2024 NHL Draft Thread

[SilverKast]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I tried my hand at a Mock Draft — take a look:

https://flamesnation.ca/news/calgary...ery-mock-draft

I'd be thrilled to see us pick any of those guys who you have in the top 12, they all seem like pretty good picks!

[Makarov]

I really, really, really hope the Flames take Aron Kiviharju with the Vancouver 1st round pick. Kylington 2.0.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (U-18 Edition, Vol.14):

Slovakian LD Fabian Licko looks like a two-way D in lower levels of hockey but like countryman Adam Belusko, the offensive dimension he shows might only exist in junior. Licko was 26th in scoring by defenseman in Slovakia's U20 league, and 18th in ppg, with 2 goals and 14 points in 22 games for HC Slovan Bratislava. The 6'2",196lb rearguard played a combined 24 games in Slovakia's 2nd-tier men's league, split between the U18 National Team (1 assist in 10 games), and HC Modre Kridla Slovan (2 assists in 14 games), and had no points in 2 games in last summer's Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He managed to tie his D partner Samuel Kupec for second in points on Team Slovakia in the U-18's with 2, but all of their points in the tournament came in a win against Norway, who aren't exactly a powerhouse opponent.

The first thing one notices about Licko is that his skating is average at best when travelling at top speed, with a start-up and acceleration that are deficient. He seems to have good balance and fairly good edges, as he can turn quickly. Despite the challenges he faces with his mobility he flashes some puck-rushing ability, demonstrating the ability to carry the puck up the ice and through transition on occasion, with his solid puck-control. He uses his reach to protect the puck efficiently, but I wouldn't say his handling is anything special. Though he doesn't score a lot of goals (only 9 in the last 2 seasons, including international play), he has a good shot with accuracy- his wrister is a laser with a quick release that he can fire off with very little room, and his one-timer is a bomb. He will shoot with the purpose of making plays and causing havok in the crease, and uses opposing skaters as screens with proficiency. If he gets close to the net, he has some 1-on-1 moves to challenge goalies, and he can roof it in tight. I wouldn't call him a playmaker exactly, but he's a precision-passer who makes mostly simple, risk-free passes, but teases the ability to connect on the more difficult ones, and shows some quality vision at times.

Licko was paired with stay-at-home defenseman Samuel Kupec at the U-18's and the duo proved to be a good shutdown pairing. Licko contributes soundly to the defensive side of the puck, and reads the play quite well in his own zone, with keen anticipation and smart positioning. He plays a physical game, throwing hits to separate man from puck, and will lay the lumber to opponents who get too close to his goaltender. He defends his net well, keeping his goalies' line of sight clear by moving players away from the crease, and competes hard down low- although he mistakenly put a puck in his own net in the game against Czechia. Against the rush, Licko uses his long reach and an active stick to kill plays in the neutral zone before the play ever gets to his blueline, and forces oncoming forecheckers to the outside with tight gap control. He is adept at intercepting passes and shutting down lanes, and will block shots. On breakouts, he can be pressured into making sloppy plays and committing mistakes, but he will often use the boards or the glass to clear the puck if he gets into trouble. He usually makes a good first-pass at short-range, but he can sometimes miss his mark in long-distance breakouts. The level of competition in Slovakia is inferior to that of other junior leagues, so his offensive game might be a mirage, but he can still develop into a quality stay-at-home defensive rearguard. If he gets drafted, he will have to wait until later rounds.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by cral12

Ranking top 15
(Based on Bingo's previous compilation with link to Sandman's Upside profile)

1 M Celebrini C 1.00 https://bit.ly/macklincelebrini
2 Ivan Demidov RW 3.00 https://bit.ly/ivandemidov
3 A Levshunov D 4.25 https://bit.ly/artyomlevshunov
4 Sam Dickinson D 6.25 https://bit.ly/sam_dickinson
5 Berkly Catton C 6.81 https://bit.ly/berklycatton
6 C Lindstrom C 6.94 https://bit.ly/caydenlindstrom
7 Anton Silayev D 7.44 https://bit.ly/AntonSilayev
8 Zeev Buium D 8.06 https://bit.ly/zeevbuium
9 Zayne Parekh D 9.06 https://bit.ly/zayparekh
10 Cole Eiserman LW 9.94 https://bit.ly/ColeEiserman
11 Konsta Helenius C 11.13 https://bit.ly/konstahelenius
12 C Yakemchuk D 12.19 https://bit.ly/CarterYakemchuk
13 Tij Iginla F 12.63 https://bit.ly/tijiginla
14 Liam Greentree RW 13.31 https://bit.ly/LiamGreentree
15 BrandseggNygard RW 16.06 https://bit.ly/MichaelBrandseggNygard

Niece's wedding this past weekend, so had bit of a gap between updates.
9 10 more Sandman profiles added.
Make that 10 - Sandman snuck in Licko as I was editing lol.

Upside up to 180 profiles total!
(I just gotta add their respective link to the rankings spreadsheet shortly as applicable)

Quick link reminders:
Rankings page:
https://bit.ly/upside2024nhldraft
(The column with "UH" is linked to all the Sandman profiles of respective profile)

Prospect profiles:
https://bit.ly/2024nhldraftprofiles

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Icon

Where's Hutson now on the latest list? Rooting for him with the Vancouver pick, but guessing he'll go before then.

49th on the average.

Flames pick at 41

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by Bingo

49th on the average.

Flames pick at 41

I think he’s gone by the end of the first round personally. I wouldn’t mind that at 29/30

[dustygoon]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I tried my hand at a Mock Draft — take a look:

https://flamesnation.ca/news/calgary...ery-mock-draft

That looks like the most likely order that i've seen.

[Sandman]

Sandman's Post U-18 Top-100:

1) C Mack Celebrini
2) RW Ivan Demidov
3) D Artyom Levshunov
4) C Berkly Catton
5) D Sam Dickinson
6) D Zeev Buium
7) D Tij Iginla
8) D Zayne Parekh
9) D Anton Silayev
10) C Cayden Lindstrom
11) D Carter Yakemchuk
12) C Konsta Helenius
13) C Cole Eiserman
14) C Michael Hage
15) RW Beckett Sennecke
16) RW Liam Greentree
17) RW Ryder Ritchie
18) RW Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
19) LW Igor Chernyshov
20) LW Trevor Connelly
21) RW Yegor Surin
22) D Adam Jiricek
23) RW Matvei Gridin
24) C Sacha Boisvert
25) RW Emil Hemming
26) RW Terik Parascak
27) RW Maxim Masse
28) D Henry Mews
29) C Lucas Petterson
30) D Cole Hutson
31) LW Tanner Howe
32) D EJ Emery

33) C Dean Letourneau
34) LW Andrew Basha
35) D Aron Kiviharju
36) D Leo Sahlin Wellenius
37) LW Nikita Artamonov
38) C Jett Luchanko
39) LW Marek Vanacker
40) C Cole Beaudoin
41) D Alfons Freij
42) D Dominik Badinka
43) D Jesse Pulkkinen
44) C Luke Misa
45) C Linus Eriksson
46) D Luca Marrelli
47) D Charlie Elick
48) D Veeti Vaisanen
49) D Stian Solberg
50) LW Melvin Fernstrom
51) RW Miguel Marques
52) C Julius Miettinen
53) D Lukas Fischer
54) RW Adam Jecho
55) LW John Mustard
56) RW Brodie Ziemer
57) LW Teddy Stiga
58) D Spencer Gill
59) C Simon Zether
60) C Raoul Boilard
61) C Kamil Bednarik
62) D Harrison Brunicke
63) D Colton Roberts
64) D Will Skahan

65) RW Carson Wetsch
66) D Tarin Smith
67) RW Justin Poirier
68) RW Jacob Battaglia
69) D Daniil Ustinkov
70) C Christian Humphreys
71) LW Max Plante
72) D Matvei Shuravin
73) D Leon Muggli
74) LW Hagen Burrows
75) LW Will Zellers
76) G Kim Saarinen
77) D Tomas Lavoie
78) C Kieron Walton
79) RW Kasper Pikkarainen
80) RW Sam O'Reilly
81) D John Whipple
82) C Clarke Caswell
83) D Noel Franson
84) D Tory Pitner
85) LW Ollie Josephson
86) G Eemil Vinni
87) D Jakub Fibigr
88) D Adam Kleber
89) RW Ondrej Kos
90) LW Alex Blais
91) LW Eriks Mateiko
92) D Nilopekka Muhonen
93) D Sebastian Soini
94) C AJ Spellacy
95) C Aatos Koivu
96) G Carter George

97) G Ryerson Leenders
98) D Anthony Cristoforo
99) C Nathan Villeneuve
100) C Alex Zetterberg

[Sandman]

I'm sure I made a mistake somewhere, left somebody out/put somebody twice, etc....

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I'm sure I made a mistake somewhere, left somebody out/put somebody twice, etc....

That's a hell of a list, no one could blame you if there's a mistake.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I'm sure I made a mistake somewhere, left somebody out/put somebody twice, etc....

Did you previously have Lindstrom higher? Concerned about injuries, etc?

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

Did you previously have Lindstrom higher? Concerned about injuries, etc?

Makes me sad, but yes.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Pronman's mock has the Flames taking Helenius and Letourneau, taking a couple swigs at centres.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Pronman's mock has the Flames taking Helenius and Letourneau, taking a couple swigs at centres.

I'm sure its been asked, is he related to Flames 1992 draft pick Sami Helenius?

[Flames1217]

Originally Posted by Makarov

I really, really, really hope the Flames take Aron Kiviharju with the Vancouver 1st round pick. Kylington 2.0.

I think that pick is going to be moved for a developing centre/RW that a team can't afford going forward.

Conroy has been relayed the "Montreal" style acquisition and it just feels like it makes sense.

Still wishful thinking but hoping for a player like Mercer(some minor assets would be added to the first).

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Pronman's mock has the Flames taking Helenius and Letourneau, taking a couple swigs at centres.

When one looks at next years draft it definitely seems like the year to take centers.

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

When one looks at next years draft it definitely seems like the year to take centers.

Next year is Centre-heavy??

[Canada 02]

Originally Posted by Funkhouser

Next year is Centre-heavy??

7 of the top 10 are centers on Buttons list

[the-rasta-masta]

Originally Posted by fotze2

I'm sure its been asked, is he related to Flames 1992 draft pick Sami Helenius?

No relation.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Flames1217

I think that pick is going to be moved for a developing centre/RW that a team can't afford going forward.

Conroy has been relayed the "Montreal" style acquisition and it just feels like it makes sense.

Still wishful thinking but hoping for a player like Mercer(some minor assets would be added to the first).

Not a fan generally of trading any first round pick of the Flames, but would at doing so for Dawson.

I expect it would cost more than that, as many teams likely would jump at that.