2024 NHL Draft: How many Canadian players were drafted in Round 1? 

The 2024 NHL draft wrapped up Day 1, consisting of 32 picks, at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday night.

The event featured 225 prospects vying for selection. The initial 32 picks were announced on the first night, with the remaining six rounds scheduled to take place on Saturday.

While this year's draft class may not be as extensive as the 2023 group, it boasts significant talent, particularly in the realm of defense, showcasing prominent prospects on the blue line.

Out of all the prospects participating in this year's draft, a total of 18 players from Canada were selected by teams in the opening round.

Here's the complete list of Canadian players drafted in Round 1:

	Canadian Players	Pick	Drafted By	Position
#1	Macklin Celebrini	No.1	San Jose Sharks	C
#2	Backett Sennecke	No. 3	Anaheim Ducks	RW
#3	Cayden Lindstrom	No.4	Columbus Blue Jackets	C
#4	Tij Iginla	No. 6	Utah Hockey Club	C
#5	Carter Yakemchuk	No. 7	Ottawa Senators	D
#6	Barkly Catton	No. 8	Seattle Kraken	C
#7	Zayne Parekh	No. 9	Calgary Flames	D
#8	Sam Dickinson	No. 11	San Jose Sharks (from Buffalo)	D
#9	Jett Luchanko	No. 13	Philadelphia Flyers (from Montreal)	C
#10	Terik Parascak	No. 17	Washington Capitals	RW
#11	Sacha Boisvert	No. 18	Chicago Blackhawks (from NY Islanders)	C
#12	Michael Hage	No. 21	Montreal Canadiens (from LA Kings)	C
#13	Cole Beaudoin	No. 24	Utah Hockey Club (from Colorado)	C
#14	Dean Letourneau	No. 25	Boston Bruins (from Red Wings via Senators)	C
#15	Liam Greentree	No. 26	LA Kings (from Jets via Canadiens)	RW
#16	Marek Vanacker	No. 27	Chicago Blackhawks (from Carolina)	LW
#17	Ben Danford	No. 31	Toronto Maple Leafs (from Oilers via Flyers)	D
#18	Sam O'Reilly	No. 32	Edmonton Oilers (from Panthers via Flyers)	RW

The 2024 NHL draft stole the spotlight, with the San Jose Sharks snagging Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini as the No. 1 overall pick. The Chicago Blackhawks followed suit by selecting Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the No. 2 overall pick.

Meanwhile, the Anaheim Ducks drafted Oshawa right-winger Beckett Sennecke as the No. 3 overall pick of the night.

Macklin Celebrini speaks on being drafted No. 1 overall at 2024 NHL draft

Celebrini's selection at the draft marked the second time a player from Boston University has been picked at the top spot, with netminder Rick DiPietro previously chosen No. 1 overall by the New York Islanders in the 2000 NHL draft.

Club legend Joe Thornton, who spent 15 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, proudly announced Celebrini's pick at the Sphere. Celebrini expressed his sheer joy and excitement upon being chosen (via NHL.com):

"Just pure joy and excitement," Celebrini said after being selected. "I can't wait to play for this historic organization. They've had a lot of amazing players and made a reputation of how good they can be so I just couldn't be more excited.

"He [Thornton] just welcomed me to the NHL and said how special it is to be selected first overall," Celebrini said.

Celebrini held the top spot on NHL Central Scouting's North American skaters ranking throughout the season. He also won the titles of Hockey East Rookie of the Year and Players of the Year, a feat achieved by only a select few, including Jack Eichel, Paul Kariya and Brian Leetch.

In his post-draft interview with NHL.com, the Boston University forward shared that he is determined his return to BU for his sophomore season down the road:

"I'm not really focusing on it right now," Celebrini said. "I'm just trying to enjoy this moment with my friends and family. But, I mean, for everyone's sake, the decision will be made sooner than later."