Welcome to the finale of my 2024 NHL Draft coverage. Over the next two days, I’ll break down (almost) all of the 225 selections made by the 32 teams.
As always at The Athletic, that begins with this pick-by-pick breakdown of the first-round selections (plus a list of the top prospects available to start Round 2). It will be followed on Day 2 by an exhaustive look at the full draft class of each team, ranking the complete hauls of each club.
This work is my view of how each team’s scouting department fared compared to the selections that they had, carefully considering my own evaluations of the prospects but also each player’s consensus expected draft range and statistical profile.
This is not an evaluation of the total value each club got out of its picks, but rather examines relative to where they picked and the number of selections they had. Teams with more picks (or higher picks on average) are not guaranteed high grades, just as teams with few picks (or lower picks on average) are not guaranteed poor ones. Trades also are not considered, with the focus being exclusively on the picks.
The goal is for this to be the most thorough draft review available anywhere.
As always, my analysis of all 32 picks is sorted into the following tiers:
- Winners: Teams I believe won out over their competition with consistent, sleuth, home-run-level selections relative to where they picked.
- Overtime winners: Teams I believe did well with where they were slotted, even if they might not have picked the exact player(s) I would have.
- Overtime losers: Teams I believe could have done better but might, in time, be happy with their pick(s) regardless.
- Losers: Teams I believe will regret taking the player(s) they chose.
Winners
Montreal Canadiens
Pick No 5: Ivan Demidov
My ranking: No. 2
Pick No 21: Michael Hage
My ranking: No. 15
I can’t think of a better outcome for the Habs. We know where their young group of defensemen is at. Now, they’ve added two of the best forwards in the draft, one of whom is an elite skill guy and one of whom is a center with length, skating (Hage is one of the best skaters in the draft), skill (he gets high grades in this class here, too) and a profile that I love.
I believe that Demidov is the second-best prospect in the draft and is a home run for the Habs. A true game-breaker is the one thing it felt like their core was missing — the kind of player who can challenge for 90 to 100 points if things break right. There’s no guarantee that he will become that, but I see that kind of upside and he feels like a 70-to-80-point player at his floor. I think he’s going to make magic happen in the NHL and thrill one of the most passionate fan bases in professional sports. It’ll be great for the league.
And Hage might be my favorite prospect in the draft. I think he’s got a legitimate path to a long career as a top-six player. I comped him to Jordan Kyrou and I think that’s within reach.
This is a big day in the Habs’ rebuild and they had the best Day 1 of the bunch. One to remember.
Minnesota Wild
Pick No. 12: Zeev Buium
My ranking: No. 4
Buium is a phenomenal hockey player. He’s an excellent skater (particularly on his edges), he’s an extremely heady player (one of the smartest in the draft), he’s got shakes and fakes, and he reads the game on both sides of the puck at a super-advanced level. I think the world of him and believe he’s got first-pairing upside. Maybe more important than the historic 50-point season he had this year in college, he also became a borderline-elite defender, learning how to swallow up opposing players with his footwork and angling (a lot like Gustav Forsling and Brock Faber, frankly). He and Faber give that blue line very high upside. One of the best picks of the night.
San Jose Sharks
Pick No. 1: Macklin Celebrini
My ranking: No. 1
Pick No. 11: Sam Dickinson
My ranking: No. 6
It’s hard to give a team too much credit for taking the clear-cut No. 1 overall pick in a class, but that doesn’t change the magnitude of the moment, and it’s a massive one for a Sharks organization that was so good for so long and now has a path to getting back to that with Celebrini, a cornerstone piece who does it all and plays a premium position.
But the Dickinson pick makes them a Round 1 winner. Their pool is loaded at forward, but outside of Shakir Mukhamadullin, they have very little coming on the backend. Dickinson gives them a top-four, two-way stud. He’s an impressive athlete and skater who is one of the most polished defenders in the draft. His offensive game really came together this season as he pushed for 20 goals and an average of a point per game. He showed nice offensive-zone vision and really turned his shot into a weapon this year. But the skating and size will define him. The Sharks are starting to build something, and I don’t think Dickinson would have been there at No. 14, so credit to them for moving up and grabbing him. He changes the outlook in their pool. Buium would have been my pick there, but I like it a lot regardless.
