Grading Every Team's 2024 NHL Entry Draft: Metropolitan Division

In every NHL Entry Draft, the common discussion is whether picks will pan out on the team they were drafted to and if they will adapt to the system that the team has at the current moment. From a front office standpoint, it can help the team with some picks, while for others, with patience and development, they can pan out through time. This is the second of a four-part series, where the Metropolitan Division teams are evaluated.

Carolina Hurricanes

Draft Picks

D Dominik Badinka: 34th overall, Malmo Redhawks (SHL)
LW Nikita Artamonov: 50th overall, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
D Noel Fransen: 69th overall, Farjestad BK (J20 Nationell)
D Alexandder Siryatsky: 124th overall, Stalnye Lisy (MHL)
C Oskar Vuollet: 133rd overall, Skelleftea AIK (J20 Nationell)
RW Justin Poirier: 156th overall, Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
D Timur Kol: 168th overall, Omskie Yastreby (MHL)
Dd Roman Shokhrin: 184th overall, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)
LW Fyodor Avramov: 188th overall, Kapital Stupino (MHL)
LW Andrey Krutov: 220th overall, Chaika Nizhny Novgorod (MHL)

Grade: A-

One common theme with the Hurricanes is that they trade down in the Draft and still find great value with their picks. This is another one of those cases as they drafted exclusively on the second day. Badinka and Artamonov are fantastic value selections in the second round, and they also found a draft steal in Poirier. Badinka matches his opponents’ momentum and speed on both ends of the ice, Artamonov showcases the skills of a playmaker and is also a workhorse, and Poirier is all over the attacking zone, hungry for goals. Fransen in the third round is a sneaky addition as well, to go with his strong skating and heavy shooting.

While Carolina got role players in the later rounds, that is necessary to build a good team, and Eric Tulsky drafted possible role players in the later rounds in his first Draft as the team’s GM. Siryatsky backchecks of the opposing rush to avoid getting beat. Vuollet anticipates the play around him, supporting a linemate or finding an open lane for a shooter. Kol is a stay-at-home defenseman with solid handles and rushes, while Shokhrin plays a physical game with flashes of puck-handling.

Avramov is perhaps the most interesting pick of the Hurricanes’ Draft. He’s a true project, and while it’s not surprising they took a shot at him, he can pan out with his heavy-hitting style mixed with a mix of his stickhandling and shot. He could be evidence of the Canes continuing to find late-round gems in the Draft, which is a nod to their scouting team.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Draft Picks

C Cayden Lindstrom: 4th overall, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
D Charlie Elick: 36th overall, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
G Evan Gardiner: 60th overall, Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
D Luca Marrelli: 86th overall, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
D Tanner Henricks: 101st overall, Lincoln Stars (USHL)
D Luke Ashton: 165th overall, Langley Rivermen (BCHL)

Grade: A-

The Blue Jackets landed themselves an impact center on the first day of the Draft in Lindstrom. He adds to the dynamic forward core of the future led by Adam Fantilli, and is going to bring size, speed, skill, and physicality, the best mix of four traits in a hockey player. With the two of them on the same line, that core gets an instant boost.

They added good value with Elick in the second round. Some projected him to be taken in the first round, and for him to fall to Columbus at 36th was a great find, knowing he minds every lane defensively. Marrelli is another defender with real NHL upside as a bottom-pairing defender, and he doesn’t hesitate to jump on the play to lock and key every attacker in his way.

Gardner displays tons of patience for a young netminder, and moves better when he is in the crease, using the posts to his advantage. Henricks is a tall defenseman standing at 6′ 4″, though he fits the description of an agile defenseman that needs development time, but is worth a shot. The same applies to the 6′ 7″ Ashton, who eliminates secondary threats on the attack. Size was the priority with these two picks, though there is a lot to like about Columbus’ Draft.

New Jersey Devils

Draft Picks

D Anton Silayev: 10th overall, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
G Mikhail Yegorov: 49th overall, Omaha Lancers (USHL)
RW Kasper Pikkarainen: 85th overall, HC TPS (U20 SM-sarja)
LW Herman Traff: 91st overall, HV71 (J20 Nationell)
C Max Graham: 139th overall, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
G Veeti Luohivaara: 146th overall, JYP (U20 SM-sarja)
C Matyas Melovsky: 171st overall, Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)

Grade: B-

There were reports on the Devils trading their top pick of the Draft, but they ended up taking the 6′ 7″ Silayev with their first round selection. He has long range and covers all areas of the ice, which fits the mold for what New Jersey is looking for: Players who are hard to play against to complement the skilled players, which is the perfect contrast to young offensive defensemen like Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec.

