely- he's usually on the right side of the puck these days, and doesn't cheat for offense the way he was earlier in the season. Though he's still not a stalwart, and has work to do in this area, the effort is there these days, as well as the positioning. In the same vein, while his physicality is inconsistent, this area of his game is really coming around as well. He battles for pucks in the greasy areas, and is becoming a force down low and in the corners. He uses his body to separate man from puck on the forecheck, and will lean into defenders on his way to the net. Another area of his game that has come around is his off-puck awareness, which used to be a negative, but he is now making himself playable in all three zones, and finding open space to be easy to find for passes. The coaches in Kelowna have worked very hard with this kid, and he's improved by leaps and bounds. There was criticism in the past regarding his GAF meter, and his unwillingness to battle, but while those problems have mostly been fixed, his overall consistency is still a work in progress- there are still lapses in his physicality and battle level now and then. Gojsic needs to continue to build his strength and skating for the next level, but he has a shot at middle-6 winger duties at the NHL someday. Look for him in the 3rd, or 4th round.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by FFF

That's a great report, thanks! He'll be playing in the U20 finals beginning tomorrow, I'll be closely watching.

Awesome! Any reports you could give would be really appreciated if you get the time...

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Terry Parascak
Tanner Howe
Andrew Basha

I'd take all these guys over Beaudoin.

But short answer is yes, there have been discussions spread throughout the thread on who we should look at with the nucks pick.

Good post turns into wanky post.

[BigThief]

"wanky"? lol

[dustygoon]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Terry Parascak
Tanner Howe
Andrew Basha

I'd take all these guys over Beaudoin.

But short answer is yes, there have been discussions spread throughout the thread on who we should look at with the nucks pick.

Yep. I see their skill and points.

Beaudoin is big, physical, and plays center. Scores reasonably well. Worried about his skating, but pronman ranks him 23rd which is interesting....Pronman seems to always overvalue skating. Assistant captain.
Just seems like a late round type profile that makes sense to target.

[timbit]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Good post turns into wanky post.

Oh my, Bingo.

Wanky

-a rude word meaning very stupid or very poor quality.

[BigThief]

Wanky

1. a rude word meaning very stupid or very poor quality:
Dave's got some wanky notion that you're only respectable if you own a piece of property.

2. a rude word meaning you don't/can't fully masturbate
Dave's wife had run to the shops but not as long as expected so he could only get a little wanky

[CalgarySames]

Been seeing a lot of posts tossing around the idea of acquiring the NJ 12th overall pick. And though I agree that Markstrom alone would not likely be enough, I wonder if they would entertain Markstrom and Kuzmenko for their 1st round pick. I feel like the Flames have decent winger depth with Zary, Sharangovich, Coronato, Pelletier, Pospisil and such. Even if we retain on Markstrom, the chance to get a player like Iginla or maybe even Yakemchuk at 12 would be worth it.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by CalgarySames

Been seeing a lot of posts tossing around the idea of acquiring the NJ 12th overall pick. And though I agree that Markstrom alone would not likely be enough, I wonder if they would entertain Markstrom and Kuzmenko for their 1st round pick. I feel like the Flames have decent winger depth with Zary, Sharangovich, Coronato, Pelletier, Pospisil and such. Even if we retain on Markstrom, the chance to get a player like Iginla or maybe even Yakemchuk at 12 would be worth it.

That isn't getting it done. They don't want a player like Kuzmenko, they want a Pospisil.