Chicago Blackhawks
Pick No. 2: Artyom Levshunov
My ranking: No. 3
Pick No. 18: Sacha Boisvert
My ranking: No. 24
Pick No. 27: Marek Vanacker
My ranking: No. 35
The Blackhawks had a really good day.
I think Levshunov has been underrated in recent weeks, because of the presence of Demidov, in the view of many fans. But make no mistake: Levshunov is a stud. He has been phenomenal the last two seasons in North America, and has taken off along a steep trajectory that doesn’t feel anywhere close to the finish line. He’s an exciting talent with real first-pairing upside who had a tremendous age-adjusted two years in the USHL — and especially in college at Michigan State this year. When he’s on, he’s all over the ice and he’s a force of nature. Plus: You’re going to love the kid, Blackhawks fans.
I liked the Boisvert pick for the Blackhawks as well. He perhaps doesn’t have the premium speed they’ve focussed on in the past, but he’s a good skater and he certainly checks the character, intangibles and competitor boxes that they also covet. He gives their admittedly small forward group some size, too. I’m high on all of Oliver Moore, Frank Nazar, Nick Lardis, and others, but they skew smaller. It’s not hard to imagine Boisvert being the Blackhawks’ 3C of the future and the kind of player who can play higher in the lineup and with a variety of linemates when needed. I’m a fan. He’s a great kid, too (a theme with many prospects they’ve picked in recent years).
Vanacker is an awesome player who is going to be a good pro winger and could play alongside Boisvert some day and work well off of him. He’s got size, he can skate, he knows what he is, and he’s got a well-rounded offensive game. He’ll be out until December after shoulder surgery but he looked like a first-rounder this year and he would have been in the mix for me at No. 27.
New York Islanders
Pick No. 20: Cole Eiserman
My ranking: No. 7
Eiserman is a complicated player, but I know of at least a couple teams in front of the Islanders that had him as their next-best player on their boards after the kid they took, so it’s not as though he had no love. The Islanders’ pool sorely lacks a game-breaker, so I love the home-run swing. He’s not perfect. Not every player in a group of 12 forwards needs to be. But he does hockey’s hardest thing — score! — at the highest level in this class, he’s an August birthday, and I think he’s going to score a ton of goals at BU and then in the NHL. He’s going to grow up, he’s going to mature, and he’s got some very high-end attributes.
Calgary Flames
Pick No. 9: Zayne Parekh
My ranking: No. 5
Pick No. 28: Matvei Gridin
My ranking: No. 38
The Flames’ pool has some good pieces, particularly up front, but none of them (Connor Zary, Samuel Honzek, Matt Coronato, etc.) are game-breakers.
They clearly wanted to inject some skill into their group, and they did that in Round 1.
In going back through the Flames’ draft history, you probably have to go all the way back to the Al MacInnis pick to find a defenseman whose talent and uniqueness matches Parekh. He’s a special talent whose skill and brain operate at an incredibly high level. He is one of the most skilled and exciting defensemen I’ve watched in 11 years of doing this (outside of Rasmus Dahlin, I’m not sure any have flashed like he has). He will make it harder for some of their other offensive inclined defensive prospects to hit (Jeremie Poirier, Etienne Morin, Hunter Brzustewicz), but I don’t think that matters here because of the gap between him and them — and because those guys are all better-suited for third-pairing/PP2 type roles in them long term. Parekh has first-pairing upside and dynamic PP1 qualities. I love it.
Gridin is a first-round talent even though he didn’t rank there for me. Outside of the top dogs in this class, he was one of the more skilled players in this age group. It’s hard to lead the USHL in scoring in his draft year, and he did that this year. He’s going to have to round out his game to reach his full potential, but I don’t think he’s a one-dimensional player (like some do).
They got what they needed out of their two picks.
