The early rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft could see a few different runs on defenders with tons of variety and talent in this prospect pool. Here’s a look at three blueliners who should hear their names called in the first few rounds.
E.J. Emery | D | U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)
The 2024 NHL Draft is a relatively weak class for the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP), especially on the blue line. Leading the way for this group, alongside Cole Hutson, is E.J. Emery. The 6’3″ right-shot blue liner is Canada-born but joined the U.S. program for the 2022-23 season. This year, in 61 games, Emery notched just 16 assists, which was good for fifth on the team. He did, however, stand out with a near assist-per-game performance at the U18 World Junior Championship (WJC) earlier this year.
Emery is a defensive defender in every sense of the word. He’s very confident in his defensive decisions, maintains gaps with great discipline, and almost always seems to catch up with the play if he finds himself a step behind. His go-to move starts with an active, sweeping stick guarding against puck carriers before he casually forces them to the outside and smothers them against the boards; he’s physical but you won’t see a ton of open-ice hits from him.
Emery doesn’t often lunge for pucks out of desperation and keeps his positioning against the rush well. His pivot speed is fine, but he could stand to find a little more explosiveness to succeed at the next level. In the defensive zone, he can sometimes get exploited by quick cycles or give-and-go’s as he hones in on a target, but he’s effective in front of the net most shifts.
The downside to Emery’s game is his offense. He can shoot and pass the puck fine, but for someone who is a pretty good skater, his transition play is extremely frustrating. After retrieving pucks, he plays with almost no creative urgency, throwing possession up the boards or gifting turnovers to forecheckers. His first passes have to be more crisp, and he’ll need to improve his puckhandling under pressure.
Emery is being talked about as a potential first-round pick due to his defensive skills and experience playing with a variety of more offensive-minded defenders. But to me, despite how impressive his discipline is in his end, those are skills you can find in later rounds; if I’m Barry Trotz, I’d pass on Emery at 22nd overall.
Dominik Badinka | D | Malmö Redhawks (SHL)
Dominik Badinka is the most experienced defensive prospect you’ve never heard of. The Czech-born blueliner is flying under the radar despite a 33-game season in the SHL this year. While he put up just four points, he also chipped in two goals and 13 points in 17 games at the U20 level for Malmö. You may expect only a shutdown defender at 6’3″ and nearly 200 pounds, but there’s so much more to Badinka’s game.
Another right-shot blueliner, Badinka heavily impressed me in his pro minutes this year. He had his flaws and moments where you wince, but that’s to be expected for a teenager playing in a pro league. His in-zone defense looked really good at times. He’s a battler in front of his net, annoying opponents and boxing them out from the crease with stick checks, shoves, and just smart positioning. He plays against cycles well and can smother opponents against the boards like Emery; but when he recovers possession, he’s often far more patient with the puck. His gap control is good, but he’ll need to improve his pivot timing to better fend off rush chances in the NHL.
I like his skating mechanics overall as he maintains good knee bend and an upright chest. He could stand to explode out of his pivots a bit more, and that will come with more consistent stride extensions.
Badinka isn’t the world’s best offensive blueliner, but I don’t think he gets enough credit at that end of the ice. He displayed confidence in carrying the puck, scanning the ice well for his best passing options during breakouts and transitions. After his first pass, he’s usually eager to jump up to support the rush, and I think he moves the puck fairly well in the offensive zone. He doesn’t have an all-world shot but made smart decisions about jumping into open ice from the blue line, and his puck support in the offensive zone should only improve.
Badinka would be a slam-dunk pick for me in round two as I find so much of his game to be mature and translatable to the NHL.
Alfons Freij | D | Växjö Lakers HC J20 (J20 Nationell)
Alfons Freij may be at the complete opposite end of the defensive spectrum from E.J. Emery. The left-shot defender stands at 6’1″ and makes a far bigger impact in the offensive zone than in the defensive zone. Freij spent most of the season at the U20 level, playing 40 games for Växjö and scoring 14 goals and 33 points (third most amongst defenders). In seven games at the U18 WJC, he added six points for Sweden.
The Swedish blueliner is extremely noticeable with the puck on his stick. He’s one of the better skaters in the 2024 NHL Draft, using full stride extensions, complete recoveries, an upright chest, and plenty of linear crossovers. He’s a confident puck carrier attacking the neutral zone to lead his team’s breakout or conducting sweeping movements in the offensive zone. His hands are soft, his passes are crisp, and he can complete his moves at top speed. He’s not quite a sniper, but he excels with dekes off the blue line, cross-ice passes, and more in the attacking end. He mans the point well and shows good decision-making skills on and off the puck.
Despite his skating ability, Freij’s defense can be faulty at times. His man-to-man defense is more passive than Emery’s or Badinka’s, especially in front of his net. He lunges with his stick more often and isn’t quite as physical. When he wins rush chances, you’d like to see him exercise patience more, using his legs to spring an offensive chance; too often, though, he just kind of bats the puck away.
He won’t be without his mistakes against well-executed cycles or in his breakouts, but his offensive talent and skating mechanics are big pluses. It’s extremely possible Freij can never get his defense to an NHL-ready point, but I think his game still demands you take him no later than round two.
