We are just one week away from the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, while the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers will continue fighting for the NHL Championship this weekend. Macklin Celebrini is the top prospect in this draft class, and there are some other interesting skaters as well, like Artyom Levshunov, Ivan Demidov, and Anton Silayev.
The 2024 NHL Entry Draft will be held at Sphere in Las Vegas, United States, on June 28–29, as the first round will be broadcast on Friday and rounds 2–7 will be held on Saturday. Connor Bedard was the top prospect in the NHL draft last year, and now it’s time for Macklin Celebrini to be drafted for the Sharks as the No. 1 pick for 2024.
The results of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft order are finally out and are as follows: the San Jose Sharks will have the first pick for the first time in its history, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and then the Montreal Canadiens.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Annual Pre-season Event |
| 🏟️ Venue: | Sphere, Paradise, Nevada, United States |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 28–29 June 2024 |
The NHL Entry Draft is a pivotal event for the future of the National Hockey League, as the teams get to acquire new talent. It allows franchises to select promising young players from junior, college, and European leagues, which can improve their roster with good rotational players. The draft also helps ensure a level playing field by giving weaker teams the earlier picks.
The 2024 NHL draft lottery consisted of the 16 teams that have missed the playoffs this year, as the teams with the worst record had better chances of landing the first pick. The 17–32 picks after that are determined by how well the teams do in the playoffs, as the teams that lost early will get a better position in the draft, while the Stanley Cup champions will get the 32nd pick.
Here’s a look at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft odds for the top five players in the draft from the best NCAA hockey betting odds sites:
| Draft Players | 1st Pick Odds | 2nd Pick Odds | 3rd Pick Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macklin Celebrini | 1.001 (1/1000) | 201.0 (200/1) | 201.0 (200/1) |
| Artyom Levshunov | — | 1.36 (4/11) | 4.0 (3/1) |
| Ivan Demidov | — | 3.50 (5/2) | 4.50 (7/2) |
| Cayden Lindstrom | — | 23.0 (22/1) | 11.0 (10/1) |
| Anton Silayev | — | 31.0 (30/1) | 2.40 (7/5) |
Macklin Celebrini is definitely the 2024 NHL Entry Draft No. 1 pick on June 28, as he is by far the best player in this draft class. He is a generational talent, scoring 32 goals and 32 assists in 38 NCAA games to win the 2024 Hobey Baker Award. The San Jose Sharks will have a great opportunity to build around Celebrini in the future.
Artyom Levshunov is probably the best defenseman in this draft class, as he impressed with the Spartans in college last year, scoring 35 points in 38 games. The Chicago Blackhawks picked Connor Bedard as their No. 1 pick last year, and now they need to improve their team with a quality defensive player to help the Canadian center.
Ivan Demidov is a very creative offensive player, scoring 23 goals and 37 assists in 30 games in the MHL. Cayden Lindstrom is coming off an injury, but he was very impressive in the WHL, scoring 27 goals and 19 assists in 32 games. He is one of the best North American skaters in the draft. Anton Silayev has a very good height as a defenseman, and he will bring a quality defense in transition for the team that will pick him. Silayev is an excellent skater and has good agility on ice, which is why he is one of the best European skaters available in the draft.
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The best odds for the NHL 2024 draft are enticing for Zayne Parekh to be picked no earlier than the 8th pick. The Canadian player is talented offensively and defensively, and he is expected to do well in the NHL, but he needs to improve his physicality a lot more to adapt to the National Hockey League. He is a quality player, but there are some better players available in the draft, so we expect him to land somewhere between the 8–12 picks.
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Anton Silayev scored the most points in KHL history last season as a U-18 defenseman. He had nearly 100 hits, and he showed that he can improve even more offensively by walking the line in the offensive zone. Silayev would be a good fit for the Anaheim Duck, who will be taking the No. 3 pick. They need such a defenseman with the mobility, edgework, and size of Anton, so he would be a good fit for the Ducks.
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The betting live streaming can be very useful in the 2024 NHL draft first-round predictions, as we will be going with Sam Dickinson to be picked before Carter Yakemchuk. Dickinson is capable of playing a lot of minutes, as he played 68 games with the London Knights last season, scoring an amazing 70 points in that time. Sam is a gifted skater in power play, and he is one of the top 4 defensive players in the draft. Carter Yakemchuk, on the other hand, can’t defend very well in transition and is not the best skater either, even though he is very talented offensively. The gap isn’t very big between those two players, but Dickinson looks more ready for the NHL and is a top-10 player in the draft.
The NHL Entry Draft is usually full of surprises, and we are ready for this, as we will go with Parekh over the 7.5 draft position and Dickinson to be drafted before Yakemchuk. Make sure to take advantage of the betting bonuses and bet on our 2024 NHL draft order predictions to have more fun watching the event.
