To wrap up our 2024 NHL Draft coverage, here’s a ranking of the top 13 prospects who passed through this year’s draft (five from my draft board and eight others from my honorable mentions).
These are players I’d either consider for development camp invites/contracts or keep a close eye on next season.
1. Tomas Galvas — LHD, Bili Tygri Liberec, 5-foot-10
Galvas, my No. 70-ranked player, is a small but talented defenseman who skates effortlessly, played the majority of this season at Czechia’s pro level, and has excelled internationally. He’s a natural handler who blends good touch with his four-way mobility to rotate around coverage, shape play crossing over and maneuvering across the blue line, or carry pucks past the first layer of pressure. I like the way he jumps in and out of coverage while still recognizing where his responsibilities are and when he needs to hop back out to the blue line. I like the way he jumps on pucks and gets them out of danger so that he can spend less time defending. He makes little plays under pressure to seamlessly outlet pucks from his own zone, uses his feet to annoy opposing carriers as much as a player his size can, and thinks the game at an advanced level all over the ice to limit some of his physical deficiencies. He works to help compensate for his size (alongside his superb mobility). He’s got good posture and looks taller on the ice than he is. He’ll try to push and involve himself when he can. He handles the puck smartly and has plus-level four-way mobility but excels in particular at skating backwards which gives hope that he’ll continue to be able to defend up levels. There aren’t many defensemen his size in the NHL, so there’s some inherent risk there, but he has defended well at the pro level already and with some more strength and reps there could be something there. He’ll be a good AHLer at minimum.
2. Alexander Zetterberg — C, Örebro HK, 5-foot-7
A big part of the national team with this Swedish age group, the diminutive Zetterberg, a natural center to date who NHL teams usually project as winger, is both fun to watch and offers more at his size off of the puck than you’d expect. He’s got great speed, which helps to offset some of the strength deficiencies when he’s playing down the middle. He’s got a magnetic ability with the puck and because of his light, airy skating mechanics, he’s able to dart past defenders in transition, knife through coverage and quickly escape the boards out of won foot races in order to avoid having to engage in too many battles along the wall. He was one of the more productive forwards at the J20 level and was the national team’s most productive player across all competitions (Hlinka Gretzky Cup, World Junior A Challenge, Five Nations, and then the U18s before a concussion ended his tournament). If he were a couple of inches taller, he’d be a universally well-liked player by scouts for his style, commitment, skating and skill. Without it, though, he’s still a mid-to-late-round pick. He’s expected to make the jump to the NCAA with BU and I could see his game really working on the North American sheet.
3. Anthony Cristoforo — RHD, Windsor Spitfires, 5-foot-11
An important part of a top team in the OHL last season, Cristoforo’s play took him off the table at the trade deadline when the Spitfires were looking to add. By year’s end, his 41 points in 63 games were one more than Ducks top-10 pick Jamie Drysdale’s 40 in his 16-year-old OHL season (in the same number of games), and three more than Kings top-10 pick Brandt Clarke’s (in six more games). He was also a big part of Canada Red’s silver medal at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he wore an ‘A’ and performed well at both ends (although he played a limited role at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup). This year, however, he didn’t take the steps scouts wanted to see him take on a rebuilding Spitfires team and wasn’t named to Canada’s roster for U18 worlds. And when his draft year was over, he’d actually produced three fewer points (38) in four more games (67) than his rookie season. Some of that, though, was being asked to do too much on a bad team.
I thought this, from a conversation I had with Spits interim head coach Casey Torres, was illuminating: “Cristoforo is a first-class human. Great kid. Loved having him around. And he’s a kid we played 25-30 minutes against the other team’s best players. He’s an ’06 who is our top PP, top PK, and then trying to shadow the other team’s best line. It’s a lot of responsibility that we put on such a young player. And I thought he handled it really well. And a lot of the time he handled that with not a lot of experience to play with because our D core was very young. It’s tough. He became a real gritty shot-blocker too, which I think is interesting to see evolve in his game. He’s got a really good brain. He was awesome.”
