Joe Hrycych/NHLI via Getty Images
The 2024 NHL Scouting Combine tests took place June 7 and 8 at LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York, and they featured 100 of the top prospects in the 2024 NHL draft trying to impress the league’s 32 teams.
Many players potentially helped their draft stock, including forward Macklin Celebrini, who was already widely viewed as the clear top player in the class.
Here is a rundown of the top performers in each of the drills held at the 2024 NHL combine, along with an in-depth look at how some of the draft’s best prospects performed.
2024 NHL Combine Results
Aerobic Fitness: VO2 Max (ML/KG/MIN)
1. Oliver Josephson – 65.0
2. Tij Iginla – 65.0
3. Simon Zether – 64.0
4. Macklin Celebrini – 63.0
5. Max Plante – 63.0
6. Cole Beaudoin – 62.0
7. Jacob Battaglia – 61.0
8. Aatos Koivu – 61.0
9. Linus Eriksson – 60.0
T10. Julius Miettinen, Ben Danford, Ondrej Becher – 60.0
Aerobic Fitness: Duration (Seconds)
1. Cole Beaudoin – 13.45
2. Gabriel Eliasson – 13.14
3. Oliver Josephson – 13.05
4. Alfons Freij – 13.04
5. Herman Traff – 13.04
6. Eriks Mateiko – 13.00
7. Linus Eriksson – 13.00
8. Dean Letourneau – 13.00
9. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard – 13.00
10. Stian Solberg – 13.00
Bench Press (50% of Body Weight) (Watts/KG)
1. Cole Beaudoin – 8.71
2. Lukas Fischer – 8.26
3. John Mustard – 7.78
4. Cayden Lindstrom – 7.69
5. Sebastian Soini – 7.54
6. Raoul Boilard – 7.42
7. Sam O’Reilly – 6.95
8. Carson Wetsch – 6.92
9. Sam Dickinson – 6.92
10. Nathan Villeneuve – 6.88
Pull-Ups
1. Zeev Buium – 16
2. Lukas Fischer – 15
3. Colton Roberts – 13
4. Jack Pridham – 13
5. Cole Beaudoin – 13
6. Oliver Josephson – 13
7. Tij Iginla – 13
8. Kamil Bednarik – 12
9. Ethan Procyszyn – 12
T10. Kevin He, Tanner Howe, Mikhail Yegorov, Riley Patterson, A.J. Spellacy, Max Plante, E.J. Emery – 12
Grip Strength: Left (Pounds)
1. Jett Luchanko – 172
2. Cayden Lindstrom – 168
3. Eriks Mateiko – 166
4. Sacha Boisvert – 163
5. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard – 160
6. Kamil Bednarik – 159
7. Cole Beaudoin – 156
8. Ethan Procyszyn – 156
9. Adam Kleber – 156
10. Gabriel Eliasson – 155
Grip Strength: Right (Pounds)
1. Jett Luchanko – 175
2. Cayden Lindstrom – 166
3. Colton Roberts -165
4. Gabriel Eliasson – 162
5. Jack Pridham – 162
6. Eriks Mateiko – 161
7. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard – 159
8. Tanner Henricks – 159
9. Kamil Bednarik – 158
T10. Cole Beaudoin, Ethan Procyszyn, John Mustard – 158
Horizontal Jump (Inches)
1. E.J. Emery – 123.0
2. A.J. Spellacy – 119.3
3. Mikhail Yegorov – 115.8
4. Jack Pridham – 114.5
5. Alexis Bernier – 114.5
6. Dean Letourneau – 114.5
7. Linus Eriksson – 113.8
8. Aatos Koivu – 113.0
T9. Dominik Badinka, Javon Moore – 113.0
Vertical Jump (Inches)
1. E.J. Emery – 27.23
2. Jett Luchanko – 24.63
3. Veeti Vaisanen – 24.22
4. Will Skahan – 23. 88
5. Stian Solberg – 23.84
6. Mikhail Yegorov – 23.27
7. Jack Pridham – 22.83
8. Carson Wetsch – 22.76
9. A.J. Spellacy – 22.64
10. Artyom Levshunov – 22.64
No Arm Jump (Inches)
1. E.J. Emery – 23.57
2. Veeti Vaisanen – 21.91
3. Jack Pridham – 21.21
4. Jett Luchanko – 21.11
5. Linus Eriksson – 20.75
6. Aatos Koivu – 20.42
7. Will Skahan – 20.24
8. Tij Iginla – 19.89
9. A.J. Spellacy – 19.82
10. Colin Ralph – 19.79
Squat Jump (Inches)
1. Jack Pridham – 19.52
2. Aatos Koivu – 19.08
3. Linus Eriksson – 18.96
4. E.J. Emery – 18.82
5. Tij Iginla – 18.38
6. Ben Danford – 18.35
7. Carson Wetsch – 18.29
8. Jett Luchanko – 18.0
9. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard – 17.57
10. Dominik Badinka – 17.39
Pro Agility: Left (Seconds)
1. Stian Solberg – 4.12
2. Kamil Bednarik – 4.25
3. John Mustard – 4.26
4. Terik Parascak – 4.28
5. Michael Hage – 4.29
6. Sam O’Reilly – 4.33
7. Chalie Elick – 4.33
8. Lucas Pettersson – 4.34
9. Konsta Helenius – 4.34
10. Jack Pridham – 4.34
Pro Agility: Right (Seconds)
1. Stian Solberg – 4.08
2. Jett Luchanko – 4.23
3. E.J. Emery – 4.23
4. A.J. Spellacy – 4.24
5. Terik Parascak – 4.25
6. Sam O’Reilly – 4.25
7. Alexis Bernier – 4.28
8. Jack Pridham – 4.29
9. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard – 4.29
10. Ethan Procyszyn – 4.30
Mean Power Output (Watts/KG)
1. Jett Luchanko – 12.9
2. Alexis Bernier – 12.8
3. Linus Eriksson – 12.7
4. Sebastian Soini – 12.7
5. Aatos Koivu – 12.6
6. Leon Muggli – 12.4
7. Charlie Elick – 12.3
8. A.J. Spellacy – 12.1
9. Dean Letourneau – 12.1
T10. Julius Miettinen, Ben Danford, Alfons Freij, Lukas Fischer – 12.0
Wingspan (Inches)
1. Dean Letourneau – 83.25
2. Gabriel Eliasson – 81.00
3. E.J. Emery – 80.75
4. Jesse Pulkkinen – 80.75
5. Eriks Mateiko – 80.25
6. Adam Kleber – 80.00
7. Tomas Lavoie – 80.00
8. Adam Jecho – 79.50
9. Will Skahan – 79.00
T10. Sam Dickinson, Jared Woolley – 78.75
Top Prospect Performances
Macklin Celebrini
It has long felt like a foregone conclusion that Macklin Celebrini would go No. 1 overall in the 2024 NHL draft, and all signs point toward that still being the case.
The dynamic Canadian forward was dominant in his first and likely only collegiate season at Boston University, racking up 32 goals and 32 assists for 64 points in 38 points.
Although Celebrini likely could have sat out the combine and still been the top pick, he decided to take part in the drills and performed well.
Celebrini’s best performance was in the challenging VO2 Max bike drill, as he tied for fourth, and he ended in finishing 25th or better in three different events, per NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman.
NHL News @PuckReportNHL
And now here’s Celebrini taking the even more infamous Wingate bike test, which is widely considered the most grueling test of the draft combine. #SJSharks https://t.co/kJP01Ug6ya pic.twitter.com/fjFoY0RfF8
He also finished just outside the top 10 in pull-ups, doing 10 of them consecutively, which was one below his desired mark.
Mike Harrington @ByMHarrington
No issue with pull-ups for Macklin Celebrini. He just rattled off 10 like it was nothing at the Combine. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/10xZxdJ7lZ
Despite falling short of an 11th pull-up, Celebrini said he was “happy” with his performance and did his best, although he also acknowledged he has “a lot of stuff I need to improve on.”
While size isn’t one of Celebrini’s greatest assets, he measured in at 5’11.75″ and 197 pounds, which suggests he can get to the 6-foot and 200-pound marks in the near future.
What Celebrini may lack in size and strength, he more than makes up for with speed and skill, which is why he will almost certainly go first overall to the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks have been in the doldrums in recent years, missing the playoffs in five straight seasons and finishing with the fewest points in the NHL last season, but Celebrini could be the catalyst who helps turn their fortunes around.
Artyom Levshunov
With Celebrini a virtual slam dunk to go No. 1 overall, the true intrigue in the 2024 NHL draft starts at No. 2, although it can be argued that defenseman Artyom Levshunov is close to being as sure of a thing at No. 2 as Celebrini is at No. 1.
The Belarusian blueliner has plied his trade in the United States the past two years, starring at Michigan State University in 2023-24, recording nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points in 38 games, while also registering a plus-27 rating.
Levshunov was not a top performer at the combine, but his ideal size at 6’1.75″ and 205 pounds was confirmed, and he was 10th in the vertical jump at 22.64 inches.
Charlie Roumeliotis @CRoumeliotis
Here’s a video of Artyom Levshunov’s regular vertical jump. His 22.64 inches ranked No. 10 among all players at the combine. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/2pHUOJ2Tcm
Where Levshunov really shined was in the media portion of the combine, as he was engaging and had reporters laughing with some of his responses.
Perhaps most interestingly, he told reporters that the Chicago Blackhawks were the only team that took him out to dinner during combine week:
Charlie Roumeliotis @CRoumeliotis
Artyom Levshunov said the only team that took him out to dinner this week was Chicago.
He joked that they had a couple beers together. Great sense of humor 😂 #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/k48A6RHu6Y
The Blackhawks own the No. 2 overall pick after taking star forward Connor Bedard first overall last year, and selecting Levshunov would give Chicago two supremely talented building blocks both up front and on defense.
While the Blackhawks are in a similar position as the Sharks, their long-term outlook will be strong if they pair Levshunov with Bedard, and it could lead to more Stanley Cups in the franchise’s future.
Tij Iginla
Tij Iginla may not be in the mix for a top-five pick in the 2024 NHL draft, but he has been skyrocketing up draft boards lately, and may now be a lock for a top-10 selection.
Iginla likely did himself some favors with his showing at the combine, as he was one of the best all-around performers, finishing 10th or better in the VO2 Max, pull-ups, the no-arm jump and the squat jump.
Scott Matla @scottmatla
Tij Iginla takes flight pic.twitter.com/h42QjR0N8Y
Mike Morreale @mikemorrealeNHL
Tij Iginla on the Wingate pic.twitter.com/ReK0Myh8HL
It doesn’t hurt that Iginla comes from a respected hockey family, as his father, Jarome Iginla, spent 20 seasons in the NHL, primarily with the Calgary Flames.
Jarome Iginla racked up 525 goals and 1,095 points during his illustrious career, resulting in a Hall of Fame induction.
Tij has a long way to go before reaching his father’s level of success, but he is off to a great start, as he went off for 47 goals and 37 assists for 84 points in 64 games with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets this past season.
The 6-foot, 191-pound Iginla is one of the most skilled offensive players in the NHL draft, and it is clear that his athletic ability is similarly elite.
Given Jarome’s history with the Flames, it is difficult to envision Tij falling past Calgary at No. 9 overall in the 2024 NHL draft.
