Liam Ohgren – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – The aftermath of the trade deadline, including deals for John Carlson, Brayden Schenn, Conor Garland, Bobby Brink, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 15:44:59 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, the aftermath of the trade deadline, including deals for John Carlson, Brayden Schenn, Conor Garland, Bobby Brink, and so much more!

#1 After playing more than 1,100 regular-season games for the Washington Capitals, defenceman John Carlson was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. The 36-year-old blueliner remains highly productive, ranking 11th among defencemen with 46 points (10 G, 36 A) in 55 games this season. He’s been a prolific force on the power play throughout his career but has been doing more damage at even strength this season, with just nine assists on the power play and 37 points at even strength, which ranks fifth among NHL defencemen. In Anaheim, Carlson should get power play time ahead of Jacob Trouba but maybe not ahead of Jackson LaCombe.

#2 The New York Islanders made a big commitment to acquire St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn, who has a relatively modest 28 points (12 G, 16A) in 61 games. He may do a little better with an Islanders team that is having more success, but the value for the Islanders could come from Schenn’s ability to play centre which could help to free up Mathew Barzal, who can move to right wing. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, Schenn’s departure could open up ice time down the middle of the ice, so rookie Dalibor Dvorsky might be worth keeping tabs on in deeper leagues.

#3 Ever since the Columbus Blue Jackets hired Rick Bowness as head coach, they have been making a concerted push for the playoffs, going 13-2-1 in 16 games under Bowness. Because of that surge, the Blue Jackets were buyers at the deadline and acquired right winger Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks. Garland has been a reliable secondary scorer throughout his career and has been a solid defensive contributor, too, though he had been struggling in the midst of the Canucks’ awful season, managing 26 points (7 G, 19 A) in 50 games. He should be a second-line winger in Columbus and with Garland moving on, the Canucks can give ice time to players in need of the experience, including Nils Hoglander, Liam Ohgren, and Linus Karlsson. Karlsson is probably the most appealing of those three.

#4 Veteran winger Michael Bunting was traded from the Nashville Predators to the Dallas Stars, and it should be a good opportunity for him to fill a middle six role on a strong Stars squad. Bunting has scored at least 19 goals in each of the past four seasons and had 31 points (13 G, 18 A) in 61 games for Nashville this season. With Bunting gone, perhaps look to Joakim Kemell in Nashville. The 2022 first-round pick had 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in 46 AHL games though he has failed to record a point in five career NHL games.

#5 The Minnesota Wild brought Minnesota native Bobby Brink home via a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers. Brink, 24, had 26 points (13 G, 13 A) in 55 games for the Flyers this season and should fit into Minnesota’s middle six with some second unit power play time. If he lands on Minnesota’s second line, with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, that would be an outstanding opportunity for Brink to elevate his production.

#6 Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has been in fine form since returning from the Olympics, putting up six points (2 G, 4 A) and 15 shots on goal in five games. With Artturi Lehkonen considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Landeskog is even more important for the Avs and is skating on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas.

#7 It took some time for Dallas Stars forward Matt Duchene to get back up to speed after he missed more than six weeks with an upper-body injury, but he has been cooking lately. In his past 10 games, Duchene has accumulated 17 points (8 G, 9 A) with 19 shots on goal. He is skating with Jamie Benn and Sam Steel on the Stars’ second line but is also getting first unit power play time, which gives him a better shot at sustaining this offensive surge. Steel has elevated his play, too, putting up 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 18 shots on goal in his past nine games. He is up to a career-high 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in 61 games.

#8 Columbus Blue Jackets centre Charlie Coyle has been on a tear ever since the Blue Jackets hired Bowness. In 16 games under the new bench boss, Coyle has delivered 21 points (9 G, 12 A) with 48 shots on goal. He’s been dominating at even strength, scoring 17 of those 21 points at evens. While he is getting first unit power play time, Coyle’s current linemates are Cole Sillinger and enforcer Mathieu Olivier.

#9 It has not been an easy season in Winnipeg, so the Jets need to take the good news where they can get it. Winger Cole Perfetti is starting to heat up as he takes on a bigger role. In his past eight games, Perfetti has seven points (3 G, 4 A) with 29 shots on goal while averaging 18:32 of ice time per game. That shot rate is very encouraging and he’s not only playing first unit power play time, but Perfetti is skating on a line with Adam Lowry and Gabriel Vilardi at even strength.

