LAS VEGAS -- A little more than a year after the Vegas Golden Knights hoisted the Stanley Cup, the eyes of the hockey world were back on Las Vegas Friday night when the city hosted to the 2024 NHL Draft.
“What an event. Congratulations to the city of Las Vegas, the NHL and all the people that made the decision to have the draft [at] Sphere,” Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “I’ve been to many, many drafts over a long time. This was so unique, so different, so superior. For the players and their families, it had to be fascinating.
“I was blown away by how good it was.”
Trevor Connelly was one player whose dream of being drafted by an NHL team came to life. The Golden Knights selected the American forward with the No. 19 pick.
“Everything in this city is awesome. I’ve been here many times,” Connelly said. “I’m super excited to have these resources, especially the rink. I can’t wait to step my foot on the rink.”
McCrimmon and the Golden Knights prioritized walking away from the 2024 NHL Draft with a high-level prospect, given that they do not have a first-round pick in the next two drafts.
“Trevor is a tremendously talented forward. He’s a great playmaker,” McCrimmon said. “There are a lot of dimensions to his game. Really high-end skill. When you draft in the first round -- we were in the top-20 -- you really want to come away with talent. We did that today.”
Connelly’s talent and dynamic skill set are unquestioned. Rather, questions stem from his off- and on-ice maturity.
Off the ice, he had come under fire for posting inappropriate material on social media.
On the ice, his actions have included an illegal check to the head of Canadian forward Ryder Ritchie during the 2024 IIHF World Championship, which resulted in a trio of power-play goals and a 6-4 victory for Canada in the gold medal game.
Connelly, who is going to play for Providence College as a freshman next season, answered questions regarding his character Friday and said he is now more mature.
“I’ve made mistakes. I’m such a different person now,” Connelly said. “I’ve done a lot in the community. … Everything happens for a reason. It’s all going to work out the best for me.
“I’ll do anything for the organization and anything for people. I’m super excited to get started.”
McCrimmon said the Golden Knights did their “due diligence” in asking questions regarding Connelly’s background, and the general manager touted the Golden Knights culture as the ideal place for Connelly’s development.
“We had a comfort level that this player would represent our organization the way we would expect any of the players to do that,” McCrimmon said. “If we weren’t comfortable that there’s a good person there, we wouldn’t have made this selection. That’s something I feel strongly about.”
