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Host Matthew Zator gets together with Jacob Billington to count down the top 10 defencemen that will be selected in the 2024 NHL Draft.
**Note: this is according to NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings**
Check out this countdown in written form - https://thehockeywriters.com/nhl-entry-draft-2024-top-10-defensemen/
THW's 2024 NHL Draft Guide (prospect profiles, rankings, features, top-10 lists & more) - https://thehockeywriters.com/2024-nhl-draft-guide/
Check out our panel's work:
Matthew Zator - https://thehockeywriters.com/author/mzator/
Jacob Billington - https://thehockeywriters.com/author/jbillington/
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Prospect Profile Graphics by Jacob Billington
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0:00
Hello everybody and welcome to another countdown video here at the Hockey Writers YouTube channel
0:06
for the 2024 NHL Draft. And we are on to defensemen. And in a draft that's very defense-heavy, these 10 blue liners will probably be drafted
0:17
either in the first round or early in the second. And a lot of them are going to be drafted in the top 10
0:23
So we've got quite a few to go through. And we'll start with Henry Mews of the Ottawa 67s
0:30
And you know, for most defensemen, it's going to be great skaters
0:35
And Henry Mews is one of the best skaters in this draft class, even though he probably
0:40
won't be drafted in the top 20. But one of the best skaters, great acceleration, great speed in every direction
0:48
And in the NHL this time, the modern day NHL, you need to be able to skate as a defenseman
0:56
And he's going to be one of the better ones in this draft
1:00
And once he gets to the NHL, he's probably one of the best skaters in the NHL and could
1:04
end up being a top pairing defenseman. And but of course, needs some time to develop and definitely going to be an exciting guy
1:12
to watch in the NHL as we keep going. All right, Jacob number nine, Cole Hudson, Lane Hudson's brother, and probably won't
1:22
be as high end as him once he gets the NHL, but definitely still really good defenseman
1:26
Yeah, Cole Hudson has a lot of the same skills that Lane has
1:31
Obviously both fairly undersized offensive defensemen, both fantastic skaters and Cole has all those great attributes as well
1:40
He's not as flashy as, or sorry, Lane isn't as flashy as Cole
1:46
I think Cole has a bit of a higher offensive upside, which is saying something because
1:51
of how highly regarded people hold Lane Hudson, a prospect of the Montreal Canadiens
1:55
So I do wonder if Montreal looks to kind of rejoin the brothers
1:59
That would be awesome to see. But yeah, he has a really good shot from the point too
2:07
He makes a lot of really smart plays at the blue line. He's really smart in transition and especially with his speed, like he uses that to his advantage
2:14
He's not just one of those, you see some players that skate really fast and just don't know
2:18
what to do with themselves. But he uses his speed to his advantage every time he has the puck on his stick
2:24
Yeah, I love Cole Hudson. I mean, I've loved him since probably last year
2:29
We were talking about early guys we're going to like in this draft and I liked Lane Hudson
2:34
I like Cole and they're both are going to be really good NHL defensemen
2:39
Cole had kind of dropped off offensively throughout the year, but still ended up with really good
2:44
numbers at the end of it all. And had a really good under 18s
2:48
I think that boosted his stock up again and he's going to end up being really good, even
2:53
though again, that undersized thing still going to be a good defenseman
3:00
Number eight, Aaron Kibihara. And this is a guy that was talked about being in the top 10 at one point
3:06
Now it's kind of dropped into that, potentially even dropping into that second round, which
3:12
would be a steal in my mind. But he probably will drop off because of an injury
3:19
That's the problem where he wasn't getting as many viewings, didn't progress as much
3:23
as a lot of the other defensemen did and get as many chances to shine
3:29
But he is still a very high end talent and great passer
3:35
Very good, could be a power play quarterback once he gets to the NHL
3:39
Again, undersized too. I mean, that's probably gonna be a knock on him as well
3:45
But I think he's going to be a steal wherever he goes because he won't be going where he
3:50
should talent wise. And Kibihara still definitely deserves to be on this top 10 list, so even at number eight