#10 Carolina Hurricanes left winger Taylor Hall has been a solid secondary scorer for the ‘Canes this season and he has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past four games, but he is also consistently generating shots. In his past seven games, Hall has 19 shots on goal and seems to have a good thing going on a line with younger players Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake.

#11 New York Islanders captain Anders Lee plays more of a supporting role for the team than he did in his prime years, but he can still be a force in front of the net. In his past five games, Lee has scored four goals with 16 shots on goal. He is skating on a line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom at even strength and he’s a second unit power play guy, with only six of his 35 points this season coming via the man advantage.

#12 The Winnipeg Jets have activated defenceman Josh Morrissey so he should be available for Saturday’s game against Vancouver. It isn’t a moment too soon, either, after the Jets traded Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to Buffalo, the Jets were looking rather lean on the blueline. Morrissey has 42 points (10 G, 32 A) in 56 games this season, despite being held off the scoresheet in seven straight games prior to the Olympic break.

#13 The San Jose Sharks have been very prudent in their deployment of rookie centre Michael Misa this season, perhaps even conservative, but it’s starting to look like the freshman pivot is ready to play a bigger role down the stretch as the Sharks push for a playoff spot. In four games since the Olympic break, Misa has contributed five points (2 G, 3 A) with seven shots on goal. He is in a good situation with the Sharks now, skating on a line between William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli, so it should come as no surprise if Misa, the second pick in last summer’s draft, continues to ascend late in the season.

#14 It is practically impossible to trust that Buffalo Sabres centre Josh Norris will stay healthy – he has played more than 56 games in a season once in his career – but when he’s in the lineup, he can make a difference. Norris has five points (3 G, 2 A) and 10 shots on goal in five games since the Olympic break and has 22 points (9 G, 13 A) in 24 games this season. On a strong Sabres team, Norris is getting first unit power play time and skating between Noah Ostlund and Josh Doan at even strength.

#15 It is probably too soon to give out a recommendation for St. Louis Blues rookie defenceman Logan Mailloux, but he’s worth keeping an eye on, especially after Justin Faulk was traded to the Detroit Red wings. Mailloux only has five points (3 G, 2 A) in 46 games this season, but he has goals in back-to-back games and has 13 shots on goal. He has gone over 20 minutes of ice time in each of the past three games, the first times that he has crossed that threshold with the Blues. Faulk figures to be a solid addition in Detroit. The veteran blueliner had nine assists and 20 shots on goal in his last 10 games for St. Louis. In Detroit, he should continue to play 20+ minutes per game and have a role on the second power play.

#16 It shouldn’t move the needle that much when a 40-year-old right winger is traded, but Corey Perry had been having a strong season when the Los Angeles Kings traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Perry had zero points and 12 shots on goal in his last eight games for the Kings, but he still has 28 points (11 G, 17 A) in 50 games. If he can continue at that rate, it would be his best points per game since 2017-2018. Perry is likely to have a fourth line role in Tampa Bay, with some second unit power play time sprinkled in for good measure.

#17 This year’s trade deadline was decidedly underwhelming, with few big names moving, there were a bunch of veteran forwards on the move. Nick Foligno joining his brother in Minnesota, David Perron back to Detroit, Warren Foegele to Ottawa, Nicolas Roy to Colorado, Nic Dowd to Vegas, Andrew Mangiapane to Chicago with Colton Dach and Jason Dickinson going to Edmonton. It’s entirely possible that none of those players will have fantasy value for the rest of this season.

#18 It has been a difficult season for defenceman Mackenzie Weegar, who had been one of the league’s most reliable blueliners over the previous five years. The Utah Mammoth acquired Weegar from the Calgary Flames, where he had 21 points (3 g, 18 A) in 60 games, but he had 99 points (28 G, 71 A) in 163 games across the previous two seasons, so he does have more offensive potential than he has shown this year. He’s not a sure thing for power play time in Utah, especially if Mikhail Sergachev and Sean Durzi are healthy, but it will be worth monitoring Weegar in his new home.

#19 One of the more surprising stories of the season is that of Calgary Flames goaltender Devin Cooley. The 28-year-old netminder had played a total of six NHL games prior to this season and it was a couple of years ago when he had a .870 save percentage for the San Jose Sharks, so expectations for Cooley were not high coming into the season. In 22 games, however, Cooley has a sparkling .923 save percentage, and he’s earning more action in the Flames crease. There may not be a lot of wins for Flames goalies over the rest of this season, but Cooley is changing the trajectory of his career and could have some value late in the season, at least when the Flames have more favorable matchups.

