As NHL teams gathered their prospects at their development camps last week, fans were treated to a flurry of announcements about entry-level contract signings.
A bunch of those players were freshly drafted, too — including 2024’s top three of Macklin Celebrini, Artyom Levshunov and Beckett Sennecke and top-10 picks Berkly Catton and Zayne Parekh.
Last Saturday, the Washington Capitals even signed 17-year-old Ilya Protas. He was selected in the third round with the 75th pick.
Over the next couple of months, more prospects from this draft and earlier years will be signed to their entry-level contracts.
For college kids, those signings have significance, marking the end of their NCAA careers and a shift to the professional stream. But for the rest of the teenagers, the entry-level slide system means most of them will be returned to their junior teams, perhaps after a cup of NHL coffee that could extend to nine games.
Here’s a look at some 2024 picks who should be an NHL regular this year, as well as some older prospects who appear ready to make the jump.
San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith
Now that Celebrini has signed with the San Jose Sharks, he’s a shoo-in for their opening-night lineup alongside fellow top prospect Will Smith, chosen fourth overall in 2023.
They’ll be in a rare position, learning the ropes together while they’re both still teenagers. Eventually, Celebrini and Smith should be the Sharks’ one-two punch down the middle, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see either or both spend some time on the wing in Year 1, as Bedard did at times last season.
Speaking of Bedard, don’t expect to see more rookies on the Blackhawks’ roster this year. GM Kyle Davidson has spoken about wanting to build a more supportive environment for his prospects, like Dallas has done for Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven and Thomas Harley, and Chicago loaded up with more veterans on July 1.
Look for Chicago prospect Levshunov, a defenseman, to start his professional development in the AHL alongside 2022 first-rounder Frank Nazar and 2021’s Nolan Allan.
Related: No. 1 Pick Macklin Celebrini Turns Pro, Signs Entry-Level Deal with San Jose Sharks
Dallas Stars: Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven
Stankoven gets a mention here because, with 24 regular-season games played last season, he’s still technically a rookie who’s in contention for the Calder Trophy. But after quickly carving out a spot in the Stars’ top six and riding all the way to the Western Conference final, the 47th-overall pick from 2021 already feels like a known entity.
The next man up in Dallas’ fertile prospect pool is Mavrik Bourque, the 30th-overall pick from 2020 who was named AHL MVP last season after a league-leading 77-point year.
Eligible for the world juniors during the pandemic years, Bourque didn’t crack Team Canada’s roster, but the Stars believe they’ve got another good one coming. He suited up for one regular-season and one playoff game last year.
Philadelphia Flyers: Matvei Michkov
Undaunted by the possibility that it might take years to pry Michkov out of his native Russia, the Flyers forged ahead to take the ultra-skilled forward at No. 7 in 2023. Then, they accomplished the improbable by getting him under contract and ready to go after just a one-year wait.
Michkov is the early Calder Trophy favorite at many sports-betting shops. But as talented as he is and as supportive as the Flyers will be, he doesn’t turn 20 until December — and making the adjustment to a completely new culture won’t be easy.
He’ll also be tasked with earning ice time from hard-nosed coach John Tortorella, who has been a vocal critic of the skill plays like the Michigan that are very much a part of Michkov’s repertoire.
Related: Philly Phenom Michkov Has Flyers Salivating Over His Potential To Dominate At NHL Level
Anaheim Ducks: Cutter Gauthier
It’ll be understandable if Michkov’s progress this season gets compared to former Flyers prospect Gauthier, the fifth-overall pick from 2022 who won world junior gold with Team USA and collected a boatload of NCAA awards as a Boston College sophomore.
After engineering a trade out of Philadelphia in January, Gauthier signed his entry-level deal with Anaheim in April and suited up for one NHL game.
With more than $20 million in available cap space as of July 9, the Ducks may not be finished with off-season roster building. But as things stand now, Gauthier could get a chance to step directly into Anaheim’s top six and some prime offensive minutes.
Related: NHL Prospect Pool Overview 2024-25: The Anaheim Ducks Look Refreshed
The Defensemen
The development curve for blueliners is usually longer, and that growth typically continues even after they crack NHL rosters. So rookie defensemen don’t usually get the same attention as forwards.
Last season was an exception, when Brock Faber served up some genuine Calder Trophy competition against Bedard, and Luke Hughes placed third in the voting.
Here are three fresh faces to watch on bluelines around the league in 2024-25:
- Simon Edvinsson, Detroit: Age 21, sixth overall in 2021, played 16 NHL games last season
- Lane Hutson, Montreal: Age 20, 62nd overall in 2022, played 2 NHL games last season
- Denton Mateychuk, Columbus: Turns 20 on July 12, 12th overall in 2022, played 4 AHL games last season
The Goalies
Yaroslav Askarov (Nashville, 11th overall in 2020) and Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota, 20th overall in 2021) don’t have much more to prove at the AHL level, but neither first-rounder has a clear path to an NHL roster spot unless a trade is made.
In Calgary, Jacob Markstrom’s move to New Jersey has opened the door for two-time AHL goalie of the year Dustin Wolf to move into a regular role. So far, his NHL play hasn’t matched his minor-league work. He had an .893 save percentage and minus-10.1 goals saved above expected in 17 games with the Flames last season.
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News Summary:
- Prospects Who Could Become NHL Regulars in 2024-25
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.