Julien Gauthier – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 18:47:45 +0000

RALEIGH, NC - APRIL 25: New York Islanders Goalie Ilya Sorokin (30) prepares for a faceoff during game 5 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes on April 25, 2023 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Katherine Gawlik/Icon Sportswire)

Review: Since John Tavares departed in the summer of 2018, the Islanders have stayed competitive through a goaltending-first approach. It can’t even really be called a defense-first approach, given the Islanders ranked 22nd in 5-on-5 expected goals against (181.77) and 24^th in all situations (184) in 2022-23, indicating that their defense separated from their goaltending was unimpressive. Ilya Sorokin overcame that subpar defense though, posting a 31-22-7 record, 2.34 GAA and .924 save percentage in 62 contests en route to finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting. If not for Sorokin, the Islanders would have had a miserable year because not only did New York struggle defensively, but they also finished 22nd in the league with 2.95 goals per game. Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello tried to bolster the offense by acquiring Bo Horvat from Vancouver, who had 31 goals and 54 points in 49 contests at the time of the move, but he struggled with the Islanders, recording just 16 points in 30 outings. To make matters worse, Mathew Barzal suffered a lower-body injury shortly after the Horvat trade, preventing the duo from developing chemistry. Even with all that, the Islanders squeaked into the playoffs with a 42-31-9 record before losing in the first round to Carolina.

What’s Changed? The Islanders made no significant changes, but they did lock up Scott Mayfield and Pierre Engvall to seven-year deals, backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov to a four-year contract and, most importantly, Sorokin to an eight-year, $66 million deal. So, even if there wasn’t any meaningful turnover, Lamoriello stayed busy over the summer.

What would success look like? Sorokin needs to stay dominant to continue to mask the Islanders’ defensive issues, but if New York really wants to rise above mediocrity, they need more than just him. They need Horvat to adapt to his new team, which will be a far easier task if he gets to play alongside a healthy Barzal. If those two have a good year, the Islanders might end up average offensively, which would be enough for Sorokin to deliver the W on most nights.

What could go wrong? A long-term injury to Sorokin would of course be devastating given the Islanders’ reliance on him. To be fair, they do at least have Varlamov as a solid Plan B, but he’s 35 now and would be a significant downgrade from Sorokin. There’s also no guarantee that Horvat will be a great offensive leader. He was likely overperforming before the acquisition, as evidenced by his unusually high pre-trade 21.7 shooting percentage (his career average is 13.7). Horvat should at least be fine regardless, but they need more than a merely solid performance given his $8.5 million cap hit, and the team’s limited scoring threats.

Top Breakout Candidate: The Islanders don’t have any great breakout candidates, but one to keep an eye on is Simon Holmstrom. He had just six goals and nine points in 50 contests with the Islanders last year, but he was averaging only 11:06 of ice time. Taken with the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Holmstrom has upside, and it’s clear the Islanders are hungry for offensive weapons, but he might still need more time to develop and may start the campaign in the AHL.

Forwards

Mathew Barzal

An electrifying skater who can carry the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive zone at an elite level, Barzal is a sensational play driver who has the potential to be a serious scoring threat, but that offensive breakthrough hasn’t quite materialized either. He scored 85 points as a rookie in 2017-2018 and has gone five straight seasons with 62 points or less. Barzal finished with 51 points (14 G, 37 A) in 58 games last season, which is fine, but it is still not making the most of his significant skills. He opened last season with 25 points in his first 22 games, but that included just two goals. While he is ostensibly a center, his inability to win faceoffs does make him a candidate to shift to the wing. He has won 42.3% of his faceoffs for his career but won a miserable 35.6% last season. With the Islanders relatively deep down the middle, they could consider turning Barzal loose on the wing. The Islanders’ tendency to play a grinding style has not brought out the best in Barzal’s production but the 26-year-old has the skills required to be a point per game scorer. While there is a world in which Barzal gets to that level again, it would be more reasonable to expect, say, 65 points while recognizing that there remains untapped potential when it comes to his offensive output.

Brock Nelson

After tallying 36 goals last season, and 37 the year before, Nelson is one of those 30 players to have scored at least 30 goals in each of the past two seasons. While Nelson is not a dominant play driver, the results have typically gone well for the Islanders with him on the ice. During five-on-five play, the Islanders have outscored the opposition with Nelson on the ice in eight of the past nine seasons. Last season, it was to the tune of 71 goals for and 45 goals against. He opened the season with 33 points (15 G, 18 A) and 96 shots on goal in his first 32 games. He could not maintain that scoring pace, in part because he could no longer generate three shots on goal per game. At 6’ 4”, Nelson has excellent size but is not a notable physical presence. He can use his reach, however, to gain space near the opposing goal and he is excellent at reading the play and making himself available in shooting position when the opportunity to score arises. Scoring 75 points last season was the first time in his career than Nelson surpassed 60 points. It would be reasonable enough this season to expect Nelson to record his third consecutive 30-goal campaign and 60 points.

Bo Horvat

Even though he opened last season with 31 goals in 49 games for Vancouver, while scoring on 21.7% of his shots, Horvat managed seven goals in 30 games with the Islanders, scoring on 8.1% of his shots. Regression can be a beast. He still finished with 38 goals, which put him in good company as one of 30 players to record 30 goals in each of the past two seasons. He effectively priced himself out of Vancouver by scoring 28 goals in 37 games and even if he was not going to maintain that pace, that production changed what Horvat could command on his next contract. Horvat is a sturdy forward who does not play a particularly physical game but does use that strength to get himself into shooting position and he had success playing the bumper position on the Canucks power play, scoring 25 power play goals in the past two seasons. After signing a big-ticket contract with the Islanders, Horvat will face massive expectations. Even if he does not match last season’s career-best output, Horvat could tally 30 goals and 60 points, quality production from a first-line center.

Anders Lee

An enormous physical presence, Lee has scored 28 goals in back-to-back seasons, a threshold he has hit five times in his career. He is not terribly fleet afoot, but plays to his strengths, carving out space around the net and daring the defense to do something about it. He is an excellent net front presence on the power play but at even strength, he still attacks the goal and gets comfortable at the top of the crease. As a result, Lee ranked first in individual high danger shot attempts and fourth in expected goals per 60 minutes during five-on-five play last season. He started strong, with 18 points (8 G, 10 A) in 19 games to open the season, but faded down the stretch, managing just four points (2 G, 2 A) in his last 15 games. His shot rate declined as the season progressed, too, which explains at least some of the reason behind his scoring dip. Lee should still be able to do damage in front of the opposition net, possibly challenging for 30 goals. He does tend to finish more than he sets up, however, so it would be reasonable to expect Lee to match last season’s total of 50 points.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Although he managed just 13 goals last season, his lowest total since 2016-2017, Pageau remains a strong two-way presence for the Islanders, which includes starting many more of his shifts in the defensive zone, finishing with an offensive zone start rate of 27.9% last season, freeing up the Islanders’ other centers for more offensive zone starts. While not especially big, Pageau plays a relentless physical style and recorded a career high 175 hits in 70 games in 2022-2023. He is also an ace in the faceoff dot and won a career best 57.9% of his draws. Pageau’s possession numbers tell an interesting story. He had a 46.3% Corsi percentage, worst among Islanders regulars. He also had an expected goals percentage of 51.5%, which suggests that Pageau was generating higher quality chances while suppressing higher quality chances in the defensive zone. Pageau did have a strong finish last season. Returning from an upper-body injury, Pageau had 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in his last 14 regular-season games, though he only mustered a single assist in six playoff games. Pageau has been consistent in terms of his offensive production with the Islanders, so it is fair to anticipate that he could produce another 40-point season in 2023-2024.

Kyle Palmieri

Following a couple of seasons with a lower shooting percentage, Palmieri started to find the mark again last season and finished with 16 goals in 55 games. After a slow start, Palmieri returned from an upper-body injury in mid-January and picked up his production from that point. In his last 34 games, Palmieri produced 24 points (10 G, 14 A) with 83 shots on goal while playing 17:44 per game. He then added five points (2 G, 3 A) in six playoff games. At his peak, Palmieri had a five-year stretch during which he scored at least 24 goals in each season. He is not at that level now, but the 32-year-old winger is still capable of providing secondary scoring if given the chance. While Palmieri did have 33 points in 55 games last season, that also came with an on-ice shooting percentage of 11.9%, which was his highest in more than a decade. Thus, Palmieri could be expected to contribute 35-40 points for the Islanders this season.

Pierre Engvall

Acquired from the Maple Leafs at the trade deadline, Engvall saw more ice time with the Islanders and finished the season with a career high 17 goals. A 6’ 5” left winger, who can also play some center, Engvall does not use his size to maximum effectiveness, but he was a consistent play driver in Toronto and that continued after moving to New York. In 18 games with the Islanders, Engvall had a Corsi percentage of 56.9% and expected goals percentage of 55.4%, both of which were best among Islanders that played more than a handful of games. A solid third line forward, Engvall can contribute in a secondary role on both the power play and penalty kill. There is an opportunity awaiting him with the Islanders, a chance to play more than he did in Toronto and that could give the lanky 27-year-old forward a chance at the best production of his career. In the 21 games that Engvall played more than 15 minutes last season, he produced 14 points (8 G, 6 A). That could be a chicken-and-the-egg situation, where he was getting more ice time because he had contributed offensively, but there is some indication that Engvall could have some untapped offensive potential. If Engvall produces 35 points, that would match his career high, but if he receives notably more ice time with the Islanders, that ceiling could climb higher, perhaps into the 40-to-45-point range.

Oliver Wahlstrom

The 11^th pick in the 2018 Draft, Wahlstrom has not yet lived up to expectations, but he has shown flashes of the potential that made him a high pick. Although the Islanders have been very conservative with Wahlstrom, not playing him much more than 12 minutes per game, he has shown an ability to generate shots, a willingness to play the body, and a competent level of defensive play. He suffered a knee injury against Pittsburgh on December 27th, ending his season so that hindered Wahlstrom’s development, but there should still be a chance for him to earn a regular spot among the Islanders’ top nine forwards, where the 23-year-old can prove that he has 20-goal upside. There is a wide range of potential outcomes for Wahlstrom. If he continues to play fourth-line minutes, he can be productive in that limited role, but if he gets a real opportunity to play higher up the depth chart, Wahlstrom has the potential to deliver 20 goals and 40 points, maybe even more.

Defense

Noah Dobson

Taken with the pick after Oliver Wahlstrom in 2018, Dobson has emerged as the top scoring option on the Islanders defense, producing 49 points (13 G, 36 A) last season after putting up 51 points the year before. His offensive impact is what helps Dobson stand out, though his play away from the puck could use some shoring up if he is going to reach his full potential. There is naturally a lot to like about a 6’ 4”, right shot defenseman who is 23 and has put up a total of 100 points in the past two seasons, but Dobson has more room to grow. He finished the season with 11 points (1 G, 10 A) in the last 13 games, but his ice time was down during that stretch, below 19 minutes per game when he had played over 20 minutes per game previously. In any event, Dobson is the most dangerous offensive threat on the Islanders blueline. He has had back-to-back 13-goal seasons and should be expected to hit 50 points, maybe more if the Islanders can generate more offense as a team.

Ryan Pulock

Known primarily for his booming shot when he came into the league, Pulock had become a sound defender but his play without the puck has dipped in the past couple of seasons and the Islanders allowed 2.91 expected goals against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play with Pulock on the ice last season, the highest rate of his career. The Islanders have invested heavily in Pulock, too, but he could use a rebound season to give the club more confidence in his role as a cornerstone piece moving forward. He was one of 22 defensemen to record at least 125 hits and 125 blocked shots last season. Pulock does not have the same kind of role on the power play that he had earlier in his career and that inhibits his offensive output. He had 26 points last season and is likely going to be in the range of 25-30 points in 2023-2024.

Adam Pelech

A premier defensive defenseman who does not get enough recognition because he does not contribute much offensively, the 28-year-old blueliner is elite when it comes to suppressing scoring chances. Among the 99 defensemen that have logged 3,000 five-on-five minutes in the past three seasons, Pelech ranks 11^th in high danger shot attempts against per 60 minutes and fifth in high danger goals against per 60. While Pelech does not get nearly the recognition that he deserves, the Islanders have signed him through the 2028-2029 season, an indication that his shutdown defensive play is not going unnoticed with his own team. As outstanding as Pelech is defensively, he is not a big point producer. Based on recent seasons, 25 points if a fair expectation for Pelech, even if it does not represent his real value to the club.

Scott Mayfield

After scoring a career-high 24 points (5 G, 19 A) while playing a career-high 21:02 per game last season, Mayfield was headed for unrestricted free agency, but then the Islanders locked him up with a seven-year contract, which seems like a big commitment for a defenseman who will turn 31 early in the 2023-2024 season, but with a cap hit of $3.5 million per season, it’s a pretty reasonable price to pay. Mayfield is 6’ 5” and 220 pounds and while he can play a physical game, it is not an overwhelming part of his contribution. He is a capable top-four defenseman with some offensive limitations, but it’s not hard to understand why the Islanders want to keep him around. A strong finish last season, which included seven points (1 G, 6 A) in the last 12 games, propelled Mayfield to 24 points, the high-water mark for his career. Barring a sudden and unexpected change in role, he should fall in the range of 20-25 points again.

Alexander Romanov

Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens last summer, Romanov’s first season with the Islanders saw him finish with a modest career high of 22 points (2 G, 20 A) but Romanov continued to provide blocked shots (129) and hits (198), which is fine, but his overall play left room for improvement. The 23-year-old has the physical tools, but it remains to be seen if he can put it all together and thrive in a top-four role. He faces some quality competition on the Islanders blueline, so Romanov will have to earn his way into more minutes, but he does give the Islanders insurance if some of their top four options falter. Romanov may not be a big scorer, but he is on a defense corps with few offensive options, too. Beyond Dobson, most of the Islanders defenders can be expected to score 20-plus points and Romanov fits into that group, too.

Goaltending

Ilya Sorokin

If the 2021-22 season with Igor Shesterkin’s coming-out party, the 2022-23 campaign was the league’s welcoming celebration for Ilya Sorokin across the East River. Sorokin’s arrival in North America was almost overshadowed by Shesterkin’s own dazzling debut – but thanks to a heroic season that pushed the New York Islanders back into the playoffs, Sorokin was given his due in the form of a second-place Vezina voting finish and one of the league’s best statistical performances of the year. Sorokin put up an almost laughably consistent display with his third NHL season, bringing his career save percentage through his first 136 NHL games to a mind-boggling .924 in all situations.

Sorokin quieted any doubters who worried that the Islanders weren’t in it to win it with his third straight year topping a .700 quality start percentage, proving that he’s here to stay – and here to win. And while he still looks like he’s added some control to a game that always seemed to serve as a more high-flying foil to the more controlled Shesterkin’s game while the pair competed over in Russia, Sorokin showed this past year that he’s willing to have a little fun with things, too; now that he’s really come into his own, he’s started to add some flair to his tendency to remain constantly in motion and his inclination to make the big save when a smaller one would do. His tracking remains as sharp as ever, and he did continue to show enough structure and positioning to suggest that he could be the Marc-Andre Fleury to Shesterkin’s Lundqvist; he’s a lot of fun to watch, and he’s more than willing to show that he knows it, too.

Projected starts: 55-60

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK RANGERS – NHL Player Profiles

Ryan Dadoun – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 20:35:35 +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)

FORWARDS

Artemi Panarin

Panarin is one of the best playmakers in the league and among the most reliable. The 2021-22 campaign marked the fifth straight season where he averaged over a point-per-game. More specifically, he’s averaged 1.21 points-per-game over that span, which is good for sixth place in the NHL. While the 2021-22 campaign was yet another amazing season for Panarin though, it wasn’t without its drawbacks. Moreso than in past seasons, his offensive production was driven by his work on the power play. He had 37 power-play points, shattering his previous career-high of 24. By contrast, at even strength he had 59 points, which is still obviously great, but he’s done better. In fact, in terms of 5v5 points/60 minutes, he averaged 2.5 last season, which is a drop from 3.0 in 2020-21 and his worst pace since 2017-18. For a player who does as well offensive as Panarin, his puck possession numbers also aren’t spectacular. He had a 49.1% 5v5 Corsi and 48.6% 5v5 Fenwick, which was marginally better than the Rangers overall. His defensive game isn’t impressive either and while Panarin averaged 19:13 minutes overall, he got almost no time shorthanded. Similarly, at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, he’s not a particularly big player and he won’t deliver many hits and rarely blocks shots. Even still, there aren’t many players in the league who can create scoring chances like Panarin, and he excels so much at that aspect of the game that all his shortcomings feel like nitpicks. The Rangers signed him to a seven-year, $81.5 million contract back in July 2019 and he’s delivered on his end of the bargain. There’s every reason to believe he will continue to do so in 2022-23.

Mika Zibanejad

You wouldn’t think a player who surpassed the 70-point milestone in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and then recorded 24 goals and 50 points in 56 contests in 2020-21 would enter the season as a significant question mark, but that was the case for Zibanejad. He’s clearly a high-end center, that part wasn’t in doubt. He’s got a great scoring touch, he’s smart on the ice, he’s a big body, and he’s strong defensively. The thing is, the 2020-21 campaign was bizarre. He got off to such a poor start, scoring three goals and nine points in 25 games before catching fire and providing 21 goals and 41 points in 31 contests the rest of the way. Zibanejad wasn’t a stranger to streaky play before that, but not to that extreme, so the question was what the 2021-22 campaign would bring and the answer was a consistently dominant season. He had 29 goals and 81 points in 81 games without ever enduring a point drought of longer than two games. He continued to deliver in the playoffs too, contributing another 10 goals and 24 points in 20 contests. Zibanejad is great in 5v5 play, but a major part of his game is special teams. He helps kill penalties and his shot is a huge asset to the Rangers on the power play. Of his 29 regular season goals, 15 of them were scored on the power play, which wasn’t an anomaly for him. Over the last five seasons, he’s ranked fifth in the NHL with 65 power-play goals. The Rangers signed Zibanejad to an eight-year, $68 million contract that’s set to start this season and while he might struggle by the end of that deal, he should at least live up to his cap hit for much of it.

Chris Kreider

If you’re going to pick a player to send to the front of the net, you can’t do much better than Kreider. At 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, he’s a strong presence with tremendous finishing ability. In 2021-22 he took his game to another level though. After never scoring more than 28 goals before, he recorded 52 goals and 77 points in 81 games. His work on the power play was a huge part of that, courtesy of his NHL best 26 power-play goals. Only Ilya Kovalchuk in 2005-06 has netted more power-play goals in a single season since the salary cap era began. While many goal scorers can be streaky, that wasn’t the case for Kreider last season. His only cold stretches of note were from Dec. 3-14 when he recorded a goal and an assist in seven contests and a spell from Feb. 15-27 where he had a goal and no assists in six games. Beyond that, he basically powered forward the entire campaign. Kreider was more than just great at cleaning up in front of the net though. He’s also good defensively. He’ll throw his weight around, contributing 141 hits last season, and he’s responsible enough to warrant some shorthanded ice time. Even before he found another level last season, his combination of finishing ability, and hardworking, gritty play made him a compelling package. He stayed strong in the playoffs with 10 goals and 16 points in 20 games, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be quite as good this season. The skill set that led to his amazing 2021-22 campaign is still there, but will he be as consistently dominant, especially on the power play, going forward? Perhaps things won’t play out quite as ideally, but even then, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him reach the 40-goal milestone.

