Jake Bean – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – CALGARY FLAMES – Team Preview/Player Preview/Predictions

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 20:41:59 +0000

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 01: Calgary Flames left wing Jonathan Huberdeau (10) as seen during an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and The Utah Hockey Club on April 1, 2025 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT. (Photo by Aaron Baker/Icon Sportswire)

Although expectations weren’t very high heading into last season, things changed as the games wore on and confidence grew. Calgary finished the season with 96 points and missed out on the postseason only because the St. Louis Blues edged them out with the tiebreaker. The 15-point improvement was impressive, and the outstanding consistent play of rookie goalie Dustin Wolf (29-16-8, .910 save percentage in 53 games) helped spur them on. They were also good at doing a lot of little things right. They had the seventh best CorsiFor percentage at five-on-five in the league (51.7) and yet didn’t have anyone on the team reach 70 points and just one 30 goal scorer (Nazem Kadri with 35). It might seem like the Flames succeeded with a lot of smoke and mirrors, and surely 14 overtime/shootout losses helped points-wise as did their 19-2-14 record in one-goal games, but the collective “click” that happened within the group is something for them to build on. With a solid puck possession foundation and a good, young goalie, anything can happen.

What’s Changed?

The offseason was virtually silent. Calgary had no coaching changes, no major trades nor signings, and did everything to retain their own players. Defenceman Kevin Bahl signed a six-year, $32.1 million extension and forward Matt Coronato inked a seven-year, $45.5 million extension in May. They lost backup goalie Dan Vladar to Philadelphia and signed Ivan Prosvetov, formerly of the Arizona Coyotes, out of the KHL. Anthony Mantha signed with Pittsburgh as well.

What Would Success Look Like?

If the Flames can recreate what they accomplished last season but come out on the right side of the tiebreaker, they’ll take it. You could argue they hit above their weight in the standings a year ago, but teams generally don’t always trip and fall into a near 100-point season. There are areas of growth to be had and big decisions to be made. Impending UFA Rasmus Andersson will be a big target at the trade deadline whether Calgary is in the playoff race or not and what they can pull from another team in a trade will be important to their short- and-long-term future. That said, with prospect Zayne Parekh on the near horizon, he’s enough reason to feel good about the future. If Connor Zary can take a big step forward and guys like Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee can get their games back in full, a playoff appearance isn’t an unreasonable expectation.

What Could Go Wrong?

The razor’s edge the Flames had success living on last season could work against them this time around. Getting games to overtime worked very well for them to at least get one point but if Kadri is unable to score prolifically again and Jonathan Huberdeau goes cold and aren’t able to provide the proper guiding hand for the rest of the forward group, that would force Wolf and Prosvetov to be near perfect too often to be reasonable to keep playoff hopes alive. If Andersson’s situation becomes a distraction, that could be the sort of thing that sends a team into a rut that’s hard to escape from until a move is made. Although they have to deal with Vegas, Edmonton and Los Angeles within the division, if Vancouver, Seattle, Anaheim and San Jose make their own progress, it would make things much more difficult.

Top Breakout Candidate

We’ve seen extended glimpses of how good Zary can be over his first two seasons. Injuries wreaked havoc on him in each of those seasons, but he scored 27 goals with 34 assists (61 points) in 117 games, and he’ll continue to get a long look in the Flames’ top six. If he’s able to steer clear of injuries and lean on Kadri and Huberdeau to help generate chances, he’ll be able to cash in much more often with his own speed and skill.

FORWARDS

Nazem Kadri

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	29	31	60	0.73

Kadri is the closest thing the Flames have to a star, and if he produces like he did the last two seasons you could do worse. He’s coming off a career high in goals and is Calgary’s go-to guy for all things concerning offence. Since joining the Flames, he has been among the league leaders in controlled zone entries, as he always wants the puck on his stick and embraces the role as the undisputed 1C. The play almost always goes through him and he’s still got the speed to be a threat on the rush. The drawback with Kadri’s offensive game is that he will sometimes sacrifice some quality for quantity, not looking to pass when someone is open or taking a lot of quick shots without any puck movement or deception. Last season, his shoot-heavy style paid off with 35 goals and forming some much-needed chemistry with Jonathan Huberdeau at even strength. Kadri’s best seasons have always come when he wasn’t his team’s top center and that isn’t the case in Calgary right now. He produces enough to make you happy, but there is always something missing that keeps him from being considered a true 1c. He is good enough at most things to play at that spot, but you always wish his shooting, playmaking and defensive play were about 10% better if he’s going to be one of your best players.

Jonathan Huberdeau

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	24	40	64	0.80

With the cap rising and Calgary going through a retool, using Huberdeau is becoming less about justifying his $10.5 mil. salary and more about getting him producing like a first liner again. While he’s an elite playmaker, Huberdeau was never the easiest guy to plug-and-play into a lineup. He plays at a slower pace and is always two or three steps ahead of the play, which can be a game-breaker but also a detriment if his linemates aren’t on the same page as him. It was the latter for his first two years in Calgary, but last year was a major step to getting him back on the right track. He began to play as more of a complementary piece rather than someone who needs the puck to go through him, going to the net to jump on rebounds and cheating a little bit in the defensive zone to get breakaway opportunities. Also posing as more of a shooting threat from the left circle on the power play, which caught some teams off-guard early on. Huberdeau’s always been a high-percentage shooter, but he was so one-dimensional in how he played that it didn’t yield many goals. His newfound willingness to shoot along with how selective he is in how he gets his shots helped Huberdeau have his best season with the Flames so far. Even without it, there is some increased trust in Huberdeau as a key piece of the roster, as he was added to the penalty kill along with playing top line minutes at even strength for the entire year.

Joel Farabee

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	12	16	28	0.36

Just a year ago, Farabee looked like a reliable second- or third-line option as a speedy winger who could pitch in with some offence. He was one of the Flyers consistent bright spots in what’s been a dismal stretch of hockey for the franchise. Unfortunately, last year was one to forget for him. There wasn’t much that changed as far as his process went. He still was one of the better players on the team at carrying the puck into the zone and did an excellent job of getting chances off the rush. Farabee just couldn’t find the back of the net to save his life, and it wasn’t from a lack of trying as he was second on the team in dividual scoring chances at five-on-five. It’s something most expected to get better and it never did, not even stints on the top line with Konecny and Couturier could solve it. He was ultimately traded to Calgary and things didn’t get better. They started him on the Kadri line but he was shifted all over the lineup with stints on a checking unit with Mikael Backlund before ultimately finishing the season on the fourth line. Farabee isn’t far removed from a 50-point season, so there is hope that he can turn the corner with some better shooting luck next year. How much of a leash Calgary gives him in the top six will likely decide how he does. He’s paid more than some of their options, so they will try to get him going and his quick-strike ability off the rush gives him an element some of their other wingers don’t have.

Mikael Backlund

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	14	24	38	0.46

Now one of the longest tenured players in the league, Backlund has been the Flames bedrock through numerous coaches and roster reconstructions. He is the ideal iteration of the modern shutdown center, as he excels at flipping possession on his own through strong zone exits, setting the table for the next line to play their shift in the offensive zone. He brings this same level of aggression on the penalty kill as well, he is routinely one of the league leaders in shorthanded shots and zone entries, combine that with how reliable he is on faceoffs, and it’s hard to ask for much more from your shutdown center. Finding a replacement will be incredibly difficult for the Flames and they are seeing some of these problems now. Backlund is now 36 years old and still plays high-end second line minutes and scores like a third liner now. He’s capable offensively, but his game is very simple and straight-forward, which can work on the third line but less so when you’re playing 18 minutes a night in addition to being on the power play. Calgary just doesn’t have any better options and Backlund’s game is likely going to stay where its at or decline as he gets closer to 40. These are problems for further down the road, as Backlund currently plays an important role as a steady presence and easing some of Calgary’s younger forwards into the NHL.

Morgan Frost

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	15	25	40	0.49

Frost had an interesting start to his Flames career with nine of his 12 points coming on the power play and when you look at the clips of the goals, only or two came off a direct play from him. This isn’t to say he didn’t earn those points, because he did a lot to set the table for those goals by either getting the puck into the zone cleanly or moving it from high to low as the quarterback from the left side. Frost brings a lot of raw skill to the table and it’s not always easy to point out because so much of what he does involves things like that, building the play up rather than making the highlight reel pass or goal. He did score a couple nice goals off the rush and has excellent hands, but you don’t see a lot of dazzling or high impact plays from him. It’s tough for a player to carve out a role like this because he’s probably not going to be a point-producer and it’s easier to stick on the third line if you’re a more physical player or a defensive specialist, something Frost isn’t. Frost does fill the type of niche that could work in Calgary, though. With Backlund soaking up the defensive minutes, there is room for more a scoring-focused third line that Frost could slide into. The problem is Frost excels at setting the table for higher skilled linemates who can take advantage of the open space, something that you don’t always get on the third line. He did enough last year to warrant more of a look and the door is open for him to step into some kind of scoring role, even if it’s only on the second power play unit.

Matt Coronato

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	28	27	55	0.69

You don’t have to watch Coronato for long to figure out what his game is all about. He is all offence all the time, always skating downhill and usually leaned over in a shooting posture. It’s easy for a smaller forward like him to get lost in the shuffle, but he found a lot of creative ways to make time and space for himself to get his shot off. Coronato had a knack for corralling inaccurate passes or getting his own rebound off a block to score on a turnaround shot. He did a marvelous job of creating chances you don’t typically see a lot of in the NHL with how he would pull away from the net to create more of a swooping wrist shot that caught more than a few goaltenders off-guard. It was impressive enough for the Flames to re-sign him for seven years, making him part of their core for the long haul. Coronato excelled when the play was moving downhill, creating most of his offence off the rush with a good majority of them coming off turnovers in the neutral zone. This speaks highly of his ability as a game-breaker but also shows where he can improve, as his linemates had to do most of the work with the puck for him in the other two zones. From the blue line in, he was dynamite, developing a more all-around game offensively is the next step.

Blake Coleman

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	14	24	38	0.46

Coleman repeating his 30-goal season was a longshot and the Flames probably knew that going into last season. His returning to being a 15 goal/39 point guy wasn’t a huge blow as some other wingers in Calgary picked up the slack and Coleman brings so much more to the table. He’s one of the least appreciated two-way wingers in the league, which feels silly to say about a two-time Cup winner but even then you never heard his name thrown around for the Selke despite him checking most of the boxes for the award. Like Backlund, he is one of the most trusted forwards on the team, excellent at flipping possession through good zone exits and he does very well with playing the keep-away game in the offensive zone. He can also strike on the rush when the opportunity is there, as he’s deceptively good with the puck when playing with speed. He keeps the Flames at a decent base level with his solid defensive play, especially on the penalty kill, and it’s why he usually plays top six minutes even though he has more of a third line skillset. Coleman pushed to the third line would be good news for Calgary because he is more properly slotted there and they do need more proven scorers. He is also reaching the end of his contract, so he’s an interesting trade piece if Calgary opts to go that route.

Yegor Sharangovich

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	19	15	34	0.43

Sharangovich’s second year in Calgary was tough out of the gate, missing almost all of October after suffering an injury in the final preseason game. He struggled to follow up his 30-goal season as he went through prolonged cold spells and was even healthy scratched for a couple games late in the year. Goal-scorers like him aren’t immune to struggles but the problem was he wasn’t even creating chances, seeing his shot rate dip from 9.03 shots per 60 minutes to 6.39, the lowest rate of his career. Sharangovich is usually more of a high quality/low quantity shooter, but he was struggling to even get the high danger scoring chances this past season, going from 4.40 chances per 60 minutes to 2.67. What’s even more alarming is that both his shot and chance production have been steadily declining since arriving in Calgary and he’s only one year into a five-year contract. It’s uncertain how much injuries affected him, but it would explain a lot of what went wrong. He’s someone who plays more off the puck, focusing more on getting open and letting the higher-skilled linemates find him, but he has enough skill to make the build-up plays to help connect the dots with his linemates. This past year, he was much less involved overall, and Calgary is hoping a clean bill of health will get Sharangovich back on track.

Connor Zary

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	16	23	39	0.54

One could argue that Zary has shown the most potential out of the Flames young corps. He already has an impressive collection of highlight reel goals and isn’t shy about trying to stick-handle through defenders. His all-around play has also come around nicely as Calgary is usually on the right side of the scoring chance battle when he’s on the ice. He’s also been able to mold his game to fit what his linemates need, acting as more of a playmaker alongside Kadri and Pospisal and playing more of a direct, shoot-first game with a revolving door of linemates this past season. Zary is still figuring out his game at the NHL level, so the instability with linemates didn’t do him any favors. He didn’t have a lot of help with guys setting him up, so he had to be a one-man show for most of his offence. While impressive, it’s not the most sustainable way to stick in the NHL unless you’re a superstar. Zary showed he could be a good playmaker in his rookie season but didn’t have anyone to setup this year, so it was on him to carry the production on his lines. He also suffered two knee injuries in the second half of the year, which derailed most of his momentum. The good news from the off-season was that he won’t require surgery and should be ready for training camp, so this year is another fresh start for the young winger to take things to the next level.

DEFENCE

Mackenzie Weegar

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	9	41	50	0.61

An interesting way to look at Weegar is asking what it will take for him to represent Team Canada at the Olympics instead of only the World Championships, because he checks most of the boxes to be on their roster. As a right-handed defenceman who skates well, he’s already a wanted commodity and he has an underrated dynamic offensive skillset. Great at walking the blue-line, anticipating where the puck is going and getting shots through, Weegar fits the mold of the modern NHL defenceman to a T. Complementary to the forwards while having the mobility to cover for his mistakes when they happen. His 20-goal season in 2024 was likely a result of him carrying the burden of the offence and some of that was lessened this past year, taking fewer shots and being less involved in general from that scope. He made up for it by carrying the defence on his back, playing mostly with guys looking to break into the top four and making their jobs easier. Weegar is one of the most heavily taxed defencemen in the league with how many pucks he has to retrieve and he is one of the best at turning them into clean exits, a master at bumping the puck to himself off the wall to create a lane for himself or subtly poking the puck away from a forward to start an exit. He is great at attacking from angles, recovering on plays where he’s beat wide and patrols the front of the net well despite being a smaller defender. He is still the Flames “do it all” player for the foreseeable future.

Rasmus Andersson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	8	26	34	0.45

Along with Weegar, Andersson is one of the Flames rocks on the blue line. He’s a slower skater but covers more ground with his long stride and uses his upper body well to pick up speed when he needs to. He spent most of last season alongside a more aggressive-minded defenceman in Kevin Bahl, so Andersson had to be more selective with jumping into the play, as he doesn’t have the footspeed to recover if he gets caught. He was effective when he got to join the offence, posting another double-digit goal season. His defensive play was somewhat of a mixed bag, as he played somewhat of a passive role there. Andersson uses his frame well to square up on puck-carriers entering the zone, but once the puck got into the zone is where his skills were limited. Wanting Bahl to play physical, Andersson spent most of his time patrolling the front of the net and had to deal with a lot of forecheck pressure if he got a chance to move the puck. It was normal for him to have periods or entire games where the only time he got to touch the puck was to move it along the wall. Sometimes it paid off, as he did well as the late guy coming on counter-attack chances, but those only happen so often and most of Andersson’s ice time was spent trying to put out fires in his own zone. He still had a solid offensive season despite this, but the heavy workload and responsibility appeared to be too much for Andersson to handle at times and it will be interesting to see how teams value him when he hits the free agent market next year.

Jake Bean

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	4	10	14	0.19

Calgary seemed like a good landing spot for the former first round pick, a high-end offensive defenceman in WHL and AHL. There was an open top four spot that he could feasibly jump into and he filled a void on a team looking for a puck-mover. The offence still hasn’t come around for him, but there is a spot for a puck-mover with some size on any NHL roster and Bean was still somewhat of an unknown commodity after an injury-riddled stint in Columbus. His first year with the Flames was spent primarily on the third pair with some penalty kill duty mixed in. With power play time being hard to come by with Weegar and Andersson ahead of him on the depth chart, Bean had to toe the line between playing safe to stay in the lineup or showing the aggressive offensive side of his game. He is the type that wants to look for the extra pass or make a 50-foot breakout to spring a breakaway if nothing is open. Those risks don’t come back to haunt if you’re playing sheltered minutes as he did, but they did when he got a brief audition on Weegar’s partner late in the season. Thus, Bean had to play a safe game most of the time, and he had a modest season with okay numbers.

Kevin Bahl

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	4	21	25	0.30

Making the jump to a full-time top four defenceman made Kevin Bahl a very rich man this summer. His five year, $32.1 million contract was somewhat of a shock to the hockey world because points are usually what gets you paid and Bahl set a career high with only 20. It was also only his second full year in the league, but he showed a lot of value as a defensive presence. He also fits the trend the league is going in as a massive, physical defenceman who isn’t a butcher with the puck. Will he make a lot highlight reel plays? Probably not, but he can make the 10-15 foot passes to kickstart the breakout or help you re-enter the zone. There are pros and cons to how aggressive he plays because while he can kill a lot of cycles, shiftier forwards know how to get around him and there is a feast-or-famine element to his game because of that. This is especially true with how he defends his blue line, always looking to square up on the puck-carrier or go for the big hit. When it works, it’s great, when it doesn’t, it’s a fire drill. The bigger, physical defensemen started to get phased out of the league a few years ago, but the newer breed of players like Bahl offer more versatility to their games rather than being out there to deliver hits and block shots. Not a lot of defencemen of Bahl’s stature or point production get the minutes or the contract he did, so it will be interesting to see which similar players emerge.

Goal

Dustin Wolf

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
57	25	22	6	3	.906	2.80

The Calgary Flames just barely missed the postseason last year, but it certainly wasn't for lack of a star-powered goaltender. So, it appears they entered the off-season with the logic that things shouldn't be fixed unless they're broken - and while they did make a slight change with their backup options in net, they've officially given up-and-comer Dustin Wolf their vote of confidence as the team's clear-cut number one. They'll enter the 2025-26 season with one of the most economically friendly goaltending tandems in the entire NHL, offering Wolf as their starter still on his first post-entry level deal for just $850,000, and then recent North American returnee Ivan Prosvetov for only $100,000 more than Wolf.

Like Dan Vladar before him, Prosvetov will serve as a fun foil for Wolf in net; he's as lanky and fluid with his movement as Wolf is short, compact, and precise. After a tough go with Colorado during the 2023-24 season, though, Prosvetov made an interesting move; instead of continuing to attempt fighting it out in an NHL depth chart to prove himself, the Russian-born former Coyotes prospect opted to sign a one-year deal in the KHL and head back home. His numbers with CSKA Moscow suggest it was the right move; he put up one of his best seasons since coming to North America as a teen, and his play looked like he regained his confidence and rhythm enough to make this a clever educated gamble for Calgary. As a bonus, if he doesn't work out, they have an eager Devin Cooley waiting in the wings - and with Wolf's inevitable contract extension coming up, they aren't going to be strapped to pay their star what he wants. Now, it's just a matter of seeing just how good he can be this year - and if Calgary can finally return to the postseason.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – CALGARY FLAMES – Team Preview

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 20:00:44 +0000

_{ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 28: Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri (91) as seen during an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and the St. Louis Blues, on March 28, 2024, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)}

After failing to make the playoffs in 2022-23, the Flames changed coaches, but it didn’t reverse their fortunes. Calgary had a 38-39-5 record last season, and ultimately resigned to its fate by trading away veteran defencemen Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov as well as two-way center Elias Lindholm, primarily in exchange for a collection of picks, though the Flames did also pick up Andrei Kuzmenko in the Lindholm deal, which worked out nicely for Calgary with 14 goals and 25 points across 29 contests post-trade. The Flames also got a great campaign out of Nazem Kadri (29 goals, 75 points) while Yegor Sharangovich and Blake Coleman each hit the 30-goal mark for the first time in their careers, but Calgary’s offence was still mediocre due in no small part to lackluster production out of Jonathan Huberdeau (12 goals, 52 points), and those scoring woes were compounded by a leaky season from goaltender Jacob Markstrom (2.78 GAA, .905 save percentage).

WHAT’S CHANGED? Calgary continued to shed veterans during the summer, trading Markstrom to New Jersey in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick and 24-year-old defenceman Kevin Bahl, who might get a top-four role after Calgary dealt so many veteran blueliners during the 2023-24 campaign. The Flames also inked blueliner Jake Bean to a two-year contract after Columbus declined to present him with a qualifying offer and signed Anthony Mantha to a one-year deal to bolster the team’s secondary scoring.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? It would be shocking if the Flames make the playoffs, but stranger things have happened. Perhaps Dustin Wolf, who has struggled early in his NHL career but has looked great in the minors, might fill the void left by Markstrom. Maybe Kuzmenko’s first full campaign with the Flames will be a major success after he seemed to gel with the squad last year. Theoretically, Huberdeau might recapture some of his lost luster.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Those are big asks, though, and even if all that happened, it’s not clear that Calgary has the depth necessary to go far. Keep in mind, Coleman and Sharangovich had basically ideal campaigns last season, so some regression should be expected there, and there’s no guarantee that Kadri, who will turn 34 on Oct. 6, will put forth another 75-point campaign. Wolf is the real x-factor, but even if he performs admirably, will he be able to overcome the Flames’ defence after they traded away their top blueliners?

