The fate of Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks was decided by the bounce of a lottery ball Tuesday night. No announcement has been made from the team, but GM Mike Grier has made no secret of how much they like Celebrini and how excited they are to have the right to select the consensus No. 1 across the wires. I didn't. Prospects at the 2024 NHL Draft to be held June 28 in Las Vegas.
Celebrini, who played for the San Jose Junior Sharks, will be close to his parents in the Bay Area, as his father, Rick, works for the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
Now we pretty much know where Celebrini is going. We also know the order of the next 15 picks after No. 1 in the draft. There will be scouting room discussions, video and scrutiny at the NHL Scouting Combine, but before that, we'll have a better idea of how he will be drafted. The photo is shaky, but this is my best guess right after the drawing as to how the draft would go if it were held today.
I spent the last two weeks in Finland chatting with scouts and executives for the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Men's Championship. No one has actually reached out to me until the end, but I hope some of that chat will lead to my choices below.
Let's take a closer look. Here is the first lottery mock draft after the NHL Draft. A complete Mock Draft 1.0 will be published in the coming weeks, plus several more updates featuring all 32 first-round picks and second-round mocks in the weeks leading up to the draft as we get closer to draft day. Information will also be released, so please look forward to it.
2024 NHL Mock Draft — Post-Lottery Edition
1. San Jose Sharks — Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University
After a nightmare season, a dream scenario has come true for the Sharks. The team will be acquiring a young man who played hockey in his youth in the Bay Area as the next face of the franchise. Celebrini is the obvious pick, as manager Mike Grier was particularly excited about acquiring him. He will be the cornerstone of a prospect system that also includes Boston University's talented Will Smith.
2. Chicago Blackhawks — Ivan Demidov, RW, SKA St. Petersburg
I think the Blackhawks actually have two options with this pick. They could acquire the right-handed defenseman their system lacks in Artyom Levshunov, or they could continue to strengthen their forward group with another high-end scorer to complement Connor Bedard. This is a very important pick for this franchise, but I think the big change here is acquiring Demidov and adding another cornerstone piece to the rebuild. Demidov has one more season under contract in the KHL, but he will do everything in his power to make sure it is his last season in Russia.
No. 3 Anaheim Ducks — Artyom Levshunov, right-hander, Michigan State
The Ducks have significantly strengthened their forward group over the past few seasons, drafting Leo Karlsson and acquiring Cutter Gauthier in a trade. What they have available in their system right now is a right-handed defenseman. Levshunov is a great fit as a true two-way defenseman with enough size and enough jam to handle Anaheim's battles in the Pacific Division.
No. 4 Columbus Blue Jackets — Anton Silaev, LHD, Torpedo
The Blue Jackets have a lot of needs in their system despite having a solid draft the past few years. I think they have great defensemen of the future in David Jilicek and Denton Matejczuk, who are right-handed and left-handed shooters, respectively. However, Shilayev's form could make him the No. 1 defenseman in this group. He's 6 feet 7 inches tall and is just figuring out how to use his height and size. There's a physicality and skill to his game that I think the Jackets need to take into account.
5. Montreal Canadiens — Caden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat Tigers
The Habs could go in a number of different directions here, as they still have a very good defenseman on the roster. Lindstrom might be one of the riskier choices here, but I also think his upside is what tempts the Habs. If they believe Lindstrom is their long-term center, he will allow them to develop in the midfield. Lindstrom also has good quickness, hand skills, and scoring touch. There are legitimate concerns about him struggling with injuries this season and that needs to be looked into, but the size, physicality and skill he brings really adds a new dimension to Montreal's forward lineup. I think I'll add it.
No. 6 Utah Hockey Club — Sam Dickinson, LHD, London Knights
Size clearly matters to this Hockey Ops group as they took big names Dmitri Simashev and Daniil Butt in the first round in the last draft, along with Sam Dickinson, a 6-foot-3 athlete. can be continued. Not only is he big, but he has also produced at a high level in the OHL this season. He is one of only two OHL defensemen in league history over 6 feet 3 inches tall to score 70 points in an U18 season. There are legitimate concerns about his hockey sense that need to be ironed out, but I think the tools to line him up on the back end are very appealing.
No. 7 Ottawa Senators — Zayn Parekh, right-hander, Saginaw Spirit
I think the defenseman shortage continues here, as Parekh gives the Senators something they haven't really had since the days of Erik Karlsson: a legitimate offensive, scoring defenseman. I think either Parekh or Jeev Bouium makes sense here, but as a Canadian team, I'd probably go with the Canadian player for long-term success by hanging on to him. He scored 96 points this year in the OHL, the most by a draft-eligible defenseman since 1989-90.
