2024 NHL Draft Thread

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

I wont be mad, but maybe a little disappointed if we end up with a top 10 pick and take a dman. Not that I dont think there are some great guys available, but dmen are much easier to acquire than a top line center or game breaking winger.

In terms of player value I think it should go:

Center > Number 1 Dman > Winger

Wingers tend to be more replaceable - the top NHL teams are always built at center with a strong top pairing dman.

If none of Celebrini, Catton, or Lindstrom are available then I'd have no issue drafting the best available d-man, especially if a guy falls from the top 5 or so.

[devo22]

I'd prefer a center (Lindstrom remains my favourite player in this class), but there are some interesting defensemen that I'd absolutely be happy with. Nothing wrong with someone like Dickinson, for example.

[Monahammer]

See, I would put a few of the Dmen ahead of Catton, and personally have at least 1 above Lindstrom too. But I have developed a big Buium crush.

IMO we are falling back in love with the notion of Dub guys too much. Catton reminds me a lot of middlestadt- not a bad player, but took quite a while to find offensive footing in the show. 6 seasons until he was productive.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by dammage79

But he straight up sucks everywhere else. Like really really badly. One trick ponies don't tend to stick around at the NHL level. Like....he's closer IMO to that wunderkind the Oilers had before they truly tanked. What the heck was his name. It's been a long standing joke he'd have 1300 points by now. And it definitely looks like Eiserman doesn't have an interest in actually impov8ng the 200ft game either. It's not a good look and is why he was left off Tema U.S.A


As for Lindstrom. 10lbs of muscle on that frame and he's unstoppable. He's not soft either. I Appreciate the difference of opinion.

I, too, appreciate the difference in opinion. This is the first year I have felt really dramatically different about certain players than the vast majority. To each their own!

I do think the shortcomings on D are being played up for Eiserman. I don't see him as less committed on D than Ryan Leonard, for example. That said I think his development track is partially to blame here. He's been playing for a powerhouse for so long and has never had to learn to play d. His team usually has possession.

Where I think he really struggles is play without the puck. He's not good at finding lanes and open ice to receive passes, and his skating is janky. But vision is good when he's carrying the puck and he carries it well. The shot is unreal. IMO this is a moldable player still and he has generational level skill at the hardest part of the game.

I also think the story of him being left off Team USA is overblown. They only took one draft eligible player, Buium, who is a rocket up many draft lists and is putting up epic numbers in the NCAA as a freshman. I am not sure it was really a slight on Eiserman- we aren't all saying that Canada snubbed Lindstrom for comparison. I'd say they made the right choice too as they took home Gold (also Zeev looked great.)

[sureLoss]

Pronman's mid season rankings are out:

https://theathletic.com/5237141/2024...nking-pronman/

Tier 1 - Elite NHL Player
1. Celebrini

Tier 2- NHL All Star
2. Silyaev
3. Yakemchuk
4. Lindstrom
5. Levshunov

Tier 3 - Bubble NHL All-Star and top of the lineup player
6. Catton
7. Dickinson
8. Demidov
9. Eiserman

Tier 4 - Top of the lineup player
10. Parekh
11. Helenius
12. Buium
13. Jiricek

Tier 5 - Bubble top and middle of the lineup player
14. Connelly
15. Iginla
16. Brandsegg-Nygard
17. Chernyshov

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Pronman's mid season rankings are out:

https://theathletic.com/5237141/2024...nking-pronman/

Tier 1 - Elite NHL Player
1. Celebrini

Tier 2- NHL All Star
2. Silyaev
3. Yakemchuk
4. Lindstrom
5. Levshunov

Tier 3 - Bubble NHL All-Star and top of the lineup player
6. Catton
7. Dickinson
8. Demidov
9. Eiserman

Tier 4 - Top of the lineup player
10. Parekh
11. Helenius
12. Buium
13. Jiricek

Tier 5 - Bubble top and middle of the lineup player
14. Connelly
15. Iginla
16. Brandsegg-Nygard
17. Chernyshov

Yakemchuk at 3??

[SuperMatt18]

After Celebrini it really seems like a crap shoot this year.

2 through about 16 seem to really vary list to list.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

After Celebrini it really seems like a crap shoot this year.

2 through about 16 seem to really vary list to list.

I've seen some people rank Helenius in the early second round. Pronman has Yakenchum near the top of the draft, whereas others have him in the midfirst. Brandsegg-Nygård is similarly all over the place.

It's going to be a wild draft with a lot of risers and fallers.

