{ "blocks": [ { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft is just hours away, but before we sit down and watch the chaos ensue, we made a list of our top 10 OHL prospect-eligibles." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The list is our opinion, having watched these players battle it out all season long in the OHL, while also considering what other scouting experts have conveyed about said players. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Without further ado, here are my top 10 OHL prospects for the upcoming NHL Draft." } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NDc2MTg2NTcyMzk5OTAx/dickinson_ns_5393.jpg" }, "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "1. LHD, Sam Dickinson - London Knights, 6-foot-2.75”, 203 pounds
Sam Dickinson is the complete package. There isn’t a more well-rounded defenseman in the draft who impacts the game defensively, offensively, and in transition than the London Knights product. Additionally, Dickinson seems like a natural-born leader. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "He’s the type of defenseman that NHL teams build their team and blueline around. Dickinson has the ceiling of a No. 1 defenseman who logs 25 minutes a night and produces at a 50-point pace." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Opponents have a difficult time getting around Dickinson in transition and into the middle of the ice. He understands the importance and how to get inside body positioning on his man to take the puck away from them. He's a stalwart defensively and offensively he's not afraid to take risks, jump into the attack, and play off the blueline to create offense." } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NDc2MjExNTM2ODk3NDc5/parekh_ns_2355.jpg" }, "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "2. RHD, Zayne Parekh - Saginaw Spirit, 6-foot-0.25”, 178 pounds
I’ve been very bullish on Parekh having watched him since he was 16 with the Markham Majors in the GTHL. However, you cannot deny his future of becoming an elite offensive, powerplay specialist in the NHL. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "He possesses all the offensive tools and sleek skating skills to drive the play offensively. His defensive game will always get questioned because he’s a risk-taker, but his play in his own zone improved in the second half of the season and was far more competitive in battles. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Defensemen with Parekh’s talent level do not come around very often, and he is absolutely worthy of being a top 10 selection. He's capable of making plays that other defensemen simply cannot make. " } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NDc2MjM0MDg1NDc1NjEz/41-238.jpg" }, "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "3. RW, Beckett Sennecke - Oshawa Generals, 6-foot-2.75”, 182 pounds
Sennecke’s performance in the OHL playoffs for Oshawa raised his draft stock exponentially. If you look at his season statistics, you would think he’s not worthy of being taken in the first round. But the upside in a winger who had a growth spurt getting him almost to 6-foot-3, with the hands and puck skills of a smaller forward, has NHL scouts licking their lips thinking of what type of player he could become. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "He’s a highlight-reel player and equal parts shooter and playmaker. And despite his growth spurt, he’s maintained to be an above-average skater. Sennecke can beat his man one-on-one in an instant and regularly drives through the middle of the ice to create chances. His creativity with the puck provides a layer of deception in his offense." } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NDc2MjYwMTIzNzE1MDE1/luchanko_ns_5235.jpg" }, "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "4. C, Jett Luchanko - Guelph Storm, 5-foot-11”, 187 pounds
I will say that after speaking with Luchanko at the NHL Draft Combine and seeing how he speaks and conducts himself, he bumped himself up. He’s mentioned that he likes playing and shutting down the opposing team’s best players. Very few prospects say that. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Jett has all the habits of a pro, his play without the puck is intelligent, competitive, and reliable. He’s a strong playmaker who can thread passes through tight seams and a high-end skater who can weave his way through the neutral zone and enter the offensive zone with control." } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NDc2Mjc3NTcyMDE5NDg1/greentree-liam-img_6501-tim-cornett-ohl-images.jpg" }, "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "5. RW, Liam Greentree - Windsor Spitfires, 6-foot-2.5”, 215 pounds