Vincent Trocheck

Although he’s undergone some highs-and-lows in his career, when you average out what Trocheck has done thus far, he’s been a good second-line center, which is exactly what the Rangers were after when they inked him to a seven-year, $39.375 million contract over the summer. Trocheck recorded 21 goals and 51 points in 81 contests last season while playing for Carolina. That was an average season for him offensively when compared to his career overall and it’s about what the Rangers should expect out of him in 2022-23. However, his contributions go well beyond his work with the puck. He’s not big at 5-foot-10, 186 pounds, but that hasn’t prevented Trocheck from playing a gritty game. He ranked third on the Hurricanes last season with 185 hits. Although his brand of play does lead to him taking a lot of penalties – he accumulated 78 PIM last season – he manages to draw a ton of penalties too, which goes a long way towards mitigating that burden. When he’s not the one serving the penalty, he’s also someone who can be reliably deployed shorthanded. The draw is another area where he’s an asset. He won 54.6% of his faceoffs last season and has averaged a 52.9% success rate over his last six campaigns. Given that the Rangers ranked 24th in the NHL last season with a 48.1 faceoff winning percentage, he’ll be a welcome help in that regard. The fact that he’s a 29-year-old who plays a very physical game makes the seven-year deal that he signed a risk in the long run, but at very least he should help the Rangers in an array of areas in the short term.

Barclay Goodrow

Goodrow’s six-year, $21.85 million contract with the Rangers looked like a bit of an overpayment as soon as he signed it in the summer of 2021 and his first season with the Rangers didn’t do much to justify that deal. It wasn’t that he was bad, but he wasn’t great either. His 13 goals and 33 points in 79 games were career-highs for him but aren’t that good when you consider he was also averaging a career-high 16:43 minutes. His puck possession numbers were similarly unimpressive with him recording 44.4% and 44.7% 5v5 Corsi and Fenwick For’s respectively. That said, it’s not as if he lacks purpose, he was just perhaps being used more on even strength than was justified. At 6-foot-2, 203 pounds, Goodrow is happy to smash into his opponents and he’s willing to drop the gloves when the situation calls for it. He got into three fights last season and four the season prior. For a team that was light on grit in 2020-21, Goodrow helps fill that niche. He’ll also help kill penalties and he even led all Rangers forwards with 54 blocked shots last season. He played an understated, but still important role in the Lightning’s two Stanley Cup championships, so there are reasons why the Rangers were drawn to Goodrow in the first place and to be sure, he’s a nice role player to have on a team looking to win now. He’s never going to be a complete package and in particular, he’s not likely to ever put up great offensive numbers even if he gets significant minutes. For those reasons locking him up to a six-year deal was perhaps a stretch, but he will continue to work hard for the Rangers and play a worthwhile role.

Filip Chytil

Chytil had another underwhelming season overall, but there was a silver lining. Taken with the 21st overall pick in the 2017 draft, Chytil is a big forward at 6-foot-2, 206 pounds who is a great skater and is skilled offensively. He’s struggled to translate that to the NHL though and after playing with the Rangers for most of the last four seasons, he still hasn’t even reached the 25-point milestone. Injuries have played a meaningful role in that and the pandemic shortening the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns was a factor as well. For example, he did alright from a points-per-game perspective in 2020-21 with eight goals and 22 points in 42 games. He didn’t build off that last season though, finishing with eight goals and 22 points again despite playing in 67 contests this time. Despite his talent, he’s struggled to earn a top-six role with the Rangers and frankly, that might not change this season, especially after New York signed Vincent Trocheck to serve as the second-line center. That all said, when Chytil was paired with Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere in the playoffs, that young trio did well together. Chytil in particular was able to elevate his game, scoring seven goals and nine points in 20 playoff contests, despite averaging a modest 13:24 minutes. That could be the Rangers third line going into this season and it would be a fun one to watch. It also gives reason to be cautiously optimistic about Chytil going into this season but put emphasis on the word cautiously.

Kaapo Kakko

It’s way too early to call Kakko a bust, but it’s fair to say that the 2019 second overall pick has struggled over his first three seasons in the NHL. To be fair, the timing of his arrival into the NHL didn’t do him any favors. He was a teenager still making the adjustment from life in Europe when the pandemic derailed everything. Then last season, when things were getting closer to normal in the NHL, he suffered a wrist injury that needed surgery. When he did play in 2021-22, he had seven goals and 18 points in 43 games, which isn’t great, but in the context of the journey he’s had, it becomes a bit more understandable. It’s also worth noting that he hasn’t gotten a major role with the Rangers yet. He averaged 15:27 minutes last season, including a modest 1:14 power-play minutes. That lack of power-play ice time is naturally to his detriment offensively, but it’s going to be hard for him to earn a bigger role given the Rangers’ top-end talent. On the plus side, he’s become a responsible player defensively even if he isn’t a physical presence. In the playoffs, the line of Kakko, Filip Chytil, and Alexis Lafreniere showed potential, but Kakko didn’t benefit offensively as much of the other two-thirds of that unit, scoring just two goals and five points in 19 games. Tellingly, Kakko was a healthy scratch for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final with the Rangers facing elimination. Kakko has a lot left to prove going into his two-year, $4.2 million bridge deal. There may have been factors complicating his situation, but the burden on proof is still on him to show that he can be the standout player the Rangers were hoping for when he was drafted.

Ryan Reaves

Reaves isn’t someone you employ because he’ll help you offensively or even because he’s an asset in his own zone. You don’t send him out on the power play or shorthanded. That’s not what he’s there for. Reaves basically only does one thing, but fortunately he does it with gusto: play a physical game in the defense of his teammates. The Rangers entered the summer of 2021 feeling like they were a team that lacked players who could be sent out when the opposition were taking liberties with the Rangers skilled players. With that in mind, they acquired Reaves from Vegas to serve as an old school enforcer. Even in his mid-30s, Reaves is still capable of playing that role. He ranked third in the league with 279 hits and got into three fights. However, there’s obvious downsides to having him on the ice. He had just five goals and 13 points in 69 contests, and he can’t be expected to do any better offensively at this stage of his career. He looked even worse in terms of 5v5 Corsi and Fenwick, finishing at 38.6% and 38.4% respectively. Only Kevin Rooney ranked below Reaves on the Rangers in that regard (min. 300 total minutes). Unsurprisingly he got limited use with the Rangers last season, averaging 10:39 minutes in the regular season and 9:25 minutes in the playoffs. Still, the Rangers see value in having him policing the ice and he’s consequently likely to continue to be dressed on most nights to serve in a fourth line role.

Alexis Lafreniere

Some first overall picks make an immediate impact in the NHL. That wasn’t the case for Lafreniere. He had 12 goals and 21 points in 56 games as a rookie in 2020-21. It was a weird season though with the restrictions created by the pandemic and he did show improves towards the end of the campaign. So how did he do in 2021-22 with a closer to normal situation in the NHL and the benefit of a year’s worth of pro experience? Not as well as hoped. Lafreniere was limited to 19 goals and 31 points in 79 contests last season. To be fair, there were some silver linings here that don’t show up from those base stats. He made strides defensively and had a noteworthy physical component to his game. His deployment was also less than ideal and arguably held him back. He only averaged 13:59 minutes with just 1:11 minutes per game on the power play. On top of that he didn’t have consistent linemates, at least not during the regular season. When Lafreniere was deployed regularly with Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil during the playoffs, he saw an uptick in production to two goals and nine points in 20 contests despite still averaging a modest 14:02 minutes. So he went into the summer on an optimistic note. Optimism is an easy thing to feel when it comes to Lafreniere in general. There’s so much potential here. With his shot, hockey IQ, skating, and size, he has the tools to become a star. Even with the relatively slow start to his career, his offensive upside makes him one of the Rangers’ most exciting players.

DEFENSE

Adam Fox

You can count on one hand the number of offensive defensemen who measure up to Adam Fox. He won the Norris Trophy in 2020-21 after scoring five goals and 47 points in 55 contests. He didn’t capture the trophy again last season, but he certainly lived up to expectations, scoring 11 goals and 74 points in 78 contests. The thing is, while Fox’s offensive contributions are the obvious highlight of his game, he will help beyond that too. The Rangers felt comfortable sending him out in all situations. He unsurprisingly led the team in average ice time (23:54 minutes), but he also was a key penalty killer, logging 2:08 shorthanded minutes per game. In contrast, Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar, averaged a more limited 1:25 shorthanded minutes while Roman Josi, who finished second in voting, averaged 0:43 minutes. Fox also finished second among defenseman with 78 takeaways, behind only Alex Pietrangelo (93) and well ahead of Makar (49) or Josi (48). While Fox isn’t a leader in blocked shots, he certainly isn’t shy about sacrificing his body, contributing 128 blocks in 2021-22. If there is a downside to Fox though, it’s that he lacks size and doesn’t play a physical game. Also, while he excels at creating scoring chances, he doesn’t find the back of the net at nearly the same pace as the likes of Josi or Makar, who each more than doubled his goal total. Still, given everything that he brings to the table, there’s no reason to complain about Fox. Perhaps the best part is he’s only 24-years-old, so when the Rangers signed him to a seven-year, $66.5 million contract in November 2021, they did so with the reasonable expectation that he's going to be a star throughout the life of that deal.

Jacob Trouba

Trouba’s first two seasons with the Rangers were underwhelming, at least when measured against the cost of getting him from the Winnipeg Jets and his $8 million cap hit, but the 2021-22 campaign was something of a return to form for him. Playing on the second pairing and with limited power-play ice time, Trouba scored 11 goals and 39 points in 81 contests. While Adam Fox was the Rangers’ best offensive defenseman, it’s worth noting that a lot of Fox’s production came on the power play. At even strength, Fox was only a bit ahead with 39 points to Trouba’s 33. Trouba also has an edge to his game that Fox lacks. He stands at 6-foot-3, 209 pounds, which he used to his advantage while recording 207 hits. He will take things too far sometimes though and has delivered controversial hits over his career. He gets on the refs’ bad side quite a bit and led the Rangers with 88 penalty minutes. If there’s a silver lining there, he also led the team in penalties drawn with 27. When he wasn’t the one in the box, he’d often help the Rangers kill penalties. That was an asset to his game, but perhaps the best attribute to his game is his proficiency when it comes to blocking shots. He was second in the NHL with 177 blocks last season. He’s not quite the star defenseman his cap hit suggests he would be, but he checks a lot of boxes and is an important part of the Rangers’ blueline behind Fox. Clearly New York appreciates what he does after naming him their new captain in August.

Ryan Lindgren

Over the last two seasons, when Adam Fox is on the ice at even strength, Lindgren is usually joining him. He’s not much of an offensive threat, which is evident just by looking at the fact that he finished the 2021-22 campaign with four goals and 15 points in 78 contests while averaging 20:06 minutes. However, that’s not the role the Rangers are paying him for. Fox can drive the offense while Lindgren is there to play a more conservative game that allows for his defensive partner to be bolder. Lindgren is the kind of responsible, stay-at-home defenseman you want doing that job. While he unsurprisingly got almost no power-play ice time, his role with Fox extended to the penalty kill where they were often deployed as part of the top shorthanded unit. At 6-foot-0, 191 pounds, Lindgren’s not the biggest of defensemen, but he’s willing to play physically, and he’ll block shots, finishing with 129 and 141 respectively last season. In terms of puck possession, he had a 48.4% 5v5 Corsi and 48.9% 5v5 Fenwick, which was a little better than the Rangers overall. Now 24-years-old, the odds of him developing into a significant threat with the puck aren’t great, but he should continue to do the job he’s been assigned to well. He’s in the middle of a three-year, $9 million contract and that’s a good price for him.

K'Andre Miller

The Rangers have a strong, young defense and Miller is part of what rounds that group out. Playing primarily with Jacob Trouba on the second unit last season, Miller scored seven goals and 20 points in 82 contests. In particular, he made major strides defensively in 2021-22 to become a great two-way presence. In terms of puck possession, he looked better than most of the Rangers, finishing with a 49.9% 5v5 Corsi and 50.1% 5v5 Fenwick. To give those numbers some context, only Adam Fox did better among Ranger’s defensemen in those two metrics. Miller has tremendous size at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds and he used it effectively last season while dishing out 151 hits. That was second among Ranger’s defensemen behind Trouba, but unlike Trouba, Miller was able to play with that physical edge without taking things too far. Miller had just 24 penalty minutes in contrast to Trouba’s team leading 88. Another area where Miller looked strong was takeaways. He tied for seventh in the league with 59 while allowing just 37 giveaways. His role only grew in the playoffs, with his ice time ballooning to 24:47 minutes per game, which was second to only Fox on the Rangers. Miller stepped up offensively too, scoring two goals and seven points in 20 playoff contests. All-in-all, he’s becoming a great defenseman and part of the reason New York has such an enviable top-four going into the 2022-23 campaign. The only downside for New York is that he’s entering the final year of his entry-level contract and with the way he’s been developing, he’s not going to be cheap for much longer.

GOALTENDING

Igor Shesterkin

It seems hard to believe that the New York Rangers could be blessed enough to transition completely seamlessly from the Hall of Fame-worthy Henrik Lundqvist to another elite talent. But as his Vezina win last year proved, Igor Shesterkin offers proof that sometimes, lightning truly does strike twice for a franchise; with far and away the best stats of any regularly starting NHL goaltender last year, the 26-year-old Moscow native gave Rangers fans yet another year of reliability between the pipes.

Shesterkin’s game is rivaled by very few around the league; during an era of tumultuous performances and changing guards for the NHL’s goaltending corps, he’s one of the most impressively consistent young talents available. He’s managed to steady the ship for the Rangers as they flirt the line between a quick retooling and a full rebuild, taking the controlled and precise style that Henrik Lundqvist perfected for the Rangers and adding a few twists of explosive strength and speed all his own. He has one of the league’s most consistent baselines; after every shot, he manages to re-set himself flat on the goal line to give himself a better opportunity to face tricky offensive systems designed to draw goaltenders out of position. Add in a strong tracking game and mental read of shooters, coupled with a game that minimizes extra movement to avoid fatigue, and there’s very little about Shesterkin that’s not to like. The only real question this year, of course, will be how he handles his first season without tandem partner Alexandar Georgiev; while he far outshone the longer-tenured Rangers backup, this will be the first time he’ll play in the NHL without his fellow countryman sitting alongside him. Instead, he’ll have to see just what veteran Jaroslav Halak has left in the tank to back him up – which could mean he’ll need to take on a heavy workload during the regular season if Halak’s lukewarm 2021-22 season wasn’t an anomaly.

Projected starts: 60-65

SEATTLE KRAKEN EXPANSION DRAFT: Prospects to Target – Part Two – Forwards

Brock Otten — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 20:49:20 +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. This is the second feature on the forwards. Part one can be found by linking here.

FORWARDS

Rasmus Asplund - Buffalo Sabres

A strong two-way center, Asplund has had a hard time breaking through with the Sabres to become a full time NHL player. Even this year, he has seen time on the Sabres roster, on the taxi squad, and in the AHL with Rochester. He could certainly be a potential bottom six center target for the Kraken.

Morgan Geekie - Carolina Hurricanes

A big forward, Geekie has broken through as a full time NHL player to start the 2021 season after a successful cup of coffee last year. Playing on the fourth line and the powerplay, Geekie has yet to hit the score sheet this year. However, given Carolina’s forward depth, it seems unlikely that they will be able to protect him.

Kevin Stenlund - Columbus Blue Jackets

If there is one forward on this list that I see possibly being protected, it is Stenlund. He has proven himself to be a quality NHL forward after a half a season last year and a hot start this year. The question is, if Stenlund is protected, it means someone like Max Domi, Boone Jenner, or the injured Gustav Nyquist will not be. Columbus could also try to work out a deal with Seattle to make sure that they leave Stenlund be.

Henrik Borgstrom - Florida Panthers

At this point, Borgstrom is probably a candidate for a change of scenery. The former University of Denver star got off to a good start in his pro career, but he has been unable to take that next step, with last year being a clear step backwards. As such, the Panthers loaned him to HIFK for the year. A talented playmaker, Borgstrom could be a great candidate for Seattle to select in hopes of unlocking his offensive potential.

Nathan Bastian - New Jersey Devils

A heavy winger, Bastian has improved every year as a pro thus far, finally making the Devils this season. He has played extremely well in a third line role and as a penalty killer. However, the Devils have a heck of a decision ahead of them for the expansion draft. Do they sacrifice Pavel Zacha in order to protect someone like Bastian or the others on this list?

Yegor Sharangovich - New Jersey Devils

Sharangovich got off to a hot start to the NHL season playing alongside Jack Hughes. While the offensive production hasn’t been consistent, he has certainly impressed in his first NHL season after starting the year in the KHL. An explosive goal scorer, the Devils may be reluctant to let him go given the energy and pace he plays with.

Janne Kuokkanen - New Jersey Devils

Like Bastian, Kuokkanen has emerged as a legitimate NHL player in his fourth pro season, excelling in the bottom six. The former London Knights standout and the key acquisition in the Sami Vatanen deal to Carolina, Kuokkanen is certainly someone who could draw the interest of Seattle.

Nick Merkley - New Jersey Devils

Merkley, an intelligent and hard working playmaker, seems to be behind Bastian, Sharangovich, Kuokkanen, and Mikey McLeod (who I assumed the Devils would be protecting) in the pecking order. However, that does not mean that he lacks talent or NHL potential. Look for the Devils to try to rotate the above players in and out of the lineup in order to truly evaluate who they could be willing to lose.

Kieffer Bellows - New York Islanders

Keiffer, the son of former NHL’er Brian Bellows, is a former high NHL draft pick whose high end goal scoring ability has yet to truly translate to terrific results at the pro level. Playing on the fourth line this year for the Isles, Bellows has yet to score this season. Given the forward depth that the Islanders have, it seems unlikely that Bellows will be able to be protected. If New York truly believes in his potential, they may try to look at a way to convince Seattle not to select him.

Julien Gauthier - New York Rangers

In the rare one for one prospect trade, the Rangers shipped Joey Keane to Carolina for Gauthier last season. The big, quick, physical winger has been a fixture on the Rangers’ fourth line to start this season, however it seems unlikely that he gets protected given the others New York must protect. One of Brendan Lemieux, Brett Howden, or Gauthier will likely get the nod with the other two being unprotected. How they finish the year will dictate who that is.

Vitaly Abramov - Ottawa Senators

A dynamic offensive player, Abramov had a breakout season in Belleville last year that really gave management hope that his skill set could translate to the NHL level. However, it seems unlikely that Ottawa will be able to protect him and how he plays in the AHL this season will dictate whether Seattle has interest in him.

Filip Chlapik - Ottawa Senators

Chlapik split last season between Ottawa and Belleville, performing only adequately in a depth role. This season, he has bounced between the main roster, the taxi squad, and the AHL. A good sized playmaking center, Chlapik may not get his chance in Ottawa, but he could be a target of Seattle.

Logan Brown - Ottawa Senators

It is certainly possible that the Senators protect Brown. The former 11th overall pick has performed admirably in the AHL, but his play at the NHL level has been uninspiring thus far. A hulking center at 6’6, Brown needs to play more between the dots and use his size; a criticism dating back to his draft year.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel - Philadelphia Flyers

A competitive and feisty forward, Aube-Kubel is a versatile player for the Flyers with the ability to play in any situation and any forward position. He has been in the Flyers system forever and is finally getting a chance to be a full time NHL player this season. However, it is unlikely that the Flyers will be able to protect him. He could be the perfect bottom six player for Seattle.