3:57
All right, number seven, Adam Juracek. Oh, you wanted to add something on that
4:03
No, no, you hit it all pretty well. I think Kibihara was going to be a pretty good offensive guy
4:08
And like you said, on the power play, I think he's going to be a great option to kind of
4:11
run the umbrella formation and make a lot of smart plays. But yeah, at number seven, we have Adam Juracek
4:17
He obviously brother of David Juracek and similar to David Juracek. And if you watched our top 10 centers video, similar to Konstantin Helenius, he doesn't
4:27
really shine in one kind of faucet of the game. He's just a really, really well rounded guy
4:33
He will play physical hockey. He's not as aggressive as David Juracek is
4:37
He's more of a passive guy and just make the smart play rather than jump up and pinch
4:41
or go for the big open ice hit or anything like that
4:45
And that's why he's ranked lower than David Juracek was in the draft. But he has good skating, excellent edge work
4:51
He can go kind of in all four ways pretty well. But yeah, he just he plays a really, really solid game
4:58
And he's going to be probably a middle pairing kind of shut down option defenseman
5:03
I think that a team is going to be really happy to have him. I mean, again, he was derailed by injury as well from the World Juniors and had hadn't
5:13
really played a lot. And again, the viewings, you don't see as much of these guys and then they drop off
5:19
And that's that's going to be unfortunate, because I think, again, at first round, he's
5:23
going to be a first round pick. But I think he would have gone higher if he would have been able to play the rest of the
5:28
season and not got hurt. So, again, a steal for a playoff team is probably going to pick him
5:34
And that's that's going to be that's going to be pretty big for whoever gets him there
5:39
Right. Number six, Carter Yakumchuk. This is a guy that's been pretty much rising throughout the season because of his
5:46
offensive abilities, his defensive work and his decision making may be questionable at
5:52
times, but his offensive abilities off the charts and had a great season in the W.H.L
5:59
with the Calgary Hitmen and one of probably one of their best offensive defensemen and
6:06
great at creating different opportunities that he's got. You know, he could be, again, lower on the edge because of that, you know, defensive
6:15
game that he still needs to develop. But again, in my mind, offense can't be taught
6:19
Defense can be. You have that offensive ability and that awareness. I you take that over and just you smooth out the defensive game
6:28
I had that that same thought with Quinn Hughes. Everyone's worried about his, you know, not very good defensively, but his offensive
6:35
skating and his hockey IQ and all that other stuff that he's got
6:40
You can teach the defense and look what's happened. He's he's learned it. He's one of the best defensemen in the NHL
6:46
And I think Yakumchuk, maybe not that high end, but he definitely has that ability to
6:51
put up that 60, 70 points in his prime. So Yakumchuk number four, number six, going too far here
6:58
Number six, number five, we're on to Anton Salayev, one of the higher, maybe low, maybe
7:05
dropping off a bit, but he's still going to be drafted in the top 10
7:10
Yeah, I feel like it was just two or three months ago that people were talking about Salayev as going second overall
7:15
It was either going to be him or Dmitrov, but he did drop a little bit
7:19
And I think part of that is his offensive production, which I mean, you look at a guy
7:23
who's 17 years old playing in the KHL and obviously the biggest thing when you talk
7:28
about Salayev has to be the size. You can't teach size. He's six foot seven and he uses it pretty well
7:34
He's really good defensively. He loves blocking shots. He loves playing physical
7:40
He has really good skating for somebody that's six foot seven. There have been a lot of comparisons to Victor Hedman, which is a very fair
7:47
comparison. Victor Hedman probably has a much higher offensive ceiling, but the play
7:52
style and the kind of tool set tool belt that they have are pretty similar
7:57
They're both just really good at doing a little bit of everything
8:01
Salayev obviously got off to a really hot start in the KHL with it was like seven points
8:06
in his first 11 games. And then he just fell off and hardly scored any more points
8:10
I think he only finished with 11 on the season. So his offense really dropped off, but his minutes didn't like he was still playing
