The 2024 NHL Entry Draft was magical. With the event organized at the Las Vegas Sphere, it was a spectacular experience for everyone who was there. Some teams had fantastic drafts, and others, not so much. As per usual with every Draft, it takes several years to see how successful teams have been. For the first of a four-part article, we will go over the Atlantic Division teams.
Table of Contents
NHL Atlantic Division Draft Grades
Boston Bruins
Draft Picks
- C Dean Letourneau: 25th overall, St. Andrew’s College Saints (CISAA)
- D Elliott Gorenewold: 110th overall, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
- C Jonathan Morello: 154th overall, St. Michael’s Buzzers (OJHL)
- D Loke Johansson: 186th overall, AIK IF (J20 Nationell)
Grade: C+
It’s hard to get an A or a B with just four picks. Letourneau was a reach at 25th overall, but has an exciting ceiling ahead of him. For a team that needs help down the middle, this is another good pick for them to shore up center depth to join the young core with Matt Poitras and Johnny Beecher. It’s going to take several years, but if Letourneau develops smoothly, this is a home run, especially since it adds to a Bruins prospect pool that is shallow.
He’s the only pick by the Bruins inside the top 100, though they made smart picks that can fit with their system down the line. One common theme about the Bruins’ Draft is size, with Letourneau standing 6′ 7″, and the rest standing at an average of around 6′ 2″. Morello was ranked 95th on FloHockey’s Top 100, and was taken 154th. The latter three picks don’t have NHL projections, and it’s a long shot for them to make it to the league, but they are alright.
Buffalo Sabres
Draft Picks
- C Konsta Helenius: 14th overall, Mikkelin Jukurit (Liiga)
- D Adam Kleber: 42nd overall, Lincoln Stars (USHL)
- RW Brodie Ziemer: 71st overall, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
- D Luke Osburn: 108th overall, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
- D Simon-Pier Brunet: 123rd overall, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
- D Patrick Geary: 172nd overall, Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten)
- RW Vasili Zelenov: 204th overall, Red Bull Hockey Juniors (AlpsHL)
- G Ryerson Leenders: 219th overall, Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
Grade: B+
Another year, another quality Draft for the Sabres. Kevyn Adams was able to trade down in the first round and still get an impact prospect in Helenius, one of the better forwards available. He’s mobile with and without the puck, and will be a key piece to the team’s future, and some may say he is going to play in the NHL sooner than people expect.
Among their second and third round, they also got a big right-shot defenseman in Kleber, which can balance things out in a system that is very left-shot heavy, and thus gets another need on the team. He and Ziemer can play meaningful depth roles in the NHL.
The Day 2 picks may not be as high impact as Helenius, but there is real promise out of them. Osburn had a big season with Youngstown, showing his NHL quality, while Geary was one of the best shutdown defensemen for Michigan State. Leenders showed that he is an athletic goaltender, though he has more potential to develop. Brunet can close off space from the opposition.
Detroit Red Wings
Draft Picks
- RW Michael Brandsegg-Nygard: 15th overall, Mora IK (Allsvenskan)
- LW Max Plante: 47th overall, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
- C Ondrej Becher: 80th overall, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
- G Landon Miller: 126th overall, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
- D John Whipple: 144th overall, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
- LW Charlie Forslund: 176th overall, Falu IF (Ettan)
- LW Austin Baker: 203rd overall, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
- D Fisher Scott: 208th overall, Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
Grade: B-
Steve Yzerman has a preference when it comes to top draft picks. He’s prioritizing high-end skill, with work ethic off the puck, and with solid forechecking. That’s the brand of hockey that Brandsegg-Nygard brings, as he was the best forechecker available in the Draft. He’s similar to other players that the Red Wings have on their prospect pool. There was value left on the board with this pick, however, as there were dynamic players that were also available at 15th overall.
Plante is a big-time playmaker taken in the second round. Becher is an older prospect who developed into a late bloomer and high high-end offensive potential. Miller, although he is two inches shorter than Sebastian Cossa, is another tall goaltending prospect to add to a goalie prospect pipeline in Detroit that also includes Trey Augustine. Whipple and Baker are hard-nosed forwards, and Forslund has a quick shot.
Florida Panthers
Draft Picks
- C Linus Eriksson: 58th overall, Djurgardens IF (Allsvenskan)
- D Matvei Shuravin: 97th overall, Krasnaya Armiya (MHL)
- C Simon Zether: 129th overall, Rogle BK (SHL)
- C Stepan Gorbunov: 169th overall, Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk (MHL)
- LW Hunter St. Martin: 193rd overall, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
- G Denis Gabdrakhmanov: 201st overall, Tyumensky Legion (MHL)
Grade: C
The Panthers couldn’t really make a big splash at the Draft as they didn’t have a first round pick. While their Draft wasn’t eye-popping, it was effective, and given that they’re coming off a Stanley Cup, that’s all they need. There’s enough potential in Eriksson and Shuravin to have NHL upside, with Eriksson creating separation on his retrievals and Shuravin reading the passing lanes nicely.
However, the path for all these players to make the NHL is long, but each one of them is intriguing. Zether is a big defensive-minded center who can protect the puck and puts his stick in the right lanes, while St. Martin is a pass-first winger who plays a give-and-go style. While they didn’t have the best Draft, they were not expected to knock it out of the park given they won the Cup, but the selections were reasonable.