His challenge is that at 5-foot-11 and without having taken a step offensively (at least production-wise), teams won’t likely consider him until the later rounds. I view him as a well-rounded, heady, offensively inclined defenseman who skates well (it’s not dynamic but he’s got good edges), defends well enough despite the ugly plus-minus this year, and more often than not makes the right decisions and plays hard. He’s going to have to take a big step next year to convince people he’s got NHL upside but he plays a modern style and has most of what you want from a 5-foot-11 defenseman. I could see him surprising some people next year, earning an ELC within the next two years, and then giving it a go and maybe playing NHL games someday as a depth defenseman.
4. Daniel Nieminen — LHD, Pelicans, 6-foot
Nieminen is an excellent skater who has been an important top-six defenseman for Finland’s ’06 age group internationally. He didn’t get a pro call-up with the Pelicans or even into Mestis games this season, which I would have liked to see him in, but he led all under-18 D in scoring at its top junior level and played to excellent on-ice results. His mobility drives his game, with an ability to get back to pucks, pull away from pressure, gap up and defend well with an active stick and also a competitive spirit. He has shown some real skill and poise on the puck absorbing pressure, as well. He’s not a dynamic offensive type but he can make plays against his peers and should always have value in transition (both ways). I like him as a mid-round pick.
5. Aidan Park — C, Shattuck St. Mary’s, 6-foot-1
Park’s a player I quite liked last year, last summer and last fall, but who I and others cooled on in the second half of this season. He’s a Michigan commit who is equal parts talented, smart and competitive. He plays a mature game. He’s got some two-way elements. He’s got a desire to win and stay on pucks and plays the game with pace, whether hunting pucks or pushing through arms and sticks to drive to the slot or the net in control of them. He then has good-to-very-good hands in tight when he gets there, which allows him to tuck and finish plays around the crease and made him a tremendous bumper/goal-line guy for Shattuck’s power play. He keeps his feet moving to stay involved, get open and track pucks, and has shown he can play both center and right wing. He’s not going to follow the one-and-done or two-and-done path that many do with the Wolverines but he’s a B-minus prospect who should become an impactful collegiate player.
6. Daniil Anatsky — C, Kasnogorsk, 6-foot-3
Anatsky is a well-rounded center with size who played to a point per game in the MHL this season and really drove results for Krasnogorsk’s junior team at both ends of the rink. He’s a hardworking, diligent center who involves himself in shifts, wins pucks and has some sneaky feel for the game inside the offensive zone both off the cycle and around the net/slot. He’s also a summer birthday, which gives him a long-term runway (always best with Russian skaters regardless). He’s a bit heavyset and doesn’t move quickly from a standstill as a result but that’s offset by his work ethic and also really helps him stay over pucks.
7. Veit Oswald — RW, EHC Munchen, 6-foot-1
I wrote this about Oswald following the 2022 U18 worlds in Germany:
“Oswald was a nice story for the Germans. He’s EV Landshut’s top prospect, so getting to play at his home rink, with an “A” on his sweater, was a big deal for him. He led Germany’s top U20 junior level in scoring this season with 51 points in 31 games and while his odds at getting drafted remain long (it’s hard for Germans who don’t play pro and he’s not ranked by NHL Central Scouting), his puck skill and finesse caught my attention. He played playmaker off the flank really well, led the team in shots (13 in four games), had the puck on his stick a lot, and didn’t look out of place once he was moved onto Lutz’s line. He’s also a skinny kid and a late-August birthday, so there’s clearly a lot of runway for him to improve. At the very least, he’s on my radar now as someone I’ll pay attention to.”
At the time, I also had a staff member with EV Landshut message me to say that I was onto something and that he’s going to surprise some people. A little more than two years later, he has just wrapped up a season in which he registered 10 goals and 17 points in 38 DEL games (which led the league among U20 skaters) for Munich and was also impressive for the Germans at the world juniors, leading them in scoring with five points in four games and making a ton of plays in motion. And while he’s still a bit skinny, he has slowly added some muscle mass and it has allowed his game of touch and flow to really work against men. If he doesn’t get picked, I’d be trying to get him to a rookie tournament on an invite.
