2024 NHL DRAFT Talk

[Flashsabre]

6 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

It's time for the 1-32 mock draft. 

1. San Jose Sharks - Mack Celebrini
2. Chicago Blackhawks - Artyom Levshunov
3. Anaheim Ducks - Sam Dickinson
4. Columbus Blue Jackets - Anton Silayev
5. Montreal Canadiens - Cayden Lindstrom
6. Utah - Ivan Demidov
7. Ottawa Senators - Beckett Sennecke 
8. Seattle Kraken - Zeev Buium
9. Calgary Flames - Tij Iginla
10. New Jersey Devils - Berkly Catton
11. Buffalo Sabres - Zayne Parekh, first of all I did not plan this. He just kinda ended up available and maybe that is my bad. I can see him going to anyone of 3 other teams above us. Second, he's not that small even though ik that will be a major criticism. He's 6.25 and 178lbs so he has some bulking up to do but this isn't Jacob Bryson. He skates very well and has all of the tools in the toolbox he needs to be a top pairing defender. He is the type of player that you send back to jrs for a couple years and then let him run a year in the AHL and you could get a really really good defender. He is a RHD as well. Simply put, there is far too much skill and talent to let Parekh slide any further even if some won't like his profile. Should I have mocked him to someone else earlier? Maybe? Still that is how this went.
12. Philadelphia Flyers - Carter Yakemchuk
13. Minnesota Wild - Konsta Helenius
14. San Jose Sharks (from Pittsburgh Penguins) - Cole Eiserman
15. Detroit Red Wings - Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
16. St. Louis Blues - Adam Jiricek
17. Washington Capitals - Stian Solberg
18. Chicago Blackhawks (from New York Islanders) - Liam Greentree
19. Vegas Golden Knights - Sacha Boisvert
20. New York Islanders (from Tampa Bay Lightning via Chicago Blackhawks) - Trevor Connelly
21. Los Angeles Kings - Michael Hage
22. Nashville Predators - Cole Beaudoin
23. Toronto Maple Leafs - Jett Luchanko
24. Colorado Avalanche - Igor Chernyshov
25. Boston Bruins (from Boston Bruins via Detroit Red Wings via Ottawa Senators) - Dean Letourneau
26. Montreal Canadiens (from Winnipeg Jets) - RJ Emery
27. Carolina Hurricanes - Andrew Basha
28. Calgary Flames (from Vancouver Canucks) - Charlie Elick
29. Dallas Stars - Teddy Stiga
30. New York Rangers - Dominik Badinka
31. Anaheim Ducks (from Edmonton) - Julius Miettinen
32. Philadelphia Flyers (from Florida) - Ryder Ritchie

This was fun. I tried to look at what teams had and some trends I see in their drafting but here we go. I will be about 98% wrong so take it for the fun it is. 

Parekh sticks out like a sore thumb on the ice. He is literally everywhere. A whirling furnish of a player. The Erik Karlsson comparisons are very apt. And he is more than a PP qb. I agree with you if he fell he is just too talented to pass up.

[LGR4GM]

Kevyn Adams just mentioned on WGR that the morning of the 2022 draft they moved Östlund up 1 spot and then ended up getting him at that spot (which implies to me that the player they moved him in front of was still available). That is very interesting considering I feel Östlund is one of the players the fanbase in general is pretty meh on. 

[dudacek]

5 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Kevyn Adams just mentioned on WGR that the morning of the 2022 draft they moved Östlund up 1 spot and then ended up getting him at that spot (which implies to me that the player they moved him in front of was still available). That is very interesting considering I feel Östlund is one of the players the fanbase in general is pretty meh on. 

My impression was always that the Sabres were very divided on Östlund and Kulich, and that Kulich was literally the next player on their list.

The fact that they made the call between the two that morning is interesting.

[LGR4GM]

Hello, do you have moment to talk about Michael Brandsegg-Nygård

[DarthEbriate]

 

2 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Hello, do you have moment to talk about Michael Brandsegg-Nygård

I feel much better with him at 14 than at 11.

