The biggest surprises from the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft

After a run as one of hockey’s top prospects, Boston University freshman Macklin Celebrini surprised no one when he became the San Jose Sharks’ first overall pick on Day 1 of the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas.

Celebrini was welcomed into the organization by Sharks franchise legend Joe Thornton – himself the No. 1 overall pick in 1997, albeit with the Boston Bruins.

Soon after, the real fun began.

No matter how many rankings and mock drafts circulate in the days and weeks leading up to the event, there are always plenty of surprises when the names are called.

Here are some of Friday’s biggest surprises, in order of appearance:

#3 – Anaheim Ducks select Beckett Sennecke

The television camera trained on his face wasn’t enough to alert Oshawa Generals right winger Beckett Sennecke that he was about to hear his name called at third by the former Ducks defenseman. ‘Anaheim Scott Niedermayer – who himself was drafted third overall by the New Jersey Devils in 1991.

Sennecke moved from 15th to 13th among North American skaters between the midterm rankings and the final draft by NHL Central Scouting. A growth spurt saw him reach 6-foot-3, and his draft stock climbed when he had 22 points in 16 games before withdrawing from the OHL Eastern Conference Final with an injury.

Boasting a blend of power and finesse in his game, Sennecke became the first player selected in the Canadian Hockey League. His selection also meant that this might not be the “year of the defenseman” after all.

Terik Parascak also seemed dreamy when the Washington Capitals drafted him 17th overall. The high-scoring right winger came out of nowhere to rack up 105 points as a WHL rookie with the Prince George Cougars in 2023-24. This propelled him into the first round after finishing 15th on the Central Scouting Bureau’s list of North American skaters.

No. 5 – Céline Dion announces the selection of Ivan Demidov by the Montreal Canadiens

With 24 Stanley Cups, including the most recent victory by a Canadian team in 1993, the Montreal Canadiens are the most famous franchise in the NHL.

Global superstar Celine Dion was born in Charlemagne, Quebec, about 15 miles from downtown Montreal. These days, as she struggles to overcome her health issues, Dion frequently attends NHL events with her three sons and considers herself a “hockey mom.”

A longtime Las Vegas resident, Dion brought her trademark emotion as she announced her hometown team’s first pick, ultra-skilled Russian right winger Ivan Demidov.

No. 6 – Tij Iginla becomes Utah Hockey Club’s first draft pick

All the buzz suggested that burgeoning sniper Iginla was destined to go No. 9 to the Calgary Flames, where his Hall of Fame father Jarome Iginla spent the best years of his NHL career and is currently a special advisor to Calgary GM and close friend Craig Conroy.

But Utah’s fledgling franchise swooped in and foiled that plan, with owners Ryan and Ashley Smith counting on Iginla to carry the torch for their franchise — but not immediately. He’ll likely return to the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League for at least one more year before turning pro.

Tij also steals bragging rights by being selected five spots higher than his highly decorated father, who was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in 1995.

Later Friday, Utah added a second first-round pick by trading three picks to the Colorado Avalanche. At No. 24, the new team selected big-time center Cole Beaudoin from the OHL’s Barrie Colts.

No. 7 – Ottawa launches a series of choices on defense by selecting Carter Yakemchuk

It was no surprise to see Belarusian defender Artyom Levshunov finish second overall behind Chicago. He is a coveted straight shooter who played against men at Michigan State University and showed a maturity to his game.

It’s surprising that four more picks were made before another defenseman was selected — and that the second defenseman targeted was Yakemchuk, the 6-foot-3, 30-goal scorer for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen.

Yakemchuk is also a right-handed shooter, as is the next defenseman selected, Zayne Parekh, at No. 9 by the Flames.

Then came the top three lefties: towering 6-foot-7 Russian Anton Silayev to New Jersey at No. 10, 6-foot-3 London Knights guard Sam Dickinson to San Jose at No. 11 and Frozen Four champion Zeev Buium of the University of Denver at Buffalo at No. 12.

No. 13 – Michael Buffer announces selection of Jett Luchanko by the Philadelphia Flyers

Perhaps the only voice that could outdo Céline on the dramatic scale, legendary ring announcer and Philadelphia native Michael Buffer took to the mic to welcome Guelph Storm center Jett Luchanko to the Flyers with the 13th pick.

No. 15 and No. 23: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Stian Solberg become the first Norwegian players selected in the first round

It was a difficult year for Sweden, which did not place any players in the first round.

A player from their second-tier professional league, Allsvenskan, was selected. But right winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard de Mora is from Oslo, Norway. When the Detroit Red Wings selected him 15th overall, he became the only Norwegian to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft.

This unique status lasted about an hour. At 23rd, Anaheim removed defender Stian Solberg from the Norwegian National League.

The final counts

By the end of the first day, only a handful of trades had taken place, all involving draft picks. The Chicago Blackhawks finished the day as the busiest team, adding a first-rounder from the Carolina Hurricanes that allowed them to add Brantford Bulldogs left winger Marek Vanacker at No. 27, along with Levshunov at No. 2 and center Sacha Boisvert from the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks at No. 18.

And while the Western Hockey League won the first part of the day, placing four players in the top 10, Parascak was the only other WHL player selected, leaving the league with a top five overall.

The Ontario Hockey League led the day with nine first-round selections, giving the Canadian Hockey League 14 first-round picks in total. No players have been selected in the first round of the 2024 QMJHL.

Of the remaining 18 players, four came from the USHL, three each from the NCAA and Russia, two from the U.S. national team development program, Finland and Norway (with one player from Sweden). Czech defenseman Adam Jiricek was selected 16th overall by the St. Louis Blues, and the group was rounded out by 6-foot-7 forward Dean Letourneau, who played Canadian prep hockey at St. Andrew’s College and was selected 25th overall by the Boston Bruins.

The second day of the draft will take place Saturday from Sphere, starting at 11:30 a.m. ET.