#20 As the New York Rangers’ season circles the drain, captain J.T. Miller has landed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. With Vincent Trocheck also out, the Rangers have Mika Zibanejad followed by journeyman Jonny Brodzinski, rookie Noah Laba, and Juuso Parssinen, who was just called up from the AHL. That’s an uphill fight down the middle of the ice every night so the Blueshirts might be in full tank mode. Just something to keep in mind for a rebuilding team that may not be offering a whole lot of support to its best players down the stretch.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

McKeen’s 2025-26 Hockey Pool Yearbook Feature – Fantasy Prospect Rankings

Peter Harling — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 19:47:09 +0000

ST. LOUIS, MO - APRIL 12: Boston defenseman Cole Hutson (44) handles the puck during the championship game of the NCAA D1 Frozen Four between the Boston University Terriers and the Western Michigan Broncos on April 12, 2025, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)

When preparing for a fantasy draft or evaluating prospects for a trade in your fantasy league you need to understand the difference between rankings, and fantasy rankings. The difference can be subtle, or significant depending on your leagues scoring and format. Generally speaking, fantasy rankings are based on projected point production. I have found that the vast majority of readers who read and follow my work are in dynasty keeper leagues with peripheral stats, or bangers leagues. The following rankings are based on projected point production and include added value to players who can contribute other stats, such as hits, blocks, PIMs, and faceoff wins. In fantasy hockey, we have a limited number of prospect roster spots and as such I put higher value on prospects who have a quicker ETA to the NHL or have superstar upside. This will help you identify the top 30 forwards, 20 defencemen and ten goalies to target in your fantasy leagues. To be considered a prospect skaters must be under 26-years-old as of September 15th, 2024, and have played in under 60 career games, or less than 35 in a single season. For goalies, less than 30 career games played, or 15 in a single season.

Forwards

1 - Ivan Demidov, RW – Montreal Canadiens

Demidov made his NHL debut with much anticipation and expectations, and he did not disappoint with a two-point showing in his first game. There is a lot of hype surrounding Demidov and if he lives up to the potential, he could very well go down as one of the all-time scoring leaders in Montreal and flirt with 1,000 career points, joining the ranks of legends like Guy Lafleur, Jean Beliveau, and Henri Richard.

2 - Ryan Leonard, C – Washington Capitals

The big man on campus was the Hockey East Player of the Year and scoring champion with 49 points in 37 games at Boston College. He also captained Team USA to a WJC Gold Medal and then made his NHL debut in Washington scoring his first career goal. Leonard will be an NHL regular starting in the 2025-26 season and should be a Calder contender in his rookie season. His value in multi-category leagues is even higher.

3 - Isaac Howard, LW – Edmonton Oilers

Hot off a Hoby Baker Award winning season as a senior with Michigan State, Howard and the Lightning were at a contract impasse. Rather than lose him as an unrestricted free agent this summer, the Lightning traded him to the Oilers. Howard should see an opportunity to crack the Oilers roster in a top six role given their lack of prospect depth. His new ELC will fit in the Oilers budget and playing with either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl could push Howard into the forefront of the Calder race.

4 - Beckett Sennecke, RW – Anaheim Ducks

A late season surge pushed Sennecke up the draft ranking all the way to third overall in his draft season. He has carried that momentum into hi D+1 season scoring 86 points in 56 games for the Generals. Don’t make the same mistake Team Canada made by erroneously omitting him from the 2025 WJC roster, Sennecke is a play driving forward with tremendous hockey sense and skill as well as size at 6-foot-4. Sennecke has another year of junior eligibility but could make the Ducks roster as soon as this season.

5 - Michael Misa, C – San Jose Sharks

Drafted second overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, Misa has been the first overall selection in all my fantasy drafts and mock drafts. Misa has been a highly anticipated fantasy prospect since becoming the latest OHL exceptional status recipient. He has a Memorial Cup Championship on his resume, is coming off a 134-point campaign and will spend his D+1 season developing in the NCAA against bigger, stronger, faster competition that will only make him more NHL ready for his ETA of 2026-27.