Yegorov has a case for being the top goaltender of this year’s Draft. While he didn’t have a great Draft year, he’s a big goaltender, and he keeps his routes around the crease simple to have the best chance to track the puck. Also, throughout the entire Draft, the Devils went with size, and considering their star players are undersized, adding heaviness should balance it out—none of the players they drafted are shorter than 6′ 2″.

Pikkarainen fits the description of a power forward, not only going for the hits but is also a creative passer. Traff is another power forward, and uses all three of size, strength, and mobility to help his team. In Graham, the Devils get a pass-first player who can fake out defenders before making perfectly timed passes. Louhivaara has the frame of the ideal goaltender, with good balance and strong pushes between posts, and Melovsky’s physical skills complement with his playmaking.

New York Islanders

Draft Picks

LW Cole Eiserman: 20th overall, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
D Jesse Pulkkinen: 54th overall, JYP (Liiga)
C Kamil Bednarik: 61st overall, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
G Dmitry Gamzin: 115th overall, HC Zvezda Moscow (VHL)
G Marcus Gidlof: 147th overall, Leksands IF (J20 Nationell)
D Xavier Veilleux: 179th overall, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)

Grade: B+

For what it’s worth, Lou Lamoriello had a great Draft. Eiserman is an elite goal scorer, whose value dropped during the year in NHL circles, though he is arguably the best value selection in the Draft outside of Ivan Demidov. The Islanders need goal-scoring help, and Eiserman is going to help with that, and is willing to take the physical punishment at the front of the net to muscle off loose pucks. It’s been a while since the Isles had a first round selection, and they should be more than excited to have him.

His linemate at the U.S. NTDP, Bednarik, is a defensive-minded center who prioritizes body positioning first before using his stick or free hand to slow down his opponents, and does whatever it takes to win. The other second round pick, Pulkkinen, shows creativity with the puck, and given his 6′ 6″ frame, he impresses with the way he invites the forechecking pressure towards him and dangling past them.

Their later round picks aren’t anything that special, but picking two goaltenders in a Draft where the class of goaltenders isn’t particularly that strong was an interesting choice. What they are likely thinking is that they wouldn’t get Gidlof if they passed up on him. He is an imposing figure, and he transitions to the top of the crease nicely when pucks are worked from behind the net. Veilleux is also an avid puck-mover. Overall, good Draft for the Islanders.

New York Rangers

Draft Picks

D EJ Emery: 30th overall, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
C Raoul Boilard: 119th overall, Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
LW Nathan Aspinall: 159th overall, Flint Firebirds (OHL)
LW Rico Gredig: 191st overall, HC Davos (Swiss NL)

Grade: C

The Rangers saw it was hard to make an impact on the Draft when they had just four picks, and thus it makes it hard to grade them. Getting Emery in the first round was great for them, as he is the best transition and shutdown defender in the Draft. He takes away opposing rushes before knocking the puck away with precise poke checks, and brings exceptional vision to the defense core.

Outside of that, there wasn’t anything that stood out for the Rangers, though Boilard has been hyped up among QMJHL scouts as a project pick, as he put up good numbers in his first season in the QMJHL. He supports the play in all three zones with playmaking, physicality, and when he doesn’t have the puck. Aspinall is a bigger project, though he is a skilled passer who can also provide a net-front presence. There is some potential with the two, though there was value left on the board with those two picks.

Philadelphia Flyers

Draft Picks

C Jett Luchanko: 13th overall, Guelph Storm (OHL)
C/LW Jack Berglund: 51st overall, Farjestad BK (J20 Nationell)
D Spencer Gill: 59th overall, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
C Heikki Ruohonen: 107th overall, Keikko-Espoo (U20 SM-sarja)
LW Noah Powell: 148th overall, Krasnaya Armiya (MHL)
D Austin Moline: 205th overall, Shattuck-Saint Mary’s Sabres (USHS)

Grade: C

While the Flyers did get an extra pick for not signing former first round selection Jay O’Brien, they did leave a lot of value on the board throughout the Draft. The selection of Luchanko was an appetizer of what was to come. This is not to bash Luchanko in any way, as they liked his work ethic, his playmaking, and his speed, though he projects as a middle-six forward at the NHL level. The Flyers wanted to take a chance at him because of his development, as he was one of the fastest-rising players in the Draft, so it wasn’t as big of a reach as initially thought of.

