Taking a look at the top ten picks in the 2024 NHL draft class with a short analysis.
Part 2, with picks 1-5 will be out shortly
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the 2024 NHL draft is by far one of the more interesting ones in recent memory because after celebrini who we now know will be going to the Sharks on June 28th it’s pretty wide open in the top 16 the 2024 class was considered to be a little underwhelming at the beginning of the season but with a few guys that had some big years that’s no longer the case and most Scouts now think that there are several players with Elite potential so without further Ado here are the top 10 players in this year’s draft in the eyes of most Scouts [Music] the son of NHL Legend Jerome Aila has been one of the biggest risers this year matter of fact Bob Mackenzie didn’t even have him going in the top 20 at the start of the Season probably because he only put up 18 points the year before this year though with the Colona Rockets of the WHL te put up 47 goals and 37 assists for 84 points in only 64 games which is pretty good all things considered like his dad agila has a tremendous compete level and his ability to quickly change angles using his tremendous Edge work which is one of the best in the draft class combined with his deceptively heavy shot have made him a nightmare for WHL goalies this is not to say that his game is perfect though as his Breakaway speed leaves much to be desired especially if he wants to become an elite point producer in the NHL finally multiple Scouts have known that they would like him to be a little more physical given his size and strength he’s been able to bully some WHL players this year but he will need to increase his physicality to remain relevant at the to Next Level the Habs have been rumored to have substantial interest in ginlet five but if he falls further than that he would be a no-brainer pick for the Calgary Flames at the t spot number nine we have Zane perck who’s one of the more polarizing players in the draft with Craig Button having him go at three while Ferrari of the hockey news having him go all the way down at 17 this year in the OHL he put up 33 goals which set a league record for draft eligible defenseman and 63 assists for 96 points he did so on the back of his playmaking vision from the point offensive zone IQ and Es skating all of which were rated as Elite across most Scouts the knock on peric though is his overall defensive game he often makes costly mistakes and his lack of size makes it difficult for him to move bodies in front of the net which is only going to get progressively more difficult as he progresses through his career if he doesn’t start hitting the weight room some smaller NHL defensemen have been able to overcome this though but from all accounts peric doesn’t have necessarily the highest compete level which may hurt his draft stock I could see a team like Utah taking him early if they’re confident enough that they can develop his defensive game but he could also be one of the biggest fallers in the draft where I could see him slip to the tail end of the lottery or even further it’s so hard to say how he projects at the pro level one day I think he looks like the next Quinn Hughes and the other he looks more like the Eric Guston of the New York Rangers cona helenius is a slightly undersized Center who has spent some time playing the wing in his first year in the top finish league as an 18-year-old he put up an impressive stat line of 14 goals 22 assists for 36 points in only 51 games playing against men in the Liga his points total for his draft here were similar to those put up by Patrick l though they could not be more different players as helenia shines most through his two-way play which is among the best in forwards of the 20 24 class this is not to say that he’s a purely defensive player though as his speed and quick release have made him a threat in the offensive zone as well the perfect way to describe him is that he’s sort of a jack of all trades but a master of none where all his skills are well above average among his peers but he doesn’t appear to be truly Elite at any one thing his struggle in the faceoff Dot and relative lack of size have also put into question whether or not he can be a center at the NHL level in my opinion cona helenius is a perfect example of a low-risk High reward player he could well become a player like Sebastian AO or more of a purely defensive specialist like Anton [Music] Lindell number seven we have the big defenseman Sam Dickinson who is the first OHL player on this list which is surprising for a league that is supposedly the best among the three members of the CHL Dickenson put up some really impressive numbers this year for the London Knights with 18 goals 52 assists and 70 points in 68 games what makes him so highly touted in the eye of most Scouts though is his defensive game his dzone transition is perhaps the best in the class and he shows significant ability at both ends of the ice he can play pretty mean too and has a really heavy Slap Shot from the point that puts fear in the OHL golender his skating is just okay though and he’s been criticized by Scouts for waiting too long to make decisions when carrying the puck often led to missed opportunities and costly turnovers for the sake of comparison imagine an air eblad type player if eblad wasn’t made of glass all in all Sam Dickinson is the dman prospect with the highest floor and is a sure bet to become a really good number two or number three for years to come although his lack of elite upside will probably keep him from Lea frogging the other two defensemen in the list barring a leap from Anaheim which is not out of the question with how unpredictable Pat bica is come Draft Day Berkeley kten is another example of a player that had an unbelievable draft year just to have his stock fall a bit because of his size I’m not sure when NHL teams are going to learn of their past mistakes like when Alec De Brat and Cole Coffield slipped for the same reasons this year in the WHL Ken put up huge numbers scoring 54 goals and 62 assists for 116 points in 65 games Tyre offensive game is great he’s like a water bug on the ice and he always seems to be a step ahead of everyone when you combine that with some Elite goal scoring and playmaking potential brookley Kat and could very well be the second best player in the draft when we look back at it in a few years it’s also worth mentioning that his compete level is high and his two-way game is nothing to scoff at either now his size is a matter of concern No Doubt with him weighing in at just 163 lb but him being just shy of 6t at 5’11 his frame does have a lot of room for filling out with the right development team around him he could develop into a poor man’s Jack Hughes although his developmental curve may be longer than some of the other forwards on the list
2 Comments
Iginla to the Flames has to be in the script right?
When is Part 2 going to be out?