2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Two Fivenagame]

Originally Posted by stemit14

I really don’t think the flames will go full “scorched earth” rebuild… but if they did start that kind of rebuild over the next year starting with this TDL, their bottoming out would probably line up with the 2026 draft. Would be pretty crazy for them to get McKenna. Again, so many things need to go right/wrong for that to happen that’s it not something a team can really plan for. And I think, overall, the flames are more likely to remain competitive and fight for playoff spots over the next few years.

Dare to dream in 2026:

McDavid says goodbye to the oil.
Flames draft the next generational talent.

[Sandman]

More Draft Thoughts:

The Oshawa Generals may be a middling team, with a win% of .550, but as a team that's been retooling the last few years, they've actually improved from a 16th place finish and a win% of .426 in 2022-23. Derek Laxdal was brought in as coach in 2022, and the teams goals-against has improved from 3rd worst to 9th best this season in the OHL, and the goals-for has improved from 14th in 2022-23 to 7th-best currently- and that's with Calum Ritchie missing 17 games. Why then has RW Beckett Sennecke's offensive numbers not taken a huge step this season? In 2022-23, Sennecke amassed 55 points in 61 games, and this year he's so far collected only 32 points in 37 games- on pace for 56 points in 65 games. True, the Gens are going through some growing pains, but I expected this player to be well over a point-per-game. Berkly Catton, as an example, had 55 points in 63 games in 2022-23, and is currently on pace to get 112 points in 68 games. Different players, different leagues, I suppose. It's hard to blame Beckett for some inconsistency though, when one considers that in just 2 years, he's grown from 5'10", all the way up to his current height of 6'3". That's an adjustment that would affect anyone's co-ordination and mindset. At any rate, there's a reason why he's pegged to be picked in the middle of the first round (besides his obvious physical attributes), and that may be the simple fact that he's a much better player than the numbers he's putting up this season. As a 6'3" power-forward with skill, Sennecke gets criticized a little too harshly for his mobility- his stride can sometimes be short and choppy, without the necessary power to get going, but that may be an issue with his rapid growth. Anyone who cares to watch him play will see that he's actually a good skater with adequate, perhaps not great, top speed and finely tuned agility and edges that help him immensely in small spaces. His east/west movement gives him excellent elusiveness. The main deficiencies are in his balance, and his explosiveness- both of which need work, as he can fall in traffic or lose footing when shooting or battling for pucks. These things most likely weren't concerns for him when he was 5'10". More strength will fix most issues, and improve his linnear speed. To me, it's not really a concern, especially because he exhibits smooth puckhandling and control, as well as puck protection. He can weave in and out of traffic with full control. Sennecke is a dual-threat with fine playmaking, as well as a booming shot. He can beat goalies with his wrister and one-timer, to go with a nice release, but he also likes going to the net as a screen and scoring from in tight. It is said though, that he needs to increase his accuracy, as he misses getting it on net a little too often. Sennecke is quite skilled, and has vision and IQ, but also plenty of deception when passing and shooting. He knows how to draw defenders to him, thus opening space for his teammates. He is at his best when engaged physically, but like other facets of his game, he can be inconsistent in that regard. When dialed in, he's a menace on the forecheck, and down low, and he's great along the wall and cutting inside to the net. He works hard in puck battles to win possession. Sennecke can be a good 3-zone player, and is helping out the transition much better this year, but must improve his consistency in these areas by bringing the same intensity that he applies in the offensive zone. He has shown the ability to be a thorn in the side of attacking players by limiting their time and space, and applying constant pressure and physicality, but he doesn't do it all the time. I really like this player, and when he fills out, he's going to be an absolute beast.

[Tbull8]

Can never seem to embed these properly, hope someone else is able to.

Wow.
https://x.com/hockey_robinson/status...o9DD17zt7CEZgw

[chummer]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1748588159267659842

[Naitix]

Sandman, I heard Flames are doing a ton of scouting on Yakemchuk, what do you think of him?

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Naitix

Sandman, I heard Flames are doing a ton of scouting on Yakemchuk, what do you think of him?

I’ve been a huge advocate of his in here, I really like him. I’ll do a write-up in the near future, but he’s got all the tools, and can drive play. 6’3”, skates well, can play a physical game, and is uber-aggressive with an attack mentality. His stats are even more impressive when you consider that he plays for the Hitmen. Unfortunately, there are plenty of questions about his gap control, and overall defensive game. With his skill, brain, and smarts though- I have no doubt he can be fixed for the most part.

[Sandman]

The more I look into D Artyom Levshunov, the more obvious it becomes that he’s the best D-man available in this draft, no disrespect to Sam Dickinson. Levshunov has 24 points in 22 NCAA games, with a plus-22. Treat yourself and go watch some highlights.