6 - Jimmy Snuggerud, RW – St. Louis Blues

After posting 51-points as captain of the Minnesota Golden Gophers and a finalist for the Hoby Baker, Snuggerud made a splash in the NHL with the Blues. Playing in the Blues final seven regular season games, he notched four points and then duplicated that performance in the playoffs. Snuggerud looks to be a lock for a top six role with the Blues and could be a solid Calder sleeper candidate if his early chemistry with Robert Thomas continues.

7 - Gabe Perreault, LW – New York Rangers

A lot of super-star players have come from the USNTDP, but Perreault holds the single season point record with 132 points in the 2022-23 season. Perreault just completed his sophomore season at Boston College and posted 16 goals and 32 assists in 37 games with the Eagles. He also was a key player in the USA WJC Gold Medal with 10 points in seven games. Perreault is a dynamic playmaker that also has a nose for the net and can finish. He played in five NHL games to close the season and while not a lock to make the Rangers out of training camp, he is their top prospect and a fantasy must own.

8 - Berkley Catton, C – Seattle Kraken

Catton was the 2024 draft class leading scorer with his 115-points, which puts him in the company of an elite group of players the likes of Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane and Connor Bedard to post such lofty production in their draft year. I am not suggesting that Catton has that kind of NHL and fantasy value, but he is the Krakens most dynamically gifted offensive player and has tremendous upside.

9 - Ilya Protas, LW – Washington Capitals

When the Capitals drafted Alexei Protas’ younger brother in the third round, it might have appeared to be a pick motivated by nepotism. Then Ilya moved from the USHL to the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires and had a breakout season to the tune of 50 goals, and 124 points (second in OHL scoring) and now looks like a steal of a third-round pick. Since he was drafted from the USHL, he can move up to the AHL for the coming season and further his development. Look for the Protas brothers to be a force in the Nations capital for the foreseeable future.

10 - Tij Iginla, LW – Utah Mammoth

The first pick in Utah’s franchise history, Iginla was on pace for a stellar D+1 season with 14 goals and 31 points in 21 games with Kelowna before a hip injury ended his season early. After surgery, the expectation is that he will return to Kelowna for an important season of development in the WHL, and with Canada at the WJC before he joins the NHL. Tij was drafted higher than his father, Hall-Of-Famer and Calgary legend Jarome Iginla, can Tij match his old mans career status?

11 - Porter Martone, RW – Philadelphia Flyers

Two things stand out with Martone: his dynamic offensive game and his size. However, for all you banger leaguers reading, don’t be fooled to think he is going to rack up hits and PIM’s as that is not really his game. He is a finesse playmaking winger. Martone has committed to take his development to Michigan State in the NCAA for his D+1 season in hopes that playing against older, stronger and better competition will make him NHL ready for the 2026-27 season.

12 - James Hagens, C – Boston Bruins

The consensus number one ranked prospect heading into the 2025 draft was Hagens. He played his draft year in the NCAA with Boston College and despite posting solid numbers as a freshman, he was unable to keep pace with Macklin Celebrinis’ pace from the previous season, and he fell on draft day to the Bruins. It is quite possible that Hagens ends up being the best fantasy prospect from his draft class, but he will return for at least one more year in the NCAA. Look for a spike in his production and for him to challenge for a Hoby Baker nomination.

13 - Cayden Lindstrom, C – Columbus Blue Jackets

Lindstrom is a unicorn as a 6-foot-4, 214-pound center that scored 46 goals and 46 points in 32 games with Medicine Hat in his draft year. He combines skill, skating, smarts, and size in such a rare and dominant package. A well documented herniated disc back injury that ended his draft season after 32 games and all but eliminated his D+1 season minus a few playoff, and Memorial Cup games is the other side of his story. Lindstrom will play the coming season in the NCAA with Michigan State where he will try to regain his health, conditioning and further his development. If he can realize his massive potential, he has franchise upside and would be a dominant player in multi-category leagues. Or, he could have a set back from his back injury and follow Nolan Patrick’s career path. High risk, but high reward potential.

14 - Arseni Gritsyuk, RW – New Jersey Devils

Gritsyuk may be a sleeper prospect, but don’t sleep on the Russian sniper. He is coming in hot from the KHL where he posted 17 goals and 44-points in 49 games. While he was only a fifth-round pick from the 2019, the now 24-year-old is NHL ready and will step into a top six role in New Jersey. He may not have the same offensive upside as some of the players in the range of his ranking but given his advanced development the wait time is zero, which moves the needle.

