Depending on which team executive is speaking, the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas really doesn't begin until the second overall pick, or maybe even the fourth. That's how bunched the talent pool gets after the first pick, which likely will be Boston University center Macklin Celebrini getting selected by the San Jose Sharks. "Even though the players are quite distinct from each other, the values are very similar," Anaheim Ducks assistant general manager Martin Madden said of the players behind Celebrini. "It's going to be an interesting first round." Celebrini, a Vancouver native, is said to possess the type of skill, instinct and determination that easily could have made him the No. 2 overall pick last year behind Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard. "He's a driven kid. He's an alpha, kind of everything you expect and have experienced from other No. 1 picks," Sharks general manager Mike Grier said of Celebrini. "He has all that stuff (plus) the belief in himself and the will and the want to get better and work on his craft. He's an impressive kid." The Blackhawks have the second overall pick and could continue to bolster their forward lines by selecting SKA St. Petersburg Jr. right wing Ivan Demidov or Medicine Hat power forward Cayden Lindstrom, or they could opt for a potential game changer on defense. There's plenty of those, beginning with 18-year-old Artyom Levshunov from Belarus, a freshman at Michigan State last season and the third-youngest player in college hockey. Anton Silayev is a shutdown defenseman who stands 6-foot-7 and is still growing. He played in the top Russian professional league with Nizhny Novgorod as a 17-year-old last season. London's Sam Dickinson, Denver's Zeev Buium and Saginaw's Zayne Parekh are all two-way defensemen that also have a chance to move into the top five. Dickinson, 18, also possesses a large frame and loads of confidence, recently declaring himself the best defensemen in the draft. Buium led all NCAA blueliners with 50 points (11 goals, 39 assists) in 42 games last season. Parekh led all OHL defensemen in goals (33) and points (96) over 66 games last season. "At this point, there's not much left to do or to hear," Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said. "I think we've got everything that we can get in terms of information in the bank." The Ducks will pick third after drafting center Leo Carlsson second overall last season. They also drafted center Mason McTavish third overall in 2021, center Trevor Zegras ninth in 2019 and last season traded for right wing Cutter Gauthier, the fifth overall pick in 2022 by the Philadelphia Flyers. That young front-line depth might tempt the front office to look for a defenseman. Madden believes this draft is one of the best for blueliners in the past 10 years, but Anaheim doesn't plan to draft based on need. "We went in that direction twice in the last 10 years and it didn't work out for us," he said. "Those picks were forced and, five years later, I'm not even sure it would have addressed the need we have at this time. So, we're going to go with the old boring way and say that we're going to go with the best player available, according to our opinion and our projection." The Columbus Blue Jackets could have a tough decision at No. 4. They feel like they're not far away from being a regular playoff team and may look for a player who can contribute immediately. That could eliminate Demidov and Silayev, who are expected to remain in Russia for at least another season. New Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell told reporters that the team also is open to trading its first-round pick if it would improve the roster for next season. The Montreal Canadiens are set to draft fifth. General manager Kent Hughes made it clear to reporters after the Draft Lottery that they're looking for a forward, unless they get a trade offer they can't refuse. Demidov or Lindstrom likely will still be available, and each seems to provide exactly what Montreal wants to add to its organization. The Utah Hockey Club has the sixth pick in its inaugural draft and general manager Bill Armstrong said he expects to select "an impact player at some point in their career," but not necessarily next season. The Ottawa Senators, Seattle Kraken, Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils round out the top 10. Madden said the top third of the first round is so even, players who will get drafted ninth or 10th overall could easily go second through fifth, and vice versa. "It's not about what they look like today, it's what they're going to look like five years from now and the impact they're going to have," Madden said. "That is a challenge." –Field Level Media Relatedbetting sites for footballnfl betting sitesbetting on college football onlinebest nba sportsbooksmlb sportsbooksonline nhl bettingfree ufc betting sitessoccer betting sitescopa america prop bets
Related Posts
Manchester United are expected to be busy this summer improving their squad under the leadership of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Important thing for them will be to do as many things done as possible before the season ends, in order to have a more balanced summer, without many problems. Therefore, Marcus Rashford is expected to sign a new contract with the club soon and what a contract that will be!
According to the Mirror, Manchester United will pay the player £78m over five years. With Rashford s current deal set to expire in June 2020, the club need to finish this and sign the player to a long-term contract. It appears that Man United are ready to put Rashford into top-tier paid players not only at the club, but in the whole of Premier League.
If that happens, Ra…
Massimo Coda was the hero as Benevento ended the worst-ever start to a Serie A season by any club with a 1-0 victory over Chievo.
The team from Campania, promoted via the play-offs after finishing fifth in Serie B last season, had lost their first 14 matches before finally earning a point from a 2-2 draw at home to AC Milan.
That long-overdue positive result arrived in extraordinary fashion, goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli scoring a header from a corner in injury time to deny the Rossoneri.
On Saturday, it was Coda s turn to grab the spotlight as they went one better at Stadio Ciro Vigorito, converting Marco D Alessandro s cross in the 64th minute.
La sblocca Massimo Coda per il ! Giallorossi avanti: 1-0!
