2024 NHL DRAFT: WHO SHOULD BE THE NO.1 PICK IN THIS DRAFT

Like every draft, there are always conversations and debates about who the number 1 pick will be, and unlike in 2023, where Connor Bedard was the Consensus First overall pick the entire year, there are a few players who could view as the potential first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. In this blog, I will talk about three players specifically that I will be watching closely this year who could legitimately be the number 1 pick in next year’s draft.

Related: 2024 NHL DRAFT PROSPECTS WHO STOOD OUT AT THE 2023 HLINKA GRETZKY CUP

While the talent at the top of the 2024 Draft isn’t as good as in the 2023 Draft, there are three players in particular that stand out to me that could be franchise-changing players in the NHL.
The First player is Macklin Celebrini, who will be playing for Boston University this season and is a dynamic, dangerous, and deceptive forward. The second player that stands out is Cole Eiserman, Easily the most lethal shooter in the class, and plays for USDP and for the USNTDP Juniors in the USHL. The last of the three is the wildcard in this draft and could potentially be the best player in the entire draft, this player is Ivan Demidov, the Russian Winger playing for SKA St.Petersburgh on a line with Matvei Michkov, the Philadelphia Flyers, 1st round pick last year. Let’s explore who the best player is out of these three and who might have the highest probability of being the No.1 pick in the 2024 Draft.

Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University (NCAA)

Macklin Celebrini is the best bet to go first overall in next year’s draft, while he isn’t a Connor Bedard-level player, he should be a franchise-changing talent for whoever snags the first overall pick. Celebrini had one of the most remarkable rookie seasons we’ve ever seen in the USHL, recording 46 goals and 86 points to lead the league. He won the league’s Player and Rookie of the Year awards and then capped off the season by scoring the game-winning overtime goal for Canada at the U-18 World Championship. He is committed to Boston University for the 2023-24 season but will miss the start of the season, stemming from a Shoulder surgery he had in the offseason, but once he’s ready he should obliterate the college ranks. His otherworldly Hockey IQ allows him the creativity and ability to take over a shift and games. Celebrini boasts everything you could want in an elite forward. He plays fast, building up speed through the neutral zone to put defenders on their heels before using a slick deke or cut to get off the wall. Celebrini can also create through delays, finding space for himself and slipping the puck into a trailer in a dangerous position. He consistently improves the positioning of the puck, and without possession, slips into soft areas to be an outlet for his gifted linemates, who usually find him. Celebrini is gifted physically and while not the tallest player on the ice, leverages a strong lower body to win battles and explode out of tight spaces with the puck. He’s cerebral defensively, scanning and anticipating to help start transition the other way where he can. If he can translate the success he’s had in the USHL to Hockey East next year, he’ll cement himself as a first-overall pick.

Cole Eiserman, LW, US U18 USNTDP (NTDP)

Cole Eiserman stood out at the U-18 World Championship against older competition. His chemistry with top 2025 prospect James Hagens was remarkable, with Eiserman finishing the year with 69 goals and 104 points in 62 games. That’s good for third in team scoring this year and second behind Jack Hughes’s 116-point season among U-17 USNTDP skaters ever. Eiserman is as pure of a goal-scorer as it gets, with the American star drawing comparisons to Auston Matthews and Alex Ovechkin thanks to his unstoppable release. Like Matthews, Eiserman jumped up to the U-18 USNTDP lineup as a 16-year-old. Matthews had modest numbers, scoring 12 goals and 17 points in 20 games. In comparison, Eiserman has 25 goals and 30 points in 17 games with the U-18 team, highlighted by his eight goals and nine points in four World Championship games. Eiserman’s season has been one of the best in USNTDP history, which, considering some of the talent that’s come through like Matthews, Patrick Kane, Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, and Jack Hughes, is quite astounding. The 2024 NHL Draft doesn’t have a phenom like Connor Bedard, but both Cole Eiserman and Macklin Celebrini represent the type of prospect that a team can build around but is not a generational talent. When deciding which player is better, it really depends on what criteria you are using and what the team’s needs are. A team that needs a playmaker is more likely to draft Celebrini, while a team in need of a goal scorer should draft Eiserman.

Ivan Demidov-RW/C-SKA St.Petersburg (KHL)

The true wildcard in this draft though is Ivan Demidov, the talented Russian Winger who plays for the same SKA St. Petersburg team and has a deal until 2025, so just one year after getting drafted. Whoever drafts Demidov won’t have to wait as long as Philly will for Michkov. Demidov obliterated the top Russian junior league with 62 points in 41 games, earning MVP honors. He also made his KHL debut while getting into a game with Russia’s U-18 team. Scouts called his linemate and teammate Matvei Michkov the best Russian prospect in decades, perhaps the best since Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin. If it wasn’t for his contract situation and other general mysteries surrounding Michkov, he could have gone as high as second overall in 2023. But could Michkov’s SKA St. Petersburg teammate, Ivan Demidov, become an even better prospect? Although you can’t really use preseason action to evaluate a player, it could give an indication of how he will get used this season. Demidov has two goals and four points in four preseason games, with Demidov playing a key role with St. Petersburg in early tournament action. He had eight shots in a game against Avangard Omsk while averaging six throughout. Demidov had 19 goals and 64 points in 44 MHL games last year, the top Russian junior league. It was the best output ever seen by a U-18 player in league history, besting the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Nikita Gusev, and, yes, Michkov. Michkov had 56 points in 56 games as a 16-year-old, so his dominance can’t be understated. Demidov is the only Draft-1 player to break the 60-point mark. From a stylistic perspective, Demidov has so much going for him. He’s extremely creative, has quick hands, is good on his feet, and makes smart decisions with the puck. Demidov will beat players with a stutter-step move that leaves a defenseman confused, and his release is incredibly deceptive, in a few ways. He’ll lull you into thinking he’s going up high before beating a goaltender between the legs. Other times, he’ll wind up before purposely shooting much softer. Scouts love his release, but it’s how he chooses to use it that makes him difficult to stop. It’ll be interesting to see what Demidov is capable of this year. He’ll likely see time in the KHL and MHL, just like Michkov. At this point, Demidov is a top-five prospect, and some think he has a legitimate shot at challenging Macklin Celebrini and Cole Eiserman for first overall.

Due to the Russian Factor, I think that will pretty much eliminate the possibility of Ivan Demidov being the number 1 pick unless he has a season that overshadows both Celebrini and Eiserman by a significant margin. Macklin Celebrini has the highest probability of being the first overall pick because he is a center and he seems to be the type of player who makes those around him better. Cole Eiserman will definitely challenge for the number 1 spot but ultimately the deciding factor is the position they play. Generally speaking, in most cases if a team is given a choice between a franchise center or Franchise altering goal scorer, most teams will choose the Center, especially in today’s NHL. With that said, I think Macklin Celebrini will be the number 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft because he is the safest pick, and usually, that is what the team picking first will opt to go for.