The 2024 NHL Draft begins Friday in the Sphere, a visual indoor and outdoor spectacle in Las Vegas which is hosting its first sporting event.
The two-day event, which is televised on ESPN, kicks off with Round 1 at 6 p.m. Friday with Rounds 2-7 on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
There’s wasn’t much mystery with the first pick. Everyone assumed the San Jose Sharks would draft Macklin Celebrini, who is college hockey’s top player and has topped draft charts for more than a year and has ties to the Bay Area, and they confirmed everyone’s assumptions.
The Blackhawks have the second pick overall. According to Ben Pope, Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov has emerged as the favorite for the pick, with Russian forward Ivan Demidov — the other candidate all along — now seeming less likely. The Blackhawks also have the No. 18 pick on Friday. On Saturday, they have two picks in the second and third rounds along with a pick in the fifth and sixth rounds.
Read more of Pope’s predictions in his final mock draft.
2024 NHL Draft first-round picks
- San Jose Sharks – Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University (NCAA)
- BLACKHAWKS — Artyom Levshunov, D, Michigan State (NCAA)
- Anaheim Ducks – Beckett Sennecke, RW, Oshawa (OHL)
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Montreal Canadiens
- Utah Hockey Club
- Ottawa Senators
- Seattle Kraken
- Calgary Flames
- New Jersey Devils
- Buffalo Sabres
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Minnesota Wild
- San Jose Sharks (from PIT)
- Detroit Red Wings
- St. Louis Blues
- Washington Capitals
- BLACKHAWKS (from NYI)
- Vegas Golden Knights
- New York Islanders (from TBL via CHI)
- Los Angeles Kings
- Nashville Predators
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Colorado Avalanche
- Boston Bruins (via DET and OTT)
- Montreal Canadiens (from WPG)
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Calgary Flames (from VAN)
- Dallas Stars
- New York Rangers
- Anaheim Ducks (from EDM)
- Philadelphia Flyers (from FLA)
The 18-year-old defenseman from Belarus, coming off an impressive freshman year at Michigan State, adds potentially the final piece to the Hawks’ future defensive core.
General manager Kyle Davidson said Thursday he feels “confident with where we’re going to go.” He didn’t name names, but defenseman Artyom Levshunov has emerged as the favorite over Ivan Demidov.
After leading all rookies with 61 points this past season — and doing it in just 68 games — Bedard on Thursday received the trophy he always seemed destined to receive.
