2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Bourque's Twin]

The only one in the top 9 I’m not sold on is Silayev but I’m probably wrong about him.
Ignoring Celebrini and the Iginla bias, my order is:
Demidov
Buium
Levshunov
Lindstrom
Dickinson
Catton
Parekh
Silayev

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Ped

The Leafs traded to move up 2 spots in 2005 to grab Luke Schenn; in addition to the #7 pick, it cost them a 3rd that same year, and a 2nd a year later.

That was not a particularly strong draft at the top end. Here are the next few picks starting with #7, the Leafs' original spot:

7. Jack Skille
8. Devin Setoguchi
9. Brian Lee
10. Luc Bourdon

With talent like that to choose from, I'd want to move up from 7 too.

Moreover, I wouldn't trade Coronato for a 3rd and a 2nd, so the Flames' cost to trade up in this scenario is higher than the Leafs' was, for less probable gain.

[Ped]

Ok? All I said was if a team values a player enough, they will trade up for him. They're probably not going to give up a top prospect. No one took Skille, Setoguchi, or Lee thinking they were going to be busts. No one is going to take a player in the top-10 this year or the first round thinking they're going to be busts. Hindsight is great.


And you got the year wrong, although the correct ones weren't all-stars, either:


7 Colin Wilson
8 Mikkel Boedker
9 Josh Bailey
10 Cody Hodgson

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

So now you're saying Parekh is merely certain to be as good as Karlsson? That would still make him the obvious #1 overall pick in this draft.



And yet none of the scouting services, none of the independent analysts, and so far as we know (through Bob McKenzie's aggregates and other sources), none of the NHL scouting staffs, regard him as the best player in the draft.



No, they shouldn't, because even if he is taken before #9, that will leave other players of similar quality available at that spot. It is virtually certain that one of the big five defencemen will still be available at 9, and if not, there will be some extremely good forwards.

You don't give up your best prospect to move up four places in the draft just so you can draft the same quality of player you were going to get anyway.

I’m not saying he IS.

I’m saying it’s reasonable for an NHL front office to believe he is, regardless of the rankings and consensus.

And if THEY think he’s That Guy and not just A. Guy, they should trade up to get him if they don’t think he’ll be available at 9.

“I” would be willing to trade Coronato to for a prospect I believed had Makar/Karlsson ability.

If it costs less, and it probably would, great.

All I’m saying is, if you really think a particular guy is special, go get him.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Ped

Ok? All I said was if a team values a player enough, they will trade up for him. They're probably not going to give up a top prospect. No one took Skille, Setoguchi, or Lee thinking they were going to be busts. No one is going to take a player in the top-10 this year or the first round thinking they're going to be busts. Hindsight is great.

That's the point. Hindsight is great, but you don't have any hindsight on draft day. No pick in this draft has equivalent value to an Orr or a Karlsson, because the odds are against any player in the whole draft having a career like that. If a GM thinks he has a sure thing and bets accordingly, he is a sucker.

And you got the year wrong, although the correct ones weren't all-stars, either:


7 Colin Wilson
8 Mikkel Boedker
9 Josh Bailey
10 Cody Hodgson

You said 2005, and that's the draft I quoted.

Schenn was drafted in 2008. So we both got the year wrong.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

That was not a particularly strong draft at the top end. Here are the next few picks starting with #7, the Leafs' original spot:

7. Jack Skille
8. Devin Setoguchi
9. Brian Lee
10. Luc Bourdon

With talent like that to choose from, I'd want to move up from 7 too.

Moreover, I wouldn't trade Coronato for a 3rd and a 2nd, so the Flames' cost to trade up in this scenario is higher than the Leafs' was, for less probable gain.

Sadly, Luc Bourdon was actually tracking quite well before his tragic death.

[Goriders]

Flames need to get younger at center.

They have a surplus for young goalies, defence and depth forwards

[Jay Random]

At the moment, the Flames have a surplus of everything except good players. They need to draft as many of those as they can get – position be damned.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Vinny D Edition):

C/W Vincent Desjardins is one of the youngest players in the 2024 Draft crop with a September 8th birthday, and is technically in his first full season in the CHL as he only played 14 games (with 7 points) in 2022-23 for his current team, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, with most of his games taking place in triple-A. In 2023-24, he was third in scoring for the 11th-placed Armada, with 15 goals and 47 points in 68 regular-season games, but was first in team scoring in the playoffs with 7 points in 7 games, as Blainville-Boisbriand was eliminated in the first-round by Sherbrooke. The 5'11",165lb pivot can play right wing, and is currently ranked #105 by Central Scouting for North American players.

Desjardins is an excellent playmaker with well-developed IQ and vision, and seems calm and poised with the puck on his blade as he works to find passing seams and open ice. He is able to connect on difficult passes to teammates in high-danger through traffic, and his deliveries are well-timed with just the right amount of velocity needed, and right to the recipient's wheelhouse with accuracy. His distribution arsenal includes saucers, backhands, cross-ice, and cross-crease passes, and he can dish in full flight. He's not a dangerous shooter as his shot is fairly average and not that powerful, but he can pick corners on unsuspecting netminders, and owns a pretty hard one-timer. He's not afraid to drive inside, or go the net to bulge the twine, and battles hard in the trenches, never shying away from the rough-going- although he's not particularly physical himself. Desjardins employs a high work-rate and competes hard, utilizing his relentless motor to win battles, and establish body position- he's a plucky forechecker who pursues puck-carriers to pressure and disrupt. At the present time, he doesn't possess high-end speed, but he's uncommonly slippery and elusive with smooth edgework and agility, and he can pivot, change pace, or stop on a dime. He's strong on his skates, and difficult to knock off the puck. In transition, he relies on quick touches and works give-and-goes to contribute. Off the puck, he relocates intelligently after dishing off, and positions himself well to proactively shut down incoming rushes.

Though he obviously contributes to his teams offense (the Armada were ranked 12th in goals-for), Desjardins gets noticed most by a fair margin for his stellar defensive play and though he's quite young, he's one of the QMJHL's best defensive forwards. He wields a keen attention to detail, and exhibits solid habits- he doesn't cheat, and is very reliable and hard-working in his own zone. He knows where the puck is going before it gets there due to his acute anticipation and awareness, and executes smart positioning to rack up stops with his active stick. Though his defensive game is well-polished, it would seem that many of his physical tools are raw, with the need to improve his strength and speed for the next level- and adding a layer of physicality wouldn't hurt, either. He's a fairly cerebral player with the puck, but developing his shot is a must in order to be more unpredictable, and to add another dimension to his offensive repertoire. Look for him in later rounds.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Calgary Boy Lost in America Edition):

At the 2024 All-American Prospects Game, which is kind of the USA's version of the CHL Top Prospects Game, LD Finn McLaughlin made the highlight reel and got scouts talking with a beautiful goal, where he walked in from the blueline, deked around an opponent up high, and beat the goalie with a laser of a wrister high-glove. McLaughlin was born in Calgary and grew up in Canmore, but holds dual citizenship, even suiting up for Team USA in the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he posted 1 assist in 5 games. In 2022-23, the 6'2",194lb rearguard put up pretty good numbers as a 17 year-old for his home team, the Canmore Eagles of the AJHL, while playing behind a couple of 19 year-olds, registering 21 points in 39 games- with his father Kyle serving as an Assistant Coach, and Director of Player Development for the Eagles. McLaughlin started the 2023-24 season in the USHL with the 5th-placed Youngstown Phantoms, who selected him with their 2nd-round pick (24th-overall) in the 2022 Phase 1 Draft, but only managed 8 assists in 30 contests, playing only 13 minutes a game behind the likes of Andrew Strathmann, Sascha Boumedienne, Tory Pitner, Luke Osburn, and Islanders draft-pick Tomas Machu. He was traded to the Fargo Force, who finished the 62-game regular season in first place by 12 points, and went on to win the Clark Cup. McLaughlin's personal situation didn't improve much with Fargo, as he was designated a depth defenseman behind a cast of 19 and 20 year-olds including names like Leo Gruba, Brasen Boser, Michael Quinn, Michael Neumeier, and Tate Taylor, posting 2 goals and 4 points in 21 games. McLaughlin is ranked #132 by Central Scouting for North American Skaters.