There wasn’t really anyone else from the Flyers that stood out. The most likely players to make it to the NHL from their draft class are second round picks Berglund and Gill. Berglund has the description of a power forward, with his drives to the inside and his playmaking abilities, but he is still learning the power forward game. Gill showed flashes of his playmaking abilities as a two-way defenseman to go with his physical game, with the Flyers believing he can pan out.

Ruohonen is coming into his own as a two-way center with power forward and playmaker qualities, and is a powerful skater. Powell is another forward who drives to the inside, and was on a goal-scoring tear with the USHL, so he brings intrigue as he heads to Ohio State University. Pautov shows flashes of strong stick-handling and drives to the inside, while Moline has good range with his 6′ 4″ frame. While the Draft didn’t improve the Flyers’ pool that much, it’s not all that bad as there is clear talent here, though they could’ve made a bigger splash.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Draft Picks

D Harrison Brunicke: 44th overall, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
LW Tanner Howe: 46th overall, Regina Pats (WHL)
D Chase Pietila: 111th overall, Michigan Tech Huskies (CCHA)
D Joona Vaisanen: 175th overall, Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
LW Mac Swanson: 207th overall, Fargo Force (USHL)
D Finn Harding: 223rd overall, Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)

Grade: B

The Penguins were aware that they had one of the lowest-ranked prospect pools in the league, and wanted to get to work in filling that out. While they didn’t have any first round picks to work with, they were a team that did more with less at the Draft. Both of their second round picks, Brunicke and Howe, are high-value selections with real NHL potential. Brunicke takes away the slot and matches rushes to push opposing forwards wide, and can recover with his speed should he fall a step back. Howe is an energy forward who can turn big hits into goals.

Pietila is a late bloomer in the NCAA, and defends both the neutral zone and in space. He’s not a physical defender, but he can pay dividends later down the line. Vaisanen has the tools of the modern-day defenseman, being an avid puck-mover, sets up chances and gets space before shooting.

Among seventh round picks, while Harding is not an aggressive defender, he does force opponents towards the boards and is hard to beat down the wall and inside. Swanson is the most interesting pick, as, despite being 5′ 7″, he is a creative and a skilled playmaker, generating the extra passes to turn a scoring chance into a goal. Given the lack of draft capital, the Penguins did fairly nice.

Washington Capitals

Draft Picks

RW Terik Parascak: 17th overall, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
D Cole Hutson: 43rd overall, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
Dd Leon Muggli: 52nd overall, EV Zug (Swiss NL)
LW Ilya Protas: 75th overall, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
LW/RW Eriks Mateiko: 90th overall, Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
G Nick Kempf: 114th overall, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
C Petr Sikora: 178th overall, HC Ocelari Trinec (Czech U20)
C Miroslav Šatan Jr.: 212th overall, HC Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia U20)

Grade: B

It was bold of the Capitals to choose Parascak with their first selection, though he gives the prospect pool a boost in the skill, as he sets up plays and finishes them too. If he continues on his development with his offensive upside, he will be a solid contributor for Washington. Same for Cole Hutson, who will follow the footsteps of his brother, Lane, at Boston University. The two are very similar in terms of their game, as the two brothers are mobile offensive defensemen who can drive the play.

Muggli also has NHL potential, with smooth and agile footwork. He is a smart two-way defenseman, and it helped that he played in the pros last season. Protas and Mateiko have upside with them too. The former joins his brother, Aliaksei, in the organization, and while he’s not the fastest skater, his net-front presence and playmaking make up for that. Mateiko has the tools of a power forward, driving to the front to scoring areas, and takes up a lot of space in front of the net with his 6′ 5″ frame. Sikora forechecks with good puck control, while Šatan Jr., even with him being a project pick, brings intrigue with his 6′ 7″ frame and with his father previously playing in the NHL.

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