Final 2024 NHL Draft Rankings: Ryan Kennedy's Top 120

Prospect expert lists his top 120 picks for the upcoming NHL draft, led by Boston University's Macklin Celebrini.

Here it is, my final 2024 NHL draft rankings. 

We're less than a month away from the festivities, and while it's pretty obvious the San Jose Sharks should take Macklin Celebrini first overall, there will be a ton of drama after that. 

Simply put, there's a big cohort of elite players following Celebrini, and not much separates them from each other. I sincerely believe it will come down to team preference and that there is no overall consensus. So if Artyom Levshunov goes second overall instead of seventh, I would not be surprised. Maybe a team prefers Berkly Catton over fellow center Cayden Lindstrom - I wouldn't knock that move, either.

So what I've done here is present the top 100 list you will find in our Draft Preview issue, then added on my customary next 20. Back in the day, that represented the first four rounds, but with Vegas and Seattle in the fold, there are more picks in reality - but we like round numbers, don't we?

Without further ado, here are the top 120 NHL draft rankings.

1. Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University (NCAA): Gifted, determined and already accustomed to excelling against older competition, Celebrini became the youngest player ever to win the Hobey Baker Award as he ripped through the NCAA as a freshman with the Terriers.

2. Ivan Demidov, RW, SKA-St. Petersburg (Rus.): Every time Demidov is on the ice, the opposing goalie needs to be aware. This kid just makes things happen, and he has the skills and hockey sense to be an NHL threat for a long time.

3. Anton Silayev, D, Torpedo (Rus.): It's all about potential with the 6-foot-7, 211-pound Silayev. His range and his skating give him incredible defensive upside, while we also saw some bonus offense right at the beginning of the KHL season. Kids like him are rare.

4. Zeev Buium, D, Denver (NCAA): Perhaps lost in Celebrini's heroics was the fact Buium put up more points as a freshman than Quinn Hughes while helping Denver to the national championship. He can get it done in his own end, as well.

5. Sam Dickinson, D, London (OHL): Scouts see a kid who already plays like an NHL veteran - and that's saying something for a blueliner. Dickinson is just built differently. With his defensive play and physicality, he's already figured out the hard part. Plus, he exploded offensively this year.

6. Cayden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat (WHL): Injury aside, Lindstrom has all the makings of a high pick: he's big, he can play physical and he can put up a bunch of points. Add in the fact he's a center, and you've got the recipe for a player NHL teams fall over themselves for.

7. Artyom Levshunov, D, Michigan State (NCAA): Another college freshman who dazzled, Levshunov has NHL size and a great two-way game already. He can make plays, he can recover defensively and he was a big part of the Spartans' turnaround this season.

8. Zayne Parekh, D, Saginaw (OHL): The newly minted Memorial Cup champion is a prototypical offensive defenseman who broke records in the OHL with his goal-scoring and put up a ton of points in his draft year. As his defensive play evolves, his value will only rise.

9. Tij Iginla, C, Kelowna (WHL): The Rockets star just kept getting better as the season went on, culminating in a gold medal with Canada at the World Men's Under-18s. Iginla has a wicked shot (wonder why...) and he's not afraid to go to the tough areas in order to create offense.

10. Konsta Helenius, C, Jukurit (Fin.): It's no small feat to make a men's World Championship team as a teen, but Helenius did it with Finland. He's not big, which may hurt him on draft night, but he's got skill, vision and pace. Someone could get a steal.

11. Berkly Catton, C, Spokane (WHL)

12. Beckett Sennecke, RW, Oshawa (OHL)

13. Cole Eiserman, LW, U.S. NTDP (USHL)

14. Carter Yakemchuk, D, Calgary (WHL)

15. Liam Greentree, RW, Windsor (OHL)

16. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, Mora (Swe.)

