A couple weeks ago when NHL Central Scouting released their preliminary watch list, we took a momen🙈t to highlight a few names that intrigue me for the Blackhawks as we all look ahe🐠ad to next summer.
On Wednesday morning, Scott Wheeler released his preliminary rankings of the top 64 prospects in the Class of ’24 (plus another 33 honorable mentions) with detailed notes on the 64 players that provide additional insight into the players as they’re progressing this season. It’s interesting to see how his rankings and comments might shift how we might feel about players when we see their A or B or C grade from Central Scouting. Remember: some players get better and don’t finish where they started, while others do the opposite.
Here are some of the comments from Wheeler’s rankings (with where he ranked them overall) on the guys I identified previously as players I’m intrigued by for the Blackhawks looking ahead to the 2024 NHL Draft. I broke them out by players who received an A or B grade from Central Scouting a couple weeks ago.
A Grades
6-2, 208
No. 3 (Tier 2) — “Levshunov’s profile checks all of the boxes teams are looking for in a high-end defenseman. He’s a righty with a pro build already. He’s a smooth skater with plus-level four-way mobility and good length. Though he was a little green defensively when he arrived in the USHL, he made fast progress and really figured it out last year (which included becoming a top penalty killer as the season progressed after not starting there) and his ceiling defensively is sky high with the right development. He’s a heady passer and carrier who can comfortably lead exits and entries. He walks the line proficiently and manages the game well in control, which has allowed him to produce very high shot totals so far this season at MSU.“
6-7, 211
No. 6 (Tier 3) — “The story of the draft early on this season, Silayev is a unicorn 6-foot-7 defenseman who has risen to the top of the class playing legitimate minutes for one of the KHL’s better teams through the first couple of months — an extremely rare feat for a 17-year-old. He has already broken the league’s under-18 scoring record by a defenseman, and will soon break the under-19 one. He’s playing on the power play, consistently registering multiple shots per game, and has even played both sides.“
6-3, 190
No. 10 (Tier 4) — “Led by his instincts, he generates a lot from the back end for a Hitmen team that generates little. While his game in the WHL does come with some give and take, he’s got pro size, a pro shot and an attack mentality that is complemented by sound decision-making on when to eagerly jump off the line or into the rush and when to hold it or outlet it. He also protects the puck really well for a defenseman, which allows him to make the most of his decisions to involve himself in the play around the offensive zone. It’s not uncommon to see him take a puck to the inside off the wall. And while I’d say he’s a good but not great defender, he’s got the size and tools (it never hurts when you’re a 6-foot-3 righty who can skate) to take the steps he needs to there and he plays hard at both ends.“
6-5, 205
No. 13 (Tier 4) — “Lindstrom’s a big center (though his NHL Central Scouting listing dropped him from 6-foot-5 to 6-foot-3.25?) and excellent skater who already uses his size to his advantage, whether through finishing his checks, shielding pucks, powering through contact, or going to the net front to provide screens. He’s also got decent overall skill and quick hands, both in flight and around the net and the wall. He can play off of the puck and take up space in front, play on the cycle and stay over pucks to help his team maintain possession inside the offensive zone, create in transition putting defenders on their heels with a head of steam, and even make skill plays from a standstill inside the offensive zone. He’s also strong in the faceoff circle.“
6-2, 211
No. 34 (Tier 5) — “Greentree’s game is about being around it. He finds his ways onto pucks inside the offensive zone, plays an opportunistic style, and then has decent skill and an NHL release (the puck comes off of his stick hard, and quickly, and hits his spots). I haven’t seen a dynamic quality, and he isn’t a burner, but he’s got pro size and a well-rounded toolkit. He strikes me as the kind of player who often gets drafted in the second or third round, and maybe a little too high occasionally in the first.“
B Grades
6-0, 190
No. 24 (Tier 4) — “Hage is a natural center who has it all. He’s got pro size, he’s got dual-threat skill as an individual creator and an elevator, he plays hard, he stays on pucks, he battles, and he reads the game at an advanced level with an intelligent, studious approach. This team doesn’t have the talent we’re used to seeing out of the Steel and that will limit his counting stats, but I expect him to stamp himself as one of the USHL’s best players before the year’s done.“
6-0, 185
No. 45 (Tier 5) — “Bednarik’s an easy player to like and is well-liked by scouts for his consistency and his know-how. He’s a heady, methodical player who makes little plays all over the ice and does everything well without having the dynamic quality you’d see in a first-rounder. He’s got well-rounded skill and has shown he can stir the drink and make a play depending on what’s called for.“
5-11, 170
No. 37 (Tier 5) — “There was a lot of talk heading into this year as to which non-Eiserman/Hagens forward from the 2006-born NTDP group would emerge, and so far Humphreys has stood out from the pack for me (though Bednarik gets that nod from most). Some of that growth has just been the physical kind, too. Humphreys, who scored five goals in his NTDP debut a year ago but was listed at 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds in his U17 year, is now an inch taller and 20 pounds heavier. That added strength has allowed him to get the most out of his talented and intelligent game. Humphreys has quick hands and a great feel for the game as a playmaker, which blend with a heady disposition and good instincts on and around the puck to create an interesting offensive package.“
5-11, 182
Honorable Mention
