2024 NHL Draft Lottery Big Board: Profiles For Each Team in the Top 16
Which teams are best set up to succeed at the 2024 Draft?
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The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery is in the books. The results were straightforward with no team moving outside of its original position. The draft order went unchanged for the first time since 2010.
What’s next? The 2024 Draft will take place from the Las Vegas Sphere on June 28-29. Here’s a draft profile for each team that missed the playoffs this season and has a pick in the top 16 from our very own Dayton Reimer.
1. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks won the NHL Draft Lottery for the first time in franchise history.
THW Farm System Ranking: 3
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Filip Bystedt, Will Smith, Quentin Musty, Thomas Bordeleau
Defensemen: Shakir Mukhamadullin, Mattias Havelid, Luca Cagnoni
Goalies: Magnus Chrona
Draft Trends: Grier is very familiar with the unanimous first-overall choice, Macklin Celebrini, as the Sharks’ top prospect Will Smith played against his Boston University four times this season while at Boston College. There will be no surprises here.
Potential 2024 Targets: Macklin Celebrini (C)
Related: The NHL’s Best Farm Systems Ranked – 2023-24 Midseason Update
2. Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks will look to add a player to pair with last year’s number-one pick Bedard and their growing farm system.
THW Farm System Ranking: 9
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Gavin Hayes
Defensemen: Ethan Del Mastro, Sam Rinzel
Goalies: Drew Commesso
Draft Trends: The Blackhawks love to pick players from the WHL and NTDP and since Kyle Davidson arrived, the team has rarely diverted from this strategy. They need more top-pairing defencemen, but they love speed and skill, which could prompt a different approach in 2024 as Europeans can address both areas.
Potential 2024 Targets: Ivan Demidov (RW), Artyom Levshunov (RD), Cayden Lindstrom (C), Berkly Catton (LW), Anton Silayev (LD)
3. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks are in the top 3 for the third time in the last four years. Who did they take then? Leo Carlsson (2023) and Mason McTavish (2021). They haven’t picked outside of the top 10 since 2018 (Isac Lundestrom).
THW Farm System Ranking: 2
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Cutter Gauthier, Nathan Gaucher, Carey Terrance, Sam Colangelo
Defensemen: Olen Zellwegger, Tristan Luneau
Goalies: Calle Clang
Draft Trends: Verbeek has only been around for two drafts with the Ducks, but in that time, he’s mainly stuck to the CHL, selecting five players from the WHL, four from the OHL, and three from the QMJHL while almost completely avoiding the USHL and college circuit. The Ducks also like to draft players with size, adding just one prospect from 2022 and 2023 standing under 6-foot-1. They don’t need more defencemen, but sometimes an opportunity is too good to pass up.
Potential 2024 Targets: Artyom Levshunov (RD), Zayne Parekh (RD), Cayden Lindstrom (C), Ivan Demidov (RW), Anton Silayev (LD)
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have a top 10 pick for the fourth straight year and it’s been a top five pick for the third straight year.
THW Farm System Ranking: 11
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Gavin Brindley, Jordan Dumais
Defensemen: Corson Ceulemans, Stanislav Svozil, Denton Mateychuk
Draft Trends: Jarmo Kekalainen was always one for big, off-the-board picks, especially with European prospects, as both a scout and general manager, but now that he’s gone, John Davidson will take over until a replacement is named. That means the Blue Jackets might be a little less risky this year and will likely return to the North American circuits. With their defence in good hands, the Blue Jackets will likely look to boost their forwards, especially after they finished with the eighth-lowest goal total in the NHL.
Potential 2024 Targets: Cole Eiserman (LW), Ivan Demidov (LW), Berkly Catton (C), Cayden Lindstrom (C), Zayne Parekh (RD)
5. Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens picked first overall in 2022 and fifth overall last year. What’s in store this year?
THW Farm System Ranking: 8
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Filip Mesar, Owen Beck, Joshua Roy
Defensemen: Lane Hutson, David Reinbacher
Goalies: Jacob Fowler
Draft Trends: Since Kent Hughes took over in 2021-22, the Canadiens have had three first-round picks and drafted a European with each one, all of whom were reaches and were criticized to varying degrees. After the first round, the USHL has provided Montreal with the most bang for its buck, and they could combine the two with this year’s first-round pick. However, Montreal almost always goes for intelligent, well-rounded players first, which may upset fans again.
