Your guide to the 2024 NHL draft: Bruins are back in the first round, and a BU Terrier is expected to go No. 1 - The Boston Globe (2024)

The San Jose Sharks, by finishing in last place and winning the draft lottery, are in line to select the talented forward, who turned 18 this month. Most evaluators expect the Blackhawks, who hold the No. 2 pick, to take Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov. Beyond that, it gets a little murky.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the draft, which begins Friday night in Las Vegas.

The basics

When: Friday, June 28, 7 p.m., and Saturday, June 29, 11:30 a.m.

Where: Sphere, Las Vegas

TV: ESPN (first round), NHL Network (Rounds 2-7)

When do the Bruins pick?

The Bruins did not have a pick until the fourth round entering the week, but they managed to move into the first round by shipping Linus Ullmark to Ottawa for a package that included the 25th selection. It is the pick the Bruins originally sent to Detroit to acquire Tyler Bertuzzi at the 2023 trade deadline. The Red Wings later moved that pick to Ottawa for forward Alex DeBrincat.

The Bruins’ second-round pick was shipped to the Ducks at the 2022 deadline as part of the package to land Hampus Lindholm, and they included their third-round pick in the deal to get Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals in February 2023.

The Bruins will have selections in the fifth and sixth rounds, but their seventh-round choice was sent to the Coyotes in February 2022 in exchange for Michael Callahan.

Here’s where the Bruins will be picking:

First round: 25th

Fourth round: 122nd

Fifth round: 154th

Sixth round: 186

First-round order

The first 16 picks were determined by the lottery. Picks 17 through 28 went to teams that lost during the first two rounds of the playoffs, with teams that did not win their division in inverse order of regular-season point totals. Following those teams is the one division winner that lost, the Canucks. Next are the conference runners-up, followed by the Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton, and champion Florida.

The Oilers traded their pick to the Ducks for forwards Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick on March 6. The Panthers sent their pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Claude Giroux on March 19, 2022.

1. San Jose Sharks
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. Anaheim Ducks
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
5. Montreal Canadiens
6. Utah
7. Ottawa Senators
8. Seattle Kraken
9. Calgary Flames
10. New Jersey Devils
11. San Jose Sharks (from Sabres)
12. Philadelphia Flyers
13. Minnesota Wild
14. Buffalo Sabres (from Sharks via Penguins)
15. Detroit Red Wings
16. St. Louis Blues
17. Washington Capitals
18. Chicago Blackhawks (from Islanders)
19. Vegas Golden Knights
20. New York Islanders (from Lightning via Blackhawks)
21. Los Angeles Kings
22. Nashville Predators
23. Toronto Maple Leafs
24. Colorado Avalanche
25. Boston Bruins
26. Montreal Canadiens (from Jets)
27. Carolina Hurricanes
28. Calgary Flames (from Canucks)
29. Dallas Stars
30. New York Rangers
31. Anaheim Ducks (from Oilers)
32. Philadelphia Flyers (from Panthers)

What did the Bruins do in 2023?

The Bruins made five picks in last year’s draft, but none in the first two rounds. Their first three selections were centers and are playing for notable college programs in the fall: Christopher Pelosi, Quinnipiac, at No. 92; Beckett Hendrickson, Minnesota, at 124; and Ryan Walsh, Cornell, at 188.

They added a pair of Swedes in the seventh round, taking forward Casper Nassen at 214 and defenseman Kristian Kostadinski at 220.

With the first pick …

San Jose general manager and Holliston native Mike Grier indicated he would select Celebrini — a fellow Terrier — at No. 1 shortly after the Sharks won the lottery. The only question surrounding the pick is whether Celebrini will sign right away and join Lexington native and former Boston College forward Will Smith, the No. 4 pick in last year’s draft who signed this spring, or opt for one more season at BU.

Here are some others who should be called shortly after Celebrini.

Artyom Levshunov, D, Michigan State (NCAA)

The third-youngest player in college hockey, Levshunov appeared in all 38 games for the Spartans and was the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. He led the conference with a plus-27 rating. At 6 feet 2 inches and 210 pounds, the puck-moving defenseman appears ready to make the jump.

Anton Silayev, D, Nizhny Novgorod (RUS)

The first thing scouts notice is his size. The 6-7 left-shot defenseman blocked 74 shots in 63 games in the KHL and was second on his team with 98 hits. He just turned 18 in April, and has been working on his offensive game after recording three goals and eight assists, the most points by a player under 18 in KHL history.

Cayden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat (WHL)

The two-way center had 27 goals in 32 games before back and hand injuries forced him to miss 36 games in the second half of the season. He returned for the postseason, notching a goal and an assist in four games, and appears to be back on track for 2024-25.

Ivan Demidov, RW, SKA St. Petersburg (RUS-JR)

After putting up 23 goals and 37 assists in 30 regular-season games, Demidov added 11 goals and 17 assists in 17 playoff games in Russia’s junior league. He is under contract with SKA St. Petersburg for the 2024-25 season.

Zeev Buium, D, Denver (NCAA)

Local fans will know the name from his assist on the insurance goal in Denver’s 2-0 win over BC in the national championship game. The second-youngest player in college hockey became the first Denver player in 40 years to reach 50 points, tallying 11 goals and 39 assists.

Locals who could be drafted

Celebrini could be reunited with Newburyport native Cole Eiserman. The two were roommates at Shattuck St. Mary’s, and some mock drafts had the Sharks selecting Eiserman with the 14th pick. On Thursday, San Jose traded up to the 11th spot by shipping the 14th and 42nd pick to Buffalo. Before he hits the NHL, Eiserman will skate for BU next season as a freshman.

Teddy Stiga’s stock rose after he tallied 36 goals and 43 assists in 61 games for the US National Team Development Program. The Sudbury native could vault into the first round, although it seems more likely that the BC commit will be taken in the second or third.

The rest of the local prospects appear to be Day 2 hopefuls, including Gio DiGiulian (South Burlington/Cornell), Ben Merrill (Hingham/Harvard), Landan Resendes (Marlboro/BC), Jack Sadowski (Arlington/University of New Hampshire), Will Felicio (Holden/Michigan), Owen Keefe (Saugus/Northeastern), Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass./UConn), JJ Monteiro (Hudson/Providence), and Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline/Harvard).

Other draft-eligible players committed or already playing for New England schools include Trevor Connelly and Tanner Adams (Providence), Cole Hutson (BU), Dean Letourneau (BC), Albin Boija (Maine), Joe Connor (Northeastern), and Heikki Ruohonen and Xavier Veilleux (Harvard).

Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney.