Bob McKenzie has a 6'2 power forward available for the Leafs at 23rd overall
Long-time analyst and draft guru for TSN, Bob McKenzie unveiled his final draft rankings ahead of the much anticipated 2024 NHL Entry Draft taking place this weekend.
With the Stanley Cup Playoffs finally done and dusted, it's high-time to get the off-season under way. With the buyout window opening today, the next big date to keep an eye on is the NHL Entry Draft that is set to take centre stage on Friday night in Vegas.
Macklin Celebrini is expected to be the first overall choice for the San Jose Sharks but after that it's anyone's guess as to how things roll along. Ivan Demidov, Artyom Levshunov, Anton Silayev, and Cayden Lindstrom are expected top-5 picks, teams like Utah and Ottawa are more than open to trading their respective top-7 picks, and some big names like Martin Necas and Trevor Zegras have garnered a lot of trade chatter in recent weeks. In other words, buckle up because it could be a wild one.
While every major outlet will be posting their mock drafts and draft rankings, one of the only ones that should hold any relevance is that of Bob McKenzie's. He generally has a good understanding on what teams are looking for, he has a good beat on which players will fall or climb, and his rankings generally reflect how the night will go.
For starters, it looks like it's going to be very defensive heavy at the top with 5 defensemen ranked in the top-8. Son of former NHLer Jarome Iginla, Tij, is ranked 10th, Cole Eiserman is ranked 14th, and Cole Beaudoin is sitting 23rd in his final ranking, which is a good indication that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be looking to add a centre into their mix.
Beaudoin is a native of Kanata, Ontario, plays the centre position, stands in at 6'2, and weighs in at 210 pounds. He is currently playing his junior hockey with the Barrie Colts of the OHL, where he tallied 28 goals 62 points in 67 games played this year. He improved vastly this year after potting 8 goals and 20 points in 63 games.
Beaudoin is seen as a power-forward who plays a responsible 200-foot game, plays aggressively, gets in the dirty areas, has great hockey senses, and is very well conditioned. His one glaring weakness has been his skating but that seems to be a very popular knock for most prospects nowadays, especially of the power forward variety.
Other prospects that McKenzie has ranked in and around the 23rd slot include Sacha Boisvert (22nd), Michael Hage (24th), Emil Hemming (26th), and E.J. Emery (27th).
Source for Cole Beaudoin's statistics: Cole Beaudoin stats and bio
| POLL | ||
26 JUIN | 468 ANSWERS Bob McKenzie has a 6'2 power forward available for the Leafs at 23rd overall If all are available, who would you rather the Maple Leafs draft? | ||
| Cole Beaudoin | 76 | 16.2 % |
| E.J. Emery | 124 | 26.5 % |
| Michael Hage | 62 | 13.2 % |
| Other/Trade the pick | 206 | 44 % |
| List of polls | ||
