Golden Knights draft polarizing Trevor Connelly 19th overall
The Vegas Golden Knights drafted forward Trevor Connelly with the 19th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday.
Trevor Connelly
Speed and skill are the name of the game for Connelly, a supremely talented winger with an intriguing 6-foot-1 frame.
Connelly's body of work suggests a top-10 draftee. He scored a goal per game at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and World Jr. A Challenge this year with Team USA. His 1.5 points per contest in the USHL paced the league among non-NTDP skaters. And it's not like he's undersized or lacks skating speed.
Instead, Connelly's behavior has been questioned stemming from two incidents at the youth hockey level. The Athletic's Katie Strang and Corey Pronman detailed his history in February.
When Connelly was 16, he posted a picture on Snapchat of a teammate building a swastika using children's blocks in a library. He was subsequently removed from his team.
Connelly was accused of directing a racial slur at an opponent in a game in 2021, which he denied. The California Amateur Hockey Association suspended him, but the ban wasn't upheld as the allegation couldn't be corroborated.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon said the Golden Knights did their "due diligence" with all the players they were considering selecting 19th overall.
"We interviewed Trevor on two different occasions, we talked to a lot of people who had been involved with him along his journey as a player," he said after drafting Connelly. "We're confident that he's going to represent our organization the way we would expect."
On the ice, Connelly's decision-making came into question after the gold-medal game at the Under-18s this spring. With the United States leading 3-2, Connelly was ejected in the third period after a clear hit to the head. Canada would score three goals on the ensuing five-minute power play to steal the gold medal.
A team willing to take a swing on Connelly's talent could be rewarded with an impact player. The pick could become a nightmare to deal with just as quickly.
"I'm gonna do so much for this organization on and off the ice," Connelly said. "I'm going to work my ass off on the ice to become the best player that I know I can be, and I think off the ice, get myself involved in the community and do as much as I can for the fans and youth hockey.
"I just couldn't be happier for this experience, this opportunity."