5 questions entering NHL Central Scouting final meetings

TORONTO -- The evaluators at NHL Central Scouting have plenty of reasons to get excited when it comes to discussing and debating what has become a talented pool of prospects eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft.

The bureau will conduct its meetings beginning Wednesday to determine the final rankings of the top North American skaters and goaltenders eligible for the 2024 draft on June 28-29, reportedly at Sphere in Las Vegas. Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting director, will chair the five-day meeting that will include the input of eight fulltime scouts.

Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen, NHL Director of European Scouting, will provide and recommend to Marr the ranking of the top skaters and goaltenders on the International list.

"The challenging part of any final ranking meeting is determining the order between each of the players, particularly those in the first round, based on our scouting history with the player, their development and NHL projection," Marr said. "The 2024 final ranking will have some significant moves from midseason which is a direct result of many players advancing their development over the course of the season to move ahead of some of the pre-established prospects. It's been quite impressive to watch the continued growth and development of many of these prospects over the course of the 2023-24 season. The 2024 draft class is top-heavy for the first two rounds and includes a wide spectrum of talent for NHL clubs' consideration."

Here are five questions to consider entering NHL Central Scouting's final meetings:

Macklin Celebrini is expected to be No. 1 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, but how wide is the margin between he and the expected No. 2 player chosen in the draft?

Celebrini (6-foot, 190 pounds) of Boston University in Hockey East has lived up to all the hype as the youngest player competing in NCAA Division I men's hockey. The 17-year-old is second among NCAA players with 32 goals and tied for second with 64 points in 37 games for Boston University. He was named Hockey East Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year and is a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top NCAA men's hockey player. Celebrini has 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) during a 10-game point streak, including five points (one goal, four assists) in two NCAA regional tournament games. The Terriers will play the University of Denver in the Frozen Four semifinal round on April 11.

Defensemen Anton Silayev (6-7, 211) of Torpedo in the Kontinental Hockey League and Artyom Levshunov (6-2, 208) of Michigan State University, and forward Ivan Demidov (5-11, 181) of St. Petersburg in Russia's minor league have attracted plenty of attention, but Celebrini remains the best player of this draft class.

Will it be difficult to determine the No. 2 player on the North American list?

It could very well come down to a team need at this point in the draft. Levshunov, a right-handed shot, has performed very well as a freshman at Michigan State. He's No. 2 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking and is tied for eighth in the nation among defensemen with 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in 38 games as a freshman and third-youngest player in college hockey.

Other North American players to keep in an eye on are center Cayden Lindstrom (6-3, 210) of Medicine Hat in the Western Hockey League, and defenseman Zeev Buium (6-0, 183) of Denver University. Lindstrom, No. 3 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking, returned to the lineup March 29 after missing 36 regular-season games recovering from surgery for an upper-body injury. He had 46 points (27 goals, 19 assists) in 32 games prior to getting injured. Buium, No. 4 on the midterm ranking, is tied for first in the nation among defensemen with 49 points (11 goals, 38 assists) in 40 games.

Is there a dark horse to keep an eye on down the stretch?

Julius Miettinen (6-2, 203), No. 49 on Central Scouting's midterm list of North American skaters, is a player who could move up in the rankings after showing significant improvement the past three months. The 18-year-old forward with Everett of the Western Hockey League had 67 points (31 goals, 36 assists) and 24 power-play points (10 goals) in 66 regular-season games in his first season in North America.

He had 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) to conclude the regular season on a 10-game point streak.

"Since the CHL Top Prospects game (Jan. 24), there has been measurable improvement to his skating and confidence which, in turn, elevated his game and results to a next level," Marr said.

Are there any high school players to keep an eye on for the 2024 draft?

The top scholastic hockey player on the board might be senior center Dean Letourneau (6-6, 210) of St. Andrew's College prep school in Aurora, Ontario. The 18-year-old right-handed shot, who is committed to Boston College in 2025-26, had 127 points (61 goals, 66 assists) in 56 games as an assistant captain.

Letourneau, No. 20 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters, won the J.P. McClocklin Trophy as the most valuable player of the MacPherson Tournament in February after leading St. Anderew's to the championship with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in five games. Currently out with an upper-body injury, he also played two games with Sioux Falls of the United States Hockey League, where he'll likely play in 2024-25.

How many players from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program under-18 team are potential first-round draft picks?

Cole Eiserman is one of two players from the program who could hear his name called in the first round of the 2024 draft.

The 17-year-old left wing (6-0, 195), committed to Boston University next season, is No. 8 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking. He has one of the best shots of this year's draft class, leads the NTDP with 48 goals and is second with 73 points in 47 games. He ranks second in NTDP history with 117 career goals, nine short of Cole Caufield (2017-19) for the all-time lead of 126 goals.

Additionally, center Kamil Bednarik (6-0, 185), No. 22 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking, is fourth on the team with 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) in 51 games. The 17-year-old, also committed to Boston University, has five power-play goals and two shorthanded goals.

"He's the type of player who can play harder when the going gets tough and might draw late first-round consideration, particularly with a team that has multiple first round picks," Marr said of Bednarik.