S5: John Williams, NHL Central Scouting; WHL draft prospect analysis

J-F Damphousse of NHL Central Scouting joins hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale to discuss some of the top 2024 draft prospects from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, among them Chicoutimi right wing Maxim Masse, Rimouski defenseman Spencer Gill and Saint John left wing Eriks Mateiko. Adam and Mike also discuss the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, to be held May 7.

Al Jensen, the goalie guru of NHL Central Scouting, joins the podcast to discuss the top goalies available, including Mikhail Yegorov of Omaha of the USHL and what pushed him up to No. 1 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goalies, Carter George from Owen Sound of the OHL, Lukas Matecha of Tri-City in the WHL and many more.

VP of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr joins co-hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale to discuss Central Scouting's final rankings of the top North American and International skaters and goalies for the 2024 draft. Among the topics are how long it took to determine Macklin Celebrini would be No. 1, how Central parsed the top available defensemen, why Anton Silayev ended up at No. 1 on the International skater list and so much more. 

Sportsnet scouting analyst Jason Bukala joins hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale to discuss some of the top prospects for the 2024 NHL Draft. Bukala shares his NHL comparisons for consensus No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini, discusses why he has forward Ivan Demidov of SKA St. Petersburg's junior team No. 2 on his top 40 ranking, what NHL player NTDP star forward Cole Eiserman reminds him of, and much more. There's also some discussion around the NHL.com Top 32 ranking, including why Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov is No. 2.

NHL Draft Class is on the road in Moncton, New Brunswick for the CHL Top Prospects Game. Hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale talked to Tij Iginla, the No. 11 prospect on NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings and son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, about his season, crafting his own identity out of the spotlight of his father and the other sport he considered playing.

NHL Central Scouting vice president Dan Marr joins hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale to discuss Central Scouting's midterm rankings of the top North American and International skaters. Dan goes in-depth on the NHL readiness of the No, 1 player, Boston University freshman forward Macklin Celebrini, the placement of NTDP star forward Cole Eiserman, and the top defensemen available, topped by Artyom Levshunov of Michigan State. Adam and Mike also discuss the USA Hockey All-American Game played Monday, which included Eiserman and top 2025 draft prospect James Hagens.

Steven Ellis, associate editor and prospect analyst for Daily Faceoff, joins hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale for an in-depth preview of the 2024 World Junior Championship, with a special focus on top 2024 NHL Draft prospects Macklin Celebrini of Canada, Zeev Buium of the United States, Konsta Helenius of Finland and more. There's also some talk about The Sphere in Las Vegas, the expected host of the 2024 draft.

NHL.com's Adam Kimelman and Mike Morreale kick off the sixth season of NHL Draft Class by discussing the release of NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list, including Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini and USA Hockey National Team Development Program forward Cole Eiserman. They're also joined by one of the top defenseman prospects in the 2024 NHL Draft, Artyom Levshunov of Michigan State University.

Craig Button, TSN scouting director, joins co-hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale to close the books on the 2023 NHL Draft, with his thoughts on the future potential of Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Leo Carlsson, among others. Button also gives a preview of some of the top prospects for the 2024 NHL Draft 

Adam and Mike recap the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft and discuss their favorite moments, biggest surprises and best stories of a memorable night in Nashville. They are joined by Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson and Adam Fantilli. The guys wrap the episode talking about the facts and figures of the first round and what teams stood out to them with the selections made.