Craig’s List: Celebrini, Eiserman top rankings ahead of World Juniors

The 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship is fast approaching and there are a handful of draft-eligible prospects expected to play big roles in the upcoming tournament.

TSN’s Director of Scouting Craig Button has Boston University centre Macklin Celebrini and United States National Team Development Program forward Cole Eiserman remaining at No. 1 and No. 2 on his list, and he expects both players to star at the tournament in Sweden.

Celebrini is expected to crack Team Canada’s roster and play a prominent role. As a 17-year-old at Boston University this season, he has nine goals and 22 points in 13 games. At the U18s in April, he had six goals and 15 points in seven games to lead Canada to bronze.

An elite two-way centre, Button is confident Celebrini will make an impact for Canada in December.

“His on-ice maturity is outstanding,” said Button of Celebrini. “He knows where his game is. He doesn’t get waylaid if certain areas of his game aren’t prominent. He can do so many things in the game and he doesn’t get deterred.”

Similarly, Eiserman projects to play a starring role for the Americans who look to improve on last year’s bronze-medal finish. He has 25 goals and 40 points in 19 games with the USNTDP this season.

“The way I would describe Cole is he’s not intimidated by the competition,” said Button. “I think for a 17-year-old player going to play at the World Junior, you can’t be in awe, you can’t be intimidated. He’s sure of his capabilities.”

While Finnish forward Konsta Helenius drops one spot from No. 4 on September’s list to No. 5, he is now the third highest ranked forward on Button’s list, jumping ahead of Russian forward Ivan Demidov, who falls to No. 6. Helenius is also expected to be on the Finnish roster for the World Juniors.

“He’s smooth, he’s smart, he makes the game look easy,” said Button of Helenius. “He’s so smart – elite hockey sense."

Helenius, 17, has eight goals and 17 points in 23 games playing in the SM-Liiga with Jukurit.

Expected to join Helenius in Sweden is winger Emil Hemming, who is No. 12 on Button’s list. Hemming has four goals and two assists in 22 games playing for TPS in SM-Liiga.

“He’s a mature player that’s already played some games in the SM-Liiga and he’s had some success,” said Button.

The draft-eligible player projected to play the biggest role for his team is Norwegian forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. Ranked No. 18 on the list, the 18-year-old has one goal and four assists in 19 games with Mora IK in Sweden this season but will play heavy minutes for Norway at the World Juniors as the country plays in the tournament for the first time since 2014.

Defenceman David Reinbacher played on a weak Austrian team in last year’s tournament that was eventually relegated but it didn’t hurt his draft stock as he was taken fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in June. Like Reinbacher, Brandsegg-Nygard will be evaluated a little differently than his draft peers playing in the tournament.

“There’s going to be a lot of one-on-one assessment, what he’s doing individually,” said Button. “His skills are really good, but [when] you’re watching him, you want to see him doing things that are helpful to a team. But he’s not going to get the support back. They’re not good enough.”

Debuting at No. 19 and No. 27 respectively on Button’s list in September, forwards Cayden Lindstrom and Liam Greentree aren’t expected to be on the Canadian roster for the World Juniors. However, both have made big leaps on this list with strong play so far this season, jumping to No. 9 and No. 11 respectively.

Lindstrom is one of the biggest players in the draft at 6-foot-5, but his game isn’t all about size. He has 18 goals and 33 points in 24 games with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers this season. As a rookie, he had 19 goals and 42 points in 61 games.

“I don’t know where you find big, powerful players like that,” said Button. “He’s got a skill set. He’s got a will set. And a physical attributes set.”

Like Lindstrom, Greentree is quickly closing in on his rookie season totals. He has 16 goals and 34 points in 21 games on a Windsor Spitfires team that is one of the worst in the Ontario Hockey League with just six wins so far this season in 24 games.

“He’s not just playing well on that team, he’s their best player,” said Button.