8. Frankie Marrelli — LHD, Ottawa 67’s, 5-foot-11
Marrelli will be an interesting case study as a 5-foot-11 D whose staunch defensive play is his calling card. There aren’t many NHL players with that profile, but guys like Nick Leddy, Mario Ferraro, Ryan Lindgren, Mikey Anderson, Troy Stecher and Matt Grzelcyk have done it. He’s got great stick detail and defensive instincts. He’s a competitor who engages effectively in battles. He wins boxouts and battles in the corner/along the wall. He blocks shots and is a valuable and trusted penalty killer. He’s got a good first pass and moves pucks efficiently. And he has already been a counted-upon player for both the 67’s and Team Canada at both U18s and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
9. Artyom Shchuchinov — LHD, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 5-foot-11
Shchuchinov’s going to be a really interesting case study because he’s a nearly impossible evaluation. He’s on the older side as an October ’05 … and yet he’s also on the smaller side as a very slight 5-foot-11 … and yet he also played the entire season in the KHL … and yet he didn’t actually play much hockey this year, averaging eight minutes in the regular season and just under five minutes in the playoffs. Despite his size, he was able to progress up to Russia’s top pro level in his draft year because of his smarts and airy mobility. He’s an extremely heady player who reads the game at an advanced level and excels on his edges gapping and re-gapping, or falling back onto his heels to accept passes and move them back up ice quickly. I have no idea if there’s pro upside there, but there are some lines between him and Tomas Galvas, who will be a mid-round pick in this draft class. Shchuchinov seems to me like he’d make a fine late-round pick. He might top out as AHL depth long-term, but it feels like he’s going to play that role pretty comfortably, too.
10. Samuel St. Hilaire — G, Sherbrooke Phoenix, 6-foot-2
One of the top goalies in the QMJHL this year and one of the more consistent goalies in the league dating back two seasons now, St. Hilaire didn’t make it in the Q until he was 18, made Canada’s world junior team at 19, and now looks like a fine-to-decent prospect at 20. He tracks the puck really well and demonstrates legitimate athleticism, making difficult stretch saves fairly consistently. Despite having clear quick-twitch/lateral agility and power, he’s also technically sound, stays compact in his movements and seems to have the composure you look for in a goalie.
11. Tanner Adams — RW, Providence College, 5-foot-11
One of the youngest players in last year’s draft, Adams only turned 18 in September and had a strong freshman season for the Friars in that context, finishing second on the team in scoring with 21 points in 35 games. He’s an average-sized winger without a dynamic trait, which makes it tough, but he’s a smart, athletic kid who works hard, plays with good pace, wins pucks and makes his fair share of plays with his timing and good overall skill level.
12. Brendan McMorrow — LW, U.S. NTDP, 6-foot
McMorrow’s game is about his motor. He works and skates, involves himself, gets after it in and out of stops and starts, and will make the odd play. The statistical profile isn’t there, and he might not even get picked, but I think he’s a great fit for Denver and wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a really solid college player in a few years. I enjoyed watching him play and wanted to give him some love here.
13. Marcus Kearsey — LHD, Charlottetown Islanders, 5-foot-11
Last year’s QMJHL Defensive Rookie of the Year award winner even after he wasn’t invited to play for Canada at U17s, Kearsey and fellow Charlottetown defenseman Owen Conrad (2025) both caught my eye in viewings this year. Kearsey’s an offensively inclined defenseman who can steer and control the game’s shape and tempo with his poise, feet and heads-up play. While he’s on the smaller side, he also defends fairly well, disrupting and gapping up and then getting pucks moving the other way. A native of Newfoundland, he is also by all accounts an awesome kid who may be a future captain for the Islanders. I think with time and some strength he’s got another level to find at both ends (even considering how proficient he already is at managing the puck). I’m not sold on an NHL projection but I expect him to become one of the top defensemen in the Q and get the most out of himself.
(Photo of Tomas Galvas: Chase Agnello-Dean / NHLI via Getty Images)
