The Utah Hockey Club drafted forward Tij Iginla with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday, the first selection in team history.

Tij Iginla

Once projected to go outside the first round, Iginla's stock has been steadily rising over the past year. He wasn't an everyday player for the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds in 2022-23, mustering 18 points in 48 regular-season outings while appearing in just three playoff games during their run to the Memorial Cup final.

The soon-to-be-18-year-old broke out in a big way this past campaign for the Kelowna Rockets, though. Iginla ranked seventh in the WHL in goals and second on his team with 84 points before adding nine tallies and 15 points in 11 playoff games. He also enjoyed a standout performance at this spring's World U18 Championship, where he helped Canada win gold. He jumped up two spots between NHL Central Scouting's midterm and final rankings.

Tij is the son of Hall of Fame winger Jarome Iginla.

"I don't think it's any one thing," Tij said when asked about the biggest lesson he's learned from his dad. "It's hard to just put one thing, so many life lessons, things like that, over the years. I guess a big one would be effort. You can make mistakes, but effort's got to be there."

The youngster outscored his father's production in his draft year, with Jarome putting up 33 goals and 71 points in 72 games for the WHL's Kamloops Blazers before being selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in 1995.

After being drafted higher than Jarome, Tij conceded that "it's nice" to have some family bragging rights.

"He had a pretty good career," he quipped, per The Canadian Press' Joshua Clipperton. "I'll have to start trying to build my resume."

What they're saying

"Tij is a very talented offensive player," wrote The Athletic's Corey Pronman in May. "His stick-handling displays stand out constantly. He beats defenders one-on-one at a high rate and improvises very well with the puck. ... He gets to the inside to score as well and displays a strong effort away from the puck. ... He projects as a strong top-six wing who will score a lot of goals."

Pronman also likened him to veteran forward Viktor Arvidsson and previously compared Iginla to talented Buffalo Sabres youngster JJ Peterka in his April rankings.

"Score, score, and score some more. That's what (Iginla) does best," Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis wrote in April. "Iginla is a solid distributor ... but with the puck on his stick, he's a dangerous generator. He plays with good pace, and while he isn't big, he's physically strong."

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The Anaheim Ducks drafted Canadian forward Beckett Sennecke with the third overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday.

Beckett Sennecke

Sennecke was clearly stunned to hear his name called so early.

"I was just super shocked. I think, obviously, my face kinda said that all," he said. "That was definitely an unexpected moment."

"I had a couple of meetings yesterday and today, and Anaheim wasn't one of them," he added, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

Propelled by a dominant second half to his season, Sennecke clambered up draft boards everywhere, rising two spots between NHL Central Scouting's midterm and final rankings. He registered 17 goals and 42 points over his last 31 regular-season games with the Oshawa Generals and carried that momentum into the playoffs, where he chipped in with 22 points in 16 contests.

Though he got hurt in the Eastern Conference Finals, Sennecke said he believes his strong postseason showing was behind his stunning rise.

"I think it was definitely my playoff performance," he said. "I kinda peaked at the right time there."

Sennecke has been lauded for his strong skating ability, which is uncharacteristic for his large stature, and he's also known for his creativity as a puck-handler.

What they're saying

"He sees the ice well and is creative as a passer, although not to the level of his (one-on-one) abilities," The Athletic's Corey Pronman wrote in May. "There have been times when I've questioned his compete and consistency, but he answered those questions as the season continued. ... He looks like a player who can be a difference-maker at the next level."

Pronman also compared him to Winnipeg Jets sniper Kyle Connor.

"(Sennecke) offers good size, strength, and skills with his hockey sense in generating quality scoring opportunities. ... Sennecke is an all-around 200-foot player with a positive work ethic at both ends of the ice," NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale wrote in June.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets selected center Cayden Lindstrom with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Cayden Lindstrom

Lindstrom battled injuries in the latter half of the season, but he showed enough promise at the start of the campaign to still finish third on Central Scouting's North American skaters list. He offers an NHL-ready frame, along with impressive puck skills and speed for a player of his size. Lindstrom has all the tools needed to be an impact player once he enters the league.

Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said Lindstrom was the organization's top-ranked player after first overall pick Macklin Celebrini, per The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. The executive added that they had a fallback trade in place if Lindstrom wasn't available at No. 4.

What they're saying

"He has the quick twitch feet of a smaller forward and can get by opposing defenders," wrote The Athletic's Corey Pronman, who ranked Lindstrom 11th among this year's prospects. "He's a big, powerful center with a ton of physicality in his game. Lindstrom has good offensive skills and can score goals. His playmaking is something I've questioned at times, although he's shown good instances this season."

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The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the second overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday.

