Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the daily column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. Each day we brought you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2024 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow Ben Kerr and Frederik Frandsen on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Hockey Prospects is your new headquarters for everything “NHL Draft”! We have a complete listing of our draft articles here. Today we bring you our 2024 NHL Draft Grades.
The big day has come and gone, and now we look back to see how each team did in the NHL Draft. Look, we know that it is way too soon to evaluate a draft and that the true evaluation will be seen four or five years from now. However, we don’t want to wait, instead, we follow our yearly tradition and do our NHL Draft Grades now.
To be clear, our 2024 NHL Draft Grades are based on the quality and quantity of total talent added in the draft. It is not based on getting value for where you pick. For example, a team that lacks picks are likely to be given a very poor grade for this year’s draft regardless of how they use them.
LWOS 2024 NHL Draft Evaluation and Grades
Note: VALUE PICK does NOT mean the best player drafted. It means the best value. For example, Macklin Celebrini was the first player taken in this draft. However, he is not our best value pick for the San Jose Sharks. Why? Because anyone can take the best player with the first overall pick. What we are looking for is value here, such as what steal did the team get in the draft that went later than we thought he would? If it was merely an exercise in naming the best player drafted, we might as well just name the team’s first pick, as that is who their own scouts felt was their best player.
Our grades are based on every player in the class, even where the later picks are not mentioned in the write-up. Of course the higher the pick, the more he will affect the grade though.
Anaheim Ducks: B-
Best Value Pick: Maxim Masse
We didn’t like the pick of Beckett Sennecke at third overall. This felt like one of the biggest reaches in the draft. Sennecke is a skilled forward, but we saw him as more of a player who should go in the teens rather than in the top three. Yes, his performance in the OHL playoffs was fantastic. However, a great three rounds shouldn’t overshadow the rest of his performance which isn’t at the same level.
Stein Solberg is a solid defensive defenceman and has a real mean streak. He was a good pick in the later stages of the first round. Furthermore, Lucas Pettersson was a decent second-round pick. He plays a solid two-way game and is an effective playmaker. Maxim Masse is a big winger who is strong on the boards and gets to the front of the net. We saw him going in the early second round. Finally, Ethan Procyszyn is another big power-forward added to the Ducks prospect pond.
Boston Bruins: C-
Best Value Pick: Elliott Groenewold
This draft grade is hurt by a lack of picks. The Bruins only had four picks, and just one in the first three rounds. Dean Letourneau is a huge forward coming in at 6-foot-7. He makes the most of his size, taking the puck to the dirty areas of the ice and driving the net. He uses his vision to find the open man when the opposing defence collapse on him. When they don’t, he has an effective wrist shot. Another selection of the Bruins is Groenewold. He is a solid defensive defender who uses his size to play a physical game. Jonathan Morello is another pick with size (6’3″). He is an excellent skater and plays a two-way game. His offence needs some further development.
Buffalo Sabres: A
Best Value Pick: Konsta Helenius
While we absolutely love Helenius, and had him as our second-ranked prospect, we are realistic enough to know that this is higher than any other site or scouting service had him. That said, we think he’s an absolute steal at 14th overall. Helenius is a two-way centre, with absolutely elite hockey IQ, and a knack for almost always winning his puck battles in all three zones. He’s a talented playmaker and also has an excellent shot. We also think he is pretty close to NHL-ready and could see him making an impact as early as 2025-26. This is one of our favourite picks in the draft.
Adam Kleber is a big defender coming in at 6-foot-6. He is excellent defensively and uses his size to protect the middle of the ice and play a physical game. Kleber’s offensive game remains a work in progress but is improving. Next up is Brodie Zimmer, who was a key member of the US NTDP. He was the team captain at the IIHF U18. Moreover, Ziemer has high-end hockey IQ. He gets to the net and can score with tip-ins and on rebounds. He is advanced defensively for his age as well.
Calgary Flames: A+
Value Pick: Luke Misa
The Flames had an outstanding weekend in Vegas. Zayne Parekh is one of the draft’s top offensive defenceman, who was a key member of the Saginaw Spirit, helping lead them to a Memorial Cup Championship. He is a riverboat gambler, always pushing the offence. It is not unusual to find Parekh joining or even leading the rush. With the play in the offensive zone, he loves to pinch in on the boards or even to get himself into the slot to create a scoring chance.