Those who have watched him say he's much more than his numbers, and while he's been cast in a defensive role, his mind is always thinking offense. He's a smooth skater, but lacks top-end speed, acceleration, and explosiveness, which pervades many areas of his game. He displays shifty footwork to dodge checks, but doesn't win many races and simply can't separate. He flashes playmaking and creativity, but scouts say he lacks some of the tools to support his vision- but that doesn't stop him from activating off the blueline up the weak side, deking his way inside for chances, or joining the rush to act as an extra forward when the coast is clear. It takes serious skill and smarts to practice deception, and Finn is the master; he owns a deep arsenal of fakes and look-offs to manipulate opponents into doing his bidding. He will sell a move going one way, then goes in the other direction when his victim bites- which was on full display at the All-American Prospects Game. There's weight shifts, stutter steps, and changes of pace, with false angling in his stick and feet to fool his adversaries expertly. To facilitate these talents, he owns high-end puck-skills and can stickhandle in a phone booth, but he can also settle down bouncing pucks and wild passes.

McLaughlin is aggressive and physical, and there are games where plays with an edge- he hits hard along the boards, and wins battles for pucks. He is known as a puck-mover, and he passes well in transition, after using his elite deceptive abilities to escape retrievals with the puck. He has shown the ability to stretch the ice on occasion in breakouts, and can pass through traffic on his way through the neutral zone. Defensively, he covers angles proficiently and displays excellent awareness in his own zone while employing an active, well-timed stick for poke-checks, and playing physically along the wall. He keeps a tight gap and makes an effort to kill plays early in the neutral zone, but struggles against the rush at times because he can be beaten by faster attackers. His in-zone play is fairly sound though, with a willingness to dive in front of shots to make blocks, and he can effectively box opponents out from the net. It's hard to get a read on Finn's true game, but the team that selects him are getting a player who is committed to one of the finest programs in the NCAA, with the University of Denver- who are just coming off their 10th Championship win in 2024, which gives them the most titles in NCAA Hockey history. McLaughlin is too good to not have a huge breakout sooner or later if he could just fix his mobility- I just hope he's not jumping into another situation where he's miscast in a depth role due to playing on a deep blueline. Look for him in the 5th, or 6th-round.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

At the moment, the Flames have a surplus of everything except good players. They need to draft as many of those as they can get – position be damned.

I would rather have a franchise player at defense or center as those are the hardest positions to fill. I do think the Flames have some good wingers in their system and it's a matter of building through the back end and middle.

[Bingo]

Updated a half dozen more rankings. Iginla now at #9 in the consolidated.

List with Ledges

1	M Celebrini	C	1.00

2	Ivan Demidov	RW	2.59

3	A Levshunov	D	4.64

4	Zeev Buium	D	5.86

5	C Lindstrom	C	7.32
6	Sam Dickinson	D	7.59
7	Berkly Catton	C	7.73
8	Zayne Parekh	D	7.73

9	Tij Iginla	C	9.05
10	Anton Silayev	D	9.41

11	Konsta Helenius	C	10.73
12	Cole Eiserman	LW	11.32

13	C Yakemchuk	D	13.32

9th pick

Flames	7	Berkly Catton
Flames	8	Zayne Parekh
Flames	9	Tij Iginla
Flames	10	Anton Silayev
Flames	11	Konsta Helenius

28th pick

Flames	26	Ryder Ritchie
Flames	27	Terik Parascak
Flames	28	Stian Solberg
Flames	29	E.J. Emery
Flames	30	Alfons Freij

41st pick

Flames	39	Marek Vanacker
Flames	40	Dominik Badinka
Flames	41	Matvei Gridin
Flames	42	Linus Eriksson
Flames	43	Cole Hutson

64th pick

Flames	62	Leon Muggli
Flames	63	Will Skahan
Flames	64	Justin Poirier
Flames	65	Spencer Gill
Flames	66	Tarin Smith

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

At the moment, the Flames have a surplus of everything except good players. They need to draft as many of those as they can get – position be damned.