15 - Dalibor Dvorsky, C – St. Louis Blues

The AHL can be a meatgrinder that chews up and spits out teenage hockey prospects. Despite that, Dvorsky played last year as a 19-year-old and posted 21 goals and 45 points in 61 games with Springfield and was second in league rookie scoring. Dvorsky also shone at the WJC last year with Slovakia, scoring nine points in just five games. His play earned him an NHL cup of coffee, two games but he failed to record any points playing limited minutes. Dvorsky still needs more AHL development, but his promising development suggests the 10^th overall pick from the 2023 draft is well on his way to becoming an NHL regular and a fantasy must own player.

16 - Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW – Vancouver Canucks

His first full season in North America was a success as the Canucks 2022 15^th overall pick split time between the NHL and Abbotsford in the AHL. In the AHL he posted 28 points in 36 games and another seven in 16 playoff games en route to a Calder Cup Championship. In his 24 NHL games the Swedish winger posted six points while averaging 12:30 of ice time. Expect him to be a full time NHL player this year and to see elevated minutes, leading to numbers similar to what he produced in the AHL.

17 - Brad Nadeau, RW – Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes must feel like the drafted a top ten player with their 30^th overall pick from 2023. As a freshman in his D+1 season at University of Maine, Nadeau posted 19 goals and 46 points in 37 games. He followed up that with an impressive rookie season in the AHL to the tune of 32 goals and 58 points in 64 games with the Chicago Wolves. His underwhelming production at the WJC with Canada was curious, but the entire team underwhelmed. Nadeau made his NHL debut on April 16^th and earned his first career point against Montreal. Look for his sophomore season to see more NHL opportunities as he plays his way into a top six role with the Canes.

18 - Anton Frondell, C – Chicago Blackhawks

Drafted third overall by the Hawks in 2025, the Swedish center brings size at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, a high-level hockey sense, and skill level to his game. He would be better slotted as a second line center at the NHL level as his two-way game is more his calling card as opposed to a go-to offensive driver. The 18-year-old will likely play two more seasons in the SHL before crossing over to North America, meaning a little more wait time and a limited offensive ceiling compared to his draft status.

19 - Danila Yurov, RW – Minnesota Wild

The 21-year-old Russian saw his production dip from 0.79 to 0.54 points per game in the final year of his KHL contract. Despite the disappointing production, with 209 career KHL games of development he has signed with the Wild and will play in North America to the delight of fantasy managers who roster Yurov. With Yakov Trenin, Vlad Tarasenko, and Kirill Kaprizov providing some fellow Russian support, he should adjust quickly and could play his way into a top six role sooner than later.

20 - Caleb Desnoyers, C – Utah Mammoth

Desnoyers could be the most underrated player in the 2025 draft, which says a lot sine he was selected fourth overall. A 6-foot-2 center Desnoyers has excellent hockey sense, size, skating, skill and compete. He has played a key role and produced all season starting with a point per game to lead Canada to Gold at the Hlinka. He was the first line center for Team CHL at the Prospects Challenge and was a point per game again. With his club team in Moncton, he posted 84-points in 56 games and lead the Wildcats in playoff scoring with 30-points in 19 games to be named playoff MVP, and a league championship. He is the best two-way player, and that takes nothing away from his offensive game.

21 - Rutger McGroarty, C – Pittsburgh Penguins

After being acquired from the Jets for Brayden Yager, McGroarty made his pro debut and impressed, splitting time between the NHL and AHL. In Wilkes-Barre/Scranton he played 60 games, notching 14 goals and 39 points. While he only played in eight NHL games, he impressed with three points, playing a physical game as well showing he can have an impact away from the puck. With the Pens looking to rebuild, he is a corner stone player going forward, starting now.

22 - Quentin Musty, RW – San Jose Sharks

Musty had a frustrating season. It began by holding out for a trade from Sudbury in the OHL. A deal never happened so he resumed playing and scored 59 points in 33 games before an injury put him on the shelf until the playoffs. He returned for game two but despite four points, the Wolves were swept in four by Kingston. He will turn pro now and play his rookie season in the AHL. The 6-foot-2 winger has size and played a power game at the OHL; he could be an impactful top six winger with his size and shot.

