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Macklin Celebrini is number 1; who’s next?

VaselineJune 29, 2024

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Macklin Celebrini is number 1; who’s next?

Kyle Woodlief
| special for USA TODAY

The following sample design comes from Red Line Report, an independent scouting service.

Note that the mock draft has some significant differences from Red Line’s own value board. Red Line Report is a pure scouting service and ultimately ranks prospects in the order in which we would select available players if we lived in a vacuum where needs and other external forces were never factored into the equation.

This mock draft is just a fun exercise in scenarios we think could happen on draft day.

The top half of the first round is strong – Macklin Celebrini will immediately slot into the lineup as a top-six forward – but depth is lacking in this year’s draft.

1. San Jose Sharks

Macklin Celebrini Center, Boston University. With Will Smith already involved, the Sharks now have one of the best young center tandems in the NHL. This is also a marketing bonanza, as Celebrini once played for the Junior Sharks when his father, Rick, worked for the Golden State Warriors.

2. Chicago Blackhawks

Winger Ivan Demidov, SKA Saint Petersburg. Some scouts see him as a potential 50-goal scorer or 100-point producer. He’s signed in the Kontinental Hockey League for another season, but you don’t have to worry about when he’ll cross the pond. You take him because he could ultimately have as much impact as Celebrini.

3. Anaheim Ducks

Defenseman Artyom Levshunov, Michigan State. The Ducks made a deal earlier this offseason to land an elite forward prospect in Cutter Gauthier. They gave up young defender Jamie Drysdale to get him. In Levshunov they can get a big time-consuming defender, and coaches will love his style of play.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets

Center Cayden Lindstrom, Medicine Hat. Every NHL team is looking for a big center, and Lindstrom is 6’3” and 215 pounds. Someone we know in the NHL scouting community said Lindstrom has an Eric Lindros-esque vibe. That’s a comparison that will make you stand up and take notice.

5. Montreal Canadiens

Forward Tij Iginla, Kelowna. He is the son of Hall of Fame player Jarome Iginla. That’s all you really need to know. Don’t underestimate what he can do. He is a confident player who has scored 47 goals in 64 games.

6. Utah Hockey Club

Defender Anton Silayev, Nizhny Novgorod. He is 1.80 meters tall and can skate. Visions of Zdeno Chara dance in everyone’s head. He hits and knows how to use his great reach.

7. Ottawa Senators

Defenseman Zayne Parekh, Saginaw. He is a pure offensive defender and a powerful quarterback, as his numbers (38 goals, 96 points) suggest. He has a lot of work to do on his defensive game.

8. Seattle Kraken

Defenseman Zeev Buium, University of Denver. Quality skater, smart player, very good offensive instincts. Backers who reach 50 points as collegiate freshmen are extremely rare.

9. Calgary Flames

Defender Sam Dickinson, London. He has size (6-foot-3), skill and a good shot. He looks and plays like a pro player.

10. New Jersey Devils

Winger Cole Eiserman, US National Team Development Program. If there’s a player that’s going to surpass his draft ranking, it’s Eiserman. Big winger has the skill to become a top NHL scorer.

11. San Jose Sharks (from Buffalo Sabres)

Center Berkly Catton, Spokane. He’s not quite 6’2″ tall, but his skill set is hard to ignore. He has the offensive ability to develop into a top six NHL forward.

12. Philadelphia Kites

Defenseman Carter Yakemchuk, Calgary. He is a heavy hitter with a big shot. High-end, 6-foot-4 offensive defenseman. However, he takes too many penalties. You would hope he would grow out of that.

13. Minnesota Wild

Winger Beckett Sennecke, Oshawa. He scored 68 points in 63 regular season games and then performed well in the postseason with 10 goals and 22 points in 16 games. Has hands and an inner drive.

14. Buffalo Sabers (from Pittsburgh Penguins via San Jose Sharks)

Konsta Helenius Centre, Jukurit. He plays an NHL-style game with an emphasis on possessing the puck. He competes hard. Especially to play as a center on the top two lines.

15.Detroit Red Wings

Center Michael Hage, Chicago. He is a creative attacking player with spirit in his game. He competes hard and is headed to Michigan, which will make it easy for the Red Wings to keep tabs on him on a regular basis.

16. St. Louis Blues

Winger Terik Parascak, Prince George. He’s not big or an exceptional skater, but he knows how to use his offensive instincts. He had 105 points in 68 regular-season games and added 14 in 12 postseason games.

17. Capitals of Washington

Winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Mora. He is a hardworking Norwegian winger who has gone to Sweden to improve his game. He gained valuable experience playing for Norway at the World Cup. He could finish in the top fifteen.

18. New York Islanders

Winger Igor Chernyshov, Dynamo. He stands 6-foot-1 and has played parts of two seasons in the KHL. Perhaps the presence of Maxim Tsyplakov and Russian goaltenders Igor Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov will convince Chernyshov to come to North America sooner.

19. Vegas Golden Knights

Defender Adam Jiricek, Plzen. His injury at the World Junior Championships hurt his draft status, but he is the younger brother of Blue Jackets defenseman David Jiricek. That will certainly help. He is 6-foot-1, can skate and has good offensive tools.

20. Chicago Blackhawks (from Tampa Bay Lightning)

Winger Cole Beaudoin, Barrie. Scouts like him because he works hard and plays a responsible game. You might wonder if his 67 junior points will translate to the NHL, but if you watch him enough, you’ll be convinced he’ll figure out how to make it on the show.

21. Los Angeles Kings

Sacha Boisvert Center, Muskegon. He is a scoring center who is headed to North Dakota to play college hockey. Boisvert is 6-foot-1 and competes hard.

22. Nashville Predators

Center Lucas Pettersson, MoDo. His skill set is enticing. He skates extremely well with a turbocharged boost that seems to give him an extra boost. Plus he has a scoring instinct.

23. Toronto Maple Leaves

Winger Ryder Ritchie, Prince Albert. His play and skating make him an attractive option late in the first round. He scored 44 points in 47 games.

24. Colorado Avalanche

Winger Trevor Connelly, Tri-City. The Avalanche are always willing to gamble on players with a high skill level, and no one in the draft has more of that than this stickhandling wizard.

25. Boston Bruins (originally from Boston, via Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators)

Center Jett Luchanko, Guelph. Has a high hockey IQ and his 74 points show that he knows how to use it to be productive.

26. Montreal Canadiens (from Winnipeg Jets)

Defender Stian Solberg, Valerenga. He played in Norway’s top pair at the world championships. He is a rugged defensive fighter and a remarkable open ice hitter. Those guys are hard to find.

27. Carolina Hurricanes

Defenseman EJ Emery, US National Team Development Program. He’s a 6-foot-1, defense-first blueliner who’s going to play his college hockey at North Dakota. He has some offensive upside, but you’re calling him up now because of his defensive skills.

28. Calgary Flames (from Vancouver Canucks)

Defender Dominik Badinka, Malmö. He’s already playing a solid game in the Swedish Hockey League. He’s tall, can skate and shows glimpses of attacking ability.

29. Dallas Stars

Winger Julius Miettinen, Everett. He is a Finn who plays in the Western Hockey League and benefits from the experience. He has a big body and has scored 31 goals this season. This season he steadily rose in the ratings of most teams.

30. New York Rangers

Center Dean Letourneau, St. Andrews College. He’s 6-foot-7 and that alone makes him intriguing. He scored 127 points this season. Isn’t this where you always draft the biggest player with the most potential?

31. Anaheim Ducks (from Edmonton Oilers)

Winger Liam Greentree, Windsor. While NHL scouts were busy debating whether his speed was good enough, Greentree was busy scoring 36 goals and 90 points. He always seems to find a way to get into the middle of the action.

32. Philadelphia Flyers (from Florida Panthers)

Winger Emil Hemming, TPS Turku. He has one of the best shots in this year’s draft class. Hemming has the natural scoring touch normally seen in a top six NHL winger.