The ping pong balls have spoken. The lineup for the first half of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft is officially set. For the first time since the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the draft lottery did not create a change in the order of selection. With the San Jose Sharks winning first and the Chicago Blackhawks winning second in the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, the Columbus Blue Jackets will be standing pat and picking fourth overall.
This is the fourth time that the Blue Jackets will be picking fourth in the draft. The last time they did so was in 2010 when they picked up Ryan Johansen. Johansen became an All-Star center for the team before being swapped in a one-for-one deal with the Nashville Predators, netting defenseman Seth Jones for Ohio’s team. Before that were the skilled, but troubled winger Nikolai Zherdev in 2003 and longtime stalwart defender Rostislav Klesla with the franchise’s first-ever draft choice in 2000.
Not much is in stone for the upcoming selection process, aside from Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini most likely to be picked first overall. Celebrini’s 2023-24 season was among the best in NCAA history. He became the fourth freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in American college hockey. The only other freshmen to do so were Paul Kariya – who was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017 – along with Vegas Golden Knights’ top center Jack Eichel and Blue Jackets’ third overall pick in 2023, Adam Fantilli. Celebrini is the youngest of the bunch, finishing this season still as a 17-year-old.
Related: Blue Jackets Must Improve Hiring Practices for Top Talent
The 2024 NHL Entry Draft will be on June 28-29 in Las Vegas at the Vegas Sphere. It is likely to be the last draft held in a centralized location with representatives from all 32 teams in the same place. Starting in 2025, the event will be held virtually so team executives can have access to all personnel in real-time and each market can host their own events.
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