Alex Barre Boulet - Tampa Bay Lightning

The first two seasons of Barre-Boulet’s pro career probably couldn’t have gone better considering he was an undrafted free agent acquisition by Tampa. He was the AHL rookie of the year two years ago and an AHL all star last year. But due to Tampa’s depth he remains buried in the minors again this year (where he has continued his torrid pace). The dilemma for Tampa Bay will be, do they protect a player who...as of now, has not shown an ability to translate his offensive skill set to the NHL?

Alex Volkov - Tampa Bay Lightning

Ahead of Barre-Boulet on the Tampa depth chart currently and the recipient of a roster spot thanks to the Kucherov injury, Volkov is a skilled winger that the Lightning have high hopes for. However, like many young players in their system, it is unlikely that they will be able to protect him.

Mitchell Stephens - Tampa Bay Lightning

A former high selection by the Lightning, Stephens was set to play full time this year as the Lightning’s fourth line center. However, he suffered a lower body injury early on and is sidelined for a few months. No longer waiver eligible, he likely will continue to have a spot when he returns but will it be enough for him to earn one of those valuable protection spots?

Mathieu Joseph - Tampa Bay Lightning

A high energy winger, Joseph was a standout as a rookie for the Lightning in 2018/19, however the acquisitions of players like Goodrow and Coleman pushed him to the minors for a large chunk of last season. Fast forward to this year and he has his place back in the Tampa lineup and is playing fantastic hockey. Does Tampa protect a younger player like Joseph (or others on this list) and risk a higher salaried player like Yanni Gourde, Alex Killorn, or Blake Coleman being selected?

Boris Katchouk - Tampa Bay Lightning

A star in the OHL, Katchouk’s game has not translated to the AHL level as well as Tampa would have hoped thus far. Now in his third pro season, Katchouk will have to show that he can take that next step in his development as an offensive player before the Lightning consider him for a checking line role. He is definitely a potential candidate to be lost in the expansion draft and is also waivers eligible next year.

Taylor Raddysh - Tampa Bay Lightning

Another former OHL star, Raddysh has had similar difficulties translating his game to the AHL level. He has not been terrible, but the average offensive production hasn’t yet warranted a callup for the former Erie Otter. Ultimately, his lack of dynamic skating ability may hold him back from becoming a quality NHL player. However, if he plays well in his third AHL season this year, he could certainly attract attention from Seattle.

Joey Anderson - Toronto Maple Leafs

Acquired from the New Jersey Devils last year in exchange for Andreas Johnsson, Anderson has bounced back and forth between the NHL and the AHL the last three seasons. The former U.S. captain at the World Juniors, Anderson is a high energy, two-way forward who could definitely be an attractive, cheap target for Seattle as it is unlikely that Toronto protects him.

Isac Lundestrom - Anaheim Ducks

Already in his third pro season in North America despite being only 21 years old, the former first round selection has finally cracked the Anaheim Ducks roster full time this season. The two-way forward excels in defensive situations and on the penalty kill and could be a quality checking line option for the Kraken, with a chance to still improve offensively. William Karlsson part deux anyone?

Matthew Phillips - Calgary Flames

His lack of size (5’7) is certainly a deterrent (even if the game has changed to accommodate smaller players), but Phillips is most definitely a talented offensive player. He was an AHL all star last season in his second AHL campaign. This year, he returns to the AHL with Stockton and should be among the league’s scoring leaders.

Adam Mascherin - Dallas Stars

A terrific goal scorer and former OHL standout, Mascherin is entering his third AHL season, undoubtedly a huge one for his development. Thus far, the results have been great as he is among the league’s scoring leaders. At some point this year, it is likely that Dallas gives him a look if he continues to play well, as not only do they have to decide on who to protect for the expansion draft, but Mascherin is waiver eligible next year too.

Tyler Benson - Edmonton Oilers

The former first overall selection in the WHL bantam draft by the Vancouver Giants, Benson has come a long way since then. With two strong AHL seasons under his belt, Benson enters his third year with the hope that he can play well enough to earn a longer look at the NHL level in the event of an Oilers’ injury. It does seem unlikely that the Oilers will protect him from Seattle though.

Rem Pitlick - Nashville Predators

A competitive, goal scoring center and the son of former NHL’er Lance Pitlick, Rem is expansion draft eligible even though he is only in his second professional season. This is due to the Predators burning a year of his ELC in 2019 when he signed out of Minnesota. He has started out the AHL season well and could earn a look from the Predators at some point this year to see if they will want to protect him.

Jonathan Dahlen - San Jose Sharks

Dahlen is a very interesting case. Acquired from Vancouver, Dahlen spent one year in the AHL before returning to Sweden where he has torched the Allsvenskan the last two seasons. The opinions vary about his standing as an NHL prospect, given he plays in the Swedish second league and not the SHL. Where he stands in the Sharks organization remains a mystery, but they will have to protect him from Seattle.

Alexander True - San Jose Sharks

A free agent signing by the Sharks out of the WHL, True has played well in the AHL over the last three years. The Danish forward has seen some limited action in the NHL with mixed results, however his start to this AHL season has been terrific. It seems unlikely that San Jose protects him, but would Seattle consider him as a high upside pick?

Maxim Letunov - San Jose Sharks

Widely considered as one of San Jose’s top forward prospects, Letunov is a huge center (6’4) and a former second round selection. He played very well in the AHL last season and has been on the San Jose taxi squad so far this season. At some point this year, San Jose is going to have to give him more than the three games they gave him last year, especially given their struggles as a team.

Rudolfs Balcers - San Jose Sharks

One of the players traded to Ottawa in the Erik Karlsson trade, Balcers was reacquired by the Sharks earlier this season off waivers. He has proven to be a capable offensive player in the AHL during his career but has not yet taken that step forward to become an NHL player. San Jose is going to give him a serious look this year, along with some other young forwards. It seems likely that Seattle could have more interest in the other Sharks on this list, but who knows how Balcers finishes the season.

Kole Lind - Vancouver Canucks

A former high selection of the Canucks, Lind has steadily improved in each of his AHL seasons thus far. The big, physical winger currently is among the AHL’s leading goal scorers this year and will likely earn a look from Vancouver at some point this season if he continues to play well. Do the Canucks protect him over disappointing talents like Jake Virtanen or Adam Gaudette?

*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: New York Rangers Top 20 Prospects

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 20:32:45 +0000

McKeen's Top 20 New York Rangers 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.

Alexis Lafreniere, LW (1^st overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA

A left winger who plays like a center, Lafreniere’s ability to manipulate and control the puck, at pace and static, in traffic and all alone, is among the best I have seen among draft eligibles. He is composed and in control, sneaky, and decisive in his movements. He plays the puck very tight to his skates, making him extra difficult to cover. He needs only inches to make a play, and his passing game is just as commanding. Lafreniere is liable to execute no-look passes from anywhere. He can slow the play right down and dictate the game from the half wall or finish it himself. He has a slapshot, but his wrist shot, and his backhand are the real weapons. He knows how to get his weight fully behind his shot and he can pick a spot from pretty much anywhere from the circles and in. While he might not have the best first two steps, everything else about his skating is above average. He has wonderful edges to dance through defenders or change the pace, while his hockey IQ helps him play at faster paces. He is ready to be a top line NHL’er. – RW

Igor Shestyorkin, G (118^th overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 1)

A goaltender that can dial himself in and remains focused under all types of pressure is a rare commodity, but Shestyorkin seems to fit that bill. A new country and a new team proved to be fairly easy for him to handle when making the jump from the KHL to the Rangers, seeing as how he came off a performance netting him the best GAA and save percentage in the KHL’s history. He brings the ultimate level of athleticism, focus, attention to detail, positioning, and rebound control to a dependable game for the Rangers and AHL Hartford. He is still climbing the learning curve in terms of puck movement and playing the puck in general, as KHL goaltenders do not have the best puck playing reputations and he could do with learning be more vocal for next season as his confidence grows in North America. With the Rangers in a position where they will soon be looking for a new goaltender to follow Henrik Lundqvist’s legendary career, Shestyorkin comes along at the perfect time to prove himself as the worthy candidate for the starting position with his poise, athleticism, positioning and focus. - SC

Nils Lundkvist, D (28^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Coming off a breakout season in the SHL, Lundkvist is a smallish but very smart defenseman that can drive the play from the backend with strong decision-making under high pressure. He is a good but not an elite skater, who generally maintains good gap control defensively. He can travel with the puck but has a dragging straight-line stride and really needs to push to get up to top speed. His overlapping steps are strong though and can give him high speed quickly. Lundkvist has developed his shot and has both a good one-time slap shot, and a sneaky wrist shot. His best assets are his passing skills and hockey sense. He is a fantastic at breakouts and zone entries with the way he moves the puck and sees the ice. He rarely tries to rush plays and keeps calm under pressure. He has some issues defensively, but he is okay overall and competes well. Most often he will play with a good gap and defend well in the neutral zone. He turns his head and plays aggressively in his own end despite not being big or strong. Lundkvist is a future top four defenseman with NY Rangers. - JH

Vitali Kravtsov, RW (9^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

Despite his itinerant season in 2019-20, Kravtsov is still making progress with his transition into the North American game, getting some footing on the powerplay and seeing ice time as a second liner in the AHL. Now that he has had a near complete season in North America he will need to take the next step, or three, including being sharper on the puck, more physical for a big body, and more positionally aware in the defensive end. His positioning and shot when on the attack continue to remain standout points in his play as well as the ways he sees the ice offensively and opens up to find shooting lanes. Beyond those, the emphasis on being a two-way player at the next level is paramount. Kravtsov needs to prove that he is capable and deserving of one of the few desired spots left in their lineup and next season should be his time to do so. With the potential to be a top unit scoring forward, he has to find another gear and continue making the adjustments needed to make the lasting jump to the NHL. - SC

K’Andre Miller, D (22^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 4)

Dynamic even when struggling, Miller has the strengths to dominate more often than he does. We can see his skating prowess, including a great first few steps and both breakout speed and agility for when he gets in tight. We can see his puck skills, at a rare level for both a blueliner and for a player of his size. He can play the puck at a high pace and has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. We can see his propensity to dominate physically when the chance arises. He regularly uses his size and strength along the boards and in the corners and has no hesitation in getting his elbow up to fend off an opponent. On the other hand, we see Miller play too fast and sometimes let the game get away from him. He needs to learn to better slow the game down to allow his skills to pop more often. Having turned pro, the additional game reps in the AHL will better allow him to refine his instincts and think the game at a more fluid level. Miller still has first pairing upside, but he needs further development to get there. – RW

Braden Schneider, D (19^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

A big, right-handed blueliner with shutdown capabilities, Schneider knows how to utilize his big point shot without being trigger happy. He doesn’t stick to the blueline, jumping into a lane when the opportunity presents itself. He could quicken his release, but his general objective is to get the puck in deeper, which he manages by shimmying on the blueline to create a lane. He is more notable away from the puck. He does a ton of little things to prolong his own team’s time with the puck. His positioning is very refined, managing gaps very well, cuts down on opponents’ space, and uses his stick nicely to corral the attack into a dead-end. He has the size and strength to keep the crease clear in front of his netminder. Schneider can clear the crease without tying up his own stick, helping him reach loose pucks and control them, transitioning the play back the other way. He likes to stop rushes with an open ice hit and is extremely effective rubbing out an attacker along the board. He is a smooth skater with quick feet in both directions. He is not far away from his upside as a minute munching #3 defender. – RW

Matthew Robertson, D (49^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 5)

Robertson is a good skater, especially for his size. A stabilizing force, he does a lot of heavy lifting defensively and still manages to pitch in a little bit of offense. He has pretty decent vision and can make a range of passes, giving him 5-on-5 viability, if not a power play projection. He doesn’t really jump into the rush too often, except as an occasional outlet option. He has a cannon of a shot from the point and his wrist shot is dangerous as he moves along the line. His footwork is solid enough that he can move laterally along the blueline but it is more noticeable when he is defending. He uses his reach and size to disrupt plays most defenders can’t reach, even when they play a tight gap. He is hard to beat wide with his combination of footwork and reach. Along the wall, he effectively snubs out the opposing cycle game with hard physical play and effective wall pins. Robertson plays with his head up and makes good reads with and without the puck which help his overall game. He projects as a very effective second pairing guy. - VG

Zachary Jones, D (68^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 6)

A third-round draft pick, Jones finished his freshman year at UMass, where he led the team in scoring by defensemen. That is impressive considering freshmen defenders usually take time to adjust to the quicker speed of play of college hockey. Jones also represented the U.S in the World Junior Championship where he turned some heads with his ability to quarterback the attack from the point. He amassed 52 points in his single season in the USHL prior to joining the Minutemen. He was named the USHL Rookie of the Year and recorded the most assists by a defenseman with 45. He earned a spot on Hockey East’s All-Rookie Team due to his stellar freshman performance. There is no question that Jones is an offensive defenseman. He has a smooth shot that he directs on net through traffic from the point, which makes him an excellent asset on the power play. He is a good stickhandler and uses his skills to fool opposing defenders. He is a good skater and glides easily, which is helpful when he is transitioning back to defense. However, Jones needs to backcheck more aggressively to round out his 200-foot game. - JS

Julien Gauthier, RW (Trade: Feb. 18, 2020. Originally: 21^st overall, 2016 [Carolina]. Previous ranking: 7)

Sometimes a change in scenery is what spurs a player to flourish and in the case of Gauthier the Rangers are still seeing if the acquisition of the right winger from the Carolina Hurricanes was the right fit or not. Having dropped the muscular winger right into the midst of things to fill forward roles all around during the playoffs, he did well, rising to the challenge of playing with varying lines where he was able to demonstrate puck skills his raw playing style. Although Gauthier is not always the smoothest player to watch, with his size he gets the job done physically and efficiently which only builds up his potential. For now, it is still hard to see where exactly Gauthier fits in the New York lineup, but that he deserves to be given the chance thanks to his tenacity, physicality, size, strength, and the way he makes carrying the puck seem effortless. Look for Gauthier to try to cement a more permanent spot in New York in the 2020-21 season. - SC

Morgan Barron, C (174^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 8)

Barron is a stellar example of development paying dividends. He jumped straight from prep hockey in Canada to Cornell. While he contributed as a freshman, his point production nearly doubled in his sophomore year. He did not surpass that total as a junior when he served as captain of Cornell, although the later season was seven games shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Barron jumped from being a sixth-round draft pick to one of the most-watched players in the ECAC. He was named to the First All-American Team, the ECAC Player of the Year, and a Hobey Baker finalist this season. He is a perfect example of a successful power forward - he muscles his way to the net and isn’t afraid to be physical. His 6-2”, 202-pound frame bodes well for this style of play. Barron also has fantastic hockey sense. He has a quick and powerful shot and can score from difficult angles. His frame plus his skating makes him hard to stop. At this point, he is expected to return to school for his senior season. – JS

Brett Berard, LW (134^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Berard is loaded up with pure, dynamic, potentially game breaking skill, but he is very small and slight as well. Pound-for-pound he has as much skill and hockey sense as anyone, there just aren’t that many pounds. He is an exceptional stickhandler, patient with the puck and remarkably difficult to separate from it. His hands are soft and quick. He is active across all three zones and a high-end play driver. When not pushing the offense forward, he is popping up unexpectedly behind the defense to present himself as a passing option to create a scoring chance. He anticipates the flow of play and puts himself in position to take advantage. He also has a great motor and doesn’t stop moving between the whistles. He loves to drive the net with cuts and changes to his angle of approach, keeping opponents guessing. Despite owning plus balance, he was often manhandled in the USHL and that occurrence will only grow more frequent at higher levels. Berard has top line upside, and models his game after Brad Marchand, who isn’t that much bigger. – RW

Tarmo Reunanen, D (98^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Reunanen had a good regular season with Lukko, playing on one of the strongest teams in the Liiga. He did not play particularly well at the beginning of the season, but he made steady and consistent progress throughout. He had a few particularly excellent games after the turn of the year. The offensive-minded defenseman is flashy and unpredictable, most often in a positive manner. He has lots of poise with the puck. He is very confident in the offensive zone, especially on the blueline, where his mobility, fast stickhandling, and powerful slap shot catch attention. He is not afraid to try to make creative plays. However, he does make mistakes and his defensive zone coverage especially needs work. He also needs to gain additional muscle for corner and net front battles. He has had a tendency to make overly complicated plays – he needs to learn that sometimes less is more. Reunanen is not far from the NHL and if he improves his defensive game and physicality, I think he will eventually get there. - MB

Lauri Pajuniemi, RW (132^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 10)

Pajuniemi improved significantly in many aspects of the game as the most recent Liiga season went on. He was the leading goal-scorer on a weak TPS team, amassing 26 goals, scoring most of them with one-timers. He also scored a lot of goals from loose pucks. He has an excellent selection of shots and picks his spots well. He can score from further out. Despite lacking in explosiveness, he is a good skater and is constantly moving and buzzing in the offensive zone. He spins off defenders along the boards with sharp and shifty movements. Although not the biggest of forwards, he can protect the puck well with his body. He has become a more complete player as his play away from the puck improved in the later part of the season. He was more alert in his own end and he read and reacted to the play more quickly. The winger is a very skilled goal-scorer with smarts and puck skills. He could be quicker and a tad more dynamic, but his development is on the right track. - MB

Hunter Skinner, D (112^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 11)

A good sized, right shot defender, Skinner quietly had a solid first season in the OHL with the London Knights. There are a lot of things to like about Skinner. He has an absolute cannon of a shot from the point. He moves well for a bigger defender. He shows good hands to make plays with the puck when pressured, either in his own end, or when running the point in the offensive zone. He will occasionally assert himself physically and do a great job of suffocating opposing forwards as they draw tight to the slot. However, all of these things are still shown in only flashes. Like an incomplete puzzle, Skinner has the tools. It will be about how those tools come together. How much growth is there for him as an offensive defender around his big point shot? Can his indecisiveness at both ends be rectified with more experience and greater confidence? He will take on a big role in London next year and it will be interesting to see if he improves further to project as an NHL defender. – BO

William Cuylle, LW (60^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

In the power forward mold if the likes of Owen Nolan, Brendan Shanahan, and Shane Doan, Cuylle can be a physical monster, laying out multiple players on a single shift. He plays through defenders, but he also has a fair bit of skill, with soft hands and a powerful wrist shot that gives him high end potential as a goal scorer. Additionally, he shows well as a defensive player at times, with a high IQ in the neutral and defensive zones. Consistency is currently an issue, and the dip in production he experienced between 2018-19 and last year was concerning. He needs to do a better job of finding soft spots to utilize his shot. Considering his size and power advantage over many defenders, he spends too much time on the perimeter. Improving his skating, especially his explosiveness, would also help him find scoring chances more effectively. Patience will be required, but Cuylle possesses the potential to develop into a top six goal scorer who can bring a serious physical element to the lineup. – BO

