By USA Hockey, 06/29/24, 3:15PM MDT
A Total of 17 States Represented
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A total of 40 Americans were selected in the 2024 NHL Draft that concluded this afternoon at the Sphere in Las Vegas including 15 players who have competed at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, which plays in the USHL, America’s Tier I junior hockey league.
Zeev Buium (San Diego, Calif.) was the first American chosen, going 12th overall to the Minnesota Wild. Buium, who played for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program from 2021-23, tallied 50 points (11g, 39a) in 42 games in his first season at Denver to help guide the Pioneers to an NCAA national championship. He earned ACHA West All-America First-Team honors and was named NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Buium was also a member of the 2024 U.S. National Junior Team that won gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden, tallying five points (3g, 2a) in seven games.
Trevor Connelly (Tustin, Calif.) was the next American called in the first round when the Vegas Golden Knights selected the Providence College commit with the 19th overall pick. The Tri-City Storm forward ranked second overall in the USHL with 78 points (31g, 47a) in 52 games, and helped Team USA to a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship.
Cole Eiserman (Sudbury, Mass.) was selected one pick later at 20th overall by the New York Islanders. The forward holds the NTDP record for most career goals with 127, and his 193 career points rank second all-time in NTDP history. The Boston University commit also helped the U.S. earn a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship, tallying nine goals and two assists in seven games.
Eiserman’s NTDP and U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team teammate, EJ Emery (Compton, Calif.) was picked 30th overall by the New York Rangers. The University of North Dakota commit notched 16 assists in 61 games and recorded six assists in seven contests at the 2024 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship.
Eight Americans were taken in the second round, kicked off by Adam Kleber (Chaska, Minn.) of the USHL’s Lincoln Stars, who went 42nd overall to the Buffalo Sabres. Cole Hutson (Chicago, Ill.) was selected one pick later by the Washington Capitals, and his NTDP teammate Max Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) went 47th overall to the Detroit Red Wings. Colin Ralph (Maple Grove, Minn.) of Shattuck-St. Mary’s went 48th overall to the St. Louis Blues, followed by NTDP forward Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.), who was chosen 55th overall by the Nashville Predators. Lukas Fischer (Plymouth, Mich.) was selected 56th overall by St. Louis, and the NTDP’s Kamil Bednarik (Chicago, Ill.) and Will Skahan (Woodbury, Minn.) rounded out the second, going 61st overall to the Islanders, and 65th overall to the Utah Hockey Club.
Four Americans were selected in the third round and nine were selected in the fourth. An additional two Americans were drafted in the fifth round, four in the sixth, and nine in the seventh.
For a complete list of Americans taken in the 2024 NHL Draft, click here.
NOTES: The 40 players drafted represent 17 states, including Alaska (1), California (4), Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), Illinois (5), Massachusetts (3), Maryland (1), Michigan (5), Minnesota (11), Nevada (1), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (1), New York (1), North Dakota (1), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1), Vermont (1) … Of the 40 players drafted, 13 were full-time members of USA Hockey’s NTDP this season … 38 total draft picks played the 2023-24 season in the USHL, America’s Tier I junior hockey league.
