Okay, hockey fans! The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us. The crazy ride to the end of the regular season had us on the edge of our seats until the final days of the regular season, but now we know which teams are in and where they’ll play to begin their chase of history.

Which means we also know which teams didn’t make the playoffs. Meaning: we know the final odds for the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, and the order of the top half of the draft.

So, for this 2024 NHL Mock Draft, we’re going straight with the order of teams as they did/did not qualify for the playoffs. Teams with a few more points from the Eastern Conference might still find themselves in the lottery than teams that qualified in the Western Conference. But that’s what happens when the standings are final.

Earlier this week, NHL Central Scouting released their final rankings of the top prospects for the 2024 NHL Draft. Let’s get after it! Here’s how I see the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft playing out in June (assuming the draft lottery doesn’t change the order).

2024 NHL Mock Draft — ROUND ONE

1. San Jose Sharks — Macklin Celebrini, C

6-0, 190
DOB: June 13, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Boston University (NCAA — Hockey East)

The Sharks officially own the top spot in the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, giving them the chance to add Celebrini to a collection of prospects that already includes Will Smith and Quentin Musty, San Jose’s top two picks in last year’s draft. The Sharks have used all five of their first-round picks since the 2020 draft on forwards, but that shouldn’t keep them from making the obvious choice here.

2. Chicago Blackhawks — Ivan Demidov, RW

5-11, 170
DOB: Dec. 10, 2005
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)

If the Blackhawks do not win the lottery and select Celebrini, there are three players I believe are good fits for Chicago: Ivan Demidov, Artyom Levshunov and Cayden Lindstrom. Each has unique skills and elements of their physique/game that stand out. I would be happy with any of the three. I’m sticking with Demidov as the pick if the Hawks are at No. 2, however.

3. Anaheim Ducks — Artyom Levshunov, RHD

6-2, 200
DOB: Oct. 28, 2005
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Michigan State (NCAA — Big Ten)

When the Ducks traded Jamie Drysdale to Philly earlier this season, it opened a spot for a puck moving, right-handed defenseman — which is perfect for Levshunov to fill soon (maybe next season). Add to that how awful the Ducks are defensively and, in a draft that’s very strong on the back end, this pick should absolutely address their needs on the blue line. This feels like a perfect fit.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets — Sam Dickinson, LHD

6-3, 195
DOB: June 7, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: London Knights (OHL)

The Blue Jackets used their top two picks on forwards from the University of Michigan — Adam Fantilli and Gavin Brindley — last year. They also used two top-12 overall picks on defensemen the year before. So they have plenty of young players up front and on the back end. Some believe Dickinson will be the best defenseman in this draft class. The Jackets need that more than anything else. Take the no-brainer, especially if it’s relatively safe for a new GM.

5. Montreal Canadiens — Berkly Catton, C

5-11, 163
DOB: Jan. 14, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Spokane (WHL)

Catton is a stud and appears to be a lock to go in the top ten overall. But how high will he climb? I absolutely love the idea of Catton learning the pro game from Martin St. Louis at some point, adding another dynamic forward to their stable. He isn’t big, but his numbers are and the Habs need to put the puck in the net.

6. Utah TBD — Zayne Parekh, RHD

6-0, 181
DOB: Feb. 15, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Saginaw (OHL)

How about a record-breaking defenseman who just put up 96 points in 66 games in his pre-draft season in the OHL? Parehk is an offensive threat with the puck on the blue line and his performance has elevated him into the conversation for even the top five overall. Arizona has a nice collection of forwards already in their NHL room and coming, so going defense here makes a lot of sense. There might be some consideration for Anton Silayev here, but I think the new ownership will want a player who might make it to the NHL faster.

7. Ottawa Senators — Anton Silayev, LHD

6-7, 205
DOB: April 11, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)

Silayev is signed thru the 2025-26 season in Russia, which makes some sense here, too, considering how young the Senators are right now. They need to improve ASAP because they keep promising their fans it’s going to turn a corner. Silayev is an enormous prospect who is the top-ranked International Skater in the final rankings from NHL Central Scouting.

8. Seattle Kraken — Cayden Lindstrom, C

6-4, 218
DOB: Feb. 3, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Medicine Hat (WHL)

Lindstrom’s recent rankings from analysts have him as a viable top-four option in this draft, which is why I have had him going to Chicago at No. 2 a few times. He’s a big body center who plays a strong game all over the ice. Seattle is looking to continue building from within and he would be a really nice compliment for Matty Beniers eventually as a top-six center.

9. Calgary Flames — Tij Iginla, F

6-0 185
DOB: Aug. 1, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Kelowna (WHL)

I don’t think I’m alone in kinda hoping Tij gets to wear the same Flames sweater as his dad, Jarome, did for years. And with the Flames winning some games recently, they’ve moved to a point in the draft where I think taking Tij makes a lot of sense and isn’t a huge reach. This would be the feel-good story of the draft if it can happen.

10. New Jersey Devils — Zeev Buium, LHD

6-2, 180
DOB: Feb. 7, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: University of Denver (NCAA – NCHC)

Buium’s stock has continued to skyrocket as he put up great numbers as a freshman at Denver and looked terrific for the US at the World Junior Championship. He, like Celebrini, skated in the Frozen Four; Buium won the championship, however. Buium is a defensively responsible player who also had a great offensive season. The Devils are a huge wild card for me this summer because they were such a disappointment this season.

11. Buffalo Sabres — Cole Eiserman, LW

6-0, 198
DOB: Aug. 29, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: US National Development Program

Eiserman’s stock appears to be falling right now, though he’s still considered one of the better pure scorers in this draft class. And I think the Buffalo Sabres, who have most of their blue line locked-up long term already (and they’re all still young) could see his ability to put the puck in the net as a need filler. He’ll probably play at least one year of college hockey, but the Sabres get a sniper here.

12. Philadelphia Flyers — Konsta Helenius, C/RW

5-11, 176
DOB: May 11, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Jukurit (Liiga — Finland)

The Flyers are continuing their rebuild and need to add talent. After trading Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim, there’s a need for young forward(s) in the pipeline. Helenius is no longer the top-ranked International Skater in the final rankings from NHL Central Scouting, but he’s still a good, versatile forward who would fit what they’re trying to do in Philly.

13. Minnesota Wild — Liam Greentree, RW

6-2, 198
DOB: Jan. 1, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Windsor (OHL)

Minnesota underwhelmed this season and find themselves in the lottery. They have some really good young pieces on their NHL roster already and will look to add to the stockpile of assets. Greentree is a power forward who would be the best player available for me at this point in our mock draft.

14. San Jose Sharks (from PIT) — Carter Yakemchuk, RHD

6-3, 195
DOB: Sept. 29, 2005
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Calgary (WHL)

Unless the Penguins win the lottery and move up into the top ten, San Jose will own two of the top 14 overall picks. With Celebrini coming at No. 1, they will now look to bolster their blue line. Yakemchuk is a very good right-shot defenseman with good size. These two in the first round make this draft another win for their rebuild.

15. Detroit Red Wings — Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW

6-1, 195
DOB: Oct. 5, 2005
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Mora IK (Sweden)

Brandsegg-Nygård is the kind of prospect who helps the job security of the GM who drafts him. He’s a responsible forward who plays a full, 200-foot game with good size. This feels like the perfect player for Steve Yzerman to add to compliment his veteran lineup at some point as a potential eventual replacement for David Perron.

16. St. Louis Blues — Adam Jiricek, RHD

6-2, 176
DOB: June 28, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: HC Plzeň

The Blues need help all over the place, but they primarily need to rebuild their blue line. Jiricek is the next defenseman on the board here, but he also happens to play a good game and has decent size. His season was cut short by an injury suffered at the World Junior Championship but he’s a solid prospect for the Blues to add.

— End of Draft Lottery-Eligible Teams —

17. Washington Capitals — Igor Chernyshov, LW

6-2, 192
DOB: Nov. 30, 2005
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL – Russia)

Chernyshov was ranked the No. 18 overall prospect by both McKenzie and Wheeler, so somewhere in the mid to late teens makes sense to start looking for landing spots for him. A talented Russian comes with the questions about KHL contract status and politics, but the team with The Great Eight on the roster might be a good spot for him to land.

