The 2024 NHL Entry Draft is set to take place June 28–29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The 2024 draft class has been overshadowed by last year’s stacked class, headlined by Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson, and Matvei Michkov. Nonetheless, many prospects in this draft are worth getting excited about – who of the bunch is closest to reaching the NHL?
1. Macklin Celebrini
The consensus first-overall pick, Macklin Celebrini, is all but guaranteed to make his NHL debut next season. After scoring 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games with Boston University this season, he has shown he is ready to take the next step in his journey. The San Jose Sharks hold the first-overall selection, and Celebrini is expected to return to the city where he played much of his youth hockey.
The Sharks were the worst team in the NHL this season, so Celebrini is expected to immediately join the top six to play alongside forwards William Eklund, Will Smith, Logan Couture, and Mikhael Granlund. San Jose could also follow the Chicago Blackhawks’ lead from last offseason and add veterans like Nick Foligno and Taylor Hall to help Celebrini’s development.
Given the state of San Jose’s roster, it will likely be hard for Celebrini to find his footing in his rookie season. He will be squaring off against top lines while adjusting to professional hockey with a new coaching staff. There is no doubt he is capable of playing in the NHL, but it may be a season or two until he puts up the point totals expected from a first-overall pick.
2. Konsta Helenius
Konsta Helenius spent most of the past two seasons in the top five draft rankings due to his maturity and experience at the professional level. He has been Jukurit of the Finnish Liiga’s top-line center for those two seasons, driving offense while providing stable defense. The concern with him is that he lacks a dominant trait, but that should not keep him from reaching the NHL soon.
Related: 2024 NHL Draft: Baracchini’s Mock Draft
This could also be a blessing in disguise as it would allow him to fall to a team selecting in the 10-15 range that is closer to competing than teams selecting in the top five. He is NHL-ready, but making his debut this season will be dictated by which team drafts him.
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If he joins a roster like the New Jersey Devils, he will be surrounded by talent and positioned well to make an immediate impact as a low-cost, reliable two-way forward. If he goes to a team like the Seattle Kraken, they may be more inclined to give him an additional season or two of development in Finland since they are not rushing to compete anytime soon.
3. Artyom Levshunov
Artyom Levshunov is widely considered the second or third-best prospect in this class, and for good reason. He is a 6-foot-2, 209-pound defenseman who is not afraid to throw his body around. He is a solid skater who can drive offense at even strength and on the power play. He logged big minutes for Michigan State this season, putting up impressive point totals for a draft-eligible defenseman.
His nine goals and 35 points in 38 games show his upside, but his style and poise with the puck show he is ready to make the NHL. He is expected to go to the Blackhawks at second overall or the Anaheim Ducks at third, and both offer similar paths to the big league. In Chicago, he would not have a lot of competition, so he could seamlessly slot in on the second or third pairing while learning behind Seth Jones and Connor Murphy.
In Anaheim, he would have to compete with veteran Radko Gudas and Tristan Luneau, but he could earn a spot in training camp. However, the Ducks might be more inclined to prioritize his development by playing him in the American Hockey League as they did with Olen Zellweger. However, even if that’s the case, Levshunov would likely see time in the NHL by the All-Star break next season.
4. Sam Dickinson
Sam Dickinson may be the most underrated prospect in this draft class. He is a left-handed defenseman who is big, strong, high-motored, and wise beyond his years. He is 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and has spent the past two seasons with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. The Golden Knights are arguably the best Canadian junior team at developing NHL-caliber talent, and Dickinson has spent the past two seasons there. There is no doubt he could slot in on an NHL roster next season, but the team selecting him may decide to give him one more season of development before he makes his big-league debut.
5. Ivan Demidov
Like Levshunov, Ivan Demidov is a consensus top-three pick in this draft. A right-winger with ridiculous hands, he can drive the offense from all aspects of the game. He can shoot, pass, skate, and more, and is not far away from reaching the NHL. He is expected to spend next season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with SKA St. Petersburg and come to North America for the 2025-26 season. While he may be good enough to play in the NHL in 2024-25, another year of development may be what is best for his game.
Honorable Mention: Anton Silayev
This issue with Anton Silayev is not his ability but his contract. He is 6-foot-7, 207 pounds and already a great defender at the professional level. He spent this season with the Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL and shined. But he is signed through the 2025-26 season, so he will not reach the NHL until 2026. If not for his contract, he would arguably be the closest to NHL-ready of any draft prospect, even ahead of Celebrini.
With the draft approaching, teams are deciding on their strategy for each selection. Some prospects are closer to seeing the NHL than others, but that is not all a prospect should be assessed on. Luckily for the five teams that will select the players listed above, they are all close to making their rosters, as well as possessing the upside to becoming a star.