8:17
really, really good hockey. He just wasn't getting any points anymore. He was still playing 20 minutes a night in the KHL as a 17 year old
8:25
I like I like Salayev still, I think his size is what and the way he can skate at that
8:30
at that height, he's still a lot of those guys struggle when they have that when they're
8:36
six, seven, but he definitely doesn't. He does not skate like he's six, seven
8:40
And his offense may not translate to the NHL, but he's still going to be an excellent
8:45
two way defenseman that maybe his ceiling may not be a really good offensively, but
8:52
he might be one of the best. I call the modern day defensive defenseman where they're there
8:58
They can put up the points, but they're more known for being that good defensive
9:03
presence that can complement a really good offensive defenseman. And I think Salayev could definitely be that for for someone in the NHL
9:10
And we'll see. I mean, I could be wrong and he could end up being a 60 point defenseman, too, and which
9:16
would be Zeno Chara ask. But we'll see. He'll see how Salayev kind of falls there
9:23
Right, number four, Sam Dickinson, arguably one of the more well-rounded defensemen
9:29
coming out of this draft class, could end up playing in the NHL sooner than later because
9:33
of that very calm at two way defenseman. I great skater. I can can move the puck pretty well
9:43
And the biggest thing I say, the biggest thing is that he can he's got that two way
9:47
game down already and he's probably one of the better defensive, better defensively
9:53
than most of the defensemen in this draft class. They always talk about the opposite of guys need to learn this
9:59
Dickinson doesn't need to. He's already has that. And he's very calm with the puck
10:03
He's very calm in his own zone. And like I said, I think he'll end up being in the NHL sooner because he already has
10:10
that. And whoever's getting Dickinson is going to end up having a surefire top pairing
10:16
defenseman. And. Yeah, that's more and more you can say about Dickinson, we've already said on multiple
10:24
other shows, and he's the fourth on this list. All right, Zane Parekh, number three, Saginaw Spirit, Jacob, what do you got
10:34
Yeah, he's the best offensive option in this draft. If you want anything offensively, he has he has that skill, whether you want it to be
10:42
his skating in the transition, whether you want it to be his playmaking on the power
10:46
play or finding the open seam from the point or a booming shot, he can do it all
10:52
Now, he doesn't have the best shot, but he he just adds a little bit of everything. He has all of the offensive skills that you would ever want out of a defenseman
11:01
Does he give up a little bit of the defensive game for his offense? Yes, that's
11:05
But like you mentioned, Matthew, you can teach that stuff. That's not something that just either comes naturally or you don't have it at all
11:13
It's something that you can teach and you can learn and you can get a system that supports you. Like we saw with Quinn Hughes, I'm sure he didn't learn how to play
11:19
defense over the summer. But Rick Tockett came in and put in a system that really supports Quinn Hughes's game
11:26
and lets the offense be the defense. Yes, he still plays good defensive hockey, but the best defense for Quinn Hughes is
11:32
playing offense. So the Perek is going to be the same way
11:36
He's 100 percent going to be the best offensive defenseman out of the draft
11:41
and he's going to go very high. I don't I don't see him going past Ottawa at seven
11:47
No, Perek is going to be end up being in the top 10 and could be higher
11:52
We'll see what other teams figure. But yeah, and he's right handed, which is a big thing, too
11:59
And that's and that's rarity for these type of offensive defensemen. There's not a lot of those guys
12:05
I mean, in general, there's not a lot of right right defense. There are a lot in this draft, though
12:10
So if you need a right defenseman, pick one up here. And Zane Freck's going to be one of the best, I think, from this draft, too
12:19
Right. Number two, Ziv Buam. Again, he's been talked about as rising up to where the Ducks are in this in this
12:28
draft, and that'd be a top five pick and that could end up happening
12:32
And he is number two on this list outstanding skater. One of the best again, one of the better skaters in this draft class
12:39
Great puck handler. Great, great compete level of work ethic, all that stuff
12:44