My fear with Nygård is you look back 7 seasons later and say “we got a really good middle-six player” and then the pick 17 winger is a top liner from his third season onward and surpasses 1000 career points. And could still be happy with Brandsegg. 

[LGR4GM]

Just now, DarthEbriate said:

 

I feel much better with him at 14 than at 11.

My fear with Nygård is you look back 7 seasons later and say “we got a really good middle-six player” and then the pick 17 winger is a top liner from his third season onward and surpasses 1000 career points. And could still be happy with Brandsegg. 

This, right here, is the biggest concern with Nygard. 

[ska-T Chitown]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

This, right here, is the biggest concern with Nygard. 

Isn't it nice when someone else makes your point for you? lol

[French Collection]

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/masters-michael-brandsegg-nygard-hopes-hard-hitting-game-leads-to-history-for-norway-at-nhl-draft-1.2141129
 

Brandsegg-Nygard interview with TSN.

Said he always liked Ovie. He was told his game was like Kreider so he started watching him and does find similarities.

[LGR4GM]

Liam Greentree, Igor Chernyshov, Sacha Boisvert, and Andrew Basha are all players outside of Michael Brandsegg-Nygård who would be options at #14. 

Liam Greentree is a 6'2.5" and 215lb LW who is basically Matt Boldy. I saw this comparison in EP draft guide and yea... like a freaking clone of Boldy almost. Okay, the good on this dude is he dropped 36g, 90pts in 64 OHL games. On top of that, he was 24pts clear of his next closest teammate and the captain so not only was he good, he drove his team and lead them. I think Greentree is one of the smartest players in this draft and you see that in what I would describe as an advanced advanced playmaking skillset. He uses his body to shield pucks, get defenders to commit and then will slip passes through small windows to teammates with regularity. His off the wall game reminds me a bit of my bud Nygard. So why have I not been yelling about this awesome guy? He's not fast enough. His short area quickness and acceleration are simply not good enough. If you saw some of the U18's or read up on them, Greentree wasn't a big factor and the reason was he was a half step behind. Good news is he has some nice edges so maybe with a good skating coach he goes from below average to above but it limits his game and I think that even shows on some highlights. 

Andrew Basha is a 5'11.25" and 187lbs LW who has a high motor and pretty solid checking game. If you watch his highlights, he has a good shot and some really clever ideas in the offensive zone that goes with some speedy skating. His skating stands out most to me as he has the ability to disconnect his lower body from his upper body while maintaining speed. This is something Benson and Quinn do a lot where their lower body goes left but they are already moving right. His playmaking stands out to me as does his ability to get in quick and force turnovers. 14 would be a bit early on him as 20s is a more appropriate range but this draft has a grouping that is basically 16-28 so pick your poison. Basha put up 30g, 85pts in 63 games in the WHL and would be a solid addition. I really like the player and to be truthful if I was doing a list this year (I haven't had time, sorry) I would put him in my top 20. He's a bit underrated IMPO. 

Igor Chernyshov is a 6'2" and 196lb LW who played 34 KHL games this year which is unusual for an 18yr old especially since his team is Dynamo. The guy at the jr level only had 2pp points out of the 28 he scored in 22 games. The MHL is a weird league though. One quote since I have it open "“He’s got some skill with the puck and some really good work ethic, too. His numbers fell off a bit with the KHL team, but I still like his potential to be an NHL forward. I think he can generate offence, he’s big… I’m just a fan of his game. I think he can kind of be a power forward. I always like the work rate. He hustles and plays with intensity.” – Eastern Conference scout, May 2024" I think his acceleration is very good, there are quite a few clips in both the KHL and MHL where he just takes 3-4 strides and can coast because he separated from the defenders chasing. There is good mobility too as he can weave in and out while also hitting top speed in 2or so strides. His shot is good but maybe in the bottom 2 on this list. The thing I do like is in jr you can see him get it off with dudes on him, sticks on him, scoreboards falling on him, he don't care. Still something to work on. His playmaking is nice, there are a lot of little slip passes and look offs and yea... love it. Overall he is a power forward in the making who needs to improve his shot but has all the off puck stuff you need to be a solid middle 6 player. 

