Some players need a more competitive environment to bring out their best game. That might be the category Connelly falls into. He had a stellar draft year in the USHL, but underwhelmed as a freshman in college. Once he finished his season, he joined the AHL team and put up four points in six games. Vegas is going to want to see what they have in Connelly, and he should get a stint under 25 games this season. The better he does in the AHL, the sooner he gets the call.

The Vegas Golden Knights signed Connelly to a three-year, entry-level contract that begins in 2025-26. He will sign an Amateur Tryout (ATO) to play with the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL.

Connelly was drafted 19th overall by Vegas; who knows if they will trade him before he joins the NHL roster.

April 2024 Connelly continues establishing himself as one of this year’s draft’s most dynamic offensive threats. Few match his ability to string together improbable routes through multiple defensive layers. He also showed progressing maturity at the WJAC, involving his teammates more and playing effective playmaking hockey without losing a step. Tri-City lets him run a lot wilder, and when Connelly gets his engine revved, it’s something to behold. He’s a monster in transition and is one of the fastest, most mobile skaters the draft has to offer. Regularly, you can find him taking laps in the offensive zone simply because nobody can catch him. Connelly is arguably a top 5 option in this year’s draft regarding raw speed and skill. That said, he comes with his fair share of cons. Sometimes, Connelly can go too wild and skate himself into disaster, or he will look off his options too quickly and turn the puck over with a bad pass/poor shot. He will never be a two-way forward, and there’s plenty of reason to suspect the defensive end of his game. You will almost definitely have to take the good with the bad with Connelly, but he’s that good. There’s significant first-line potential here. David Saad

Connelly plays with unmatched confidence. He constantly tries to take on opponents one-on-one, pushes through checks with shoulder drops and great puck placement, and always goes for the throat with his offensive zone incursions. A significant difference between Connelly last year and this year is that he trusts his teammates much more to complete his plays. As a result, his playmaking game has grown, and he has adopted a distributor role that fits his skillset better than the finisher role he was trying to force last year.