2024 NHL draft Round 1 reaction: Smart picks, best remaining
That was one interesting first round of the NHL draft — fitting for a Las Vegas show.
Everything from Beckett Sennecke going No. 3 overall and swearing on TV, to Celine Dion and Michael Buffer’s surprise appearances, to Zeev Buium falling into Minnesota’s lap at 12. Plenty of pick-swap trades, as expected, but nearly every lottery pick stayed put.
The use of technology inside Sphere with player mosaics was different and cool, allowing for innovative graphics, introduction videos and an immersive experience.
Centralizing the draft in Vegas at Sphere was a fun and unique approach given how different it is from an NHL arena. Using celebrities with ties to respective teams to draft players was well done. The trade horn brought some spunk and was especially funny when it was played while commissioner Gary Bettman was attempting to announce a trade. The NHL deserves high marks for stepping outside the box and executing the draft in a fun and unique way.
Here’s a rundown of the smart and questionable selections from the first round, and a look at the best remaining prospects on the board for Rounds 2-7 on Saturday.
Best value picks
There are a handful of clear winners of Round 1.
The San Jose Sharks bolstered their franchise with two blue-chip prospects in Macklin Celebrini and Sam Dickinson. Those two will be cornerstones for the Sharks as they look to climb the standings. The ability to add an elite forward and likely top-four defender is a big win for the organization.
After passing on Matvei Michkov last year, the Montreal Canadiens made no mistake in taking Ivan Demidov. Having your name announced by Celine Dion as a highly anticipated prospect? No pressure, kid. He’s at least a year away, but Demidov is a high-end NHL prospect who could be a top-two player in this draft class when the dust has settled. Adding a dual-threat center with second-line ceiling in Michael Hage is another good value selection. Montreal and their fans should be thrilled with their newest additions to the prospect pipeline.
Celine Dion announces the Montreal Canadiens’ fifth overall pick, Ivan Demidov.
Zeev Buium’s inexplicable slide came to an end when the Minnesota Wild moved up one spot to snag him at No. 12. The consensus top-10 player had some believing he could go as high as third overall. Let’s put it this way: If there are 11 players in this draft class better than him, it is a draft for the ages. An absolute heist for Minnesota to get a power-play quarterback with his ceiling at that spot.
