Trevor Connelly is the NHL Draft's most controversial prospect and could fall into the NY Islanders' lap

Even though the Stanley Cup Finals have yet to begin, the beginning of the 2024-25 season is just three weeks away, beginning with the 2024 NHL Draft.

The NY Islanders currently hold six picks, including No. 20 overall after a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. By acquiring a first and two second-round picks from the Blackhawks for a first and a second, the consensus is that the Islanders will look to make a splash on draft day and acquire a top-6 winger.

If they elect to keep the pick, it'll be the organization's first first-round pick since 2018 and would be a major step to rehabilitating their league's worst prospect pool.

The 2024 draft is considered to be on the weaker end with a drop off in talent after the top 10 prospects. There is however a player with top-10 talent who likely will fall into the latter half of the first round.

Trevor Connelly is a 6'0" 156 lbs winger who played last season with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. He finished second in the league's point race with 78 (21 G, 47 A) in 52 games, and a high 1.50 points-per-game.

His lights-out season earned him a spot on the USA U-18 World Junior Championship roster - one of only two players to make the team who were not part of the USNTDP, alongside goaltender Caleb Heil. He finished the tournament seventh in scoring for the Stars and Stripes with 9 points (4G, 5A) in seven games, including one of the goals of the tournament, pulling off a "Michigan" against Latvia.

Connelly has been called a human highlight reel and is ranked the draft's fifth-best in four-way mobility and third in puckhandling by Elite Prospects. A threat every time he steps on the ice, Connelly is a top-5 prospect based on skill alone. So why is he projected to go as a mid to late-round pick in the first round?