23 - Calum Ritchie, C – New York Islanders

When the Islanders acquired Ritchie at the NHL trade deadline, he instantly became their top prospect. Ritchie started the season in the NHL with the Avalanche where he played seven games and scored his first career goal with his signature shootout move (a spectacular deke as he fakes the shoot like he fanned then quickly backhands it home). He returned to the Oshawa Generals where he dominated with 70 points and 50 PIM in 47 games and led the Generals back to a league championship rematch vs London. Ritchie should be a regular on Long Island this fall.

24 - Matthew Savoie, RW – Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers added Savoie in a trade with Buffalo, and he instantly became the Oilers top prospect. Savoie is an undersized forward at 5-foot-9, 179 pounds but he is also a prolific offensive player. He posted some hefty point totals in the WHL and in his first full pro season, he scored 19 goals and 54 points in 66 games in Bakersfield. He made his debut in Edmonton as well, playing in four games and recorded his first career point. He has the skill to play and produce in the NHL, but size is a concern.

25 - Igor Chernyshov, LW – San Jose Sharks

The big Russian winger made the move to North America after the Sharks selected him with the first pick of round two in the 2024 NHL Draft. His debut was delayed following an off-season shoulder surgery, but when he resumed playing with Saginaw in the OHL he dominated with 19 goals and 55 points in just 23 games. Saginaw was eliminated in the first round, and he was called up to play two AHL games with the Barracuda. It is expected he will play the coming season in the AHL, to further his development, but he has NHL top six winger upside with his size, skating and shooting ability.

26 - Easton Cowan, C – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leaf's top prospect is poised to bring his game to the NHL for the coming season. In his final year in the OHL with the London Knights, Cowan led the OHL in playoff scoring (39-points in 17 games), added a second straight league championship, and led the Memorial Cup in soring to lead the Knights to victory. He is slightly undersized at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds but he plays a physical game to complement his dynamic skill and vision.

27 - Andrew Cristall, LW – Washington Capitals

A true boom-or-bust player. Cristall is as dynamic an offensive player as you will find. His career WHL point production is off the chart with 412 points in 248 games (1.66 points per game). He finished his WHL career with Spokane in the playoffs where he scored 21 goals and 41 points in 19 games. How could such a dominant player be a bust? He is just 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds as the NHL trends towards size again. Also, his defensive game and compete level is a liability. These factors kept him off the Canada WJC roster. If he plays in the NHL, he will be great, but there have been plenty of prolific junior scorers that never made the NHL.

28 - Cole Eiserman, RW – New York Islanders

“Goal” Eiserman is a polarizing player. His offensive upside is significant. He is the all-time NTDP goal scoring leader, was a key player for USA winning Gold at the 2025 WJC with seven points. As a freshman at Boston University, he scored 25 goals and 36 points in 39 games. His play away from the puck is where scouts have concerns with his game. Eiserman will return for his sophomore season with the Terriers where he will continue to score goals, and more importantly develop his overall game.

29 - Jake O’Brien, C – Seattle Kraken

Perhaps the player from the 2025 draft class with the most upside is O’Brien. The 6-foot-2 center has tremendous vision and hockey sense, a late June birthday means he has plenty of development road head where his potential can grow. While his physical game is lacking as his slender 176-pound frame needs to fill out, there are very few flaws in his game overall.

30 - Liam Ohgren, LW – Minnesota Wild

Ohgren made his North American debut last season and had a tremendously successful rookie season in the AHL scoring 37 points in 41 games on a poor Iowa Wild team. His play earned him an NHL audition of 24 games, but he was limited to an average of 11:06 in ice time and only managed five points. Ohgren should be ready for a bigger role in Minnesota, and his point production should increase with more playing time.

Defence

1 - Zayne Parekh, RD – Calgary Flames

Parekh dominated the OHL in his draft year and then returned for his D+1 season and posted 33 goals, 107 points and 96 PIM. He was an egregious omission from the Team Canada WJC roster and made his NHL debut on April 17^th scoring his first career NHL goal in a 5-1 win over LA. Parekh is still junior eligible as a 19-year-old but is almost assured to be a full time NHL player this season. It should not take long for him to secure a top four pairing and first power play role in Calgary. Parekh could have a similar rookie season as Lane Hutson had and be a Calder candidate.

2 - Cole Hutson, LD - Washington Capitals

Hutson 2.0 is a similar player to his older brother Lane. Cole is developing in the NCAA at Boston University and posted 48 points in 39 games in his freshman season. His real breakout however was on the World stage with USA at the WJC where he led the tournament in scoring with 11 points in seven games. Cole has another season with the Terriers coming up before he is ready to join the Capitals in the NHL. When he arrives, it is not out of the question for him to have the same impact Lane Hutson had, or even better.