Dallas Stars
Pick No. 29: Emil Hemming
My ranking: No. 19
The Stars have made a bit of a habit of drafting my best players available in recent years, and Hemming follows that. On talent, scoring punch and package, he belonged higher. But inconsistencies in his game over the last two years left some teams softer on the player than on his offensive tools. I think there’s some hit potential, though, and I won’t be surprised if he scores 30 goals in the NHL some day. I think their scouting department really gets it, and I like the value play here.
Overtime winners
Anaheim Ducks
Pick No. 3: Beckett Sennecke
My ranking: No. 16
Pick No. 23: Stian Solberg
My ranking: No. 21
Despite the divergence from my draft ranking, I don’t hate the Sennecke pick at No. 3. I reported this week that it seemed to be trending in that direction, and I’ve wrapped my head around it. If they have a need within their pool, it’s for a right-shot winger. Sennecke’s upside is extremely intriguing. He’s one of the most purely skilled players in the draft, and though his statistical profile doesn’t scream “No. 3 pick,” he looked like one in the second half. He’s got the skill, the skating and, now, a 6-foot-3 frame to fill out. He’s a player type that is hard to find, and if he hits, he’s going to be a high-end skill guy in the NHL who puts up points and can play with Leo Carlsson or Mason McTavish.
To come away from the draft with one of the top forwards and defensemen is a big deal for the Ducks, though. I loved the Solberg selection. He gives them a physical, hard-to-play against defender who looks and plays a different style than Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov, and he could be a really natural partner for both. He’s a great fit there. The decision to move up and grab him felt like a no-brainer.
Seattle Kraken
Pick No. 8: Berkly Catton
My ranking: No. 8
Everyone I spoke to around the league in recent weeks expected the Kraken, who’ve used all of their high picks on forwards in their young history, to take a defenseman at No. 8 and spend a premium asset there for the first time. For that reason, this was the first pick of the draft that surprised me a little. ButI still like it. They took Catton exactly where I had him ranked, and while I believe Zeev Buium would have been a perfect fit for them, Catton is a thrilling player whose skating, puck skills and smarts all grade out at the top of the draft. If he’s a center, you’ve got Beniers-Catton-Wright to work with down the middle long-term. If he’s a winger, I could see him playing well alongside the detail and two-way commitment of those two. He’s a more purely talented player than both of them.
New Jersey Devils
Pick No. 10: Anton Silayev
My ranking: No. 9
In Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Dougie Hamilton and even Seamus Casey, the Devils have no shortage of offensive defensemen to build around. Silayev, who also showed some offense this season and ran Torpedo’s blue line, gives them a true stopper with one of the highest defensive ceilings in the draft. Once he fell to No. 10, he felt like a perfect potential complement to what they already have. He’s a unicorn whose size, skating and developing meanness really distinguish him as a potential unique NHL player. He’ll be a fascinating case study.
Buffalo Sabres
Pick No. 14: Konsta Helenius
My ranking: No. 11
The Sabres already have a lot of prospects who look a little like Helenius, but that doesn’t make him a bad pick. Their pool is such that no matter whom they picked, they were going to have a likeminded or built prospect. They had no clear need that they needed to target, and I like the Helenius pick for that reason. Take a good player. Figure out the logjam of young players later. He’s also closer to NHL-ready than most in this draft. Olli Jokinen, his coach this season, told me earlier in the year that he thinks Helenius can compete for a job next fall, and while I’m not sure I’m there, he’s close and he fits in with the Sabres’ desire to get better sooner than later.
Los Angeles Kings
Pick No 26: Liam Greentree
My ranking: No. 18
I thought Greentree at No. 26 was good value, and I believe the range I had him slotted in is where he likely was going to go before he had a vanilla U18 worlds. He had an excellent season in Windsor and there’s a lot to like about his size-skill-strength profile. By all accounts, he’s a really great kid. If he can add a little bit more pace to his game, he’ll have a long career in the NHL. I see second-line upside and I think he’s a third-liner if he doesn’t get there.
