Coming soon to a Sphere near you, the National Hockey League will present the 2024 NHL Entry Draft from Las Vegas, Nevada. Following a 38-33-11 season, the Philadelphia Flyers own the 12th selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. This means Philly will most likely not see the opportunity to select the draft-eligible prospects I am about to discuss without a trade up the draft board.
While that could be a possibility on June 28th for Danny Briere and Co. in Vegas, there is no guarantee that trade winds will blow a favorable deal Philadelphia’s way. Therefore, it is important to know about the prospects that may be landing in the Eastern Conference over the next few seasons outside of the City of Brotherly Love.
Eastern Conference-Bound Talent Before Flyers Pick at #12
The five Eastern Conference teams sitting ahead of Philly in the first-round draft order are Columbus (4th), Montreal (5th), Ottawa (7th), New Jersey (10th), and Buffalo (11th). While the first two picks seem to be locked for San Jose & Chicago, things could get a bit more spicy after those selections as opinions begin to diversify from there. This top 5 list is using the official NHL.com draft prospects rankings.
#1 Macklin Celebrini – 6’0 – Center – Boston University (NCAA)
The consensus #1 ranked prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft is Macklin Celebrini. In his freshman season at Boston University, Celebrini was only the 4th freshman to receive the Hobey Baker Award given to the best hockey player during the 2024 NCAA Division 1 men’s hockey. Macklin showed cases an all-around game with dead-even offensive stats with 32 goals and 32 assists for 64 points over 38 games.
#2 – Artyom Levshunov – 6’2 – Defenseman – Michigan State (NCAA)
Another NCAA prospect checks in as the second-ranked prospect in this year’s draft as a right-handed defenseman with elite offensive skills are highly prized in NHL draft circles. Levshunov posted almost a point-per-game stats with 35 points in 38 games for Michigan State. The blueliner ranked 10th in defensive scoring last season in the NCAA. Outside of Celebrini, Levshunov is considered the most NHL-ready prospect available at this year’s draft.
#3 – Cayden Lindstrom – 6’3 – Center – Medicine Hat (WHL)
It was a rough WHL campaign for Cayden Lindstrom as injury kept him out of the second half of Medicine Hat’s season. Cayden still posted 46 points in 32 games proving himself to be a valuable offensive option at the Canadian Hockey League level when healthy. Lingering injury concerns should not be an issue for NHL clubs as Lindstrom returned for 4 WHL playoff games in 2024. Cayden has no relation to 2015 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Nicklas Lindstrom.
#4 – Zeev Buium – 6’0 – Defensman – Denver (NCAA)
In April, defenseman Zeev Buium was essential in Denver’s record-smashing 10th NCAA Division 1 Men’s championship title. In his freshman season, Buium noticed 50 points over 42 games. The San Diego, California-born Buium played a critical in the United States capturing Gold at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship with a +11 plus/minus over 7 tournament games.
#5 – Zayne Parekh – 6’0 – Defenseman – Saginaw (OHL)
At mid-season, Zayne Parekh was considered a top-10 prospect with questions surrounding his defensive game. After an astounding 96 points in 66 games which led to a +39 plus/minus for Saginaw, Parekh eased some of those concerns for NHL scouts. Zayne was named the best defenseman in all Canadian hockey last season leading Saginaw to a Memorial Cup. His 6 game-winners led WHL blueliners, slightly ahead of Flyers’ prospect Oliver Bonk who finished with 5 GWG for London.
AP Photo/George Walker IV
