4 biggest takeaways from the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft
The first round of the 2024 draft took place in Las Vegas on Friday night, with 32 players having their dreams come true by being selected.
A fun weekend began on Friday night, as the 2024 NHL Entry Draft began with its first round from The Sphere in Las Vegas.
With the first overall pick locked in for months now, the real excitement would come with Chicago's second pick, allowing the dominos to fall from there.
It was a night full of surprises, both good and bad, as the next crop of NHL hopefuls began their journeys. Here were some of the biggest takeaways from an interesting first night:
Pat Verbeek, Anaheim surprise everyone with the third pick
It says a lot when even the player you are selecting is stunned to be picked. With the third pick, the Anaheim Ducks selected Beckett Sennecke, and it's safe to say that he wasn't ready for it.
His now-viral reaction to being taken third overall was matched by many at The Sphere, who were shocked to see him go that high.
The Oshawa Generals winger was the 13th-ranked North American skater entering the first round, making this an interesting decision for the Ducks, especially with some of the big names left on the board.
Utah wins over the fans with the first selection in franchise history
The Utah Hockey Club made a splash by selecting Tij Iginla, the son of NHL Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, with the sixth pick, making him their first-ever draft pick.
If his pedigree weren't enough to make him an exciting prospect, Iginla had been steadily moving up draft boards, culminating in his being picked five spots before his dad was in 1995.
He'll have a chance to carve his own path with a franchise in its infancy.
The San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens won the night
It's very easy to call the Sharks a big winner from the first round after selecting Macklin Celebrini with the first pick in the draft.
The Hobey Baker Award winner has been the consensus top pick for a long time, making it an inevitability that he'd be selected by the Sharks.
The real thing that pushed their draft over the edge was the selection of defenseman Sam Dickinson with the 11th pick.
As the seventh-ranked North American skater, Dickinson is a smooth-skating offensive defenseman who has the potential to be a major part of San Jose's future as they continue their rebuild.
Montreal also had a good night, starting with their selection of Russian winger Ivan Demidov with the fifth pick.
Depending on who you asked, Demidov was either the best or the second-best international skater in the draft, boasting a great mind for the game.
The Canadiens didn't show any hesitancy to a draft player from the KHL in Russia, despite concerns about when he'd be able to make the jump.
Being selected by music legend Celine Dion doesn't hurt either. Montreal added Chicago Steel center Michael Hage 21st overall to close their night.
Five trades were made but not the one we expected coming in
After a trade-less first round last year in Nashville, any trade would be an improvement. We got five on Friday night, though none of them involved players.
Coming into the first round, there was a lot of speculation that the Carolina Hurricanes were going to trade Martin Necas with the possibility of moving into the top half of the draft.
There were a few potential landing spots, including something as high as Columbus' pick fourth overall.
By the time the Blues' pick at #15 passed, it was clear that a Necas deal wasn't going to happen. Clearly, their potential trade partners weren't thrilled with any of the offers the Canes threw at them.
It felt like a missed opportunity for the Hurricanes, though it doesn't mean a potential Necas move can't yield a solid return. The Hurricanes did take part in a trade on Friday night, moving out of the first round by trading with Chicago.
Overall, it was a good night. While it didn't provide too much of the chaos we were hoping it would, it was still cool to see all 32 players get their chance to live out a dream.
The league did provide us with some fun cameos from former players, as well as a few celebrity picks. It's just the beginning of the fun, with rounds two through seven set to commence on Saturday before free agency kicks off on Monday.
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