The 2024 Stanley Cup Final begins on Saturday from south Florida as the Edmonton Oilers are facing the Florida Panthers. One fascinating storyline is the fact that the top four selections from the 2014 National Hockey League Draft are still left in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here are the notable draft picks.
Aaron Ekblad
The Panthers selected defenseman Aaron Ekblad of Windsor, Ontario first overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He played his junior hockey with the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League. In the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Ekblad has five assists for five points, is a +9 with 12 penalty minutes, 25 shots on goal, 32 blocked shots, 54 hits, one takeaway and 20 giveaways.
Sam Reinhart
The Buffalo Sabres selected centre Sam Reinhart of West Vancouver, British Columbia second overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He played his junior hockey with the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League. An All-Star for the first time in 2024, he was traded from the Sabres to the Panthers for a first round pick in the 2022 National Hockey League draft and goaltender Devon Levi of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec on July 24, 2021. The Sabres selected centre Jiri Kulich of Kadan, Czech Republic. In the 2023-24 NHL regular season, Reinhart led the NHL with 27 power-play goals and a 24.5% shooting percentage. In 17 playoff games, he had eight goals and four assists for 12 points, 12 penalty minutes, four power-play goals, one game-winning goal, 65 shots on goal, 60 faceoff wins, 24 blocked shots, 42 hits, nine takeaways, and seven giveaways. Reinhart’s game-winning goal came in game four of the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. Reinhart scored from centre and captain Aleksander Barkov of Tampere, Florida and defenseman Brandon Montour of Brantford, Ontario on the power-play at 1:12 of extra time.
Leon Draisaitl
The Edmonton Oilers selected centre Leon Draisaitl of Cologne, Germany third overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. He played his junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets and Prince Albert Raiders in the Western Hockey League. In 18 games in the 2024 playoffs, Draisaitl has 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points. He has 12 penalty minutes, a NHL-leading six power-play goals, two game-winning goals, 57 shots on goal, 172 faceoff wins, 13 blocked shots, 17 hits, 13 takeaways and 14 giveaways. Draisaitl’s two game-winning goals came against the Los Angeles Kings. In game one, a 7-4 Oilers win over the Kings, Draisaitl scored from Connor McDavid of Richmond Hill, Ontario and Evan Bouchard of Oakville, Ontario at 1:08 of the third period. In game three, a 6-1 Oilers win over the Kings, Draisaitl scored from Evander Kane of Vancouver, British Columbia and Darnell Nurse of Hamilton, Ontario at 15:36 of the first period.
Sam Bennett
The Calgary Flames selected Sam Bennett of Holland Landing, Ontario fourth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He played his junior hockey with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. Bennett was traded by the Flames to the Panthers with a sixth round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft for left winger Emil Heineman of Leksand, Sweden and a second round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Bennett had six goals and four assists for 10 points in 12 games. He was a +3 with four penalty minutes, one power-play goal, one game-winning goal, 26 shots on goal, 18 faceoff wins, two blocked shots, 53 hits, five takeaways, and five giveaways. The power-play goal came in game four of the Eastern Conference semifinals, a 3-2 Panthers win over the Boston Bruins. Bennett scored from Anton Lundell of Espoo, Finland and Evan Rodrigues of Toronto, Ontario. The game-winning goal came in game five of the Eastern Conference finals, a 3-2 Panthers win over the New York Rangers. Bennett scored into an empty net. Bennett’s blocked shots came in a 3-0 Panthers win over the Rangers in game one of the Eastern Final and in a 2-1 Panthers win over the Rangers in game six of the Eastern Final.
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