Artyom Levshunov

Levshunov checks a lot of NHL boxes simply by being a 6-foot-2 rearguard with a right-hand shot, but he's got the game to back it up, too.

Lauded for his offensive play, the soon-to-be 19-year-old made his North American debut with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers in 2022-23. There, he started generating some buzz after amassing 42 points in 62 games, but he broke out this past season after making the jump to the NCAA look easy.

Levshunov operated at a near point-per-game pace for the Michigan State Spartans and ended his freshman year tied for the 10th-most points among all blue-liners in the NCAA and the second most out of all draft-eligible defensemen, trailing only Denver's Zeev Buium.

Of course, Levshunov isn't perfect in his own zone, but he's shown incredible growth at his position through his first two years away from Belarus, enough to make him the fourth-ever Belarusian player to be selected in the opening round and the first to get taken in the top eight.

What they're saying

"He is extremely skilled and creative, both as a puck-handler and passer," wrote The Athletic's Corey Pronman while ranking Levshunov No. 2 on his May board. "He has the hands of a top offensive defenseman and looks very comfortable with the puck. He skates well and can play an up-tempo style in how he attacks with his skill. ... His defensive play doesn't stand out as much, particularly because he tries to attack so much, but he can make stops due to his athleticism and has physicality in his game."

Pronman also compared him to veteran blue-liner Brent Burns and previously likened Levshunov to New York Islanders standout Noah Dobson in his April rankings.

"It feels like Levshunov as the top defenseman (in the draft) is almost the consensus now," Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis wrote in April. "He's just got everything scouts want in a high-end defender - size, mobility, and puck-moving skills, just to name a few quality traits. ... There aren't many notable deficiencies in his game."

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The San Jose Sharks took Boston University star forward Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday.

Celebrini went wire to wire as the consensus top prospect in the class. He dominated the NCAA at just 17 years old, becoming the youngest to win the Hobey Baker Award as men's collegiate hockey's top player.

Though scouts don't consider the Vancouver native a generational prospect like Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard, Celebrini's success at every level and his complete game make him a future No. 1 center and star for the Sharks.

San Jose legend Joe Thornton announced the pick.

Celebrini said he hasn't yet decided if he's going to return to Boston University or join the Sharks next season.

"I've still gotta talk to (general manager) Mike Grier and the San Jose organization and my coaches back at BU," he said. "But I'll make a decision soon."

"We obviously think he's ready to play in the NHL and would love to have him," Grier said. "But those are discussions we'll have with him and his family."

Macklin Celebrini

Celebrini is no stranger to the Bay Area. His father, Rick Celebrini, has worked for the NBA's Golden State Warriors since 2018. Macklin even played a season with the San Jose Jr. Sharks at the Under-14 level.

"It's crazy," Celebrini said after being drafted. "It's surreal that life came full circle and that I'm back to where I was."

He began cementing his place as the best prospect in the 2024 class with the USHL's Chicago Steel. At 16 years old, Celebrini led the league in goals (46) and points (86) in only 50 games. He became the first player to win Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in the same campaign since the USHL became a Tier 1 junior league in 2001.

He backed up that impressive campaign at the 2023 World Under-18 Championship. Celebrini led Team Canada with 15 points in the seven-game tournament, the most ever by a 16-year-old Canadian at the time (Gavin McKenna broke the record this spring). Connor McDavid, Connor Bedard, and Shane Wright had the previous mark with 14 points.

The huge USHL campaign and U18s put pressure on Celebrini to perform immediately as the youngest player in college hockey. And he more than delivered.

We've seen draft-eligible players like Jack Eichel and Adam Fantilli dominate college hockey. What differentiates Celebrini's season is how young he was.

Both Eichel and Fantilli turned 18 in October of their draft year. Celebrini didn't celebrate his 18th birthday until June 13. The last 17-year-old to score like Celebrini did was Craig Simpson in 1985.

Though Canada disappointed at the world juniors, Celebrini was easily the team's best player despite being its youngest.

It's rare for someone as young as Celebrini to play in the NCAA, let alone become the league's best player. He's crushed the competition at each stage, both at the club level and internationally. Next up is the NHL.

What they're saying

"(Celebrini) checks every box you want in a top prospect and is one of the few players I've scouted where it's hard to see any noticeable weakness," The Athletic's Corey Pronman wrote.

"An all-around center with commitment to defensive play and playing on the interior, Celebrini has skill, competitiveness, work ethic, and hockey sense that is consistent with a top-line center in the NHL," wrote FloHockey's Chris Peters.

"He has shown again and again that he has … everything you look for in the mold of a center and has looked like a true star-forward prospect domestically and internationally," The Athletic's Scott Wheeler wrote.

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