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NHL Mock Draft 2024: Macklin Celebrini to Sharks as we pick for every
lottery team
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After the San Jose Sharks won the first pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and
the Chicago Blackhawks won the second overall pick, draft season and
mock draft season is now fully underway. With a draft order now known,
our collection of NHL writers combined to create a mock draft of the
first 16 picks of the draft. This is our writers' best attempt to
predict what will happen on draft day based on their knowledge of the
teams they cover and what those teams covet in players.
GO DEEPER
How does Macklin Celebrini compare to recent No. 1 NHL Draft picks?
Scouts, execs weigh in
The 2024 NHL Draft will take place in Las Vegas on June 28 and 29.
* * *
## 1\. San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University
Let it now be known that there can no longer be any complaining about
the Sharks never winning a draft lottery. Let it also be known that
San Jose can roll out the red, er, teal carpet for Celebrini. This
will be a homecoming of sorts for the North Vancouver native as the
Celebrini family has maintained a residence in the Bay Area for a few
years and the Sharks fan base, which suffered through a wretched
2023-24 season, can rally around a Hobey Baker Award winner who is a
true two-way, high-end talent. He'll be a one-two punch down the
middle with Boston College star Will Smith that Mike Grier can build
around. _— Eric Stephens_
## 2\. Chicago Blackhawks: Ivan Demidov, RW, SKA St. Petersburg Jr.
(RUSSIA-JR.)
Demidov is the second-best forward in this draft. The Blackhawks are
certainly interested in defenseman Artyom Levshunov, but if they can
be guaranteed Demidov will come over to North America from Russia
after next season, Demidov would make the most sense. A future
combination of Connor Bedard and Demidov could be a ton of fun. _—
Scott Powers_
## 3\. Anaheim Ducks: Artyom Levshunov, RHD, Michigan State
As much as Anaheim would want to win the lottery one day, it didn't
particularly have to this year given the amount of young talent that
already exists in the organization. Of course, they would have made
room for Celebrini, but they've got Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish in
place now as their top two centers, along with Trevor Zegras and
Cutter Gauthier who can also play the middle. The No. 3 hole is a
great place to add Levshunov, an 18-year-old Belarusian who made a
terrific transition to college hockey in his freshman season. He's got
the kind of size that GM Pat Verbeek wants on his blue line and is
already earning plaudits for a strong two-way game. With him being a
right shot, it could give the Ducks a potential terrific top four of
Levshunov and Tristan Luneau on the right side across from Pavel
Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger on the left. _— Eric Stephens_
## 4\. Columbus Blue Jackets: Cayden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat (WHL)
The Blue Jackets will have a difficult choice to make at No. 4,
especially if both Demidov and Levshunov are gone, because I think
their group would be fond of both. They're also in a unique position
with a strong young group of forwards (led by Adam Fantilli and some
talented wingers) and pool on defense (led by David Jiricek and Denton
Mateychuk). I think Russian D Anton Silayev would make a lot of sense,
what with their contingent of Russians on the roster, but the idea of
a one-two punch of Fantilli and Lindstrom — who both play similar
styles and have desired size and skating ability — down the middle
might be too much for them to pass up (their pool is also thinner at
center than on the wing). _— Scott Wheeler_
### _ **TRADE: The Canadiens trade the No. 5 pick in the draft to the
Calgary Flames for the No. 9 pick and the Vancouver Canucks first-
round pick in 2024.**_
## 5\. Calgary Flames (via trade with Montreal Canadiens): Zeev Buium,
LHD, Denver
Flames fans _really_ want Tij Iginla at ninth overall. But there was a
golden opportunity to trade into the top five with the Canadiens and
come away with an impact defenseman in Buium, who could translate into
a game-breaker (and a future No. 1 D-man) that Calgary desperately
needs. Buium found himself in the top-10 in scoring among NCAA players
as a freshman defenseman and in the top-20 in average points per game.
The high-end skill set that makes him effective in all phases of the
game should help soften the blow of not drafting their franchise
icon's offspring. _— Julian McKenzie_
## 6\. Utah: Anton Silayev, LHD, Torpedo (RUSSIA)
Last year, the franchise formerly known as Arizona used two top-12
picks on Russians. This year, they're running it back again, taking
the 6-foot-7 behemoth Silayev, whose 11 points in the KHL this season
were the most ever for a U18 skater — forward or defense — in Russia's
top league. There is a case to be made for them to target more of a
pure puck mover on the blue line, but adding Silayev to last year's
sixth overall pick, Dmitri Simashev, gives them a hulking core to
build around on the back end. _— Max Bultman_
## 7\. Ottawa Senators: Zayne Parekh, RHD, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
The Senators have one of the most barren prospect cupboards in the
entire NHL, finishing 31st in Scott Wheeler's most recent
organizational prospect ranking. At this point, they simply need to
grab the player with the most skill and upside when picking inside the
top-10. And if the draft plays out as above, Parekh being available at
No. 7 seems like a logical choice for Ottawa. This is where he seems
to be slotting in for most draft projections, right in around the
seventh overall pick. Parekh is a right-shot defenseman with a
tremendous skill set and offensive abilities, who produced a 33-goal,
96-point campaign for Saginaw this season. He has dynamic capabilities
in the offensive zone, which could certainly be something the Senators
can utilize in the years ahead. _— Ian Mendes_
## 8\. Seattle Kraken: Sam Dickinson, LHD, London Knights (OHL)
The Kraken have built a strong pool in a short period of time, but the
one thing it has missed since its inception is a premium prospect on
D. That's their target in a draft full of them and they're thrilled to
land Dickinson, a potential top-four cornerstone and the best
defenseman available at No. 8. _— Scott Wheeler_
## 9\. Montreal Canadiens: F Tij Iginla, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
With Ivan Demidov and Cayden Lindstrom gone by the fourth pick, the
worst-case scenario presented itself to the Canadiens. A decision
needed to be made to either reach for a forward at No. 5, take a
right-shot defenseman — Zayne Parekh and Carter Yakemchuk were sitting
right there — or trade down, get some additional draft capital and
still get the forward they wanted all along. We chose door No. 3, made
the trade with Calgary, added a third first-round pick (to go with the
Jets first-rounder acquired for Sean Monahan) and drafted Tij Iginla
of the Kelowna Rockets, a playoff-style forward who should help
complete the Canadiens' top-six in two years or so. We also tried to
package the Jets first-round pick and Canucks first-round pick to jump
back into the teens, but the mock GMs of the Flyers, Wild and Sharks
each said no at 12, 13 and 14, and once Beckett Sennecke was gone to
the Sharks, the pursuit ended. Still, the Canadiens come away with a
forward they love plus an additional first-round pick, which they
could use to complete a trade on the draft floor or add another
prospect. _— Arpon Basu_
## 10\. New Jersey Devils: Berkly Catton, C, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
The Devils are in a good spot here, with a talented young team that
doesn't have to chase a need. Maybe they trade this pick for help in
goal, but if they stay and pick, they'll have some good options
available to them, and this scenario is a perfect example. Catton
doesn't have ideal size, but he projects as a high-impact forward with
strong skating and a ton of offense. His draft-year numbers (54 goals,
116 points in 68 games) surpass those of recent high picks out of the
WHL, Seth Jarvis (2020) and Zach Benson (2023), both of whom
progressed quickly to the NHL. _— Max Bultman_
## 11\. Buffalo Sabres: Cole Eiserman, W, USNTDP
The Sabres should make this pick available in trade discussions this
summer. They need to upgrade their NHL roster in what could be a make-
or-break season for general manager Kevyn Adams. Their prospect pool
is loaded with talent already, so the Sabres could afford to move the
pick for a proven NHL player. That said, there are a couple of
attractive options in this scenario. Defenseman Carter Yakemchuk was a
strong consideration, but Cole Eiserman's goal-scoring talent was too
much to pass up. The rest of his game needs work, which is why he's
available at this spot, but Eiserman has the type of scoring ability
that could make him a top-line NHL winger. That's a chance worth