18. New York Islanders — Trevor Connelly, LW

6-0, 161
DOB: Feb. 28, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Tri-City (USHL)

A Providence College commit, Connelly has had some off-ice issues that could cause him to slide. The Athletic published a detailed piece on the concerns with social media posts from his past potentially being a huge red flag for NHL clubs. But his offensive ability might be too much for the offensively-challenged Islanders to pass. There are concerns for their PR department, but the talent at 18 is a steal.

19. Chicago Blackhawks (from TB) — Michael Hage, C

6-1, 190
DOB: April 14, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Chicago Steel (USHL)

Michael Hage, a Michigan commit, is a strong center who had decent size and plays a complete game. Blackhawks head coach has been very complimentary of Frank Nazar‘s game since he arrived from Michigan, so drafted the guy who will probably replace him as a top-six center in Ann Arbor makes sense. Michigan is turning out a lot of good players right now, so taking a really good player who happens to be going there is a double win for Chicago.

20. Vegas Golden Knights — Beckett Sennecke, RW

6-2, 181
DOB: Jan. 28, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Oshawa (OHL)

I’ve had Sennecke in the 18-22 range in most of my mock drafts and I’m keeping him there, though some recent rankings suggest he might come off the board earlier than 20. He has good size – something Vegas values – and has a nice offensive game. The Knights haven’t valued their prospects yet as a franchise, so we’ll see if this is their pick or if it’s packaged for more NHL-ready assets again.

21. Nashville Predators — Sacha Boisvert, C

6-2, 180
DOB: March 27, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Muskegon (USHL)

Barry Trotz has openly talked about needing to be better down the middle. Even with the Preds having a somewhat surprisingly strong season, they’ll still likely be targeting centers in this draft. Boisvert has nice size and ability to step in eventually and be a solid addition to their middle-six forwards.

22. Los Angeles Kings —  Charlie Elick, D

6-3, 200
DOB: Jan. 17, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Brandon (WHL)

I’m changings things up here and sending a big right-shot defenseman to LA. They traded away Brock Faber and probably regret the hell out of that decision. Drew Doughty isn’t going to play forever. If they pick before the Leafs, Elick might be their guy here.

23. Toronto Maple Leafs —  Jesse Pulkkinen, LHD

6-6, 216
DOB: Dec. 27, 2004
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: JYP (Liiga)

I’m going to continue having the Leafs taking a defenseman in my mock drafts because it’s an area of need and this is a good draft in that regard. I’ve had them taking Elick in almost all of my mock drafts, but I now have him coming off the board before Toronto’s selection. So I’m giving them one of the more intriguing blue line prospects in the entire draft. This guy is a mountain on the back end.

24. Anaheim Ducks (from EDM) — Henry Mews, D

6-0, 185
DOB: March 9, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Ottawa (OHL)

The Ducks have two picks in the first round and one glaring issue with their NHL roster: they do not defend well. At all. So using both picks to begin stockpiling guys to fix their blue line makes sense. Mews is a nice value at this point in the draft.

25. Colorado Avalanche — Cole Beaudoin, C

6-2, 201
DOB: April 24, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Barrie (OHL)

The Avs have been searching for a second-line center since Nazem Kadri left. They did add Casey Mittelstadt at the deadline, but he doesn’t have the size of Beaudoin. This kid has really good size, is considered an exceptional defensive center, and scored 28 goals in 67 games in the OHL in his pre-draft season. This would be a nice pick for the Avs.

26. Calgary Flames (from VAN) — Emil Hemming, RW

6-2, 198
DOB: June 27, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: TPS (Liiga — Finland)

The Flames reached a bit to bring Iginla home earlier in the round, but getting Hemming this late would be very good value. He has good size and plays a nice all-around game. For a rebuilding team, adding these two forwards is a nice start to their draft.

27. Ottawa Senators (from BOS) — Terik Parascak, RW

5-11, 180
DOB: May 28, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Prince George (WHL)

Parascak has been a very productive player in the WHL this season, posting 105 points — including 43 goals — in 68 games. He isn’t the biggest player, and is a wing, so that makes him likely to be available still when we get to this part of the first round. Ottawa needs players.

28. Montreal Canadiens (from WPG) — Leo Sahlin Wallenius, D

6-0, 176
DOB: April 10, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Vaxjo (Sweden)

Montreal grabbing a potential top-six center in Catton and a top-four defenseman here would make this first round a win for the Habs. This prospect has good size and plays a responsible game.

29. Philadelphia Flyers (from FLA) — Aron Kiviharju, D

5-10, 165
DOB: Jan. 25, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: HIFK (Liiga – Finland)

The Flyers went with a stable European forward earlier in the first round, so grabbing a good defenseman here provides some balance to the start of their draft. They’re still rebuilding, so assets are needed all over the organization. Kiviharju is ranked higher than being a 29th pick, but his size is a reason I have him sliding a bit.

30. Carolina Hurricanes — Ryder Ritchie, C/RW

6-0, 174
DOB: Aug. 3, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Prince Albert (WHL)

Carolina has a lot of financial decisions coming: they have ten forwards on their current NHL roster who are UFA or RFA this summer or next summer. And they aren’t going to be able to keep all of them; Seth Jarvis is going to get paid. So they’re going to need to add some bodies to their pipeline. Ritchie has good size and plays a strong game. He won’t impact their NHL roster next season, but he’d be a welcome add for the future.

31. Dallas Stars — Julius Miettinen, C

6-3, 207
DOB: Jan. 20, 2006
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: Everett (WHL)

The Stars have some older players in a number of spots on their roster, but they have some really good young forwards making their way to the NHL. One thing the Stars love is size, and they get that in a center who’s quickly climbing prospect rankings. Miettinen has good size, he scored 31 goals in 66 games for an Everett team that made the WHL playoffs and there’s enough intrigue that I now have him sneaking into the late first round in our mock draft.

32. New York Rangers — Jett Luchanko, C

5-11, 185
DOB: Aug. 21, 2006
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: Guelph (OHL)

If the Rangers have the last pick in the draft, that means they’re the Stanley Cup champions — 30 years after winning it the last time. They have a lot of nice pieces on their NHL roster already and some young players like Brennan Othmann just getting to the NHL now, so they will have the luxury of taking the best player on their board and letting him mature. The Rangers grab a potential replacement for Filip Chytil here in one of the younger players in the draft.

2024 NHL Mock Draft — ROUND TWO

33. San Jose Sharks — Marcus Gidlof, G
34. Chicago Blackhawks — Dean Letourneau, C
35. Anaheim Ducks — Mikhail Yegorov, G
36. Philadelphia Flyers (from CBJ) — Adam Jecho, RW
37. Winnipeg Jets (from MTL) — Tanner Howe, RW
38. Utah TBD — Maxim Massé, RW
39. Ottawa Senators — Andrew Basha, LW
40. Seattle Kraken — Ben Danford, RHD
41. Calgary Flames — EJ Emery, RHD
42. San Jose Sharks (from NJ) — Cole Hutson, LHD
43. Buffalo Sabres — Nikita Artamonov, RW
44. Pittsburgh Penguins (from PHI) — John Mustard, C
45. Minnesota Wild — Alfons Freij, LHD
46. Pittsburgh Penguins — Spencer Gill, RHD
47. Detroit Red Wings — Matvei Gridin, C/LW
48. St. Louis Blues — Lucas Pettersson, C
49. Utah TBD (from WSH) — Colin Ralph, LHD
50. New York Islanders — Marek Vanacker, LW
51. Philadelphia Flyers (comp) — Eriks Mateiko, LW
52. Nashville Predators (from TB) — Dominik Badinka, RHD
53. Washington Capitals (from VGK) — Jack Berglund, C
54. Nashville Predators — Sam O’Reilly, RW
55. Chicago Blackhawks (from LAK) — Adam Kleber, RHD
56. St. Louis Blues (from TOR) — Carter George, G
57. Anaheim Ducks (from EDM) — Linus Eriksson, C
58. Montreal Canadiens (from COL) — Kieron Walton, C
59. Chicago Blackhawks (from VAN) — Javon Moore, LW
60. Anaheim Ducks (from BOS) — Egor Surin, RW
61. Nashville Predators (from WPG) — Niilopekka Muhonen, LHD
62. Utah TBD (from FLA) — Matvei Shuravin, LHD
63. Carolina Hurricanes — Miguel Marques, RW
64. Calgary Flames (from DAL) — Colton Roberts, RHD
65. Seattle Kraken (from NYR) — Simon Zether, C