17. Michael Hage, C, Chicago (USHL)

18. Igor Chernyshov, LW, Dynamo Moscow (Rus.)

19. Sacha Boisvert, C, Muskegon (USHL)

20. Adam Jiricek, D, Plzen (Cze.)

21. Matvei Gridin, LW, Muskegon (USHL)

22. Dean Letourneau, C, St. Andrew's (PHC)

23. Emil Hemming, RW, TPS (Fin.)

24. Nikita Artamonov, LW, Torpedo (Rus.)

25. Julius Miettinen, C, Everett (WHL)

26. Terik Parascak, RW, Prince George (WHL)

27. Trevor Connelly, LW, Tri-City (USHL)

28. Andrew Basha, LW, Medicine Hat (WHL)

29. Jett Luchanko, C, Guelph (OHL)

30. Ryder Ritchie, RW, Prince Albert (WHL)

31. Marek Vanacker, LW, Brantford (OHL)

32. Cole Beaudoin, C, Barrie (OHL)

33. Charlie Elick, D, Brandon (WHL)

34. Tanner Howe, RW, Regina (WHL)

35. Lucas Pettersson, C, Modo (Swe.)

36. Adam Jecho, C, Edmonton (WHL)

37. Maxim Masse, LW, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)

38. Yegor Surin, C, Loko (Rus.)

39. Leo Sahlin Wallenius, D, Vaxjo (Swe.)

40. Jesse Pulkkinen, D, JYP (Fin.)

41. Eemil Vinni, G, Jokijopat (Fin.)

42. Carter George, G, Owen Sound (OHL)

43. Spencer Gill, D, Rimouski (QMJHL)

44. Alfons Freij, D, Vaxjo (Swe.)

45. EJ Emery, D, NTDP (USHL)

46. Gabriel Eliasson, D, HV 71 (Swe.)

47. Henry Mews, D, Ottawa (OHL)

48. Mikhail Yegorov, G, Omaha (USHL)

49. Luke Misa, C, Mississauga (OHL)

50. John Mustard, C, Waterloo (USHL)

51. Kasper Pikkarainen, RW, TPS (Fin.)

52. Colin Ralph, D, Shattuck-St. Mary's (PHC)

53. Ben Danford, D, Oshawa (OHL)

54. Jakub Fibigr, D, Mississauga (OHL)

55. Stian Solberg, D, Valerenga (Nor.)

56. Kim Saarinen, G, HPK (Fin.)

57. Teddy Stiga, C, U.S. NTDP (USHL)

58. Adam Kleber, D, Lincoln (USHL)

59. Colton Roberts, D, Vancouver (WHL)

60. Aron Kiviharju, D, HIFK (Fin.)

61. Sam O'Reilly, C, London (OHL)

62. Sebastian Soini, D, Ilves (Fin.)

63. Tarin Smith, D, Everett (WHL)

64. Raoul Boilard, C, Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)

65. Matvei Shuravin, D, CSKA (Rus.)

66. Will Skahan, D, U.S. NTDP (USHL) 2

67. Linus Eriksson, C, Djurgarden (Swe.)

68. Dominik Badinka, D, Malmo (Swe.)

69. Tomas Galvas, D, Liberec (Cze.)

70. Maximilian Curran, C, Tri-City (WHL)

71. Cole Hutson, D, U.S. NTDP (USHL) 2

72. Carson Wetsch, RW, Calgary (WHL)

73. Aatos Koivu, C, TPS (Fin.)

74. Kamil Bednarik, C, U.S. NTDP (USHL) 2

75. Ollie Josephson, C, Red Deer (WHL)

76. Brodie Ziemer, RW, U.S. NTDP (USHL) 2

77. Harrison Brunicke, D, Kamloops (WHL)

78. Ilya Protas, RW, Des Moines (USHL)

79. Kevin He, C, Niagara (OHL)

80. Leon Muggli, D, EVZ (Swi.)

81. Luca Marelli, D, Oshawa (OHL)

82. Eriks Mateiko, LW, Saint John (QMJHL)

83. Javon Moore, RW, Minnetonka (MN HS)

84. Hagen Burrows, LW, Minnetonka (MN HS)

85. Ondrej Kos, LW, Ilves (Fin.)

86. Ryerson Leenders, G, Mississauga (OHL)

87. Zach Pelletier, G, Gatineau (QMJHL)

88. Melvin Fernstrom, RW, Orebro (Swe.)

89. Niilopekka Muhonen, D, KalPa (Fin.)

90. Riley Patterson, C, Barrie (OHL)

91. Samuel St-Hilaire, G, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)

92. Jack Pridham, RW, West Kelowna (BCHL)

93. Clarke Caswell, C, Swift Current (WHL)

94. Daniil Ustinkov, D, Zurich (Swi.)

95. Miguel Marques, LW, Lethbridge (WHL)

96. Veeti Vaisanen, D, Kookoo (Fin.)

97. Jack Berglund, C, Farjestad (Swe.)

98. Jared Woolley, D, London (OHL)

99. Aidan Park, RW, Shattuck-St. Mary's (PHC)

100. Noel Fransen, D, Farjestad (Swe.)

101. Justin Poirier, RW, Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)

102. Kirill Zarubin, G, AKM Tula (Rus.)

103. Xavier Veilleux, D, Muskegon (USHL)

104. Will McIsaac, D, Spokane (WHL)

105. Max Plante, C, U.S. NTDP (USHL)

106. Joona Vaisanen, D, Dubuque (USHL)

107. Mac Swanson, LW, Fargo (USHL)

108. Ethan Procyszyn, C, North Bay (QMJHL)

109. Lukas Fischer, D, Sarnia (OHL)

110. Nathan Villeneuve, C, Sudbury (OHL)

111. Tomas Lavoie, D, Cape Breton (QMJHL)

112. Hiroki Gojsic, RW, Kelowna (WHL)

113. Will Zellers, RW, Shattuck-St. Mary's (PHC)

114. Tomas Mrsic, C, Medicine Hat (WHL)

115. Owen Allard, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

116. Roman Shokhrin, D, Loko 76 (Rus.)

117. Oskar Vuollet, RW, Skelleftea (Swe.)

118. Thomas Desruisseaux, C, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)

119. Jackson Smithknecht, D, Rogers (MN HS)

120. Trevor Hoskin, C, Cobourg (OJHL)

Correction: Konsta Helenius played for Jukurit this season on loan and is expected to return from loan to Tappara next season.

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