taking for Buffalo. _— Matt Fairburn_
## 12\. Philadelphia Flyers: Carter Yakemchuk, D, Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
The Flyers already have some young defensemen with promise in Jamie
Drysdale, Emil Andrae and Oliver Bonk, the last of whom was selected
in the first round last year and is having an outstanding season with
the London Knights. But Yakemchuk would give that group some much-
needed size — he's six-foot-three, 201 pounds — and snarl, as he was
tied for fourth in penalty minutes in the WHL this season. That he's a
right-handed shot (a heavy one) only makes him more appealing. _—
Kevin Kurz_
## 13\. Minnesota Wild: Adam Jiricek, D, Plzen (CZECHIA)
There were a few targets that were chosen right before the Wild's
pick. Cole Eiserman and Carter Yakemchuk. There was an offer to move
far down in the round. But for a Wild organization still trying to
figure out what they have in their blue-line prospect pool, Jiricek
provides another strong option. Injuries could have led him to drop
some, but he's got the size (6-2) and two-way game. _— Joe Smith_
## 14\. San Jose Sharks: Beckett Sennecke, RW, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
While it might make some sense to go with a defenseman after grabbing
Celebrini, the Sharks could continue to flesh out their forward
prospect pool by going with a skilled right wing in Sennecke. He's a
tad on the lean side but he skates really well and, at 6-foot-2,
already has good length. The 18-year-old Sennecke formed an excellent
pairing with Calum Ritchie but his success with Oshawa doesn't come
solely off playing with Colorado's 2023 first-round pick. Sennecke has
terrific hands and can play in tight, either by scoring or setting up
teammates. With other prospects like Quentin Musty and Filip Bystedt
along with Celebrini and Boston College star Will Smith, the Sharks
can soon have the makings of a strong forward pipeline up front. _—
Eric Stephens_
## 15\. Detroit Red Wings: Konsta Helenius, C, Jukurit (Finland)
Detroit has taken centers with its top pick in each of the last two
drafts, but ultimately couldn't pass up Helenius still being on the
board. His U18 production in Finland's Liiga (36 points in 51 games)
is right up there with the top draft-eligibles in the league's
history, sandwiched in between Kaapo Kakko and Patrik Laine. Helenius
is undersized, though, at 5-foot-11, and while he kept up his
production in the Liiga playoffs, he didn't have as much success in
Finland's biggest games at the U18 World Championship. Forwards with
that kind of pro production aren't easy to find though, so Detroit is
willing to overlook the size and bet on Helenius' smarts. _— Max
Bultman_
## 16\. St. Louis Blues: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, Mora (SWEDEN-2)
Doug Armstrong's blueprint is to stay competitive during the retool,
and this is the difficult part of that for some fans to swallow:
drafting in the murky middle. There were some very talented players
who almost lasted to the Blues' selection, such as defenseman Adam
Jiricek. The Blues' prospect pool is a little more stocked at forward,
but Brandsegg-Nygard will still be a nice addition. The Norway native
is an Armstrong-type player in that he's got good hockey sense, a high
compete level, and makes good decisions with the puck. _— Jeremy
Rutherford_
* * *
## Pronman's audit
The most interesting decision happens very early on in the trade
between Montreal and Calgary. Many believe Montreal's preference is to
get a talented forward in this draft. With Demidov and Lindstrom going
before their pick it makes sense for them to trade down to No. 9 if
Iginla is someone they may covet. Calgary trading up for a defenseman
at No. 5 despite three more defensemen going right after Buium is an
interesting decision. Calgary would need to be over the moon about
Buium to do so, especially if they feel Montreal is going to take a
forward with the fifth overall pick.
My hunch is that when it's all said and done, Sennecke will go higher
than 14. He's looked excellent in the OHL playoffs for Oshawa. I think
Helenius goes higher than 15 too. But there is a run on defensemen in
the middle of this mock. Six defensemen go in nine selections to
organizations that need premium defensemen, so maybe there is a chance
one of the top forwards in this draft could get all the way to Detroit
at 15.
_(Illustration: John Bradford /_ The Athletic _. Photos: Maksim
Konstantinov / SOPA Images / LightRocket, Richard T Gagnon, Michael
Miller / ISI Photos / Getty Images)_
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