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Calgary’s in that awkward phase where it’s not a contending team, but its roster is still comprised almost exclusively of veterans. Wolf is the most notable exception to that, and while he does have his work cut out for him, it should be interesting to see how he does. As touched on earlier, Wolf has excelled in the AHL. This will be a difficult campaign for him, but in the long run, the No. 214 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft might go down as a huge steal.

FORWARD

Nazem Kadri

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	26	42	68	0.83

A mid-season Elias Lindholm trade made Kadri “the guy” in Calgary, a position he hasn’t been in since pre-Auston Matthews years in Toronto. He was up to the task, as he had one of his best seasons from a point-production standpoint and he did while mostly playing with rookies instead of on Calgary’s top line. Kadri is a player you can count on to drive play regardless of where he is in the lineup, so he’s a nice luxury for the Flames to have while they’re in a transition period. He’s maybe one of the most underrated players in the league at leading the transition game, as he is usually among the league leaders in producing scoring chancers off zone entries. Finishing those chances is another story, because he takes a lot of shots from everywhere, but it has started to come around the last few seasons where he’s been above the 20-goal mark. His boxcar totals got a nice boost on the power play, where he was very good at getting tips from the slot and manipulating the penalty kill from the bumper position. The Flames don’t have a lot of insulation for him offensively this year, so he’s going to have to carry a heavy burden for the team offensively again. A slight step back might be expected as the team retools but a 25-goal, 40-point season should well be in reach.

Blake Coleman

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	24	20	44	0.54

Coleman had one of the more unnoticed 30-goal seasons in recent memory. His stats were a little inflated with six empty net goals, but it was still an impressive feat for someone who is primarily a checking line player. There was always more skill to Coleman’s game than that, as he has netted 20 before and he’s very quick to strike off the rush given the opportunity. That’s how he scored a majority of his goals last year, with a few of them coming shorthanded. He’s had wonderful chemistry with Mikael Backlund and the intensity he plays with gave that line some extra juice. Any production Calgary got out of them was secondary because they rarely lost any of their shifts. Whether it was flipping possession or generating chances, Coleman was as good of a utility player that you could ask for. With three years left on his contract and a lot of miles on his tires, it will be interesting to see how long the rugged winger can maintain this level of play. His shooting percentage jumped to 15.7 from a career average of 10.4 percent and should see a regression in goals. He remains a key contributor here and can hit 20 goals and 20 assists, closer to his career norms.

Jonathan Huberdeau

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	12	36	48	0.60

Huberdeau will be the victim of lofty expectations for the rest of his career. He was never going to be the 100+ point player the Flames traded for two years ago and living up to his $10.5 million AAV cap hit was going to be almost impossible. The hope was that his elite-level playmaking could add a boost to a Calgary lineup that has no shortage of play-drivers and shooters. Instead, they’ve gotten a good playmaker who is an awkward fit on almost every line, failing to develop any sort of long-term chemistry with anyone. It takes a certain level of rapport to blend with a more cerebral player like Huberdeau because he will usually look for the extra pass that a linemate might not be ready for. He had that for a stretch with Coleman and Backlund but ended up back in the line blender mid-season. Huberedau’s one-dimensional game puts a lot of the scoring burden on his linemates and that is something that has gotten worse since he arrived in Calgary. The high-level playmaking has also seen a dip in recent years, as he is still setting up chances at a decent rate, but not at the elite level he did with Florida. With Calgary’s lineup receiving another shake-up, a lot needs to go right for Huberdeau to get back to his old form, although at 31 years old this might be who he is now. While he saw a dip in his shooting percentage, his shot rate is still far too low for that to be a factor and expecting more than 15 – 20 goals would be a reach and with the current supporting cast he seems plateaued at 40 assists.

Mikael Backlund

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	13	27	40	0.49

Signing a two-year extension before last season even began, Backlund had another year where he was steady as ever. Holding the second/third line center spot down for the Flames with big penalty kill minutes thrown in on top of that. He plays the type of game where you’re happy with what you get from him even if he only puts up 20 points because he does so much outside of the scoresheet. At 35, he is still Calgary’s top defensive forward, always in the right spot to kill a play or find a route out of the zone to flip possession. Both him and Coleman were two of Calgary’s top forwards at generating controlled zone entries last year, doing so while starting most of their shifts in their own zone. The only downside is that his own offensive production is on the downward trend, which isn’t a big deal with the role he plays, but somewhat of a drag because they generated so much rush offence and Coleman was the only player who could score. This is something Calgary has to keep in mind when planning for the future. They know what they’re getting with Backlund, now it’s about planning for life after him as he enters the backend of his career.

Andrei Kuzmenko

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	30	29	59	0.74

A mid-season trade gave Kuzmenko a shot in the arm, scoring 14 goals in 25 games with the Flames after recording only seven with Vancouver. After being such a good goal-scorer in his first year, something didn’t click in his first season under Rick Tocchet, acting as more of a playmaker in between Pettersson and Mikheyev instead of a shooter. The switch to Calgary seemed to help, as he got back to what he does best, which was playing the net-front role and doing an excellent job of generating chances from close range. Showing great composure under pressure, he scored a lot of his goals from corralling loose pucks from awkward angles and getting deflections. His hands also make him a great playmaker from this area, and he can setup a lot of tap-in goals by making the extra pass from a typical shooting position. It was what Calgary needed in a lineup that has a lot of guys who can do the cycling and puck-handling along the perimeter. The honeymoon period couldn’t have worked out better for Calgary with Kuzmenko delivering 25 points in 29 games, so now it’s about getting the same level of play in a full season. He was helped by an inflated 24.1 shooting percentage while on the Flames but did see a similar spiked percentage as a rookie in Vancouver. He will be an intriguing trade deadline addition for a lot of teams around February with one year left on his deal. He has a prime offensive opportunity here, and a spot on the first power play is his to lose. 30 goals and 30 assists should be deliverable under these circumstances with potential for more.

Anthony Mantha

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	25	23	48	0.63

Solving the Anthony Mantha riddle has perplexed a few teams now. You see his big frame, strong play-driving numbers and how good his shot is at times and think there’s superstar potential, but he’s left teams frustrated more times than not. Last year in Washington might have been the first time a team was content with who he is, someone who uses his body to win puck battles and play a great possession game at five-on-five. Controlling the perimeter to eventually open up more offence for his linemates. He had consistent linemates for the first time during his stint with the Caps and scored 20 goals before getting dealt to Vegas at the deadline. Then the reset button happened. Mantha’s numbers at the end of the day were okay but they couldn’t find a spot for him and he was scratched after Game 3 in the first round. Now he’s onto Calgary where there’s a clear opportunity in their top six. Mantha still has a lot to offer even as someone who can play on the top-line, it’s just a matter of what teams expect out of him after years of similar results. Still only 29-years old, he should break 20 goals and 20 assists and is a UFA at the end of the season. Lots of motivation to put his career back on track.

Yegor Sharangovich

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	25	26	51	0.66

While not a breakout season for an established player, Sharangovich did enough for Calgary to make him part of their core going forward, earning a five-year extension after setting career highs in goals and points. His shot has always been a calling card, possessing a heavy wrister that makes him lethal when he gets the space. He was somewhat of a utility guy for the Flames last year, playing both forward positions and adding a game-breaking element to their aggressive penalty kill. He was among the league leaders in shorthanded points, only scoring three goals but always a threat to start a rush the other way. While the goals were nice, his all-around game was a mixed bag as Calgary was heavily outscored at five-on-five when his lines were on the ice, and it was a challenge to find the right spot for him in the lineup even if he was one of the team’s best shooters. He ended the season primarily playing as center with Jonathan Huberdeau, which was a line Calgary had to deploy almost exclusively in the offensive zone, so it’s unknown if it’s a long-term fit if Sharangovich’s shooting regresses. A return to 30 goals might be a challenge, but 25 to go along with 25 – 30 assists is a reasonable expectation.

Connor Zary

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	17	24	41	0.53

The youngest of Calgary’s Wranglers core ended up being one of the rookies who stuck with the big club. Riding a hot streak after getting called up in November, Zary’s Swiss Army Knife skillset made it tough for him to come out of the lineup even after the goals dried up. His strong play even earned him some modest recognition in a stacked Calder race. He’s a smaller guy, but willing to go to the net and it was easy for him to get lost in coverage. Also, he is very good at taking hits from pinching defencemen to help get pucks out of the zone, which is something young wingers always struggle with. Playmaking is where he shined, but the details of his game were ahead of where most 21-year-old rookies are. Becoming a more consistent shooting threat is the next step to his game, as his skillset as a netfront guy became somewhat redundant after the Kuzmenko trade and he is someone who will only shoot if he’s inches away from the blue paint. He figures to be a key piece for Calgary in what will be a transition year. Keeping fantasy expectations modest in his sophomore season, 15-20 goals and 20 -25 assists would be a good step next season.

Martin Pospisil

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	9	17	26	0.37

Arguably the most surprising rookie to crack Calgary’s roster, Pospisil proved to be a good running mate for Nazem Kadri. He could keep up with the better players in Calgary’s lineup and his hard-nosed style of play was a perfect complement in their top six. He didn’t have much production to show for it, and never has at any level, but he did a lot to help his lines drive play and keep opposing teams hemmed in their own zone. Always willing to go to the net, he generates a lot of high-quality chances and could be known as one of the more annoying guys to play against once he gets more experience. His downside is that he takes a lot of penalties due to the style of game that he plays, always looking to finish his check, and it even earned him a suspension late in the season. His hands aren’t bad, but he’s never been the best finisher at any level and that’s always a drawback if you’re on a top line. Still, his skillset fits the ideal model of a checking line player. Keep fantasy expectations modest as a result.

DEFENCE

Rasmus Andersson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	7	27	34	0.41

Andersson is the lone remaining member of Calgary’s old defence corps and last year was even an adjustment period for him after he was split from long-time partner Noah Hanifin. There was a lot of give and take with his new partnership with Mackenzie Weegar as the duo were on the ice for a high number of Flames goals and opposing goals to boot. This has been the case for Andersson for the majority of his career. He’s a very good passer who is an excellent complement to the forwards with seeing plays develop down low and he’s very good at getting his shot through. His game in the defensive zone, however, has always been best when it’s kept simple. When the pace of the game picks up, he’s better when he can stay home to protect the front instead of chasing a forward or a loose puck down. It’s what’s made him an awkward fit on the power play despite his great playmaking skills. Also, why he usually excels with a puck-mover instead of someone who plays a steadier game. He has the stamina to play big minutes, but maybe not the all-around game to be a true top-pair guy. Still, he will be a key cog on a Calgary blue line that is going through a major overhaul. Without consistent top power play time it is hard to see him reaching the 50-point level again and looks settled at 5 – 10 goals and 25 – 30 assists.

Mackenzie Weegar

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	11	34	45	0.56

One of only four defencemen to hit 20 goals last season, Weegar’s probably never going to get the credit he deserves as one of the league’s workhorses. Not only logging major minutes, but heavy minutes where he carries a huge burden as the guy retrieving most of the loose pucks and leading breakouts on his pair. One of the guys who makes his teammates job easier by doing the legwork with getting the puck out of the zone and continuing to support the play up the ice. There is some risk-reward to his game with how often he has the puck and how aggressive he is with joining the cycle in the offensive zone. Last year wasn’t one of his best in terms of preventing goals, as his pairing with Andersson gave up almost as much as they created, but it’s also part of the territory when someone is relied on to do most of the work on breakouts. Will be relied on heavily in Calgary again as their lone “do-it-all” defenceman on the roster. The goal scoring burst after never having exceeded 10 in past seasons was helped by an inflated shooting percentage of 9.6 versus a career average of 5.7 percent and can expect some regression. He did see an increase in power play time in the second half so will get the opportunity to match last season’s totals. However, dialing expectations back to closer to 10 goals and 30 – 35 assists is a safer bet.

Jake Bean

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	5	15	20	0.26

Looking for a fresh start, the former first-round pick of Carolina has a decent chance to find some kind of niche with the Flames. He showed promise in his first year with the Jackets, but a shoulder injury derailed his second season, and his third year was an attempt to get back on track. Paired with Erik Gudbranson, Bean still showed some of that offensive upside he had in both juniors and the AHL, but he was down in the pecking order as far as power play time goes and had to work hard to create any chances. His skillset is a little deceiving because he’s a very good skater with great offensive instincts, but not the best puck-mover under pressure. Pairing him with a stay-at-home guy sometimes compounds that problem instead of helping it, as he can get to a lot of pucks but not make the first pass if he has to deal with constant forecheck pressure. It’s uncertain if Calgary has the horses to utilize Bean’s skillset the right way, but it’s a chance for him to regain his form.

Kevin Bahl

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	2	10	12	0.15

After their top two defencemen, Calgary’s defence corps is basically an open competition. Bahl might not earn a regular top four spot, but his size and physical play could give him an inside edge on a full-time role. That and he’s a better puck-mover than what meets the eye. He’s not going to be a one-man breakout, but he can get the puck out of traffic and to the next layer of the exit well enough to be reliable in a high-leverage spot if you have to play him there. He’s also very good at shutting plays off at the blue line, not always looking for hits or standing guys up, but using his long reach to take away lanes on zone entries. He’s what you would call a “stabilizing presence,” as not much happens either way when he is on the ice. Will play heavy penalty kill minutes at the very least.

GOAL

Dan Vladar

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
32	12	16	3	1	0.898	3.28

Dustin Wolf

It's a new season, and the Calgary Flames are entering their New Goalie Era. After relying on proven veterans for their last handful of goaltender signings and trades, the Flames have moved on from Jacob Markstrom (and Cam Talbot, and Mike Smith, and Jonas Hiller) and are ready to debut a tandem with fewer than 100 games of NHL experience between the pair. Dan Vladar will be forced to sink or swim, following a mediocre year with limited starts, and Dustin Wolf - who has been dominating the AHL to an almost comical degree - will finally get his chance to shine in the big leagues as his partner.

The pair make for an interesting strategy in Calgary, serving as almost complete polar opposites in everything from style to stature. Dan Vladar tops out at 6-foot-5 and a whopping 210 pounds, playing a game reliant on loose movement and fluid lateral control. Dustin Wolf, on the other hand, almost missed out on being drafted altogether due to his small size; the 23-year-old California native is barely 6 feet even and doesn't crack 170 on the scale. He makes up for his more diminutive stature with superior depth management and game tracking, though. While Vladar brings more experience at the NHL level, Wolf is the goaltender many have higher hopes for when all is said and done. Calgary has made it clear they aren't exactly pushing for a Cup Final berth with this tandem, though, at least not immediately. Even Vladar, who has seen NHL action in each of the last seven seasons, made a career high in starts two years ago with a 27-game appearance. It's hard to tell just how the starts will end up breaking down this year, as a result - and if either Vladar or Wolf start to struggle, the Flames may be forced to make some changes before the year is up.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS – NHL Player Profiles

Ryan Dadoun – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 23:16:12 +0000

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 16: Columbus Blue Jackets Right Wing Patrik Laine (29) warms up before a Los Angeles Kings game versus the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 16, 2022, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Rob Curtis/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Johnny Gaudreau

Gaudreau is a rare talent. His lack of size made many initially question his viability in the NHL and he certainly has never been a physical threat. He hasn’t needed to be though. His speed, stickhandling, high hockey IQ, and playmaking ability make him one of the most dangerous players offensively in the NHL. By Gaudreau’s own admission, he likes to pass the puck and he excels at setting up his linemates, but he’s fully capable of taking the shot himself. He did so with more frequency last season, averaging 3.2 shots/game compared to just 2 in 2020-21 and an average of 2.69 over his career. That increase in shots led to him setting a career-high of 40 goals. That jump in goals was in addition to him having one of his best seasons overall, leading to him scoring 115 points and finishing fourth in Hart Trophy voting. He’s growing defensively too and excelled from a puck possession perspective with 5v5 Corsi and Fenwick’s of 57.1% and 56.9% respectively. All that being said though, he was put in an ideal situation. He spent 76% of his even strength ice time alongside Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk. That trio was amazing with all three of them finishing with at least 40 goals and 80 points. Gaudreau was a huge part of that success to be sure, but will he be able to do just as well after moving to the Columbus Blue Jackets? Perhaps and the key to that could be how well he meshes with Patrik Laine. Laine has one of the best shots in the league. He’s had an inconsistent career, but he’s also still young and playing with someone of Gaudreau’s caliber should be mutually beneficial.

Patrik Laine

Early in Laine’s career, it looked like he might be the next Alex Ovechkin. Laine scored 36 goals as a rookie and 44 in his sophomore season. Trouble is, he’s been a mixed bag since then with some amazing stretches and prolonged cold streaks. The 2020-21 campaign was a brutal one for him. He performed poorly under then Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, scoring 10 goals and 21 points in 45 contests after being acquired by Columbus. He did rebound in 2021-22 under new bench boss Brad Larsen though, recording 26 goals and 56 points in 56 contests. In terms of points/60 minutes that was his best season to date, though his goals/60 still lagged behind the pace he set in his first two seasons. The Blue Jackets’ addition of Johnny Gaudreau over the summer could change that. We’ll have to see how the two mesh, but at least on paper combining one of the best shots in the league with one of the NHL’s top playmakers seems like a match made in heaven. The Blue Jackets need to hope so because they signed Laine to a four-year, $34.8 million deal and outside of his offensive skills, he doesn’t bring a lot to the table. He’s a defensive liability and his puck possession numbers have been underwhelming. He’s had a negative 5v5 Corsi and Fenwick relative in every single season to date, which means that from a puck possession perspective, the teams he’s played on have done better when he’s off the ice compared to when he’s on it. So there are clear risks associated with Laine, but he’s an exciting player and the prospect of him playing with Gaudreau makes him one of the must watch forwards of 2022-23.

Jakub Voracek

Although it had been roughly a decade since Voracek last played for Columbus, when the Flyers traded him to the Blue Jackets in the summer of 2021, he settled right back in. Voracek had six goals and 62 points in 79 contests, making it the 10th straight season he recorded at leas 0.74 points-per-game, which translates to about 61 points over 82 games. In other words, while Voracek has only finished in the top-10 in points once, he has been a reliably good forward throughout his career. He used to be an okay, though not spectacular goal scorer too, but his game has changed with age. At his height in 2016-17, he averaged 3.09 shots-per-game, but he hasn’t crossed the 2 shots-per-game mark over his last three seasons and in 2021-22 he dropped to just 1.86 shots-per-game. Fortunately, the 33-year-old can still generate those scoring chances with most combinations of linemates. He lacked anything close to consistent linemates at even strength last season and he was still a consistent contributor with his longest point drought being only three games. That flexibility is important because he’ll likely serve in a second-line role while offseason addition Johnny Gaudreau along with Patrik Laine will occupy the top unit’s wings. For Voracek, the more important factor will be his role on the power play. He was a mainstay on the top power-play unit, averaging 3:13 minutes and he contributed two goals and 25 points in that role. If Voracek sees his power-play time diminish then that, more than having him on the second line, could meaningfully reduce his point total. He’s still more likely than not to find success this season, but it’s the one thing to keep in the back of your mind while watching how the Jackets are assembled around Gaudreau.

Gustav Nyquist

Nyquist is a pretty good, but unexciting forward. When his career began, he looked like a solid goal scorer, but the last time he recorded at least 25 markers was 2014-15. Nowadays he doesn’t fire the puck nearly enough (just 1.49 shots-per-game last season) to be anything more than a secondary gaol scoring threat. He’s skilled offensively, but he’s more of a good second-line option than the kind of elite talent teams want to lean on heavily. Not every player is going to be a headlining act though and he’s pretty much everything you’d want in a complimentary forward. He does a lot right, is sound defensively, and gets sent out on both the power play and shorthanded situations. He also wore an ‘A’ last season, highlighting his worth to the Blue Jackets as a team leader. The 33-year-old (as of his birthday on Sept. 1) has aged well so far and he likely has at least a couple more good seasons in him. It helps that he’s enjoyed a fairly healthy career with the obvious exception of 2020-21 when he missed the full campaign due to a shoulder injury. He bounced right back last season though, scoring 18 goals and 53 points while playing the full 82 games. There’s just plenty to like here and he’s a good bet to record around 50 points again in the final campaign of his four-year, $22 million contract.

