Marc Dumont
We’ve already covered the players we think will be picked first to fourth, as well as fifth to eighth overall in our 2024 Montreal Hockey Now mock draft, which means it’s time for the next batch of players.
No need to get fancy, you know the drill, here are picks nine to 12 from our mock draft, with the Calgary Flames now on the clock!
9. Calgary Flames: Tij Iginla, LW/C
As if scripted by Hollywood, the Flames get their hands on the son of one of their franchise’s most legendary player: Tij Iginla, son of Jarome. This is not a reach for a feel-good story to appease a disappointed fan base by any means, as Tij is expected to be taken around that range.
Tij Iginla now has 40 goals on the season – 6th most in the WHL.
Shoots it like pops.
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) February 25, 2024
While he’s not (currently) built like his father, Tij plays a strong forechecking game along the boards and is a relentless puck hound who does a great job pressuring opponents. He can rip the puck, too, as his 47 goals in 84 games in the Western Hockey League (WHL) can attest to.
A remarkable match made in heaven.
I’m not crying, you’re crying!
10. New Jersey Devils: Beckett Sennecke, RW
The Devils have been maligned for their lack of toughness and the cuteness with which their forwards tend to play.
Naturally, they elect for a big, rangy winger, who’s hard to contain and can drive the net over a smaller, arguably more talented players like Berkly Catton.
As the wings are starting to get crowded, it also makes trading Alexander Holtz more palatable, he who doesn’t seem to be in the good graces of Tom Fitzgerald.
Sennecke’s stock kept soaring over the course of the second half of his season, as he not only started to rack more points, but also seemed to adjust and grow confident into a frame that rapidly developed in a short time.
Clipping up some Beckett Sennecke highlights and some of the stuff he does on the ice is straight up comical #2024NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/Jaea4MAQNf
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) May 26, 2024
The 6’2 Oshawa General winger can deke defenders one-on-one, and receive bad passes without missing a stride, before gaining the zone and making plays.
11. Buffalo Sabres: Carter Yakemchuk, RD
With an embarrassment of riches on the left side of their defensive core with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Bowen Byram, the right side is left unbalanced.
To address that, they go for a big, offensive-minded 6’3 right-handed defender. Riding shotgun to Owen Power could be the perfect situation for Yakemchuk, whose high-flying offence can affect the effectiveness of his defensive game, at times. Playing with Power could mask that.
First WHL defenceman to 20 goals: ✅
Career high in goals: ✅
Highlight reel goal: ✅2024 #NHLDraft prospect Carter Yakemchuk is having quite an afternoon!@WHLHitmen pic.twitter.com/VOjzFLydDa
— The WHL (@TheWHL) January 28, 2024
Yakemchuk can also play with a mean edge, something the Sabres are starting to embrace as a team trait.
Seems like a good fit.
12. Philadelphia Flyers: Cole Eiserman, LW
General Manager Daniel Brière is not afraid to grab a player whose attitude and reputation come with a question mark. In the midst of a slow rebuild (stuck in no man’s land, drafting in the teens ranks), he has to maximize the value and upside of the picks he’s dealt.
At the start of the season, Eiserman was touted as a potential challenger for Macklin Celebrini’s first overall status, before falling from grace due to concerns about his overall game. That said, his elite shot and natural ability to score haven’t vanished, and at 12, this is a fantastic skill set to bet on.
They probably think long and hard about Berkly Catton, here, as he’s a centre (a position of need) but with the likelihood of Catton becoming a winger in the NHL due to his small stature, they elect for a bigger, natural winger, here.
Most goals all-time with the USNTDP:
• Cole Caufield 126
• Cole Eiserman 121With a hat trick so far today, Eiserman is making his run at the record. pic.twitter.com/g9Kee7xfQS
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) April 25, 2024
One of the youngest players in this draft, Esierman also a longer runway for a boost in maturity and overall development.
That could prove to be a franchise-altering decision, a few years down the road.
With the potential of reuniting Eiserman, the all-time US NTDP goal-scoring record holder (just ahead of Cole Caufield), and Matvei Michkov, their first-round selection in 2023, they could have one of the NHL’s most potent young winger duo in the making.
Join us tomorrow, as we continue with selections 13 to 16 of our 2024 NHL Mock Draft.
Graphics made by Annik Lemire.