New York Rangers
Pick No. 30: E.J. Emery
My ranking: No. 32
Emery’s a perfect fit with the Rangers and was a player I’d talked about in mocks with them for that reason. He models himself after K’Andre Miller, and they love the long, mobile types who can really defend (see also: Braden Schneider). They’d also used their first pick in the last seven drafts on a forward, so it was time to add a defenseman. His skating (Emery is one of the best in the draft) and length give him a very high defensive upside, and he’s still got untapped offense in my opinion (plus a ton of room to add muscle).
Detroit Red Wings
Pick No. 15: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
My ranking: No. 14
Red Wings fans kept telling us how tired they were of us mocking Brandsegg-Nygard to Detroit, but here we are. They have among the most predictable amateur scouting departments in the league, despite being relatively closed-off as a staff. Brandsegg-Nygard, with his work rate, size and complete game, is exactly the type of player they like. He’s also got a legitimate NHL shot and some real offense off the wing, though, and he was my second-ranked prospect there (they were never going to take Eiserman). They’re going to need to find a game-breaker if they want to elevate their ceiling as a team, but Brandsegg-Nygard, Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, Carter Mazur and others are all going to be good players who pull on the same rope. He’s a good pick from where they picked.
Columbus Blue Jacekts
Pick No. 4: Cayden Lindstrom
My ranking: No. 10
Lindstrom just makes so much sense for the Blue Jackets. He’s the closest thing to Adam Fantilli in this draft class, and now they get to slot him behind Fantilli to form an enviable 1-2 punch. I know there are some who think Lindstrom might be a winger in the NHL, but he’s early in his development curve in a lot of ways and I project him as a center. Having two players with size, skating, competitive fire and a physical edge down the middle — who also have legit puck skill and scoring — can’t be overstated. I’m looking forward to seeing him back on the ice after an injury, because he’s still got a lot of learning to do and an entirely different level to find. Despite my ranking gap, he would have been firmly in the conversation for me there. He’s got top-five merits.
Vegas Golden Knights
Pick No. 19: Trevor Connelly
My ranking: No. 17
There was a lot of chatter in Las Vegas this week about the Golden Knights being the team that was going to take Connelly. I discussed it in my mock. And he makes sense for them. Their pool is constantly depleted, because they don’t tend to hold onto their prospects. As a result, their pool also lacks skill. There’s a case to be made that Connelly was the most skilled player left in the draft at the time Vegas selected (he, Eiserman or Michael Hage were really the only ones in that conversation at that point). I wonder, because of the Providence College connection, whether Lou Lamoriello would have taken him with the next pick.
Overtime losers
Ottawa Senators
Pick No. 7: Carter Yakemchuk
My ranking: No. 13
I understand the Yakemchuk pick. We’re talking about a 30-goal, 6-foot-3, physical, extremely talented, offensive right-shot defenseman for an organization that has a clear left-to-right imbalance. I don’t love it, but I get it. The way the draft played out, I would have been all over Zeev Buium (even though he’s a lefty) or Zayne Parekh (whom I believe is even more talented than Yakemchuk). The Sens are taking a calculated gamble that Yakemchuk’s feet and decision-making/reads defensively will make progress. If they do, he’s going to be a rock star. I think the pick comes with some risk, though.
St. Louis Blues
Pick No. 16: Adam Jiricek
My ranking: No. 22
The Blues have taken a lot of forwards over the last few years, and the consensus around the league coming into this draft was that they’d target either Jiricek or Solberg with this pick. Jiricek was viewed a potential top-10 pick coming out of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer, but he didn’t play up to his potential in the fall (both in Czechia’s pro league and in the November U20 schedule with the national team) and then he was injured at the world juniors and had knee surgery, which ended his season. I like him as a player but I’m not bullish on him, and the lost time comes with some risk. Next year will be big. He adds another strong defensive prospect to the Blues’ pool, alongside Theo Lindstein.
Utah HC
Pick No. 6: Tij Iginla
My ranking: No. 12
Pick No. 24: Cole Beaudoin
My ranking: No. 37
Iginla’s stock soared this year after he played in a very limited role on a stacked Seattle Thunderbirds team in his 16-year-old season in the WHL. He’s a dynamic individual talent who gets to the inside, can absolutely rip a snapshot, has high-end skating and hands, and will work to get pucks back. Though he’s technically Utah’s first-ever selection, he also fits with the way their amateur scouting department drafted in Arizona, and he could be a really nice complement to Logan Cooley in the long term. There was a lot of chatter around him in this range in the second half of the season, and it really seemed to crescendo at the right time for him.