Jack Roslovic

After breaking out in 2019-20 with 12 goals and 34 points in 48 games, Roslovic’s production was all over the place last season. He had a couple nasty cold spells, including a season-opening stretch of three assists in 13 games, a run from Dec. 16-Jan. 27 where he scored a goal and three points in 13 contests, and an 11-game stretch from Mar. 17-Apr. 7 where he was limited to three assists. Those droughts were balanced out by some great stretches, the most notable of which was his run of 10 goals and 13 points in 10 games to cap out the season. It’s worth noting that sometimes the problem was circumstances. In that final hot stretch, he was averaging 20:24 minutes, in large part because top center Boone Jenner was injured. Contrast that with his aforementioned season-opening slump where he logged just 12:03 minutes per game and the issue becomes apparent. He ultimately had 29 games in 2021-22 where he was given under 12 minutes of ice time, and he had just two goals and five points in those contests. In games where he got over 12 minutes, he had 20 goals and 40 points in 52 contests. Clearly, he can step up offensively when put in the right position. Whether or not he will get that opportunity is the key question going into the season, but the odds are in his favor. After signing him to a two-year, $8 million contract over the summer, Roslovic is projected to start the campaign as the second-line center. He will have to battle Cole Sillinger for that spot, but at least going into the campaign, that top-six role is likely to be held by the more experienced Roslovic.

Sean Kuraly

Kuraly has size and he will use that to his advantage defensively, but his offensive game has never been great. Even in 2021-22, when he averaged a career-high 15:52 minutes, he was still limited to 14 goals and 30 points in 77 games. Those numbers are strong when measured against the rest of his career, but still nothing to get excited over. Without the puck though, he had a very busy season. He was credited with 51 blocks and tied for 11th in the NHL with 240 hits. He also led all Blue Jackets forwards with an average of 2:22 shorthanded minutes, further highlighting his defensive role with the team. There’s not much else to praise him for though. After winning 57.4% of his faceoffs in 2020-21, he dropped to 49.4% last season and his career average is 50.3% so he’s not a real asset there and in terms of 5v5 Corsi and Fenwick he was an underwhelming 47.4% and 46.3% respectively. His goal and point totals were career-highs for him, but he’ll probably regress in 2022-23. The issue he faces in that regard is that the Blue Jackets are looking solid up the middle between Boone Jenner, the maturing Jack Roslovic, and the up-and-coming Cole Sillinger. That leaves Kuraly as potentially the fourth line center and a shorthanded specialist going into the season. It’s a role he should do well in, but not one that leads to much in the way of points.

Cole Sillinger

His father, Mike, played for 12 different NHL teams, but the Blue Jackets see Cole Sillinger as a potential cornerstone player who will hopefully stick with their team for a long time. The younger Sillinger’s rookie season wasn’t spectacular, but for a teenager who jumped straight from the USHL to the NHL, he did well. Sillinger had 16 goals and 31 points in 79 games while averaging a modest 13:42 minutes. His role included a little power-play ice time (0:51 minutes per game), but just two of his points came with the advantage. The 6-foot-0, 201-pound forward also had a bit of a physical aspect to his game, contributing 98 hits while accumulating 37 penalty minutes. It’s also worth noting that he blocked 43 shots, which was the fourth most among Blue Jackets forwards. Those are important aspects of his game for him to build on, but in the long run it’s his offensive instincts and in particular his wrist shot that figure to be his bread-and-butter. Looking ahead, he’s projected to open the season as the Blue Jackets’ third center, though he could challenge Jack Roslovic for the second slot as the season goes on and of course there’s always the potential that injuries will present Sillinger with an opportunity. We might not see him breakout in 2022-23, but we should see him take another step forward by reaching the 20-goal and 40-point milestones.

Boone Jenner

While Jenner couldn’t play beyond March 11 last season due to a lower back injury, everything that happened before that was good. He struggled in 2020-21 with eight goals and 17 points in 41 games, but bounced back nicely last season, scoring 23 goals and 44 points in 59 games. He established himself as the Blue Jackets’ clear number one center and led all their forwards with an average of 20:28 minutes per game, including 2:58 power-play minutes. He was also won 53.6% of his 1,198 faceoffs, which isn’t amazing, but it was better than Columbus’ other primary options: Sean Kuraly (49.5%), Jack Roslovic (43.5%), and Cole Sillinger (46.5%). In addition to that, the Blue Jackets also felt comfortable regularly sending him out in shorthanded situations. With his importance to Columbus in so many aspects of the game, he’s been a good captain for them since getting the job at the start of the 2021-22 campaign. This coming season could be his best yet though. Columbus signed Johnny Gaudreau over the summer, which might lead to Jenner’s linemates being him and Patrik Laine. At least on paper, that looks like a potent combination and Jenner should benefit from being part of that trio. He’s come close to reaching the 50-point milestone before but has fallen short. There’s a good chance that this will be the year he breaches it.

Alexandre Texier

Anyone looking for promising forwards who have flown a little under the radar a bit might want to consider Texier. He got off to a quiet start in 2021-22, recording two goals in nine games, but his game started to come together after that. He had nine goals and 18 points in 22 contests from Nov. 6-Jan. 13. Had he been able to continue from there, perhaps he wouldn’t be entering this campaign as an underrated forward, but he didn’t play beyond Jan. 26 due to a fractured finger and later personal reasons. He’s ready to play now though after scoring three goals and five points in seven games while representing France in the World Championships. Getting that extra work in after the season should help given how much time he’s missed not just in 2021-22, but in general. Between injuries, time spent either unavailable or on the taxi squad, and the pandemic shortening campaigns, Texier has logged just 121 NHL games plus 10 playoff contests over the last three seasons. That’s not exactly ideal for the 23-year-old’s (as of his birthday on Sept. 13) development, but he’s nevertheless come along nicely. He’s responsible at both ends of the ice and impressive speed. He’s also versatile, capable of playing as either a center or on the wing. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him start the season on the third line, but he has top-six potential.

DEFENSE

Zach Werenski

Since Werenski first entered the NHL in 2016, he has played primarily alongside Seth Jones. In fact, a staggering 87.6% of Werenski’s even strength ice time was shared with defensive partner Jones in 2020-21. With Jones now in Chicago though, how would Werenski do? As it turns out, just fine. Werenski scored 11 goals and a career-high 48 points in 68 games while averaging 25:40 minutes. Rather than have a consistent defensive partner like he had a year prior, Columbus tested out a bunch of different partners, most notably Jake Bean and Andrew Peeke, who shared 36.9% and 36.5% of Werenski’s even strength minutes respectively. Werenski adjusted nicely to that new normal. Defensively, Werenski wasn’t anything impressive, but he also wasn’t a liability. His 5v5 Corsi and Fenwick stood at 49.7% and 48.6% respectively, which doesn’t sound good, but it’s worth noting that’s better than the Blue Jackets overall. Columbus was one of the worst teams defensively last season and that more than anything kept the squad out of the playoffs, but it’s important to remember that wasn’t Werenski’s fault. He’s not a perfect defenseman or the league’s top blueliner, but he more than held up his end of the bargain last season and at the age of 25, he should continue to do so. He’ll once again enter the campaign as Columbus’ undisputed number one defenseman and will consequently be deployed liberally in all situations. That will only serve to reinforce Werenski’s offensive numbers and if he stays healthy, it’s entirely possible that we’ll witness his first 50-plus point campaign.

Adam Boqvist

Acquired from Chicago in the summer of 2021 as part of the Seth Jones trade, Boqvist entered Columbus with plenty of potential, but also significant question marks. He’s an offensive defenseman through and through. He loves having the puck and he has the speed and shot to justify his style of play. When it comes to his defensive work though, he’s lacking. He doesn’t have size and won’t play a physical game, nor does he block a ton of shots. He really does seem to be developing into a purely offensive defenseman, though he is still just 22-years-old, so some further growth is to be expected. In fact, some further growth is practically required, because while Boqvist made some strides in his first season with Columbus, he also left something to be desired. He had 11 goals and 22 points in 52 games while averaging a modest 17:03 minutes. With offensive contributions being his bread-and-butter, how hot-and-cold he was in that area of the game was somewhat disheartening. He had six goals and 13 points in 14 games from Nov. 24-Jan. 8, but his numbers before and after that are underwhelming. As he matures though, that’s something that is likely to be addressed and we might see more regular production out of him as early as this season, which would lead to him comfortably surpassing his 2021-22-point total. Columbus inked him to a three-year, $7.8 million contract over the summer. If he can continue to develop offensively, then that should prove to be a very good signing.

Vladislav Gavrikov

With Seth Jones gone, the Blue Jackets didn’t have anyone who could step in and assume the full burden he left. Instead, Columbus needed multiple defensemen to do more and Gavrikov was one of the key players to help fill that void. He finished second on the Blue Jackets with an average of 22:17 minutes, up from 19:24 minutes per game during his 2020-21 sophomore season. Gavrikov also made strides offensively, scoring five goals and a career-high 33 points in 80 contests. He was a great blueliner for Columbus with a bargain cap hit of $2.8 million, but he wasn’t a pure stand-in for Jones. In contrast to Jones, who was a key part of the Blue Jackets’ power play during his tenure there, Gavrikov got almost no ice time with the man advance in 2021-22. That’s not likely to change either. While Gavrikov did make solid offensive contributions last season, he’s a two-way defender who leans a bit more to the defensive side of the game. He finished second on the team with 138 blocks and third with 124 hits. He also was leaned on heavily in shorthanded situations, averaging 3:05 minutes per game. He’ll turn 27-years-old in November, so he’s well past the point of being a prospect and it’s probably too much to hope for him to grow his offensive game significantly more. But even if he stays exactly as he is, he’ll carve out a great career for himself as an important top-four defenseman.

Jake Bean

Bean established himself with Carolina in 2020-21, logging 42 games, but he only averaged 14:32 minutes. When Columbus acquired him from Carolina in July 2021, he was put in a situation to succeed. The Blue Jackets had just dealt away Seth Jones – in fact they used one of the draft picks they got in the Jones trade to acquire Bean – so there was a big hole left to be filled. Bean couldn’t replace Jones of course, but did play a big role, scoring seven goals and 25 points in 67 games while averaging 20:34 minutes. In terms of average ice time, Bean was the third most commonly used player in Columbus at even strength (18:22 minutes). He got a bit of power play and shorthanded ice time too, but he wasn’t a key part of either special team unit. He also was far from a physical threat, accumulating 41 hits. When measuring puck possession though, he did okay. He had a 48.4% 5v5 Corsi and 46.4% 5v5 Fenwick, which is roughly in line with how Columbus did as a team. All-in-all, it wasn’t a bad season for Bean, but it wasn’t anything special either. He was simply fine and for a player with a $2,333,333 cap hit, that’s acceptable. Bean does have some untapped offensive upside though and after a year adjusting to his bigger role and life in Columbus, it will be interesting to see how he does in 2022-23. Don’t expect him to overtake Zach Werenski as the team’s main offensive threat from the blueline, but Bean has the potential to finish in the 30-40 point range.

GOALTENDING

Elvis Merzlikins

It was hard not to feel for Merzlikins last year, as the fun-loving 28-year-old Latvian netminder navigated a season playing in a building boasting a cannon just months after losing his teammate and friend to a fireworks accident on the Fourth of July. His numbers were far from the main focus for many as they considered what his year would look like – but that will likely change this year as the Blue Jackets make a big push to return to contention. The addition of Johnny Gaudreau in the off-season made it clear that the playoffs were an objective for the Metropolitan Division club – and they’ll look to Merzlikins to be the goaltender that gets them there.

At 28, we likely know what Merzlikins is going to be for the Blue Jackets. He’s best known for his eye-catching stops that take the influence of free-wheeling Slovakian goaltending coach Dusan Sidor, Sr. and enable Merzlikins to pull the trickiest techniques without it affecting the rest of his game. If anything, he sometimes looks a little too eager to make the stops no one else can; while he’s equally capable of playing the waiting game in the blue paint and holding his positioning against approaching offense, he prefers the chances he gets to pull out all the stops. No one seems to love putting on a show more than Merzlikins, and the Blue Jackets have been able to feed off that energy in the past as they adjusted to a world after Sergei Bobrovsky’s departure for the Florida Panthers. There’s a chance that Merzlikins will see a changing of the guard as his number two halfway through the year, with prospect Daniil Tarasov set to return from hip surgery and Joonas Korpisalo’s name still bandied about the ever-rumbling trade market. If Columbus does opt to move Korpisalo out to make room for a younger talent, expect Merzlikins to take on a heavier workload to help the newer Tarasov adjust. But for now, this is a team that has thrived with their tandem battalion over the last handful of years – so there’s little reason to be worried that they’ll stray from that course any time soon.

Projected starts: 50-55

Joonas Korpisalo

The goaltending conundrum faced by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2021 – when the team seeed poised to seriously consider jettisoning one of either Elvis Merzlikins or Joonas Korpisalo to pave the way for the other to be the clear number one – has quite noticeably resolved itself. While the 2021-22 season wasn’t one that anyone on the Blue Jackets likely wants to spend much time reminiscing about, Korpisalo’s very apparent struggles stood out and lent favor to Merzlikins to be the team’s clear number one moving forward. It’s not likely that Korpisalo will be able to turn the tides in his favor again, short a miraculous season that revitalizes his game entirely. While Korpisalo has always been the more consistent entity for Columbus, his game’s weaknesses – including his struggles with angles and getting properly centered to shots in close – became predictable enough that teams were able to take advantage. He still had a few heart-stopping highlight-reel moments throughout the year, and it’s entirely possible that the constant spectre of a trade hanging over his head made it hard for the Finnish-born netminder to keep his focus. But with Columbus focused on taking a step back forward and returning to contention, it seems hard to picture Korpisalo being given anything but a short leash.

Projected starts: 25-30

2021-22 NHL ROOKIES AND SECOND YEAR BREAKOUT CANDIDATES

Corey Sznajder — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 12:56:50 +0000

Rookies and Second Year Breakout Candidates

Training camp is the most exciting time of year for hockey fans. Development camp just ended, and prospects are fresh on your minds. You hold out hope that maybe, just maybe the kid you just watched tear it up in the preseason can force their way onto the roster. Rookie production is still the best way to shift your team’s projection in a cap world and it’s understandable for fans to be excited about prospects I camp. It’s not always a plug and play situation, though.

Most teams have their rosters set by now and at most, there are only two or three available spots for a rookie. Sometimes those are only depth minutes where they’re stuck on the fourth line to get their bearings in the NHL. There are always exceptions to this rule. You have rebuilding teams going emphasizing “youth movements” where rookies are going to get a lot of rope. Then there’s the high draft picks who are usually too good to keep off the roster and finally, there are teams who are just better at setting up rookies for success than others. There’s a lot of context that goes into what makes a rookie a Calder candidate and the team situation is arguably the most important factor. Do they have the right linemates for him? Are there enough spots open? Are there power play spots open?

Today, we’re going to look at which teams are going to be asking the most out of rookies, which players are walking into favorable situations and which teams have the toughest rosters to crack in the NHL.

The Tiers

Instead of doing the usual “rookies to watch” list, we’re going to put teams into different tiers based on how many top-nine forward spots or top-six defense spots are “open” in training camp and the talent available to them. This is a little subjective because it’s tough to separate out the biases from the coaching staff, but these are all based off CapFriendly’s depth charts and they players they have projected for top-nine/top-six spots vs. how many minutes they played per game last year. (For instance, a player like Isac Lundestrom would have his spot listed as “open” even though he is Anaheim’s first line left winger on Cap Friendly because he is still unproven at the NHL level with fewer than 100 games played and less than .5 points per game). Injuries to players are also taken into account when determining what roster spots are open, but we will get into that later.

Youth Movements/Sink or Swim

First, we’re going to look at the teams with the most holes on their roster, teams that finished near the bottom of the standings last year and are expecting their younger players to hold spots high in the lineup. These aren’t always the best situation to walk into because teams aren’t going to hit on all of their draft picks and will often ask too much out of players who just aren’t ready. Players who are talented enough will benefit long-term from the number of minutes and puck touches they’ll get on these teams, though. Think of Jack Hughes in his first year with the Devils. The production wasn’t there, but you could see his confidence with the puck and how the team ran the offense through him last year. He is poised to take a big step this season now with the talent around him improving.

ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 10: Anaheim Ducks Left Wing Trevor Zegras (46) in action during a game against the Los Angeles Kings played on March 10, 2021 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire)

Anaheim

The Ducks went this route with most of their forward prospects like Max Jones and Sam Steel getting regular playing time and struggling to make much of an impact at the NHL level. The one exception was Maxime Comtois, who led the team in goals and looked like a legit offensive threat when the puck was below the faceoff circles. They have much bigger aspirations for their prized center prospect Trevor Zegras, likely the team’s second line center out of camp.

Zegras is in a unique situation compared to other rookies because he got a head start with his 24-game stint last year and formed a nice line with Comtois and Troy Terry when he was moved to center. The three only played seven games together, but they were effective, and it at least gives the Ducks a baseline to work on where to play Zegras on Opening Night. He is likely in the “talent wins out” class of young players because even though he didn’t produce points, he did enough to show he belonged in the NHL at 19 years old.

Zegras was above average at producing shots, one of the best players on the Ducks at creating high danger chances and showed versatility by both being effective off the rush and off cycles. All things that should make him an effective NHLer for a very long time, especially when you consider how hard it was for the Ducks to create any offense off the rush last year. It also helps that his linemates play complementary styles, Comtois being one of the most underrated netfront players in the league and Terry being very effective at creating off the rush.

It’s tough to call Terry a breakout player, seeing how he’s already 24 years old with 148 games of experience, but he should see his point totals see a big improvement if he can start finishing more chances, as he’s going to get plenty of opportunity with Zegras. The same can be said for most of the Ducks young core with most of their top-nine consisting of players under 25, although it’s getting tough to see any future stars in the likes of Steel, Jones and Lundestrom at this point. Zegras taking over and becoming the star Anaheim hopes he can be could cause a ripple effect for some of these players, which is what makes the Ducks an interesting spot for rookies.

With the exception of Zegras and Jamie Drysdale on defense, their more talented players are probably too young for full-time roles, but the team has a lot of spots open with their previous wave of prospects being on their last legs and that could lead to there being more spots open later in the year as opposed to the three or four spots they have open at camp now. They are the one team giving their rookies the most high leverage spots with Zegras and Drysdale, though.

Buffalo

It’s blank canvas in Buffalo as they enter yet another rebuild. Their roster is largely unproven but there aren’t many true rookies expected to make camp. Instead, it’s a lot of players who are still young but have posted very underwhelming results in their brief NHL careers. The Casey Mittelstadts and Henri Jokiharjus of the world. Even Rasmus Dahlin is only 21 years old and has yet to make the impact the Sabres hoped he would when they took him first overall. With Owen Power and Ryan Johnson both in the NCAA this year, Buffalo’s rookie contributions are coming from someone a little off-the-board like a Jack Quinn or maybe goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who should have a shot to make the team with Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell being the only competition.

Buffalo’s main source of hope is going to be tied to whatever progressions Dylan Cozens makes in his second year. The former 7^th overall pick struggled to score at the NHL level in his first year, but there were some encouraging underlying numbers.

He could create off the rush, which is saying a lot when the only player who could do that on Buffalo last year was Taylor Hall, and while he’s not going to take over for Jack Eichel, he should be prepared to get a lot of puck touches because he is the team’s most talented center as of right now. Buffalo likely won’t see the fruits of this for another few years when they get through this rebuild but building up Cozens’ confidence by getting him reps high in the lineup is going to be a priority for them.

Columbus

Even before the injury to Max Domi, the door was open for some younger players to take the reins in Columbus. Adam Boqvist isn’t a rookie, but if they’re looking for someone to fill Seth Jones’ spot on the power play at a low-cost, he could be their best option. His calling card is passing and that could help them get more out of Patrik Laine on the power play, as a righty getting him the puck with pace is key to that 1-3-1 setup working. Filling those shoes at 5v5 is going to be a tougher task that the Jackets might have to fill by-committee. Asking anyone to play the 24-26 minutes Jones averaged a night is tough for anyone, let alone a rookie, but Boqvist is the best skater out of their younger group so he might get first dibs at filling this void.

The number of power play guys departing is what makes Columbus an attractive spot for rookies, although Voracek and Nyquist should slide into those roles. There’s still room for someone like Liam Foudy or Yegor Chinakhov to take one of those spots and maybe push someone like Sean Kuraly or Boone Jenner down the lineup if they can hang at 5v5. Other second year defensemen like Jake Bean and Andrew Peeke are also likely playing big minutes for most of the year and it will be trial by fire to see how much they can handle at the NHL level. Bean’s struggled with decision making and making plays under pressure when he had to play beyond the third pair in Carolina, but he should get plenty of chances to work through this with the Jackets, as they’re going through a transition year.

