FIVE MANITOBANS LISTED IN 2024 NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING'S FINAL RANKINGS.
NHL Central Scouting released its final rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft on April 16 with five Manitobans making an appearance.
This is a weaker class when it comes to Manitobans, but there are some intriguing prospects. This year, the centralized draft will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada over the familiar two-day period: Friday June 28 to Saturday June 29.
Game On's Ben Little put together a scouting report on the top listed star on Manitoba's lone WHL club.
No. 31. Charlie Elick (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL) Villach, Austria
6'4"
203 pounds
Defenceman
Mid Term Rankings: 28
Final Rankings: 31
Season Stats: 65 GP, 4 G, 23 A, 27 PTS
Playoff Stats: 4 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 PTS
Former teams:
⁃ Edge School U18 Prep
⁃ Calgary Buffaloes U15 AAA
Charlie Elick scouting report:
· Strengths:
o Physicality
o Skating
· Weaknesses:
o Offensive decision making
Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman Charlie Elick is a physical, stay at home defenceman, whose style has garnered the attention of most NHL clubs leading into the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Since being drafted third overall in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft, Elick has suited up for 130 games as a Wheat King. He was also selected to team Canada for the World U-17 championships and, most recently, the U-18 club at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup – helping team Canada to a gold medal in an overtime victory over Czechia.
The six-foot-four, 203-pound defenceman is notorious for his defensive style of play and next-level physicality that has intimidated opponents for years.
Elick’s reliable, stay-at-home defensive style has progressed in his 18-year-old season with the Wheat Kings, where his offensive game has far exceeded his previous two years with the club - doubling his offensive output during the 2023-24 season.
Elick is considered by NHL Central Scouting to be a top-five, right-handed defenceman ahead of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft – a position considered a hot commodity by many NHL clubs.
“Those right-handed defencemen are coveted,” Wheat Kings general manager and head coach Marty Murray told the CHL. “There’s not a lot of them out there and when one comes along, it’s obviously appealing to not only us at the junior level but at the NHL level as well. He’s that type of player where he can provide an impact in a lot of different areas of the game. I think he really established himself as a player that’s hard to play against. Opposing teams are aware when he’s on the ice and he can lay some punishing body checks.”
Elick already possesses the size to make him a next-level defender, projected by many to be a second or third-line defender – and a penalty kill specialist.
The Austrian-born defenceman has prioritized puck-handling to improve his game, which was reflected in his offensive output this season with the Wheat Kings, tallying 27 points in 65 games, including three assists in four postseason appearances with the team.
Elick has been interviewed by 26 of the 32 NHL teams ahead of draft day. Though his decision-making may be his biggest question mark heading into the draft, he is hopeful to be a late first-round or early second-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft.
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