Evan Vierling, C (127^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Once a high-end prospect, Vierling’s prospects were waning until a trade last year to Barrie, where his game began to take off. He is a well-rounded offensive pivot who controls the middle of the ice well. He is equally as effective on his forehand and backhand and shows excellent vision when operating in transition and at a slower pace. He competes hard along the wall for pucks, and despite not possessing elite size or quickness, manages to prolong plays and create from nothing. He is willing to play a power game and will look to drive the net to open up lanes, although he shows restraint and control when playing through traffic, rarely turning the puck over. Vierling mostly needs to improve his strength for the type of all-around game that he likes to play, which would help him add quickness and explosiveness, and make him even more dangerous at even strength and a more consistent three zone forward. While Vierling’s development may not have gone according to plan thus far, he still possesses the potential to be a terrific middle six center who can play in all situations. – BO

Patrick Khodorenko, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 10, 2020. Previous ranking: 12)

A late birthdate member of the USNTDP, Khodorenko’s draft prospects suffered by playing with older players throughout his youth and then spending his first draft year playing college hockey for a rebuilding program in Michigan State. While the Spartans weren’t title contenders in any of the Californian’s four seasons on campus, after a hit-and-miss freshman campaign, Khodorenko was one of the more consistent performers in the Big 10 over the remainder of collegiate career. A mature bodied forward, he is not a great skater, but makes up for it with high end hockey IQ, able to slow the game to his pace, and then dictate the flow. He is very strong on the puck and has great touch. Even without great wheels, he is always in the right place to get his stick on loose pucks and to make something happen. He can create for others just as well as he can finish for himself. Khodorenko has always played above his tools, and I expect that to continue next year in the AHL, with an early NHL stint a distinct possibility. - RW

Tyler Wall, G (174^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 13)

Wall has been the starter at UMass-Lowell since his arrival as a freshman. He has been a solid, if understated, goaltender. He was one of the few players to go from the GOJHL to NCAA hockey, but his one season in the Ontario circuit was a good one, as he was named the league Rookie of the Year, posting a league-leading .940 save percentage and was also selected as the OHA top prospect. As a collegiate freshman, he backstopped the River Hawks to a Hockey East championship. His 6-3”, 203-pound frame fills the net nicely. Wall isn’t afraid of leaving the net if he has to, but he moves well inside the crease for his size with quick, lateral movements. Wall hugs the post well and is technically solid, so he is not generally flashy. He also tracks the puck well. He projects to be a solid backup and will take the next step in 2020-21 as a professional. - JS

Karl Henriksson, C (58^thoverall, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

Henriksson did not have an optimal season and it is not only on him. He got a bit stuck between being dominant in junior hockey and not getting a real chance at senior hockey. In the SHL he only got to play a few minutes per game but in Allsvenskan he played regularly when he played there but did not get an offensive role except for maybe a game or two. So, he ended up producing at a high level in junior but producing hardly anything at senior level. Henriksson is a hard-working center who makes smart plays. He is particularly a strong passer and he can drive the play for his line. He does a lot of things well but is not a flashy player. He is also small and has a hard time driving the play at senior level. He will need to keep developing his game and become a strong senior player before stepping over to North America. His skating is average and lacking size it can be tough to make it as a small center but he has the smarts for it so I still consider him as a decent middle six prospect. - JH

Austin Rueschhoff, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 20, 2020. Previous ranking: 15)

One of the more fascinating players in the college game over the last few years, Rueschhoff has evolved from being little more than a physical specimen in his time in the USHL, to an occasionally dominant and versatile forward by the end of his junior year at Western Michigan. Not avoiding the elephant in the locker room, Rueschhoff is a broad-shouldered 6-7”. The Missouri native was playing AAA hockey in Iowa in his first draft year and had one year stints in the NAHL and USHL before emerging as a force on campus. His All-World reach is a veritable asset defensively but can make it difficult for him to hang on to the puck as he can struggle to play the puck closer to his skates than most smaller players can. His hands work fine, though, and he is a bear to defend when he sets up near the crease. There are players who missed the top 15 cutoff who are more likely to reach the NHL, but none with his upside – literal or figurative. - RW

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 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – NEW YORK RANGERS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 2

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 16:12:34 +0000

New York Rangers

It was a little over two years ago now that the Rangers released a letter to their season-ticket holders, co-signed by GM Jeff Gorton and team President Glen Sather. At the time, the Rangers had a streak going in which they made seven postseasons in a row. They were four seasons removed from an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. In that time frame, they also got out of the first round five times.

It would be both fair and accurate to say that the Rangers, in the long prime of future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist, were not just a playoff team, but a good one.

Nevertheless, the Rangers’ braintrust saw the writing on the wall, and wanted to make sure that their fan base knew that they knew that the good times were coming to a close. The central message to the fanbase came in the central paragraph of the letter.

So, as we do every season, we have been continuously evaluating our team, looking for areas that can be improved to enhance our chances of winning. We began the process of reshaping our team this past summer, when we traded for assets that we believe will help us in the years to come. As we approach the trade deadline later this month and into the summer, we will be focused on adding young, competitive players that combine speed, skill and character. This may mean we lose some familiar faces, guys we all care about and respect. While this is part of the game, it's never easy. Our promise to you is that our plans will be guided by our singular commitment: ensuring we are building the foundation for our next Stanley Cup contender.

The teardown had begun. The current roster still has some remnants from the pre-letter era. Lundqvist is an institution and won’t be moved unless and until he requests it himself. Mika Zibanejad, Chris Krieder, and Jesper Fast were allowed to stay and mature in the bright lights of the Big Apple. Marc Staal’s contract is pretty much untradeable, assuming they tried to move him. Add in a few youngsters who were just getting started at that time (DeAngelo, Buchnevich), but the rest of the roster has turned over drastically in a two-year time frame. And the Rangers have missed the last two postseasons.

As I sit to write these words, the Rangers are preparing to play against the cross-town Islanders in the play-in round. They are not yet a good, competing team again, but their model is now both putting them back on the upswing, and should be sustainable in the long term. With the flat cap looming for the next several seasons, having prime talent on entry level deals is now more important than ever. The Rangers can take full advantage of that with the likes of Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko, Ryan Lindgren, Julien Gauthier, and Filip Chytil set to make under $1 million next year, and that is not counting the players from the list below who are likely to join them (other than Gauthier).

If Lundqvist is finally out, top prospect Igor Shestyorkin is ready. Fellow top prospects Nils Lundkvist and Vitali Kravtsov may also be ready to join him in Madison Square Garden, not to mention one or more darker horse potential rookies next year.*

*I have my eyes squarely on Patrick Khodorenko, more on whom below

Since sending out the letter, the Rangers have selected 20 players over the two subsequent drafts. They have another nine in the hopper for the draft this October (including as we now know the first overall pick – most likely left winger Alexis Lafreniere)

I commend the Rangers for being honest with their fans two years ago. It is never easy to admit that your roster is not capable to competing for a championship, but Gorton and Sather did it. It is even harder to build a new core, but in the span of two-and-a-half seasons, Gorton and Sather have laid the new foundational pieces in place. The Buffalo Sabres should be so lucky.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 21: New York Rangers right wing Vitali Kravtsov (74) tries to take the puck to the net past Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Robert Hagg (8) during the NHL Preseason game between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers on September 21, 2019, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Nicole Fridling/Icon Sportswire)

Igor Shestyorkin, G (118^th overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 5)

In an organizational prospect list it is rare that a goaltender rings in as the top prospect – only the Panthers, Islanders and the Rangers make that distinction at this time - however the New York Rangers certainly have a future starting netminder in top prospect Shestyorkin.

A goaltender that can dial himself in and remains focused under all types of pressure is a rare commodity especially when calling one of the most famous and notorious arenas and cities in the world home. A new country and a new team proved to be fairly easy for Shestyorkin to handle when making the jump from Russia’s KHL to the NHL’s Rangers, seeing as how he came off a performance netting him the best GAA and save percentage in the KHL’s history.

Shestyorkin brings the ultimate level of athleticism, focus, attention to detail, positioning, and rebound control to a dependable game for the Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack. A learning curve for Shestyorkin would be puck movement and playing the puck in general, as KHL goaltenders do not have the most play making friendly reputations and he could do with learning to play the puck and being more vocal for next season as his confidence grows in North America.

With the Rangers in a position where they will soon be looking for a new goaltender to follow Henrik Lundqvist’s legendary career, Shestyorkin comes along at the perfect time to prove himself as the worthy candidate for the starting position with his poise, athleticism, positioning and focus in the net. - SC

Nils Lundkvist, D (28^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 6)

There will soon be a new Lundkvist with the Rangers. Offensive defenseman Nils had a breakout season in the SHL and had a strong showing at the WJC as well. He probably was going to compete for a WC roster spot as well.

Lundkvist is a smallish but very smart defenseman that can drive the play from the backend with strong decision-making under high pressure. He is a good but not an elite skater, he cannot make up for mistakes with just his skating and he needs to play with good gap control defensively. He can travel with the puck but has a dragging straight-line stride and really needs to push to get up to top speed. His overlapping steps are strong though and can give him high speed quickly. In all, it means that the skating is good enough to play in the NHL but might lower his ceiling.

Lundkvist has developed his shot and has both a good one-time slap shot, and a sneaky wrist shot. His best assets are his passing skills and hockey sense. Lundkvist is a fantastic zone entry and zone breakout player the way he moves the puck and sees the ice. He rarely tries to rush plays and can keep calm under pressure. Defensively he has some issues, but he is okay overall and competes well. Most often he will play with a good gap and defends well in the neutral zone. He turns his head and plays aggressively in his own end despite not being big and strong.

Lundkvist is a future top four defenseman with NY Rangers. He is ready to step over but will play another season in Sweden, most likely due to the pandemic situation. - JH

Vitali Kravtsov, RW (9^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 3)

Despite having to head back to Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL during a brief loan at the beginning of last season, Kravtsov is still making progress with his transition into the North American game. By the time he returned to the AHL Hartford Wolfpack after his loan he was able to get some footing playing on the powerplay and seeing ice time as a second liner. However, with the Rangers winning the recent 2020 draft lottery the competition for the offensive lineup is likely to get a lot tougher meaning that Kravtsov will have to be better than he was last season.

Now that he has had a near complete season in North America he will need to be sharper on the puck, more physical for a big body and more positionally aware in the defensive end. His positioning and shot when on the attack continue to remain standout points in his play as well as the ways he sees the ice offensively and opens up to find shooting lanes, but the emphasis on being a two way player at the next level is paramount.

Kravtsov needs to prove to the New York organization that he is capable and deserving of one of the few desired spots left in their lineup and next season will be the time to do so. Any later and he runs the risk of becoming a first round trade commodity. With the potential to be a top unit scoring forward now is the time for Kravtsov to find another gear and make the adjustments needed to make the jump from the Hartford Wolfpack to the original six Rangers. - SC

K’Andre Miller, D (22^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 2)

While Miller undoubtedly had a disappointing sophomore campaign with Wisconsin, he was still night-in and night-out one of the most dynamic blueliners playing collegiately last season. He was once again a Big Ten Honorable Mention All Star, an honorific that both acknowledges his strengths and his inability to dominate as often as he should, according to his high-end skill set.

In isolation, we can see his skating prowess, which comes with a great first few steps and both breakout speed and agility for when he gets in tight. We can see his puck skills, at a rare level for both a blueliner and for a player of his size. He can play the puck at a high pace and has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. We can see his propensity to dominate physically when the chance arises. He regularly uses his size and strength along the boards and in the corners and has no hesitation in getting his elbow up to fend off an opponent.

There are numerous top pairing defenders in the NHL who fall short of Miller in each of those three areas. But they have what Miller needs to ascend to that upper echelon. They think the game faster. Miller plays fast and sometimes lets the game get away from him. He needs to learn to better slow the game down to allow his skills to pop with greater regularity.

Even though he regressed to an extent last year, it was a good move by the Rangers to sign Miller to an ELC and have him turn pro. The additional game reps in the AHL will better allow the former first rounder to refine his instincts and think the game at a more fluid level. Miller still has first pairing upside, but he needs further development to get there. - RW

Matthew Robertson, D (49^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 7)

Robertson is a good skater, especially for a for a 6-3” 200+ pound defender. He is a stabilizing force on a team loaded with offensive fire power. He does a lot of heavy lifting defensively and still manages to pitch in a little bit of offense.

He is not a real dangerous puck carrier, but he has pretty decent vision and can make a range of passes. He doesn’t project as a powerplay guy at the next level, but he could contribute a bit of offense at 5-on-5. He doesn’t really jump into the rush too often, and if he does, it is as an outlet rather than as the play driver.

He has a cannon of a shot from the point and his wrist shot is dangerous as he moves along the line. His footwork is solid enough that he can move laterally along the blueline, but it is more noticeable when he is defending. He uses his reach and size to disrupt plays most defenders can’t reach, even when they play a tight gap. He is hard to beat wide with his combination of footwork and reach. Along the wall, he effectively snubs out the opposing cycle game with hard physical play and effective wall pins.

Robertson plays with his head up and makes good reads with and without the puck which help his overall game. He will play a similar role at the pro level and while the offensive production might drop a bit, he should still be a very effective second pairing guy. - VG

Zachary Jones, D (68^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 15)

He amassed 52 points in his single season in the USHL prior to joining the Minutemen. He was named the USHL Rookie of the Year and recorded the most assists by a defenseman with 45. He earned a spot on Hockey East’s All-Rookie Team due to his stellar freshman performance.

There is no question that Jones is an offensive defenseman. He has a smooth shot that he directs on net through traffic from the point, which makes him an excellent asset on the power play. He is a good stickhandler and uses his skills to fool opposing defenders. He is a good skater and glides easily, which is helpful when he is transitioning back to defense. However, Jones needs to backcheck more aggressively to round out his 200-foot game. - JS

Julien Gauthier, RW (Trade: Feb. 18, 2020. Originally: 21^st overall, 2016 [Carolina]. 2019 Rank: 9 [Carolina])

For now, it is still hard to see where exactly Gauthier fits in the New York lineup, but that he deserves to be given the chance thanks to his tenacity, physicality, size, strength, and the way he makes carrying the puck seem effortless. Look for Gauthier to try to cement a more permanent spot in New York in the 2020-21 season. - SC

Morgan Barron, C (174^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 14)

Barron jumped from being a sixth-round draft pick to one of the most-watched players in the ECAC. He was named to the First All-American Team, the ECAC Player of the Year, and a Hobey Baker finalist this season.

He is a perfect example of a successful power forward - he muscles his way to the net and isn’t afraid to be physical. His 6-2”, 202 pound frame bodes well for this style of play. Barron also has fantastic hockey sense. He has a quick and powerful shot and can score from difficult angles. His frame plus his skating makes him hard to stop. At this point, he is expected to return to school for his senior season. - JS

Tarmo Reunanen, D (98^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 17)

The offensive-minded defenseman is flashy and unpredictable, most often in a positive manner. He has lots of poise with the puck. He is very confident in the offensive zone, especially on the blueline, where his mobility, fast stickhandling, and powerful slap shot catch attention. He is not afraid to try to make creative plays.

However, he does make mistakes and his defensive zone coverage especially needs work. He also needs to gain additional muscle for corner and net front battles. He has had a tendency to make overly complicated plays – he needs to learn that sometimes less is more. Reunanen is not far from the NHL and if he improves his defensive game and physicality, I think he will eventually get there. - MB

Lauri Pajuniemi, RW (132^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

Despite lacking in explosiveness, he is a good skater and is constantly moving and buzzing in the offensive zone. He spins off defenders along the boards with sharp and shifty movements. Although not the biggest of forwards, he can protect the puck well with his body. He has become a more complete player as his play away from the puck improved in the later part of the season. He was more alert in his own end and he read and reacted to the play more quickly.

The winger is a very skilled goal-scorer with smarts and puck skills. He could be quicker and a tad more dynamic, but his development is on the right track. - MB

Hunter Skinner, D (112^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

However, all of these things are still shown in only flashes. Like an incomplete puzzle, Skinner has the tools. It will be about how those tools come together. How much growth is there for him as an offensive defender around his big point shot? Can his indecisiveness at both ends be rectified with more experience and greater confidence? He will take on a big role in London next year and it will be interesting to see if he improves further to project as an NHL defender. - BO

Patrick Khodorenko, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 10, 2020. 2019 Rank: IE)

A mature bodied forward, he is not a great skater, but makes up for it with high end hockey IQ, able to slow the game to his pace, and then dictate the flow. He is very strong on the puck and has great touch. Even without great wheels, he is always in the right place to get his stick on loose pucks and to make something happen. He can create for others just as well as he can finish for himself.

Khodorenko has always played above his tools, and I expect that to continue next year in the AHL, with an early NHL stint a distinct possibility. - RW

Tyler Wall, G (174^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: UR)

As a collegiate freshman, he backstopped the River Hawks to a Hockey East championship. His 6-3”, 203-pound frame fills the net nicely. Wall isn’t afraid of leaving the net if he has to, but he moves well inside the crease for his size with quick, lateral movements. Wall hugs the post well and is technically solid, so he is not generally flashy. He also tracks the puck well. He projects to be a solid backup and will take the next step in 2020-21 as a professional. - JS

Karl Henriksson, C (58^thoverall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 9)

Henriksson is a hard-working center who makes smart plays. He is particularly a strong passer and he can drive the play for his line. He does a lot of things well but is not a flashy player. He is also small and has a hard time driving the play at senior level.

He will need to keep developing his game and become a strong senior player before stepping over to North America. His skating is average and lacking size it can be tough to make it as a small center, but he has the smarts for it, so I still consider him as a decent middle six prospect. - JH

Austin Rueschhoff, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 20, 2020. 2019 Rank: IE)

The Missouri native was playing AAA hockey in Iowa in his first draft year and had one year stints in the NAHL and USHL before emerging as a force on campus. His All-World reach is a veritable asset defensively but can make it difficult for him to hang on to the puck as he can struggle to play the puck closer to his skates than most smaller players can. His hands work fine, though, and he is a bear to defend when he sets up near the crease.

There are players who missed the top 15 cutoff who are more likely to reach the NHL, but none with his upside – literal or figurative. - RW

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

McKeens Hockey; Article by Ryan Wagman — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:50:55 +0000

I write these words less than 24 hours after the Dallas Stars took game one of the Stanley Cup Finals against the heavily favored Tampa Bay Lightning. Unlike most seasons wherein the end of the Stanley Cup marks the beginning of off-season player movement, this year teams have taken an early start to the transactional Ferris wheel as many expect the upcoming offseason (from the awarding of the Cup, through to the draft in the first week of October to the start of the 2020-21 season perhaps as soon as early December, pending COVID trends in North America) to be especially turbulent.

We have seen a few trades of NHL pieces, one deal which impacted this guidebook, as Toronto sent Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh and Swedish winger Filip Hallander was among those coming back to Toronto. Hallander was our selection for the second-best prospect in the Penguins system and now holds that title for the Maple Leafs. That trade knocked the Penguins down a few slots on our organizational rankings and allowed Toronto to go the other way accordingly.

Of course, with the draft roughly 17 days away, and with it a complete re-shuffling of the organizational rankings, this is just a snapshot in time of how every team’s system shakes up. We will re-run this list, incorporating the drafted players, in our pre-season fantasy guide, where we will expand the lists up to 20.

What you are about to dive into is a comprehensive list of all prospect eligible players on all 31 teams. To hold prospect eligibility, a player needs to 25 or younger, as of September 15, 2020. All skaters need to have played less than 60 career games, with no more than 35 of those games coming in a single season (or 25 for this past shortened season). For goalies, the age criteria remain the same, but the games played benchmark drops to 30 career games and 20 in a given season (or 15 last year). Any cutoff that does not hew exactly to the Calder Trophy award criteria is, by nature, arbitrary, but we aim to be inclusive for all players who have not yet cemented NHL jobs and/or have not had a prolonged chance to prove himself capable – or incapable.

