On Friday, the NHL world will come together at Sphere in Las Vegas for the 2024 NHL Draft. It is the last time that an NHL Draft will be centralized.
There is a lot to look forward to with this event. After an all-time great regular season and playoffs, the league is as good as it's ever been.
Now, more talent will be inserted via this draft. Teams are looking to brighten their future so they can try and replicate what the Florida Panthers just did in the postseason.
Macklin Celebrini is going to lead things off in this draft. The San Jose Sharks, who won the draft lottery and the right to select first, will take the Boston University superstar.
The San Jose Sharks will kick off an intriguing 2024 NHL Draft class
Celebrini played for the Chicago Steele before going to BU where he won the Hobey Baker for the best NCAA hockey player. He is well deserving of this honor as the first overall pick. He'll fit into the San Jose organization very well.
The Chicago Blackhawks, who won the right to select second, are supposed to choose between Artyom Levshunov (defenseman, Michigan State) and Ivan Demidov (forward, St. Petersburg).
However, there are people out there who believe that Denver defenseman Zeev Buium is the second-best player in the draft. The Hawks will probably end up choosing one of the former two but Buium (and whoever they don't take between Levshunov and Demidov) will be taken in the top five.
Another prospect to keep an eye on here is Cole Eiserman. He has fallen a little bit in the rankings but many see him as the best pure sniper in the draft. He could go anywhere from 3rd to 15th. Whoever lands him hopes that he fills nets for years to come.
Tij Iginla is also worth mentioning as a future star in the game. His father Jarome Iginla is one of the best goal scorers in the history of the league. Having a Hall of Fame dad won't hurt him but he has also earned the right to be drafted in the top ten on his own.
You never know who ends up on top when it's all said and done. Each team's scouting team has done the work and we'll see who it pays off for.