The 2024 draft class for the Vegas Golden Knights was destined to be sparse. After trading away their second-, third-, fourth-, fifth-, and seventh-round picks, they had to secure a third-round pick in the Logan Thompson trade just to have four draft selections. Faced with limited resources and no first-round pick for the next two drafts, the front office had to take bold risks.
Enter Trevor Connelly.
The Golden Knights chose Connelly with the 19th overall pick in the first round, making a significant bet on a player with exceptional talent but notable maturity concerns. The 18-year-old standout from the United States Hockey League’s (USHL) Tri-City Storm was regarded by some scouts as a top-10 prospect based on his on-ice abilities. However, various incidents, both on and off the ice, raised serious character questions that deterred many NHL executives.
“He’s probably the second-best player after Mack Celebrini in the U.S.,” a scout told The Hockey News. “He’s incredibly talented, makes everyone around him better, very smart, fast, skilled, with high hockey IQ and good vision. He ticks all the boxes. It’s a decision that requires higher-level approval. We can only evaluate the kid’s talent. He’s top-10 material.”
Connelly’s Potential
Connelly has the potential to be an offensive game-changer. The winger finished second in USHL scoring last season, tallying 31 goals and 78 points in 52 games. His average of 1.5 points per game was second only to 2025 top prospect James Hagens (1.808).
Committed to Providence College, Connelly is projected as a future top-six forward. Despite his small frame (6 feet, 156 pounds), he compensates with elite speed, high-level puck handling, and a potent shot. His promising upside has led to comparisons with Matthew Barzal. While he needs to improve his defensive play and gain physical strength, these are common developmental areas for teenage prospects and are less concerning than his off-ice issues.
Connelly’s Off-Ice Concerns
Connelly’s behavioral issues cannot be ignored, as they have concerned many NHL executives and scouts. In 2022, he posted a Snapchat picture of a teammate beside a stack of building blocks arranged in the shape of a swastika.
This incident is central to Connelly’s troubled reputation, but it’s not the only blemish on his record. A year earlier, he allegedly directed a racial slur at an opposing player, resulting in a suspension, although the claim was never fully substantiated. He also played for four different amateur teams over a turbulent two-year period from 2020 to 2022, including a brief stint with the Bishop Kearney hockey program in Rochester, New York, which lasted just two weeks.
Connelly’s Path to Redemption
Despite being drafted, Connelly still needs to earn the trust of his teammates, coaches, the Golden Knights organization, and the NHL community. To his credit, he is taking the necessary steps. He has engaged in volunteer work and diversity training, and has even assisted the coaching staff of a multicultural under-14 team organized by the US-based “Hockey Players of Color” group at an international tournament in Florida (from ‘‘Who will draft Trevor Connelly? Inside the NHL’s evolving scrutiny of top prospects,” New York Times, 02/22/24).
Connelly, his family, and his representatives argue that his behavior stems from ignorance and immaturity rather than inherent racism. This argument evidently convinced Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon and the Vegas front office. However, Connelly must continue to demonstrate personal growth, starting with his enrollment at Providence in the fall.
“I’m really confident we’ll do everything we can to help this player be a great player and a great person,” said McCrimmon. “If we weren’t comfortable that there’s a good person there, we would not have made this selection. That’s something I feel really strongly about.”
Given their lack of draft capital and urgent need for young talent, it made sense for the Golden Knights to take a big swing with their first pick in the 2024 Draft. However, Connelly represents a unique risk, one that has not always paid off in recent cases of controversial players like Mitchell Miller and Logan Mailloux, whose arrivals were met with public backlash in Boston and Montreal, respectively. The organization will support Connelly as much as possible, but it ultimately falls on him to prove that his days of troubling behavior are behind him.
