Five underrated prospects you should know in the 2024 NHL Draft

Former Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, left, Predators general manager David Poile, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Predators captain Roman Josi present Poile with a guitar to celebrate his retirement before the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena.

Thanks to a plethora of mock drafts that have come out over the last year, we have a pretty good idea of who the top picks in the 2024 NHL Draft will be, from Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini to Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov, just to name a couple.

But what about some players that are a little more under the radar?

You never know what can happen when an underrated prospect turns out to be next year's Rookie of the Year candidate. The Minnesota Wild selected Kirill Kaprizov in the fifth round in 2015, and the forward won the Calder in 2021. And that's just one example.

Here is a look at five underrated prospects in this year's draft class.

Christian Humphreys: C, USNTDP Juniors

Berkly Catton and Cayden Linsgtrom are the projected first centers off the board according to Sportsnaut. However, this Pittsburgh native is worth a look from NHL teams coming off a strong end to his 2023-24 season. He is heading to the University of Michigan after tallying 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in 23 games.

Dobber Prospects notes that he needs improvement as far as energy and pace go, but that Humphreys still has a ton of second-line upside in his future.

"If Humphreys can bring the dawg out during his time in Michigan, he has a great chance to land on an NHL team’s middle-six," the site said.

EJ Emery: D, USA U18

Emery is definitely a "pick for the future" player since he's heading to play for the University of North Dakota in the fall. That being said, the 6-foot-5 skater out of Surrey, British Columbia is already shaping into the shut-down defenseman that could help an NHL team that needs size on its blue line.

"Emery impressed with his high-end athleticism during the NHL Scouting Combine, after already standing out with his smarts, skating and defensive ability," NHL.com's Adam Kimelman said. "The 18-year-old right-handed shot likely won't be a big offensive contributor but should develop into a very good complement to a high-end offensive-minded defenseman."

Charlie Elick: D, Brandon Wheat Kings (CHL)

Elick isn't getting the same attention as other defensemen, like Sam Dickinson or Zayne Parekh. However, his hockey IQ has grabbed the attention of Flo Hockey, which compares the 6-foot-4 heavy-hitter to veteran blueliner Brock Faber.

"Faber was dogged for a lack of offense in his younger days and that is also true of Elick, who is a shutdown blueliner," the site notes. "The thing that really stands out to me, however, is how good of a skater Elick is, how dedicated he is to his defensive responsibilities and the clear intelligence he plays the game with in his own end."

Trevor Connelly: LW, Tri-City Storm (USHL)

Connelly is the least under-the-radar player on our list since he's projected to go off the board in the first round, although he's expected to be picked later on in the evening.

Kimelman notes that he has some off-ice maturity issues that his future team will have to address, but colleague Mike G. Morreale thinks Connelly is still took good to be available late in Round 1.

"His game is predicated on speed, skill, vision and compete and he's too good to pass up at this point in the draft," Morreale writes as he projects Connelly going to a team like Colorado late on Friday. "He averaged 1.50 points in 52 games, first in the USHL among players with at least 30 games."

Mikhail Yegorov: G, Omaha Lancers (USHL)

Only 13 goalies were selected in the first round of the NHL Draft between 2000 and 2020, it's possible Yegorov could be sitting for a while. But any team in need of goalie depth will be lucky to add the 6-foot-5 netminder.

The top goalie prospect in this year's draft class has committed to Boston University where he can build on the numbers he posted with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL.

"He has a huge pro presence and has shown steady development throughout the season," Al Jensen of Central Scouting told NHL.com. "He moves well throughout the crease and has very good structure in his game. He’s very tough to beat down low and in tight situations and has a chance and the ability to become a very good pro with more development. He’s a high-end goalie prospect."

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