It’s no surprise that Boston University freshman standout Macklin Celebrini has topped the NHL Central Scouting list ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas.
Celebrini is considered to be the consensus No. 1 prospect, having led the NHL CSS’ North American rankings throughout the year.
Celebrini edged out Anaheim Ducks prospect Cutter Gauthier and Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Jackson Blake – both of whom have signed NHL contracts this month – for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award this past weekend.
With 32 goals in 38 games, no U-18 player has ever scored more goals than Celebrini, and only two have more points than his 64. The consensus No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL Draft is third in college scoring, earning himself the Tim Taylor Award as rookie of the year, among other awards.
Artyom Levshunov, Cayden Lindstrom, Zeev Buium and Zayne Parekh make up the rest of the top five North American-based skaters, while Trevor Connelly, Sam Dickinson, Berkly Catton, Tij Iginla and Michael Hage round out the top 10.
Cole Eiserman, one of the top prospects heading into the season, is the 12th-ranked skater behind defenseman Carter Yakemchuk.
For the European-based skaters, 6-foot-7 defenseman Anton Silayev leads the way in the top spot, with Ivan Demidov, Konsta Helenius, Adam Jiricek and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard rounding out the top five.
Mikhail Yegorov, who spent the season with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers, holds the top spot in the North American goalie rankings, while Eemil Vinni is the top-rated European netminder.
The 2024 NHL Draft is set for June 28-29 at The Sphere in Vegas, marking a rare appearance outside of an NHL arena. The final date for the draft lottery hasn’t been announced officially, but Daily Faceoff‘s Frank Seravalli reported that the lottery is expected to be on either May 6 or 7. The San Jose Sharks clinched last spot in the league, giving them the best odds of landing the first overall pick at 25.5 percent.
The NHL Draft combine will run at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y. from June 2-8.
For Daily Faceoff’s top 75 NHL Draft rankings, click here.
More must-reads: