Dion announcing Canadiens pick, Sennecke’s reaction to being selected No. 3 by Ducks among highlights
© Dave Sandford/NHLI, Getty Images, Jeff Vinnick/NHLI
By Mike G. Morreale
@mikemorrealeNHL NHL.com Senior Draft Writer
LAS VEGAS -- Sphere was everything imaginable and then some serving as the glitzy host of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
It was also a memory of a lifetime for Boston University center Macklin Celebrini, who became the first Hobey Baker Award winner to be chosen No. 1 in an NHL Draft when the San Jose Sharks announced his name to kick off an unforgettable experience Friday.
"It was amazing," Celebrini said. "The presentation they had ... I feel super lucky that I was able to experience this even though there's so much history in the arenas, but I just felt like this experience was truly one of a kind."
Former forward Joe Thornton, who played 15 seasons with the Sharks and was the No. 1 pick of the Boston Bruins in 1997, made the announcement.
"It was pretty special," Celebrini said. "He's a legend of the game and a legend of the Sharks. He's someone that I watched growing up, and it was very special to have one of NHL idols call your name."
Here are 10 moments to remember from the 2024 NHL Draft:
Signaling Celine
In one of the more dramatic announcements of a player this weekend, five-time Grammy winner Celine Dion joined the managerial team for the Montreal Canadiens on stage to reveal the No. 5 selection in the draft.
A longtime Montreal Canadiens fan and native of Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion announced forward Ivan Demidov as the newest member of her favorite hockey team.
"It was unbelievable to have [Dion] announce my name; it's almost like a movie," Demidov said. "I know because I watched the movie, 'Titanic.'"
Dion, who held a residency in Las Vegas from 2011-2019 playing over 1,100 shows, has just released a new documentary on Amazon Prime about her career titled, "I Am: Celine Dion," chronicling her recent health struggles and looking back on her incredible career.
"I'm excited and I'm not even a hockey mom," Dion said just prior to the announcement.
Ivan Demidov drafted by Montreal Canadiens
Sparring with Marshawn Lynch
Tij Iginla got to do something his dad, Hockey Hall of Fame forward Jarome Iginla, never would have thought possible.
Offer former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch fighting tips.
After becoming the first draft pick of the Utah hockey club with the No. 6 selection, Iginla crossed paths with Lynch, a minority owner of the Seattle Kraken. Lynch was escorting the No. 8 pick of the Kraken, forward Berkly Catton.
"Catton told Lynch that we fought during the season, so then Lynch was asking me how (fights) work," Iginla said. "I guess I can say I gave him some fighting tips."
© Adam Kimelman
Norwegian ascent
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard became the first Norway-born player selected in the first round of an NHL Draft when the Detroit Red Wings chose him at No. 15 on Friday. He's a right wing who played for Mora in Allsvenskan, Sweden's second division last season.
Stian Solberg, also born in Oslo, Norway, went eight picks later to the Anaheim Ducks to cap an unforgettable opening night for Norwegian hockey. Solberg’s a defenseman with Valerenga in EliteHockey Ligaen, Norway's top professional men's league.
"It's quite an accomplishment for a Norwegian player to be considered as a first-round selection, and it's a testament to the commitment and passion of the player to find the best development path to pursue his ambition to get to the NHL," NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said. "Both of these players have great futures ahead of them and will be looked up to as examples for other Norwegian players."
There were four Norway-born players chosen over two days, including defenseman Ludvig Lafton (No. 190, Utah) of Farjestad in Sweden's junior league and left wing Noah Steen (No. 199, Tampa Bay Lightning) of Mora.
Brandsegg-Nygård drafted by Red Wings
Russian resolve
Demidov was the first of four Russia-born players selected in the first round when he went No. 5 to the Canadiens. The left-handed shot (6-0, 192) led St. Petersburg's team in the MHL, Russia's junior league, with 60 points (23 goals, 37 assists) in 30 games.
"I'm pretty happy to be wearing a Habs jersey," Demidov said. "I think the jersey looks good. I think Montreal is a younger team, and it's a good opportunity to progress in the future. All kids dream about this, and now it's a dream come true for me."
He was joined by countrymen Anton Silayev (No. 10, New Jersey Devils), a defenseman with Torpedo in the Kontinental Hockey League, center Egor Surin (No. 22, Nashville Predators) of Yaroslavl in Russia's junior league, and right wing Matvei Gridin (No. 28, Calgary Flames) of Muskegon in the United States Hockey League.
“Teams have different philosophies, teams have different needs, but I have no idea (why Silayev fell in the draft),” Devils chief amateur scout Mark Dennehy said. “I’m just glad he did.”
There were 25 Russia-born players chosen over seven rounds.
Anton Silayev drafted by New Jersey Devils
Captivating collegians
Celebrini was the first of three players playing NCAA hockey this season to be chosen among the top 12 picks in the draft. There were five NCAA players selected in this year’s draft.
Artyom Levshunov, a defenseman with Michigan State University, went No. 2 to the Chicago Blackhawks and Zeev Buium, a defenseman at NCAA Division I men's hockey national champion University of Denver, went No. 12 to the Minnesota Wild, who acquired No. 12 in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers for No. 13 and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
"I think as picks started going off the board, I started to loosen up a bit and was starting to see the team it could be next," Buium said. "Early on it's who's it going to be, and I started to get a feel for who it might be and saw the Wild trade up and I had a really good feeling."