No. 8 Seattle Kraken — Zeev Buium, LHD, Denver
I think there are a lot of similar values, so this is the part where I start breaking them out a little bit in the draft. The Kraken prioritize forwards in their draft class, and I don't see them having a game-changing defenseman. He could be Buium. He's a dynamic offensive player who just had one of the best draft-eligible seasons ever by an NCAA defensive player. He has great skating ability and if you need proof of why it's important for the Kraken to have a dynamic element on the back end, look no further than Vancouver, where he is an hour away north. please look. I don't know if Bouium will reach Quinn Hughes' level as a pro, but he surpassed him as a freshman in the NCAAs.
9. Calgary Flames — Konsta Helenius, C, Jukrit
The Flames have a lot of needs long-term, but I think they can address a pretty significant need at center. Helenius has 5 wins and 11 losses, but is strong and has excellent dual-wielding abilities. Coming off the fourth most productive U18 season in La Liga history behind Aleksander Barkov, Mikael Granlund and Kaapo Kakko, he won't be long before he's ready for the NHL. He is currently competing in the Men's World Championship with Finland's senior national team. They would be tempted to take Tigi Iginla here, but it's also unclear whether that's the best move for the team long-term.
No. 10 New Jersey Devils — Tigi Iginla, RW, Kelowna Rockets
The Devils have spent a lot of picks on defensemen lately, so you have to think they're looking at forwards. There are good options in this range, and I would probably pick Barkley Catton here, but it would also be a sub-6 foot center. So I'm going to focus on the wing and go for Iginla, who is highly skilled with a good work ethic, quick hands, and a deadly shot. He does a lot of things well and just won a gold medal for Canada at the U18 World Championships, where the Devils brought a large team.
No. 11 Buffalo Sabers — Barkley Catton, C, Spokane Chiefs
I don't know if the Sabers intend to get another small forward here after drafting Zach Benson and Matt Savoy, but I think Catton is probably the best of the three. He has speed and dynamic skills and can create a rush. His ability to make plays in transition will greatly help the Sabers maximize the quality of their puck-moving defensemen. I think they may have to make some changes to the system to add some scale among top prospects, but this is a big gain within the range they are at.
No. 12 Philadelphia Flyers — Carter Yakemchak, Democrat, Calgary Hitmen
A big, right-shot defenseman who can move the puck and score would be an exciting addition to the Flyers' system. They have Cam York and Jamie Drysdale, but Jakemchak gives them a little more size. He is a great skater and can move the puck efficiently. He scored 30 goals in the WHL this year.
13. Minnesota Wild — Beckett Sennecke, RW, Oshawa Generals
Sennecke is one of the fastest-rising prospects this season. His performance in the OHL playoffs surprised everyone. He's a 6-foot-2 scorer who can make plays inside. The Wild have a lot of needs and I think they fall just outside of acquiring a high-end defenseman to continue building their blue line around Brock Favor.
No. 14 San Jose Sharks (via PIT) — Cole Yzerman, RW, U.S. National Team Development Program
Celebrini and Yzerman are close friends and former teammates at Shattuck-St. Paul College. Mary. I don't think this reunion will be a disadvantage, and I think it's a good thing for Yzerman, whose draft stock has declined. He just set the NTDP career record with 127 goals in two seasons. He's a solid sniper, and San Jose has a good lineup of playmakers, including last year's top pick Will Smith, so Yzerman should be able to do a lot of damage against them.
No. 15 Detroit Red Wings — Igor Chernyshov, RW, Dynamo Moscow
The Red Wings have drafted several lower-priced but higher-level players over the past few years. It will be fun to watch them swing against Chernyshov, who is a 6-foot-2 forward with a lot of skill. His numbers aren't impressive as he wasn't used much in the KHL, but it's a lot of fun to watch his tape and I think the Wings could add some scoring. Chernyshov has one year left on his KHL contract and could be transferred.
No. 16 St. Louis Blues — Michael Brandsegg Nygaard, RW, Mora
Looks like this guy already plays hockey for the St. Louis Blues. The Norwegian winger has played in a number of jams and will play a big role in the senior national team at the Men's World Championship. Brandsegg-Nygard has a good shot and decent hands, but I'm not sure if he can score at a superstar level. I think he's playing the right way and will value the culture the Blues established in their Stanley Cup years and are trying to get back to.
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