McKenzie Draft List Gives Canadiens Fans Insight To Possible Pick

One of the most respected voices in hockey published a Top-15 2024 NHL Draft Prospect list on Monday, giving Montreal Canadiens fans insight as to the possible player the team will end up choosing.

Bob McKenzie’s list is a little different than most. He speaks to scouts and creates a consolidated list based on different voices, rather than deciding upon the rankings himself.

Montreal Canadiens Angle

The NHL’s Draft Lottery will take place on Tuesday. This will determine the order for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, based on the Draft Lottery odds that were established at the end of the season.

Simply put, the Canadiens can end up picking first, second, third, fifth, sixth, or seventh overall.

With that in mind, we can cross reference their potential landing spots with the players McKenzie listed at that position to get a better idea of how things will shake out.

McKenzie has Macklin Celebrini ranked as the top prospect, which should come as no surprise. The talented forward was a dominant force in the NCAA last season, putting up 32 goals and 32 assists in 38 games alongside Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson.

But once Celebrini is off the board, things should get interesting.

Bob McKenzie Top 15 Prospects For 2024 NHL Entry Draft

1 – Mackline Celebrini (F)

2 – Ivan Demidov (F)

3 – Anton Silayev (D)

4 – Artyom Levshunov (D)

5 – Cayden Lindstrom (F)

6 – Sam Dickinson (D)

7 – Zayne Parekh (D)

8 – Zeev Buium (D)

9 – Kostas Helenius (F)

10 – Tij Iginla (F)

11 – Berkly Catton (F)

12 – Carter Yarmenchuk (D)

13 – Cole Eiserman (F)

14 – Beckett Sennecke (F)

15 – Trevor Connelly (F)

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

We know the Montreal Canadiens have mentioned they will likely focus on drafting a forward at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, due to their abundance of talented defensive prospects.

Depending on when the run on defencemen takes place, this could leave the Habs in a situation where players such as Catton, Iginla, and perhaps even Lindstrom would be available.

The list also gives credence to the idea that Finnish forward Konsta Helenius should be considered one of the top forwards, as we suggested in our recent first-round mock draft.

As has been the case throughout the majority of the season, sniper Cole Eiserman fell outside the top 10, whereas Beckett Sennecke has enjoyed quite a rise in the rankings during the second half of the season.

Regardless of where the Montreal Canadiens end up drafting, McKenzie’s list confirms one thing, the Habs will have an opportunity to add a very talented player to the mix at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas.