Red Wings land a sensational complementary forward in Team-by-Team NHL Mock Draft

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The Red Wings may have landed a stellar complementary power forward in this 2024 NHL Mock Draft simulation via FC Hockey, but wow, sometimes that simulation can bring us plenty of surprises. Sure, this was the case in many of my previous seven-round mock drafts, but wow, just wait until you read past the No. 1 pick, which I probably shouldn’t have to tell you at this point who that is.

It starts with the No. 2 pick to the Chicago Blackhawks, and it does not end until the Red Wings scoop up a rather enticing forward at No. 15. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this read, and if this is how the first 15 picks in the 2024 NHL Draft turns out next week, well, it will be one fans will talk about for ages.

1st Overall: San Jose Sharks - Macklin Celebrini, C/Boston University

I’ve conducted quite a few of these team-by-team mock draft simulations this week, and I have seen some interesting combinations play out. But if one common denominator has held steady, it’s that Macklin Celebrini hasn’t moved, nor will he.

2nd Overall: Chicago Blackhawks - Sam Dickinson, D/London Knights

If Artyom Levshunov isn’t the first defenseman off the board, everyone’s mock draft will most likely be rendered irrelevant. Still, Sam Dickinson as a surprise pick here is an interesting one, something I wouldn’t criticize even if there are at least three blueliners I could see going before him.

3rd Overall: Anaheim Ducks - Berkly Catton, C/Spokane Chiefs

My Big Five are Macklin Celebrini, Artyom Levshunov, Ivan Demidov, Cayden Lindstrom, and Cole Eiserman - in terms of where I think they will be drafted. But if there’s one player not listed in the Big Five who I wouldn’t mind seeing break that trend on draft day, it’s Berkly Catton, so I would credit the Ducks here if they took him.

4th Overall: Columbus Blue Jackets - Zeev Buium, D/Denver

I would rather have seen Artyom Levshunov fall here, which would have been a gift to a long-suffering Blue Jackets organization. But I can also more than justify seeing Zeev Buium go to the organization, as he’s a likely two-way player when he reaches the NHL, and one Blue Jackets fans shouldn’t hesitate to follow.

5th Overall: Montreal Canadiens - Anton Silayev, D/Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod

I’m unsure of whether the Canadiens and their fans would want to see their team draft yet another defenseman at No. 5, especially if Cole Eiserman, Cayden Lindstrom, or Ivan Demidov are still there. But this pick would let us dream up a potential pairing between Anton Silayev and David Reinbacher, so while counterintuitive, it makes sense, too.

6th Overall: Utah Hockey Club - Konsta Helenius, C/Jukurit

While I’m surprised there are quite a few top-five caliber players on the board here, I wouldn’t criticize the Utah Hockey Club for going in this direction. Konsta Helenius was simply too good at the pro level last year, so suppose the more likely Celebrini, Levshunov, Demidov, Lindstrom, and Eiserman lineup occurs next Friday; you can argue Helenius should be the next one off the board.

7th Overall: Ottawa Senators - Zayne Parekh, D/Saginaw Spirit

While this pick would come at the expense of letting another, and better option, fall past the Ottawa Senators at No. 7 overall, I couldn’t criticize this pick too much. No, Zayne Parekh won’t help his team win in the NHL by putting up big numbers all the time, but once he masters a two-way game, someone will be glad they drafted him.

8th Overall: Seattle Kraken - Artyom Levshunov, D/Michigan State

The first in a string of four prospects who managed to freefall in this simulation, the Seattle Kraken would snag the best blueliner in this draft if this situation really played out next week. Most likely, he’s not falling past the No. 2 pick or the No. 3 pick at the absolute furthest, but even when Levshunov is off the board, there will still be a good deal of blueliners available.

9th Overall: Calgary Flames - Cayden Lindstrom, C/Medicine Hat Tigers

Injury history is the reason I wouldn’t completely rule out Cayden Lindstrom falling to the No. 9 pick, but he’s so productive and has so much size; I’m more willing to think someone before Calgary will take a chance. If not, then the Flames just landed their next star player if he can stay healthy.

10th Overall: New Jersey Devils - Ivan Demidov, RW/SKA St. Petersburg

The third of four picks who I’m sure will land in the top five, but if this scenario ends up panning out next week, the Devils fan base could already have some visions of Ivan Demidov teaming up with Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and company. Yeah, I would be scared of the Devils if Demidov somehow dropped this far on draft day.

11th Overall: Buffalo Sabres - Cole Eiserman, LW/USNTDP

Yeah, this was a mock draft full of surprises, and with Cole Eiserman’s NHL-ready shot, he’s not falling to the Buffalo Sabres at No. 11. But it’s situations like these that make the draft simulator so much fun to work with.

12th Overall: Philadelphia Flyers - Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW/Mora IK

There are a few players who bring more potential to the table still available, but Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is one of the safer picks in this draft. I doubt he ever becomes a ‘wow’ type of player, but no fan base should be disappointed if he ends up in their team’s system.

13th Overall: Minnesota Wild - Tij Iginla, C/Kelowna Rockets

My bet is that Tij Iginla will be a top 10 pick next week, so if he drops this far to a team like the Minnesota Wild, they just made an epic move. There were a few questionable picks earlier, so in this particular scenario, it’s nothing more than an organization taking advantage of an enticing situation.

14th Overall: San Jose Sharks - Beckett Sennecke, RW/Oshawa Generals

I thought a blueliner would go here, but the simulation, as it did so many times in this mock draft, surprised me with Beckett Sennecke. But I’m not one to complain, as a Macklin Celebrini-Beckett Sennecke combo, not to mention their other young talent, could be epic in time.

15th Overall: Detroit Red Wings - Igor Chernyshov, LW/Dynamo Moskva

I went into this mock draft thinking about what the Red Wings had a surplus of not only in their prospect pool, but with the big club. They have a good bit of scorers, and they have fast-rising defensemen, but I wanted to see a power forward with a simpler game who could, in time, become at least a complementary scorer if not more.

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