With the 2024 draft complete, we're handing out initial grades for each team's haul of new prospects.
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| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | F Dean Letourneau | St. Andrew's College (High-ON) |
| 110 | D Elliott Groenewold | Cedar Rapids (USHL) |
| 154 | F Jonathan Morello | St. Michaels (OJHL) |
| 186 | D Loke Johansson | AIK (Sweden-Jr.) |
Letourneau is among the biggest swings in the draft. The physical tools are tantalizing as a 6-foot-7 center with good puck skills and scoring prowess, but the lack of competition above the Ontario high school level is a concern. He heads to Boston College in the fall, where the Bruins will surely keep close tabs on him as a developmental project.
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | F Konsta Helenius | Jukurit (Finland) |
| 42 | D Adam Kleber | Lincoln (USHL) |
| 71 | F Brodie Ziemer | U.S. NTDP |
| 108 | D Luke Osburn | Youngstown (USHL) |
| 123 | D Simon-Pier Brunet | Drummondville (QMJHL) |
| 172 | D Patrick Geary | Michigan State (NCAA) |
| 204 | F Vasily Zelenov | RB Juniors (Austria-2) |
| 219 | G Ryerson Leenders | Mississauga (OHL) |
Helenius is solid value at No. 14 considering how NHL-ready he is. Sure, he probably won't be a top-six offensive star, but the Finnish pivot plays a mature game that should complement the Sabres' array of exciting forwards already in the system.
Ultimately, the trade down from No. 11 significantly hurts the Sabres' grade. The Sharks gain a legitimate potential top-pairing defender in Sam Dickinson, while Buffalo ends up with a good prospect in Helenius and a fun fourth-liner in Beck Malenstyn. The value doesn't match.
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | F Michael Brandsegg-Nygard | Mora (SWE-2) |
| 47 | F Max Plante | U.S. NTDP |
| 80 | F Ondrej Becher | Prince George (WHL) |
| 126 | G Landon Miller | Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) |
| 144 | D John Whipple | U.S. NTDP |
| 176 | F Charlie Forslund | Falu IF (SWE-3) |
| 203 | F Austin Baker | U.S. NTDP |
| 208 | D Fisher Scott | Dubuque (USHL) |
Brandsegg-Nygard screamed Red Wing in the predraft process and Detroit's exactly where he ends up. The Norwegian's a power winger with a quality shot and is a monster on the forecheck.
A concern is the lack of high-end upside. Brandsegg-Nygard felt like a Detroit pick because the Wings have taken prospects in a similar mold in past years. Detroit lacks game-breakers and didn't add any prospects who have legitimate potential to become that.
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | F Linus Eriksson | Djurgarden (SWE-2) |
| 97 | D Matvei Shuravin | CSKA (Russia-Jr.) |
| 129 | F Simon Zether | Rogle (Sweden) |
| 169 | F Stepan Gorbunov | Chelyabinsk (Russia-Jr.) |
| 193 | F Hunter St. Martin | Medicine Hat (WHL) |
| 201 | G Denis Gabdrakhmanov | Tyumen (Russia-Jr.) |
Trading next year's second-round pick to select Linus Eriksson was a bit odd, in that it removes a key 2025 trade-deadline asset for a prospect who doesn't have top-six upside. As for Zether, he played pro games in Sweden and destroyed the junior circuit when he was against his peers.
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | F Ivan Demidov | SKA St. Petersburg (Russia-Jr.) |
| 21 | F Michael Hage | Chicago (USHL) |
| 70 | F Aatos Koivu | TPS (Finland-Jr.) |
| 78 | F Logan Sawyer | Brooks (BCHL) |
| 102 | D Owen Protz | Brantford (OHL) |
| 130 | F Tyler Thorpe | Vancouver (WHL) |
| 134 | G Mikus Vecvanags | HS Riga (Latvia) |
| 166 | F Ben Merrill | St. Sebastians (High-MA) |
| 210 | F Makar Khanin | Dynamo St. Petersburg (Russia-Jr.) |
| 224 | D Rasmus Bergqvist | Skelleftea (Sweden-Jr.) |
Habs fans were clamoring for Demidov and got their wish. There's no denying his immense skill and sky-high upside. The lack of games against pro competition in Russia is a concern, but that's part of the reason he was available at No. 5 in the first place. Demidov has legitimate superstar potential.
Hage was another great upside pick at No. 21. He was arguably the best USHL player in the second half after overcoming a major injury and a family tragedy the year prior.
Add in the Koivu pick, the son of former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu, and you have a splendid haul for Montreal.
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | D Carter Yakemchuk | Calgary (WHL) |
| 42 | D Gabriel Eliasson | HV71 (Sweden-Jr.) |
| 104 | F Lucas Ellinas | Kitchener (OHL) |
| 112 | F Javon Moore | Minnetonka (High-MN) |
| 117 | F Blake Montgomery | Lincoln (USHL) |
| 136 | D Eerik Wallenius | HPK (Finland-Jr.) |
Yakemchuk is a risky pick at No. 7, but it's easy to see why the Senators covet his skill. The right-shot defenseman is a human highlight reel: he loves to dangle one-on-one and scored a ridiculous 30 goals from the back end. Whether his game will translate to the next level is the question.
In Eliasson, the Senators took a huge defender with no offense earlier than anticipated. Moore's a fun swing in a good athlete out of high school, and Montgomery's a budding, powerful winger.
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 118 | D Jan Golicic | Gatineau (QMJHL) |
| 128 | F Hagen Burrows | Minnetonka (High-MN) |
| 149 | F Joona Saarelainen | KalPa (Finland-Jr.) |
| 181 | F Kaden Pitre | Flint (OHL) |
| 195 | F Joe Connor | Muskegon (USHL) |
| 199 | F Noah Steen | Mora (SWE-2) |
| 206 | G Harrison Meneghin | Lethbridge (WHL) |
Golicic is a nice story as a rare Slovenian draftee, but he's a low-upside, low-likelihood NHLer. Burrows, on the other hand, is a better bet on potential with his 6-foot-3 frame and scoring talent. Steen had moments at the world juniors with Norway.
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | D Ben Danford | Oshawa (OHL) |
| 120 | D Victor Johansson | Leksand (Sweden-Jr.) |
| 151 | F Miroslav Holinka | Trinec (Czechia-Jr.) |
| 152 | F Alexander Plesovskikh | Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia-Jr.) |
| 157 | G Timofei Obvintsev | CSKA (Russia-Jr.) |
| 200 | D Matt Lahey | Nanaimo (BCHL) |
| 216 | F Sam McCue | Owen Sound (OHL) |
| 225 | D Nathan Mayes | Spokane (WHL) |
Trading down from No. 23 made a lot of sense for a Maple Leafs team in need of additional draft capital. Toronto missed on a few intriguing talents as a result, but still get a steady, two-way defender in Danford who ticks a lot of boxes with respect to what the team covets in a prospect.
Dealing No. 58 for a 2025 second-rounder and 2024 seventh hurts the quality of this year's class, but gives Toronto much needed ammunition for the 2025 trade deadline.
The rest of the class features somewhat obscure projects. By no means a flashy draft from Toronto, but it snagged a right-shot defender with top-four upside in the first round to address its system's biggest need.
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