3 - Matthew Schaefer, LD – New York Islanders

The top pick from the 2025 Draft class has signed with the Islanders, and all signs point towards him making the Islanders out of training camp and becoming an NHL rookie. A shoulder injury limited him to just 17 games in Erie last season, so a return to the OHL would not be the worst scenario for his long-term development.

4 - Zeev Buium, LD – Minnesota Wild

All Buium does is win. At 19-years-old his trophy case already includes a World Championship, an NCAA Championship, two WJC Golds and a U-18 Gold. Buium made his NHL debut in the playoffs and recorded his first career point playing in four games. Buium is not only a lock to make the Wild roster, but he should also be a top pairing impact player right out of the gate.

5 - Alexander Nikishin, LD – Carolina Hurricanes

The 23-year-old Russian blueliner has been one of the most anticipated players to come from the KHL for several years. The 6-foot-4, 216-pound defender captained SKA St. Petersburg for two seasons and posted career KHL stats of 54 goals and 177 points in 288 games. He has signed in Carolina and made his NHL debut in the playoffs, earning his first career point in four games. He will have to compete with Shane Gostisbehere and K’Andre Miller for top power play deployment but count on Nikishin playing big minutes in his rookie season.

6 - Artyom Levshunov, RD – Chicago Blackhawks

The 2024 second overall pick only played 18 NHL games in his rookie season, but as a 19-year-old he produced 22 points in 52 AHL games with Rockford. Can he breakout as the Hawks top pairing and first power play quarterback in his sophomore season? He will have to outplay Sam Rinzel and Kevin Korchinski to do so, but it is a real possibility as soon as this fall.

7 - Luca Cagnoni, LD – San Jose Sharks

All Cagnoni is missing to be ranked higher is size and draft pedigree. At 5-foot-9 he comes up short by todays NHL standards, and as a fourth-round pick, he lacks the golden ticket first round picks get. However, his on-ice production speaks volumes, scoring 16 goals and 52 points in 64 games as a AHL rookie with the Barracuda. Cagnoni is the future first power play quarterback in San Jose on a unit that will include Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Michael Misa. Cagnoni could be a fantasy beast!

8 - Sam Dickinson, LD – San Jose Sharks

Where will Dickinson play in the 2025-26 season? He posted 91 points in 55 games, won a second consecutive OHL Championship and a Memorial Cup Championship. He has another year of junior eligibility remaining, so the AHL is not an option, but has signed an NHL contract so the NCAA is not an option either. He has nothing left to learn in the OHL, so he looks ready to make the jump to the NHL.

9 - Axel Sandin-Pellikka, RD – Detroit Red Wings

ASP is a rising star and the Wings top prospect. The 5-foot-11 right shot defender has tremendous poise on the ice, sees the ice very well, carries the puck and dictates the play with authority. After a solid SHL career of 52 points in 107 games including an SHL Championship, he made his debut in the AHL to close the season. A full year of AHL development is to be expected under GM Steve Yzerman, but a future blueline anchored by Mo Seider, Simon Edvinsson and ASP sets up the Red Wings for a decade.

10 - Tristan Luneau, RD – Anaheim Ducks

After injury limited Luneau to just 13 combined AHL and NHL games in his rookie season, he returned in 2024-25 to post near point per game production with the Gulls with 52 points in 59 games. The 6-foot-1 right shot offensive defenceman has great upside, but he also has his work cut out for him to crack the Ducks top four with competition the likes of Jacob Trouba, Jackson Lacombe, Olen Zellweger, and Pavel Mintyukov.

11 - Carter Yakemchuk, RD – Ottawa Senators

There were a lot of skeptics when Ottawa selected the 6-foot-4 right shot offensive defenceman at seven ahead of Zayne Parekh, Zeev Buium and Sam Dickinson at the ’24 Draft. A lot of those critics were silenced when Yakemchuk nearly made the Sens roster after a tremendous preseason performance. He was returned to the WHL for his senior year and was slightly underwhelming seeing his point totals dip and failing to be make the Canadian WJC roster. His pro career will begin, likely in Belleville for a season before assuming the top pairing role on the right side in Ottawa next to Jake Sanderson.