The Flames have about as thin a pipeline as a team can possibly have at C. It’s barren unless they want to start turning wingers into C’s and cross their fingers, which appears to be the case already (Honzek, Zary,Iginla if they pick him).

Flames need C. I’ll be fine if they go with a D, or even a winger if it’s clear those outweigh the available C for at least their first pick.that said, if they’re it able to draft a legitimate 1C over the next 2-3 drafts, this team will continue to spin their wheels.

We’ve seen this script before.

[getbak]

If the Flames draft Iginla, I hope the headline on the Sun on Saturday is "The Calgary Son".

[Ba'alzamon]

Originally Posted by TOfan

The Flames have about as thin a pipeline as a team can possibly have at C. It’s barren unless they want to start turning wingers into C’s and cross their fingers, which appears to be the case already (Honzek, Zary,Iginla if they pick him).

Flames need C. I’ll be fine if they go with a D, or even a winger if it’s clear those outweigh the available C for at least their first pick.that said, if they’re it able to draft a legitimate 1C over the next 2-3 drafts, this team will continue to spin their wheels.

We’ve seen this script before.

Zary was a center who was converted to wing, not the other way around. The argument can be made that the other two are too, though they were only centers at lower levels to this point.

But Zary was exclusively a center until he turned pro, at which point the Flames tried to turn him into a LW for no apparent reason.

[shotinthebacklund]

Bingo's list above is almost exactly how I hope/expect it goes. Silayev is one wildcard the other I think could be Seneke.
For the reasons I love Iginla and feel he has this intangible to be great I get the opposite from Catton, hard to put my finger on what exactly it is about his game that I get this bad feeling about. I am probably wrong, just cant shake it.

[Saqe]

If Tij isn't available at #9 which it looks like right now, I'm hoping they take Helenius. That guy is going to be a gamer and has already played against men as a center.

[Toonage]

If they're looking to speed things up, Helenius is projected to be NHL ready by this fall too.

[sureLoss]

McKenzie's final rankings are out:

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/bob-mckenzie-...rini-1.2139912




Lots of paise for Sennecke:

No. 11 is Beckett Sennecke, the Oshawa General big (almost 6-foot-3) winger who has dynamic skill and, along with Iginla, has rocketed up the draft charts with great buzz and fanfare. Sennecke was ranked by our scouting panel as high as No. 5, no lower than No. 14 and had a total of four Top 10 votes.

“I didn’t like his game one bit in the first half of the season,” said a scout, “and I absolutely loved everything about him in the second half. From January on, he took off. He was better in February than he was in January; he was better in March than he was in February; he was better in April than March. He had a great playoff.”

Sennecke has the potential to provide highlight-reel material every time the puck is on his stick. Scouts expect him to considerably fill out his frame and when he does, there’s a sense he could be something special.

“A big forward with size and high-end skill who’s just realizing how good he can be, he also seems to have an F-you vibe to his game,” said another scout. “I don’t think I’m alone in asking this question, but is it possible he could turn out to be the best forward in the draft besides Celebrini?”

“If he goes in the top five of this draft, I wouldn’t be overly surprised,” said another scout. “I feel like he’s still surging.”

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I would rather have a franchise player at defense or center as those are the hardest positions to fill. I do think the Flames have some good wingers in their system and it's a matter of building through the back end and middle.

Sure, but do you take a significantly worse player because of position?

You're extremely unlikely to get a franchise player at #9.