Potential 2024 Targets: Ivan Demidov (LW), Cole Eiserman (LW), Sam Dickinson (LD), Zeev Buium (LD), Konsta Helenius (C)
6. NHL Utah
With the Arizona Coyotes relocating to Utah, this will be the first official draft for the new city. General manager Bill Armstrong has loaded up on prospects over the past few years and will continue with another top-10 pick.
THW Farm System Ranking: 7
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Conor Geekie, Daniil But, Julian Lutz
Defensemen: Victor Söderstrom, Dmitri Simashev
Goaltenders: Michael Hrabal
Draft Trends: Armstrong likes two things - big players, and making off-the-board picks. He clearly doesn’t believe in the ‘Russian Factor’ after last year’s top selections, and there are several top prospects from there at the top of the draft board, but he also comes back to the USHL and WHL frequently. With Utah’s prospect pool needing a few more top-pairing defenders, they likely go for one this year, but it’s almost impossible to predict which one.
Potential 2024 Targets: Anton Silayev (LD), Ivan Demidov (LW), Cole Eiserman (LW), Igor Chernyshov (LW), Michael Hage (C)
7. Ottawa Senators
The Senators could forfeit this pick or do so in 2025 or 2026 due to the penalty in the invalid Evgenii Dadonov trade, but they are expected to keep it.
THW Farm System Ranking: 32
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Stephen Halliday, Zach Ostapchuk, Angus Crookshank, Roby Jarventie
Defensemen: Maxence Guenette, Jorian Donovan
Goaltender: Mads Sogaard
Draft Trends: New ownership and front office mean unpredictability for the Senators in this draft. New general manager Steve Staios has a connection to the OHL, so watch out for that.
Potential 2024 Targets: Zayne Parekh (RD), Berkly Catton (C), Sam Dickinson (LD), Cayden Lindstrom (C), Liam Greentree (RW)
8. Seattle Kraken
The Kraken are back in the lottery after making the playoffs in 2022-23. Who they picked in the other two times they’ve been in the lottery - Shane Wright and Matty Beniers.
THW Farm System Ranking: 14
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Shane Wright, Jani Nyman, Eduard Sale, Jagger Firkus
Defensemen: Lukas Dragicevic, Ryker Evans
Draft Trends: The Kraken’s scouting staff have plenty of ties to the NCAA circuit, but the team has found the most success in the WHL and the OHL. Ron Francis has prioritized hard-working players with big skills, regardless of size, allowing several talented prospects to land at their feet. With limited depth in their prospect pool, another top pick will do wonders.
Potential 2024 Targets: Sam Dickinson (LD), Zeev Buium (LD), Tij Iginla (RW), Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (RW), Konsta Helenius (C)
THW’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide
9. Calgary Flames
The Flames have a pick inside the top 10 for the first time since 2016 when they took star Matthew Tkachuk with the sixth overall pick.
THW Farm System Ranking: 17
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Matt Coronato, Samuel Honzek, Aydar Suniev
Defensemen: Etienne Morin, Hunter Brzustewicz
Goaltenders: Dustin Wolf
Draft Trends: It’s been six years since the Flames took a defenceman with their first pick and major gaps are starting to show. But can Calgary pass up the chance to draft Jarome Iginla’s son?
Potential 2024 Targets: Tij Iginla (RW), Carter Yakemchuk (RD), Berkly Catton (C), Adam Jiricek (RD), Beckett Sennecke (RW)
10. New Jersey Devils
The Devils will pick in the top 10 for the sixth time since 2015. Those selections? Simon Nemec, Alexander Holtz, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Pavel Zacha.
THW Farm System Ranking: 19
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Arseni Gritsyuk, Lenni Hameenaho, Graeme Clarke
Defensemen: Simon Nemec, Seamus Casey
Draft Trends: The Devils have taken a lot of defencemen in the early rounds of the draft and it’s safe to say they don’t need any more. They will take anyone from anywhere as long as they have speed and high-end skill, which opens up a lot of options at 10th overall.
Potential 2024 Targets: Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (RW), Liam Greentree (LW), Emil Hemming (RW), Berkly Catton (C), Terik Parascak (LW)
11. Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres are picking outside of the top 10 for the second season in a row. That hasn’t happened since 2010 and 2011.
THW Farm System Ranking: 1
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Jiri Kulich, Noah Östlund, Matthew Savoie, Isak Rosen
Goaltenders: Devon Levi
Draft Trends: The Sabres have put together the best group of prospects in the NHL with one simple philosophy - just take the best player, regardless of size or nationality. Zach Benson should have been a top-five pick, as should Matthew Savoie, yet both fell into the Sabres’ lap. They will once again wait for everyone else to make a mistake before they pick.
