Ever since November, when it was clear the Minnesota Wild would not make the playoffs, and then around the end of March, when it was extremely clear, the State of Hockey has been waiting for the 2024 NHL Draft. Well, you've got one day left before finding out what this season of pain will bring to Minnesota. Still, it's tough to be patient, so we're scouring every mock draft we can find today.
Just like last year, we're going to make history not by judging the NHL Draft as it happens but before it happens based on various mock drafts. Minnesota skipped over the most mocked names and drafted Charlie Stramel, who probably would've gotten a grade somewhere in the C to C-minus range in last summer's version of this piece.
Ever since November, when it was clear the Minnesota Wild would not make the playoffs, and then around the end of March, when it was extremely clear, the State of Hockey has been waiting for the 2024 NHL Draft. Well, you've got one day left before finding out what this season of pain will bring to Minnesota. Still, it's tough to be patient, so we're scouring every mock draft we can find today.
Just like last year, we're going to make history not by judging the NHL Draft as it happens but before it happens based on various mock drafts. Minnesota skipped over the most mocked names and drafted Charlie Stramel, who probably would've gotten a grade somewhere in the C to C-minus range in last summer's version of this piece.
Will the Wild stick to the consensus or go iconoclastic again with the No. 13 pick this year? That's a question for tomorrow. Today, we're looking at those mock drafts from national media to decide whether Minnesota passes or fails on the Day Before Draft Day.
Cole Eiserman, LW, US NTDP
Joe Smith, The Athletic (Staff Mock Draft)
Craig Button, TSN
If you're serious about adding goals, the Wild should be serious about adding Eiserman. It's still a bit mind-blowing that Eiserman could enter the season as a consensus Top-2 pick in 2024, score 73 goals, and then drop to the mid-teens by consensus. But that's what happened here.
We detailed Eiserman's game and its defensive concerns in May. These flaws aren't manufactured, but similar things were said about Phil Kessel when he fell from a consensus top pick to No. 5 in his draft in 2006. Whose had the last laugh there?
The only argument against Eiserman is whether there's a player more likely to become a sure thing. Smith left the guy coming up next on this list off the table, a small knock. But Button let top speedster Berkly Catton drop to the Detroit Red Wings at 15. Still, love seeing the commitment to goals and picking a prospect with a superpower. Eiserman has one in his shot, and the Wild would do well to take that as a starting point and build around that.
Grade: A-minus (Smith); B-plus (Button)
Konsta Helenius, C, Liiga (Jukurit)
Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
Mike Morreale, NHL.com
Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News
Chris Peters, FloHockey
Dimitri Filipovic, HockeyPDOcast
The Wild continue to load up at the center position after snagging pivots in the first round of the 2020 (Marco Rossi), 2022 (Danila Yurov), and 2023 (Stramel) Drafts. They're adding to a collection of pivots that also includes second-rounders Marat Khusnutdinov, Rasmus Kumpulainen, and Riley Heidt.
Is that overkill? Nope. You never really know if a center in juniors, college, or Europe will stay that way in the NHL. Helenius adds a level of insurance to that mix, bringing the kind of high-level two-way play that could give them their version of Anton Lundell or Joel Eriksson Ek circa 2021. He's got strong underlying numbers in Finland's Liiga, and his pre-draft production suggests he also has offensive upside. He's a high-floor, high-ceiling player, and that's a great thing to have at 13th overall.
Grade: A
Zayne Parekh, RD, OHL, Saginaw Spirit
Adam Kimmelman, NHL.com
Corey Pronman, The Athletic
It's a little tough to believe that Parekh could fall to No. 13. Sure, the draft is somewhat of a toss-up in the 6-to-15 range, but Parekh is likely to go early. Elite Prospects' Consolidated Draft Rankings have him seventh in his class, and Bob McKenzie has him eighth in his final ranking.
However, at least two people believe he could be there for the Wild, so let's look at what makes Parekh special. As a right-shot defenseman, he's someone that Minnesota would hope could slide into Jared Spurgeon's role behind Brock Faber in a few years. Parekh could do that and more.
Parekh is skilled enough to overtake Faber on the power play, even if you'd still want Faber on the ice in the toughest situations. "His brain operates differently from other players... in how he sees the ice and can take an extra second with the puck to create a scoring chance," says Pronman regarding Parekh's hockey sense. "He skates well and can attack with his speed and skill."
Elite Prospects compares his game to Quinn Hughes and Roman Josi in their Draft Guide, giving Parekh high marks almost across the board (his only "average" grade is physicality). He destroyed the OHL this season, scoring 33 goals and 91 points, which led all defensemen -- not just draft-eligible ones -- in the league.
Judd Brackett's greatest success as a scout arguably was scooping up Quinn Hughes seventh overall in 2017. One has to think getting the next guy to be compared to him would be very tempting and would be incredible value at 13.
Grade: A-plus
Stian Solberg, LD, Norway EliteHockey Ligaen (Våleregna)
Adam Kimmelman, NHL.com
The Score Staff
After seeing critical pieces in their defense prospect group (2021 first-rounder Carson Lambos, 2020 second-rounder Ryan O'Rourke, 2020 third-rounder Daemon Hunt) off to slow starts at the pro level, the Wild go for a big, physical defenseman in Solberg. The hope is that the elite skating and hammer-like hits that made him a late riser mean that the Norwegian prospect is on an upward trajectory.
On principle, it's hard to give a high grade for a defensive defenseman with this high of a pick. They have to either be a Jonas Brodin-level defender or find another level of uncovered offensive upside to be worth it, especially if the Wild are passing on elite offensive options. You understand Minnesota's need, but if they pass on Eiserman (as Kimmelman did) or both Helenius and Eiserman (as The Score did), there should be a trade-down to get something else.
Then again, Minnesota identified Faber as someone with untapped offensive upside. If Brackett and his scouts see similar things in Solberg, you have to give them at least some benefit of the doubt.
Grade: B-minus (Kimmelman); C (The Score)
Carter Yakemchuk, RD, WHL (Calgary Hitmen)
Jason Bukala, Sportsnet
No surprise here to see Yakemchuk in one of these mock drafts. As we noted earlier this month, Yakemchuk's skill set seems tailor-made for what the Wild are missing on the blue line. He's a bit of the Matt Dumba Special, with an elite shot and the ability to throw big hits. Not many defensemen score 30 goals in juniors (not even Dumba), but Yakemchuk is on that list.
There are differences between Yakemchuk and Dumba. Yakemchuk boasts a size advantage (he's 6-foot-3) and game-breaking puck-handling skills, while Dumba was a much better skater coming out of the draft. It's not a one-to-one, but at his best, Yakemchuk can provide Minnesota with their most dynamic threat on defense since pre-career-altering-injury Dumba.
Grade: A
While Minnesota is technically at the mercy of the 12 teams picking ahead of them, it will be hard for them to be in a position where they're not getting a chance at one or perhaps even two or three really strong options. Even the names in the next tier down (Solberg, Liam Greentree, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Beckett Sennecke) are fairly defensible at 13, depending on their options. There are many ways for Friday night to go very right for Minnesota.
