1- Devon.  Macklin Celibrini.  He's already shown he is a good NHL player at only 18 years of age.  By his 20's he SHOULD be great.  We shall see.  But it's a two-horse race in this draft, and Dev has tipped his hat and told us he's going with the, probably safest, selection at number one. 

2- Rex.  Ivan Demidov.  This pick is a no-brainer.  The electrifying Russian might be the most purely skilled forward in this draft, and is not scared to mix it up when needed.  The Habs, unfortunately, will be good for years, and the offense will go through Demidov. 

3- Joe Bast.  Beckett Sennecke.  The forward, at least, with most upside left on the board is Sennecke.  The lanky winger, tore it up last season, and took things to another level in the OHL playoffs.  Joe sounds thrilled to own this selection.

4- Dan.  Zayne Parekh.  The biggest reason Dan couldn't quite get his team over the hump last season was likely that he had virtually no offense from the back-end.  Cue the Karlsson/Hughes-like Zayne Parekh to save the day.  He was hot in the 1st half, but then exploded 2nd half.  Physical to boot.

5- Dan.  Sam Dickinson.  His numbers were very good.  Possibly inflated slightly due to playing in London.  But he not only can produce, he can defend and is big.  Moves very well for a big man too. 

6- Rich.  Tij Iginla.  Although there are franchise D-men available, Uncle Rich does not appear to be landing the value that he'd like for Sergachev and Provorov.  He grabs a forward with oodles of upside who will be a fan favourite for years to come.

7- Doc.  Artyom Levshunov.  Doc, on the other hand, could probably use one of those franchise-type D-men mentioned.  Let's face it, Kevin Korchinski is flashy, but he's not on Levshunov's level.  Levshunov will get lots of time on both special teams down the road. 

8- Matt.  Carter Yakemchuk.  Taking over from Toby, I'm sure Matt has noticed Toby's forward-heavy former roster.  With that in mind, Matt snags one of the meaner, grittier, two-way defenders we've seen in quite some time... from the real-life Sens, for his BRHL Sens.

9- Dan.  Cayden Lindstrom.  The top-tiered D-men from the 2024 NHL draft are not all gone, but Dan decides to snag one forward in his 3 top 10 picks.  Lindstrom is your prototypical power forward with as much, if not more, upside than Byfield has.

10- Garrett.  Anton Silayev.  The closest thing to a Chris Pronger or Zdeno Chara that we've seen... since Pronger and Chara... Garrett, who knows the sim and its love for size, hitting, and defending, well, snags his cornerstone defender for the next decade plus. 

11- Jesse.  Zeev Buium.  Maybe the last of the franchise-type defensemen available, Jesse snags the already somewhat pro-experienced Buium at 11.  While he didn't take off in the second half like Parekh or Dickinson, he's got one of the highest floors of any draft-eligible player.

12- Steve.  Berkly Catton.  Despite being undersized, Steve has been watching the real-life Habs for years now, and realizes that the special ones do make it and can be good.  With Lindstrom off the board, Steve selects the next best forward available.

13- Rumpy.  Jett Luchanko.  Rumpy is another sim vet who knows the sim isn't all about two-way players, but it plays a major part, and Luchanko is as responsible as they come.  Looked great at the Flyers camp, and was relied heavily upon in the AHL playoffs. 

14- Eric F.  Konsta Helenius.  This is where we often start to see a run of the best defensive/two-way forwards get selected.  Helenius fits that mold nicely.  Something common amongst Finnish players.  Was also trusted a lot in the AHL playoffs last season, rightfully so. 

15- Brayden.  Liam Greentree.  Our first massive jump, Greentree lit it up last season, outperforming his draft slot at the offensive end of things.  Some scouts say he doesn't move great, but he's a fairly big-body, so that comes with the territory. 