Greentree’s offensive skill and ability to get defenders to bite on his moves give him a higher upside than Luchanko. However, his skating will need improving, and I, along with many other scouts, want to see him use his big body to play more like a power forward. There is something to be said about the season he had as captain for Windsor on a young rebuilding team. 90 points in 64 games is no easy feat on the team he played on. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "If it all comes together for Greentree, he could become a top six skillful, power forward winger who would complement perfectly alongside a two-way centerman. He possesses the skilled puck handles to be a regular contributor offensively at the pro level. " } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NDc2MzAwMTIwNzk0NTY3/beaudoin_tw_chl_9168.jpg" }, "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "6. C, Cole Beaudoin - Barrie Colts, 6-foot-2”, 210 pounds
Everyone saw how effective Sam Bennett was in Florida’s Stanley Cup run right? Meet his doppelganger, Cole Beaudoin. Beaudoin is a physical specimen already and will put some NHL players to shame with the shape he’s in. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "On the ice though, he knows who he is as a player already. He’s a punishing power, two-way forward who forechecks and backchecks with intensity. His attention to detail is terrific and is the type of player who plays that “Playoff style” game. Beaudoin’s puck skills limit his offensive upside, but he’s going to be a playoff performer in the NHL one day. " } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NDc2MzE2MjI2NzI1MzE5/vanacker78-002.jpg" }, "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "7. LW, Marek Vanacker - Brantford Bulldogs, six feet, 178 pounds
Vanacker led the Bulldogs in scoring this season and revealed at the combine that he played the season with a shoulder injury he suffered back in November. Scoring 36 goals and 82 points while playing with a torn labrum is pretty impressive. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Vanacker’s shot is a dangerous weapon that will attract NHL teams and there aren’t a lot of weaknesses or holes in his game. He’s an above-average skater and showcased excellent versatility playing a depth role at the U18s for Canada. The question is, what is his identity as an NHL player?" } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NDc2MzQ2MjkxNDk2MjIx/oreilly_ns_5229.jpg" }, "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "8. C, Sam O’Reilly - London Knights, 6-foot-1.25”, 184 pounds
Okay, I’m not just saying this because he shares the same last name with Ryan O’Reilly, but Sam’s game is eerily similar to the 2019 Stanley Cup Champion. He’s excellent at reading the play without the puck and putting himself in defensive spots to bring up the opponents’ attack. Offensively, pucks are on and off his stick in a flash, and he does a great job at twisting away from pressure while surveying his passing options. " } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NDc2MzcwOTg3NTU4MTcz/george_ns_4152.jpg" }, "caption": "" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "9. G, Carter George - Owen Sound Attack, 6-foot-1, 194 pounds
George should be regarded as one of the top-ranked goalies in his class and could be the first one off the board. His performance in Owen Sound and on the international stage with Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and U18s was fantastic. It’s impossible to say he had a bad season. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The Thunder Bay native plays a composed, tactical game in the crease. He rarely scrambles out of position and has great control in his butterfly. George is only 6-foot-1 so teams will pass on him for that reason, but that would be a mistake." } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NDc2Mzk0MDczMDA3NTU5/40-249.jpg" }, "caption": "Ben Danford (77) engaging in a net-front battle with fellow 2024 NHL draft-eligible prospect Ethan Procyszyn (21) on North Bay" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "10. RHD, Ben Danford - Oshawa Generals, 6-foot-1.5”, 191 pounds
If you haven’t caught on to the theme of players I like, you’ll notice I lean towards prospects who play a pro-style game already, rather than taking swings on the high-upside players. Oshawa right-shot defenseman Ben Danford fits that bill. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "He defends at a high level, using his terrific four-way mobility while leading with his stick to stop his opponents. His commitment to blocking shots, specifically in the playoffs, was remarkable this year. Right-shot defenders who have an athletic build and move pucks effortlessly in transition like Danford are always intriguing, and it wouldn’t surprise me if one team swung on him late in the first round Friday night." } }, { "type": "delimiter", "data": {} }, { "type": "header", "data": { "text": "Related", "level": 4 } } ] }

Top 10 OHL Prospects in the 2024 NHL Draft

OHL January NHL Draft Rankings: Top 2