And and again, very calm, very mature for his age. I was really impressed with him at the World Juniors
12:50
I you know, being a draft eligible player playing in that tournament, the under 20 already and and not just playing there
12:57
But being noticeable in the gold medal game, I was really impressed by him
13:02
And that was quite a few months ago. And he's just kept playing that same type of game up into that
13:09
And that's that's I guess that's pretty big to be one of the USA's
13:13
top players at the World Juniors. That usually comes a little later on
13:17
And I kind of was reminded by, you know, how how it looked like with Buneers when he played at the World Juniors
13:27
And he entered the NHL and pretty much was good right off the bat
13:32
I think Buneers could definitely I don't know about coming to the NHL right away as a defenseman
13:37
But yeah, he's going to go high and going to end up being a very good
13:41
very good guy in the NHL one day. All right, over to you, Jake, for number one
13:48
Well, yeah, it's a little bit. Yeah, like he's obviously going to be the first defenseman taken
13:56
In the running, the second overall to the Chicago Blackhawks. I think the conversation now is whether it's going to be
14:01
Lev Shunov or Dmitrov. But if I'm Chicago, I'm leaning towards Lev Shunov
14:07
He's going to be a fantastic top pair defenseman. He's right handed
14:12
That's something that you really want out of a defenseman. There's not many. And he just plays a really solid two way game
14:18
He can play that offensive minded game where he, whether it's the first pass he's making out of the defensive zone
14:23
whether it's going to be through the transition in his skating or it's going to be in the offensive zone, make him plays
14:30
But he can also be a shutdown defenseman. Like he's one of those guys that you throw out there when
14:35
the other team has the empty net and you need to block a couple shots. You need to get the puck out
14:40
You need somebody to hold it against the boards for 25 seconds to kill a clock
14:45
I mean, he does everything he is. We've used the term before, but a Swiss army knife for defenseman
14:51
And he he can adapt to any situation. So Lev Shunov is going to bring a lot of very talented
14:59
play to whatever team drafts him. I agree on the Chicago pick
15:03
I think, you know, they've got their generational talent up front in Bedard
15:07
They need one on the back end. And I think Lev Shunov could definitely be that, you know, top pairing defenseman
15:13
And again, right shot. I mean, this is something you don't get all the time
15:18
These elite guys. And I think getting Demidov, I mean, obviously be a very good pick, too
15:24
But I think Lev Shunov is someone they need more at this point of their of the rebuild
15:29
I think he would anchor the defense while Bedard anchors the offense
15:33
I think that's a good start here. And they've got some great prospects in the pipeline
15:39
that can support Bedard at this point. And they're going to be adding more of this draft, too
15:43
So I think Lev Shunov is the. I don't know if it's a better pick, but I think it's a more logical pick
15:49
At this point. Yeah, absolutely. And like we talk about the right handed defense, but I mentioned this
15:55
on the Senators roundtable the other day, but there were only 52
15:59
right handed defensemen to play 50 games in the NHL this season. Yeah
16:03
No injuries happen and whatnot. And there's some players that were up and down, whatever
16:07
But only 50 players of the available 96 right handed defenseman spots
16:14
People need right handed defenseman. And that is an asset. It is. And that's the thing when you get a guy that could be
16:22
a high end top pairing, you know, could lead your defense for a decade
16:29
I think I think Lev Shunov is a good pick for Chicago, too
16:32
And and we'll see if they pick that. And it's not just us here saying this
16:37
There are a lot of, you know, people saying that Lev Shunov could be their pick
16:41
And we'll see what what actually happens when when the draft comes
16:45
But there's a top ten defenseman. Check out our top ten centers is ready out and make sure checking out
16:51
all of our other stuff on the draft guide with prospect profiles and other features that we've got coming out and all the other videos on
16:59
on the YouTube channel here and our 2020 foreign NHL draft coverage playlist
17:04
So check that out. And until our next video, we'll see you next time
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