MSU star defenseman may be turning pro, rather than coming back to East Lansing:
Michigan State hockey got a huge win in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft when star defenseman Artyom Levshunov was picked second overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The high selection showed that the Spartans development program is at its best right now under Adam Nightingale.
Now under the Blackhawks control, according to a report by Ben Pope, quoting the Hawks assistant general manager, it sounds like Chicago wants Levshunov to play in the AHL next season, rather than returning to East Lansing.
Blackhawks AGM Mark Eaton made it sound like they'd like Artyom Levshunov to be in the AHL this season.
"If we have the ability to have him in-house and our great development staff in Rockford working with him on a daily basis to start to close that gap between where he is and…
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Good for Logan Thompson for being a trooper in a very awkward situation.
New Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson didn’t abandon his Saturday 2024 NHL Draft autograph session, even after being traded.
The Vegas Golden Knights traded Thompson to Washington for two draft picks on the second day of this year’s draft, one where Thompson was slated to interact with fans and sign autographs as part of the weekend’s draft festivities at the Vegas Sphere.
Well, the former Golden Knight was traded to Washington right before his autograph availability, meaning he chose to solider on and sign photos of him in his Golden Knights jersey despite having just been sent to a new team.
Thompson reportedly learned of the trade from Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon roughly an hour before the session but didn’t want to bail on the opportunity to greet the fans, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s Danny Webster.
Logan Thompson was in bed when he got the call from Kelly McCrimmon that he was being traded. Had about an hour to get down here to sign autographs and didn’t want to miss the opportunity to meet with fans.
At least he got to say hello to one of his new Capitals teammates, center Aliaksei Protas.
Logan Thompson briefly interrupted his autograph session to say hello to Aliaksei Protas, who stopped by to see his new teammate. They were roommates at Protas’s first development camp when he was drafted by the Capitals pic.twitter.com/WPaZIHiTon
Good for Thompson for sticking to his autograph session. Even though he was saying farewell to the Golden Knights fans in attendance, we’re sure this offered a bit of unexpected closure for the goalie.
Vegas fans sure don’t sound thrilled that he’s gone, that’s for sure.
Utah’s first NHL draft pick is trying to follow in Hall of Fame footsteps.
The Utah Hockey Club may not have an official mascot or even a permanent color scheme, but now, it has its first draft pick.
Utah, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, made 17-year-old Kelowna, Canada, forward Tij Iginla — son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla — the sixth pick in the 2024 draft and the first selection in franchise history after it relocated from Tempe ahead of the upcoming season.
The elder Iginla played for 21 seasons, leading the NHL in points once (2002) and goals twice (2002, 2004). The younger Iginla, who comes from the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL, was one of the draft’s top prospects and recently helped lead Canada to a gold medal at the 2024 IHHL U18 World Championships in Finland.
Many expected Iginla — who is believed to be the first second-generation Black player in NHL history — would land with the Calgary Flames, with whom his father played 17 seasons, almost the entirety of his career. However, the Flames chose not to trade up for Iginla despite having the opportunity to do so.
NHL fans were thrilled to see Tij follow in Jarome’s footsteps on Friday night.
Celine Dion delivered the most dramatic NHL draft selection of all time.
NHL teams enlisted the help of celebrity guest pickers to announce first-round selections in Friday night’s 2024 NHL Draft, with former San Jose Sharks star Joe Thornton announcing the team’s first overall pick, Macklin Celebrini.
When it came to the Montreal Canadiens’ pick at No. 5 overall, however, they brought some real star power to the table.
In a stunner, world-famous singer and Quebec native Celine Dion took the stage, and she certainly brought some drama to the affair. After quite a bit of fanfare and extended pauses, she announced the selection of Russian winger Ivan Demidov of SKA Saint Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Even the broadcasters described the pick as the most dramatic of all time.
After beginning his NHL career with a celebrity photo-op, Demidov will join one of the league’s most historically successful teams in Montreal, which has won 24 Stanley Cups, though it’s searching for its first since 1993.