I settled a little lower on Beaudoin than most NHL clubs seemed to, but he also checks a lot of the boxes that Utah’s group covets. He’s a bulky, extremely strong player with maybe the highest work rate in the draft — when people talk about motors, Beaudoin’s is always running hot. He’s got work to do on his acceleration from stand-still, and with his hands, but he’s going to be a solid NHLer and could be Utah’s 3C of the future.
I like both of the players Utah took, and they fit in well relative to what they needed in their pool. I’m just not sure they got full value. They’re very good players, though.
Washington Capitals
Pick No. 17: Terik Parascak
My ranking: No. 20
Parascak went where a player who posts 105 points in their draft year in the CHL usually does (in many cases, those guys go even higher). And yet, Parascak has some doubters around the league. He’s a slight, skinny kid who played on a line with two top players and didn’t create his offense through a dynamic trait. He’s an incredibly smart player, though, who has good speed — I was surprised when folks described his skating as average or below-average this year, because it looks like a strength to me and he tested well at the on-ice combine at the CHL TPG and the off-ice one in Buffalo — and he always seems to get to good spots to make things happen. I’m a fan and I didn’t mind the pick. Those I spoke with about the pick expected the Capitals to take a defenseman, given the lack of draft capital they’ve spent there over the last several years, but I wonder if Jiricek going to St. Louis changed the calculus.
Boston Bruins
Pick No. 25: Dean Letourneau
My ranking: No. 45
This week, when our Bruins beat reporter, Fluto Shinzawa, reached out to ask about potential Bruins targets at No. 25 following their trade with the Senators, this is what I wrote: “Letourneau’s an interesting one. Wonder if the success with Justin Brazeau makes him a guy they’ll zero in on. Six-foot-seven center going to Boston College.”
A few days before that, a source reached out indicating he’d go in the 20s. So, look, I get it. I wrote a feature on Letourneau this year. I watched him play multiple times at St. Andrew’s College this year. He’s a unique player, with rare athleticism, skating and finesse for a massive forward. A combination of the level he played at and a want to see him impose himself and involve himself more left him a little lower on my board, but he was a fringe first-rounder for me at points this season.
Edmonton Oilers
Pick No. 32: Sam O’Reilly
My ranking: No. 52
I mocked O’Reilly to the Flyers at No. 32, so it’s kind of fitting that they traded that pick and then the Oilers took him at No. 32. He was getting a lot of late-first chatter in the second half of this season. O’Reilly’s a smart, good-skating, well-rounded forward who is going to play in the NHL. I think he’s probably more of a third-line type. He’s going to play but I wouldn’t be shocked if he became an up-and-down-the-lineup guy.
Nashville Predators
Pick No. 22: Egor Surin
My ranking: No. 41
Surin wasn’t ranked in my first round, but I understand his first-round merits. He’s one of the most competitive players in the draft, he’s a center and he flashes real skill consistently. He can lack discipline at times and is prone to taking rash penalties but so is/was another recent Preds first-rounder, Zachary L’Heureux. He wouldn’t have been my pick at No. 22, but it was trending that way late in the year and I don’t hate it.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Pick No. 31: Ben Danford
My ranking: No. 58
I couldn’t report it, but I had someone tell me this week to watch for Danford to the Leafs, so when they moved back, it felt like it was going to happen. He was a second-rounder for me, but I watched a lot of Danford in Oshawa this season and have spoken to a bunch of people about him, and he’s a beloved player among scouts and OHL people. All you hear about him is about his character and mature game (I expect him to be Oshawa’s captain next year and I know they thought about it this season, although I could also see it being Calum Ritchie if he’s back with the Gens). The Leafs’ pool clearly lacks a defenseman. He defends hard, and his game with the puck has taken important steps. He showed more and more poise as the season went on and he plays the game the right way. He’s not a sexy pick but he’s a fine one, and there are people who believe he’s going to be a good No. 4/5 in the NHL.
