Breaking down Central Scouting’s NHL Draft prospect list

Credit: Rich Gagnon/BU Athletics

The NHL’s Central Scouting Service released its initial watch list for the 2024 NHL Draft on Wednesday, with top prospects Macklin Celebrini and Cole Eiserman leading the way.

The list features players broken into five tiers: A (projected first-rounder), B (2nd-3rd rounder), C (4th-5th rounder) and W (6th-7th rounder). The final one, LV, or Limited Viewing, was used for just one player, Vasyl Spilka, who has yet to suit up for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

The list gives fans and media alike a good look at which players scouts across the league are keeping a close eye on. It’s not an exhaustive list, with players getting taken each year who didn’t appear until the midterm rankings or sometimes not at all.

If you’re looking for more players to know, my preseason NHL Draft ranking can be found here, with a 350-player watch list available here. Now, let’s break down the NHL CSS list:

The Best of the Best

The A-rated players – those that look like first-round picks – are mostly what you’d expect. Celebrini, Eiserman, Ivan Demidov, Artyom Levshunov and Berkly Catton are among the top prospects and their ratings reflect that.

Of the 28 ‘A’ rated players, 23 of them appear on my preseason NHL Draft rankings. A few that didn’t include Liam Greentree, Cayden Lindstrom, Adam Jecho, Lucas Pettersson and Matvei Shuravin. All except Shuravin just missed the cut (more on that later). Even though CSS is missing a few names to be a true first-round list, it’s a solid group with no complaints.

Unlike last year, when Michael Hrabal and Carson Bjarnasson were listed as A-rated goalie prospects, none made the cut this time around. Carter George and Ryerson Leenders (more on him later) were the two that were listed as C’s, with the rest being sprinkled throughout.

The Most Surprising ‘A’?

The name that caught my attention at the top was Matvei Shuravin, a 6-foot-3 defenseman out of CSKA’s junior program. I watched a bit of his footage over the weekend after checking out Dylan Griffing’s notes about the durable defender. Compared to many of the more high-output defenders we’ve seen as potential first-rounders, Shuravin prioritizes positioning in his own zone and developing strong defensive habits. He’s still a work in progress with the puck, but he doesn’t shy away from it, either. I’ll be keeping a closer eye on him.

Early-season Risers

Before the KHL regular season kicked off, nobody had Anton Silayev (A) high in the rankings. Heck, many scouts had no idea who he was. But the 6-foot-8, 17-year-old defender made noise with four points in his first four pro games this year while averaging around 20 minutes a night. That quickly thrust him into the top 10 of public draft charts and he has stuck around despite slowing down offensively. Still, he’s the only full-time U-18 KHLer and just two points behind Ottawa Senators forward Vladimir Tarsenko for the all-time KHL single-season scoring lead among 17-year-olds. Whether you believe the hype or not, his performance this year is far beyond anything we’ve seen from a young Russian defender in quite some time – and his build makes him so unique.

A similar sentiment goes for winger Terik Parascak (B) out of Prince George. After spending last year playing U-18 prep hockey, Parascak showed up in a big way, scoring 15 goals and 25 points in his first 12 games. That puts him on an 85-goal, 142-point pace, partly aided by his teammates Ondrej Becher and Zac Funk who occupy the top two spots in the scoring race. Scouts are worried about Parascak’s reliance on his teammates to produce, but he’s finishing at an exceptional rate. That can’t be ignored.

Another name to watch: Mississauga Steelheads goaltender Ryerson Leenders (B). After a difficult rookie campaign with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads, Leenders has an 8-1-0 record with two shutouts and a .932 save percentage already. To say he’s been a big part of Mississauga’s early success is an understatement with numerous 35-save-plus performances. Could he end up being the first goaltender taken?

Notable ‘W’ Ratings

I know I believe in Alexander Zetterberg more than most, but I’m not sure I’d peg him for a 5-7th rounder at this point. All he ever does is produce, whether it be with Sweden in international competition or with Orebro’s U-20 team. He’s fourth among U-18 scorers in the Swedish U-20 league with 18 points in 15 games and 26th overall. But he’s 5-foot-7, not a high-end skater and can struggle defensively, so I get the knocks against him.

And then there’s Mac Swanson, who thrived with 55 points in 57 games as a USHL rookie. He’s playing at just over a point-per-game pace, but I know scouts were hoping to see him explode after a solid Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament. He’s a high-energy forward with a great shot, but at 5-foot-7, you’ve got to do a lot more than just generate offense.

It wasn’t long ago that many scouts pegged Eemil Vinni as the top keeper for 2024. He was Finland’s starter at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and even saw some Liiga games in his 16-year-old season. But Vinni struggled at the U-20 level, had a rough U-18 World Championship and hasn’t shown the flashes of promise that made him such a highly regarded prospect at one point. He’s having a rough time in the second-tier Mestis, but so are JoKP’s other goalies.

Potential Risers

The ‘C’ group is the one with the most intrigue for me, with a handful of players I think will push themselves up the rankings before too long. While I can’t seem to have two consecutive viewings of Tomas Galvas that I like, I do believe the Czech defender could challenge for a top 60 spot in the draft. The smooth-skating, mobile defender has spent most of the year against men in the top Czech league, playing between 10-12 minutes most nights. He was a beast in the gold medal game of the Hlinka Gretzky, playing 28:34 in an overtime loss. Galvas isn’t big at 5-foot-10 and 148 pounds (according to the NHL’s CSS) and it shows at points, though.

Sticking in Czechia, I’ve really enjoyed defenseman Jakub Fibigr‘s game. I profiled him earlier this week, mostly focusing on his offensive game. But he’s a tremendous skater who uses his footwork to play aggressively and fight for pucks. Given his hot start to the year, I know scouts are keeping a closer eye on him moving forward.

One other I’ll mention: Sioux Falls’ Caleb Heil. The USHL keeper was great at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, starting all five games with big performances against Canada (even in a 7-2 loss), Finland and Sweden. The University of North Dakota commit is an athletic keeper who struggles to prevent rebounds, but he typically comes out on top. Figuring out how to manage traffic in front of the net is the next step in his development, but he has decent size and solid athleticism.

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