16- Tyler B.  Terik Parascak.  Back to the two-way forwards we go.  Parascak was counted on in all situations last year, playing major PK minutes all season long.  He is an analytics darling, driving lines and making his linemates around him much better.

17- Rumpy.  Cole Hutson.  Rumpy usually rolls to the beat of his own drum, but Jared, who is well respected for his hockey knowledge, is very high on Hutson, and Rumpy takes note.  He's all over the ice and plays bigger than his size. 

18- Sumit.  Cole Eiserman.  This just seems like a Sumit pick.  There are questions about his defensive play, but he's probably the best goal scorer available in this range.  Can snipe from anywhere and in many different ways.

19- Kevin.  Carter George.  Kevin has a million skaters, so I say he goes tendy with this pick.  Very positionally sound with good mechanics, George was stellar at the World Juniors, and held a poor Owen Sound team in games they didn't deserve to be in last year.

20- Brayden.  Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.  After selecting the offensive, Greentree, Brayden decides to complement him with Brandsegg-Nygard.  He can hit, skate, score, and defend, and was also impressive in both the AHL and SEL playoffs. 

21- Doc.  Trevor Connelly.  Doc needed some talent up front after his 1st pick, and takes the fast and flashy Connelly, who can mix it up also, and has been a fan favourite and dominated at every international tournament he's attended.  He's lanky, so some bulking up will do him wonders. 

22- Larry.  Stian Solberg.  Larry's got some aging D-men on his roster, so the intriguing Solberg ends up heading to Washington at pick 22.  He can seemingly do a bit of everything, got stronger as the year progressed, and is very trusted by all his coaches.

23- Tyler W.  Matvei Gridin.  Another line-driving analytics darling, I just feel as if Tyler is on top of those types of prospects, and snags Gridin at 23.

24- Dan S.  Yegor Surin.  I can't shy completely away from the temptation of drafting at least one Nashville prospect, and one power-forward/physical type of player.  He looked like an NHL-ready young man last year in the KHL, so I'm banking he is just that. 

25- Vardy.  Michael Hage.  As safe and projectable of a prospect that you're going to find in the 2nd half of the 1st round.  Responsible in all zones and plays multiple positions.  The Habs cupboards are full, so hopefully he doesn't get lost in the shuffle. 

26- Dan S.  Adam Jiricek.  A likely future sim darling.  It pained me to move Guhle last year, so I'm hoping Jiricek can fill that crushing, empty void left in my heart.  A strong, minute munching D-man, who can be counted on in every situation. 

27- Jesse.  Harrison Brunicke.  Physical, great at both ends of the rink, and can skate.  He's rising quickly and did all this as one of the younger 2024 draft picks.  Both Jesse and the real-life Pens need players with high upside, and Brunicke fits that mold.

28- Brayden.  Sam O'Reilly.  Heavily influenced by the Cordells and being related to them by marriage, Brayden snags the very well rounded and well liked by one of the Cordells (won't say who), Sam O'Reilly at 28.  He's great on draws and has a solid two-way game.

29- Joe Isles.  Ilya Protas.  The offensive numbers popped last year in junior.  His foot speed and agility are question marks surrounding whether he can do it at the pro-level.  But the 24-25 numbers are too gaudy not to take a shot at. 

30- Pat.  Igor Chernyshov.  Almost the exact same scouting report as Protas above.  Still not a great skater, but he's a touch smaller, so maybe his mobility is better and his game translates well.  Great numbers in a smaller sample size.

31- Kevin.  Marek Vanaker.  Kev generally doesn't go for the two-way stars as much as the offensive guys, but could that be why he's always a bridesmaid and never a bride?  He switches things up and goes after the two-way pivot who should bring some stability to the real-life Hawks too. 

32- Toby.  Ben Danford.  Toby often goes homer (has a few teams), and often goes forward.  He bucks one trend here as he decides to pick up the solid young Leafs defender.  A character player, Danford should be handed the PP reigns this season and his numbers should jump.