The Habs got close in 2021, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, but they’ve missed the postseason in each of the last three campaigns. With Demidov, they’ll hope their fortune changes.
Of all the people who did not expect Beckett Sennecke to get selected No. 3 overall in the Friday night’s NHL Draft, the it’s fair to say Sennecke was at the the top of the list.
The Anaheim Ducks kicked off the chaos early in Las Vegas as they made the 18-year-old from Toronto one of the top picks. It’s not that Sennecke doesn’t have a ton of upside — he sure does — it’s that he was ranked the 13th-best North American skater in the draft by NHL Central Scouting.
That’s helps explain why Sennecke looked so absolutely stunned to hear his name called as the joy began to wash over the faces of him and his family.
Sennecke appears to stand up and mouth “Oh my god….what the [expletive]” as he starts to hug his parents.
There is nothing cooler than seeing someone’s dream come true and hockey fans will remember Sennecke’s moment for quite some time. Here’s hoping he brings all that enthusiasm with him Anaheim.
A Sharks legend welcomed first overall pick Macklin Celebrini to his new team.
The San Jose Sharks made Boston University star centre and North Vancouver, Canada, native Macklin Celebrini the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft on Friday night, and the potential future face of the franchise was welcomed to his new team with a surprise.
To announce the pick, the Sharks enlisted the help of team legend Joe Thornton, who retired in 2022 and spent the bulk of his career with San Jose from 2005-20 and won both the Art Ross and Hart Memorial Trophies in 2006.
Thornton received quite a few cheers — from one fan in particular — as he took the stage and announced the selection of Celebrini, who Sharks fans will hope has a tenure similar to Thornton’s.
Macklin, who is 18, was named the Hockey East Player of the Year after a stellar season at Boston. He also represented Canada in the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, leading his team in scoring with four goals and four assists.
San Jose hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2019, when Thornton was still on the roster. With the top pick in the draft now on board in Celebrini, it will hope those woes end sooner rather than later.
This year’s NHL Draft will take place at arguably its most intriguing venue yet.
This year’s NHL Draft is making the trip to Las Vegas, as the festivities will take place at a brand-new venue that is taking the world by storm.
The MSG Sphere is the gigantic circular attraction that has taken over the Vegas skyline, hosting concerts for bands like U2 and The Eagles and now hosting a major sporting event with the 2024 NHL Draft.
Why didn’t the NHL go with one of the legendary casinos or with the Las Vegas Golden Knights’ arena for the draft?
Well, attribute it to Sphere fever, as it’s turning into a major point of curiosity for events with its curved screen towering over the stage and its entertainment potential for the draft broadcast.
The NHL released some photos of what the Draft will look like at the Sphere this weekend.
This weekend’s NHL Draft will send a host of new hockey prospects on a new journey for their careers, and most all of this class is waiting to hear where they’ll land.
The one outlier is former Boston University center Macklin Celebrini, who should be the first-overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft for the San Jose Sharks.
The left-handed offensive prospect might not come with the same ballyhoo as last year’s top pick, Connor Bedard, but Celebrini only played a year at Boston for a reason.
He’s a pro-ready scorer who brings tantalizing upside as a future star in the league. Let’s get to know Celebrini before he most likely joins the Sharks on Friday night in Las Vegas.
First, some quick facts about Macklin Celebrini
Date of birth: June 13, 2006 Place of birth: North Vancouver, Canada Height and weight: 6-foot-0, 190 pounds Position: Center Shoots: Left 2023-24 team: Boston University (NCAA) 2023-24 stats: 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games
Celebrini hails from the same area as Bedard, and he’s just a bit bigger and taller than the Chicago Blackhawks star. He won the Hobey Baker and Tim Taylor awards in college and was named Hockey East’s Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Celebrini played for the USHL’s Chicago Steel in the 2022-23 season, scoring 46 goals and adding 40 assists in 50 games.
What is Macklin Celebrini’s playstyle like?
Celebrini scores a lot of goals. That’s not the only reason he will probably go first in this year’s draft, but it’s atop the list. San Jose desperately needs elite offensive players on its roster, and Celebrini would fill that gap for the Sharks.
