SUMMERLIN, Nev. -- Artyom Levshunov is excited to make a giant impact at the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft, which is being held at Sphere in Las Vegas.
The next-generation entertainment venue includes the Exosphere, the exterior of the building, which has the largest LED screen on Earth. It will likely display pictures and highlights of the draft picks as they hear their name called during the first round on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
"That's cool," the defenseman from Michigan State said Wednesday. "My face will be all around Vegas. It'll be turned around Vegas, on the globe. It's pretty insane."
As excited as the prospects are for the draft, which also includes rounds 2-7 on Saturday (11:30 a.m. ET; ESPN+, NHLN, SN, SN1), having it held at a unique venue like Sphere just raises the anticipation.
"It looks pretty sick," said Cole Eiserman, a forward from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team. "I was on Instagram and I saw a picture of it and was like, 'I can't wait to see it in person.' I'm sure it's going to be even better in person and I'm super excited."
The giant screen across the outside of the building is just the starting point, though. Inside is an audio and visual experience powered by cutting-edge technology, including a 160,000-square-foot LED screen that wraps up, over and around the audience to create a fully immersive visual environment.
The 2024 draft will be the first live televised event held at Sphere, and it will also mark the first time that an event happening inside the venue will be incorporated into the Exosphere displays in real time.
"We've set out to create the most amazing introduction to the NHL for these young players and their families in the most innovative venue in the world," NHL chief content officer and executive vice president Steve Mayer said.
Kelowna forward Tij Iginla and Saginaw defenseman Zayne Parekh said they've seen videos of what an event at Sphere looks like from the inside, and London defenseman Sam Dickinson has talked to a few friends who have been to concerts at the venue.
"They say it's a pretty cool experience, all of it," Dickinson said. "So, I'm excited to see what they've got set up for us when we're there on Friday."
That could include having a friend stationed outside Sphere to record the big moment on the Exosphere.
"Hopefully, if I'm lucky enough to get drafted, my face will be on there and someone snaps a photo of that," Parekh said.
Spokane forward Berkly Catton had his first glimpse of Sphere from the window of his flight just before it landed in Las Vegas.
"It was changing colors. It was the moon at one point," he said.
That some of his highlights could be one of the next graphics to pop up for all of Las Vegas to see is a bit mind-blowing.
"That would be weird," Catton said. "Some people flying in a plane and seeing my highlights? That would be kind of weird. But again, this is just a surreal kind of time right now. If that does happen, it would be pretty cool."
NHL.com senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale contributed to this report