Buium drafted by Minnesota Wild
Blackhawks bonanza
Chicago led all teams in the first round with three selections: Levshunov (No. 2), center Sacha Broisvert (No. 18) of Muskegon in the United States Hockey League and left wing Marek Vanacker (No. 27) of Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League.
They added an additional pick (No. 27) in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes for two second-round picks (Nos. 34, 50). The Blackhawks have made eight first-round picks since 2022, the highest total over a three-year span since the Canadiens from 1974-76 (10).
"It never ceases to amaze me," Chicago director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey said. "We start the day with [no draft picks] in Montreal, two last year, and only two this year, and [general manager Kyle Davidson] finds a way to get myself and our staff the players that we like, the players that we want. That's what he did tonight."
Davidson said the Blackhawks attempted to move back into the first round even before arriving in Las Vegas.
"It's very cliché to say we targeted all these guys that we wanted, but it's very much true,” he said. "After year one, I thought, 'OK, we can get all the guys we wanted.' And then last year, we got all the guys we wanted. And then this year, I thought, 'There's no way it's going to work out again.' And it just did."
The Chicago Blackhawks select Artyom Levshunov with the second overall pick
Eiserman tops NTDP picks
Cole Eiserman, a left wing, was the first of six players from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team to be chosen over the first two rounds.
Eiserman (6-0, 197), who was selected No. 20 by the New York Islanders, scored 58 goals in 57 games this season and became the program's all-time leader with 127 goals in 119 games.
"He's a pure goal-scorer and we had him rated pretty high," New York general manager Lou Lamoriello said. "We were looking for a certain type of player and we were able to get it. He's going to play for a coach (Patrick Roy) that I know what he can do, and how he can develop people. It's a win-win for us."
There were 13 NTDP players chosen over seven rounds in this draft.
Joining Eiserman among the first 64 selections were defenseman Eric Emery (No. 30, New York Rangers), defenseman Cole Hutson (No. 43, Washington Capitals), left wing Max Plante (No. 47, Detroit Red Wings), center Teddy Stiga (No. 55, Nashville Predators), and center Kamil Bednarik (No. 61, Islanders).
Cole Eiserman drafted by New York Islanders
‘Ready to rumble’
Philadelphia native and renowned ring announcer Michael Buffer was certainly in his element at Sphere, using his trademark "Let's get ready to rumble!" before revealing the No. 13 pick of the Flyers: Jett Luchanko of Guelph (OHL).
"Weighing in officially at 187 pounds, standing tall at 5-feet-11, from the Guelph Storm, Jett Luchanko!" Buffer thundered to the delight of the fans.
Luchanko, who led Guelph with 74 points (20 goals, 54 assists) in 68 games, and won the William Hanley Trophy as the most sportsmanlike player in the OHL, appreciated the unique introduction.
"It's something you will never forget to hear him call your name," Luchanko said. "I definitely know who he is and have been getting into [boxing and MMA a little more]."
Jett Luchanko drafted by Philadelphia Flyers
Stunning Sennecke
No one was more surprised with the No. 3 selection by the Anaheim Ducks than the player they announced, Beckett Sennecke of Oshawa (OHL).
"I came to Vegas on Thursday and had some meetings with a couple of meetings on Thursday and Friday and Anaheim wasn't one of them, so I never thought that this was kind of a possibility and then kind of hearing, ‘from Oshawa ...’ before my name, it was like instant electricity almost put through my body,” Sennecke said.
"It's kind of an out-of-body experience almost and don't ask me any details, because I don't really remember much about it. But it was pretty special for sure."
The 18-year-old right wing had a strong second half to the season, including 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 16 OHL playoff games. He had 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 63 regular-season games in his second regular season with Oshawa.
"I'm sure he was surprised because I know other teams were talking to him," Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek said. "It brings back really good memories to see an authentic reaction like that. It's always fun for us to see that."
Beckett Sennecke drafted No. 3 by the Anaheim Ducks
Goalies galore
Ilya Nabokov of Magnitogorsk in the KHL started a run of five goalies chosen in the second round.
Nabokov (6-0, 179), no relation to retired NHL goalie Evgeni Nabokov, is No. 2 on Central Scouting's final ranking of international goalies. He was passed over in three previous drafts before the Colorado Avalanche selected him with the No. 38 pick Saturday.
The 21-year-old, an athletic goalie relying on his quickness, was named KHL rookie of the year after going 23-13-3 with a 2.15 goals-against average, .930 save percentage and three shutouts in 43 games with Magnitogorsk. He was even better in the Gagarin Cup Playoffs, leading Magnitogorsk to the championship with a 1.82 GAA, four shutouts and .942 save percentage in 23 games (16-6). He was named the league’s MVP of the playoffs.
Other goalies taken in the second round were Mikhail Yegorov (No. 49, New Jersey Devils) of Omaha (USHL), Carter George (No. 57, Los Angeles Kings) of Owen Sound (OHL), Evan Gardner (No. 60, Columbus Blue Jackets) of Saskatoon (WHL) and Eemil Vinni (No. 64, Edmonton Oilers) of Jokipojat in Finland's second division.
There were 24 goalies chosen in the draft.