Losers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pick No. 13: Jett Luchanko
My ranking: No. 31
I’ve got a lot of time for Luchanko, so this slotting isn’t a knock on the player. He’s very good. It just felt a little high for me. Luchanko is a well-rounded, smart center who is one of the better skaters and athletes in the draft. I know at least two other teams were prepared to take him in the teens. If they were keen to take a center, and I think it makes sense that they were, I think there’s a pronounced gap between Konsta Helenius and Luchanko, though. Certainly, in terms of statistical profile, that’s clear-cut. Though Helenius doesn’t skate like Luchanko, there are a lot of similarities in their intellect and detail, but I think Helenius operates on an even more advanced plane in that way. I’m not sure Luchanko has the skill to be more than a solid second-line center, for example, and while I think he could fit nicely with Matvei Michkov in time, I don’t think he’s got a realistic path to becoming a 1C on a top team.
Best players available to start Day 2
25. Aron Kiviharju, LHD, HIFK
Kiviharju is the player on this list who has been on the scene the longest. Due to the time he has lost in his draft year following ACL surgery, his past context is also particularly relevant because of the role it will play when he’s selected.
He made the leap to Finland’s top junior league at 15 and didn’t just play but excelled, immediately becoming one of its most productive defensemen and even wearing a letter on his jersey. He then played and starred at the U18 worlds three times — first in Germany at 16, topping Finland’s blue line with six points in six games to help steer them (figuratively, but also literally steering the game on the ice) to a silver medal; again in Switzerland (still as an underager), where he was the best defenseman on a team that disappointingly lost in the quarters; and now once more in his return from injury on home ice in Espoo as captain. He also led the Finns to bronze at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, again as an underager. Last season, after an excellent preseason with TPS, it looked like he might play his way into becoming the youngest full-time player in Liiga and at the world juniors. But then he struggled to establish himself, bounced between levels and was one of the final cuts for Finland’s under-20 national team. This season, after making a move away from TPS to join HIFK for his draft year, he established himself as a top-six D, played on both special teams, scored his first pro goal, and then got hurt (he would have been a top player for a Finnish world junior team that could have used him on the back end, too).
He was always going to need a big year in order for teams to use a high pick on a diminutive defenseman, which makes the time lost that much more impactful and added pressure for him to perform at U18 worlds (where he was good and played a huge role but didn’t dominate). I still liked him in the late first round, but even then, many NHL scouts would be hesitant taking him there.
I’m a fan of the way Kiviharju plays the game, and he’s undeniably one of the smartest players in the draft. He manages play in front of him with impressive poise and comfort, directing and influencing play all the way down the ice. He effortlessly advances play under pressure inside his own zone, side-stepping forecheckers to headman pucks. He walks the line beautifully, with a knack for shaping shots through to the net. His first touch on the move is always perfectly caught. He’s clever. He processes the game faster than the opposition and sees things that others don’t see. And he’s a intelligent defender who gaps up well and gets pucks going the other way quickly with little bump passes and exits in order to offset some of his size limitations.
He’s definitely most noticeable breaking the puck out of his own zone, where his little carries and outlets make a big difference. He shows deception across the line though as well, although there are times when I’d like to see him look to attack and take charge himself in the offensive zone a little more. It can look like he’s always trying to set up the next heady little play instead of just commanding it. When he does really attack, he usually accomplishes what he’s looking to as well because he’s hyper aware out there of the way the play develops. Cerebral is the perfect word. He can lack a separation gear and quickness in straight lines, which can result in a lot of resets and concerns about the translatability of his game at his size, but he’s quick and comfortable through his crossovers and usually makes the right play when he does have to turn back and regroup. He reads the game well defensively to break up plays with good timing, too. He also plays his off side comfortably. I still like him and think his tactile game (eyes always up, picking teams apart) and high IQ will win out. He’s quietly competitive, too. But the lost year could hurt his development, projection and status. He’s going to need to add another gear as well, probably.
