Golden Knights Took Major Risk With 1st-Round Pick Trevor Connelly. Kelly McCrimmon also revealed that…

The Vegas Golden Knights’ 2024 Draft class was never going to be big. After giving away its second-, third-, fourth-, fifth-, and seventh-round picks, the team only needed a third-round pick in the Logan Thompson trade to get four draft picks. To ensure that they added young talent to the pipeline with limited resources and no first-round picks in the next two drafts, the front office had to take some bold chances. For example, consider Trevor Connelly. The Golden Knights selected Connelly with the No. 19 pick in the first round, spending big on a player with elite skill but significant red flags regarding maturity issues.

Connelly’s Star Potential Connelly can make a difference on offense.

Last season, the winger was second in USHL scoring with 31 goals and 78 points in 52 games. His 1.5 points per game average was second in the league, trailing only 2025 top prospect James Hagens’ (1.808). Connelly, who has committed to Providence College, is regarded as a potential top-six forward. He compensates for his modest frame (6 feet, 156 pounds) with outstanding speed, advanced puck handling, and a lethal shot. With a tantalizing upside, he’s been compared to Matthew Barzal. He still has to improve his defensive performance and might benefit from increasing his physical strength. Nonetheless, those are typical maturation phases for adolescent prospects that are far more easily overlooked than Connelly’s off-ice concerns.