Aron Kiviharju could be a first-round steal in the 2024 NHL Draft

Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis joined Daily Faceoff Live to discuss Finnish defenseman Aron Kiviharju and why he could become a first-round steal in the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas next weekend.

Frank Seravalli: Is there a player later in the first round that you think has star potential? I am thinking along the lines of Lane Hutson going at No. 62, solely because of his size. But is there someone who might not be as polished that could keep them out of the top 10 that could pop?

Steven Ellis: The name I want to circle here is Aron Kiviharju. I think we were talking about him when he was like 12 years old, which is kind of creepy. But the fact was he was playing against 16-year-olds and was always playing against older competition and finding ways to shine. If you asked me two years ago, which is a long time in draft terms, Celerbini wasn’t close to him. Like Kivihajru was just always far ahead of the curve, the issue is he’s listed at 5-10, he never really grew so a defenseman like that not growing isn’t ideal. He has a ton of skill, not have the most impressive numbers at the U-18s this year, but he did put up some of the best numbers we had seen from an underage defender in 2022 and 2023. He has so much skill but missed a lot of time this year due to a knee injury, I think he played in a total of 20 games this year. I think this is someone who might go 25,26,27 or even outside the first round but could be a top-10 talent once team’s are confident in saying “Yes he missed time, but the skill never went away.”

Frank Seravalli: So if you’re a team with multiple first-round picks like Calgary, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Anaheim, all late in that first-round stage. Is that the guy they go after when they have an extra bullet in the chamber?

Steven Ellis: Absolutely, you mention all those teams and there are so many good teams he would be a good fit on. I would argue that Toronto at No. 23 would be a good fit, it’s not the right-handed defender they need but they’re missing a defenseman who can be a high-impact player in the NHL. But again it’s about how teams feel about his recovery and everything due to the knee injury. If I had two picks, I would go after him no question.