A year removed from the 2024 NHL draft, the early returns on the top picks are already making waves across junior leagues and pro ranks. 

Beyond the instant impact from Macklin Celebrini, there are a ton of other players that improved their stock throughout the 2024-25 season and will look to push for bigger roles in their respective NHL organizations in just a few months.

Here's how some of the top draft picks from 2024 are trending one season later:

Zayne Parekh

Aside from an early exit in the OHL playoffs with the Saginaw Spirit, it’s hard to imagine ways Zayne Parekh could’ve had a better season after being drafted ninth overall by the Calgary Flames in 2024. 

Parekh became the second defenseman in OHL/OHA history to have multiple 30-plus goal seasons — the other one is Bobby Orr. He also led all CHL defenseman with 107 points this season, earning himself an opportunity to suit up for the Flames for his first NHL game on April 17, scoring in his debut against the Los Angeles Kings.

So much of Parekh’s offense is translatable to the NHL level. He’s not breaking down defenders 1-on-1 or skating end to end, even though he’s more than capable of both. Instead, Parekh creates pockets of space for himself to open up shooting lanes or set up teammates in the offensive zone and truly acts as a fourth forward.

While Parekh’s defensive game was a concern heading into his draft year, he’s really improved his physical engagement and responsibility in his own zone. To see him make these adjustments while not affecting his offensive production is great for his projection and shows his overall maturity and willingness to develop his skills.

There’s a decent chance that Parekh makes the Flames roster next season, but his full potential will only be reached when he has the runway to lead a group from the back end and also quarterback a power-play unit.

Berkly Catton

Heading into the 2024 draft, there was a strong case to be made that Berkly Catton was the most offensively gifted prospect in the class. His puck handling and passing abilities are nearly flawless, his skating is effortless, and he converts on creative and difficult plays at a high rate. While all of those traits still apply, Catton has cemented himself as one of the best playmakers yet to enter the NHL after this season.

Catton scored 54 goals and finished with 116 points with the Spokane Chiefs in his draft year, proving that he could lead an offense as a primary scorer, even though it was largely due to him having a weaker supporting cast. Catton was still widely considered to be a playmaker just searching for a linemate to dominate with, and after getting swept by the Prince George Cougars in the first round of the 2023-24 WHL playoffs, it was clear that the Chiefs' GM, Matt Bardsley, needed to build a stronger team around him.

Catton followed up with 109 points in 57 games this season after being drafted eighth overall by the Seattle Kraken. Catton’s game was taken to new heights once the Chiefs made a blockbuster trade to acquire Andrew Cristall of the Kelowna Rockets, one of the top producers in the WHL.

The Washington Capitals prospect was traded from the Kelowna Rockets on Jan. 8 and immediately made an impact alongside Catton, combining for 23 points in their first three games together. Cristall finished the season with the most points in the WHL (132), and Catton was third (109) with Gavin McKenna (129) sandwiched between them.

That chemistry and production carried over into an impressive post-season, with Catton becoming the first WHL skater in the last 25 years to hit the 40-point mark in a single playoff run. Despite coming up just short to the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL Championship, he put together another really impressive season, and he possesses the talent and compete level that could lead to him battling for a roster spot with the Seattle Kraken this fall.

Cayden Lindstrom

It’s truly a shame that hockey fans were deprived of seeing a full season of Gavin McKenna and Cayden Lindstrom together, especially considering the latter (or maybe both) is expected to be heading for the NCAA next season.

It was a back injury that derailed Lindstrom’s season, and his draft year as well, recording 27 goals and 19 assists for 46 points in just 32 games for the Tigers in 2023-24. After being picked fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 19-year-old underwent surgery in November and didn’t play a game for the Tigers throughout the entirety of the 2024-25 season until the WHL finals earlier this month, where he recorded two goals and two assists in 4 games.

When healthy, Lindstrom is the prototypical power forward that every team is dying to have. It’s hard to believe that Lindstrom is able to move as quickly as he does, given his 6-foot-4, 214-pound frame, but he’s a remarkably good skater. He rarely loses any races for pucks, and when he’s being forechecked hard, he uses his size to roll off defenders and maintain puck possession with ease.

There’s no question that next season will be the biggest of Lindstrom’s career. Coming off a significant recurring injury that already raised questions about his development heading into the 2024 Draft, Lindstrom will have to prove that those issues are behind him and do so while making a big leap in competition to the NCAA level.

Carter Yakemchuk

Carter Yakemchuk was always going to be a fun project for any team that chose him in the 2024 Draft. He has game-breaking offensive potential with his stickhandling ability and his large 6-foot-4 frame, but there were noticeable flaws to his skating and defensive game that would need to be built upon throughout his development.

The Fort McMurray, Alta. native set an incredibly high bar for himself in his draft year with 30 goals and 71 points in 66 games played, and things didn’t progress as anticipated in the 2024-25 season. A slight drop in production wouldn’t be much reason to panic, but putting up 17 goals and 49 points in 56 games despite being one year older and the top defenseman on a top-five goal scoring team in the WHL, all while other defenseman in the class are excelling (Parekh, Zeev Buium, Sam Dickinson) makes things a little tougher to digest for Ottawa Senators fans.

Considering how strong of a training camp he had with the Senators and the confidence he must’ve gained from that, this season felt like a really big missed opportunity for Yakemchuk. He still has the upside to be a top-four defenseman that can quarterback a top power play, but the development process won’t be a continuous upward trajectory for him.

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