Toр 6 Potentіаl Pісks for Mарle Leаfs' Fіrst-Round Seleсtіon іn tһe 2024 NHL Drаft

2024 represents his second year of NHL Draft eligibility and he has turned heads all season long. The thing is, Basha is a threat from all areas of the ice, whether that be with or without the puck. If he’s given creative freedom along with time, it’s a recipe for disaster for the opposing team. He’s able to create space for himself while at the same time, capable of making his teammates around him better. Overall, he’s a forward who can hurt you in more ways than one – very dynamic.

Basha is projected to be drafted anywhere between the late teens to mid-to-late twenties, making him available for the Leafs at pick number 23. If he is available at pick 23, the Leafs should nab the six-foot, 185-pound forward. As a left-handed shot, he has many applicable NHL factors as facets in his game already at only 18 years old. Though he would need to further adjust to the physical aspects of the game, with time, he could become a prospect that jumps off the page even more than he does now.

Michael Hage, C/RW, Chicago Steel (USHL)

At a stature of 6-foot-1, Michael Hage poses himself as another viable option for the Leafs if he is available at pick number 23. The Mississauga, native has excellent skating abilities paired with a high hockey IQ and intelligence that allows him to thrive offensively. In his 2023-24 campaign, Hage scored 33 goals and added 42 assists which was good enough for 75 points in just 54 games. In two postseason games, he scored two goals along with two assists for four points.

Hage can play up the middle or on the right wing, primarily playing center. Despite his size, Hage checks a ton of boxes as a versatile forward with an elite offensive presence. Defensively, he works hard and pays attention to detail while being engaged with the play at all times.

2024 marks his first year of NHL Draft eligibility, and it’s certainly promising. Averaging 1.39 points per game is impressive, especially when considering his 18-year-old status in the USHL. Hage is projected to go anywhere in the latter stages of the first round to early in the second round, but he could very well find himself in the early twenties given the upside he possesses. If still around, depending on how the draft falls, Hage could be an excellent first-round selection to add to their forward prospect pool.

Emil Hemming, RW, TPS (SM Liiga)

In The Hockey News’ Tony Ferrari’s final mock draft, he has the Maple Leafs selecting Emil Hemming with the 23rd overall pick. Hemming, a six-foot right-handed winger, plays like a power forward. The Finnish native spent the 2023-24 season playing in the Liiga, the top league in Finland, where he scored seven goals and tacked on four assists for a measly 11 points in 40 games played. However, given the circumstances at just 17 years of age, this sample size can be somewhat misleading. His role with the team was found on the fourth line, in a less offensive and minute-heavy opportunity unlike many other projected first-rounders.

In Finland’s U20 league, he was outstanding, scoring 11 goals and tallying an additional seven assists through 13 games before transitioning to Liiga. Standing at 6-foot-2, he has a wicked shot and one-timer while playing a heavy game offensively. With long and lustrious strides, he can accelerate fairly quickly and becomes a threat when given the open ice to be mobile. 2024 marks his first year of NHL Draft eligibility and there are still areas of his game he can improve on while still being a young prospect that would help better round out his game. 

Ferrari had this to say on the forward: “Hemming is exactly what you think of when you think of a Finnish forward. He plays a heavy game, understands how to play within the structure of his team and always seems to be making the right play. He lacks the puck skill or dynamism of some of the higher-end players in this draft, but he is an enthusiastic worker with and without the puck.”

Ferrari further noted that he could turn into a “legitimate power-play weapon" and would “hunt pucks down”. Hemming is projected to be drafted anywhere between the late teens to mid-to-late twenties and could become a valuable scoring threat in the Leafs’ system if the club opts to jump on him at pick 23.

Terik Parascak, RW, Prince George (WHL)

Perhaps the most electrifying player and final forward on this list is right-winger Terik Parascak. The Lethbridge, Alberta, native, exploded offensively for the Prince George Cougars in the WHL this past season scoring a remarkable 43 goals paired with 62 assists, amounting to an astonishing 105 points in 68 regular season games. Impressively, he then followed up his play from the regular season into the postseason, where he finished with six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 12 games.

Parascak has a nose for the net and has the potential to work himself, eventually, into a solid role in the NHL. Overall, he ranked ninth in the WHL in points and 10th in goals this season… as a rookie. He has substantial firepower upfront with any version of putting points on the board considering a strength in his game, whether it’s goals or assists. What is likely going to hold him out from being selected earlier is his skating and defensive abilities which need some work, but he’s still only 18 years of age. 

At six feet tall and 176 pounds, 2024 is his first year of NHL Draft eligibility, and he will have plenty of suitors. He is projected to be a late first-round pick or a player who could fall into the laps of a team in the second, but for the Leafs, this is a player that holds tremendous value… a smaller stature, one hundred point scorer in Junior, right-winger, sound familiar? This would be a pick many could deem as a prominent selection throughout the first couple of rounds when looking back on the 2024 Draft.

Aron Kiviharju, D, HIFK (SM Liiga)

Kiviharju, when healthy, is a dynamic, two-way, and a big shot on the blueline. As a left-handed shot and given the interest to rebuild the backend from general manager Brad Treliving, maybe he starts by selecting Kiviharju in the draft.

Kiviharju, the Finnish native, played for the HIFK in the Liiga. Although his stock has dropped significantly due to an injury that required knee surgery, holding him to only seven games of action this season, Kiviharju was at one point considered a top prospect in this draft – and the Leafs could capitalize on that. When evaluating his game, let’s look back at his previous season. In 2022-23, Kiviharju had 20 points (2G, 18A) in 22 games for TPS U20, 19 points (3G, 16A) for the Finland U18 International-Jr team, and six points (1G, 5A) for the Finland U18 team in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Kiviharju is an elite skater with excellent puck-moving abilities as he possesses sharp vision when creating breakout or entry passes. As a player who is patient and smart with the puck, he can become a steady NHL defenseman. At 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, questions may arise about his effectiveness, but in today’s NHL it can be argued that if they have the skillset, it’s been proven to be enough – just look at Quinn Hughes (5-foot-10) and Adam Fox (5-foot-11).

Health will be the main concern here. For the Leafs, it could be a risk, but if it pans out, it would turn out to be a fantastic choice at pick number 23 for a player who was at one point, considered an early first-round selection.

E.J. Emery, D, USA NTDP (USHL)

E.J. Emery was impressive at this year’s NHL Combine, finishing atop many testing categories including the horizontal jump, vertical jump, no arm jump, and body fat percentage. Spending last season with USA NTDP in the USHL, Emery is an outstanding defensive defenseman with great puck-moving skills. Funny enough, the 17-year-old is actually Canadian but holds dual citizenship through his parents, allowing him to represent the United States. 

Despite other defensemen who may possess a similar skillset, Emery has a great feel for the game with a defensive mindset. He excels when delivering tape-to-tape passes and preventing highly dangerous scoring chances from happening while being an excellent skater to have on the ice at five-on-five and on the penalty kill.

At a whopping 6-foot-3, his length is used to his advantage. Poke checks, lifting of sticks, and failed zone entries all result from the play of Emery, a true shutdown defenseman who weighs out to be 185 pounds. He can utilize his vision to make exquisite and pristine first passes, while effectively controlling the pace of play with his composed tempo. As mentioned, the Leafs have an interest in adding to their backend in the immediate future, what better way than adding a 6-foot-3 rock-solid defender in Emery to help bolster the blueline for years to come?