The 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 28-29 at Sphere in Las Vegas. The first round will be June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and Rounds 2-7 are June 29 (11:30 a.m. ET; ESPN+, NHLN, SN, SN1). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at the top eligible right wings. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.
Ivan Demidov has the skills and hockey sense reminiscent of some of the finest Russia-born players ever drafted.
The left-handed right wing (5-foot-11, 181 pounds) led SKA St. Petersburg's team in Russia's junior league with 60 points (23 goals, 37 assists) and had six game-winning goals and 144 shots on goal in 30 regular-season games. He could be the first Russia-born forward chosen among the top five in the Draft since Andrei Svechnikov went No. 2 to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2018 NHL Draft.
The last Russia-born skater playing in Russia at the time of being selected to be chosen among the top five was at the 2004 NHL Draft when Alex Ovechkin of Dynamo went No. 1 to the Washington Capitals and Evgeni Malkin of Magnitogorsk went No. 2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"We feel Demidov is the most skilled player in this year's draft, even when comparing him to North American players," NHL Director of European Scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen said. "Demidov's personal skills are out of this world when he is playing in Russia's under-20 minor hockey league."
Demidov played games at three levels this season, the Kontinental Hockey League (four games), the VHL, Russia's second division, (one game) and the junior league.
Here are NHL.com's top 10 right wings available for the 2024 NHL Draft:
1. Ivan Demidov, SKA St. Petersburg Jr. (RUS-JR)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 2 (International skaters)
Demidov, a tremendous skater and excellent puck handler capable of playing right wing, left wing and center, has a great selection of shots. He missed four months earlier this season due to a knee injury but quickly regained his stride when he returned to the lineup. The 18-year-old averaged 18:06 of ice time and 4.8 shots on goal per game in the regular season and had 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) and averaged 17:37 of ice time and 4.5 shots on goal in 17 MHL playoff games.
"I think he's a better player than [Matvei] Michkov (Philadelphia Flyers, 2023 NHL Draft, No. 7)," TSN director of scouting and NHL analyst Craig Button said. "He's [Nikita] Kucherov to me. He can pass, he can shoot. He's brilliant. Like Kucherov, they [both] step out onto the ice and they're immediately dangerous. The puck ends up on their stick and it's like, buckle up, pay attention, you're going for a ride."
2. Beckett Sennecke, Oshawa (OHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 13 (North American skaters)
The Toronto native offers good size (6-3, 182), strength and skills with his hockey sense in generating quality scoring opportunities. Sennecke had 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists), 21 power-play points (seven goals) and led the Generals with seven game-winning goals in 63 regular-season games. His 10 goals in 16 games were tied for fourth in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. He had 55 points (20 goals, 35 assists) and two game-winning goals as an OHL rookie in 2022-23. Sennecke is an all-around 200-foot player with a positive work ethic at both ends of the ice.
3. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Mora (SWE-2)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 5 (International skaters)
Brandsegg-Nygard (6-1, 198) was born in Oslo, Norway, but plays for Mora in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second division, where the 18-year-old had 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 41 regular-season games. His 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 12 games set a record for most points by a draft-eligible player in the Allsvenskan playoffs. The 18-year-old had five points (three goals, two assists), nine shots on goal and averaged 17:22 of ice time in five games for Norway at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. Brandsegg-Nygard, who looks to become the highest-selected Norway-born player drafted (No. 42, Marius Holtet, 2002 NHL Draft), plays an advanced game, skates well and has a great shot.
"He plays a very mature game and is one of the best prospects from Norway in many years," Vuorinen said. "He's physically strong to play men's games, is hard-working and has a great attitude. He wants to be a difference-maker."
4. Liam Greentree, Windsor (OHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 14 (North American skaters)
A big forward (6-2, 215) who has become effective at driving the net and finding space to shoot the puck for the best chance on goal. He's also a proven leader; the 18-year-old was named the 59th captain in Windsor history on Jan. 15, 2024. He scored a goal and was one of the more active players in the tough areas of the ice during the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Jan. 24. Greentree was tied for 11th among OHL skaters with 90 points (36 goals, 54 assists) and was fourth with four short-handed assists in 64 games. He could go higher than most expect in the draft because of his combination of toughness and skill, assets NHL scouts and general managers covet.
5. Terik Parascak, Prince George (WHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 15 (North American skaters)
Parascak (6-0, 179) led all rookies in the Western Hockey League with 43 goals, 105 points and eight short-handed points (four goals) in 68 regular-season games. It was the most points by a WHL rookie since 1998-99, when Pavel Brendl had 134 with Calgary. Parascak also had 14 points and led all WHL rookies with six goals in 12 WHL playoff games. The 18-year-old is composed under pressure and has shown a consistent ability to finish scoring chances around the net.
6. Emil Hemming, TPS (FIN)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 6 (International skaters)
Hemming (6-1, 205), who turns 18 on June 27, had 11 points (seven goals, four assists), 73 shots on goal and averaged 10:04 of ice time in 40 games with TPS in his first season in Liiga, Finland's top professional men's league. Hemming had 10 points (five goals) in 11 playoff games with the TPS team team in Finland's junior league and had nine points (four goals, five assist) for third-place Finland to tie for the team lead at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August.
"Emil is a scorer by nature and a natural sniper, always hungry to find a way to score," Vuorinen said. "He has size, a good physical presence, is hard to knock off the puck, and likes to shoot it. He has a quick release and knows where to target his shots."
7. Sam O'Reilly, London (OHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 24 (North American skaters)
The right-handed shot only made the adjustment to forward three years ago, moving from defense to forward while playing in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. The Toronto native finished first among OHL rookies with 56 points (20 goals, 36 assists), 11 power-play points (four goals) and three short-handed points (two goals, one assist) in 68 regular-season games this season. He also had 165 shots on goal and won 48.5 percent of his face-offs (353-for-728). O'Reilly (6-1, 184) led OHL first-year players with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 16 playoff games to help London win the league championship.
"I like watching Matthew Tkachuk and Nazem Kadri for the way they play ... kind of a hard-nosed game and getting up in the face of an opponent," he said.
8. Ryder Ritchie, Prince Albert (WHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 19 (North American skaters)
Ritchie (6-0, 177), who possesses skill, intelligence and a wicked shot, had 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) and 177 shots on goal in 47 regular-season games, and he led Prince Albert in the WHL playoffs with seven points (three goals, four assists), five power-play points (three goals, two assists) and 20 shots on goal. In 108 WHL games in two seasons, the right-handed shot has 99 points (39 goals, 60 assists). Named the 2023 WHL rookie of the year, Ritchie projects as a high-end skater with patience, poise and creativity with the puck.
