The 2024 NHL Draft is just a few weeks away.
Continuing our coverage of this year’s draft class is a breakdown on the top right-wingers eligible to be selected this season. Hailing from nations around the world, this year’s draft is diverse and talented at the top of the order, but not as deep as other years have been.
The depth at right wing is not fantastic, and the talent dries up after the first round quite heavily.
Ivan Demidov
Outside of consensus number one overall selection Macklin Celebrini, Ivan Demidov might be the most talented player available in the draft. He’s been absolutely insane in Russia for several seasons and is arguably the most dynamic player eligible.
Demidov absolutely torched the MHL this past season, Russia’s equivalent to the CHL in Canada, putting up 60 points in 30 games, and another 28 points in 17 playoff games. He’s a smaller winger at 5’11” and 168 pounds, but that didn’t stop him one bit.
His raw skills are elite and compare most directly to current NHL superstar Nikita Kucherov, and would easily go second overall if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s a Russian playing in Russia.
He’s under contract for another season with SKA St. Petersburg, which definitely adds to the risk of selecting Demidov. There are already rumours that teams are already hesitant to pick him with a high pick for this reason, and the fact that he hasn’t really been given a shot to play at the highest levels in Russia.
If he does fall a bit down the draft board, a very lucky team is going to walk away with quite the steal.
Demidov is ranked second in TWC’s consolidated draft rankings.
Beckett Sennecke
Similar to Tij Iginla, Beckett Sennecke has rocketed up draft boards in the last couple of months and is now expected to be selected as high as the top 10. The Oshawa General stands at 6’2″ and 188 pounds and scored 68 points in 63 games this past season.
Sennecke played a complementary role for the OHL finalist Generals and really made a name for himself in the playoffs where he scored 22 points in 16 games. He’s got a knack for the offensive side of the game, is a very smart player, and skates extremely well. Up front, teams will love the tools he brings, and can easily translate his game to the NHL level.
Compared to players like Kirby Dach, Sennecke plays a power forward game which is highly sought-after, one of the major reasons why his draft stock has risen so much this year. At worst, Sennecke is projected to be a middle-six scoring winger, with the upside of being a top-six scoring winger if things break the right way.
Sennecke is ranked 23rd in TWC’s consolidated rankings.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
One of the best names in the draft, Scandinavian product Michael Brandsegg-Nygard will almost certainly be the highest Norwegian taken in NHL draft history. After playing in Norway for most of his junior career, Brandsegg-Nygard made the jump to Sweden two seasons ago and played a full season in the Allsvenskan this past season. It’s the second-best league in Sweden, and Brandsegg-Nygard showed decently well with 18 points in 41 games.
The biggest thing that you notice immediately with this player is his motor. He lays everything on the ice every single shift and forechecks relentlessly. He also has a solid and deceptive shot, a high-end hockey IQ, and a rounded two-way game.
While he’s still rounding into his frame, his physicality is a clear weakness. It’s also puzzling that he put up low point totals this season as his skillset should translate to more production. Even watching him play, it seems like he should be popping up on the scoresheet more than he did.
The potential is there, the question is whether the talented Norwegian will be able to translate this to the NHL.
Brandsegg-Nygard is ranked 15th on our consolidated rankings.
Emil Hemming
Ranked mostly in the second half of the first round, Emil Hemming is a highly skilled winger who played a full season in the Liiga—Finland’s top men’s league. He did not play any of their playoff games though, after putting up 11 points in 40 games. It wasn’t a dominant season for Hemming, but his skill set is what pushes him into the first-round range.
Standing at an NHL-ready 6’2″ and 194 pounds, Hemming is regarded as a high-risk, high-reward pick this year. He has a boatload of skill including one of the best shots in the draft class and high-end skating. He showed very well at the U18s this season playing on Finland’s top line, scoring four goals and six points in five games.
A prototypical power forward, Hemming does struggle on the defensive side of the game and can appear to coast a bit when he doesn’t have the puck. These are areas he’ll have to improve on if he wants to succeed at the NHL level, but he clearly has the potential to be an impact winger for an NHL team.
Hemming is ranked 19th on our consolidated rankings.
Liam Greentree
Outside the first big shelf in this year’s draft at around 12th overall, Liam Greentree is one of the best players available in the second batch of prospects. He just wrapped up his second OHL season with the Windsor Spitfires, serving as their captain, and putting up 90 points in 64 games. He has NHL-ready size at 6’2″ and 198 pounds, too.
Greentree’s best weapon is his offensive game, especially his shot. His deadly wrist shot can beat goalies from range, a skill coveted by NHL teams. He has a big frame which allows him to protect the puck very well and win puck battles in the dirty areas of the ice, but does come with the side effect of slower acceleration and skating abilities.
Greentree has been compared to superstar Jason Robertson as they play a similar style of game, and while that is likely the ceiling for Greentree, expecting him to reach those heights is probably unfair. It’s a bit tough to fully evaluate his game this season as the Spitfires were a very bad team, and Greentree was clearly the most impactful player on the roster. He struggled with consistency but that might be due to the quality of the team rather than quality of the player.
Still, Greentree is a bona fide top talent in the draft and is expected to go somewhere in the middle of the first round.
Greentree is ranked 16th on our consolidated rankings.
Shallow draft
With the talent level dropping off in a big way this year, teams may be tempted to reach for position, especially if they are lacking a particular position in their prospect cupboards. Right wing is one of those positions, and some of these players could end up being selected higher than they probably should come draft day.
