The San Jose Sharks are the big winners after the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, landing the No. 1 pick and Macklin Celebrini with it. Celebrini is nowhere near as highly touted as Connor Bedard was a year ago, but nevertheless he’s an absolute lock to be the first pick — with a considerable fall off after that.
Don’t mistake that with the idea that the 2024 NHL Draft class is bad, but rather that Celebrini is such a safe pick to make an impact in the league that he’ll become a top forward for the Sharks for the next decade or more. After Celebrini is gets a little more iffy though, so let’s dive into the mock with deeper explanations of the Top 5 picks.
No. 1: San Jose Sharks — Macklin Celebrini, C (Boston University, NCAA)
The SEVENTEEN year-old Celebrini already looks like he’s NHL-ready. He boasts a 6’0, 186-pound frame with room to add more muscle at the next level, and has incredible balance to his game as both a distributor and scorer.
It’s been a tremendous year for Celebrini, who not only recorded 32 goals and 32 assists for Boston University in 38 games, but lit the World Junior Championships on fire by recording 8 points in five games for Canada.
The Sharks have been sorely lacking a puck-dominant creator at center, and now they land the franchise cornerstone they’ve been missing.
No. 2: Chicago Blackhawks — Ivan Demidov, RW (St. Petersburg, MHL)
The Blackhawks could go in a lot of directions here, and none would specifically be wrong. The choice comes down to whether that want the guarantee of someone coming in right away to win games, or if they’re willing to wait another year to potentially grab greatness.
The latter is the better pick here. There’s no guarantee Demidov will move from Russia immediately, but the upside is just too good to pass up. A tremendously unselfish wing, Demidov is an elite passing forward with excellent puck handling traits. Good things will follow when you have two players like that on the same line.
Fans in Chicago might need to wait another year, but watch out when Demidov makes the jump.
No. 3: Anaheim Ducks — Artyom Levshunov, D (Michigan State, NCAA)
You’re going to hear “toss up” a lot when it comes to picks 2-through-5, and that’s because it’s very difficult to predict what teams will prioritize. The Ducks are in dire need of a point-per-game forward, but I’m not sold they can find one at No. 3.
The truth is: This team has a lot of needs, and when there are multiple directions you can go in, you end up taking a sure thing. Levshunov is a big defender at 6’2, 208-pounds who has better offensive traits than he’s given credit for.
This is a safe pick, but one that also makes too much sense for a team in dire need of ensuring they get a top player.
No. 4: Columbus Blue Jackets — Cayden Lindstrom, C (Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL)
A stronger performance in the playoffs would have made Lindstrom a Top 3 lock, but faltering a little down the stretch has spooked some analysts. I think this is mostly unfair. Sure, there are questions about why he was so ineffective in four games for the Tigers in the postseason, but the body of work (and the body itself) are impossible to ignore.
Lindstrom is a mountain of a player at 6’4, 216-pounds with a bruising style reminiscent of a young Joe Thornton. He’s not nearly as a good as a distributor as Thornton was at his age, with Lindstrom preferring to create for himself — but on an NHL roster he can develop these traits.
Slotting him in as the Blue Jackets’ long-term No. 2 center behind Adam Fantilli makes too much sense.
No. 5: Montreal Canadiens — Tij Iginla, F (Kelowna Rockets, WHL)
The Canadiens find themselves in a position where they have to swing for the fences. The safety pick here would be more defense, but at this point Montreal needs scorers — and Iginla is the best one on the board.
Tij is the son of the legendary Jarome Iginla (yes, we’re all getting old) and has major shades of his dad’s game. He’s got good size, excellent balance, and a desire to play hard up front. The question is whether this can translate to the NHL.
Montreal is in a spot where they have to roll the dice and hope. Playing it safe hasn’t gotten the Canadiens anywhere, and there’s a legitimate chance the unpolished but talented Iginla could become a star.
No. 6: Utah — Zayne Parekh, D (Saginaw Spirit, OHL)
No. 7: Ottawa Senators — Berkly Catton, F (Spokane Chiefs, WHL)
No. 8: Seattle Kraken — Anton Silayev, D (Torpedo, KHL)
No. 9: Calgary Flames — Sam Dickinson, D (London Knights, OHL)
No. 10: New Jersey Devils — Konsta Helenius, C (Jukurit, Liiga)
No. 11: Buffalo Sabres — Zeev Buium, D (University of Denver, NCAA)
No. 12: Philadelphia Flyers — Cole Eiserman, LW (USNTDP)
No. 13: Minnesota Wild — Carter Yakemchuck, D (Calgary Hitmen, WHL)
No. 14: San Jose Sharks, via Pittsburgh— Trevor Connelly, LW (Tri-City Storm, USHL)
No. 15: Detroit Red Wings — Liam Greentree, RW (Windsor Spitfires, OHL)
No. 16: St. Louis Blues — Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW (Mora, SHL)
No. 17: Washington Capitals — Igor Chernyshov, LW (Dynamo Moskava, KHL)
No. 18: New Jersey Islanders — Andrew Basha, F (Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL)
No. 19: Vegas Golden Knights — Beckett Sennecke, RW (Oshawa Generals, OHL)
No. 20: Chicago Blackhawks, via Tampa Bay — Charlie Elick, D (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)
No. 21: Los Angeles Kings — Sacha Boisvert, C (Muskegon Lumberjacks, USHL)
No. 22: Nashville Predators — Teddy Stiga, LW (USNTDP)
No. 23: Toronto Maple Leafs — Miguel Marques, F (Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL)
No. 24: Anaheim Ducks, via Edmonton — Michael Hage, C (Chicago Steel, USHL)
The order of picks 25-30 will be determined by the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is a projection based on current series via Tankathon.
No. 25: Colorado Avalanche — Harrison Brunicke, D (Kamloops Blazers, WHL)
No. 26: Ottawa Senators, via Boston — Ryder Ritchie, F (Prince Albert Raiders, WHL)
No. 27: Montreal Canadiens, via Winnipeg — Dean Letourneau, C (St. Andrew’s College, PHC)
No. 28: Carolina Hurricanes — Terik Parascak, RW (Prince George Cougars, WHL)
No. 29: Calgary Flames, via Vancouver — Nikita Artamonov, RW (Torpedo, KHL)
No. 30: Philadelphia Flyers, via Florida — Adam Jirichek, D (HC Plzen, Czech Extraliga)
No. 31: Dallas Stars — Ben Danford, D (Oshawa Generals, OHL)
No. 32: New York Rangers — Cole Beaudoin, C (Barrie Colts, OHL)