The biggest surprises from Round 1 of the 2024 NHL Draft

After a wire-to-wire race as hockey’s top prospect, Boston University freshman Maclin Celebrini surprised no one when he became the first-overall selection of the San Jose Sharks on the first day of the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas. .

Celebrini was welcomed to the organization by Sharks franchise veteran Joe Thornton – who himself was the No. 1 overall pick in 1997, although he was with the Boston Bruins.

Shortly after that the real fun started.

No matter how many rankings and mock drafts are circulated in the days and weeks leading up to the event, there are always plenty of surprises when the names are called.

Here are some of Friday’s biggest showers, in order of appearance:

No. 3 – Anaheim Ducks select Beckett Seneca

The TV cameras trained on his face weren’t enough to tip Oshawa Generals right wing Beckett Seneca that he was about to have his name called at No. 3 by former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer — who himself was drafted at No. 3. New Jersey Devils in 1991.

Seneca dropped from No. 15 to No. 13 among North American skaters in the midterm and final draft rankings by NHL Central Scouting. A growth spurt allowed him to grow to 6 feet 3 inches tall and his draft stock rose when he scored 22 points in 16 games before being forced out of the OHL’s Eastern Conference Finals due to injury.

With a mix of power and finesse in his game, Seneca became the first player selected from the Canadian Hockey League. His selection also showed that perhaps this would not be the ‘Year of the Defenceman’.

Terik Paraskhak was also daydreaming when the Washington Capitals called his name at No. 17. The high-scoring right winger came out of nowhere to add 105 points as a WHL rookie with the Prince George Cougars in 2023-24. He moved into first-round range after being ranked No. 15 on Central Scouting’s list of North American skaters.

No. 5 – Celine Dion announces the selection of Ivan Demidov by the Montreal Canadiens

With 24 Stanley Cups, including the most recent win by a Canadian team in 1993, the Montreal Canadiens are the NHL’s most famous franchise.

Global superstar Celine Dion was born in Charlemagne, Quebec, about 15 miles outside Montreal’s downtown core. These days, as she works to overcome health issues, Dion makes frequent appearances at NHL events with her three sons, and refers to herself as a ‘hockey mom.’

A longtime Las Vegas resident, Dion expressed her trademark sentiment when announcing the day’s first pick, ultra-skilled Russian right wing Ivan Demidov, for her hometown team.

No. 6 – Taj Iginla becomes the first draft pick of the Utah Hockey Club

All the buzz suggested that fast-rising sharpshooter Iginla was destined to go No. 9 to the Calgary Flames, where his Hall of Fame father, Jerome Iginla, spent the best years of his NHL career and currently serves as a special advisor to the Calgary GM. Are employed. and close friend Craig Conroy.

But the arrival of a brand new Utah franchise foiled that plan, with owners Ryan and Ashley Smith trusting Iginla to be the torch bearer for their franchise — though not immediately. He will likely return to the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League for at least one more year before turning professional.

Tijs also stole some bragging rights by being selected five spots higher than his highly decorated father, who was selected No. 11 by the Dallas Stars in 1995.

Later on Friday, Utah added a second first-round pick by trading three picks to the Colorado Avalanche. At No. 24, the new team selected big center Cole Beaudoin from the OHL’s Barrie Colts.

No. 7 – Ottawa starts defense selection race by selecting Carter Yakemchuk

It was no surprise to see Belarusian blueliner Artem Levshunov go second to Chicago. He is a decorated right shot playing against men at Michigan State University, and has demonstrated maturity in his game.

It was a surprise that four more selections were made before another blueliner was selected – and the second defenseman targeted was Yakemchuk, a 6-foot-3, 30-goal scorer for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen.

Yakemchuk is also a fair shot, as is the next defenseman, Zain Parekh, who was taken at No. 9 by the Flames.

Then came three highly rated lefties: 6-foot-7 Russian Anton Silayev at No. 10 to New Jersey, 6-foot-3 London Knights Sam Dickinson to San Jose at No. 11 and Frozen Four champion Ze’ev Byum. left. 12 o’clock from the University of Denver to Buffalo.

No. 13 – Michael Buffon announces the selection of Jett Luchenko by the Philadelphia Flyers

Perhaps the only voice that could surpass Celine on the scale of drama, famed ring announcer and Philadelphia native Michael Buffer stepped to the microphone to welcome Guelph Storm pivot Jett Luchenko to the Flyers with the 13th pick.

No. 15 and No. 23: Michael Brandsegg-Nygaard and Stian Solberg became the first Norwegian players selected in the first round

It was a tough draft year for Sweden, with not a single player being taken in the first round.

They had one player selected from the second-tier pro league, Allsvenskan. But Mora’s right-winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygaard is from Oslo, Norway. When the Detroit Red Wings selected him at No. 15 overall, he became the only Norwegian to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft.

That unique situation lasted for about an hour. At No. 23, Anaheim drafted defenseman Stian Solberg out of the Norwegian national league.

final tallies

By the end of the first day, only a few trades had taken place – all involving draft-pick swaps. The Chicago Blackhawks finished the day as the busiest team, adding a first-rounder from the Carolina Hurricanes to give them the No. 27 pick, along with left wing Marek Vanacker of the Brentford Bulldogs at No. 2 and USHL forward Levshunov at No. 2. Boisvert’s inclusion helped. Muskegon Lumberjacks at No. 18.

And while the Western Hockey League swept the early part of the day, placing four players in the top 10, Paraskak was the only other WHL player selected, leaving a total of five first-rounders in the league.

The Ontario Hockey League led the day with nine first-round selections, giving the Canadian Hockey League a total of 14 first-round selections. No players were selected in the first round from the QMJHL in 2024.

Of the remaining 18, four came from the USHL, three each from the NCAA and Russia, two from the US National Team Development Program, Finland and Norway (one came by way of Sweden). A Czech player, defenseman Adam Jiříšek, was selected No. 16 by the St. Louis Blues and the field was rounded out by 6-foot-7 forward Dean Letourneau, who played Canadian prep school hockey at the College of St. Andrews and was a member of the Canadian Open. Selected 25th overall by the Boston Bruins.

Day two of the draft begins at 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday from the Sphere.