Potential 2024 Targets: Konsta Helenius (C), Berkly Catton (LW), Nikita Artamonov (RW), Igor Chernyshov (LW), Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (RW)
12. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers flirted with playoff contention but ended up back in the lottery after a rough finish. They haven’t picked outside of the top 10 in the past two drafts.
THW Farm System Ranking: 20
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Matvei Michkov, Denver Barkey, Alex Ciernik, Samu Tuomaala
Defensemen: Oliver Bonk, Emil Andrae
Goaltenders: Carson Bjarnasson
Draft Trends: The Flyers could use another puck-moving defenceman and some more aggressive, in-your-face forwards, so the 12th overall pick will come down to who’s still available. The ‘Russian Factor’ also doesn’t scare Danny Briere, nor does drafting smaller players, which led them to Matvei Michkov last year. But the Flyers also don’t put much weight in public rankings and have a habit of going off the board for the guys they want.
Potential 2024 Targets: Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (RW), Emil Hemming (RW), Carter Yakemchuk (RD), Beckett Sennecke (RW), Luke Misa (C)
13. Minnesota Wild
The Wild missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018-19 and haven’t held a top 10 pick since selecting Marco Rossi with the ninth overall pick in 2020.
THW Farm System Ranking: 5
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Liam Ohgren, Marat Khusnutdinov, Danila Yurov, Riley Heidt
Defensemen: Dameon Hunt, Carson Lambos
Goaltenders: Jesper Wallstedt
Draft Trends: The Wild went heavy on speed and high-end offence in 2020, 2021, and 2022. They abandoned that with the selection of Charlie Stramel in the first round last year. What league have they frequented in recent years? The Western Hockey League.
Potential 2024 Targets: Terik Parascak (RW), Andrew Basha (F), Teddy Stiga (LW), Igor Chernyshov (LW), Trevor Connelly (LW)
14. San Jose Sharks (via Pittsburgh Penguins)
The Sharks received this pick in the Erik Karlsson trade with the Penguins. It’s their first of two selections in the top 16.
THW Farm System Ranking: 3
Draft Trends: Mike Grier hasn’t been general manager long enough to develop any trends, but, if last year was a sign of things to come, the Sharks will stick to either the USHL or the OHL and draft a player with projectable size, as they did with their second first-round pick, Quentin Musty. They’ll also keep it fairly safe, as most of Greir’s early picks were big, goal-scoring forwards who already had the size and shot to make the NHL but just needed a little extra time to round out their game.
Potential 2024 Targets: Michael Hage (C), Trevor Connolly (LW), Dean Letourneau (C), Sacha Boisvert (C), Liam Greentree (RW)
15. Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are outside the top 10 for the first time since 2016 when they selected defenseman Dennis Cholowoski with the 20th overall pick.
THW Farm System Rankings: 4
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, Jonatan Berggren
Defensemen: Simon Edvinsson, William Wallinder, Axel Sandin Pellikka
Goaltenders: Sebastian Cossa, Trey Augustine
Draft Trends: Yzerman loves to go off the general board and surprise with his first-round picks. He did so with Edvinsson, Kasper, and Danielson in recent drafts and it’s worked well. Keep in mind that this organization places an emphasis on resources put into scouting the less well-known European leagues - three of their last seven first-round picks have come from outside of Sweden.
Potential 2024 Targets: Lucas Pettersson (C), Alfons Freij (LD), Michael Hage (C), Andrew Basha (F), Cole Eiserman (LW)
16. St. Louis Blues
The Blues will pick in the top 16 for the second season in a row after selecting 10th overall last year.
THW Farm System Rankings: 13
Top Prospects:
Forwards: Jimmy Snuggerud, Otto Stenberg, Dalibor Dvorsky, Zachary Bolduc
Defensemen: Theo Lindstein, Michael Buchinger
Goalies: Colten Ellis
Draft Trends: Took two forwards and a defenseman in the first round last year and have a prominent number of scouts in Europe - all three first-rounders last year played in Sweden. They need a defenseman but have taken only three in the first two rounds over the past 10 years.
Potential 2024 Targets: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (RW), Alfons Freij (LD), Igor Chernyshov (LW), Adam Jiricek (RD), Jett Luchanko (C)
No way the Blues pass on Dickinson or Buium for Freij. Dickinson is as close to a sure thing as there is as a top pairing defenseman.
I just hope that the Duck's G.M. can THIS YEAR do a good job of building "our" team, instead of trading off more of our good players and leaving "us" with a team of newbies that are just learning the ropes of the NHL.