The NHL Draft lottery has just concluded and the Macklin Celebrini sweepstakes have a winner. Unfortunately, it will not be the New Jersey Devils. After lottery luck in 2017, 2019, and 2022, the Devils held pat and will be selecting 10th overall in June's NHL Draft.
The Devils entered Tuesday night with a 3.5% chance of winning the lottery after finishing the season with just 81 points. Lady luck was on the side of the San Jose Sharks, as they will get the right to select Boston University and Canadian phenom Macklin Celebrini.
The Devils, meanwhile, will be selecting in the top 10 of the Draft for the seventh time in 10 years. Their last top-10 selection came in 2022 when they took defenseman Simon Nemec.
Despite missing out on the top pick, this draft is regarded as a good but top-heavy one. With Luke Hughes and Nemec graduating to the NHL, the Devils prospect pool suddenly looks a little light. Seamus Casey, Lenni Hameenaho, and Arseni Gritsyuk now headline a once-flourishing farm system.
Outside of Celebrini, there is no consensus on where anyone else will go. Russian forward Ivan Demidov and Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov are the favorites to go two and three but are hardly locks.
As for the Devils, if they decide to go forward there are a few names to look out for. Kelowna forward and son of Jarome, Tij Iginla had a breakout year in the WHL, registering 84 points in 64 games, as well as scoring 12 points and capturing gold for Team Canada at the U18's. He's a high-IQ center/winger hybrid who has a pro-level wrist shot and frame.
Finnish center Konsta Helenius is another player to watch for the Devils. He just put up historic numbers in Liiga, scoring 36 points in 51 games. He plays a 200-foot game and will likely be a top-six forward for Team Finland at this year's World Championship.
If they look towards defense, keep an eye out for Sam Dickinson of the London Knights in the OHL and Anton Silayev out of the KHL. Dickonson is widely regarded as one of the best skating players in the draft. He has pro-ready size, a shot that rivals former London Knight, Evan Bouchard, and has improved his in-zone defending. His offense took a big jump this season, going from 23 points in 62 games in 2022-23, to 70 points in 68 games this past year.
As for Silayev, he was once mentioned as a potential top-three pick, but a season-ending knee injury has seen him slide down some rankings. He is a behemoth 6'7", but he skates incredibly well and has a solid offensive game. His 11 points this season also broke the KHL's U-18 scoring record, surpassing Vladimir Tarasenko. He's a player with a high ceiling who may need a few years to grow into his body before coming over to play regular NHL minutes.
Stay with us at Pucks and Pitchforks during draft season as we cover more players the Devils could target with not just the 10th pick but also later in the draft.