Macklin Celebrini #1
What he accomplished to date would be impressive even if he were on the older side of 2024 draft eligibles. It’s even more impressive because of his June birthday.His profile has it all, too. He’s a natural center. He plays with confidence and presence that is rare in a player his age, consistently looking to attack and dictate with the puck. He’s also an intelligent off-puck player who understands timing, routes and how to get open and make himself available without the puck in his hands. He’s a plus-level skater and excellent transition puck transporter who has an impressive ability to giddy up and drive the middle third. He's quick and hard to track on turns. He’s a hardworking player defensively, and into battles and races for pucks. He’s got dynamic puck skills that allow him to break down opponents and coverage at speed. He’s a tactile shooter and finisher who can get pucks off in a variety of ways, from a variety of stances, and without needing to tunnel vision for it (plus he has a hard and comfortable one-timer). He’s consistent in approach. He sees and executes through seams with a lot of crispness. He is sturdy and thick for his age and absorbs and plays through bumps extremely effectively, staying over pucks and extending sequences through a strong lower half. Those tools, combined with excellent puck-protection skills and an aggressive approach, allow him to play a heavy-skill game.
Cole Eiserman #3
A dynamic goal scorer in the truest sense, Eiserman possesses an exhilarating ability to cleanly pick his spots in the net and beat defenders and goalies one-on-one when the shot isn’t there. He can score in every way: long range, midrange, jam plays, rush plays, quick hands in tight, the one-timer, a lethal catch and release (there isn't a pass he can't take and get off). Last year, he showed one of the better shots and sets of hands I’ve seen in a player that age. This year, he's on track to break or challenge Cole Caufield's NTDP goal-scoring record. He’s actually two and a half months younger than Celebrini, too, with a late-August birthday that makes him one of the youngest players in the draft.
I actually think he's a better skater than he has been given credit for in conversations I’ve had with folks about him, too, but it’s his puck skill, quick release, shot variety (he can rip it in motion, off catch and releases, standing still and from a one-timer, and he’ll make goalies guess wrong in alone because of how fast his hands are) and sneaky strength (when he uses it, which he has started to do more of) that allows him to create at will against his peers.
He can frustrate, though, too, and scouts desperately want to see him round out his game. He can be a little careless and selfish with the puck. He can get carried away trying to do too much, stickhandling into trouble or shooting into shin pads. The play selection and habits definitely need some work, and have led to many understandably lowering him outside the top-three range I still have him in (though I am less sure about it than I thought I'd be). He doesn’t miss when he’s got an opportunity, though, and it's so, so hard to find goal scorers like him outside of the very top of the draft.
Cole Hutson #30
Here I am, once more, ready to bet that a Hutson will grow a couple of inches and emerge as the best of the bunch from his NTDP class (seeing as teammate Logan Hensler, who is a different animal, is in the 2025 draft class). Cole’s point-per-game U17 season (and well above point-per-game U18 team production) at the program last year was actually more prolific than Lane’s was, and he did it while four and a half months younger than his brother was at the same age (Cole has a summer birthday). He was the most talented defenseman on either of the NTDP’s teams last year. This year, though the points haven't come quite as easily for him, it's clear Cole is trying to really dial in his game defensively, and the play creation has still been ther.
Cole's got more of a physical element to his game than Lane does and plays opponents really hard so that his size is less noticeable, gluing himself to them in order to be as disruptive as possible. He was the most impressive 2024 defenseman at the U18 worlds for me, too, playing 17 to 19 minutes per game as an underager. He quickly identifies second and third options, often a step ahead of opposing structures. The way he shows one thing and does another is pretty unique. His little hesitations in control into quick, decisive attacking moments grab your attention and allow him to make plays past the first layer. He has the puck on a string at times. I think he’s a better skater than his big brother was at the same age.
Kamil Bednarik #45
Bednarik's an easy player to like and is well-liked by scouts for his consistency and his know-how. He's a heady, methodical player who makes little plays all over the ice and does everything well without having the dynamic quality you'd see in a first-rounder. He's got well-rounded skill and has shown he can stir the drink and make a play, depending on what's called for. He also plays to his linemates' strengths, which has made him a natural fit with different players at the program. His skating isn't a strength and it can be a little stilted at times, but I'd say his speed is average. I think we're going to see more offense out of him in college, too. He hasn't shown the flash of some of the other 2006s at the program, but there's some talent there and he reads and anticipates play quite well.
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