— Serie A TIM (@SerieA_TIM)
2…
Darmstadt striker Sandro Wagner has made it clear that he is not interested in a return to Bayern Munich because he does not want to be second choice at the Bundesliga champions.
Wagner came through the ranks of the Bayern youth academy, but failed to secure regular first-team action with the Bavarians and eventually left the club for Duisburg.
The 28-year-old also enjoyed spells with Werder Bremen, Kaiserslautern and Hertha Berlin before joining Darmstadt in 2015, where he impressed with a string of fine performances.
Bayern allegedly see Wagner – who scored 14 goals in the Bundesliga in 2015-16 – as the ideal back-up for first-choice striker Robert Lewandowski, but the Darmstadt star has hinted at a move to the Premier League instead.
I have read t…
One of the most sought-after players in the upcoming transfer window will undoubtedly be Thorgan Hazard. Once a Chelsea youngster who was known as “Eden’s younger brother”, now he’s made a name for his own and it seems he’s ready to take the next step in his career.
The Borussia Monchengladbach star has been one of the most productive players in the Bundesliga during the 2018-19 season with nine goals and 11 assists. He’s played a key role for his side’s chances of playing in Europe next year and while his form has diminished a bit in the second half of the campaign, he’s quietly attracting some of the best teams in the world.
Sure, Hazard could stay at Monchengladbach for another year and then wait for a move. But the time for a transfer is now. He’s …
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is ready to send Yaya Sanogo out on loan when the transfer window reopens next month, .
The 21 year old has made only a handful of appearances since moving to the club from Auxerre in the summer of 2013, while he netted his first Gunners goal in last month’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the group stages of the Champions League.
With Olivier Giroud hitting the ground running since returning from injury his fellow countryman Sanogo, who has been capped four times four France’s U21s, has fallen further down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium and will be allowed to leave on a temporary basis in January.
Arsenal remain in sixth place in the Premier League after drawing with Liverpool at Anfield yesterday afternoon than…
Loic Remy looks unlikely to pull on a QPR shirt next season after Harry Redknapp said the club cannot provide what the French striker wants.
With Arsenal and Liverpool reportedly keen on signing Remy, Redknapp QPR s manager confirmed he would not stand in the 27-year-old forward s way, if he finds a new employer.
QPR gained promotion to the Premier League on Saturday, ending their stint in the Championship after one season, but with Remy keen on playing in the UEFA Champions League, Redknapp knows his team cannot match the Frenchman s ambitions at this time.
I don t see Remy wanting to come back and play, Redknapp said.
He s talking about playing Champions League somewhere.
I wouldn t know what he ll do but I think he s got a buy-out clause, which is at a r…
Fede Valverde has made it perfectly clear he has no intention of leaving Real Madrid in the near future, despite recent rumours about interest from around Europe and the possibility of Real agreeing to let him leave. According to Fabrizio Romano, Valverde s departure from the Santiago Bernabeu has never even been discussed within the club, not even when several English clubs inquired about his availability a few years back.
Fede Valverde on his future: “If they want me out of Real Madrid… they will have to kill me”.
Valverde’s departure was not a topic, not even when English clubs approached him two years ago.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano)
One of the clubs mentioned in that aspect was Liverpool, who are set to undergo a midfie…
Antonio Conte hailed his Tottenham side for showing a strong mentality to return to winning ways against Nottingham Forest, but made it clear this is only the start.
A 3-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw the north London side end a streak of three consecutive defeats in all competitions, having exited the FA Cup and Champions League either side of a Premier League defeat at Wolves.
A brace from Harry Kane was added to by Son Heung-min s second-half effort to ease the pressure upon Conte, following a sequence of results where his future was brought into question.
That pressure did not affect his side, however, who secured three points comfortably, though Conte was keen to stress this has to be a benchmark for their upcoming matches.
Today was imp…
Liverpool legend John Barnes says Sevilla s back-to-back Europa League titles do not necessarily make them favourites for Wednesday s final in Basle.
Sevilla are on the verge of completing a remarkable treble after getting the better of Benfica and Dnipro in 2014 and 2015 respectively and would become the first team in the history of Europe s secondary club competition to triumph three times in a row.
But Barnes insists Liverpool have every chance of halting Sevilla s run in the competition, having seen off Borussia Dortmund and Villarreal in the last two rounds.
It s a final – anything can happen, the former England international told Omnisport at a Show Racism the Red Card charity match. [They re] two good teams.
Obviously Sevilla have won it for…
Zinedine Zidane believes Real Madrid face a tough task in the final of the Champions League against city rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
The capital clubs meet in European club football s showpiece occasion for the second time in three years, with Madrid winning 4-1 after extra-time in Lisbon in 2014.
Zidane s side come into the final on an incredible run of 12 league wins in a row, although that was not enough to snatch the Liga title from Barcelona.
The Frenchman insists the clash with Atletico is 50-50, although Madrid are in good physical and mental shape .
We know it will be a difficult game but we are in good physical and mental shape, Zidane told UEFA s official website.
When you re at this club you always have to give the maxim…