The first round of the 2024 NHL Draft is here and, as expected, Macklin Celebrini was selected by the San Jose Sharks with the first overall pick.
Follow along here as each pick is announced tonight to see each player’s scouting reports and analysis of their selection.
Find out what scouts really have to say about the top prospects in Pronman’s NHL Draft Confidential and Wheeler’s NHL Scouting Survey.
Learn more: Check out our complete coverage of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
1. San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University (NCAA)
June 13, 2006 | 1.83 m | 99 kg
Level: NHL Elite Player
Comparable player: Sydney Crosby
Analysis: Celebrini has been the best player in college hockey this season and a leader on one of the best teams in the country. He checks all the boxes you look for in a top prospect and is one of the few players I’ve scouted where it’s hard to see a notable weakness. He skates very well. He has a very powerful stride with a quick first step and is able to weave through a lot of defenders. He is extremely skilled and creative with a high-level offensive sense. Celebrini makes a ton of tough plays with the puck moving, in tight areas and off a stop. He has a powerful shot and figures to run a first power play in the NHL. He’s average in size, but Celebrini is very competitive, wins a lot of battles and projects to be a two-way center in the NHL. He has all the makings of a potential superstar around whom you can build a contender.
Choose the note: B+
Thoughts on the choice: Celebrini is one of the best and most complete prospects I’ve ever seen. He checks all the boxes with an emphasis on skating, skill, hockey sense, compete and scoring ability. He definitely looks like a top-line NHL center the Sharks can build their rebuild around. He’s been the consensus No. 1 pick all season for a reason.
2. Chicago Blackhawks: Artyom Levshunov, right-handed defenseman, Michigan State University (NCAA)
October 28, 2005 | 1.88 m | 94 kg
Level: NHL Elite Player and NHL All-Star
Comparable player: Brent Burns
Analysis: Levshunov has been the best defenseman in the Big Ten this season and has been a big part of making Michigan State a top team. He is extremely skilled and creative, both as a puck handler and passer. He has the hands of a top offensive defenseman and seems very comfortable with the puck. He skates well and can play a fast style in his attacking style with his skill set. He has the offensive acumen to potentially lead a PP1 in the NHL and also has a good shot from the point. His defensive game doesn’t stand out as much, especially because he tries to attack a lot, but he can make saves due to his athleticism and physicality in his game. He is too aggressive at times and plays too much like a forward for some scouts. He makes enough saves to alleviate most of the concerns of evaluators given the amount of offense he brings. He has the potential to be an impact defenseman in the NHL who scores at a premium level.
Selection level: A-
Thoughts on the choice: In Levshunov, Chicago got my second highest-rated player in the draft, but one that wasn’t widely considered at this level. Chicago has some very good young defensemen in its organization, but Levshunov is a whole other level of talent. He was playing at a level equivalent to pond hockey two years ago and was one of the best defensemen in college hockey last season. He’s big, mobile, and has a ton of natural skill and offensive acumen. He’s a rising star who I feel was unfairly cut down in the pre-draft process. He’s a rare piece with star potential around which to build a winner.
3. Anaheim Ducks: Beckett Sennecke, RW, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
January 28, 2006 | 1.88 m | 82 kg
Level: Bubble NHL All-Star and Best Player on the Roster
Comparable player: Kyle Connor
Analysis: Sennecke’s point total this season isn’t obvious, but he was very good in the second half of the season and was one of the best players in the OHL playoffs. He measures 1.88 m, skates quite well for his size and has skills that make the difference. He is one of the most creative puck handlers in the draft and the fact that he can make those tough plays at full speed makes him very intriguing at the NHL level. He sees the ice well and is creative as a passer, but not in terms of his one-on-one abilities. There were times when I questioned his competitiveness and consistency, but he answered those questions as the season progressed. His rating is rising sharply and he seems to be a player who can make a difference at the next level.
Choose the note: B-
Thoughts on the choice: Sennecke is a dynamic winger who, in his best games, is one of the most impactful players in the class. Based on how he looked in the final months of the season, I’m completely on board with this choice. He has the potential to be a front-line winger with star potential if he really succeeds. I question Anaheim’s fit, given the number of talented young forwards they have, although I assume Trevor Zegras is on his way out. There were some very good defensive prospects on the board that they passed up as well. We’ll see how Anaheim makes all the pieces fit, and if they felt too uncomfortable with Russian variable Anton Silayev, I understand this move.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets: Cayden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
February 3, 2006 | 6′ 3″ | 214 lbs
Level: Top player
Comparable player: Chris Kreider
Analysis: Lindstrom started the season hot for the first few months. He was then injured for most of the second half of the season, between a hand and back injury. When healthy, he is an elite athlete. He has the quick feet of a small forward and can get past opposing defenders. He is a big, powerful center with a lot of physicality to his game. Lindstrom has good offensive skills and can score goals. His playmaking ability is something I have questioned at times, although he has shown some good examples this season. He has the potential to be a true No. 1 center if he hits it, although I don’t see many centers in the NHL who play like him and I could see him being pushed to the wing.
Choose the note: B-
Thoughts on the choice: Lindstrom is considered Columbus’ potential second-line center between Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger. All three of those players are very mean and have great scoring ability. Lindstrom’s hockey sense and injury history would have made me hesitate at fourth overall, but I’m assuming Columbus got the green light from their doctors to make that pick. I don’t know if he’ll ever become the NHL’s leading point producer, but Lindstrom has a unique skill set that coaches will love and he has the potential to help create an identity for a Columbus team that people hate playing against.
5. Montreal Canadiens: Ivan Demidov, RW, SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)
December 10, 2005 | 6′ 0″ | 192 pounds
Level: NHL All-Star
Comparable player: Lucas Raymond
Analysis: Demidov has clearly been the best player in the Russian junior league over the past two seasons. He is the most talented player in the draft and is extremely creative in his plays with the puck. He has excellent motor skills, attacks the net consistently and competes hard to win the puck. Demidov has created scoring chances on seemingly every shift this season. Although he can make a power play when the game slows down, he makes a lot of plays on the move. He’s a powerful but clumsy-looking skater who’s a bit on his knees and relies on his edge work but does well. He’s also not the greatest winger, so it’s questionable how his game will translate at higher levels. I see a potential high-level winger who will score a lot and play a style of play that the coaches will like.
Selection level: B+
Thoughts on the choice: With Demidov, Montreal gets the most talented player in the draft. He brings a decisive element to their system that they didn’t have before. He has the potential to become a star for them in the long run. They were one of the few teams to ask their foreign decision maker to watch him live, and they were obviously very comfortable with the idea of seeing him. He projects as a top winger on the line and on the power play alongside rising star Juraj Slafkovsky.
(Illustration: Sean Reilly / Athleticism; photos: David Berding, Maksim Konstantinov / SOPA Images / LightRocket, Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)