We rank 15 per team, as depth is as important as the high end. Our goal is to identify players who could – if they have an advocate for them within the team’s braintrust – play a role in the NHL. These players were identified through our thorough vetting of each prospect across the globe, assigning scores, or grades, to five areas for skaters (skating, shot, puck skills, smarts, physicality) and six for netminders (athleticism/speed/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, positioning/technique, rebound control, and puck handling). Depending on the position, the grades are run through an algorithm to come up with an overall future projection (OFP).

The OFP, if the scout is being honest, measures the future role we anticipate the prospect being able to hold. A 50 score is the lower threshold to be a regular 4^th line forward, or bottom pairing defender. Grades over 56 are potential top line/pairing skaters. The grades in between, obviously project to the middle of the lineup.

As we are reminded every year, development is not linear. Some players take unexpected sudden leaps forward (see Marino, John), and others stagnate (see Ho-Sang, Josh), and many do exactly what we expect of them when they are given the chance. As much as I trust the analysts in our team, I can also tell you that this exercise is always humbling. There will be at least one player who we rate highly who bombs. There will be at least one player who did not feature on his team’s top 15 who becomes an NHL regular next year. We accept those errors in judgment and promise you, our faithful subscriber, that we will learn from them and refine our work for next year, as we learn just as NHL teams learn.

Until then, please enjoy this snapshot view of the future of the beautiful, frozen game. Putting this together has provided at least some sense of normalcy during this crazy summer.

NHL	RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	Acquired
Ana	1	Trevor Zegras	C	19	6-0/170	Boston University (HE)	`19(9th)
Min	2	Kirill Kaprizov	LW	23	5-10/200	CSKA (KHL)	`15(135th)
Col	3	Bowen Byram	D	19	6-0/195	Vancouver (WHL)	`19(4th)
Buf	4	Dylan Cozens	C	19	6-3/185	Lethbridge (WHL)	`19(7th)
Fla	5	Spencer Knight	G	19	6-3/195	Boston College (HE)	`19(13th)
VGK	6	Peyton Krebs	C	19	5-11/180	Winnipeg (WHL)	`19(17th)
Ari	7	Victor Soderstrom	D	19	5-11/180	Brynas (Swe)	`19(11th)
Mtl	8	Cole Caufield	RW	19	5-7/165	Wisconsin (B1G)	`19(15th)
Van	9	Vasili Podkolzin	RW	19	6-1/190	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`19(10th)
Edm	10	Philip Broberg	D	19	6-3/200	Skelleftea AIK (Swe)	`19(8th)
Tor	11	Nick Robertson	LW	19	5-9/160	Peterborough (OHL)	`19(53rd)
Col	12	Alex Newhook	C	19	5-10/195	Boston College (HE)	`19(16th)
Det	13	Moritz Seider	D	19	6-3/185	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`19(6th)
Fla	14	Grigori Denisenko	LW	20	5-11/185	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`18(15th)
Min	15	Matthew Boldy	LW	19	6-1/190	Boston College (HE)	`19(12th)
NJ	16	Ty Smith	D	20	5-10/180	Spokane (WHL)	`18(17th)
LA	17	Alex Turcotte	C	19	5-11/185	Wisconsin (B1G)	`19(5th)
Nsh	18	Philip Tomasino	C	19	5-11/180	Nia-Osh (OHL)	`19(24th)
Pit	19	Samuel Poulin	LW	19	6-1/205	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	`19(21st)
Wsh	20	Connor McMichael	C	19	5-11/175	London (OHL)	`19(25th)
LA	21	Gabriel Vilardi	RW	21	6-3/200	Ontario (AHL)	`17(11th)
NYR	22	Igor Shesterkin	G	24	6-1/190	Hartford (AHL)	`14(118th)
Dal	23	Thomas Harley	D	19	6-3/190	Mississauga (OHL)	`19(18th)
Ari	24	Barrett Hayton	C	20	6-1/190	Arizona (NHL)	`18(5th)
NYR	25	Nils Lundkvist	D	20	5-11/180	Lulea (Swe)	`18(28th)
LA	26	Arthur Kaliyev	RW	19	6-2/190	Hamilton (OHL)	`19(33rd)
Cgy	27	Juuso Valimaki	D	21	6-2/205	DNP - Injured	`17(16th)
Det	28	Jared McIsaac	D	20	6-1/195	Hal-Mon (QMJHL)	`18(36th)
NYR	29	Vitali Kravtsov	RW	20	6-3/185	Hartford (AHL)	`18(9th)
Edm	30	Evan Bouchard	D	20	6-2/195	Bakersfield (AHL)	`18(10th)
NYR	31	K'Andre Miller	D	20	6-3/205	Wisconsin (B1G)	`18(22nd)
Edm	32	Raphael Lavoie	RW	19	6-4/195	Hal-Chi (QMJHL)	`19(38th)
NYI	33	Ilya Sorokin	G	25	6-2/180	CSKA (KHL)	`14(78th)
Det	34	Albert Johansson	D	19	5-11/165	Farjestads (Swe)	`19(60th)
Ari	35	Matias Maccelli	LW	19	5-11/170	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`19(98th)
Van	36	Nils Hoglander	RW	19	5-9/185	Rogle (Swe)	`19(40th)
Ari	37	Jan Jenik	RW	20	6-1/180	Hamilton (OHL)	`18(65th)
Phi	38	Cam York	D	19	5-11/175	Michigan (B1G)	`19(14th)
Phi	39	Morgan Frost	C	21	5-11/180	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	`17(27th)
Ana	40	Lukas Dostal	G	20	6-1/170	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`18(85th)
LA	41	Tobias Bjornfot	D	19	6-0/200	Ontario (AHL)	`19(22nd)
SJ	42	Ryan Merkley	D	20	5-11/170	London (OHL)	`18(21st)
NYI	43	Kieffer Bellows	LW	22	6-0/200	Bridgeport (AHL)	`16(19th)
NYI	44	Oliver Wahlstrom	RW	20	6-1/205	Bridgeport (AHL)	`18(11th)
LA	45	Rasmus Kupari	C	20	6-1/185	Ontario (AHL)	`18(20th)
CBJ	46	Liam Foudy	C	20	6-0/175	London (OHL)	`18(18th)
LA	47	Tyler Madden	C	20	5-10/155	Northeastern (HE)	T(Van-2/20)
Mtl	48	Alexander Romanov	D	20	5-11/185	CSKA (KHL)	`18(38th)
NYI	49	Bode Wilde	D	20	6-2/195	Bridgeport (AHL)	`18(41st)
Ott	50	Jacob Bernard-Docker	D	20	6-0/180	North Dakota (NCHC)	`18(26th)
Cgy	51	Jakob Pelletier	LW	19	5-9/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`19(26th)
LA	52	Akil Thomas	C	20	5-11/170	Nia-Pbo (OHL)	`18(51st)
Wpg	53	Dylan Samberg	D	21	6-3/190	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`17(43rd)
Chi	54	Ian Mitchell	D	21	5-11/175	Denver (NCHC)	`17(57th)
Ott	55	Josh Norris	C	21	6-1/195	Belleville (AHL)	T(SJ-9/18)
NYR	56	Matthew Robertson	D	19	6-3/200	Edmonton (WHL)	`19(49th)
VGK	57	Pavel Dorofeyev	LW	19	6-1/170	Magnitogorsk (KHL)	`19(79th)
Dal	58	Jake Oettinger	G	21	6-4/210	Texas (AHL)	`17(26th)
Ott	59	Drake Batherson	RW	22	6-1/190	Belleville (AHL)	`17(121st)
LA	60	Samuel Fagemo	RW	20	6-0/195	Frolunda (Swe)	`19(50th)
Col	61	Justus Annunen	G	20	6-4/215	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	`18(64th)
Bos	62	John Beecher	C	19	6-3/210	Michigan (B1G)	`19(30th)
Phi	63	Egor Zamula	D	20	6-4/175	Calgary (WHL)	FA(9/18)
NYR	64	Zac Jones	D	19	5-10/175	Massachusetts (HE)	`19(68th)
CBJ	65	Kirill Marchenko	LW	20	6-3/190	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`18(49th)
VGK	66	Jack Dugan	RW	22	6-2/185	Providence (HE)	`17(142nd)
StL	67	Scott Perunovich	D	22	5-10/175	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`18(45th)
Bos	68	Jack Studnicka	C	21	6-1/170	Providence (AHL)	`17(53rd)
Dal	69	Ty Dellandrea	C	20	6-0/185	Flint (OHL)	`18(13th)
Min	70	Calen Addison	D	20	5-10/180	Lethbridge (WHL)	T(Pit-2/20)
NYR	71	Julien Gauthier	RW	22	6-4/225	Charlotte (AHL)	T(Car-2/20)
Van	72	Olli Juolevi	D	22	6-3/200	Utica (AHL)	`16(5th)
NJ	73	Nolan Foote	LW	19	6-3/190	Kelowna (WHL)	T(TB-2/20)
NJ	74	Janne Kuokkanen	LW	22	6-1/190	Cha-Bng (AHL)	T(Car-2/20)
Ott	75	Alex Formenton	LW	21	6-2/165	Belleville (AHL)	`17(47th)
Det	76	Robert Mastrosimone	LW	19	5-10/160	Boston University (HE)	`19(54th)
NYR	77	Morgan Barron	C	21	6-2/200	Cornell (ECAC)	`17(174th)
Mtl	78	Jesse Ylonen	RW	20	6-1/185	Pelicans (Fin)	`18(35th)
Car	79	Dominik Bokk	RW	20	6-1/180	Rogle (Swe)	T(StL-9/19)
Nsh	80	Egor Afanasyev	RW	19	6-3/205	Windsor (OHL)	`19(45th)
Ana	81	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	C	20	6-1/195	Hal-Mon (QMJHL)	`18(54th)
Min	82	Alexander Khovanov	C	20	5-11/195	Moncton (QMJHL)	`18(86th)
Det	83	Joe Veleno	C	20	6-1/195	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`18(30th)
NJ	84	Kevin Bahl	D	20	6-6/230	Ottawa (OHL)	T(Ari-12/19)
Car	85	Ryan Suzuki	C	19	6-0/180	Bar-Sag (OHL)	`19(28th)
Van	86	Jett Woo	D	20	6-0/205	Calgary (WHL)	`18(37th)
Mtl	87	Mattias Norlinder	D	20	5-11/180	MODO (Swe 2)	`19(64th)
Min	88	Adam Beckman	LW	19	6-1/170	Spokane (WHL)	`19(75th)
Bos	89	Jeremy Swayman	G	21	6-1/190	Maine (HE)	`17(111th)
Wpg	90	Kristian Vesalainen	LW	21	6-3/205	Manitoba (AHL)	`17(24th)
Tor	91	Filip Hallander	LW	20	6-1/185	Lulea (Swe)	T(Pit-8/20)
Fla	92	Owen Tippett	RW	21	6-1/200	Springfield (AHL)	`17(10th)
Car	93	Jake Bean	D	22	6-1/175	Charlotte (AHL)	`16(13th)
Ott	94	Shane Pinto	C	19	6-2/190	North Dakota (NCHC)	`19(32nd)
Col	95	Martin Kaut	RW	20	6-1/175	Colorado (AHL)	`18(16th)
Van	96	Jack Rathbone	D	21	5-10/175	Harvard (ECAC)	`17(95th)
Tor	97	Nick Abruzzese	C	21	5-9/160	Harvard (ECAC)	`19(124th)
Bos	98	Urho Vaakanainen	D	21	6-0/185	Providence (AHL)	`17(18th)
Wsh	99	Alexander Alexeyev	D	20	6-3/200	Hershey (AHL)	`18(31st)
NYI	100	Simon Holmstrom	RW	19	6-1/185	Bridgeport (AHL)	`19(23rd)
LA	101	Jaret Anderson-Dolan	C	21	5-11/190	Ontario (AHL)	`17(41st)
Car	102	Joey Keane	D	21	6-0/185	Hfd-Cha (AHL)	T(NYR-2/20)
Wsh	103	Martin Fehervary	D	20	6-1/190	Hershey (AHL)	`18(46th)
StL	104	Tyler Tucker	D	20	6-1/205	Bar-Fnt (OHL)	`18(200th)
SJ	105	Yegor Spiridonov	C	19	6-2/195	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)	`19(108th)
NJ	106	Joey Anderson	RW	22	6-0/195	Binghamton (AHL)	`16(73rd)
Col	107	Conor Timmins	D	21	6-1/185	Colorado (AHL)	`17(32nd)
StL	108	Klim Kostin	C	21	6-3/195	San Antonio (AHL)	`17(31st)
Mtl	109	Cayden Primeau	G	21	6-3/180	Laval (AHL)	`17(199th)
SJ	110	Jonathan Dahlen	LW	22	5-11/185	Timra IK (Swe 2)	T(Van-2/19)
NJ	111	Reilly Walsh	D	21	5-11/180	Harvard (ECAC)	`17(81st)
Buf	112	Oskari Laaksonen	D	21	6-2/165	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`17(89th)
NJ	113	Arseni Gritsyuk	RW	19	5-10/170	Omskie Yastreby (MHL)	`19(129th)
Wsh	114	Aliaksei Protas	C	19	6-5/205	Prince Albert (WHL)	`19(91st)
Cgy	115	Dustin Wolf	G	19	6-0/165	Everett (WHL)	`19(214th)
StL	116	Joel Hofer	G	20	6-3/160	Portland (WHL)	`18(107th)
VGK	117	Ivan Morozov	C	20	6-1/180	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`18(61st)
Mtl	118	Jake Evans	C	24	6-0/185	Laval (AHL)	`14(207th)
Nsh	119	Eeli Tolvanen	RW	21	5-10/175	Milwaukee (AHL)	`17(30th)
Wpg	120	Ville Heinola	D	19	5-11/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	`19(20th)
VGK	121	Lucas Elvenes	RW	21	6-0/175	Chicago (AHL)	`17(127th)
TB	122	Cole Koepke	LW	22	6-1/195	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`18(183rd)
Ana	123	Isac Lundestrom	C	20	6-0/185	San Diego (AHL)	`18(23rd)
NYR	124	Tarmo Reunanen	D	22	6-0/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	`16(98th)
Mtl	125	Jordan Harris	D	20	5-11/180	Northeastern (HE)	`18(71st)
Ana	126	Brayden Tracey	LW	19	6-0/175	MJ-Vic (WHL)	`19(29th)
Phi	127	Tanner Laczynski	C	23	6-1/200	Ohio State (B1G)	`16(169th)
Chi	128	Alec Regula	D	20	6-3/200	London (OHL)	T(Det-10/19)
Buf	129	Mattias Samuelsson	D	20	6-3/215	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`18(32nd)
Car	130	Jamieson Rees	C	19	5-10/175	Sarnia (OHL)	`19(44th)
Edm	131	Olivier Rodrigue	G	20	6-1/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`18(62nd)
Fla	132	Serron Noel	RW	20	6-5/205	Osh-Kit (OHL)	`18(34th)
Det	133	Antti Tuomisto	D	19	6-4/190	Assat Pori (Fin Jr)	`19(35th)
Dal	134	Jason Robertson	LW	21	6-2/195	Texas (AHL)	`17(39th)
Mtl	135	Joni Ikonen	C	21	5-10/170	DNP - Injured	`17(58th)
Nsh	136	Rem Pitlick	C	23	5-11/200	Milwaukee (AHL)	`16(76th)
Ott	137	Logan Brown	C	22	6-6/220	Belleville (AHL)	`16(11th)
TB	138	Samuel Walker	C	21	5-11/160	Minnesota (B1G)	`17(200th)
Phi	139	Wade Allison	RW	22	6-2/205	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`16(52nd)
Wpg	140	Declan Chisholm	D	20	6-1/190	Peterborough (OHL)	`18(150th)
NJ	141	Tyce Thompson	RW	21	6-1/180	Providence (HE)	`19(96th)
VGK	142	Connor Corcoran	D	20	6-1/185	Windsor (OHL)	`18(154th)
Ana	143	Jackson Lacombe	D	19	6-1/170	Minnesota (B1G)	`19(39th)
NYR	144	Lauri Pajuniemi	RW	21	6-0/185	TPS Turku (Fin)	`18(132nd)
Car	145	Tuukka Tieksola	RW	19	5-10/160	Karpat Oulu (Fin Jr)	`19(121st)
CBJ	146	Andrew Peeke	D	22	6-3/210	Cleveland (AHL)	`16(34th)
Ana	147	Axel Andersson	D	20	6-0/180	Moncton (QMJHL)	T(Bos-2/20)
Car	148	Patrik Puistola	LW	19	6-0/175	Tap-Juk-Koo (Fin)	`19(73rd)
NJ	149	Michael McLeod	C	22	6-2/195	Binghamton (AHL)	`16(12th)
Car	150	Pyotr Kochetkov	G	21	6-1/175	SKA-VIT (KHL)	`19(36th)
NJ	151	Michael Vukojevic	D	19	6-3/210	Kitchener (OHL)	`19(82nd)
NYI	152	Ruslan Iskhakov	C	20	5-8/155	UConn (HE)	`18(43rd)
Wpg	153	Sami Niku	D	23	6-0/175	Manitoba (AHL)	`15(198th)
TB	154	Hugo Alnefelt	G	19	6-3/195	HV 71 (Swe)	`19(71st)
NJ	155	Nikita Okhotyuk	D	19	6-1/195	Ottawa (OHL)	`19(61st)
NYR	156	Hunter Skinner	D	19	6-2/175	London (OHL)	`19(112th)
LA	157	Mikey Anderson	D	21	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	`17(103rd)
Col	158	Shane Bowers	C	21	6-2/190	Colorado (AHL)	T(Ott-11/17)
NYI	159	Joshua Ho-Sang	RW	24	6-0/175	Bri-SA (AHL)	`14(28th)
LA	160	Cal Petersen	G	25	6-3/190	Ontario (AHL)	FA(7/17)
Col	161	Sampo Ranta	LW	20	6-2/205	Minnesota (B1G)	`18(78th)
Wpg	162	Mikhail Berdin	G	22	6-2/165	Manitoba (AHL)	`16(157th)
Bos	163	Jeremy Lauzon	D	23	6-3/205	Providence (AHL)	`15(52nd)
Nsh	164	David Farrance	D	21	5-11/190	Boston University (HE)	`17(92nd)
Van	165	Will Lockwood	RW	22	5-11/175	Michigan (B1G)	`16(64th)
NYI	166	Sebastian Aho	D	24	5-10/175	Bridgeport (AHL)	`17(139th)
Wpg	167	Logan Stanley	D	22	6-7/225	Manitoba (AHL)	`16(18th)
Buf	168	Ryan Johnson	D	19	6-0/175	Minnesota (B1G)	`19(31st)
Van	169	Michael DiPietro	G	21	6-0/195	Utica (AHL)	`17(64th)
VGK	170	Kaedan Korczak	D	19	6-3/190	Kelowna (WHL)	`19(41st)
Car	171	Jack Drury	C	20	5-11/180	Harvard (ECAC)	`18(42nd)
StL	172	Nikita Alexandrov	C	19	6-0/180	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	`19(62nd)
Col	173	Nikolai Kovalenko	RW	20	5-10/175	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`18(171st)
Nsh	174	Juuso Parssinen	C	19	6-2/205	TPS Turku (Fin)	`19(210th)
Chi	175	Pius Suter	C	24	5-11/170	ZSC Lions (NLA)	FA(7/20)
Fla	176	Aleksi Saarela	RW	23	5-11/200	Rfd-Spr (AHL)	T(Chi-10/19)
Bos	177	Trent Frederic	C	22	6-4/215	Providence (AHL)	`16(29th)
CBJ	178	Dmitri Voronkov	LW	20	6-4/190	Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)	`19(114th)
Ott	179	Lassi Thomson	D	19	6-0/190	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`19(19th)
Car	180	Morgan Geekie	C	22	6-2/180	Charlotte (AHL)	`17(67th)
CBJ	181	Trey Fix-Wolansky	RW	21	5-8/185	Cleveland (AHL)	`18(204th)
Ott	182	Vitaly Abramov	RW	22	5-9/175	Belleville (AHL)	T(CBJ-2/19)
TB	183	Alexander Volkov	LW	23	6-1/190	Syracuse (AHL)	`17(48th)
Tor	184	Mikko Kokkonen	D	19	5-11/200	Jukurit (Fin)	`19(84th)
Ott	185	Kevin Mandolese	G	20	6-4/180	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	`18(157th)
CBJ	186	Daniil Tarasov	G	21	6-5/185	Assat Pori (Fin)	`17(86th)
LA	187	Carl Grundstrom	LW	22	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	T(Tor-1/19)
LA	188	Kale Clague	D	22	6-0/180	Ontario (AHL)	`16(51st)
Ott	189	Artyom Zub	D	24	6-2/200	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	FA(5/20)
Edm	190	Tyler Benson	LW	22	6-0/200	Bakersfield (AHL)	`16(32nd)
Det	191	Jonatan Berggren	RW	20	5-10/185	Skelleftea AIK (Swe)	`18(33rd)
Tor	192	Yegor Korshkov	RW	24	6-4/215	Toronto (AHL)	`16(31st)
Dal	193	Riley Damiani	C	20	5-9/165	Kitchener (OHL)	`18(137th)
VGK	194	Zach Whitecloud	D	23	6-2/210	Chicago (AHL)	FA(3/18)
Buf	195	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	G	21	6-4/195	Cincinnati (ECHL)	`17(54th)
Car	196	David Cotton	LW	23	6-3/205	Boston College (HE)	`15(169th)
Chi	197	Wyatt Kalynuk	D	23	6-1/180	Wisconsin (B1G)	FA(7/20)
Min	198	Hunter Jones	G	19	6-4/195	Peterborough (OHL)	`19(59th)
LA	199	Jordan Spence	D	19	5-10/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`19(95th)
Cgy	200	Dmitri Zavgorodny	LW	20	5-9/175	Rimouski (QMJHL)	`18(198th)
Col	201	Alex Beaucage	RW	19	6-1/195	Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)	`19(78th)
TB	202	Dmitri Semykin	D	20	6-3/200	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	`18(90th)
CBJ	203	Matiss Kivlenieks	G	24	6-2/190	Cleveland (AHL)	FA(5/17)
StL	204	Ville Husso	G	25	6-3/205	San Antonio (AHL)	`14(94th)
Phi	205	Bobby Brink	RW	19	5-10/165	Denver (NCHC)	`19(34th)
NYI	206	Otto Koivula	C	22	6-4/220	Bridgeport (AHL)	`16(120th)
Car	207	Eetu Makiniemi	G	21	6-2/180	KOOVEE (Fin 2)	`17(104th)
NYI	208	Anatoli Golyshev	RW	25	5-8/180	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL)	`16(95th)
Chi	209	Evan Barratt	C	21	6-0/190	Penn State (B1G)	`17(90th)
Buf	210	Erik Portillo	G	20	6-6/210	Dubuque (USHL)	`19(67th)
Fla	211	Cole Schwindt	RW	19	6-2/185	Mississauga (OHL)	`19(81st)
Chi	212	Michal Teply	LW	19	6-3/185	Winnipeg (WHL)	`19(105th)
Ott	213	Mads Sogaard	G	19	6-7/195	Medicine Hat (WHL)	`19(37th)
Buf	214	Jonas Johansson	G	24	6-4/205	Rochester (AHL)	`14(61st)
TB	215	Cal Foote	D	21	6-4/215	Syracuse (AHL)	`17(14th)
StL	216	Niko Mikkola	D	24	6-5/200	San Antonio (AHL)	`15(127th)
NYI	217	Robin Salo	D	21	6-1/190	SaiPa (Fin)	`17(46th)
Bos	218	Jakub Zboril	D	23	6-1/200	Providence (AHL)	`15(13th)
Buf	219	Will Borgen	D	23	6-2/200	Rochester (AHL)	`15(92nd)
Pit	220	Pierre-Olivier Joseph	D	21	6-2/170	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`17(23rd)
SJ	221	Sasha Chmelevski	C	21	5-11/190	San Jose (AHL)	`17(185th)
Ari	222	Kyle Capobianco	D	23	6-1/180	Tucson (AHL)	`15(63rd)
Det	223	Keith Petruzzelli	G	21	6-5/180	Quinnipiac (ECAC)	`17(88th)
Wsh	224	Garrett Pilon	RW	22	5-11/190	Hershey (AHL)	`16(87th)
NJ	225	Nikola Pasic	RW	19	5-10/185	Karlskoga (Swe 2)	`19(189th)
TB	226	Alex Barre-Boulet	C	23	5-10/165	Syracuse (AHL)	FA(3/18)
Edm	227	Ryan McLeod	C	20	6-2/205	Bakersfield (AHL)	`18(40th)
NYI	228	Samuel Bolduc	D	19	6-3/210	BLB-She (QMJHL)	`19(57th)
Ott	229	Joey Daccord	G	24	6-2/195	Belleville (AHL)	`15(199th)
StL	230	Hugh McGing	C	22	5-9/180	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`18(138th)
Edm	231	Cooper Marody	C	23	6-0/180	Bakersfield (AHL)	T(Phi-3/18)
Tor	232	Jeremy Bracco	RW	23	5-9/180	Toronto (AHL)	`15(61st)
Phi	233	German Rubtsov	C	22	6-2/190	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	`16(22nd)
Wsh	234	Brian Pinho	C	25	6-1/195	Hershey (AHL)	`13(174th)
Col	235	Logan O'Connor	RW	24	6-0/170	Colorado (AHL)	FA(7/18)
Buf	236	Casey Fitzgerald	D	23	5-11/190	Rochester (AHL)	`16(86th)
NJ	237	Daniil Misyul	D	19	6-3/180	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`19(70th)
Ari	238	John Farinacci	C	19	5-11/185	Harvard (ECAC)	`19(76th)
Edm	239	Aapeli Rasanen	C	22	6-0/195	Boston College (HE)	`16(153rd)
Pit	240	Anthony Angello	RW	24	6-5/205	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`14(145th)
Mtl	241	Cam Hillis	C	20	5-10/170	Guelph (OHL)	`18(66th)
Cgy	242	Mathias Emilio Pettersen	RW	20	5-9/170	Denver (NCHC)	`18(167th)
SJ	243	Alexander True	C	23	6-5/205	San Jose (AHL)	FA(7/18)
NYI	244	Reece Newkirk	C	19	5-11/175	Portland (WHL)	`19(147th)
Dal	245	Dawson Barteaux	D	20	6-0/180	RD-Wpg (WHL)	`18(168th)
Bos	246	Jack Ahcan	D	23	5-8/185	St. Cloud State (NCHC)	FA(3/20)
Det	247	Seth Barton	D	21	6-2/175	Mass-Lowell (HE)	`18(81st)
Fla	248	Max Gildon	D	21	6-3/190	New Hampshire (HE)	`17(66th)
Ari	249	Aku Raty	RW	19	6-0/175	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	`19(151st)
Wpg	250	David Gustafsson	C	20	6-1/195	Winnipeg (NHL)	`18(60th)