26. Henry Mews, RHD, Ottawa 67’s
Mews is a player of varied opinions who scouts aren’t quite sure what to make of. I still think he belonged as a late-first rounder, though. The No. 7 pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection, Mews played an important role on one of the best teams in the OHL as a rookie last season and was a top prospect coming up. His draft year was up and down and a learning experience that included a lot of coaching, but he still finished near a point per game. He has also been a staple of Canada’s top fours in his age group across three different events now — first in a standout showing as the captain of the otherwise disappointing Canada White at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, tying for the team scoring lead with eight points in six games; then in another strong performance at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, again leading Canada’s defense in scoring; and more recently as a PP quarterback and more of a contributor than top player on a blue line that was more by-committee at U18 worlds (he did hit a couple of posts and was probably owed more on the stat sheet). There were times this season when he looked sloppy and unsure of himself (or like he was reluctant to play his style with the 67’s), though more so early on than in the second half (I actually think he made some important progress in the new year). Some have softened their outlook on him but I still like how his game could translate up levels, especially with a team that involves their D, and I know there are others who agree.
Mews is an athletic, right-handed shot who is capable (keyword) of consistently driving and tilting play from the back end. When he’s at his best, he dictates play by regularly looking to activate into the rush or off the line to use his skill and playmaking ability from the back end. He’s capable of defending hard, too (though sometimes I think he’s working harder than he is effectively in battles). But he has struggled at times with his positioning and seems to get beat one-on-one or on misreads a little too often (everything, as one scout said to me, is just a little too “chaotic” with him at the moment). He’s actually a good skater, too, so those things should be happening a little less than they do. I love his attack and take-instead-of-give mentality offensively, and it’s complemented by NHL skill, an NHL shot and an ability to execute against coverage and pressure to the middle third of the ice (he’s an impressive slot passer). His business inside the offensive zone, jumping in and out of the play, will occasionally catch him in a bad spot, but can also really impact play and offense when his team needs it. He’s still got some learning to do on how to mitigate risk and when to push or hold but he has shown more signs that he’s learning how to apply his game. His ceiling will be determined by the consistency of his reads and choices (there are times when he can wait too long to move his decisions with the puck and others where he’ll move it too quickly, which speaks to immaturity in his game but also maybe confidence). I understand the concerns some have but remain hopeful he’ll put it all together. He has the tools and talent.
27. Leo Sahlin Wallenius, LHD, Växjö Lakers HC
I like this kid. Sahlin Wallenius is an excellent skater (one of the better-skating D in the draft) and playmaker who transports pucks through neutral ice, joins the rush, jumps in and out of lanes, and then has the cleverness needed to hold and play pucks into space with proper timing and stick and positioning needed to complement his mobility and make him a plus-level defender. He has been a leader and big-minutes player in the 2006 age group internationally for Sweden.
He takes what’s given while maintaining an eager and involved game. He can make north-south and east-west plays. He’s got good hands for a defenseman. His offensive-zone instincts are already there. And whenever I watch him, it feels like he has taken a step since the last viewing as he builds confidence and finds new ways to impact play. He’s able to get back into the play if he has jumped up into it, and competes well enough (his skating makes his defense a strength but I’d like to see him play a little harder in corners/along the boards at times). There were two legit 2024 D prospects on Vaxjo’s J20 team this season, and I was partial to Alfons Freij coming into the year but, to me, Sahlin Wallenius looked like the better prospect throughout the season. They both have first-round talent. Sahlin Wallenius, led by his mobility, looked like a clear first-rounder to me. I expect him to, with another good summer of training (he looked a little taller at U18s than he did when I last saw him at Five Nations), play pro hockey next year
28. Maxime Masse, RW, Chicoutimi Saguenéens
Massé was the first forward taken in the QMJHL’s 2022 draft (No. 3) and lived up to the selection (which was not the consensus choice at the time), playing to nearly a point per game and nearly 30 goals as a 16-year-old last season as the leading goal scorer (second in points) on a young Chicoutimi team and winning the CHL’s rookie of the year award. He has earned high praise from around the QMJHL and also performed well for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring five goals and six points in five games. This year, though his production only took a modest step, he scored 36 goals and led Chicoutimi in scoring by 15 points with 75 points in 67 games. At U18 worlds, he played more limited minutes than I expected he would but played well in them (I think it had more to do with the way a couple of other lines really clicked than him) and still managed to be productive.