Sacha Boisvert is a 6'2" and 183lb C who is best known for not only his shot but also for his physical game. He hits *****. He's got a really nice wrist shot too that he will release in traffic or will bounce off a defender to give himself space to send it. His passing is nice but I agree with what others have written, he misses some of the plays and lanes that open. He's more of a straightforward type of player which is fine, think more JJP than Benson in terms of playmaking specifically. There are a lot of ppl who question his skating and the odd part is I get it but also he has a lot of side to side east/west plays so the agility looks good, but I see the stride mechanic issues of not extending fully and having a high stance. Still at the jr level he gets around well most of the time. Boisvert was the 2nd best player on his team and put up 36g and 68pts in 61 games. That puts him at 20th for ppg in the USHL behind players like Eiserman (1.42), Stiga (1.41), and Hage (1.38) for reference. I am a bit cautious on Boisvert because I really like him, he checks hard, drives the net, gets pucks off boards, but the production is a touch lacking. I think that some of that is the skating, he seems fast but if you really watch he isn't. Anyways, he is a 20s guy but at 14 if you believe in the skating improving you could do worse than him. 

I tried to really pull guys that are known for having solid 2-way checking games but also good skills. They just all happen to be LW or at least shoot left but that was just happenstance. Basha is the only sub 6ft guy but I felt his overall game and strong checking ability deserved a spot here. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (6'.75" 207lbs) has been covered enough and would probably lead this group if I were to rank them, although I would say that Chernyshov and Greentree in particular are right there with him. Either way, if Buffalo keeps the pick, 14 has options and here are some to think about. 

[LGR4GM]

 

[LGR4GM]

EP's mock draft has us take the following: https://eprinkside.com/2024/06/28/the-ep-rinkside-three-round-2024-nhl-mock-draft

14 - Konsta Helenius, 5'11" 189lb C

42 - Adam Kleber, 6'5" 214 RHD

43 - Julius Miettinen, 6'3" 201lb C/LW

76 - Kevin He, 5'11" 181lb LW

[LGR4GM]

Look at the Sphere, which is pretty cool

[OverPowerYou]

F5 trade

[Shoot da Puck]

Oh no it's draft day, quick hide

[mjd1001]

This is how I think the draft goes...grading the position the players are taken regardless of team/team need selecting, simply the order I think they will go based on talent/potential:

1. Celebrini

2. Levshunov

3. Demidov

4. Lindstrom

5. Silayev

6.  Buium

7. Parekh

8. Dickinson

9. Sennecke

10. Catton

11. Yakemchuk

12. Iginla

13. Eiserman

14. Helenius

15. Nygard

16. Jiricek

17. Hage

18. Soldberg

19. Chernyshov

20. Connelly

21. Luchenko

22. Emery

23. Boisvert

24. Beaudoin

25. Hemming

26. Elick

27. Artemonov

28. Surin

29. Parascak

30. Letournea

31. Wallenius

32. Pukkinen

Could also slip into the first round or will go early in the 2nd:  Ritchie, Miettenin, O'Rielly, Badinka, Hutson, Basha, Gridin, Kleber (admittidly, I don't now much about these guys or the bottom 10 of my personal Mock....other than an occasional youtube clip or reading descriptions of them.)

Edited Friday at 04:23 PM by mjd1001

[#freejame]

19 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

10. Catton

11. Yakemchuk

12. Iginla

13. Eiserman

14. Helenius

15. Nygard

16. Jiricek

I’ll be fine with any of these, and we should be able to get one just fine. Appreciate everyone who does these. 

[LGR4GM]

 

[#freejame]

Wonder what happens with Connelly tonight. My guess is he gets picked earlier than most expect. 25-40 range is my expectation. 

