The fun begins when the 2024 NHL Draft kicks into gear on Friday from the Sphere in Las Vegas.
While it's pretty clear Macklin Celebrini of Boston University will go No. 1 to the San Jose Sharks, things will get interesting for local prospects after that.
Of the draft-eligible players from New England, I'd say three are guaranteed to be drafted.
As for the rest? I wouldn't be shocked if one or two got picked. But I also wouldn't be shocked if four or five got picked.
Remember: there are only seven rounds of the draft and they're picking from players all over the world. A team has to really like someone to select them.
Still, all it takes is one team.
Here are five storylines to watch when it comes to local players.
How far does Cole Eiserman fall in the first round?
Entering this season, Eiserman was among the candidates to potentially go No. 1 overall. As the season wore on, others jumped ahead of the Newburyport, Mass., native and it became apparent that Eiserman needed to become a more complete player.
He made strides with that second part during the season.
Still, Eiserman possesses the one, unteachable quality a hockey player can have: goal-scoring. He has the most goals in the history of the U.S. National Team Development Program with 127. He can rip the puck. He knows how to get open. He knows how to finish.
Just because he has fallen a bit in pre-draft speculation doesn't mean that's the case with every team picking in the top 10. Utah, Ottawa, Seattle, Calgary and New Jersey own picks 6-10. All could use a lethal scoring winger.
If he does end up going somewhere in the teens, a team like Minnesota, San Jose, Detroit, St. Louis, Washington, Chicago or Vegas would be thrilled with him. The Sharks at No. 14 would be a fun story — Eiserman, Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and Celebrini, one of his best friends. Talk about a lot of goals.
Does Teddy Stiga get picked in the first round?
I already wrote about this in depth, which you can read by clicking or tapping here.
In that story, I quoted multiple NHL scouts and his NTDP coach Nick Fohr about where they think he will eventually be picked. Many outlets have Stiga ranked inside the first round.
My take: He goes somewhere in the middle of the second round. That's just my opinion. Given his size (5-foot-10 and 176 pounds), plus his one really strong year the the NTDP, he has the ingredients of a good second-round pick.
My projection for what Stiga will be: A valuable, middle-six wing someday in the NHL. His high compete will always serve him well.
How many current prep players will be taken?
Back in March, I ranked the NHL Draft prospects in prep right after the season finished. Of the 13 I ranked, I'd say four have a legit shot: Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.), Gio DiGiulian (South Burlington, Vt.), Caeden Herrington (Manchester, Vt.) and Marko Bilic.
Merrill should be a lock to get selected. At 6-foot-4 and 194 pounds, the '05 has a very high upside. He has great hands, skates well and has a sneaky-good shot. He also boasts terrific vision. A team will take him based off what he could be in four to five years after his time at Harvard is done.
I wouldn't say DiGiulian is a lock, but he'd be a strong fifth- or sixth-round pick. At 6-foot-1 and 161 pounds, he has the size. His compete, offensive skills and abilities to take control of a game lead me to project him as a reliable pro player after his Cornell days are over. I could see him fitting anywhere in a lineup and he has a high floor.
Herrington certainly has a chance to be taken. His early games in the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers were strong. That came after he lit up prep with 49 points in 29 games. At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he certainly has the size. His offensive abilities are great, too. It just comes down to whether a team loves him. My guess is he's taken somewhere in the sixth or seventh round.
Projecting goalies in NHL Drafts is hard. Rudy Guimond, who played for Taft last season, was ranked No. 17 among North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting last season and was picked in the sixth round by the Detroit Red Wings. Bilic, however, has the frame of a future pro at 6-foot-3 and 179 pounds. He's technically sound and moves well. His numbers with Cushing this winter — a 1.45 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage — were dazzling.
Does a team bite on the Arizona State commit? It wouldn't surprise me.
RANKINGS: Top 14 local prospects for 2024 NHL Draft
Personally, I liked Kimball Union forward and 87-point-getter Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.) and Brunswick defenseman Cooper Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) this season. Do they get picked? Probably not. Again, I wouldn't be surprised if a team likes one (or both) of them enough to pull the trigger.
All it takes is one.
How many locals from the USHL or other junior leagues get picked?
Earlier, I mentioned that three players are guarantees to be selected. Those prospects are Eiserman, Stiga and Elliott Groenewold (Bellows Falls, Vt.). At 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds, the Quinnipiac commit is a shutdown defenseman. I could absolutely see him developing as that, leading him to become a mainstay with that same role in an NHL lineup someday.
What about everyone else?
Everybody has question marks or has already been passed over before. Joe Connor's (Amherst, N.H.) size (5-foot-10, 174 pounds) has always worked against him. I don't know how that will continue to be the case given his production level (60 points in 50 games for Muskegon). He should get taken. His compete and motor should help him make an impact at Northeastern this fall.
Landan Resendes (Marlboro, Mass.) and Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass.), two former Cushing stars, are interesting cases. Resendes took some time to acclimate to the USHL, but finished with 30 points in 59 games for the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders. Gardula was long thought of as a perimeter player coming out of prep, but produced at a strong clip in the USHL, notching 20 goals and 49 points in 58 games for the Sioux City Musketeers.
On defense, there's Owen Keefe (Saugus, Mass.) and Will Felicio (Holden, Mass.). Both are vastly different defenders. Keefe is a good-sized (6-feet, 194 pounds), two-way defenseman. His three goals and 13 points in 60 games don't jump off the page, but he should at least be reliable. Felicio, on the other hand, is an offensive dynamo. The one knock on him is that he's 5-foot-10 and 161 pounds in an NHL world that places a big premium on defenders with size.
Another prospect to watch is JJ Monteiro (Hudson, Mass.) who posted 33 points in 54 games with the BCHL's Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Does Thatcher Bernstein get drafted?
Remember what I said earlier about goalies being hard to predict in the NHL Draft? Never has that been more true than with Bernstein.
Bernstein saw minimal action this past season in the USHL, playing 10 games with the Dubuque Fighting Saints and seven with the Tri-City Storm. As I wrote about in a story on how to develop young goalies, playing only 17 games as a 17-year-old isn't always ideal.
DRAFTED FROM PREP: Is prep still a good place for NHL Draft prospects?
However, the Brookline, Mass., native has such a high upside and has long been considered a high-end '06 goalie. He stands at 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, has quick feet and is already committed to Harvard.
He also participated in the All-American Game back in January — a showcase for some of the best NHL Draft prospects.
A team could easily snag Bernstein based on what he could become. He certainly has the look and feel of a strong pro netminder.