However, his number of assists shows he’s just as good at creating scoring opportunities for his teammates. Bedard had similar success going into last year’s draft, which rounds out a prospect’s game outside of just finding the net. San Jose will get a player who has a knack for the puck in both notching goals and getting it to his fellow players.
That’s reason enough to draft someone like Celebrini, who should start as soon as he arrives.
Why is Macklin Celebrini the near-assured No. 1 pick at the 2024 NHL Draft?
Like Bedard before him, Celebrini offers the most upside as a top-six franchise scorer of any player in this class. His sole year at Boston was proof enough that Celebrini is ready for the NHL, meaning he can play right away for San Jose without having to spend any time in the AHL. There are some really good offensive players in this year’s draft, but none with the quite the promise of Celebrini. He just offers so much right away for a team.
If you’re reading this, prepare to feel very, very old.
The 2024 NHL Draft kicks off the from the Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday, and while the new crop of prospects may soon become household names, some of the top players in this year’s pool come from families that are pretty well-known already.
[lawrence-related id=2247952]
So grab your walker or cane and let’s dive into the eight NHL stars who have sons expecting to hear their name called this weekend.
Tij Iginla, C
(Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images)
Jarome Iginla’s son is ranked the No. 9 prospect overall by NHL Central Scouting and should hear his name pretty early on. It certainly helps when your father is a Hall of Famer with more than 600 goals and assists each, but Tij has made himself standout just fine on his own.
Iginla has shown himself to be an excellent goal scorer with elite agility, making him a valuable piece to a NHL roster. While not a bulky guy, Iginla is projected to land somewhere in this range at the draft thanks to his scoring touch and tenacious attitude with and without the puck.
Ryder Ritchie, RW
The Prince Albert Raiders product is the son of Byron Ritchie, who was selected in the seventh round of the 1995 draft and went on to play more than 300 games in the NHL. Ryder will get drafted much earlier than his father did. He’s considered the 19th-best North American skater.
Aatos Koivu, C
It seems like Saku Koivu just retired and now his son is getting ready to enter the league. Between Saku, and uncle Mikko, the Finnish prospect has plenty of NHL blood in his DNA. Aatos is the No. 27 ranked international skater.
Max Plante, LW
Plante’s father, Derek, was the 161st overall pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 1989. A decade later he was winning the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars. These days he’s an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Miroslav Satan Jr., C
The elder Miroslav Satan played more than 1,000 games in the NHL with 735 points, 464 penalty minutes and one of the funniest tweets in hockey history. Satan also won a Stanley Cup in 2009, but the tweet still might be his crowning achievement.
Martin Lapointe won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998, then was named captain of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2006. His son, Noah, is a defensive prospect who needs some time to develop still, but there’s solid pedigree here.
Lukas Fischer, D
The No. 45 ranked international skater is the son of Jiri Fischer, who won the cup with Detroit in 2002. Fischer’s career ended three years later after he went into cardiac arrest on the bench during a game in 2005. Fischer survived and joined the Red Wings’ player development staff soon after.
William Samuelsson, C
William’s father, Mikael, played in the NHL from 2000-2014 and is a member of the elusive Triple Gold club, winning a World Championship with Sweden in 2006, an Olympic gold medal and a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings. He’s currently working for the Vancouver Canucks’ player development department.
MSU goalie Trey Augustine appears to be eyeing a sophomore season in East Lansing
Trey Augustine made himself a household name for Michigan State hockey this past season. The freshman goaltender was one of the best netminders in the nation, despite being the youngest goalie in the nation. In amazing news for Spartan fans, it appears that Augustine is eyeing a return to East Lansing for his sophomore season.
Augustine was a second round pick by the Detroit Red Wings last season and would have an option to go professional if he, or the organization, wanted him to. It looks like he will be donning the green and white again next season, though.
For those that wanna worry and haven’t heard everyone else say it, yes Trey himself said it. He’s coming back pic.twitter.com/HAb1yVE90H
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and sure it will happen.