The Vegas Golden Knights have traded each of their first-round picks except Brendan Brisson and will select 19th overall in the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
The Vegas Golden Knights have traded each of their first-round picks except Brendan Brisson and will select 19th overall in the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
The Golden Knights have one of the thinnest prospects pools in the league and will look to add the best player available with the 19th overall pick.
Many outlets are finalizing their mock drafts ahead of the draft on June 28–29, at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
This year's draft is very wide open at the top. Macklin Celebrini is as close of a lock to go first overall as it gets but after him, there is a lot of uncertainty from scouts. The Chicago Blackhawks are drafting second overall and the discussion of selecting Ivan Demidov or Artyom Levshunov is one the biggest in the NHL right now.
This year's draft is also one of the more defenseman-heavy drafts in recent memory and a lot of the teams selecting inside the top 10 are looking for defensemen.
Recently players like Beckett Sennecke and Tij Iginla were players that were projected around the Golden Knights pick but have risen in the draft boards.
Some forwards likely to be available when the Golden Knights make their selection are Ryder Ritchie, Michael Hage, Emil Hemming and Sacha Boisvert. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Liam Greentree and Trevor Connelly are skilled forwards who will likely be selected just before the Golden Knights pick but with the unpredictability of the draft, one of them could fall into the Golden Knights lap.
Defensively the Golden Knights have a lot of intriguing options. Aron Kiviharju is a skilled defenseman who was regarded as the top player in this draft for years prior but has dropped in the rankings due to injuries. Adam Jiricek, brother of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman David Jiricek is a 6'2 defender who doesn't play an incredibly flashy game but has a lot of good tools. Henry Mews and Cole Hutson are offensive defensemen that the Golden Knights could trade back for if they think highly of one of them.
With the 19th pick the Golden Knights aren't drafting a player in hopes that he is on their roster for game one next season. They need to draft the best player available with the tools they thing will translate to the NHL in a couple of years.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vegas Golden Knights site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.