2024 Draft - Overagers to watch

[Jersey Fan 12]

Sweden (SHL, Allsvenskan, J20 Nationell): Hugo Fransson (D), Hannes Hellberg (F), Petter Vesterheim (F), Lucas Lagerberg Hoen (D), Oskar Asplund (D), Isac Hedqvist (F), Kalle Carlsson (F), Filip Sitar (F), Arvid Bergström (D)

Liiga: Jesse Pulkkinen* (D), Elmeri Laakso (D), Janne Naukkarinen (F), Jere Lassila (F), Jimi Suomi (D), Kalle Ervasti (D), Benjamin Rautiainen (F), Arttu Alasiurua (F), Noa Vali (G), Jimi Kuivila (G)

NL: Simone Terraneo (D), Tommaso De Luca (F)

Czechia: Jiří Ticháček (D), Jaromír Pérez (F), Adam Cedzo (F), Jan Kavan (G)

KHL: Ilya Ivantsov (F), Vladimir Mikhalyov (F), Yaroslav Busygin (D), Yaroslav Tsulygin (D), Yegor Vinogradov (F), German Tochilkin (F), Yegor Klimovich (F), Pavel Moysevich* (G), Ilya Nabokov* (G), Dmitri Gamzin (G)

VHL: Grigori Kuzmin (F), Makar Khanin (F), Daniil O. Ivanov (D), Magomed Sharakanov (D), Sergei Artemyev (F), Radel Zamaltdinov (F), Gleb Saranchuk (G)

MHL: Nikita Surayev (F), Dmitri Utkin (F), Ignat Lutfullin (F), Yegor Solovyov (F)

USHL: Gavyn Thoreson (F), Erik Påhlsson (F), Benjamin Poitras (F), Austin Burnevik (F), Gennadi Chaly (D)

OHL: Anthony Romani (F), Dalyn Wakely (F), Donovan McCoy (D)

QMJHL: Antonin Verreault (F), Joseph Henneberry (F), Markus Vidicek (F), Mathis Rousseau (G)

WHL: Kenta Isogai (F), Oasiz Wiesblatt (F), Nate Misskey (D), Mazden Leslie (D), Harrison Meneghin (G)

NCAA: Andon Cerbone (F), Matthew DiMarsico (F), Ben Robertson (D), Tanner Adams (F), Dylan Hryckowian (F), Jake Livanavage (D)

Definitely some names I left off, figured I'd just try to list the more prominent ones

SaiPa isn't generally known for producing prospects but Janne Naukkarinen is intriguing. Skated for Finland in Gothenberg and since returning to Liiga has points in eight of his last nine games.

 

[austin63867]

SaiPa isn't generally known for producing prospects but Janne Naukkarinen is intriguing. Skated for Finland in Gothenberg and since returning to Liiga has points in eight of his last nine games.

Yeah he's someone I've been meaning to watch. I did like Patrik Juhola during his draft year and it looks like he's been decent based on his stats. Good size which could make him appealing.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

couple of USHL kids should get picked the 2nd time through: austin burnevik and kaden shahan are currently tied for the league lead in goals.

Cerrato and Thoreson are two others having big years that probably deserve to be drafted.

 

[Hinterland]

Wiesblatt has comically stubby legs and is nothing but ECHL material with his skating. I'd be shocked if anyone picked him.

It was a big surprise that Leslie wasn't drafted last year but is production is actually down this year and if scouts didn't like him in 2023 I'd have a hard time thinking they will in 2024.

My WHL list would include Misskey/Isogai/Meneghin along with Tyler Thorpe (6'5, very young overager, big shot), Dominik Rymon and Ondrej Becher who are both ripping up the league and had big WJCs for Czechia, and Shane Smith in Medicine Hat who has a size/physicality combination that teams will like at C plus is on pace for 35 goals.

I agree re Wiesblatt but I don't think Becher or Rymon will get drafted either. Doesn't mean they can't still play NHL if they go back to Europe and light things up there. I don't hate them as prospects. Having said that, for guys who haven't been drafted twice already, I don't think they've shown enough. They're fine players with fine stats but they're not dominant enough and prospects this "old" hardly ever get drafted anyway. That is especially true for Becher who is sometimes hiding for the best part of games just to then pop out of nowhere and score in bunches.

If we're talking WHL Czech overagers then I like two goalies chances though. Spunar's injury unfortunately set him back and probably hurt his chances. He's also 04 born as well so I don't know if he ends up going but Matecha should definitely get drafted. I think those two, together with Meneghin, are the CHL's top goalies this season.

 

[neelynugs]

Cerrato and Thoreson are two others having big years that probably deserve to be drafted.

agree. would've taken both of them in the 7th last year. liked both players, even with
cerrato's injury issues.

 

[shaner8989]

Samuel Mayer having a monster year.

 

[Johnny Danger]

isn't Mayer too old to get drafted? He will be 21 in April

 

[neelynugs]

isn't Mayer too old to get drafted? He will be 21 in April

i think the rule is you can't be older than 20 as of dec 31 of that particular draft year

 

[Brodeur]

isn't Mayer too old to get drafted? He will be 21 in April

Yeah he's no longer draft eligible. North American (trained) players born before 2004 would be a free agent. Europeans born before 2003 would be free agents.