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 22: Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto (57) skates up ice during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on April 22, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

Ottawa

It’s the second year of the youth movement in Ottawa and progression is expected from young forwards like Josh Norris and Tim Stutzle, who will likely be the team’s main scoring. The main rookie to watch is 2019 second round pick Shane Pinto, who played 12 games with the Sens last year. DJ Smith liked him enough to use him on the penalty kill in a few games and his aggressive tendencies there could make him a nice fit with speedster Alex Formenton or maybe Nick Paul in a full-time role. Ottawa’s middle-six center spots aren’t totally up for grabs with Chris Tierney and Colin White in the mix, but both players are coming off down years and Pinto could provide more upside here. He’s in a decent spot for success with how many young players are in the mix with the Sens, although point production might be hard to come by if he’s centering the third line.

Also, in the “not a rookie, but young enough to take a big step” class is Erik Brannstrom. The 22-year-old posted modest results in lower-leverage role last year, paying about 16-17 minutes a night. He’s a very active defender, often challenging forwards before they even get to the blue line and that’s going to result in some growing pains because more talented forwards are going to be able to weave around you if you’re too aggressive. Other smaller defenders like Matt Grzelcyk have had to go through this too and Brannstrom is similar with how his skating and puck skills are going to be what keeps him around even if it doesn’t result in points. A second play spot along with power play time should be open to him from the start of October.

Making the Cut

In this tier, we’re going to look at teams who have their roster set but have a high-leverage spot open for a rookie or young player to take advantage of. Some of these are due to injuries (i.e. Philadelphia losing Kevin Hayes), but other teams like the Rangers and Kings have kept spots open for their younger players expecting them to take the next step. Like the last tier, we’re looking for top-nine forward spots, open power play spots or anywhere in the top-six on defense.

NYR – Vitali Kravtsov, second line RWer

The Pavel Buchnevich trade freed up some cap space for the Rangers down the line, but it also left a gaping hole at the top of their lineup. A breakout year from Kaapo Kakko should cover up some of this, but another player expected to take a leap is Vitali Kravtsov. The ninth overall pick from 2018 didn’t have a great start to his NHL career, recording only four points in 20 games in a depth role. More is expected from him this year and he showed a little of why he can be a decent Buchnevich replacement.

Kravtsov’s boxcar numbers might not have been good, but he did show some very good playmaking ability on the Rangers third line and more of those passes should result in goals now that he’s slated to play higher in the lineup. It’s tough to say if he’s ready to carry the mail on a line because most of his offense came off sequences where the Rangers had sustained possession rather than creating off the rush. Does he have the legs to create on his own or does someone need to do the work in the neutral zone for him? That’s something the Rangers are going to find out next year. Regardless, the opportunity is his to lose, including power play time.

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 30: Los Angeles Kings center Quinton Byfield (55) in action during a game against the Anaheim Ducks played on April 30, 2021 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire)

Los Angeles – Quinton Byfield, entire second power play unit

The Kings are in an interesting spot because they’re rebuilding and have a roster where the top-six spots are taken by veterans. Is there a spot for their second overall pick Quinton Byfield? There is, but it might come at the expense of Gabriel Vilardi, another player finding his way in the league. The Kings are in a position where they can shelter younger players with Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault taking most of the defensive minutes, but there aren’t many open top-nine spots as of right now.

The good news is that LA has to replace basically their entire second power play unit with Jeff Carter gone and most of the other players not producing much there. This creates a pathway for Byfield (and possibly Arthur Kaliyev at netfront) to get their feet wet in the league and get more puck touches. Also, worth noting that while LA’s top power play unit was quietly one of the best in the league, it shouldn’t take much for Byfield to slide into Alex Iafallo or Dustin Brown’s spot if he is as good as advertised. Based on his AHL production, it should take long to get adjusted, it’s just going to be a challenge for LA to find a spot for him, although he is the type of player who can be “too good” to send back down or play on the fourth line.

The same can be said for Alex Turcotte and most of LA’s other forwards that could be stuck in the AHL to start the year. It’s possible that they could push someone like Trevor Moore or Andreas Athanasiou down the lineup, but it will take some roster maneuvering from the Kings to get all of these kids ice-time. Byfield is likely the one at the top of the list for obvious reasons.

NYI – Oliver Wahlstrom, 1^st line RWer/Noah Dobson, 2RD

The Islanders have exactly two roster spots open and they’re both huge opportunities for second year players. The first is replacing Jordan Eberle on Mathew Barzal’s line, which could be a perfect spot for second year player Oliver Wahlstrom to slide into. He had a solid rookie campaign with 12 goals in 44 games but playing on Barzal’s wing is a chance for him to really put up some numbers. Barzal is one of the best playmakers in the game and Wahlstrom’s calling card so far is that he’s a shot machine who is very good at creating rebound chances. With how much the Isles shoot from the point and Eberle’s minutes needing to be replaced, Wahlstrom could find himself in a spot to put up 20+ goals.

Speaking of point shots, there’s also an opportunity for Noah Dobson to become more than just a third pair guy for the Isles with Nick Leddy out of the picture. The recent signing of Zdeno Chara WILL MAKE IT tough for him to be a direct replacement, but neither Chara or Scott Mayfield brings the puck rushing and offensive skills that Leddy was known for. This is where Dobson can slide in, most notably on the power play. He will probably be asked to play more of a simple game, as it’s tough to imagine him going coast-to-coast like Leddy did, but he will get plenty of opportunities to tee off from the point and maybe use his vision to create from there a little more. The Isles don’t project to have much offense form their blue line, so there’s an opening for Dobson to become more of an integral player instead of just a depth piece.

TBL – Alex Barre-Boulet, 2^nd/3^rd line winger

An undrafted player who has done nothing but score goals in the AHL, Barre-Boulet will get a chance to stick full-time this year. He got an audition as Brayden Point’s winger for 15 games last year and got plenty of chances to show his calling card, shooting the puck every chance he got. He might have to work a little more for his opportunities this year, likely starting on the fourth line, but he has a chance to move up in the lineup with Tampa needing to replace their entire third line and second power play unit from last year.

NSH – Alexandre Carrier, top-four RD

An underrated storyline during Nashville’s run to the playoffs was the emergence of Alexandre Carrier as a top-four defenseman. He played well enough to push Dante Fabbro out of a lineup spot once the team got healthy and with Ryan Ellis gone, the door is open for Carrier to be Josi’s running mate this year. A solid puck-mover and offensive defenseman in the AHL, it will be tough for Carrier to carry over that production. However, he showed that he can do a lot of the little things to stick around at the NHL level. Using his skating to defend the line and keep pucks out of the Nashville zone, he was a good compliment to Josi and one of Nashville’s better defenders.

The one caveat is that this is only 19 games and sustaining it over a full-season is another challenge. Carrier’s play from last year gives him a slight inside edge for this roster spot, though.

MTL – Cole Caufield, 1^ST Line RW

The Canadiens playoff run from last year have all but guaranteed Caufield a spot on the top line. That’s not to say the Habs don’t have other options but with the exception of Brendan Gallagher, it’s hard to see any of the other wingers being able to do what Caufield can. He’s already shown to have a complementary skillset for Nick Suzuki, being a shoot-first player who can trail him off the rush and create chances from in-tight. He scored only four goals in 20 games in the playoffs, but it’s hard to argue that his line wasn’t a threat to strike off the rush whenever they were on. Caufield is likely starting this season in the same spot and is an early favorite to win the Calder based on his projected ice-time.

ST. PAUL, MN - JANUARY 31: Colorado Avalanche Defenceman Bowen Byram (4) skates with the puck during an NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche on January 31, 2021, at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire)

Colorado – Bowen Byram 2LD, Alex Newhook, top-nine forward

With Ryan Graves traded and Devon Toews recovering from shoulder surgery, there’s a real opportunity for the former 4^th overall pick Bowen Byram to standout. Colorado has been a place where defenseman have had career seasons across the board the past couple of years, so it’s a favorable situation or Byram to walk into, especially when considering the forward lines he will be playing behind. Injuries kept him from sticking around last year, so it will be interesting to see how he does in the top-four until Toews gets back. Can he be a building block for the Avs or is he more?

The same can be said for Alex Newhook, another former first round pick expected to break into a full-time role. His is a little more carved out, as the Avs are insulated well at center and he will likely be the third line pivot. The one caveat is that it might be tough for him to put up points depending on who his linemates are. Tyson Jost and JT Compher are good players, but they’ve never been huge point producers. Neither has Val Nichushkin or most of the Avs depth forwards. This will change drastically if he gets Andre Burakovsky as his linemate, though. It’s easy to see him succeeding but being a Calder candidate might depend on how the Avs lines shake out.

Edmonton – Evan Bouchard

If the Oilers weren’t currently employing Tyson Barrie, it would be easy to peg Evan Bouchard as a Calder favorite because he would be getting those power play minutes. The 21-year-old hasn’t quite earned the trust of the coaching staff yet, but when he was in the lineup, he showed that he can create offense, never hesitating to shoot the puck from the point and injecting some life into the bottom-half of the Oilers roster. There’s a slightly easier path for Bouchard to earn a full-time job this year, as he’s likely the best puck-mover the Oilers have in their reconstructed second and third pairs. He is a stealth Calder candidate in the event of an injury to Barrie or Duncan Keith.

Philadelphia – Morgan Frost 2C/3C

Coming off a lost season due to a dislocated shoulder, Morgan Frost has a chance to hit the reset button filling in for an injured Kevin Hayes. The former Greyhound showed some flashes in his first cup of coffee with the Flyers, centering Giroux and Konecny and showing some of the creative offensive instincts that got him drafted in the first round. He was a plus in just about every category except actually finishing chances, which should hopefully come with time.

What makes a prospect like Frost so interesting to follow is most of his offense comes out of “nothing” plays where he doesn’t need to be setup or have a lot of open ice. He proved to be very good at recovering pucks, taking creative routes to the front of the net and quickly making plays to the net to catch defenders off-guard. It didn’t result in as many points as it should have, but the talent is hard to ignore with him. Two years later, he should get plenty of opportunities to earn a spot in the Flyers top-nine.

McKeen’s Fantasy Prospects Rankings

Peter Harling — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 18:44:56 +0000

Ranking prospects can be difficult. There are many factors to consider. Adding another layer as impactful as fantasy hockey value can make a big impact on rankings.

As a fantasy GM, it can be difficult to distinguish between NHL value and fantasy value. What a NHL team values and ranks high on their depth chart, may not resonate with your needs as a fantasy GM trying to build a dynasty.

To help you rank prospects for your fantasy league, I have ranked the top 30 forwards, 20 defenders and ten goalies.

For the skaters, I only considered players under 25-years-old and with less the 50 career regular season games played. For goalies, under 25-years-old and less than 25 career games played.

There are many scoring categories in fantasy hockey, but for purposes of this list, I am only considering goals and assists, and keeper dynasty leagues.

Some of the factors that I took into consideration for the rankings include a wide range. Some examples are draft pedigree, age, production at the pro level to date (NHL, AHL, Europe) and opportunity to make the roster. The last one is a big one as I place a lot of value in two factors.

What are the players long term upside, or potential or offensive ceiling?

What is the expected arrival date for the player to break into the NHL?

I have also broken this list of the top 60 prospects up positionally as all fantasy leagues have positional requirements. Depending on your league the positional value may increase or decrease based on scoring.

For goalies, I rank them based on how soon I expect them to arrive in the NHL and score them on win expectations.

Forward Rankings

1. Cole Caufield, RW - Montreal Canadiens

The Hobey Baker Award winner made his debut in the playoffs and is the early favorite for the Calder. He will become a 50-goal scorer.

2. Trevor Zegras, C - Anaheim Ducks

The WJC MVP dominated the AHL and is ready to become the Ducks number one center.

3. Alex Newhook, C - Colorado Avalanche

Turned pro and made his NHL debut including some playoff games. He’s too good for the AHL already and will force his way into a top six role.

4. Marco Rossi, C - Minnesota Wild

A lost season to injury and sickness will be difficult to overcome. But not impossible. Look for Rossi to challenge for the first line center position out of training camp.

5. Philip Tomasino, C - Nashville Predators

Tomasino has dominated at every level he has played, OHL, WJC, AHL. He will make his NHL debut this season and could quickly earn a top six role.

6. Anton Lundell, C - Florida Panthers

Signed his ELC this summer and will be coming to North America after developing his offensive game in the Liiga. Viewd as a two-way player in his draft year he may have been underrated for fantasy purposes.

7. Nick Robertson, LW - Toronto Maple Leafs

Breaking into the Leafs top six is a tall order, but Robertson is a proven goal scorer that has earned the opportunity.

8. Quinton Byfield, C - Los Angeles Kings

Byfield still has a year of OHL eligibility, his playing options are either in the OHL or with the Kings. If the OHL played last year he would have been there but took full advantage of the opportunity in the AHL and looks NHL ready.

9. Morgan Frost, C - Philadelphia Flyers

A gifted offensive producer has done so in the AHL but has yet to translate that to the NHL. This year should be the 22-year-olds breakout season

10. Peyton Krebs, C - Vegas Golden Knights

The Knights are thin down the middle opening the door wide for Krebs to step into the number one pivot role. He may need one more year of seasoning.

11. Matt Boldy, LW - Minnesota Wild

After a solid sophomore season and outstanding WJC, Boldy signed his ELC and produced over a point-per-game in the AHL. The Wild could have multiple Calder candidates.

12. Dylan Cozens, C/RW - Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres may not have a good track record of developing prospects but Cozens already has 41 games of NHL experience and will be a top six player for a long time.

13. Alex Turcotte, C - Los Angeles Kings

A full season of pro hockey in the AHL, but has yet to play a NHL game. The Kings are taking their time in developing Turcotte which will pay off in the long run.

14. Lucas Raymond, LW - Detroit Red Wings

The Wings fourth overall pick is coming to North America but knowing how the Wings like to over ripen players, look for Raymond to spend a full season in the AHL before he is inserted into the first line.

15. Eeli Tolvanen, LW - Nashville Predators

The expectations for Tolvanen have gone up and down, and the Preds have been patient. Now is the time for the sniper to show offensive consistency.

16. Grigori Denisenko, LW - Florida Panthers

Split time between the NHL and AHL in his first season in North America, and may require a little more development in the AHL

17. Connor McMichael, C - Washington Capitals

Benefited from the Pandemic cancelling the OHL, which allowed him to play in the AHL where he showed he was ready for the next level.

18. Alexander Holtz, RW - New Jersey Devils

Goal scoring winger will require more seasoning before he is NHL ready but riding shotgun for either Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier has a lot of upside potential.

19. Cole Perfetti, C - Winnipeg Jets

Saw action in the AHL, WJC and World Championship. Where will he play next year? His options are back to the OHL or make the jump to the NHL. He may be a year or two away, but “Goal” Perfetti will have an impact when he arrives.

20. Barrett Hayton, LW - Arizona Coyotes

Hayton has bounced between the AHL, NHL and even Liiga in the past two years, not to mention some international tournament play as well. Wherever he plays, AHL or NHL next year, it would be good for his development to play on one team and get a big role.

21. Samuel Poulin, LW - Pittsburgh Penguins

Almost made the cut last year but was returned to junior as the QMJHL was open for business. Poulin will turn pro next year, and the Penguins desperately need some youth.

22. Seth Jarvis, C Carolina Hurricanes

Jarvis began the year in the AHL and was doing great. Then the WHL resumed play and he was returned and will likely payout his final season in the WHL before returning to pro full time.

23. Vitali Kravtsov, RW - New York Rangers

Bouncing back-and-forth from Russia to North America is cause for concern, but Kravtsov rebound nicely in the KHL. Expectations are he is an NHL player now but will need to produce to hold that position.

24. Vasili Podkolzin, RW - Vancouver Canucks

Canucks fans are excited for the Russian winger, but this may be a case where his NHL value exceeds his fantasy value.

25. Joe Veleno, C - Detroit Red Wings

The wings are developing Veleno slowly but steadily. The big question is what will his upside be? Is he a good second line center, or a great third line guy?

26. Arthur Kaliyev, LW - Los Angeles Kings

Arguably a boom or bust fantasy player. Kaliyev is a goal scorer, and a very good one. But he needs to score to contribute and make the NHL.

27. Alex Barre-Boulet, C- Tampa Bay Lightning

With the two-time Stanley Cup Champions forced to make some offseason roster moves for salary cap compliance, Barre-Boulet could be the benefactor of a vacated top six position.

28. Ryan Poehling, LW - Montreal Canadiens

After his incredible NHL debut, Poehling has been developing in the AHL and is close to NHL ready. Don’t count on too many more three goal games, but his AHL time is coming to an end.

29. Jack Studnicka, C - Boston Bruins

Studnicka played in 20 regular season games with the Bruins and if the Bruins lose David Krejci in the offseason look for Studnicka to fill the void.

30. Riley Damiani, C - Dallas Stars

Wrapping up the top 30 with a sleeper. Damiani had a monster AHL rookie season with 36 points in as many games and was named the AHL Rookie of The Year. He has some players to leap over to get an NHL roster spot, but Don’t think he can’t do just that.

SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 14: Anaheim Ducks Defenceman Jamie Drysdale (34) skates with the puck during the NHL hockey game between the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks on April 14, 2021 at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire)

Defense Rankings

Jamie Drysdale - Anaheim Ducks

Made the NHL out of his draft year and is poised to take the reigns as the Ducks top defender. He could be a Calder candidate

2. Evan Bouchard - Edmonton Oilers

Bouchard could be lethal on the power play with McDavid and Draisaitl. Barrie signed until 2024, but the Oilers will be looking to Bouchard to quarterback their powerplay in the future.

3. Bowen Byram - Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche have a deep blueline, but Byram has number one defender upside. Look for Byram and Makar to be 1A and 1B

4. Moritz Seider - Detroit Red Wings

Seider is making GM Steve Yzerman look pretty good for drafting him when he did. There was some surprise the draft floor when his name was called sixth overall.

5. Jake Bean - Columbus Blue Jackets

His 44 NHL games played is almost enough to disqualify him from the list, almost. Now in a new home in Columbus and new opportunity.

6. Scott Perunovich - St. Louis Blues

Perunovich lost the season to injury, but at this time last year I was predicting him to make the Blues to start the season and end it as a top four player and PP quarterback.

7. Rasmus Sandin - Toronto Maple Leafs

With three Leaf defenders making over $5 million, there is only one opening for a top four in Toronto. Sandin is poised to secure that job

8. Nils Lundkvist - New York Rangers

The exile of Anthony DeAngelo opened the door for Lundkvist. After leading the SHL in defense scoring and being named the top defender in the SHL, it is time for him to debut on Broadway.

9. Caled Addison - Minnesota Wild

Addison had a great rookie year in the AHL posting 22 points. Look for the Wild to embrace their youth next year and Addison will be in their mix with Rossi and Boldy.

10. Cam York - Philadelphia Flyers

York has been a dominant player for USA and at the NCAA level with Michigan. He is ready to take his game to the pro level and should dominate for a season in the AHL before making an impact in the NHL.

11. Victor Soderstrom - Arizona Coyotes

Soderstrom played all over the map last year, seeing games in Allsvenksen, the WJC, AHL and making his NHL debut. The departure of OEL opens the door for Soderstrom and Chychrun to inherit the top pairing duties

12. Pierre-Olivier Joseph - Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins will soon need to turn to their young players as the Crosby-Malkin era winds down. Joseph is by far their top prospect in defense

13. Ryan Merkley - San Jose Sharks

The former first overall OHL Draft pick has tremendous fantasy and offensive upside. The concern is he could be more like other recent OHL grads Sean Day due to poor defensive decision making, or Tony DeAngelo with off ice problems. A boom-or-bust prospect.

14. Thomas Harley - Dallas Stars

The Ryan Suter signing will block Harley out of the top four for now, but he will play his way into it in a year or two.

15. Conor Timmins - Arizona Coyotes

After losing a development season in 2018-19 to injury, he was surpassed on the Av’s depth chart by Cale Makar and Bowen Byram. A fresh start on a rebuilding team with less roster blockers increases his fantasy value tremendously.

16. Jake Sanderson - Ottawa Senators

One of the biggest 2020 draft risers, Sanderson fantasy stock has cooled off during his freshman season in the NCAA where he scored two goals and 15 points in 22 games at the University of North Dakota. It was a solid freshman season, but his sophomore year should be more impressive.

17. Ville Heinola - Winnipeg Jets

Heinola has spent the past two years bouncing between the NHL, the AHL, the WJC and Liiga. Odds are he is a full time Jet this year competing for top four minutes

18. Alex Alexeyev - Washington Capitals

The big Russian defenseman has spent the past five years in North America (minus 55 KHL games due to COVID). He may have one more year of AHL development ahead of him, but like the Penguins, the Caps will be looking to some of the kids to make an impact soon.

19. Braden Schneider - New York Rangers

It was a great season for Schneider producing over a point-per-game in his final junior campaign, he was impressive for Canada at the WJC and made the Men’s World Championship Team Canada as well. A full AHL season is likely next before he breaks the Rangers roster.

20. Wyatt Kalynuk - Chicago Blackhawks

Seth Jones will get all the minutes he can handle as the Hawks top defender, but don’t sleep on Kalynuk who posted nine points in 21 games with the Hawks last year, and another ten in only eight AHL games. He’s a player.

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 16: Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) stares down a shot during a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders on April 16, 2021 at TD garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

Goalie Rankings

1. Spencer Knight - Florida Panthers

After a dominant NCAA sophomore season highlighted with a Team USA WJC Gold Medal, and a Hobey Baker nomination, Knight made his NHL debut and was getting playoff starts over Bobrovsky. It’s simply a matter of time (immediately or next season) before he is an NHL All-Star

2. Yaroslav Askarov - Nashville Predators

Pump the brakes if you think the Pekka Rinne retirement means Askarov instantly becomes a NHL starting goalie. He needs more development time for that, but it will happen soon enough.

3. Cayden Primeau - Montreal Canadiens

One could argue that a large part of why Montreal chose to expose Carey Price and his contract in the expansion draft is because they know what they have coming down the pipe with Cayden Primeau. That is the next franchise goalie.

4. Justus Annunen - Colorado Avalanche

With both Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francouz in the final years of their contracts, Annunen could inherit the crease to a Stanley Cup contending team if he has a strong full season in the AHL. His resume to-date suggests this is highly probable.

5. Jeremy Swayman - Boston Bruins

Swayman fantasy hockey stock is soaring after his sparkling NHL debut posting a 7-3-0 record with a 1.5 GAA and .945 SV%. The fact that the future of Tuukka Rask is in limbo doesn’t hurt either.

6. Pyotr Kochetkov - Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes crease had a complete makeover this summer with the additions of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta on two-year contracts. This buys the 22-year-old Kochetkov some extra development time before he becomes the team’s starting goalie.

7. Lukas Dostal - Anaheim Ducks

The 2020 Liiga Best Goalie Award winner was too dominant in the Liiga and when the AHL resumed, he was brought over to North America. He quickly became the Gulls top goalie. The 21-year-old should get a full season of development in the AHL with John Gibson as the Ducks starting goalie, for now.

8. Daniil Tarasov - Columbus Blue Jackets

The 6-5 Russian goalie has posted impressive stats in the Liiga and the KHL before making his AHL debut last season. His 4-2 record in the AHL was a good indication that he can play in North America as well.

9. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - Buffalo Sabres

At the time this was written, the Buffalo goalies under contract are Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell. One can only assume they will add a legit starting goalie, or they are chasing the Shane Wright lottery. Either way, don’t expect to see much of UPL in the crease this season as he would be best served playing top minutes in the AHL

10. Joel Hofer - St. Louis Blues

The Blues have invested for a long time with Binnington in the crease. This gives Hofer all the time he needs to develop in the AHL.

SEATTLE KRAKEN EXPANSION DRAFT: Prospects to Target – Part One – Goaltenders and Defense

Brock Otten — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 16:02:06 +0000

It has been four years since the Vegas Golden Knights joined the National Hockey League through expansion. Through the expansion draft process, the Golden Knights balanced their initial lineup by selecting both veterans and youth, with a focus on team speed and competitiveness. Masterfully constructed, Vegas ended up winning the Pacific division and reaching the Stanley Cup finals in their inaugural season (2017-18).

Later this year, the Seattle Kraken will officially become the 32nd NHL franchise when they select their team through their expansion draft. July 17 is the date set for NHL teams to submit their protected lists (with Vegas being exempt) and July 21 is the date set for the expansion draft itself. Of course, these dates could change depending on how the NHL season finishes up in the midst of a global pandemic. However, as of right now, that is when we will find out who will be wearing that Kraken jersey to start the 2021-22 season.

Naturally, Seattle general manager Ron Francis, assistant general manager Jason Botterill, and director of player personnel Norm Maciver will be aiming to replicate the success that Vegas had (and has continued to have). They have to reach the salary floor with their selections, so they will be choosing some veterans (or trading for/signing some) to lead this group. However, much like Vegas, they will be looking to swing for the fences with some selections, by opting for a few young, unestablished players. This article aims to highlight some of the prospects who could be (and are likely to be) left unprotected by their NHL teams come July. The focus is on players who have yet to truly establish themselves as NHL players. The list will be organized by position and published in two parts. Goaltenders and defense in part one and forwards in part two which will be published tomorrow.

GOALTENDERS

Daniel Vladar - Boston Bruins

A massive 6’5 netminder, Vladar has been terrific in the AHL since turning pro. The former third round pick led the AHL in save percentage and goals against average last season. Of course, his only NHL appearance came in last year’s bubble playoffs when he relieved Jaroslav Halak in a blowout loss to the Lightning.

Alex Nedeljkovic - Carolina Hurricanes

A former OHL Goaltender of the Year and AHL Goaltender of the Year, Nedeljkovic is a former highly touted prospect who has yet to break through as a consistent NHL goaltender, struggling in his spot starts for the Hurricanes. He passed through waivers unclaimed this year, to the surprise of many. With Petr Mrazek having thumb surgery recently, Nedeljkovic is getting another run as James Reimer’s back-up and it will serve as a great audition for him (perhaps a final one). He did recently post his first career NHL shutout against the defending Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

Michael McNiven - Montreal Canadiens

McNiven, also a former OHL Goaltender of the Year, has been buried under the goaltending depth of the Canadiens the last few seasons. He was terrific in the ECHL last year and has shown glimpses of strong play in the AHL in previous seasons. This year, he will get a chance to truly showcase himself as the platoon partner of Cayden Primeau in Laval.

Filip Gustavsson - Ottawa Senators

Acquired as part of the package for Derrick Brassard, when he was traded to Pittsburgh three years ago, Gustavsson has struggled so far in the Senators organization. A former highly touted prospect, Gustavsson has yet to play this year as Ottawa has kept him on their taxi squad. Depending on if he bounces back this year (when he does play), he could be intriguing to the Kraken.

Joey Daccord - Ottawa Senators

A former seventh round selection, Daccord signed with Ottawa after a standout junior season with Arizona State, where he was a finalist for the Mike Richter Award (top NCAA goaltender). He had a strong rookie season in the AHL last year and will be looking to mimic that with Belleville again this season.

Vitek Vanecek - Washington Capitals

After five seasons in the AHL/ECHL, the former high draft selection is finally getting his chance to be an NHL netminder with the Capitals this season. Initially serving as Ilya Samsonov’s back-up, Vanecek has taken over the reigns as the starter with Samsonov’s lingering covid symptoms. Vanecek already has seven wins on the year. Given that the Capitals are sure to protect the younger Samsonov, Vanecek is likely to be available to Seattle.

Connor Ingram - Nashville Predators

An AHL all star the last two seasons, Ingram had emerged in the conversation as one of the better goaltending prospects in the league. However, the 2020/21 season has been very difficult for the former Kamloops Blazer. He was embroiled in controversy in Sweden earlier this year when he and his teammates were accused (but cleared) of match fixing. Now, he is in the NHL’s player assistance program and has not played this year. Hopefully the talented netminder gets the help he needs and is able to return at some point this season.

Josef Korenar - San Jose Sharks

Two years ago, Korenar burst onto the scene with a strong rookie performance in the AHL, putting himself on the prospect map. However, his sophomore campaign was not as impressive as he struggled with consistency. In his third pro season, Korenar has been part of the San Jose Sharks’ taxi squad thus far.

Ville Husso - St. Louis Blues

Husso has certainly been patient, awaiting his opportunity to play in the NHL. A former highly touted prospect, Husso already has four AHL seasons under his belt and is now finally getting his chance with the Blues as Jordan Binnington’s back-up. His play thus far has been underwhelming, but there is still plenty of season left.

Mikhail Berdin - Winnipeg Jets

Easily one of the league’s most underrated goaltending prospects, Berdin has been terrific in his first two AHL seasons with Manitoba. Blessed with size (6’2), athleticism, and composure, Berdin has what it takes to be an NHL netminder. With Connor Hellebuyck blocking him, his best chance to be an NHL Netminder could be with another organization like Seattle.

DEFENSE

Jake Bean - Carolina Hurricanes

Last year’s AHL Defenseman of the Year, Bean is a legitimate NHL prospect and one of the best young players on this list. However, due to the depth of the Carolina Hurricanes, there is a chance that they won’t be able to protect him from Seattle. The former first round pick is currently in the midst of his rookie NHL season with Carolina and his confidence has been blossoming of late. Do the Canes leave Dougie Hamilton and/or Brady Skjei exposed in order to protect Bean? Do they work out a trade with Seattle to prevent them from selecting any of the high end players they will ultimately have to leave unprotected?

Riley Stillman - Florida Panthers

Stillman did a bang up job last year helping the Panthers cover for injuries, even if he wasn’t quite ready yet to be a fulltime NHL defender. This year, he is back in the AHL where he has gotten off to a strong start in his third pro season. A physically intense defender who can play in any situation, Stillman could be a top target for Seattle if they intend to build the kind of team Vegas did.

Cale Fleury - Montreal Canadiens

Much like Stillman, Fleury finds himself back in the AHL this season after playing much of last year in the NHL. The addition of Alex Romanov has pushed Fleury down the depth chart and it seems unlikely Montreal will be able to protect him at the expansion draft. A right shot defender with size, Fleury could definitely be coveted if he performs well with Laval.

Sebastian Aho - New York Islanders

No, no, not that Aho. This is the defender in the Islanders organization. Undersized, but extremely talented offensively, Aho has been an AHL All-star in all three of his professional seasons in North America. Now waiver eligible, Aho has been on the Isles roster to start this season but has not yet played a game. Would Seattle look at him as a potential powerplay QB for their roster?

Cal Foote - Tampa Bay Lightning

A former high first round pick, Foote has finally received his shot to be an NHL player after two seasons in the AHL. Playing sparingly on the third pair, Foote is proving himself a capable NHL defender thus far. However, the Lightning have an abundance of talented young players to protect and Foote could be a casualty there if Tampa feels that his upside as an NHL player is limited.

Josh Mahura - Anaheim Ducks

The former Regina Pat and Red Deer Rebel standout has bounced between the AHL and NHL during his first two pro seasons and is considered one of Anaheim’s better defensive prospects. There is still hope that he develops into a quality two-way NHL defender. However, like some other teams here, Anaheim has other young defenders they may elect to protect over him.

Ben Gleason - Dallas Stars

A free agent signing by the Stars out of the OHL, Gleason came out gangbusters in his first pro season, even getting in limited NHL action and earning his first NHL point. However, last season was a step backwards. Unlikely to be protected by Dallas due to their defensive depth, Gleason will have a shot to impress Seattle with a strong AHL season this year and he has started off hot with Texas.

Austin Strand - Los Angeles Kings

A free agent signing out of the WHL by the Kings, Strand has made the Kings this season, his third professionally. With a strong season for Los Angeles, he can certainly put himself in the conversation to be protected, but it likely comes down to him or Kale Clague and it seems unlikely that the Kings protect Strand over Clague.

Brogan Rafferty - Vancouver Canucks

Because of his age, the Canucks will have to protect Rafferty after just his second pro season after signing out of Quinnipiac. The slick skating defender was a standout in the AHL with Utica last year, where he was an all star. This season, he has been used sparingly by Vancouver, shuttling between the active roster and taxi squad. There is a chance that Vancouver elects to protect Rafferty over one of their more experienced, more expensive defenders (like Tyler Myers or Nate Schmidt), but at this point, Rafferty looks to be on the bubble.

Logan Stanley - Winnipeg Jets

Stanley, a former first round pick, has cracked the Winnipeg roster this season, playing on the team’s third pairing, and playing well. The behemoth blueliner (6’7, 230lbs) is a physical specimen and would look good as a piece on the Seattle blueline if the Jets are unable to protect him. It will probably come down to him or Dylan DeMelo, depending on how Stanley plays to finish out this NHL season.

Sami Niku - Winnipeg Jets

No longer waivers exempt, the Jets have kept the former AHL defenseman of the year on their roster all season, even if they haven’t played him a ton. Looking like the odd man out, it seems very unlikely that Niku is protected at this point and he could certainly be a target for the Kraken, hoping to unlock his upside as a top four defender.

*Special thanks to the capfriendly expansion draft tool which helped to identify those players who are eligible to be selected.

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Top 300 Prospect Rankings

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:09:56 +0000

These are our final prospect ranking prior to the start of the season. As a subscriber you can download the list in an excel chart and can link to the player pages in the chart found here. As always, the rankings you see below are based on our 20-80 scouting system looking at five categories for skaters (Skating, Shot, Puck Skills, Hockey Smarts, Physicality) and six for netminders (Athleticism/Quickness/Speed, Compete/Temperament, Vision/Play Reading, Technique/Style, Rebound Control, Puck Handling). Our prospect team spent large portions of their last few months pre-COVID in the rinks, watching the players below and many others, and further work on video (Instat Hockey has been a terrific resource in recent days) before passing judgement on their future projections.

The 20-80 scouting system is meant to allow players from different leagues in different parts of the world to be compared to one another, such that grades on a player in the OHL can be directly compared to grades from an AHL player, and to grades of someone playing in the MHL.

PROSPECT CRITERIA

Players under 26 years of age as of the September 15th prior (Sep. 15, 1994) to the season in question who have appeared in less than 60 NHL games (30 for goalies) and less than 35 in any one season – or 25 last year (20 for goalies, 15 last season) are considered prospects