Up next is Matvei Gridin, who is a scoring winger with an outstanding shot. Andrew Basha was ranked as a first-rounder. He’s a dynamic forward with excellent speed as well as the puck-control to make plays at that speed. Furthermore, Jacob Battaglia has a non-stop motor. He is relentless in the offensive end, working down low to create offence. He is also strong defensively. Henry Mews is another first-round-rated talent. He is an offensively gifted defenceman who could improve in his own end of the ice. We are also high on Luke Misa. He is another great skater. His great vision and stickhandling allow him to be a playmaker.
Carolina Hurricanes: B+
Value Pick: Justin Poirier
In the early second round, the Canes got Dominik Badinka, a defender we ranked in the late first round. He is a 6-foot-3, right-handed defenceman with excellent mobility. Badinka is solid at both ends of the ice. He could become a big-minute, all-situations defenceman. Another of their highly rated picks was Nikita Artamonov. He is noted as someone who uses his dynamic speed and high-end hockey IQ to generate offence. His creativity and skill are at high levels. Noel Fransen is a great skater. He uses his lateral agility to open up passing and shooting lanes. He is very creative. Another of the Hurricanes selections was on a sniper, Justin Poirier. He has an outstanding array of shots and a quick release. Poirier is a bit of a one-trick pony. He needs to develop his defensive game. Poirier is a pure scorer though, and that can’t be taught.
Chicago Blackhawks: A
Value Pick: John Mustard
Artyom Levshunov is amongst the best defenceman in this draft and really helped the Blackhawks in our 2024 NHL draft grades. He is an outstanding skater. This allows him to dominate at both ends of the ice. His vision and playmaking ability are elite for his age. He also has a great shot. Levshunov is physical in his own end. He also uses his skating to maintain excellent gap control and keep defenders to the outside. Levshunov should become a franchise-level defenceman for Chicago. Next to discuss is Sacha Boisvert. Boisvert is a high-risk/high-reward pick. He plays a physical, power-forward style. He also has an excellent wrist shot as well as a quick release that fools goalies.
Marek Vanacker is a dynamic skater. He uses his speed and stickhandling to create chances off the rush and get in quickly on the forechecker. He is also an excellent penalty-killer. Vanacker scored five shorthanded goals this season. Finally, our Hawks value pick, Mustard, is another excellent skater. He combines this with an outstanding wrist shot and a very good release.
Colorado Avalanche: C+
Value Pick: Tory Pitner
The Avalanche started their 2024 NHL Entry Draft and we start our grades for them with a goalie. Ilya Nabokov was passed over in the last two drafts. He is a bit small for a goalie but has excellent technique. He is also a very good athlete. Nabokov can make an acrobatic save if he is caught out of position. Next up is William Zellers, who has great hands and can stickhandle in a phone booth. He needs to improve his skating though. Jake Fisher is a strong skater with excellent size. He could be more dynamic offensively though. Last, but not least, Pitner is an excellent defender. He forces attackers to the outside and cuts off the middle of the ice. His active stick creates turnovers with a quick poke-check. Pitner is willing to battle on the boards and in front of the net.
Columbus Blue Jackets: B+
Value Pick: Cayden Lindstrom
Lindstrom is the type of big, powerful centre that every team in the NHL is looking for. He has an excellent shot and goal-scoring instincts. He can also be an effective playmaker, with great vision and passing skill. Questions about a back injury that cost him time in the second half of the season will need to be answered. If he stays healthy and develops, Lindstrom and Adam Fantilli will be an outstanding 1-2 punch down the middle for the Blue Jackets.
Charlie Elick is an outstanding skater. His mobility allows him to play shutdown defence as well as retrieve loose pucks and start the breakout. He can skate the puck out of danger and also makes a great first pass. On the other hand, his offensive game is still improving. Goaltender Evan Gardner is a little undersized but has excellent technique. He is almost always square to the shooter and has excellent rebound control. Finally, Luca Marrelli is a solid defensive defenceman who does a lot of the little things right. He isn’t a big hitter, but merely plays the position efficiently and effectively.
Click Here to Continue with the 2024 NHL Draft Grades for the Next Eight Teams.
Main photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