NHL TRADE DEADLINE: 22 Traded Prospects Ranked – Addison the Biggest Prize in 2020

Ryan Wagman — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 19:37:32 +0000

After bringing you brief introductions to virtually all of the prospects traded in this deadline season, we will now provide a definitive ranking of all prospects traded since January 1st, 2020. As a reminder of our criteria for defining a player as a prospect, he must have been 25 years old or younger as of September 15, 2019 (first day of the season) and have played less than 60 games over the course of his career (30 for goalies), and less than 35 games in a single season (20 for goalies).
22. Angus Redmond, G (Feb. 24 – Traded from Anaheim, along with a conditional 2022 7th round pick, to Edmonton in exchange for Joel Persson) – Honestly not much to say here. An ECHL goalie traded as a contract swap to allow Joel Persson to get a chance in the NHL as it wasn’t going to happen in Edmonton.

21. Andrew Sturtz, RW (Jan. 2-traded along with a 2021 5th round pick from Ottawa to Montreal in exchange for Mike Reilly)– Signed a two-year ELC after three years at Penn State. With the deal about to expire, Sturtz has been limited by injuries to only 41 games played and 14 points combined over two seasons between the AHL and the ECHL. OFP – 45

20. Nathan Noel, C (Feb. 24 – Traded from Chicago to Philadelphia in exchange for T.J. Brennan) – In his third year as a pro, the former fourth round pick has struggled to show that he can keep up at the AHL level and has spent all of this season in the ECHL. This trade smacks of being a favor to Brennan, an AHL veteran, who might get NHL time in Chicago, but not in Philly. Noel is unlikely to get an NHL contract after this season. OFP – 47

19. Aaron Luchuk, C (Feb. 19 – Traded from Toronto to Ottawa along with a conditional 6th round pick in 2021 for Max Veronneau; Feb. 24 – Traded from Ottawa along with a 2020 7th round pick to Montreal in exchange for Matthew Peca) – Since signing with Ottawa as an undrafted free agent out of the OHL two years ago, Luchuk has played 78 games in the ECHL and 31 in the AHL. He can score at the lower level but hasn’t yet shown he can contribute in the AHL, much less that he still has NHL upside. OFP – 48

18. David Quenneville, D (Feb. 16 – Traded along with a 2021 2nd round pick from the New York Islanders to New Jersey in exchange for Andy Greene) - After spending the entirety of his first professional season in the ECHL, Quenneville has split his sophomore campaign between the ECHL and the AHL. Short but a little stocky, he needs to produce big offensive numbers to get an NHL chance. OFP – 49

17. John Nyberg, D (Jan. 17 – Traded from Dallas to Pittsburgh in exchange for C Oula Palve) – Struggled in first North American season last year, but play has ticked up slightly this year. Rangy defender may have greater opportunity to reach the Show with the Penguins – 49

16. Jake Lucchini, LW (Feb. 20 – Traded from Pittsburgh along with Joseph Blandisi to Montreal in exchange for Riley Barber and Phil Varone) – Part of the 2019 crop of NCAA undrafted free agents, Lucchini has played a decent depth role in the AHL. He fits in among the other three players moved in this deal – all represent AHL talent with up-and-down NHL upside. OFP -49.75

15. Ryan Kuffner, LW (Feb. 24 – Traded from Detroit, along with Andreas Athanasiou to Edmonton, in exchange for Sam Gagner, and 2nd round picks in both 2020 and 2021) – A solid all-around forward at the collegiate level, Kuffner has been in a depth AHL role since signing with the Red Wings. He may get more of a chance to show what he can do in Bakersfield, which is less prospect heavy than Grand Rapids. OFP – 50

14. Slava Demin, D (Feb. 24 – Traded from Vegas, along with Malcolm Subban and a 2020 2nd round pick, to Chicago in exchange for Robin Lehner and Martins Dzierkals, with Toronto having sent the rights to Dzierkals in the trade and assuming a portion of Lehner’s remaining salary in exchange for a 2020 5th round pick) – Demin was a top performer as a junior in the BCHL but has played mostly third pairing minutes over two seasons at Denver, with very little special teams to show for it. He does enough well to expect better results when given the opportunity, which should arrive next year after Ian Mitchell leaves college for the pro ranks. OFP - 50

13. Max Veronneau, RW (Feb. 19 – Traded from Ottawa to Toronto in exchange for Aaron Luchuk and a conditional 2021 6th round pick) – Veronneau went straight from Princeton to the NHL late last season, even scoring twice for his hometown Senators. His first full season has been more of a slog in the AHL. Already 24, his window will only be open for a short while. OFP – 50.5

12. Danick Martel, LW (Feb. 20 – Traded from Tampa Bay in exchange for Anthony Greco) – Pint sized winger is a good offensive player at the AHL level, but injuries ruined what seemed like a good chance to make it with Tampa Bay last year. Talented, but would have more luck trying to build a career in Europe. OFP – 50.5

11. Mason Marchment, LW (Feb. 19 - Traded from Toronto to Florida for Denis Malgin) – A late blooming power forward who went from undrafted, to ECHL to AHL to NHL, Marchment is a feisty banger who has been developing his offensive game of late and could work his way into a lengthy career on a bottom line adding energy and snarl. OFP – 51.5

10. Martins Dzierkals, LW (Feb. 24 – Traded from Toronto to Vegas for a 2020 5th round pick and a portion of Robin Lehner’s salary, who Vegas had acquired in a separate trade with the Chicago Blackhawks) – Drafted out of the Latvian league in 2015, Dzierkals has since spent two seasons in the QMJHL, one in the ECHL, one in the KHL, and is currently playing in the Liiga with Jukurit. He is a fun player to watch but was clearly not in the Leafs’ future plans. Vegas, with less in the pipeline, might be able to entice him to come over to play in the AHL, but this trade was essentially about Toronto clearing a player from their reserve list and buying an extra fifth round pick for the $1.1 million (pro-rated) they have assumed from Lehner’s remaining cap hit. OFP – 52

9. Axel Andersson, D (Feb. 21 – Traded from Boston, along with a 2020 1st rounder and David Backes to Anaheim in exchange for Ondrej Kase) – If Ondrej Kase was worth a first rounder, then Andersson is the fee paid by the Bruins to sell the poison pill of the David Backes contract. Andersson is a two-way defender with a right handed shot who has #4/5 defender upside, but the fact that he was left off the Sweden WJC roster is eyebrow raising. OFP – 52.5

8. Julien Gauthier, RW (Feb. 18 – Traded from Carolina to the New York Rangers for Joey Keane) – Through three full seasons in the AHL, former first round pick Gauthier has only been given five games to show what he can do in the NHL. His AHL production has been pretty consistent, showing that he can score from the slot with regularity, but his other contributions can be limited. OFP – 53.5

7. Joey Keane, D (Feb. 18 – Traded from New York Rangers to Carolina for Julien Gauthier) – He was passed over in his first year of draft eligibility, but everything has been pointing upwards for Keane since then, and he made the AHL All Star Game as a rookie professional. Smooth pucker mover projects as a potential second pairing defender at his peak. OFP – 54

6. Chase Priskie, D (Feb. 24 – Traded from Carolina, along with Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark, and Eetu Luostarinen to Florida in exchange for Vincent Trocheck) -Some collegiate free agent signings struggle to adapt to the pro game, but Priskie has had no such difficulty. The power play quarterback skates well and has a nice shot and he was the number two-point producer from the Charlotte blueline at the time of the trade. A nice side benefit of this deal is that Priskie, one of the NHL’s small but growing contingent of Floridians, is going home. OFP – 54.5

5. Eetu Luostarinen, C (Feb. 24 – Traded from Carolina, along with Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark, and Chase Priskie to Florida in exchange for Vincent Trocheck) – Tall and rangy, Luostarinen was having a solid first season in North America before the trade. A finesse player with an abundance of skill and a promising off puck game, he should be close to the NHL. OFP – 54.5

4. Tyler Madden, C (Feb. 17 – Traded along with Tim Schaller, a 2020 2nd rounder and a conditional pick in 2022 from Vancouver to Los Angeles for Tyler Toffoli) – Drafted as a player very reminiscent of his father, Selke winner John Madden, Tyler has taken his game to new offensive heights over two years in Northeastern. Shut down defensive penalty killing center is still a floor, but now second line is a reasonable upside. OFP – 55

3. Nolan Foote, LW (Feb. 16 – Traded along with a 1st round pick in either 2020 or 2021 from Tampa Bay to New Jersey in exchange for Blake Coleman) – Less than a year after being selected in the first round, Foote is on the move. A big power forward with an NHL shot played a key role on Canada’s Gold Medal winning WJC team, but has scarcely played since, due to injury. Upside may be no higher than third line, but he is a pretty clear NHLer. OFP – 55

2. Janne Kuokkanen, LW/C (Feb. 24 – Traded from Carolina, along with Fredrik Claesson and a conditional 2020 4th round pick to New Jersey in exchange for Sami Vatanen) – A strong AHL performer who has only received 11 games in the NHL over his three years as a pro, he has all of the tools needed to play a middle six role in the NHL and could emerge as a key versatile middle six option on a young Devils’ team. OFP – 55.25

1. Calen Addison, D (Feb. 10 – Traded along with Alex Galchenyuk and a 2020 1st rounder from Pittsburgh to Minnesota for Jason Zucker) – Coming off a big WJC tournament for Gold Medal winning Canada, Addison is a power play quarterback who should make up with his offense what he gives back on D. Will turn pro next season. One of the best offensive defensemen in the CHL. OFP – 57

NHL TRADE DEADLINE: Prospects on the Move – Profiles and Analysis

McKeens Hockey — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 14:57:24 +0000

The McKeen's team of prospect analysts will be profiling all prospects traded prior to the NHL Trading deadline on February 24th, 2020 Check back for more recent updates.

February 24, 2020

3:00 PM

Vegas Acquired: Robin Lehner and Martins Dzierkals

Chicago Acquired: 2^nd-round pick, Malcolm Subban and Slava Denim

Toronto Acquired: 5^th round pick

Prospects

Stanislav Demin

2019-20 Stats: University of Denver (NCAA) 30GP-2G-7A-9PTS

Once in a while, a marginal prospect is included in a multi-part trade simply as the team trading him away would have too many contracts or reserved players without the move. Think of two deadlines ago, when Vegas, Ottawa, and Pittsburgh hooked up on a three-way deal. The Penguins wanted center Derick Brassard. The Golden Knights wanted Ryan Reaves. The Senators wanted Ian Cole. A first-round pick was involved. A prospect of note (Filip Gustavsson, to Ottawa). A couple of thirds and a fourth as well. Also, forwards Tobias Lindberg and Vincent Dunn ended up in the Pittsburgh system. While Lindberg has long had some fans and received a one-year extension to remain in the Pittsburgh system before going to play in the Swedish second division this year. Dunn was on the last year of his ELC and was floundering in the ECHL. He was included in the big deal as the Senators needed to rid themselves of a contract.

Demin has more value than Dunn. But not necessarily more value than Lindberg. Currently in his sophomore season at Denver, the puck moving potential he flashed prior to being drafted with Wenatchee of the BCHL have yet to catch up at the NCAA level. He does a lot of things at a reasonable level. He is a decent skater and recovers nicely after a turnover in the offensive end, he makes a crisp exit pass when he takes his time to find a passing option and has some wiggle when he carries the puck. His point shot is fairly mediocre and one of the reasons he has seen precious little time on the man advantage this year. The other reason is the presence of Ian Mitchell, who he now joins in the Chicago system, and who is treated like a workhorse. Demin is left with mostly third pairing opportunities and has not yet done much to suggest that he deserves more.