Europeans are draft eligible for an extra year (this is always a point of contention in my fantasy league). It's not unusual to see a couple 21 year old Europeans drafted in their 4th year of eligibility. J.J. Moser is a recent example. Lucas Edmonds last year was drafted at 21.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Anything to see in Farjestad's Elliot Stahlberg? He's played 15 games with the SHL club, skated for the Sweden U20 team as an 18-year-old (prior to the WJC) and is one of the top scorers for the club's U20 team.

 

[leafs4life94]

Yeah he's no longer draft eligible. North American (trained) players born before 2004 would be a free agent. Europeans born before 2003 would be free agents.

Europeans are draft eligible for an extra year (this is always a point of contention in my fantasy league). It's not unusual to see a couple 21 year old Europeans drafted in their 4th year of eligibility. J.J. Moser is a recent example. Lucas Edmonds last year was drafted at 21.

Lucas Edmonds was one of the oddest situations I can remember - born in North Bay, played in the GTHL for his u15 year and then went to Sweden, was drafted into the OHL out of Sweden through the Priority selection, not the Import draft, played in Sweden up until is D+3 year when he came back to Kingston as an overage "rookie", and since he played in Sweden for his NHL draft year, he was considered European so he was eligible to be drafted out of the OHL, as an overager.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Isaac Born is skating in the SHL for Frolunda as a 19-year-old, averaging11 minutes of ice time; and was part of Sweden's silver medal U20 team. Any takers in this summer's draft?

 

[Hinterland]

Unlikely to get drafted but Nico Pertuch is one of the more intriguing goalie prospects out of Germany over the last few years. Not overly tall but solid size. I don't watch any DEL2 so I can't comment on his league play but his international performances have always impressed me. While all other German goalies mostly cracked under pressure, this guy doesn't seem to care. Rock solid to spectacular goaltending whenever I saw him. Was peppered with 134 shots in 150mins last week but saved 124 of them. Even if he doesn't get drafted I feel like he should definitely give it a go in North America if given a chance. He looks better than Quapp for sure.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Jacob LeBlanc of North Bay is now on his fourth team in three seasons in the OHL. He provides playmaking from the blueline but has greatly improved his plus/minus this season.

Someone worth a shot?

 

[B17 Apricots]

Can't believe how poorly Dmitri Utkin finished the season. 5 points in his last 16 games after scoring 45 in his first 33 games. I was going to make a page for him earlier in the year but decided not too based on what I saw. He was producing at an awesome rate for most of the season. I'm not sure what happened I'd be interested in some of the behind the scenes stuff. There were some weird things throughout the season. I'm not sure if the coach said something to him at some point and resulted in the giant slump at the end... I've seen games where's he's scored some points and seemingly took off the rest of the game. Almost like the off-puck stuff is below him. Work ethic was questionable to me. From what I've seen he picked and chose when he felt like engaging without the puck. Like I said, I don't know if they winded up saying something to kid, because there was a game where he had multiple line changes that were complete head scratchers. I had never saw that from him. The puck would be right next to the guy in the O zone and he'd go for a line change. For the most part he still got his minutes but I do believe in terms of the lines they started playing him on the third line as well. Until that slump he was scoring at the same exact rate of Buchelnikov when he was drafted. Who knows, maybe the handful of games I saw were just anomalies but the skill level is there

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Dylan Hryckowian (2004) of Northeastern should have been drafted last year, but passed through. 25 points in 30 games in his 19 year old freshman season, been heating up lately

 

[Kcoyote3]

Hugo Fransson and Anthony Romani

 

[Eye of Ra]

Isaac Born is skating in the SHL for Frolunda as a 19-year-old, averaging11 minutes of ice time; and was part of Sweden's silver medal U20 team. Any takers in this summer's draft?

Depends if any club want anton blidh 2.0

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Depends if any club want anton blidh 2.0

Didn't realize Blidh played a game for the Rangers this year.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Didn't realize Blidh played a game for the Rangers this year.

Rangers fans didn’t either.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Hugo Pettersson has played 17 games for HV71 and scored three goals for Sweden's U20 team prior to the WJC in Gothenberg (he was not part of the silver medal team).

Any chance he gets drafted this year?

 

[Hockeyville USA]

I know the CCHA isn't great, but Isaac Gordon (2004) has put up 36 points in 37 games in his 19 year old freshman season for Michigan Tech. Decent rookie USHL numbers with Sioux Falls in 2022-23 coming straight from minor hockey.

 

[Erikfromfin]

From Finland

Jesse Pulkkinen
Noa Vali
Benjamin Rautiainen
Jimi Junkkari
Peetu Kiukas
Tommi Männistö
Emil Kuusla
Janne Naukkarinen

 

[Brodeur]

Probably an uphill battle for a (relatively) undersized goaltender, but Maine's Albin Boija has seemingly taken away the starting spot from fellow Swede Victor Ostman. Ostman was getting pro offers last spring as an undrafted free agent but he's more of a prototypical NHL build.

 

[Habsrule]

Trent Swick for the Kitchener Rangers.

He is a left winger at 6’7 and 216 pounds. He is 19 years old so has been passed over twice in the NHL draft.

60-25-36-61 is his stat line for the year. He doesn’t play overly physical but is always around the goalies crease. He kills penalties and can skate well for a big man.

I can see a team taking a chance at him in a later round. Big guys tend to take longer to develop.