Montreal Canadiens
Draft Picks
- RW Ivan Demidov: 5th overall, SKA-1946 (MHL)
- C Michael Hage: 21st overall, Chicago Steel (USHL)
- C Aatos Koivu: 70th overall, HC TPS (U20 SM-sarja)
- LW Logan Sawyer: 78th overall, Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
- D Owen Protz: 102nd overall, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
- RW Tyler Thorpe: 130th overall, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
- G Mikus Vecvanags: 134th overall, HS Riga (LHHL)
- C Ben Merrill: 166th overall, Saint Sebastian’s Arrows (USHS)
- RW Makar Khanin: 210th overall, HC Dinamo Saint Petersburg (MHL)
- D Rasmus Bergqvist: 224th overall, Skelleftea AIK (J20 Nationell)
Grade: A+
This Draft was a home run for the Canadiens. Getting both Demidov and Hage sparks a huge increase in their skill up at the front. Both of them are proven scorers, with Demidov being one of the best puck-handlers in the Draft and Hage being a dynamic attacker on the rush. Getting both the second-best player and a top 15 player at 5th overall and 21st overall solidified an A grade, but the rest is more than just icing on the cake.
While drafting Aatos Koivu feels good since he is the son of former Hab Saku Koivu, Aatos has a legitimate shot of becoming an NHLer, and has the on-puck skills to back it up. Ten total picks in the Draft also helps wonders as well. Sawyer adds work ethic, Protz adds physicality to the defensive core, and both Thorpe and Merrill bring a smart shot. It would not be surprising if this draft class for the Canadiens produces up to four regulars in the NHL.
Ottawa Senators
Draft Picks
- D Carter Yakemchuk: 7th overall, Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
- D Gabriel Eliasson: 39th overall, HV71 (J20 Nationell)
- C Lucas Ellinas: 104th overall, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
- LW Javon Moore: 112th overall, Minnetonka Skippers (USHS)
- LW Blake Montgomery: 117th overall, Lincoln Stars (USHL)
- D Eerik Wallenius: 136th overall, HPK (Liiga)
Grade: C+
The Senators, like the Bruins, prioritized size. They want to build a model of a team that is hard to play against, even if it takes drafting said players over higher skilled ones. It may sting passing on guys like Zeev Buium and Zayne Parekh, but Yakemchuk brings both size and a scoring touch—he scored 30 goals in the WHL this past season, which hasn’t happened in decades among WHL defensemen. He still needs to work on his skating, but he’s worth a shot in Canada’s capital.
They have reached on other selections as well, but that’s not to say that there isn’t potential with the rest of the class. Eliasson may have went a little too early as well, but his size is what fits the mold. Like Yakemchuk, he also needs to improve on his skating. Ellinas also fits the Sens’ strategy, and, interestingly, he’s the shortest player of their draft class at 6′ 2″. Both Moore and Montgomery are long-term prospects, with the former being an interesting pick from the Minnesota high school system, and Wallenius continues that theme of size.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Draft Picks
- D Jan Golicic: 118th overall, Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
- C Hagen Burrows: 128th overall, Minnetonka Skippers (USHS)
- C Joona Saarelainen: 149th overall, KalPa (U20 SM-sarja)
- C Kaden Pitre: 181st overall, Flint Firebirds (OHL)
- LW Joe Connor: 195th overall, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
- LW Noah Steen: 199th overall, Mora IK (Allsvenskan)
- G Harrison Meneghin: 206th overall, Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
Grade: C
It’s hard to get a high grade when your first selection is in the fourth round. However, once they got up and running, they had seven picks to work with, but it didn’t change a lot to improve their prospect system, which is expected for teams looking to stay in a competitive window. The big news that upgraded it, however, was trading away Mikhail Sergachev to Utah while getting Conor Geekie in the return package, whose ceiling projects to be a second line forward.
But there was upside with this Draft. Golicic projects as a shutdown defenseman with long reach and is reliant on a hard and physical game. Burrows is a scoring winger who primarily attacks on the inside, and was this year’s Mr. Hockey award winner. Saarelainen is a speedy two-way center, while Pitre is a more defensive-minded one who prioritizes hard work. In the seventh round, Tampa found Connor, a forward who can snipe the puck and plays a north-south game.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Draft Picks
- D Ben Danford: 31st overall, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
- D Victor Johansson: 120th overall, Leksands IF (J20 Nationell)
- C Miroslav Holinka: 151st overall, HC Ocelari Trinec (Czech U20)
- LW Alexander Plesovskikh: 152nd overall, Mamonty Yugry (MHL)
- G Timofei Obvintsev: 157th overall, Krasnaya Armiya (MHL)
- D Matt Lahey: 200th overall, Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL)
- LW Sam McCue: 216th overall, Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
- D Nathan Mayes: 225th overall, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Grade: C
The Maple Leafs traded down in the Draft, though they did identify several first round players they would want to pick, in which they did. Though they did not get EJ Emery, Danford is a player that fits their more recent Draft profile. They want to capitalize on his upside of a mobile shutdown defenseman, and even better as he is a right-shot defenseman. He had a strong showing in the postseason, and if he can develop his offensive gear, he can really stand out. For the moment, trading for and then signing Chris Tanev buys time for Danford, as what Tanev provides now is a precursor for what Danford will provide to the Leafs down the stretch.
Brad Treliving went off the board with Johansson, the cousin of Alex Wennberg, as he was not expected to be selected at the position he was, though Holinka is a smooth puck-handling two-way forward with quality defense. Plesovskikh utilizes his size to his advantage as an energy forward with playmaking skills. Obvintsev had a light workload this season, and while he played well when relied on, it’s hard to get a read on him at the current moment.
With seventh round picks, Lahey plays a physical game, and while it’s not centered around huge hits, it’s more about disrupting the flow of the opposing attackers. There is a lot to like about McCue’s game, knowing he skates hard and fights for every part of the ice, though he needs to improve on puck skills. Mayes, this year’s Mr. Irrelevant, is another physical defender. It’s clear that Treliving wanted big bodies on the pipeline, as six of eight selections are 6′ 2″ or taller.
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