That said, he will likely be looked at to deliver more next season when Mitchell finally turns pro. Until then, we will be left to wonder whether Demin or second string netminder Malcolm Subban was the second piece returning to the Blackhawks in the Robin Lehner deal, after the second-round pick. – Editor in Chief, Ryan Wagman

Martins Dziekals

2019 -20 Stats: Jukurit (Liiga) 31GP-3G-7A-10PTS

The newly acquired Vegas Golden Knights prospect Martins Dzierkals has had some ups and downs in his first season with Jukurit in the Finnish Liiga. The Latvian winger missed almost two months due to injury, but he has had some good performances since returning to game action. The attribute that stands out most about Dzierkals is his skating. He is very quick and light on his skates. He can be a handful for defenders because of his speed. He can be slick with the puck and he has the hands to effectively carry the puck up the ice.

With only 10 points in 31 games, the main issue thus far has been his lack of production. Granted, Jukurit is a low-scoring team without too much offensive firepower, but Dzierkals will need to find ways to be more efficient in the offensive zone. He has been too much of a perimeter player this season. He must attack the net and go to high-traffic areas more consistently. However, I'm not ready to write him off as an NHL prospect. He has the abilities needed to be a very good Liiga forward, it's just a matter of putting all the pieces of his game together. I am curious to see if he'll stay in Finland for another season to improve his overall game. – Marco Bombino, Senior Finnish Prospect Analyst

2:54 PM

Carolina Acquired: Sami Vatanen

New Jersey Acquired: Janne Kuokkanen, Frederik Claesson and a conditional 4^th round pick (2020 conditional

Prospect – Janne Kuokkanen

2019-20 Stats: Charlotte (AHL) 52GP-12G-30A-42PTS

As part of a fiery set of trade deadline deals, the Carolina Hurricanes sent 2016 second-rounder Janne Koukkanen, one of their more productive forward prospects, over to New Jersey in the Sami Vatanen trade. The 21-year-old winger has been dynamite with AHL Charlotte this season, with 10 goals, 32 assists, and 92 shots in 54 games. The Finn’s hands will amaze you at first watch, with his skating and shooting also grading out as above average. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, Koukkanen was merely the victim of a numbers game in Raleigh, and will instead mightily help AHL Binghamton or New Jersey right away. – Tom Dorsa, AHL Prospect Analyst

From McKeen’s Hockey Pool Yearbook – “Gifted with fantastic hands, the playmaker has the full complement of tools available to him. His skating and shot are both above average tools, while his keen hockey brain helps it all coalesce. The former second round pick even has an NHL frame, even if he does not play a very physical game. He is a hard worker who gives his all in all three zones.”

2:45 PM

Dallas Acquired: 6^th round pick

Florida Acquired: Emil Djuse

2019-20 Stats: Texas, (AHL) 48GP-4G-25A-29PTS

In spite of enjoying a highly productive season with AHL Texas, his first campaign in North America, Djuse's chances to crack the lineup of the NHL Stars were limited due to his age. At 26, he was one of the oldest rookies in the sport, and his one-year contract and pending UFA situation made him a movable asset. The highly mobile, puck-moving left-hander was the third-highest point scorer on the Texas Stars and their leader in assists, however, his defensive instincts are still quite raw and not fully adjusted to the higher competition level of North American pro hockey. The Dallas Stars dealing their most productive AHL defenseman for a draft pick and doing nothing else only handicaps their AHL team for now, but it is clear now that Djuse's hectic, fast-paced playing style was incompatible with Dallas' slower, more defensively structured system under Rick Bowness. – Tom Dorsa, AHL Prospect Analyst

11:36 AM

Colorado Acquired: Michael Hutchinson

Toronto Acquired: Calle Rosen

2019-20 Stats: Colorado (NHL) 35GP-3G-12A-15PTS, Colorado (AHL) 35GP-3G-12A-15PTS

The Toronto Maple Leafs have stayed mostly quiet on the trade market during a hectic season in The Six, but this morning acquired a solid depth defenseman in Calle Rosen from the Colorado Avalanche organization, sending to Denver goaltender Michael Hutchinson in exchange. Or, should we say "re-acquired," as Rosen spent the first two years of his North American pro career with the Leafs organization. This is a deal that is frankly hard to hate in Toronto; Hutchinson flamed out quick and has been replaced by Jack Campbell, whereas Rosen's maturity, discipline, and high level of physical play provide a steady presence in whatever role the club decides to throw him into, be it elite AHL defenseman with the Marlies (which he has been in the past), or a veteran extra defenseman on a Leafs team that has played some shaky defensive hockey of late. – Tom Dorsa, AHL Analyst

10:17 AM

Carolina Acquired: Vincent Trocheck

Florida Acquired: Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark, Chase Priskie and Eetu Luostarinen

Prospects

Chase Priskie

2019-20 Stats: Charlotte (AHL) 52Gp-6G-25A-31PTS

A smart, offensive defenseman with NCAA talent, Chase Priskie was one of the more desired minor league players available as trade bait. After being included in a deal for Florida’s Vincent Trocheck, Priskie will be calling Springfield his new home for the time being. Sitting second in points for defensemen on the Charlotte Checkers, Priskie is a high end passer and a smart shooter capable of finding holes and quarterbacking a power play. Often times, the defensemen coming from the NCAA possess a high hockey IQ and an offensive mindset and Priskie fits right into that mold. A late trade after acquiring young defensive prospect Joey Keane meant that a last minute trade for right handed centre Vincent Trocheck was a no brainer by including Priskie in the deal; a defenseman for a defenseman in that sense. Priskie is an asset to any blueline, and with the new model of offensive defensemen being a high priority, Priskie’s point production with Charlotte only adds to his value.

With 31 points throughout the first half of the season with Charlotte in the AHL, as of the trade Priskie would currently sit in first spot for defencemen with the Springfield Thunderbirds. With talent like Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle on Florida, the defensive blueline in Springfield simply does not match their big sister club. Adding Priskie to the mix will add the offensive strength and puck movement they need for their special team play. Here’s hoping that adding a player like Priskie adds the production needed to crack a playoff spot in the AHL’s Atlantic division. - Shaiyena Cote, AHL Prospect Analyst

Eetu Luostarinen

2019-20 Stats: Carolina (NHL) 8GP-0G-1A-1PTS, Charlotte (AHL) 44GP-8G-17A-25PTS

Eetu Luostarinen has had success across various leagues and tournaments in his career, ranging from a World Championship win last year with Finland and success in the Liiga as a former top U20 prospect. Luostarinen came to North America for the first time in his career last season with a quick call up to the Carolina Hurricanes since being drafted by them in the second round in 2017. Known for drafting a range of Finnish talent, the Carolina Hurricanes enjoy players who have the skating ability and hands that players coming from the Liiga typically possess and Luostarinen is no exception to that rule. However, Luostarinen has been simply average in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers and with time on the power play and rotating constantly between first and second line, there have been no shortage of chances for Luostarinen to shine.

A trade to a new franchise where Luostarinen will get the chance to feel things out as a new player may be the right type of change for a player who was being smothered with a bottleneck of offensive talent in the Carolina system. The Canes have a high competition dynamic and with so many skilled draft picks, time is limited for these prospects to make an impression. With a young squad making up for some of the top players on the Canes, Carolina does not make it easy to crack the NHL. A good trade for Luostarinen, the Florida Panthers may be just what he needs to develop his own game and develop the motivation to stand out and take the risks necessary to crack the Florida Panthers. – Shaiyena Cote, AHL Prospect Analyst

February 21, 2020

Anaheim Acquired: 1st-round pick, David Backes, and Axel Andersson

Boston Acquired: Ondrej Kase

Prospect: Axel Andersson

2019-20 Stats: Moncton (QMJHL) 41GP-2G-20A-22PTS

Andersson has missed the last seven games with an undisclosed injury that was originally declared as day-to-day but is close to returning. The Bruins have depth on defence in their system, dealing from a position of strength to move the David Backes contract and get another scoring forward option in Ondrej Kase.

Andersson, like many European veterans who jump stateside after being drafted, has experience in his native league's professional ranks, and it shows in his play. Andersson spent a majority of last season with Södertälje SK in the Swedish second-division, on loan from his junior team. The poise and patience that players who've played professionally exhibit when they return to a junior league is exceptional, and Andersson has that poise with and without the puck.

The six-foot Swede, a Boston second rounder from 2018, is a calm defender who doesn't rush the play, and can handle the puck well. He uses his legs to their utmost potential, and is an excellent skater, with very good top speed and excellent agility in terms of handling the fast opposition. He has a great first pass and runs the point well, but his point totals do not reflect that. Andersson is a smarter offensive player than his stat line shows, and he has two-way potential.

However, the defensive side of the puck is where he excels, and he has been a great back bone, if underused, on the Wildcats defence this season. He has excellent stick work in the defensive zone to block passes and avenues for oncoming rushers and can play physical if needed. He is a very intelligent player and rarely overextends himself in terms of his talents. He doesn't pose a threat to take unnecessary penalties and steers clear of the extra curricular activities unless it is in the act of defending a teammate. He projects as a solid and reliable, if unspectacular, top-four defender in the pro ranks - By Mike Sanderson

February 19th, 2020

Toronto Acquired: Denis Malgin

Florida Acquired: Mason Marchment

Prospect: Mason Marchment

Profile to come

February 18th, 2020

Carolina Acquired: Joey Keane (Prospect)

2019-20 Stats: Hartford (AHL) - 49GP-8G-22A-30PTS

Joey Keane has gotten off to quite the impressive start through his first five months of professional hockey experience. A 2018 third rounder, Keane already has an AHL All Star appearance under his belt along with 30 points for the New York Rangers affiliate Hartford Wolfpack. While he has made an easy transition, considering the abundance of young defensive talent in the Rangers organization, it comes as no surprise that the Blue Shirts have traded for a forward (Julien Gauthier) as they currently have one of the younger blue lines in the NHL and lessening room for defensive prospects on the rise.

Keane is a superb playmaker and has the skill to be a second pairing defender in the NHL. For a rookie, he jumps in with the courage and calmness needed to play at a more mature level and with the Carolina Hurricanes he will get more of a chance to do just that.

Carolina currently generates the most opportunities from their forwards and the same goes for the Charlotte Checkers, their AHL affiliate. Keane has much to offer in consistency and his ability to convert plays due to his strong puck skills will be an asset to a team like the Checkers. Aside for one really strong defensive prospect in Jake Bean, the Checkers have few defensemen capable of both shooting and carrying the puck deep and Keane can do just that. He is a player who has proven his ability to adapt thus far in the AHL and will hopefully continue to prove his abilities in his new home. - Shaiyena Cote AHL Prospect Analyst

New York Rangers Acquired: Julien Gauthier (Prospect)

2019-20 Stats: Charlotte (AHL) 44GP-26G-11A-37PTS

A 2016 first round pick, Julien Gauthier has been given time in the Carolina organization with the Charlotte Checkers as well as a few games up with the Hurricanes since turning pro. However, with such a strong talent pool among their forwards, it is understandable to see why the Hurricanes looked for a defensemen instead. Before being traded to the Rangers, Gauthier sat third in points with the Checkers, yet after three professional seasons he only spent 5 games up with Carolina. In this situation, it is clear that he was not given the appropriate time in the NHL and had reached a wall in his development. A move was the right idea for an under-pushed forward who has the skill and size to be tested more in the NHL.

As for now it looks as though Gauthier will be making Madison Square Garden his home right away. Both the Rangers and the Hurricanes have different ways of developing prospects and different timelines for what is expected, and with the Rangers Gauthier will be tested early on. Should things not work out, the Hartford Wolfpack currently sit second in the Atlantic Division and acquiring a player as dominant with the puck as the big winger will only add to their talented lineup. Although Gauthier developed his professional game well in Charlotte, he could have been pushed harder in order to better fast track his NHL development. Being traded to a fast paced, youth driven team like the Rangers should help do the trick for a player whose full potential has not yet been reached. - Shaiyena Cote - AHL Prospect Analyst

February 17^th, 2020

Vancouver Acquired: Tyler Toffoli

Los Angeles Acquired: Tim Schaller, Tyler Madden, 2^nd-round pick (2020), Conditional 4^th-round pick (2022)

Prospect: Tyler Madden

2019-20 Stats: Northeastern University (NCAA) – 27GP-19G-18A-37PTS

In many respects, Tyler Madden, the centerpiece prospect returning to Los Angeles in the Tyler Toffoli trade, is the same player he was when the Canucks selected him early in the third round of the 2018 draft. The son of long-time New Jersey Devil John Madden, Tyler is a chip off the old block. He is small and very lean but reads the game like a Nobel Laureate and can be an absolute pain to play against.

He was more of a defensive forward in his USHL days, with only moderate production with Central Illinois and Tri-City. Once he reached the college ranks with Northeastern, he began to play with more skilled players and the skills he had underlying his game came to the fore with greater regularity. Despite his fantastic numbers as a sophomore this year, the Kings should not expect more than good middle six production at the highest level. He has good hands and puck skills and demonstrates goal scoring instincts, but the minutes he gets for NE (often more than 25 per game) will not be there as a pro and the skills don't portend to first power play duties either, where he has picked up 16 of his 37 points thus far. – Ryan Wagman, Editor in Chief McKeen’s, Senior USA Prospect Analyst

February 16^th, 2020

Tampa Bay Acquired: Blake Coleman

New Jersey Acquired: Nolan Foote, 1^st-round pick (2020)

Prospect: Nolan Foote

2019-20 Stats: Kelowna Rockets (WHL) – 27GP-15G-18A-33PTS

He is one of the most intriguing pieces to be moved at the NHL trade deadline to date. He is a power forward with an impressive frame. He uses it well on the fore check, separating defenders from the puck, forcing rushed decisions and creating turnover opportunities for his line. He uses his size to protect the puck and establish the cycle game, creating positive shifts in the offensive zone even if they don’t score. Foote is a player that can help tilt the ice in his teams favor with a strong possession shift. He plays in traffic well and is always looking to drive the net.

He has a lethal shot, one of the best in his draft year, where he can beat top-end goalies from distance. The release is impressive as is the velocity. There has been growth in two key areas since his draft year, the first is his skating where he didn’t have a great initial burst, nor a high-end top speed. Both of those have improved from weaknesses to serviceable at the next level. The second layer that has developed is his ability to read the play. He still has a shoot first mentality; however, he now recognizes when his shot is taken away and how to move the puck as the defense rotates over to cover his attempt. At the World Juniors he solidified himself in the top six providing some grit and physical play that helped Canada win Gold. - Vince Gibbons, Senior WHL Prospect Analyst

February 16^th, 2020

New York Islanders Acquired: Andy Greene

New Jersey Devils Acquired: David Quenneville, 2021 2^nd-round pick

Prospect: David Quenneville

2019 Stats: Bridgeport (AHL) – 18GP-1G-5A-6PTS

After finding success in major junior with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, David Quenneville has struggled to make any real impact in the professional ranks. Coming up on four years since being drafted to the New York Islanders, the time is now to see if he can pick up his play enough to make it in any sort of permanent role after being traded to the New Jersey Devils. As of now, Quenneville has played more games in the ECHL than with Bridgeport in the AHL. With his shot and offensive ability as a defenseman, it is not as though he is lacking the skill to skate at a higher level but perhaps the motivation and jump in his step that would have him competing harder to keep a spot in an AHL lineup.

To say that size is a concern is merited due to the paucity of defenceman 5-10” and under in either the AHL or NHL (Quenneville is listed at 5-8”) but it is not entirely implausible for Quenneville to make it, either. He reads and adapts to plays well but he will have to be much quicker in the AHL when he makes his debut with the Binghamton Devils. Binghamton may be looking for a change seeing as they currently sit sixth in the North Division. For now, all he can do is work on keeping plays simple; from zone entries to breakouts and limiting how deep he gets on offensive plays to lessen the number of turnovers. Good things await, and for a skilled playmaker like Quenneville sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery. – Shaiyena Cote, AHL Prospect Analyst

February 10^th, 2020

Pittsburgh Acquired: Jason Zucker

Minnesota Acquired: Alex Galchenyuk, Calen Addison, 1^st-round pick (2020)

Prospect: Calen Addison

2019-20 Stats: Lethbridge (WHL) – 42GP-10G-36A-46PTS

I haven’t always trusted Addison to be a driver of play from the back end but call me a convert over the last ten months. His performance at the World Junior’s coupled with another strong season with a substantially weaker Lethbridge team have shown that he can drive play offensively. His two most stand out traits are his skating ability, which is excellent in any direction, and his playmaking ability. Addison is a great defender for exiting his own zone as he comes around the net with purpose, forcing opponents to make quick decisions and either skates past them or moves the puck through the neutral zone and beyond them. He keeps his pace after moving the puck which means he is often the 3^rd man entering the zone.

He is able to walk the offensive blueline with poise and confidence, with excellent distribution from the wall or the middle of the ice. He is even more dangerous with the extra ice on a powerplay because he is willing to carry the puck down below the dots. His actual passing skill is just as impressive as his ability to read the offensive zone, he has a deft touch on both his forehand and backhand that enables him to distribute to both sides of the ice. He can see the lanes opening as the defense rotates to cover him and makes crisp, on the tape, passes. He sets up a teammates one-timer as well as anyone; getting the puck into a spot so they can make good contact.

Defensively he is still a bit overmatched physically but in his own zone it is less of a fire drill than even just one season ago. His quick stick enables him to loosen pucks from the wall and make quick outlets, and he is making smarter decisions in his own zone when there isn’t a play. At the World Juniors this past year he outperformed everyone else on Canada’s back end offensively and looked to be the most dynamic defender with the puck on his stick. – Vince Gibbons, Senior WHL Prospect Analyst

Carolina Hurricanes 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 10:43:12 +0000

In 2010, the Hershey Bears, long the Washington Capitals’ AHL farm club, won the Calder Cup for the second year in a row and the third time in five seasons. The NHL Capitals had won the President’s Trophy, but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. The following season, the Capitals, whose NHL roster was fortified by AHL champs including John Carlson, Karl Alzner, Mathieu Perreault, Michal Neuvirth, and Braden Holtby, finished the season with 14 fewer points, but at least made the second round.

In 2011, the Calder Cup was won by the Binghamton Senators. The NHL Sens were not a playoff team. The following year, they increased their tally by 18 points and made the playoffs. Erik Condra, Colin Greening, Bobby Butler, Kaspars Daugavins, and others made the leap.

The 2012 AHL champ was the Norfolk Admirals, then the Tampa affiliate. The following year, the Lightning promoted Norfolk head coach Jon Cooper to the NHL. The Lightning did not make the playoffs either in the Calder Cup year, or the following year, but have been among the top handful of teams in the league ever since. Among the Admirals who have been regular NHL contributors in the ensuing years include Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Alex Killorn.

We could go on looking at the remainder of the Calder Cup champs of the past seven season. While not every NHL team saw their fortunes improve by picking up the tail winds of an AHL championship affiliate, the impact is generally positive. The Red Wings are a notable exception. Their affiliate in Grand Rapids has taken home two titles in the last decade (2013 and 2017), even as the Red Wings have gone from a perennial powerhouse organization to an NHL afterthought as their NHL core aged out of the league.

