The 2024 NHL Draft will be held at The Sphere in Las Vegas on June 28-29. The New York Islanders will select 18th overall in the first round along with four other selections throughout the draft. They traded their 2024 third-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Pierre Engvall and their 2024 seventh-round pick to the St. Louis Blues for Robert Bortuzzo. With the selections they have now, how might the draft play out? This will be a mix of what I believe they should do and what I think they will do.
First Round: Islanders Select Teddy Stiga
The Islanders will make a selection in the first round for the first time since 2019 when they took Simon Holmstrom. Typically, teams do not draft the same position in the first round in consecutive drafts, but given the five-year gap, that will not be a factor. While there could be some strong defensemen available at this pick, the middle of the first round consists of more forwards than defensemen, so that is the direction they will likely go.
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With the 18th overall pick, the Islanders select Teddy Stiga, a left-handed left wing who spent the past two seasons with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP). He is just 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds but is a high-motor, hard-working forward who can create offense from anywhere. He finished third in scoring for the USNTDP this past season, beating out fellow 2024 draft-eligible forwards Kamil Bednarik, Christian Humphreys, Max Plante, and Brodie Ziemer.
Stiga’s ranking varies by who you ask, with some placing him in the top 20 and some outside the second round. However, he has recently surged up draft boards due to his performance at the 2024 U18 Men’s World Championship. He scored six goals and 11 points in seven games, leading the United States to a silver medal. Some may view him as a reach at 18, but he is worth the early draft choice due to his upside.
Stiga is committed to Boston College for the 2024-25 season and is expected to suit up alongside top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft, James Hagens. Stiga’s hardworking attitude, speed, and resilience make him a prime candidate to be a future linemate of Mat Barzal. His vision and speed would allow him to keep up with Barzal, and spending a season or two developing at Boston College will position him to develop into a worthwhile draft selection.
Second Round: Nikita Artamonov
The Islanders have done well in the second round in previous drafts, taking prospects such as Calle Odelius, Danny Nelson, Aatu Raty, and Samuel Bolduc. One thing all four of these prospects have in common is they were projected first-round draft picks who fell into the Islanders’ lap in the second. If history repeats itself, they will be adding another strong prospect with the 50th overall selection.
With the 50th overall selection, the Islanders will select winger Nikita Artamonov. Once again a left-handed forward, they look to strike gold with a prospect who fell in the draft. He plays the Islanders’ brand of hard-working, team-first hockey. He plays like a professional and is closer to reaching the NHL than most of the players expected to be selected in his range.
He spent this past season in Russia’s premier professional league, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), and put up great numbers for a draft-eligible. He scored seven goals and 23 points in 54 games and will return to the KHL next season. As well, he could see the NHL as early as the 2025-26 season due to his experience in professional hockey. The Islanders view their contention window as now, so adding a prospect who is close to reaching the NHL would be very valuable in the second round.
Fourth Round: Artyom Shchuchinov
The Islanders’ third selection will come at 115. Given they will have selected two forwards at this point, they will likely transition to a defenseman. At 115 they select Artyom Shchuchinov. He is a left-handed defenseman who spent this past season in the KHL. He scored just one goal and five points in 54 games but is still young and has plenty of time to develop. He is not the flashiest prospect, but he is a player who could develop into an NHL defenseman.
Fifth Round: Pavel Moysevich
With the 147th pick, the Islanders will select a goaltender for the first time since 2021 in Pavel Moysevich. Yes, that is a third consecutive Russian, but it is worth it. Moysevich is a second-year eligible prospect who turns 20 years old this coming September. However, he put up great numbers in his 13 KHL games with SKA St. Petersburg. The 6-foot-5 goaltender went 3-2-2 with a .942 save percentage and a 1.25 goals-against average. Of course, that is a short sample size but he has shown an upside worthy of a selection at this point in the draft.
Sixth Round: Nathan Villeneuve
With the team’s final selection in the 2024 Draft, they will take center, Nathan Villeneuve, at 179 overall. He spent this past season in the Ontario Hockey League, scoring 23 goals and 50 points in 56 games. Many scouts have him in the top 100, but his disappointing playoff performance of two goals and an assist in nine games could cause him to fall in the draft. As well, after the first few rounds, anything can happen. The Islanders like to select European-born players in the later rounds of the draft, but it may be time for them to switch their strategy.
In the end, I have the Islanders taking two wingers, a center, a goaltender, and a defenseman. The team’s primary need is forwards, but that should not be a reason to stray away from going with the best player available at each selection. With the draft approaching, names will continue to swirl for potential targets for the Islanders, so the direction the team can go will continue to shift.