The NHL Draft is just over two months away. It begins June 28 in Las Vegas.
Most NHL scouts have seen almost all they need to see before the draft begins. The last things left are junior hockey playoffs. Those will wrap up soon, too.
On Tuesday, NHL Central Scouting released its final rankings for 2024, separating players into four categories: North American skaters, North American goalies, International skaters and International goalies. NHL Central Scouting provides a great service to NHL teams, giving them players to track through the winter.
Thirteen locals made the final list, along with several other players with ties to the region.
Will they all get drafted? Let's discuss. Here are the biggest takeaways.
1. Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) entered the 2023-24 campaign as a potential No. 1 pick. But Macklin Celebrini tore up college hockey with Boston University, propelling him to be the consensus projected No. 1 pick at the midway point. That continued as Celebrini eventually won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's best player. Eiserman, however, doesn't seem to be a lock for the top-three or top-five as some thought he was. NHL Central Scouting reflects that — he ranked No. 8 among North American skaters in January and slipped to No. 13 on Tuesday. There's a feeling that Eiserman's play away from the puck isn't good enough to warrant such a high draft slot.
Still, Eiserman's biggest strength is the best quality to have: He's an elite goal-scorer. He has 49 goals in 49 games with the U.S. National Team Development Program's U18 team. He will undoubtedly produce even more at the U18 Men's Worlds in Finland. If Eiserman slips in the NHL Draft, a team in the teens will be fortunate to grab a goal-scoring wing. Those don't grow on trees.
2. One of the best stories over the last two seasons has been the rise of Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.). The Belmont Hill product had a rough U17 season with the NTDP last year, battling injuries and posting 21 points in 49 games. To his credit, he used those injuries to his advantage. He spent that time getting stronger, which led him to this season. On NHL Central Scouting's preliminary list back in October, he was given a "W" rating, which indicates a sixth- or seventh-round candidate. He spent the entire season proving that rating wrong. He's been a top-six fixture for the U18 team, with 29 goals and 65 points in 53 games. Now, he's labeled a second-round candidate and a big get for next season's Boston College team. The moral of the story: Don't judge a player by his first season at the NTDP.
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3. Another cool story is John Mustard. While he's not from New England, he's a Providence College recruit slated to become a Friar in the fall. Like Stiga, he started the season with a "W" next to his name. After dominating with the North Jersey Avalanche last season, he proved himself at the USHL level this year. In 60 games with the Waterloo Black Hawks, the 6-foot, 185-pound left wing has 29 goals and 56 points. The result of that is NHL Central Scouting labeling him a first-round candidate. Providence bringing in Mustard and Trevor Connelly, ranked No. 6 among North American skaters, is huge for head coach Nate Leaman's squad.
4. How does this year compare to last year's final rankings? Nine locals were ranked at the end of last season: Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.), Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.), Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.), Matt Copponi (Mansfield, Mass.), Will Vote (Arlington, Mass.), Sean Keohane (Milton, Mass.), Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass.), Lucas St. Louis (Riverside, Conn.) and Thomas Kiesewetter (Plymouth, Mass.).
How many of those were eventually drafted?
Smith and Leonard went inside the top 10. Keohane was picked in the sixth round, while Copponi was scooped up in the seventh. It was a big year for Massachusetts on Day 1. Not so much on Day 2. The rest of the region struck out, too.
That most likely won't be the case this season. Whether Eiserman goes fifth or 1th, more than four locals should certainly be drafted come June.
5. The most interesting area for New Englanders is the fourth-round candidates: Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.), Caeden Herrington (Manchester, Vt.), Gio DiGiulian (South Burlington, Vt.) and Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.). Connor is the only second-year eligible player in this group. He finished as the 74th-ranked skater by NHL Central Scouting last year and went undrafted. The Northeastern commit's knock against him is his size. But he proved himself against better competition this winter, scoring 31 goals and 60 points in 50 games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL.
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Herrington, DiGiulian and Merrill all played this past winter in the prep ranks. Herrington got a 47-spot bump from the midterms, while DiGiulian improved by 29 spots. Both make sense. After a 49-point season with Holderness, Herrington moved onto the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL and proved he belongs. DiGiulian carried Kent at times, posting 25 goals and 49 points in 26 games. But what really elevated his draft stock was a strong performance in Kent's run to the Large School championship. Merrill dropped 24 spots from the midterms. I still think all three get drafted.
6. Of the sixth- and seventh-round candidates, Landan Resendes (Marlboro, Mass.) is the most interesting prospect. He opened the year dubbed a fourth- or fifth-round prospect by NHL Central Scouting. Midway through the year, he ranked at No. 183 among North American skaters. He got a boost, however, in the final rankings, moving to No. 168.
Resendes got off to a slow start with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL, but consistently became more comfortable as the season rolled on, finishing with 14 goals and 30 points in 59 games. Those 14 goals were the most on his team. He also ranked fourth on his team in points. Resendes is 5-foot-9 and 166 pounds. His size works against him when it comes to getting drafted. But the Boston College commit plays a feisty game, more than making up for being that height and weight. It would shock no one if Resendes became one of the most potent scorers in the USHL next season, leading him to be higher on draft boards rather than a late-round steal.
7. As for goalies, Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline, Mass.) has been the local to watch all season. He opened as a fourth- or fifth-round prospect, ranked at No. 11 among North American goalies in the midterms and fell to No. 17 in the final rankings. That's most likely because he only played in 17 games this season — 10 for the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) and seven for the Tri-City Storm (USHL). Still, Bernstein, at 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, has long been a top goalie prospect for the '06s.
8. The reality of the NHL Draft is that any pick after the third round is a toss-up. It comes down to which teams like which players more. Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.) was the lowest ranked New Englander, coming in at No. 215 and a seventh-round candidate among North American skaters. When the sixth and seventh rounds roll around, will an NHL general manager look at the board and go, "Hmm. This Sadowski kid had 87 points in 37 games in New England prep. Why aren't we taking him?" It wouldn't shock me.
9. Next year will be Owen Keefe's (Saugus, Mass.) third in the USHL. Does an NHL team get out ahead of him potentially having a breakout season next year and take him late?
HOW THEY DID: 13 locals made the final NHL Central Scouting rankings
10. He's not from New England, but I got a chance to watch a good amount of Dean Letourneau this fall and winter since St. Andrew's College played in this region quite a bit. Letourneau drew the masses when it came to NHL scouts this fall and winter. The BC commit is a unicorn. He stands at 6-foot-7 and 209 pounds...but plays as a high-skill center. The question has always been whether he's a first-round pick. He scored 61 goals and notched 127 points in 56 games for St. Andrew's College this winter. He's still not as physical as your normal 6-foot-7 player (if there's even a normal 6-foot-7 player) and his play away from the puck sometimes left more to be desired.
He's a late first-round pick for a team that doesn't need the player immediately and wants to take on a bit of a project. Letourneau is slated to play in the USHL next season before starting at BC in the fall of 2025.