RANK	PLAYER	NHL	POS	AGE	HT/WT	ACQUIRED
1	Alexis Lafreniere	NYR	LW	19	6-1/195	`20(1st)
2	Tim Stutzle	Ott	C	18	6-1/185	`20(3rd)
3	Quinton Byfield	LA	C	18	6-4/215	`20(2nd)
4	Trevor Zegras	Ana	C	19	6-0/170	`19(9th)
5	Kirill Kaprizov	Min	LW	23	5-10/200	`15(135th)
6	Lucas Raymond	Det	LW	18	5-11/170	`20(4th)
7	Dylan Cozens	Buf	C	19	6-3/185	`19(7th)
8	Bowen Byram	Col	D	19	6-0/195	`19(4th)
9	Peyton Krebs	VGK	C	19	5-11/180	`19(17th)
10	Jake Sanderson	Ott	D	18	6-1/185	`20(5th)
11	Moritz Seider	Det	D	19	6-3/185	`19(6th)
12	Jamie Drysdale	Ana	D	18	5-11/175	`20(6th)
13	Igor Shesterkin	NYR	G	25	6-1/190	`14(118th)
14	Alexander Holtz	NJ	RW	18	6-0/190	`20(7th)
15	Cole Perfetti	Wpg	LW	19	5-10/180	`20(10th)
16	Marco Rossi	Min	C	19	5-9/185	`20(9th)
17	Vasili Podkolzin	Van	RW	19	6-1/190	`19(10th)
18	Victor Soderstrom	Ari	D	19	5-11/180	`19(11th)
19	Nick Robertson	Tor	LW	19	5-9/160	`19(53rd)
20	Cole Caufield	Mtl	RW	19	5-7/165	`19(15th)
21	Yaroslav Askarov	Nsh	G	18	6-3/175	`20(11th)
22	Spencer Knight	Fla	G	19	6-3/195	`19(13th)
23	Philip Broberg	Edm	D	19	6-3/200	`19(8th)
24	Jack Quinn	Buf	RW	19	6-0/180	`20(8th)
25	Matthew Boldy	Min	LW	19	6-1/190	`19(12th)
26	Nils Lundkvist	NYR	D	20	5-11/180	`18(28th)
27	Seth Jarvis	Car	RW	18	5-10/175	`20(13th)
28	Ty Smith	NJ	D	20	5-10/180	`18(17th)
29	Grigori Denisenko	Fla	LW	20	5-11/185	`18(15th)
30	Barrett Hayton	Ari	C	20	6-1/190	`18(5th)
31	Alex Newhook	Col	C	19	5-10/195	`19(16th)
32	Thomas Harley	Dal	D	19	6-3/190	`19(18th)
33	Alex Turcotte	LA	C	19	5-11/185	`19(5th)
34	Vitali Kravtsov	NYR	RW	21	6-3/185	`18(9th)
35	Philip Tomasino	Nsh	C	19	5-11/180	`19(24th)
36	Connor McMichael	Wsh	C	19	5-11/175	`19(25th)
37	Dawson Mercer	NJ	C	19	6-0/180	`20(18th)
38	Ilya Sorokin	NYI	G	25	6-2/180	`14(78th)
39	Gabriel Vilardi	LA	RW	21	6-3/200	`17(11th)
40	Ryan Merkley	SJ	D	20	5-11/170	`18(21st)
41	Alexander Romanov	Mtl	D	20	5-11/185	`18(38th)
42	Kaiden Guhle	Mtl	D	18	6-2/190	`20(16th)
43	Samuel Poulin	Pit	LW	19	6-1/205	`19(21st)
44	K'Andre Miller	NYR	D	20	6-3/205	`18(22nd)
45	Scott Perunovich	StL	D	22	5-10/175	`18(45th)
46	Evan Bouchard	Edm	D	21	6-2/195	`18(10th)
47	Braden Schneider	NYR	D	19	6-2/200	`20(19th)
48	Juuso Valimaki	Cgy	D	22	6-2/205	`17(16th)
49	Cam York	Phi	D	19	5-11/175	`19(14th)
50	Anton Lundell	Fla	C	19	6-1/185	`20(12th)
51	Morgan Frost	Phi	C	21	5-11/180	`17(27th)
52	Owen Tippett	Fla	RW	21	6-1/200	`17(10th)
53	Albert Johansson	Det	D	19	5-11/165	`19(60th)
54	Liam Foudy	CBJ	C	20	6-0/175	`18(18th)
55	Kieffer Bellows	NYI	LW	22	6-0/200	`16(19th)
56	Arthur Kaliyev	LA	RW	19	6-2/190	`19(33rd)
57	Oliver Wahlstrom	NYI	RW	20	6-1/205	`18(11th)
58	Nils Hoglander	Van	RW	20	5-9/185	`19(40th)
59	Matias Maccelli	Ari	LW	20	5-11/170	`19(98th)
60	Tobias Bjornfot	LA	D	19	6-0/200	`19(22nd)
61	Jacob Bernard-Docker	Ott	D	20	6-0/180	`18(26th)
62	Connor Zary	Cgy	C	19	6-0/180	`20(24th)
63	Dominik Bokk	Car	RW	20	6-1/180	T(StL-9/19)
64	Ryan Suzuki	Car	C	19	6-0/180	`19(28th)
65	Dylan Samberg	Wpg	D	21	6-3/190	`17(43rd)
66	Jake Bean	Car	D	22	6-1/175	`16(13th)
67	Josh Norris	Ott	C	21	6-1/195	T(SJ-9/18)
68	Rasmus Kupari	LA	C	20	6-1/185	`18(20th)
69	Jakob Pelletier	Cgy	LW	19	5-9/165	`19(26th)
70	Drake Batherson	Ott	RW	22	6-1/190	`17(121st)
71	Jan Jenik	Ari	RW	20	6-1/180	`18(65th)
72	John-Jason Peterka	Buf	LW	18	5-11/190	`20(34th)
73	Kirill Marchenko	CBJ	LW	20	6-3/190	`18(49th)
74	Bode Wilde	NYI	D	20	6-2/195	`18(41st)
75	John Beecher	Bos	C	19	6-3/210	`19(30th)
76	Tyler Madden	LA	C	21	5-10/155	T(Van-2/20)
77	Jack Studnicka	Bos	C	21	6-1/170	`17(53rd)
78	Jake Oettinger	Dal	G	22	6-4/210	`17(26th)
79	Alex Formenton	Ott	LW	21	6-2/165	`17(47th)
80	Matthew Robertson	NYR	D	19	6-3/200	`19(49th)
81	Calen Addison	Min	D	20	5-10/180	T(Pit-2/20)
82	Ty Dellandrea	Dal	C	20	6-0/185	`18(13th)
83	Akil Thomas	LA	C	20	5-11/170	`18(51st)
84	Mavrik Bourque	Dal	C	18	5-10/180	`20(30th)
85	Ian Mitchell	Chi	D	21	5-11/175	`17(57th)
86	Jason Robertson	Dal	LW	21	6-2/195	`17(39th)
87	Hendrix Lapierre	Wsh	C	18	5-11/180	`20(22nd)
88	Brendan Brisson	VGK	C	19	5-11/180	`20(29th)
89	Theodor Niederbach	Det	C	18	5-11/175	`20(51st)
90	Zac Jones	NYR	D	20	5-10/175	`19(68th)
91	Robert Mastrosimone	Det	LW	19	5-10/160	`19(54th)
92	Joe Veleno	Det	C	20	6-1/195	`18(30th)
93	Rodion Amirov	Tor	LW	19	6-0/170	`20(15th)
94	Jake Neighbours	StL	LW	18	5-11/195	`20(26th)
95	Julien Gauthier	NYR	RW	23	6-4/225	T(Car-2/20)
96	Justus Annunen	Col	G	20	6-4/215	`18(64th)
97	Egor Zamula	Phi	D	20	6-4/175	FA(9/18)
98	Shane Pinto	Ott	C	20	6-2/190	`19(32nd)
99	Noel Gunler	Car	RW	19	6-2/175	`20(41st)
100	Ridly Greig	Ott	C	18	5-11/165	`20(28th)
101	Jesse Ylonen	Mtl	RW	21	6-1/185	`18(35th)
102	Samuel Fagemo	LA	RW	20	6-0/195	`19(50th)
103	Mattias Norlinder	Mtl	D	20	5-11/180	`19(64th)
104	Olli Juolevi	Van	D	22	6-3/200	`16(5th)
105	Kristian Vesalainen	Wpg	LW	21	6-3/205	`17(24th)
106	Raphael Lavoie	Edm	RW	20	6-4/195	`19(38th)
107	Jan Mysak	Mtl	C	18	5-11/180	`20(49th)
108	Cayden Primeau	Mtl	G	21	6-3/180	`17(199th)
109	Pavel Dorofeyev	VGK	LW	20	6-1/170	`19(79th)
110	Morgan Barron	NYR	C	22	6-2/200	`17(174th)
111	Ville Heinola	Wpg	D	19	5-11/180	`19(20th)
112	Dylan Holloway	Edm	C	19	6-0/205	`20(14th)
113	Jack Dugan	VGK	RW	22	6-2/185	`17(142nd)
114	Alexander Khovanov	Min	C	20	5-11/195	`18(86th)
115	Jacob Perreault	Ana	RW	18	5-11/195	`20(27th)
116	Jake Evans	Mtl	C	24	6-0/185	`14(207th)
117	Adam Beckman	Min	LW	19	6-1/170	`19(75th)
118	Jett Woo	Van	D	20	6-0/205	`18(37th)
119	Nolan Foote	NJ	LW	20	6-3/190	T(TB-2/20)
120	Logan Brown	Ott	C	22	6-6/220	`16(11th)
121	Martin Kaut	Col	RW	21	6-1/175	`18(16th)
122	Jack Rathbone	Van	D	21	5-10/175	`17(95th)
123	Ozzy Wiesblatt	SJ	RW	18	5-10/185	`20(31st)
124	Ryan O'Rourke	Min	D	18	6-0/180	`20(39th)
125	Lukas Reichel	Chi	LW	18	6-0/170	`20(17th)
126	Jordan Harris	Mtl	D	20	5-11/180	`18(71st)
127	Lukas Dostal	Ana	G	20	6-1/170	`18(85th)
128	Egor Afanasyev	Nsh	RW	19	6-3/205	`19(45th)
129	Conor Timmins	Col	D	22	6-1/185	`17(32nd)
130	Lassi Thomson	Ott	D	20	6-0/190	`19(19th)
131	Eeli Tolvanen	Nsh	RW	21	5-10/175	`17(30th)
132	Kasper Simontaival	LA	RW	18	5-9/180	`20(66th)
133	Roni Hirvonen	Tor	C	18	5-9/165	`20(59th)
134	Thomas Bordeleau	SJ	C	18	5-9/180	`20(38th)
135	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	Ana	C	20	6-1/195	`18(54th)
136	Tyler Kleven	Ott	D	18	6-4/200	`20(44th)
137	Tyson Foerster	Phi	C	18	6-1/195	`20(23rd)
138	Helge Grans	LA	D	18	6-2/205	`20(35th)
139	Jonathan Dahlen	SJ	LW	23	5-11/185	T(Van-2/19)
140	Marat Khusnutdinov	Min	C	18	5-11/175	`20(37th)
141	Alexander Alexeyev	Wsh	D	21	6-3/200	`18(31st)
142	Pierre-Olivier Joseph	Pit	D	21	6-2/170	`17(23rd)
143	Topi Niemela	Tor	D	18	5-10/160	`20(64th)
144	Oskari Laaksonen	Buf	D	21	6-2/165	`17(89th)
145	Filip Hallander	Tor	LW	20	6-1/185	T(Pit-8/20)
146	Serron Noel	Fla	RW	20	6-5/205	`18(34th)
147	Martin Chromiak	LA	LW	18	6-0/185	`20(128th)
148	Shakir Mukhamadullin	NJ	D	18	6-3/180	`20(20th)
149	Mattias Samuelsson	Buf	D	20	6-3/215	`18(32nd)
150	Janne Kuokkanen	NJ	LW	22	6-1/190	T(Car-2/20)
151	Ryan Johnson	Buf	D	19	6-0/175	`19(31st)
152	Sean Farrell	Mtl	C	19	5-8/175	`20(124th)
153	Martin Fehervary	Wsh	D	21	6-1/190	`18(46th)
154	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	Buf	G	21	6-4/195	`17(54th)
155	Will Lockwood	Van	RW	22	5-11/175	`16(64th)
156	Isac Lundestrom	Ana	C	21	6-0/185	`18(23rd)
157	Michael DiPietro	Van	G	21	6-0/195	`17(64th)
158	Jonatan Berggren	Det	RW	20	5-10/185	`18(33rd)
159	Kevin Bahl	NJ	D	20	6-6/230	T(Ari-12/19)
160	Aliaksei Protas	Wsh	C	19	6-5/205	`19(91st)
161	Reilly Walsh	NJ	D	21	5-11/180	`17(81st)
162	Nick Abruzzese	Tor	C	21	5-9/160	`19(124th)
163	Tyler Tucker	StL	D	20	6-1/205	`18(200th)
164	Arseni Gritsyuk	NJ	RW	19	5-10/170	`19(129th)
165	Klim Kostin	StL	C	21	6-3/195	`17(31st)
166	Brayden Tracey	Ana	LW	19	6-0/175	`19(29th)
167	Joel Hofer	StL	G	20	6-3/160	`18(107th)
168	Joey Anderson	Tor	RW	22	6-0/195	T(NJ-10/20)
169	Yegor Spiridonov	SJ	C	19	6-2/195	`19(108th)
170	Sam Colangelo	Ana	RW	19	6-1/205	`20(36th)
171	Joey Keane	Car	D	21	6-0/185	T(NYR-2/20)
172	Jared McIsaac	Det	D	20	6-1/195	`18(36th)
173	Jamieson Rees	Car	C	19	5-10/175	`19(44th)
174	Ivan Morozov	VGK	C	20	6-1/180	`18(61st)
175	Rem Pitlick	Nsh	C	23	5-11/200	`16(76th)
176	Tyce Thompson	NJ	RW	21	6-0/170	`19(96th)
177	Michael McLeod	NJ	C	22	6-2/195	`16(12th)
178	Jaret Anderson-Dolan	LA	C	21	5-11/190	`17(41st)
179	Dustin Wolf	Cgy	G	19	6-0/165	`19(214th)
180	Antti Tuomisto	Det	D	19	6-4/190	`19(35th)
181	Brett Berard	NYR	LW	18	5-9/155	`20(134th)
182	Luke Evangelista	Nsh	RW	18	5-11/170	`20(42nd)
183	Joel Blomqvist	Pit	G	18	6-1/180	`20(52nd)
184	Joni Ikonen	Mtl	C	21	5-10/170	`17(58th)
185	Olivier Rodrigue	Edm	G	20	6-1/165	`18(62nd)
186	Lucas Elvenes	VGK	RW	21	6-0/175	`17(127th)
187	Anthony Angello	Pit	RW	24	6-5/205	`14(145th)
188	Tuukka Tieksola	Car	RW	19	5-10/160	`19(121st)
189	Declan Chisholm	Wpg	D	20	6-1/190	`18(150th)
190	Cole Koepke	TB	LW	22	6-1/195	`18(183rd)
191	Valtteri Puustinen	Pit	RW	21	5-9/185	`19(203rd)
192	Ty Smilanic	Fla	C	18	6-1/175	`20(74th)
193	Patrik Puistola	Car	LW	19	6-0/175	`19(73rd)
194	Justin Barron	Col	D	19	6-2/190	`20(25th)
195	Andrew Peeke	CBJ	D	22	6-3/210	`16(34th)
196	Michael Vukojevic	NJ	D	19	6-3/210	`19(82nd)
197	Alec Regula	Chi	D	20	6-3/200	T(Det-10/19)
198	Connor Corcoran	VGK	D	20	6-1/185	`18(154th)
199	Jeremy Swayman	Bos	G	22	6-1/190	`17(111th)
200	Pyotr Kochetkov	Car	G	21	6-1/175	`19(36th)
201	Mikey Anderson	LA	D	21	6-0/195	`17(103rd)
202	Carter Savoie	Edm	LW	18	5-9/190	`20(100th)
203	Samuel Walker	TB	C	21	5-11/160	`17(200th)
204	William Wallinder	Det	D	18	6-4/190	`20(32nd)
205	Jack Drury	Car	C	20	5-11/180	`18(42nd)
206	Emil Andrae	Phi	D	18	5-9/185	`20(54th)
207	Cal Petersen	LA	G	26	6-3/190	FA(7/17)
208	Jeremie Poirier	Cgy	D	18	6-0/200	`20(72nd)
209	Tarmo Reunanen	NYR	D	22	6-0/180	`16(98th)
210	Simon Holmstrom	NYI	RW	19	6-1/185	`19(23rd)
211	Aleksi Saarela	Fla	RW	23	5-11/200	T(Chi-10/19)
212	Anton Johannesson	Wpg	D	18	5-9/155	`20(133rd)
213	Lauri Pajuniemi	NYR	RW	21	6-0/185	`18(132nd)
214	Morgan Geekie	Car	C	22	6-2/180	`17(67th)
215	Shane Bowers	Col	C	21	6-2/190	T(Ott-11/17)
216	Sasha Chmelevski	SJ	C	21	5-11/190	`17(185th)
217	Ruslan Iskhakov	NYI	C	20	5-8/155	`18(43rd)
218	Cole Schwindt	Fla	RW	19	6-2/185	`19(81st)
219	Hugo Alnefelt	TB	G	19	6-3/195	`19(71st)
220	Nikita Okhotyuk	NJ	D	20	6-1/195	`19(61st)
221	Sampo Ranta	Col	LW	20	6-2/205	`18(78th)
222	Alexander Volkov	TB	LW	23	6-1/190	`17(48th)
223	Alexander True	SJ	C	23	6-5/205	FA(7/18)
224	John Leonard	SJ	C	22	5-11/190	`18(182nd)
225	Carl Grundstrom	LA	LW	23	6-0/195	T(Tor-1/19)
226	Dmitri Semykin	TB	D	20	6-3/200	`18(90th)
227	Cal Foote	TB	D	22	6-4/215	`17(14th)
228	Jean-Luc Foudy	Col	C	18	5-11/175	`20(75th)
229	Alex Barre-Boulet	TB	C	23	5-10/165	FA(3/18)
230	Tristen Robins	SJ	RW	19	5-10/175	`20(56th)
231	Max Gildon	Fla	D	21	6-3/190	`17(66th)
232	Nikita Alexandrov	StL	C	20	6-0/180	`19(62nd)
233	Michael Benning	Fla	D	18	5-9/180	`20(95th)
234	Justin Sourdif	Fla	RW	18	5-11/175	`20(87th)
235	Tanner Laczynski	Phi	C	23	6-1/200	`16(169th)
236	Eamon Powell	TB	D	18	5-11/165	`20(116th)
237	Kaedan Korczak	VGK	D	19	6-3/190	`19(41st)
238	Drew Commesso	Chi	G	18	6-1/180	`20(47th)
239	Nikolai Kovalenko	Col	RW	21	5-10/175	`18(171st)
240	Pius Suter	Chi	C	24	5-11/170	FA(7/20)
241	Wade Allison	Phi	RW	23	6-2/205	`16(52nd)
242	Bobby Brink	Phi	RW	19	5-10/165	`19(34th)
243	Lukas Cormier	VGK	D	18	5-10/180	`20(68th)
244	David Farrance	Nsh	D	21	5-11/190	`17(92nd)
245	Roby Jarventie	Ott	RW	18	6-2/185	`20(33rd)
246	Dmitri Voronkov	CBJ	LW	20	6-4/190	`19(114th)
247	German Rubtsov	Phi	C	22	6-2/190	`16(22nd)
248	Vitaly Abramov	Ott	RW	22	5-9/175	T(CBJ-2/19)
249	Alex Laferriere	LA	RW	19	6-0/175	`20(83rd)
250	Trey Fix-Wolansky	CBJ	RW	21	5-8/185	`18(204th)
251	Isaac Ratcliffe	Phi	LW	21	6-5/200	`17(35th)
252	Kale Clague	LA	D	22	6-0/180	`16(51st)
253	Landon Slaggert	Chi	LW	18	5-11/180	`20(79th)
254	Wyatt Kalynuk	Chi	D	23	6-1/180	FA(7/20)
255	Mikko Kokkonen	Tor	D	19	5-11/200	`19(84th)
256	Kevin Mandolese	Ott	G	20	6-4/180	`18(157th)
257	Daniil Tarasov	CBJ	G	21	6-5/185	`17(86th)
258	Evan Barratt	Chi	C	21	6-0/190	`17(90th)
259	Tyler Benson	Edm	LW	22	6-0/200	`16(32nd)
260	Yegor Korshkov	Tor	RW	24	6-4/215	`16(31st)
261	Hunter Skinner	NYR	D	19	6-2/175	`19(112th)
262	Riley Damiani	Dal	C	20	5-9/165	`18(137th)
263	Ryan McLeod	Edm	C	21	6-2/205	`18(40th)
264	Ilya Konovalov	Edm	G	22	6-0/195	`19(85th)
265	Will Cuylle	NYR	LW	18	6-3/205	`20(60th)
266	Evan Vierling	NYR	C	18	6-0/165	`20(127th)
267	Emil Heineman	Fla	LW	19	6-0/180	`20(43rd)
268	Zayde Wisdom	Phi	RW	18	5-10/195	`20(94th)
269	Hunter Jones	Min	G	20	6-4/195	`19(59th)
270	Ty Tullio	Edm	RW	18	5-10/165	`20(126th)
271	Jordan Spence	LA	D	19	5-10/165	`19(95th)
272	Dmitri Zavgorodny	Cgy	LW	20	5-9/175	`18(198th)
273	Alex Beaucage	Col	RW	19	6-1/195	`19(78th)
274	Matiss Kivlenieks	CBJ	G	24	6-2/190	FA(5/17)
275	Artyom Zub	Ott	D	25	6-2/200	FA(5/20)
276	Urho Vaakanainen	Bos	D	22	6-0/185	`17(18th)
277	Dmitri Samorukov	Edm	D	21	6-2/180	`17(84th)
278	Michal Teply	Chi	LW	19	6-3/185	`19(105th)
279	Colby Ambrosio	Col	C	18	5-8/170	`20(118th)
280	Mads Sogaard	Ott	G	20	6-7/195	`19(37th)
281	Jeremy Lauzon	Bos	D	23	6-3/205	`15(52nd)
282	Dennis Gilbert	Col	D	24	6-2/200	T(Chi-10/20)
283	Trent Frederic	Bos	C	22	6-4/215	`16(29th)
284	Lucas Carlsson	Chi	D	23	6-0/190	`16(110th)
285	Zack Macewen	Van	RW	24	6-3/205	FA(3/17)
286	Brandon Hagel	Chi	LW	22	6-1/175	FA(10/18)
287	Vasily Ponomarev	Car	C	18	5-10/180	`20(53rd)
288	Jakub Zboril	Bos	D	23	6-1/200	`15(13th)
289	Garrett Pilon	Wsh	RW	22	5-11/190	`16(87th)
290	Jeremy Bracco	Car	RW	23	5-9/180	FA(10/20)
291	Dylan Sikura	VGK	RW	25	6-0/170	T(Chi-9/20)
292	Kyle Capobianco	Ari	D	23	6-1/180	`15(63rd)
293	Sami Niku	Wpg	D	24	6-0/175	`15(198th)
294	John Farinacci	Ari	C	19	5-11/185	`19(76th)
295	Jackson Lacombe	Ana	D	19	6-1/170	`19(39th)
296	David Cotton	Car	LW	23	6-3/205	`15(169th)
297	Erik Portillo	Buf	G	20	6-6/210	`19(67th)
298	Jacob Truscott	Van	D	18	6-1/170	`20(144th)
299	Mikhail Berdin	Wpg	G	22	6-2/165	`16(157th)
300	Cam Hillis	Mtl	C	20	5-10/170	`18(66th)

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Carolina Hurricanes Top 20 Prospects

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 21:29:15 +0000

McKeen's Top 20 Carolina Hurricanes prospects for the 2020-21 season. You can read an organizational assessment prior to the draft in Ryan Wagman's article found here. Following the draft we provided a review on each teams performance based on our rankings found here.

Seth Jarvis, C (13^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jarvis led his team in scoring last year and finished second to Adam Beckman in the WHL with 98 points. From January on, he had 63 points in 26 games. An explosive player in transition, he is at his best when he can attack with pace. His first step quickness allows him to turn plays around in an instant. He has an uncanny ability to dart in and out of traffic, changing his angles of attack and his pace to sneak past defenders. His hands can also keep up with his feet. He maintains possession through his quick stops, starts, and turns, and is difficult to stick check because of how he manages space. Jarvis also possesses a high-end intelligence level, both with and without the puck, exceling in all three zones. Equal parts playmaker and goal scorer, he can beat you in a lot of different ways. His explosiveness, puck skill, finishing ability, tenaciousness, and high IQ make him a potential high-scoring impact first line winger. He also can provide versatility by playing multiple roles and that should endear him to coaches at the next level rather quickly. - BO

Dominik Bokk, RW (Trade: Sep. 24, 2019. Originally: 25^th overall, 2018 [St. Louis]. Previous ranking: 1)

Bokk has elite skills but displays consistency issues as well. He has an accurate and fast wrist shot and can score from almost any angle. He rarely scores outside the circles, and his shot is lethal from the rush. He also possesses strong puck control and can deke his way through traffic. He has the vision to find an open teammate as well. Bokk is a frustrating prospect in the sense that he sees the ice well, and has all the technical tools, but does not always use them. There are some concerns that he is too much of a skills player and lacks the instincts to make the right play at the right time to win a game, which also could explain his consistency issues. Without the puck, he still has a lot of work to do on his game which might be instinct-related. I would like to see him get more into open spaces, while defensively he needs to cover the ice better and be more active. All-in-all, Bokk is still a year or two away from playing in the NHL and Carolina needs to work on his all-around game if he is to reach his considerable potential. - JH

Ryan Suzuki, C (28^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 2)

Suzuki projects as a premier playmaking center who has among the best vision and touch of any pivot in the OHL. That said, many parts of his game are still a work in progress. After a trade from Barrie to Saginaw, he formed instant chemistry with Cole Perfetti, and his play and commitment away from the puck really seemed to improve. At his best, Suzuki can drive the play with his strong skating ability, creativity, and penchant for working the half wall. He is especially dangerous on the powerplay with his vision and pinpoint passing ability on both his forehand and backhand. He still needs to improve his confidence in his shot, his ability to fight through traffic, the consistency of his zone entry success, offensive zone turnovers, and defensive commitment in the neutral and defensive zones. That said, he has already shown improvements. We saw him initiate challenges for the puck more consistently. And we saw him drive the middle to open up room for linemate Perfetti. As an NHLer, Suzuki certainly projects as a top six, playmaking center. Suzuki’s game is not as mature as his brother Nick (Montreal), however he does have the similar potential. - BO

Jake Bean, D (13^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 3)

In addition to patience on one of the top power plays in the Eastern Conference, Bean also brings a strong defensive game when penalty killing. Despite early concerns where skating and confidence were concerned, he quickly earned top minutes providing the Checkers with stability on the back end. He continues to get better offensively, carrying the puck well, and has gotten better at reading when to rush the puck or pass. A worrisome note is that while he may have gotten better at knowing when to let go of the puck, passing the puck and making the right play is another thing. Consistency throughout the season was a struggle as a really good game with several points one day would be followed by a game where he turns the puck over multiple times. Bean will have to work on bringing the same high intensity throughout the entirety of next season and avoiding neutral zone turnovers as much. He can skate, shoot, his hands are good, he protects the puck well, and his individual skill is NHL level, but the details in puck movement need to be tightened up before he takes up an eventual top four spot in the NHL. – SC

Noel Gunler, RW (41^st overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Gunler has three high end elements to his profile. First off, the man can skate. Not in the elite speed sense, but he takes off quickly, is very agile, and he moves well in four directions. Gunler has skills. He is far ahead of his age-cohort in his ability to create scoring chances on his own. Gunler can shoot. He is actually more natural as a finisher with his heavy wrister than as a creator. He reads goalies well, knowing when to fire and he doesn’t need to be in tight to pick his spot either, as he has the power to connect from long range. He will let a linemate do the heavy lifting, emerging at the critical moment in a high danger spot. Unfortunately, his effort level varies not just game-to-game, but shift-to-shift, and within a given shift as well. He can be a game breaker, and he can also be a completely transparent fifth wheel. He has also rubbed a lot of people in Sweden the wrong way and has rarely played internationally for his homeland. He could be a future first line weapon, and he could fail to establish himself as a regular NHL’er. – RW

Joey Keane, D (Trade: Feb. 18, 2020. Originally: 88^th overall, 2018 [NY Rangers]. Previous ranking: 4)

With the Hartford Wolfpack, Keane found his stride immediately as a professional and kept it up with Charlotte Checkers after being traded from the Rangers, earning 7 points in 9 games. Keane is a strong skater, skilled passer, creative puck handler and quick shooter. He is a threat no matter where he is on the ice and creates plays from all zones. His first games with Charlotte were shaky, but as his confidence grew, he proved that he could contribute with anyone to find the back of the net. Being so offensively driven and having been given a lot of freedom in his major junior years, Keane has slacked off on the details of his defensive game, not always being as present as he should be away from the puck. He will be starting next season back in the AHL, which means he will have to be better on the back end. He has all the tools and an opportunity to earn a top defensive spot in the NHL in the future and the changes to be made are so minute that he should grow into them within the next two seasons. - SC

Jamieson Rees, C (44^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 5)

A competitive firecracker, Rees is an ultra-intense offensive forward who had one of the better point-per-game averages in the OHL last season. That said, his style of play, coupled with his average size, has created injury issues. He also struggles towing the line between playing hard and playing reckless, resulting in several suspensions, limiting his time on ice and hampering his development. An explosive skater, and aggressive player, he pushes the pace on the attack and will look to drive the net. He is often the first man into the offensive zone to apply pressure. He plays a physical two-way game and excels as a penalty killer because of his tempo. His decision making with the puck needs to improve as turnovers can be an issue, especially in the offensive zone. He has the skill level, but with a tendency to force the issue or overhandle the puck. This was exasperated last season on a weak Sarnia team, leading to frequent frustration. That said, Rees is a very talented prospect. He needs to stay healthy, avoid penalties, and continue to mature. He has the makings of a very reliable middle six forward who can play in a variety of situations. – BO

Tuukka Tieksola, RW (121^st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 6)

Tieksola was one of the top players in the Finnish U20 league in 2019-20. There were many moments when he looked too good for the junior level – he probably should have spent more time playing against men in Finland’s second-highest league. He is a highly skilled winger with a great blend of speed, skill and vision. More of a playmaker than goal-scorer, but he is a good finisher with a precise shot. A smooth skater, Tieksola has very quick feet and uses crossovers to accelerate. He plays at a fast pace and can execute plays at high speeds. He sees the entire ice and moves the puck really well – finding lanes for cross-ice passes. He is dangerous on the power play. Slick and crafty, he plays with poise and can hold on to the puck in the final third. Not particularly physical, but he plays with good effort and intensity. An exciting prospect with lots of potential – it will be interesting to see if he can earn ice-time in the Liiga next season. - MB

Patrik Puistola, RW (73^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 7)

Puistola split the 2019-20 season split between three Liiga teams. He had very limited ice-time with Tappara, was loaned to Jukurit and later on to KooKoo. He was one of the bright spots on the Finnish World Junior team. Puistola is a talented goal-scorer and extremely dangerous around the net. He is an excellent finisher and has a scorer’s touch in tight. His wrist shot is quick, and he does not need a whole lot of room to score. He has swift hands and overall, his stickhandling is very good. He has some impressive dekes in his repertoire and exhibits confidence with the puck. The main area for needed improvement is his skating. He has a bit of a choppy and ineffective stride. His balance could be much stronger as well. He is quite physical and does not shy away from contact. In fact, Puistola likes to engage physically and seems to enjoy physical confrontations. He signed a two-year contract with JYP, in Liiga, where he will try to take on a bigger role. - MB

Pyotr Kochetkov, G (36^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

After a breakout 2019 season that saw Kochetkov named the top goaltender at the year’s World Junior Championships, the Hurricanes made him a second-round selection in his third year of NHL draft eligibility. The 2020 season was much more uneven for Kochetkov, bouncing around between four different teams, in addition to failing to secure a full-time spot in the KHL. He is certainly still intriguing because of his athleticism and size combination. He is extremely quick in the crease, displaying a somewhat unorthodox, aggressive, scrambling style in the crease that may need some refinement in North America. A late season trade to Vityaz Podolsk did bring about better fortunes for Kochetkov, so perhaps the 2020-21 season will be the year he establishes himself as a full time KHL netminder. Of course, he possesses the potential to be a starter for Carolina somewhere down the line. - BO

Jack Drury, C (42^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Drury, nephew of former NHLer Chris Drury, just completed his sophomore season at Harvard. He spent two seasons playing for Waterloo in the USHL before joining the Crimson where he finished second on the team in scoring as a sophomore. Drury also played in the World Junior Championship in both of his collegiate seasons and he was a named to the ECAC All-Rookie Team as a freshman. Drury plays bigger than his 6-0” frame. He is a solid two-way forward who can obviously score. A mainstay on the penalty kill, he has an active defensive stick and causes turnovers. Drury is physical and will fight for the puck along the boards. He has good speed and a quick shot. He is capable of setting his teammates up but also has success scoring himself. The center also has really soft hands and makes difficult passes look effortless. He has been expected to return to Harvard as a junior, but recently rumors have spread that he might spend the 2020-21 playing in Europe as all Ivy League schools will be foregoing the Fall Sports schedules. – JS

Morgan Geekie, C/RW (67^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

As a relatively recent third round selection, Geekie seemed like a longshot to earn a spot on Carolina’s 2020 playoff roster, although he managed to play the exhibition game leading into qualifiers. He finished third in points this season with the Charlotte Checkers, managing to put his passing and shooting skills in the spotlight. He is a smart player who plays a full 200-foot game and does well at killing penalties since his forechecking positioning is so strong. Geekie will need to keep working on his physical game and keep getting bigger and stronger before he makes a full time jump to the Carolina Hurricanes. He has the potential to earn an early call up next season where this year’s postseason experience will be good for such a consistent player and he can turn into a permanent third line fixture with Carolina. Geekie is clever and an asset thanks to his persistence and work ethic department, he has the drive to make it based on motivation alone, let alone his strong skill. – SC

Vasily Ponomarev, C (53^rd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Ponomarev had a solid, if unspectacular, CHL debut season with Shawinigan. He is a powerful skater with strong legs and an impressive first few steps, who can play strong on the puck and win more positional battles than you might expect for a player of his stature. His other offensive tools also project well. Ponomarev has an accurate wrist shot that he releases quickly and on which he is able to change the angle before firing, giving it deception. He may be even more gifted as a playmaker. He reads space on the ice exceptionally, and is creative, helping him find elusive passing lanes. Thanks to his ability to process the game, he was also used regularly on the penalty kill. Responsible at both ends, his work ethic was appreciated by his coaching staff. Even if his skill game is not enough to project as a top six NHLer, he is versatile enough to make it work further down the lineup, keeping him out of boom-or-bust territory. He could be primed to take a big step forward in his second North American season. – RW

Jeremy Bracco, C/RW (UFA: Oct. 16, 2020. Originally: 61^st overall, 2015 [Toronto]. Previous ranking: 6^th [Toronto])

Previously the dark sheep of the Toronto organization, Bracco’s talent and hockey IQ are unquestionable but it is hard to determine where he fits in his return to play. From powerplay to odd man rushes, he takes the lead in capitalizing on breaks and has proven to be dangerous. He can skate and shoot, and he knows when to make a pass or when to hold onto it. He has enough experience to earn an NHL callup, but the adjustment may be harder in terms of physicality and space. A weak spot seems to be knowing when to let go of the puck, oftentimes he gets himself into trouble by holding onto the puck too long and getting closed out and cut off. Given the chance, Bracco could do well as a third liner but discipline on and off the ice will need to be established first. Regardless of personal matters, Bracco remains a top talent and a forward who is capable of putting up 30+ point seasons in the NHL, he will hopefully come back next season better than ever, with a new chance in a new organization, after signing with Carolina as a free agent. - SC

David Cotton, C (169^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 11)

The sixth-round draft pick spent one season in the USHL after being drafted and before joining the Eagles. Cotton stayed on campus for four full seasons, signing with Carolina (along with his brother, Jason) following the season. The Texas native played U16 hockey in Colorado before joining prep school in Massachusetts. As a high school athlete, he was named to the All-USA Hockey First Team. Cotton is a two-way forward and plays well defensively but has contributed his fair share of points as well and captained the Eagles as a senior. Cotton is an intimidating presence on the ice and can skate well with his 6-2”, 201-pound frame. He protects the puck well. He has excellent, soft hands, allowing him to corral and dish passes even under pressure and through traffic. Defensively, Cotton is pesky and aggressive. He also has a long reach, which he uses well. He will have to show what role he can play in the AHL before he earns an NHL debut. - JS

Eetu Makiniemi, G (104^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 12)

Makiniemi was a relatively unknown prospect when the Hurricanes selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. However, that should not be the case any longer. He was named the best goalie in Finland’s second-highest league. He was stellar in many games and gave his team a chance to win almost every night. He is a hybrid goalie with very good skating ability. He is highly flexible, athletic, and has the ability to make extension pad saves. He also has strong recovery speed, and he makes big saves in key moments. He stays composed even when the stakes are high. There are two things that he has improved a great deal: consistency and rebound control. In the junior level, he occasionally let in some easy goals that he should have saved. His rebound control used to be an occasional issue but has gotten much better lately. There is no doubt in my mind that Makiniemi has NHL potential. He will likely get at least a decent amount of starts in the Liiga next season. - MB

Anttoni Honka, D (83^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Honka had a fairly good season with JYP in the Liiga. However, his World Juniors performance left me wanting more. He has very good puck skills, he handles the puck with ease and has some deception in his game. He is also a smooth skater, light on his feet, and moves well in all directions. He does not have blazing speed, but his skating is an asset, nonetheless. The main concerns are still his defensive game and decision making. He needs to defend the middle of the ice more effectively, as he gets caught out of position and does not keep his gaps tight enough. I would like to see him apply more stick pressure defensively. His style of play is quite risky, and I am not sure if that will translate to the NHL. He shows flashes of high-level skill and vision, especially on the power play, but his game is too erratic right now. I am interested to see what kind of progress he will make next season, now that he has finally re-signed with the Hurricanes. - MB

Kirill Slepets, RW (152^ndoverall, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

Slepets is a strong skater who plays an active game away from the puck. He has good quickness in his first few strides and can spin off pressure along the boards. However, he lacks in explosiveness and his balance could be a tad stronger. He is always in motion and does not quit on plays. He works tirelessly and constantly puts pressure on opponents. He is shifty with the puck and carries it well through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. He shows good offensive vision, and he can execute an effective passing game without much flash or dash. However, at the moment he does not play a very physical game. He needs to show more situational toughness and win puck battles at a higher rate. He has offensive skill; he moves well and plays with a good approach. Slepets is an interesting player who has potential to improve his overall game and reach an NHL ceiling. – MB

Zion Nybeck, RW (115^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

I would understand if you experience a touch of cognitive dissonance seeing Nybeck ranked near the end of the Hurricanes’ top 20, as he was the SuperElit’s leading scorer last season as a 17-year-old in a U20 league. He plays with great touch and is a high-end playmaker. His vision is advanced, and he successfully walks the fine line between playing creatively and simply. Our concerns are two-fold. First off, he is tiny (he looks up to Cole Caufield). Second, his skating is a problem. He has a low center of gravity which helps but has little power to his stride. Either one of those things could prevent him from ever reaching his full potential, but if he does, look out! The other elements of his game are incredibly impressive, particularly the aforementioned puck skills, but also his advanced IQ, most prominent in his offensive reads. He even has a strong shot for a smaller player (again, he still looks up to Caufield there). Boom or bust for sure, but few systems have players with this type of upside this far down their list. - RW

Blake Murray, C (183^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Coming into this past season, the focus for the 6-2” power center was on improving his footspeed, consistency, and engagement level without the puck. His goal scoring ability has never been questioned, as he put up 30 in his draft year (and 35 this year). However, it was the lack of a more well-rounded game that caused Murray to slip all the way to the sixth round. Encouragingly, those finer points definitely took a nice step forward in 2019-20. While his explosiveness could still stand to improve, his top speed and ability to cut and change direction with the puck have been upgraded. Additionally, Murray’s willingness to use his size to his advantage without the puck became more consistent. This bodes well for the future as he returns to Sudbury next year for his draft +2 season and will look to hit the 40-goal mark. Barring continued improvements to his skating, Murray projects as a middle six goal scoring forward. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to stick down the middle, but he has the size and touch to in traffic to be able to succeed at the pro level. - BO

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT: Top 20 Potential Prospect Breakouts in 2020-21

Peter Harling — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 15:12:58 +0000

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 09: New York Rangers Goalie Igor Shesterkin (31) in action during the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on January 9, 2020 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)

Each year there are a rash of breakout candidates for the up-coming season. Some end up being Calder candidates, some are top players, some are regular NHL players and some struggle to secure a full-time roster position.

There are several factors that lead to players slotting and position on the roster. Depth of the roster, salary cap commitments and quality of competition are the most obvious.

Mainly it all comes down to the players skill level, compete and commitment. When they are ready to make a consistent impact at the NHL level is when they arrive.

Where these players come from can vary significantly. Many are drafted and developed with early draft picks and come with a pedigree. Some are later round picks that reward the team for taking a shot on them. Some are never drafted but prove their worth overseas or in the NCAA and are signed to NHL contracts.

The 2020-21 NHL season will be unlike any other as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many players will start the season in other leagues as the NHL is expected to begin later in 2020 or early 2021. It remains unclear what leagues will even see a return to play and the ripple effects of the pandemic remain to be seen. This makes it particularly difficult to predict the prospects that could make their NHL debut as full time impact players.

Some have already played some NHL games; some may be in the playoffs and some may be waiting several more months before they see ice time again in any league.

Keeping all these factors in mind, here is my prediction for 20 prospects who will be making their bid for a full time NHL job. Some should be slam-dunks, while others may be a bit more of a long shot and need a few things to break their way.

Kirill Kaprizov, LW - Minnesota Wild

Perhaps the safest prospect to pick is the much-anticipated arrival of the KHL superstar. Kaprizov has been tearing up the KHL and international hockey for Russia for years. His intentions to sign were made at the conclusion of the 2019-20 KHL season but were delayed due to the pandemic. He has signed with the Wild and is expected to begin play in a top-six role whenever the puck drops on the 2020-21 season. Looking for comparable impacts we may have seen in the past from players coming from Russia the most common answer is more of an Artemi Panarin than a Vadim Shipachoyv. That is high praise to be sure, but it is not misplaced. Look for the Russian sniper to secure a first line position and post in the neighborhood of 60 points.

Igor Shestyorkin, G - New York Rangers

Shestyorkin had an impressive North American debut with a 17-4-5 record in the AHL and a 1.90 GAA. That was a dominant performance for a rookie even though he is already 24 years old. Because he was developed in the KHL where he dominated with the powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg team, he hit the ground running across the pond. Shestyorkin made an impression in his 12 regular season NHL games as well with a 10-2-0 record and a 2.52 GAA. Henrik Lundqvist is a Hall of Fame player but it is time to pass the torch over to the next franchise goalie.

Alexis Lafreniere, LW - 2020 Draft

The presumed first overall pick in the 20202 draft was recently awarded to the New York Rangers. Lafreniere will almost certainly be picked first by the Rangers and he should be able to win a roster position outright from training camp in a top-six role. The only real question here is where will he play before the NHL season begins? The CHL is positioning to begin play on October 1st and he could also play in Europe for a few months in a pro league until the NHL begins. Once that happens, he should be in a top six role and expect somewhere in the neighborhood of a 60-point rookie season.

Trevor Zegras, C - Anaheim Ducks

Zegras signed with the Ducks after one season in the NCAA with the Boston Terriers. His best performance was with Team USA at the World Junior where he made some incredible passes to show he can make NHL plays at an elite level. The real obstacle for Zegras will be the Ducks depth down the middle. Ryan Getzlaf, Adam Henrique, Sam Steel, and Isac Lundestrom are all jockeying for position at center. Someone will need to give way and play the wing because Zegras is not likely leaving college to play in the AHL.

Ilya Sorokin, G - New York Islanders

Looking to follow in his countryman footsteps from last season, Sorokin hopes to impress as much as Shestyorkin did with the Rangers. With only Semyon Varlamov and Sorokin under contract for the 2020-21 season currently it looks like the Islanders are willing to go with the Russian duo, but that could change with free agency. My money is on they go with the pair, and by seasons end, Sorokin is getting equal or the lions share of starts for the Islanders.

Mikko Lehtonen, D - Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs landed the biggest free agent European fish on the market when they signed Lehtonen. The Finnish defenseman lead the KHL in defense scoring and with the Leafs likely saying good-bye to Tyson Barrie, and Cody Ceci as free agents in the off-season that opens the door for a top four pairing in Toronto and the 26-year-old should step up and lock that down.

Gabe Vilardi, C - LA Kings

Vilardi has missed a lot of time due to a serious back injury. But he made a glorious return before the season was cut short. The 2017 11th overall pick started in the AHL where he racked up 25 points in 32 games in Ontario. He was recalled to the NHL and impressed there as well with seven points in the last ten games. If he can stay healthy, Vilardi could be a force on a rebuilding Kings team looking for youth.

Alex Turcotte, C - LA Kings

Like Vilardi above, the Kings are going to be looking to their youth to take full time roles on their NHL roster. Turcotte signed his ELC after his freshman year in Wisconsin and will join the Kings for the 2020-21 season. Where he fits in remains to be seen as the Kings have Anze Kopitar, Blake Lizotte, and Vilardi as center options already. There is a chance Turcotte sees some AHL development time, but I assume he has foregone his college career for the NHL rather than the AHL.

Scott Perunovich, D – St. Louis Blues

After a dominant junior season at University of Minnesota-Duluth where he was named NCHC Best Offensive Defenseman, Player of the Year, Scoring Champion, and was awarded the Hobey Baker Award as the Top Collegiate Player, Perunovich is finally going pro. Regardless if Alex Pietrangelo returns as a UFA in the off-season or not, Perunovich will be a lock for a roster spot and the offensive defenseman will compete for time on the PP as well.

Drake Batherson, C/RW - Ottawa Senators

While the big winger already has 43 career NHL games played, he is yet to graduate full time to the big league. That should change when the puck drops. Batherson has dominated the AHL and has not looked out of place in the NHL with the big club either. Ottawa has several prospects that will need quality minutes in the AHL and there is plenty of need in the NHL on one of the worst teams in the league.

Erik Brannstrom, D - Ottawa Senators

Like Batherson above, Brannstrom has little left to gain from the AHL and did not look out of place in the NHL when he was recalled. He is a future anchor on their blue line and that should begin to start the season.

Evan Bouchard, D - Edmonton Oilers

Players from the 2018 draft that have yet to make the NHL are poised to do so sooner than later. With Mike Green not likely to return expect Bouchard to fill that void. He also gives the Oilers a legit power play quarterback that should help pad Bouchard's offensive stats.

Connor McMichael, C - Washington Capitals

Bit of a long shot here as McMichael has another year of junior eligibility remaining. But after dominating with a 102-point season in only 52 games the Caps may find a home for him in the NHL.

Owen Tippett, LW/RW - Florida Panthers

Not only did Tippett have an impressive rookie season in the AHL with 40 pints in 46 games, there is plenty of opportunity on the roster with Mike Hoffman, Evgeni Dadonov, Erik Haula, and Brian Boyle all set to hit UFA status.

Liam Foudy, C - Columbus Blue Jackets

The speedy Foudy has aged out of Junior hockey and looks to be a fixture in the post season. The roster spot is his to lose.

Rasmus Sandin, D - Toronto Maple Leafs

Only slightly less likely to be a full time Maple Leaf than Lehtonen above. Sandin has two full seasons of AHL development to his credit and is ready to fill a vacant roster spot.

Juuso Valimaki, D - Calgary Flames

Easy to overlook a player that missed the entire season to injury, but with TJ Brodie, Travis Hamonic, Derek Forbort, and Erik Gustafsson all about to hit the UFA market, there will be a roster spot for the 2017 first round pick.

Jake Bean, D - Carolina Hurricanes

AHL sophomore Bean won the Eddie Shore Award as Best Defenseman and led the AHL in points by a defenseman as well. He is ready

Morgan Frost, C - Philadelphia Flyers

Frost had back-to-back 100+ point seasons in the OHL before turning pro last year. As a rookie he managed seven points in 20 NHL games and could play the full season in Philadelphia next year.