Massé possesses a natural and versatile shot and above-average skill across the board. But it’s the completeness of his game that really stands out for a player his age. He can penalty kill, he’ll go to the dirty areas and make plays around the net, he battles, and he’s just a well-rounded player who stays around it and goes to the right spots, whether that’s swinging to the wall to pick up cycled pucks before defenders do or popping out into the slot at the right time. With continued work on his below-average skating (which will likely mean he’s picked lower than where I have him here, as some scouts are concerned about his pace of play), he’ll be a good NHL player. I thought he had one of the better performances on a thinner Team Red up front at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, too, which probably helped his softening first-round stock for some. He played well from there on out, too, which included a four-goal game in January and leading Chicoutimi on one of the longer win streaks of the QMJHL season. He reminds me of recent, well-rounded QMJHL draft picks like Dawson Mercer and Zach Dean, though I think he has more skill than the latter did at the same age.
29. Andrew Basha, LW, Medicine Hat Tigers
Basha really impressed me this season, both early on while playing on a line with Cayden Lindstrom before his injury and in the second half when he continued to manufacture offense on his own in Lindstrom’s absence as a real driver (though there were stretches in the second half where some felt his play tailed off, I know he was also dealing with a lower body injury). He’s also a couple of inches taller than he was a year ago, which has helped with his projection. He just looked really good, very consistently.
He’s a good but not great skater (his skating has come a long way in the last two to three years) who gets off the mark quickly and attacks in short bursts but isn’t a burner. And while he has excellent hands, he doesn’t hold onto the puck too long (a common problem for players with his skill set), instead using a two-touch shot or a quick handle into a deft pass back against the grain to make the majority of his plays on the puck. His patience then becomes a utility rather than a crutch, only going to it when he needs to and relying on quick reads the rest of the time. He’s also an extremely competitive player and kid who has a real willingness to forecheck, play through bumps and fight for positioning and possession, with skill and tenaciousness in the dirty areas. He also plays the game with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and can get under guys’ skin. He makes plays under sticks and through feet and into space, he thrives moving off the puck in and out of give-and-gos, and he has legitimate skill. Once the cream of the crop is gone in this draft, he’s right there in that next cluster for me. I’ve really liked watching him play.
30. Ryder Ritchie, RW, Prince Albert Raiders
Ritchie is another on a long list of summer birthdays in this draft class who excelled as 16-year-olds in their respective leagues last season. He finished third on a bottom-of-the-standings Prince Albert team, scoring nearly a point per game. I liked what I saw of him at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge as well, and he was one of Canada’s most dangerous forwards at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup to kick-start this year as a standout for scouts — play that continued early on as the Raiders’ focal point offensively to start this season before tapering off a bit until he was sidelined in mid-December with a lower-body injury. I liked what I saw out of him late in the year and into the WHL playoffs but he was just fine for Canada at U18 worlds. While he hasn’t fully met the high expectations I had for him this season, his combination of skill and skating warrants first-round consideration. He’s also now listed at 6-foot, up about an inch and a half from last season.
Ritchie’s a shifty playmaking winger who can make highlight-reel skill plays with the puck. He can play at multiple paces and adjust his tempo between them. He protects extremely well and will commonly shake past or around opposing players, building speed through his crossovers to hang onto the puck inside the offensive zone until a play presents itself. There’s also some real creativity to his game as an equal opportunity facilitator and finisher (he’s got a really nifty curl-and-drag and snap release that can cleanly beat goalies from midrange). He has a way of finding his way out of trouble, whether with a twist or turn or bit of creativity to set up an opening to pass through with a pre-planned move so that he can place a puck under a stick or between someone’s skates. He’s a crafty, talented winger who looks like he’s got top-six upside to me, even if the points haven’t popped this year. I could see him, with good health, becoming a 90-to-100-point player next season.
(Photo of Ivan Demidov : xx / Getty Images)
