Future Watch Weekly: How Does Top 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Macklin Celebrini Compare to Connor Bedard?

Plus the five best prospect pipelines in the NHL, why Arshdeep Bains wasn't drafted and a good week for the Iginla boys.

Welcome to the second installment of my new prospects column, where I take a spin around the development world and give you some inside looks at what is going on right now. Let's start at the top...

Connor Bedard returned to the Chicago lineup last week and immediately made an impact for the Hawks with six points in three games. As it currently stands, he is still very much the Calder Trophy favorite and very much the phenom that was promised. But has his shadow over all teen players been too large? Talking to one scout recently, he felt like top 2024 draft prospect Mack Celebrini is getting unfairly overlooked.

"I think there's a Bedard hangover, because (Celebrini) is incredible," he said. "The hockey sense, the skill, the puck protection and second-effort; what I hear about his work habits - he's outperforming guys in college already. For me, he's a clear-cut, no-one's-even-close-to-challenging-him No. 1. 

"He's got a little Sidney Crosby in him with the second effort on the puck. And you can't get the puck off him. People are punch-drunk on Bedard but the shot is there, the playmaking is there, the play-driving is there - what else is he supposed to do? He's playing a full year of college at 17 years old. It's crazy."

It's an interesting point and kinda reminds me of Steven Stamkos' draft year when a lot of folks were saying "Yeah he's good but wait until John Tavares next year." It always felt unfair to me and in the end, Stamkos has found more success in the NHL than Tavares.

Now, we don't even know what NHL team Celebrini is going to play for yet so it's impossible to forecast his future versus Bedard's career, but let's at least recognize that a 17-year-old kid ranking top-five in NCAA scoring and first on a Boston University team ranked second in the nation is amazing. He was also Canada's best player at the world juniors by a country mile. And again, doing so at 17...

One of this week's most positive stories was left winger Arshdeep Bains making his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks. A B.C. native, Bains went undrafted before signing as a free agent, which got me wondering: Why didn't a team draft Bains? Looking at his stats with the WHL's Red Deer Rebels in his first year of eligibility (2018-19), it's pretty clear why teams weren't beating a path to the rink - he tallied just 18 points in 63 games. But in his final year of junior, Bains smoked the league for 112 points, paving the way for a successful rookie pro year in the AHL with Abbotsford last season. Talking to one source, it sounds like Bains was a classic late bloomer.

"I always thought the brain was really good," said the NHL scout. "Solid vision and feel for the game, an understanding for how to use his body. But, as a younger player he was really raw physically and not a great skater. It took him a long time to finally get to a point where he was physically able to be effective playing the way that he tried to play. Both in terms of his skating and speed but also just in terms of being strong on the puck, being balanced, using his body to extend sequences."

Bains put in the work and now his name is officially in the NHL record books. Pretty cool.

The name "Iginla" has been a popular one in the WHL lately. Two of Jarome's kids, Joe and Tij, have been buzzing in the league. Joe, a 2026 NHL draft prospect, had his first two-goal game with the Edmonton Oil Kings (he isn't eligible to play in the WHL full-time until next season), while Tij, a 2024 first-round prospect, continues to buzz for the Kelowna Rockets with goals in three straight games. Overall he has 38 goals and 66 points through 52 contests. At the CHL Top Prospects Game, he played on a line with Spokane's Berkly Catton, an old buddy whom he had instant chemistry with.

"He's a guy who plays with pace and he's fun to play with," Catton said. "If you get to spots, he'll get you the puck and vice versa, so it was really cool to play with him."

Catton is a potential top-10 pick this summer and the admiration goes both ways.

"He's a super-easy guy to play with," Iginla said. "As a center, he's always in the right spots. He's super-smart, fast, and I could count on him to make the right play. It's pretty easy to settle in when you're playing with him."

While I'm sure some folks would love to compare Tij and his dad, what I've seen is a player who relies more on his quick hands and creativity to score, whereas Jarome obviously had a wicked power game. Either way, the puck is going in the back of the net.

I am happy to report that we just closed Future Watch, and it's on the printing press now. So look for our famous issue in your mailbox in the coming weeks. As another teaser, here are the top five teams rated in the upcoming issue based on their prospect pools. The rankings were pulled together by editor Brian Costello, who surveyed scouts and execs from across the league. Here they are in alphabetical order - you figure out who came out on top (and as a further tease, the Blues are featured on the cover, but that doesn't technically mean they're No. 1).

Anaheim Ducks

Arizona Coyotes

Buffalo Sabres

Columbus Blue Jackets

St. Louis Blues