[Ped]

Sportsnet's latest has Tij at 10:


https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article...024-nhl-draft/

[Sandman]

More Draft Thoughts:

D Adam Kleber has the profile of a player that most NHL GM's would salivate over: that of a 6'5",215lb mobile right-handed defenseman. Kleber is already a shutdown D who plays big minutes for Lincoln of the USHL, but he's also 25th in scoring from the backend in that league, with 16 points in 30 games currently. Respectable feat, when you consider that his team currently sits 6th out of 8 teams in the West, and 12th out of 16, with a goals-for that ranks second-worst in that circuit. Kleber leads his own team from the backend by 5 points over the next highest scoring D, a player who has played 6 more games. Kleber's offensive contributions can't be overlooked.
AK is not an elite passer or playmaker, but makes consistently good decisions, and is much more effective when keeping things simple. He's very mobile, especially for a big man, and can keep pace with smaller forwards. He's strong on his skates, and nearly impossible to knock off the puck, but could still use work on his explosiveness, top speed, and lateral agility- still, it's hard to get around him with his enormous wingspan. Kleber is a very good defensive player, who makes impressive reads to intercept passes and break up plays, and has effective gap control. He's imposing down low, good against the rush, keeps the crease clean, and uses his big body and well positioned stick to clog lanes. He can sometimes take himself out of the play looking to physically engage, so he will need to learn to pick his spots. His head is up, scanning for options on retrievals, and makes quality breakout passes under pressure. Kleber plays a robust physical game, and is hard against the wall. In the other end of the ice, he will sometimes jump into the play, and can cause havok with his booming shot from the point. There's definitely plenty of offensive inclination here, and some good instincts, but this part of his game might not end up being his bread and butter in the pros.
The Portland Winterhawks of the WHL thought enough of Kleber to select him 34th overall in the WHL US Draft, but obviously he wanted to go the college route, as he has committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. This means that he's got plenty of time to round out his game, improve his play with the puck, and top up his skating. We still don't know exactly what kind of player Kleber is, but I would guess his ceiling is a Brian Dumoulin-type, who can move the puck and play sound defense. Most likely a third-rounder, if he doesn't go late 2nd.

Most of us who are avid draft followers are often guilty of becoming enamoured with certain prospects over others, and I'm perhaps the worst. Last year, I kept touting the names of two defensemen who I REALLY liked for the second/third rounds, in Tristan Bertucci and Quinton Burns. I didn't see my wish of the Flames picking up one, or both, of these players (and I'm not sure they were even interested), as Bertucci was picked in the 2nd round by Dallas, and Burns went in the 3rd round to St. Louis. It's all good, as I was more than fine with who we got, but I may have to start up a similar campaign this year in regards to another defenseman, 6'4", 195lb righty, Colton Roberts of the Vancouver Giants. I'm not the only one who likes this kid, as Central Scouting has given him a "B" rating- meaning they feel he's a 2nd, or 3rd-round pick, and the Giants picked him 11th overall in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft. Roberts is currently 2nd on the team in scoring for D, and 14 points ahead of the next highest-scoring D, with 7 goals and 21 points in 46 games, to go with 43 PIM. Pretty respectable when one considers that Vancouver currently sits in 16th place out of 22 teams, and has the 5th-worst goals-for.
If you're wondering how Roberts would look on a better team, consider his performance in the CHL Top Prospects Game for Team Red, though it's a small sample size: 2 primary assists, 4 shots to lead team Red, and a +3 that led all skaters. Very noticeable all game as well. In the on-ice testing leading up to the prospects game, Roberts finished 3rd (and had 6 top-5 finishes) amongst 14 WHL players- including 2nd place in "transition agility with puck", and 3rd place in "30m backwards skate with puck". This is an indication of how good a skater he is, and he can use his mobility to drive play. He's a strong, all-around player who is excellent at both ends of the ice, and has a better offensive game than his stats suggest. He's a sneaky-good playmaker, and a skilled passer, who can connect perfectly through traffic to high-danger. His point shot has velocity and accuracy, and he gets it on net with regularity. He distributes well from the line, but has top-notch vision and anticipation in all 3 zones. He's getting more and more confident in carrying the puck, will join the rush (at he showed at the Prospects game), and he handles the puck quite smoothly. He's strong defensively, eats minutes, competes hard, and has a solid dose of truculence. He's very hard to play against in a number of ways. Roberts needs to fine-tune some of the details in his game, and can be caught puck-watching while losing his man, but I love this kid. Second round all day.

[Sandman]

In regards to Lindstrom, he does more than just dominate with his size. He also dominates with speed and skill, and can play in any style of game.

[sureLoss]

wrong thread

[Canada 02]

I was wondering if the Flames might draft a defenseman with their top pick, given the many top prospects on the back end, but adding a couple blue line prospects in this trade helps the organization depth

[Sandman]

So I guess we get to talk about who we hope to get with our SECOND first rounder?

[keenan87]

I wonder if the Flames trade their 2nd + Van 1st for an earlier pick in the first round. Maybe the 18-22 range?

[Kipper_3434]

Wouldn't be shocked at all to see Iginla drafted in the top 10. The kid is going to be good and hasn't even filled out yet, once he grows up and gets on his dad's training program he's gonna be unstoppable.

[InternationalVillager]

what are the Flames chances of getting Ivan Demidov? I'm pretty sure Tij Iginla will be available at their pick for sure also but he's not currently modelling as a Star. Demidov is modelling as a sure fire one.

[Canada 02]

Desperate need for center prospects especially if Zary and Honzek remain wingers

[ForeverFlameFan]

So with the Lindholm trade, are we likely to put an emphasis on drafting forwards (unless a D man falls way lower than expected?

What type of high risk/high reward forward could we be looking to pick with Vancouver’s 1st?

[devo22]

give me Beckett Sennecke. Projects to be picked in the 20s and I like everything I've read about this kid.

The downside? He's another winger, albeit a RW, which wouldn't be the worst thing. Plus, they can just draft a center like Lindstrom with their first pick