Anton Silayev might be up there too. 6’7”, skates well, with 11 points in 52 KHL games. Seems paltry, but consider that he’s sandwiched in between Gulyayev and Simashev for second best U-20 Defender in the league….

[sureLoss]

Bob Mckenzie's mid season rankings. Top 80 plus honourable mentions. Russian d-man Silayev at #2.
https://www.tsn.ca/macklin-celebrini...king-1.2066050

Some highlights:

Macklin Celebrini is all but 100 per cent certain to be the first-overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft.

Ten out of 10 NHL team scouts surveyed by TSN have the 17-year-old Boston University freshman centre at No. 1. Almost all of them can’t see anyone other than Celebrini going first overall on June 28 at The Sphere in Las Vegas (which, incidentally, is the final convention-style NHL draft gathering).

“When you look at how well he has played in the NCAA (16 goals and 32 points in 19 games) and the World Junior Championship, and he’s the youngest player in college hockey, and then you realize he should still be a high school senior who doesn’t turn 18 until (June 13), well, it’s pretty wild what he’s done and what he’s doing,” one scout said. “He’ll be the guy; I can’t see anyone [eclipsing him for top spot].”

That is certainly the prevailing opinion, but it’s worth noting one scout who was surveyed by TSN suggested it’s close to a 50-50 toss-up between the No. 1 ranked Celebrini and No. 2 on the TSN Mid-Season list, towering 6-foot-7, 211-pound Russian defenceman Anton Silayev.

“I do think it’s close enough [to at least ponder the question],” the scout said. “If the team that wins the [draft] lottery is already loaded with young talent at forward, and really needs a building block on defence, could I see that team having to make a decision? I think I could.”

No. 3 on TSN’s Mid-Season list is another blue-chip defenceman — Michigan State’s Artyom Levshunov, a 6-foot-2, 208-pound Belarusian who is the third youngest player in college hockey. He has some eye-popping NCAA stats of his own (seven goals and 26 points in 24 games) for an 18-year-old freshman who projects as a top-pair NHL blueliner.

The consensus seems to be that Celebrini is not considered generational — certainly not McDavid and maybe not Bedard either — but there are equal amounts of support for him being a franchise player or being at the superstar level.

“He’s a franchise player,” one scout said definitely. “He will be a game changer for the franchise that gets him.”

“He’ll be very good, he’ll consistently put up great numbers, but I don’t know if he will carry a franchise,” said another scout.

“If Auston Matthews is a franchise player and Mitch Marner and William Nylander are superstars, I would project Celebrini closer to Marner and Nylander than Matthews,” said another scout.

Silyaev:

Putting aside the Russian factor and how soon or far of he is to being available for NHL teams— he’s a striking package of size, strength, mobility, offence and defence.

“He’s not as offensively gifted as, say, Chris Pronger at the same age and he’s not as physically intimidating and punishing as, say, Zdeno Chara was in his draft year [1996],” one scout said. “But he has shown that he combines elements of both of those guys.”

Another scout said: “If he’s as good as we think he is — geez, I really wish we could be there in the rink to see him live instead of just on video or getting reports from our Russian scouts — he’s going to be a No. 1 defenceman, maybe in the same sort of universe as a Victor Hedman. If he’s not quite what we think he is, with that size and mobility, I still think he’ll be really good top-pairing guy or outstanding 2-3.”

Levshunov:

The No. 3 ranked Levshunov, unlike the 2006-born Celebrini and Silayev, is a late 2005 birthdate. His physical maturity, strength and strong skating give him the tools to project as a high-end two-way defenceman. Scouts still aren’t sure what his offensive ceiling will be in the NHL, but he has put up some noteworthy numbers in each of the past two seasons.

He had 13 goals and 42 points with the USHL’s Green Bay in 2022-23. His seven goals and 26 points at Michigan State this season are gaudy totals for an 18-year-old freshman.

“I don’t think he’ll be a high-end, big numbers offensive defenceman in the NHL but he’s such a good skater and puck mover he will still contribute offensively,” one scout said. “I could see him being on a No. 2 power play, but he’ll be on the No. 1 penalty-killing unit and log big minutes in all situations. He’s strong, he can defend. He has a really good two-way game.”

Eiserman:

So what gives with his stock falling?

“He has not developed any kind of backup game to his scoring,” one scout said. “He’s so one dimensional, so interested in just getting his goals that it’s sometimes a detriment to his play. You would like to see him play with more pace, be more competitive, because the goals may not be as plentiful at the next level.”

But he quite likely owns the best shot in the draft and from the blueline in there’s no one more dangerous.

“If you’re going to be a one-trick pony, scoring goals is the best trick to have,” another scout said. “He’s better than a goal-a-game player, which is incredible. But we certainly expected more from him in terms of his play this season and we haven’t seen it yet.”

