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A look at the 2024 NHL draft prospects with New England ties
Hockey East and the New England area have produced their fair share of NHLers over the years, and this year appears to be no exception.
Boston University prospect Macklin Celebrini, who turned 18 this month, was the first overall pick in this year’s NHL draft, which began Friday. The San Jose Sharks, who finished in last place and won the draft lottery, selected Celebrini, who took home the Hobey Baker Award after his freshman season in which he totaled 32 goals and 32 assists in 38 games.
Celebrini headlines a relatively small group of players with New England ties in this year’s draft class; a year ago, 20 active or incoming Hockey East players heard their names called.
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Here’s a rundown of all of the local — or local-ish — prospects to watch.
Macklin Celebrini (BU) — 1st overall (first round), San Jose Sharks
It wasn’t much of a surprise when the former Shark Joe Thornton announced San Jose had selected Celebrini first overall. The forward has long been lauded as the best prospect in this draft, providing an all-around talent who dominated the college hockey scene as a 17-year-old. The only question surrounding the pick is whether Celebrini will sign right away and join Lexington native and former Boston College forward Will Smith, the No. 4 pick in last year’s draft who signed this spring, or opt for one more season at BU.
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Cole Eiserman, forward (Newburyport/BU) — 20th overall (first round), New York Islanders
Eiserman was Celebrini’s roommate at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and will skate for BU next season as a freshman. He spent the last two seasons with the US National Team Development Program, tallying 58 goals and 31 assists in 57 games. He set the NTDP record for career goals (127) and finished second in NTDP history for career points (193).
Trevor Connelly (Providence) — 19th overall, Vegas Golden Knights
An incoming freshman at Providence, Connelly ranked second in the USHL in scoring in 2023-24 with 78 points on 31 goals and 47 assists, averaging 1.50 points per game for the Tri-City Storm. He has been scrutinized for his off-ice conduct, including an incident in 2022, when he was 16, when Connelly posted to Snapchat a picture of a teammate sitting on the floor of the children’s area of a library with building blocks assembled in the shape of a swastika, according to The Athletic. Connelly later apologized for his post. He was also accused of directing a racial slur at an opponent in 2021, an accusation that he denied.
Dean Letourneau (BC) — 25th overall, Boston Bruins
Letourneau, one of the largest prospects in this class at 6-foot-7, honed his craft against prep competition at St. Andrew’s in Canada (61 goals, 127 points in 56 games). He will play at BC in the fall and he has a very high ceiling, but there are questions about how he will adjust to a higher level of competition in the NCAA and beyond.
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Teddy Stiga, forward (Sudbury/Boston College)
Gio DiGiulian (South Burlington/Cornell)
Ben Merrill (Hingham/Harvard)
Landan Resendes (Marlboro/BC)
Jack Sadowski (Arlington/University of New Hampshire)
Will Felicio (Holden/Michigan)
Owen Keefe (Saugus/Northeastern)
Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass./UConn)
JJ Monteiro (Hudson/Providence)
Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline/Harvard)
Tanner Adams (Providence)
Cole Hutson (BU)
Albin Boija (Maine)
Joe Connor (Northeastern)
Heikki Ruohonen (Harvard)
Xavier Veilleux (Harvard)
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