The Dallas Stars were a playoff team when their AHL affiliate won the Calder Cup, but the NHL team missed the postseason in the following year. The LA Kings saw their affiliate win the AHL title the year following a Stanley Cup championship. The NHL Kings missed the playoffs when they were trying to defend their title. But they returned the playoffs in the year after the Calder Cup. The Columbus Blue Jackets were another success story. Their AHL team, the Lake Erie Monsters, won the Calder Cup in 2016 as the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons. But the Jackets made the postseason in 2017 and in the two seasons since. Finally, the Toronto Maple Leafs had basically the same results the year after their AHL club won the title as they had during the Calder Cup run.

The baton has now been passed to the Carolina Hurricanes, after their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, won last year’s Calder Cup. The Checkers played with a young lineup, full of potential future NHLers, including a few who feature prominently below and, hopefully, in the Hurricanes’ future. Maybe starting goalie Alex Nedeljkovic wins the backup job this year. Maybe 2017 first rounder Martin Necas, or 2016 first rounder Jake Bean can make the leap. Or it could be the less heralded Morgan Geekie, who uses a point per game postseason run to springboard his career. Whether the Hurricanes can cement themselves as postseason contenders now, after years of futility, remains to be seen, but the future of this franchise will bear the stamp of the 2018-19 Calder Cup titlists.

-Ryan Wagman

Carolina Hurricanes Martin Necas (88) (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire)

1 Martin Necas, C (12^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 2) No need to hide the lede here. Necas was fantastic in his age 19/20 season in the AHL- his first full season in North America – and is ready for an NHL job. He is a fantastic skater with high end agility who is able to skate into traffic and avoid taking on big hits. A quick dynamic playmaker, he has scintillating puck skill which he combines with the aforementioned feet to help him create room for himself in the offensive zone. He is not an aggressive player, but he uses his mature frame well to help walk out of the corners with the puck on his stick. For all of his offensive ability, Necas also works hard off the puck and can play in a two-way role if he doesn’t reach his first line upside. Charlotte would not have won the Calder Cup without him, and the Hurricanes will soon be leaning on him to succeed as well. - RW

2 Ryan Suzuki, C (28^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) The brother of OHL champion and Montreal Canadiens prospect, Nick Suzuki, Ryan is a playmaker cut from a similar cloth. His puck skill, creativity, and vision with the puck are all well above average. He also skates better than his older brother. That said, his game lacks consistency due to a current inability to be effective through the middle of the ice and in traffic, both largely functions of his still immature frame. He can be kept to the perimeter and relies too much on his passing ability. As he learns to be more assertive, gains strength, and improves his confidence in his shot, Suzuki could develop into a terrific top six center prospect. While patience may be required here, the wait may be worth it for Carolina. - BO

3 Janne Kuokkanen, LW (43^rd overall, 2016. Last Year: 4) Although Kuokkanen did not play a part in Charlotte’s Calder Cup run, as his season ended in mid-March due to an injury requiring surgery, he was one of the team’s most consistently impressive forwards during the regular season. Gifted with fantastic hands, the playmaker has the full complement of tools available to him. His skating and shot are both above average tools, while his keen hockey brain helps it all coalesce. The former second round pick even has an NHL frame, even if he does not play a very physical game. He is a hard worker who gives his all in all three zones. On an organization that is known for scouting Finland heavily, Kuokkanen has the highest upside of the bunch. Assuming a return to good health, he is ready to play a lot more than the seven NHL games he received last year, although that is dependent on more than him. He has top six upside and is very close to being there. - RW

4 Jamieson Rees, C (44^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Rees is a ball of energy on the ice with a non-stop motor. He uses his high end skating ability to put consistent pressure on puck carriers and is always buzzing around looking to force a turnover. He is also a very physical player, given his lack of size. As an offensive player, he possesses skill and finishing ability in tight. On the downside, his decision making with the puck will need to improve. His game can become a little erratic as he tries to force the tempo with the puck. Additionally, there is some concern about his durability, given his lack of size, style of play, and injury history. If he manages to stay healthy, he has the makings of a reliable middle six forward who can provide versatility to a lineup. - BO

5 Patrik Puistola, RW (73^rd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) In this year's draft, the Hurricanes selected a highly skilled winger in Puistola. He had a significant impact in Finland's second-highest league and played well in the Liiga despite limited ice-time. He has great poise with the puck, can weave in and out of traffic and he sees the ice very well. He has an accurate wrist shot, one-timer and backhander, making for a strong variety in his shot selection to help accentuate his goal-scorer's blade. When you combine his quality passing skills with strong offensive instincts, you have a player that can be a dual threat in the offensive zone. His main areas for improvement are his quickness, agility and strength. Puistola has the potential to be a consistent point producer in the NHL. - MB

6 Eetu Luostarinen, C (42^nd overall, 2017. Last Year: 7) Luostarinen was considered a surprise pick in the second round of the 2017 draft, however the 6-3” center has made significant strides and had an excellent season in the Liiga last year to help prove the Hurricanes point. He is a prototypical KalPa product in the sense that he has plenty of finesse and poise and he stickhandles well in tight spaces. His skating was fairly good in his draft year but he has since added explosiveness, quickness, and improved his endurance. Moreover, he has added power to his game, not only strength-wise but his shot is also more powerful than it used to be. Luostarinen is dependable without the puck and can play in a more defensive role if needed. Considering the upward trend in his development, it is reasonable to think that he will only continue to improve his play on both sides of the puck. - MB

7 Pyotr Kochetkov, G (36^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Even if he was snubbed for two straight drafts – and in fairness, he lacked the exposure to receive real consideration – Kochetkov had a breakout season in 2018-19, being awarded Best Goalie honors at the 2019 WJC and playing the whole year at the pro level, even getting to stop pucks in two KHL games. He is tall and athletic, with great ability in challenging forwards and being very aggressive in his lateral movements without overdoing it. He showed poise and calm – both qualities that allow him to thrive when there are many shots and traffic in front of the crease. This offseason, Kochetkov moved to SKA St. Petersburg. On the one hand, this means that he will be part of a quality system, but on the other hand, he will also have much more competition for minutes. - ASR

8 Jake Bean, D (13^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 8) Drafted as a potential high end puck moving defenseman, Bean has not seen his game take off like some other recent prospect blueliners, but he has seen his game mature steadily and his introduction to the pro game last year was pretty painless. He has a very high panic threshold, allowing him to remain calm with the puck in the face of opposing pressure. He can walk the blueline nicely, but his best work comes in his ability to exit his own zone with total control. Whether he skates the puck out or finds a passing option, he can be relied on to kickstart the transition to offense. He is a solid skater more so than a blazer, but his ability to read the opposition helps his feet play up as well. Bean has second pairing upside, with added utility on a second power play unit. - RW

9 Julien Gauthier, RW (21^st overall, 2016. Last Year: 6) An absolute unit, Gauthier has not yet lived up to his former first rounder billing, but his game did make several positive strides in his second AHL campaign. In addition to his bouncer’s size, he is a high end athlete and skates very well. His shot can be a beast when he gets into proper shooting position as well. An avid forechecker, his North-South game is advanced, but he has rather little East-West element to his play, which may limit his upside. His hands are just soft enough to give him the possibility of playing as a puck retrieval specialist on a top six line, helping to create space for more gifted linemates as he does play a modern, physical game, putting his frame to good use. He still needs to read the game at a quicker pace to reach that ceiling, but his floor is still a solid bottom six NHL winger. -RW

10 David Cotton, C (169^th overall, 2015. Last Year: Not ranked) Cotton is an impressive first line forward from Boston College. Until last year he had combined for 19 goals over two seasons, but he broke out last year with a 23 goal, 36-point season. Left wing could be his calling even though he is capable of playing the center position. He has a solid 200-foot game and in big games he was their most dominant offensive player. He could be covered for a few periods but he would eventually break through. At 6-3”, 204 pounds, he is a beast in the crease, and he can lose defenders along the wall. He is an excellent passer and he has fast hands. He could be a bottom six forward for someone in the future. Carolina hopes it will them after his senior season ends. - RC

11 Stelio Mattheos, C (73^rd overall, 2017. Last Year: 16) Mattheos is a player who has shown that he can elevate his game to the opportunity. He progressed steadily year over year in all aspects of his game, and has gradually moved his points per game from .88 to 1.32 and finally to 1.45. He is a shoot first player who produced over four shots per game last season. He plays a power forward style but moves quick enough to be very effective in open ice. He has improved his faceoff skills and is more than capable in his own zone where can separate his man from the puck and transition play forward. In the offensive zone he goes to the front of the net with or without the puck and is an excellent cycle player maintaining possession along the wall. He has strong potential as a middle six forward however he is going through a round of cancer treatment and is obviously focused on bigger things than hockey right now. - VG

12 Jack Drury, C (42^nd overall, 2018. Last Year: 12) Drury comes from a hockey family and he currently plays for Harvard University. In his freshman season he had nine goals and 24 points in 32 games. He had the WJC spring in his skating in the second half of the season. He played with confidence. He didn’t get any points in the tournament, but it was great experience for him, and he took home a silver medal. He was very good on draws this season. He was able to produce some offense from them as well. He is not elite in any area of the game and he has to work on his man strength, but the speed and hockey sense are there and those are only going to get better over time. At 6-0”, 185 his frame will allow him to play the center position when he turns pro. He could be a second- or third-line center in the NHL someday for the Carolina Hurricanes. - RC

13 Chase Priskie, D (177^th overall, 2016 [Washington]. Last Year: 118 [Washington]) Priskie was a top-pairing D-man for the Quinnipiac Bobcats and had had been doing it well for the last four years, really blossoming as a senior. The Washington Capitals had drafted him in the sixth-round back in 2016. In his second year as team captain, the blueliner had 17 goals and 39 points in 36 games. He also had a good run in the playoffs eventually losing in the Regionals to Minnesota Duluth, so no shame there. His college eligibility exhausted, he decided to not sign with the Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes jumped at the chance of getting him. He can handle the power play. He has good speed and a solid one-timer and wrist shot. Bringing the puck up the ice is innate. He will probably be on Charlotte’s penalty kill too. He could be a third pairing call up this season. - RC

14 Anttoni Honka, D (83^rd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Honka is a skilled skater with agility, quickness, and strong foot speed. He can stop and start on a dime and he is highly shifty on his skates. He can start the attack with crisp passes, has a soft touch on the puck and some slick moves in his repertoire. His shot isn't the hardest, but he is adept at getting shots on net from the point. He lacks much of a physical element to his game and does not engage in battles as often as he should. Also, oftentimes his decision making and defensive game leave a lot to be desired, as he can be out of position and give too much room for the opposing forward to operate with. Given his great skating and puck skills, there is no doubt that Honka has immense talent, yet he has ways to go before reaching the NHL level. - MB

15 Saku Maenelanen, LW/RW (125^th overall, 2013 [Nashville]. Last Year: 13) If this list was about upside only, Maenelanen probably gets left on the cutting room floor. Unsigned at press time, the RFA split last season pretty evenly between the NHL and the AHL, coming one NHL game short (we don’t include postseason play) of losing his prospect eligibility. The concern is that his well-rounded offensive game that enticed Nashville to draft him as a teen and Carolina to sign him as a free agent after the 2017-18 season. He is a fine skater who seems able to follow the pace of the North American game, but he rarely was able to get himself in position to show off what he can do in the offensive zone. His big frame also went underutilized. Already 25 years old, there is little room for improvement, but at the very least, he has shown he can play a role on the small ice. - RW

16 Morgan Geekie, C/RW (67^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 19) A bit of a late bloomer, Geekie took a huge step forward in his second year of draft eligibility and was full value for the early third round slot in which Carolina drafted him. After one final WHL campaign, which included a blistering postseason, he stepped into the professional game without a hitch, once again peaking during the postseason. He has plus size, moves well for a big man and has quietly effective offensive instincts which help him to outproduce his tools. He has the strength to protect the puck, and the quickness of hands to capitalize on a broken play and make something happen. If playoff Geekie can show up with more regularity in the regular season, he could quickly find himself playing top nine minutes in the NHL. He might not be far removed from his first opportunity. - RW

17 Blake Murray, C (183^rd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) It is pretty rare to see big, power centers with goal scoring prowess fall to the back half of the draft, but that happened with Murray in June. Part of the reason for his relative fall is that scouts have concerns over his wavering intensity level in the offensive end as well as how his skill set will translate to the next level. Even with those warts, his goal scoring ability and potential as a driving force down the middle cannot be ignored. As he fills out and learns to use his size more consistently, he possesses a high ceiling as a goal scoring center. - BO

18 Alex Nedeljkovic, G (37^th overall, 2014. Last Year: Not ranked) Generously listed at 6-0”, Nedeljkovic is far from the modern day ideal for stature in a goalie. But he makes it work. He was a star in the OHL, capping off his draft year by backstopping Team USA to a WU18 gold medal. He was later one of the best goalies at the 2016 WJC, helping America to a Bronze medal. And of course, he played the lion’s share in net for the Checkers’ AHL title last season. He makes up for his size deficiency with quick, agile legs and very good lateral mobility. He has also long carried a reputation as a masterful puck handler for a goalie. He is also surprisingly adept at tracking the puck through the mass of bodies near the crease, yet he rarely plays above the paint like Juuse Saros, another small goalie of note. Like Saros, Nedeljkovic could be a pretty good NHL backup in short order. - RW

19 Kirill Slepets, LW (152^nd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) A technically-sound forward with speed to burn, Slepets makes things happen with his excellent acceleration and top speed. He is gifted with smooth hands and showed at the 2019 WJC that he is hard to contain when the game opens up and he has the chance for a breakaway. He is not only a speedster, but he also reading of the game at a high level and can sniff out scoring chances around the crease. An underrated aspect of his game is his passing ability. He is not a playmaker, but he can find his partner during an odd man rush or sacrifice a shot for a better positioned linemate. Slepets only played in 10 games at the KHL level last year and he is poised for a jump forward. He will be 22 when his KHL contract runs out in 2021 – the ideal age to move overseas if he will have more pro games under his belt. - ASR

20 Domenick Fensore D (90^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) This list finishes off with a third straight little player. At 5-7”, 150, Fensore is the smallest of them all. He might also be the purest, most unadulterated fun player to watch in this system. His feet are constantly moving and despite his small size, he loves to blow up opponents with open ice hits. More than that though, he loves to rush the puck. He will take chances, get in deep in the offensive zone and will gladly put himself in harm’s way to make something happen. Once in a while, he gets caught and the opponent will have an odd-man rush going the other way, but so far, he has succeeded more often than he has failed. There are so many extremes to Fensore’s game that he has boom-or-bust written all over him. Whichever direction he goes, he will be a joy to watch him get there. - RW

Julien Gauthier – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Forwards

Mathew Barzal

Brock Nelson

Bo Horvat

Anders Lee

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Kyle Palmieri

Pierre Engvall

Oliver Wahlstrom

Defense

Noah Dobson

Ryan Pulock

Adam Pelech

Scott Mayfield

Alexander Romanov

Goaltending

Ilya Sorokin

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK RANGERS – NHL Player Profiles

FORWARDS

DEFENSE

GOALTENDING

SEATTLE KRAKEN EXPANSION DRAFT: Prospects to Target – Part Two – Forwards

Rasmus Asplund - Buffalo Sabres

Morgan Geekie - Carolina Hurricanes

Kevin Stenlund - Columbus Blue Jackets

Henrik Borgstrom - Florida Panthers

Nathan Bastian - New Jersey Devils

Yegor Sharangovich - New Jersey Devils

Janne Kuokkanen - New Jersey Devils

Nick Merkley - New Jersey Devils

Kieffer Bellows - New York Islanders

Julien Gauthier - New York Rangers

Vitaly Abramov - Ottawa Senators

Filip Chlapik - Ottawa Senators

Logan Brown - Ottawa Senators

Nicolas Aube-Kubel - Philadelphia Flyers

Alex Barre Boulet - Tampa Bay Lightning

Alex Volkov - Tampa Bay Lightning

Mitchell Stephens - Tampa Bay Lightning

Mathieu Joseph - Tampa Bay Lightning

Boris Katchouk - Tampa Bay Lightning

Taylor Raddysh - Tampa Bay Lightning

Joey Anderson - Toronto Maple Leafs

Isac Lundestrom - Anaheim Ducks

Matthew Phillips - Calgary Flames

Adam Mascherin - Dallas Stars

Tyler Benson - Edmonton Oilers

Rem Pitlick - Nashville Predators

Jonathan Dahlen - San Jose Sharks

Alexander True - San Jose Sharks

Maxim Letunov - San Jose Sharks

Rudolfs Balcers - San Jose Sharks

Kole Lind - Vancouver Canucks

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: New York Rangers Top 20 Prospects

Alexis Lafreniere, LW (1st overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA

Igor Shestyorkin, G (118th overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 1)

Nils Lundkvist, D (28th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Vitali Kravtsov, RW (9th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

K’Andre Miller, D (22nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 4)

Braden Schneider, D (19th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Matthew Robertson, D (49th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 5)

Zachary Jones, D (68th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 6)

Julien Gauthier, RW (Trade: Feb. 18, 2020. Originally: 21st overall, 2016 [Carolina]. Previous ranking: 7)

Morgan Barron, C (174th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 8)

Brett Berard, LW (134th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Tarmo Reunanen, D (98th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Lauri Pajuniemi, RW (132nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 10)

Hunter Skinner, D (112th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 11)

William Cuylle, LW (60th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Evan Vierling, C (127th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Patrick Khodorenko, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 10, 2020. Previous ranking: 12)

Tyler Wall, G (174th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 13)

Karl Henriksson, C (58th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

Austin Rueschhoff, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 20, 2020. Previous ranking: 15)

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

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – NEW YORK RANGERS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 2

New York Rangers

Igor Shestyorkin, G (118th overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 5)

Alexis Lafreniere, LW (1^st overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA

Igor Shestyorkin, G (118^th overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 1)

Nils Lundkvist, D (28^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Vitali Kravtsov, RW (9^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

K’Andre Miller, D (22^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 4)

Braden Schneider, D (19^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Matthew Robertson, D (49^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 5)

Zachary Jones, D (68^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 6)

Julien Gauthier, RW (Trade: Feb. 18, 2020. Originally: 21^st overall, 2016 [Carolina]. Previous ranking: 7)

Morgan Barron, C (174^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 8)

Brett Berard, LW (134^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Tarmo Reunanen, D (98^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Lauri Pajuniemi, RW (132^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 10)

Hunter Skinner, D (112^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 11)

William Cuylle, LW (60^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Evan Vierling, C (127^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Tyler Wall, G (174^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 13)

Karl Henriksson, C (58^thoverall, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

Igor Shestyorkin, G (118^th overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 5)

Nils Lundkvist, D (28^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 6)

Vitali Kravtsov, RW (9^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 3)

K’Andre Miller, D (22^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 2)

Matthew Robertson, D (49^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 7)

Zachary Jones, D (68^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 15)

Julien Gauthier, RW (Trade: Feb. 18, 2020. Originally: 21^st overall, 2016 [Carolina]. 2019 Rank: 9 [Carolina])

Morgan Barron, C (174^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 14)

Tarmo Reunanen, D (98^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 17)

Lauri Pajuniemi, RW (132^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

Hunter Skinner, D (112^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Tyler Wall, G (174^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: UR)

Karl Henriksson, C (58^thoverall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 9)