John Leonard, LW - San Jose Sharks

Leonard will be one of those from nowhere players to make an impact next year. The Sharks 2018 sixth round pick signed after his junior season with UMass and is way under most folks radar, despite leading the NCAA in goals (27) and being a finalist for the Hobey Baker

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – CAROLINA HURRICANES – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 5

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 11:19:37 +0000

Carolina Hurricanes

“We won’t be drafting defense in the first round as long as I’m here…I’ve got to have more offense, I want to lose five to four, not two to one…If we lose five to four, I’ll at least have fun.”

Carolina Hurricanes’ owner Tom Dundon, as told to Lauren Ohnesorge, Senior Staff Writer, Triangle Business Journal, Dec. 12, 2018

Dundon took over as majority owner of the Hurricanes on January 11, 2018. It has only been two drafts since he famously uttered the words above, but the Hurricanes have not drafted a blueliner in either of the first two rounds in either draft class. In fact, in their 2018 draft class, they only selected one defender in six picks, that coming in the sixth round. The ‘Canes made more picks last year, and three of their 12 picks (all of which taken in the third and fourth rounds) were used on defensemen.

The veracity of his statement aside, it leads me to question the wisdom of such an approach. The Hurricanes have nine defensemen on their roster approaching the play-in round. The crew members are all still within their respective primes, with 30-year-old Jake Gardiner standing as the only one whose age begins with a ‘3’.

As much as that approach would not have made a difference in the team’s acquisitions of stars Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin, drafted in the third and fourth rounds respectively, Gardiner, Dougie Hamilton, Brady Skjei, and Haydn Fleury were all first rounders, even if only the latter was drafted directly by Carolina.

Perhaps Dundon’s thinking is to avoid drafting defensemen early because he can trade for former first rounders or sign them as free agents instead, like three of the four above were. In which case, the approach would seem to entail a leveraging of the forces in the player market. On the other hand, the ‘Canes have also recently experienced the reverse, as last February, they traded a former first round pick, winger Julien Gauthier, who had yet to fully establish himself as a full-time NHLer, to the Rangers for blueliner Joey Keane, who had been drafted in the third round 20 months previously. So, what is the difference between drafting a defenseman in the first round and trading your first rounder for a different defenseman?

If Dundon’s thinking is to draft for skill and foster a high scoring environment, that is clearly not yet the case. Over the last two seasons the Hurricanes have averaged 3.07 goals for per game (14^th overall) and surrendered 2.76 per game (8^th). The combined total of 5.83 goals (both sides) per Hurricanes game over the last two seasons ranks 21^st in the NHL. In other words, Dundon’s teams haven’t played in many 5-4 games.

Of course, we would be remiss if we did not look at how much more and more top end young defensemen contribute to the offensive game. We need look no further than two of the finalists for this year’s Calder Trophy, in Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar. Both were top ten picks in their respective drafts and bring dynamic skill to the game, generating offensive chances better than most forwards, much less other defenders. I will not fault Carolina for drafting Andrei Svechnikov second overall in 2018, leaving Hughes on the board, and there does not seem to have been any defenders available when Carolina chose Ryan Suzuki 28^th overall last summer that would currently have the team regretting its choice, but at some point soon – maybe even this year – they might want to rethink such a blanket approach to drafting. No team should go too long with only three of its top 15 prospects lining up on the blueline.

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 10: Boston University Terriers forward Jake Wise (17) spins around to take a shot on goal during Beanpot Tournament Championship game between the Northeastern Huskies and Boston University Terriers on February 10, 2020, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Mark Box/Icon Sportswire)

Dominik Bokk, RW (Trade: Sep. 24, 2019. Originally: 25^th overall, 2018 [St. Louis]. 2019 Rank: 2 [St. Louis])

Bokk has elite skills but displays consistency issues as well. He started last season with only two points in his first 19 SHL games. He received ice-time and power play shifts all year, so it was not a usage issue which is often the case with young talents. After a good showing at the WJC he started to really pick up his game. He scored in his first five games back and had 10 goals in a span of 13 games before hitting another slump without hitting the net in his last nine games before the pandemic ended the season.

Scoring 10 goals in 13 SHL games is rare as a junior player. He has an accurate and fast wrist shot and can score from almost any angle. He rarely scores outside the circles; his shot is lethal from the rush. He also possesses strong puck control and can deke his way through traffic. He has the vision to find an open teammate as well.

Bokk is a frustrating prospect in the sense that he sees the ice well, and has all the technical tools, but does not always use them. There are some concerns that he is more of a skill-product and lacks the instincts to make the right play at the right time to win a hockey game, which also could explain his consistency issues.

Without the puck, he still has a lot of work to do on his game which also can be an instinct issue. Offensively I would like to see him get more into open spaces and defensively he needs to cover the ice better and be more active. All-in-all, Bokk is still a year or two away from playing in the NHL and Carolina needs to work on his all-around game if he is to reach his considerable potential. - JH

Ryan Suzuki, C (28^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

In Ryan Suzuki, the Carolina Hurricanes have a premier playmaking center who has among the best vision and touch of any pivot in the OHL. The issue is that many parts of his game are still a work in progress. A trade from the Barrie Colts to the Saginaw Spirit was certainly great for Suzuki and his development. He formed instant chemistry with top 2020 NHL draft talent Cole Perfetti, and under coach Chris Lazary, his play and commitment away from the puck really seemed to improve.

At his best, Suzuki can drive the play with his strong skating ability, creativity, and penchant for working the half wall. He is especially dangerous on the powerplay with his vision and pinpoint passing ability on both his forehand and backhand.

The aforementioned issues that still need to be ironed out include his confidence in his shot, his ability to fight through traffic, the consistency of his zone entry success, offensive zone turnovers, and defensive commitment in the neutral and defensive zones. But, as stated, his overall game really started to make strides once he got to Saginaw. We saw him initiate challenges for the puck more consistently. And we saw him drive the middle to open up room for linemate Perfetti.

As an NHL player, Suzuki certainly projects as a top six, playmaking center. The Hurricanes are likely going to need to be patient with Ryan. His game is not as mature as his brother Nick (of Montreal), however he does have the same potential. - BO

Jake Bean, D (13^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 8)

After making the roster as an extra for the Carolina Hurricanes playoff run in 2020, Bean’s future seems to have brightened even more. Although he was without a callup last season, he managed to lead the AHL Charlotte Checkers for points as a defenseman. Not only bringing patience to one of the top power plays in the Eastern Conference, he also brings a strong defensive game when penalty killing.

Despite getting off to a slow start where skating and confidence were concerned, Bean soon earned top minutes providing the Checkers with stability on the back end. He only continues to get better where his offensive play is concerned and continues to carry the puck well and has gotten better at reading when to rush the puck or pass. A worrisome thing to note is the fact that while he may have gotten better at knowing when to let go of the puck, passing the puck and making the right play is another thing. Consistency throughout the season was a struggle for Bean who would have a really good game with several points one day and the next would falter and turn the puck over multiple times in a game.

He will certainly have to work on bringing the same high intensity game throughout the entirety of next season and avoiding turning the puck over in the neutral zone as much. He can skate, he can shoot, his hands are good and he protects the puck well, his individual skill is NHL level but the details in the way he moves the puck need to be tightened up before he takes up an eventual top four spot with the Hurricanes. - SC

Joey Keane, D (Trade: Feb. 18, 2020. Originally: 88^th overall, 2018 [NY Rangers]. 2019 Rank: 10 [NY Rangers])

After being traded from the Rangers at the deadline, Keane added another solid blueline piece to the Carolina Hurricanes’ growing collection. With the Hartford Wolfpack he found his stride nearly immediately upon stepping on the ice for his rookie professional year and did the exact same thing with the Charlotte Checkers after the trade, earning seven points in nine games.

Keane embodies the idea of the new age of offensive defensemen as a strong skater, skilled passer, creative puck handler and quick shooter. He is a threat no matter where he is on the ice and creates plays from all zones. His first games with Charlotte were shaky as they tried to find appropriate partners for him but as his confidence built, he found a way to prove that he can contribute to finding the back of the net with all teammates.

Being so offensively driven and having been given a lot of freedom in his major junior years, Keane has since slacked off on the details of his defensive game, at times being on for goals scored and not being as present as he should be away from the puck. Keane will be starting next season in the AHL with the Checkers again which means he will have to be better on the back end. Keane has all the tools and an opportunity to earn a top defensive spot on Carolina’s roster in the future and the changes to be made are so minute that he should grow into them within the next two seasons. - SC

Jamieson Rees, C (44^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 4)

A competitive firecracker, Rees is an ultra-intense offensive forward who had one of the better point-per-game averages in the OHL last season. The issue is that Rees’ style of play, coupled with his average size, has created injury issues. He has also had a difficult time towing the line between playing hard and playing reckless. This has resulted in several suspensions. Over the last two seasons in the OHL, Rees has played less than 40 games both times. Moving forward, staying on the ice will be necessary for his development.

An explosive skater, Rees brings aggressiveness to all facets to his game. He pushes the pace on the attack and will look to drive the net to create scoring chances. He is often the first man into the offensive zone to apply pressure on the forecheck. He uses physicality to play a two-way game and excels as a penalty killer because of the tempo that he plays at.

Rees’ decision making with the puck will definitely need to improve as turnovers can be an issue, especially in the offensive zone. He has the skill level, but he has a tendency to try to force the issue or overhandle the puck. This was exasperated this season on a weak Sarnia team, as on many nights there was an element of frustration to his game.

That said, Rees is a very talented prospect. He just needs to stay healthy, stay out of the box, and continue to mature. He has the makings of a very reliable middle six forward who can play in a variety of situations. - BO

Tuukka Tieksola, RW (121^st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

He is a highly skilled winger with a great blend of speed, skill and vision. More of a playmaker than goal-scorer, but he is a good finisher with a precise shot. A smooth skater, Tieksola has very quick feet and uses crossovers to accelerate. He plays at a fast pace and can execute plays at high speeds. He sees the entire ice and moves the puck really well – finding lanes for cross-ice passes.

He is dangerous on the power play. Slick and crafty, he plays with poise and can hold on to the puck in the final third. Not particularly physical, but he plays with good effort and intensity. An exciting prospect with lots of potential – it will be interesting to see if he can earn ice-time in the Liiga next season. - MB

Patrik Puistola, RW (73^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 5)

Puistola is a talented goal-scorer and extremely dangerous around the net. He is an excellent finisher and has a scorer’s touch in tight. His wrist shot is quick, and he does not need a whole lot of room to score. He has swift hands and overall, his stickhandling is very good. He has some impressive dekes in his repertoire and exhibits confidence with the puck.

The main area for needed improvement is his skating. He has a bit of a choppy and ineffective stride. His balance could be much stronger as well. He is quite physical and does not shy away from contact. In fact, Puistola likes to engage physically and seems to enjoy physical confrontations. He signed a two-year contract with JYP, in Liiga, where he will try to take on a bigger role. - MB

Pyotr Kochetkov, G (36^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 7)

He is certainly still intriguing because of his athleticism and size combination. He is extremely quick in the crease, displaying a somewhat unorthodox, aggressive, scrambling style in the crease that may need some refinement in North America.

A late season trade to Vityaz Podolsk did bring about better fortunes for Kochetkov, so perhaps the 2020-21 season will be the year he establishes himself as a full time KHL netminder. Of course, he possesses the potential to be a starter for Carolina somewhere down the line. - BO

Jack Drury, C (42^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 12)

Drury plays bigger than his 6-0” frame. He is a solid two-way forward who can obviously score. A mainstay on the penalty kill, he has an active defensive stick and causes turnovers. Drury is physical and will fight for the puck along the boards. He has good speed and a quick shot. He is capable of setting his teammates up but also has success scoring himself. The center also has really soft hands and makes difficult passes look effortless.

He has been expected to return to Harvard as a junior, but recently rumors have spread that he might spend the 2020-21 playing in Europe as all Ivy League schools will be foregoing the Fall Sports schedules. - JS

David Cotton, C (169^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 10)

Cotton is a two-way forward and plays well defensively but has contributed his fair share of points as well and captained the Eagles as a senior. Cotton is an intimidating presence on the ice and can skate well with his 6-2”, 201-pound frame. He protects the puck well. He has excellent, soft hands, allowing him to corral and dish passes even under pressure and through traffic. Defensively, Cotton is pesky and aggressive. He also has a long reach, which he uses well. He will have to show what role he can play in the AHL before he earns an NHL debut. - JS

Eetu Makiniemi, G (104^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

He is a hybrid goalie with very good skating ability. He is highly flexible, athletic, and has the ability to make extension pad saves. He also has strong recovery speed and he makes big saves in key moments. He stays composed even when the stakes are high. There are two things that he has improved a great deal: consistency and rebound control. In the junior level, he occasionally let in some easy goals that he should have saved. His rebound control used to be an occasional issue but has gotten much better lately.

There is no doubt in my mind that Makiniemi has NHL potential. He will likely get at least a decent amount of starts in the Liiga next season. - MB

Morgan Geekie, C/RW (67^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 16)

He is a smart player who plays a full 200-foot game and does well at killing penalties since his forechecking positioning is so strong. Geekie will need to keep working on his physical game and keep getting bigger and stronger before he makes a full time jump to the Carolina Hurricanes. He has the potential to earn an early call up next season where this year’s postseason experience will be good for such a consistent player and he can turn into a permanent third line fixture with Carolina.

Geekie is clever and an asset thanks to his persistence and work ethic department, he has the drive to make it based on motivation alone, let alone his strong skill. - SC

Anttoni Honka, D (83^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 14)

The main concerns are still his defensive game and decision making. He needs to defend the middle of the ice more effectively, as he gets caught out of position and does not keep his gaps tight enough. I would like to see him apply more stick pressure defensively.

His style of play is quite risky, and I am not sure if that will translate to the NHL. He shows flashes of high-level skill and vision, especially on the power play, but his game is too erratic right now. I am interested to see what kind of progress he will make next season. - MB

Kirill Slepets, RW (152^ndoverall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 19)

He is shifty with the puck and carries it well through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. He shows good offensive vision and he can execute an effective passing game without much flash or dash. However, at the moment he does not play a very physical game. He needs to show more situational toughness and win puck battles at a higher rate.

He has offensive skill; he moves well and plays with a good approach. Slepets is an interesting player who has potential to improve his overall game and reach an NHL ceiling. - MB

Blake Murray, C (183^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 17)

Encouragingly, those finer points definitely took a nice step forward in 2019-20. While his explosiveness could still stand to improve, his top speed and ability to cut and change direction with the puck have been upgraded. Additionally, Murray’s willingness to use his size to his advantage without the puck became more consistent.

This bodes well for the future as he returns to Sudbury next year for his draft +2 season and will look to hit the 40-goal mark. Barring continued improvements to his skating, Murray projects as a middle six goal scoring forward. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to stick down the middle, but he has the size and touch to in traffic to be able to succeed at the pro level. - BO

Jake Bean – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – CALGARY FLAMES – Team Preview/Player Preview/Predictions

FORWARDS

DEFENCE

Goal

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – CALGARY FLAMES – Team Preview

FORWARD

DEFENCE

GOAL

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS – NHL Player Profiles

FORWARDS

GOALTENDING

2021-22 NHL ROOKIES AND SECOND YEAR BREAKOUT CANDIDATES

McKeen’s Fantasy Prospects Rankings

Forward Rankings

Defense Rankings

Goalie Rankings

SEATTLE KRAKEN EXPANSION DRAFT: Prospects to Target – Part One – Goaltenders and Defense

Daniel Vladar - Boston Bruins

Alex Nedeljkovic - Carolina Hurricanes

Michael McNiven - Montreal Canadiens

Filip Gustavsson - Ottawa Senators

Joey Daccord - Ottawa Senators

Vitek Vanecek - Washington Capitals

Connor Ingram - Nashville Predators

Josef Korenar - San Jose Sharks

Ville Husso - St. Louis Blues

Mikhail Berdin - Winnipeg Jets

Jake Bean - Carolina Hurricanes

Riley Stillman - Florida Panthers

Cale Fleury - Montreal Canadiens

Sebastian Aho - New York Islanders

Cal Foote - Tampa Bay Lightning

Josh Mahura - Anaheim Ducks

Ben Gleason - Dallas Stars

Austin Strand - Los Angeles Kings

Brogan Rafferty - Vancouver Canucks

Logan Stanley - Winnipeg Jets

Sami Niku - Winnipeg Jets

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Top 300 Prospect Rankings

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Carolina Hurricanes Top 20 Prospects

Seth Jarvis, C (13th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Dominik Bokk, RW (Trade: Sep. 24, 2019. Originally: 25th overall, 2018 [St. Louis]. Previous ranking: 1)

Ryan Suzuki, C (28th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 2)

Jake Bean, D (13th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 3)

Noel Gunler, RW (41st overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Joey Keane, D (Trade: Feb. 18, 2020. Originally: 88th overall, 2018 [NY Rangers]. Previous ranking: 4)

Jamieson Rees, C (44th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 5)

Tuukka Tieksola, RW (121st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 6)

Patrik Puistola, RW (73rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 7)

Pyotr Kochetkov, G (36th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

Jack Drury, C (42nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Morgan Geekie, C/RW (67th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

Vasily Ponomarev, C (53rd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jeremy Bracco, C/RW (UFA: Oct. 16, 2020. Originally: 61st overall, 2015 [Toronto]. Previous ranking: 6th [Toronto])

David Cotton, C (169th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 11)

Eetu Makiniemi, G (104th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 12)

Anttoni Honka, D (83rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Kirill Slepets, RW (152nd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

Zion Nybeck, RW (115th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Blake Murray, C (183rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT: Top 20 Potential Prospect Breakouts in 2020-21

Kirill Kaprizov, LW - Minnesota Wild

Igor Shestyorkin, G - New York Rangers

Alexis Lafreniere, LW - 2020 Draft

Trevor Zegras, C - Anaheim Ducks

Ilya Sorokin, G - New York Islanders

Mikko Lehtonen, D - Toronto Maple Leafs

Gabe Vilardi, C - LA Kings

Alex Turcotte, C - LA Kings

Scott Perunovich, D – St. Louis Blues

Drake Batherson, C/RW - Ottawa Senators

Erik Brannstrom, D - Ottawa Senators

Evan Bouchard, D - Edmonton Oilers

Connor McMichael, C - Washington Capitals

Owen Tippett, LW/RW - Florida Panthers

Liam Foudy, C - Columbus Blue Jackets

Rasmus Sandin, D - Toronto Maple Leafs

Juuso Valimaki, D - Calgary Flames

Jake Bean, D - Carolina Hurricanes

Seth Jarvis, C (13^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Dominik Bokk, RW (Trade: Sep. 24, 2019. Originally: 25^th overall, 2018 [St. Louis]. Previous ranking: 1)

Ryan Suzuki, C (28^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 2)

Jake Bean, D (13^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 3)

Noel Gunler, RW (41^st overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Joey Keane, D (Trade: Feb. 18, 2020. Originally: 88^th overall, 2018 [NY Rangers]. Previous ranking: 4)

Jamieson Rees, C (44^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 5)

Tuukka Tieksola, RW (121^st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 6)

Patrik Puistola, RW (73^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 7)

Pyotr Kochetkov, G (36^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

Jack Drury, C (42^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Morgan Geekie, C/RW (67^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

Vasily Ponomarev, C (53^rd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jeremy Bracco, C/RW (UFA: Oct. 16, 2020. Originally: 61^st overall, 2015 [Toronto]. Previous ranking: 6^th [Toronto])

David Cotton, C (169^th overall, 2015. Previous ranking: 11)

Eetu Makiniemi, G (104^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 12)

Anttoni Honka, D (83^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Kirill Slepets, RW (152^ndoverall, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

Zion Nybeck, RW (115^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Blake Murray, C (183^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Dominik Bokk, RW (Trade: Sep. 24, 2019. Originally: 25^th overall, 2018 [St. Louis]. 2019 Rank: 2 [St. Louis])

Ryan Suzuki, C (28^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

Jake Bean, D (13^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 8)

Joey Keane, D (Trade: Feb. 18, 2020. Originally: 88^th overall, 2018 [NY Rangers]. 2019 Rank: 10 [NY Rangers])

Jamieson Rees, C (44^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 4)

Tuukka Tieksola, RW (121^st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Patrik Puistola, RW (73^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 5)

Pyotr Kochetkov, G (36^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 7)

Jack Drury, C (42^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 12)

David Cotton, C (169^th overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 10)

Eetu Makiniemi, G (104^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

Morgan Geekie, C/RW (67^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 16)

Anttoni Honka, D (83^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 14)

Kirill Slepets, RW (152^ndoverall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 19)

Blake Murray, C (183^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 17)