[LGR4GM]

My darkhorse for pick 14 might be Michael Hage. He is a 6'1" center from the USHL who missed most of the previous year due to injury. If you go look at his stats, his half season split gets absurd. He put up almost 2.0ppg and basically all of his goals in the 2nd half of the season. He skates well and has fun playmaking. That said I think some of his game needs refinement which is why I left him off that other list. He looks like he needs about 2 years in college to really polish his game but all the underlying elements are there. I think once that occurs the pace and skill will really improve but again, this is a guy where you are betting on the upside and that the 2nd half of the season was the real season. This guy IMPO has really high yet untapped upside and I think where Sennecke gets all the love, Hage flew a bit under the radar as someone who had a glowup. 14 is probably a reach, but man if you want to gamble on upside, he's certainly got the underlying things you need and it really comes down to development. He'll be at Michigan next year so I have a bit of faith in him. 

[LGR4GM]

 

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Liam Greentree is a 6'2.5" and 215lb LW who is basically Matt Boldy. I saw this comparison in EP draft guide and yea... like a freaking clone of Boldy almost. Okay, the good on this dude is he dropped 36g, 90pts in 64 OHL games. On top of that, he was 24pts clear of his next closest teammate and the captain so not only was he good, he drove his team and lead them. I think Greentree is one of the smartest players in this draft and you see that in what I would describe as an advanced advanced playmaking skillset. He uses his body to shield pucks, get defenders to commit and then will slip passes through small windows to teammates with regularity. His off the wall game reminds me a bit of my bud Nygard. So why have I not been yelling about this awesome guy? He's not fast enough. His short area quickness and acceleration are simply not good enough. If you saw some of the U18's or read up on them, Greentree wasn't a big factor and the reason was he was a half step behind. Good news is he has some nice edges so maybe with a good skating coach he goes from below average to above but it limits his game and I think that even shows on some highlights. 

Andrew Basha is a 5'11.25" and 187lbs LW who has a high motor and pretty solid checking game. If you watch his highlights, he has a good shot and some really clever ideas in the offensive zone that goes with some speedy skating. His skating stands out most to me as he has the ability to disconnect his lower body from his upper body while maintaining speed. This is something Benson and Quinn do a lot where their lower body goes left but they are already moving right. His playmaking stands out to me as does his ability to get in quick and force turnovers. 14 would be a bit early on him as 20s is a more appropriate range but this draft has a grouping that is basically 16-28 so pick your poison. Basha put up 30g, 85pts in 63 games in the WHL and would be a solid addition. I really like the player and to be truthful if I was doing a list this year (I haven't had time, sorry) I would put him in my top 20. He's a bit underrated IMPO. 

You're right, the knock on Greentree is speed, but that's the same thing they said about Geekie, and Geekie was a solid third liner for Boston this year with workmanlike fill in time on the top two lines as well. He will take some time and need to work on his speed, but he has real effort and leadership qualities. He's different to what we already have, and that's why I'm so high on him. 

Oddly, Basha is the guy I suggested on the Bruins board for the pick they got from Ottawa (25). He strikes me as a prototypical Bruin. Pick 25 seems about right for him though so unlikely he's a Sabre. 

[pi2000]

5 hours ago, #freejame said:

Wonder what happens with Connelly tonight. My guess is he gets picked earlier than most expect. 25-40 range is my expectation. 

On talent alone he's a top 10 pick, reminds me so much of Kyle Connor.   

He's matured tremendously over the past 3 years, he's been a model teammate and citizen.   I wouldn't be surpirsed to see him go top 15.

[#freejame]

1 minute ago, pi2000 said:

On talent alone he's a top 10 pick, reminds me so much of Kyle Connor.   

He's matured tremendously over the past 3 years, he's been a model teammate and citizen.   I wouldn't be surpirsed to see him go top 15.

To me this is the right take. Whether or not it’s what happens in today’s (shutter) climate is something else. 

[Crusader1969]

On 6/27/2024 at 3:00 PM, LGR4GM said:

Hello, do you have moment to talk about Michael Brandsegg-Nygård

Think this is our guy