For the Lindstrom fan club:

TSN’s fifth-ranked prospect is Medicine Hat Tiger centre Cayden Lindstrom, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound hard-driving centre who is rocketing up the draft chart. Lindstrom was an honourable mention in TSN’s pre-season Top 16 and is now the second-ranked centre and Canadian behind only Celebrini.

Lindstrom was a third-round pick in the WHL bantam draft and put up some nice rookie numbers last season — 19 goals and 42 points in 61 games. But he has blossomed this year. It’s not just his 27 goals and 66 penalty minutes in 32 games; it’s his size, strength and ability to, at times, physically overwhelm opponents that scouts have noticed

“He’s something of a unicorn in this draft,” one scout said. “A big, strong physical centre with skills and vision who’s putting up great numbers and demonstrating he maybe has the potential to be a big No. 1 NHL centre. If he’s not prolific enough to be a No. 1 C, he’s going to be a helluva No. 2.”

Scouts surveyed ranked him as high as No. 3 and no lower than No. 8.

[Royle9]

There's no doubt in my mind the Flames need to get another 1st and target Tij.
He looks like his father but with silkier mits.

The bloodline pedigree + give a #### meter is at an all time high, I see no reason at this point he doesn't translate it to the NHL.

[stemit14]

Right now, the flames are set to pick 10th overall. It’s very likely the teams finishing in the bottom 5 of the league are locked in at this point. There are a lot of teams in the middle of the standings as the teams set to pick 6th to 16th are spread across a very small range of points (from 44 to 52 points). So there could be a lot of movement in that grouping over the rest of the season.

Hard to predict where the flames end up… they’re still within range of a playoff spot but the odds are against them. If they end up selling off all of their UFAs, they could end up dropping further down the standings. The flames are set to trade more roster players than any other team if they do. Not many of the bottom teams have rental players of much quality compared to the flames. The flames could also be sparked by bringing in more young players. Also, Markstrom is playing so well that he could keep this team in every game. Right now, I could see it evening out overall and the flames end up finishing the season close to where they are now (in the range of 8th overall to 12th overall).

Assuming they pick in that range and Lindstrom is already off the board… who is likely best player available in that range? And also fits the flames needs as an organization?

[1qqaaz]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1749500753373487303

Based solely on NHLe, Buium should be going 1st overall in this draft. The best projections I've ever seen from any defense prospect.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

https://twitter.com/user/status/1749500753373487303

Based solely on NHLe, Buium should be going 1st overall in this draft. The best projections I've ever seen from any defense prospect.

Does anyone know why he is not ranked in the top five of the draft? The numbers sound right. What’s keeping out of that group?

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Does anyone know why he is not ranked in the top five of the draft? The numbers sound right. What’s keeping out of that group?

He is on the smaller side for a defenseman. I don't know if that is why, just a guess.

[Ashes]

Maybe he's ranked lower because he only wants to play for the Rangers

[Monahammer]

Buium and Iginla would look real nice coming out of this draft. Need an extra mid 1st at the least.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Ashes

Maybe he's ranked lower because he only wants to play for the Rangers

It honestly would not surprise me if the flames are scared off from drafting some American players after their experiences with Fox, Gaudreau and Tkachuk. I know Gaudreau and Tkachuk didn’t pull the same thing that Fox did but those are 3 American all star players that just did not want to be in Western Canada. And an American college defenseman that is smaller might have to play at least a couple more years in the NCAA past this year… at which point he will be getting close to that tempting decision of playing out his college career and sign anywhere as a UFA.

[Sandman]

Buium’s only real issue is his size. He’s not physically imposing at all, and gets by in board battles with his skill and smarts, which doesn’t always work at the NHL level. Pretty minor concern- he’s still everywhere on the ice, and is an amazing 2-way player. He’ll be a riser. There’s other little things one could nitpick, like how he’s much more noticeable in some games than he is in others, but so what?

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by stemit14

It honestly would not surprise me if the flames are scared off from drafting some American players after their experiences with Fox, Gaudreau and Tkachuk. I know Gaudreau and Tkachuk didn’t pull the same thing that Fox did but those are 3 American all star players that just did not want to be in Western Canada. And an American college defenseman that is smaller might have to play at least a couple more years in the NCAA past this year… at which point he will be getting close to that tempting decision of playing out his college career and sign anywhere as a UFA.

Maybe, but they did draft Coronato, and Coronato did sign.
But it has to be at least somewhat of a concern. Even when Coronato was drafted, it's all the media would ask him about.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

Maybe, but they did draft Coronato, and Coronato did sign.
But it has to be at least somewhat of a concern. Even when Coronato was drafted, it's all the media would ask him about.

And Coronato was drafted before the experiences with Tkachuk and Gaudreau.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

https://twitter.com/user/status/1749500753373487303

Based solely on NHLe, Buium should be going 1st overall in this draft. The best projections I've ever seen from any defense prospect.

Would be interesting to see Adam fox's card too. He was compared to Leetch's number as a freshman.