The first round of the 2024 NHL Draft took place on Friday night at The Sphere in Las Vegas. It was a wonderful event where 32 young men realized their dreams.
Of course, the San Jose Sharks kicked things off with the first overall pick. As expected, they took Macklin Celebrini of Boston University (and the Chicago Steel before that).
Celebrini is joining the Sharks organization as they continue their rebuild toward sustained success. He still has to decide when he is going to turn pro but many are betting that it comes next season.
With the second overall pick, the Chicago Blackhawks took Artyom Levshunov. Seeing the big Michigan State defenseman go second wasn't very surprising as many believed it was either him or Ivan Demidov. Demidov ended up falling to the Montreal Canadiens at five.
The 2024 NHL Draft is in the books and a lot of teams will be very happy
When Anaheim came to pick at three, they made the first shocking move of the night. They took Beckett Sennecke with the third overall pick. He was as shocked as anyone watching.
The Utah Hockey Club stole Tij Iginla when many thought that he'd be selected by the Calgary Flames at ninth overall. They can't worry about that though. If they believe he is the best player for them, good on them for making the pick they believed was right.
The big storyline of the draft was the fact that some of the big-time defensemen fell a bit farther than people thought. The Minnesota Wild came up to get Zeev Buium at 12th overall. They moved up one spot from 13 (Philadelphia Flyers).
One pick before that, the San Jose Sharks took Sam Dickinson at 11. It was a great draft for them as they took a cornerstone center and forward in the first third of the first round.
It was an incredible night for the NHL as the future is in sight for a lot of teams around the league. These are the 32 selections:
The first round pic.twitter.com/p1qo4aO40O
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 29, 2024
The first round had a little bit of everything. There were typical moves, some shockers, a big name falling, a handful of trades, and tons of excitement.
Rounds 2-7 will take place on Saturday morning from the Sphere. There are still some very good players available to think about for every team. Stanley Cups can be won and lost in these later rounds so everybody will be ready.