12 - Sam Rinzel, RD – Chicago Blackhawks

Rinzel had a breakout season in 2024-25. It was not just his 10-goal, 32-point performance as a sophomore at University of Minnesota, but his nine game NHL audition in which he averaged over 23 minutes of ice time including an average of 2:24 powerplay time on ice where he delivered five points. The 21-year-old is the early favorite to be the first power play quarterback heading into the upcoming season. Don’t sleep on Rinzel, he has some big upside.

13 - Seamus Casey, RD – New Jersey Devils

The 5-foot-10 right shot offensive defenceman had a strong rookie season starting in the NHL with an eight-game run with the Devils where he posted three goals before an AHL assignment. Overall, he racked up 18 points in 30 AHL games and finished the season back in the NHL with New Jersey. With Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, and Simon Nemic in the fold, getting ice time, let alone power play time will be difficult barring injury.

14 - Scott Morrow, RD – New York Rangers

Acquired from Carolina along with a first and second round pick in the K’Andre Miller trade, Morrow could fill the gap from Miller out of camp behind Adam Fox on the Rangers second pairing. Morrow had a strong rookie season the year prior posting 39 points in 52 games with the Chicago Wolves and had a 14-game NHL run with the Hurricanes scoring six points.

15 - Logan Mailloux, RD – St. Louis Blues

Acquired from Montreal for Zac Bolduc this summer, Mailloux is now the top defensive prospect in the Blues system. Mailloux is NHL ready after a second AHL campaign with 80 points and 165 PIM in 135 career games, and five points in eight career NHL games. Mailloux will no longer be considered a prospect as he will make the Blues roster full time, and battle Justin Faulk and Cam Fowler for top power play deployment.

16 - David Reinbacher, RD – Montreal Canadiens

The 6-foot-2 Austrian defender made a splash in his AHL debut in 2023-24 when he posted five points in the final 11 games in Laval. Injuries kept him out of action until he returned for the Olympics with Austria and finished the season again in the AHL with Laval. His six points in 13 playoff games with the Rocket are promising but a nearly full season lost to injury suggest he may need a time in the AHL before he is ready for Montreal. The departure of Logan Mailloux improves his stature in Montreal.

17 - Oliver Bonk, RD – Philadelphia Flyers

Widely considered to be a shutdown defender, a red flag in fantasy, Bonk has considerable fantasy value. At 6-foot-2 he has decent size and can play a physical role and contribute hits and blocks. But he has also contributed significant offensive numbers with 150 career regular season points in 189 games with the London Knights. Bonk was deployed as the net front presence on the power play regularly with London and was tried as the first powerplay quarterback for Canada at the WJC. His pro career will begin with a season in the AHL with Lehigh Valley before he becomes a top four NHL regular.

18 - Tanner Molendyk, LD – Nashville Predators

Nashville has a strong track record of drafting and developing top quality NHL defencemen. Tanner Molendyk is the latest and he nearly made the Predators out of training camp last year before returning for his final year in the WHL. He was a point per game player with Saskatoon and Medicine Hat and at the Memorial Cup. Molendyk will be an AHL rookie this season, but it likely won’t be long before he is patrolling the Predators blueline in a top four capacity.

19 - Hunter Brzustewicz, RD – Calgary Flames

His fantasy value took a big hit when the Flames drafted Zayne Parekh. Brzustewicz is an offensive defenceman that posted a 92-point season in the OHL, and in his AHL rookie campaign last year impressed with five goals and 32 points in 70 games with the Wranglers. Brzustewicz was a key piece in return from the Elias Lindholm trade so the Flames are invested, he has great offensive and fantasy upside, but the Parekh addition will take some of that critical power play ice time up.

20 - Tom Willander, RD – Vancouver Canucks

After two seasons in the shadow of a Hutson with the Boston University Terriers, Willander may be an underrated fantasy defenceman. With all the top offensive deployment at BU going to the Hutson’s, lane and Cole, Willander still managed to produce 49 points in 77 career games with the Terriers. His play with Sweden at the WJC was impressive as well with five points in seven games. Willander is a strong skating, puck moving two-way defender with offensive upside. Willander was signed by the Canucks and will start his professional career in the AHL with defending Calder Cup Champions Abbotsford.

Goalies

1 - Yaroslav Askarov – San Jose Sharks

The Sharks are building something special and Askarov should be a key piece of that puzzle. A top ranked goalie prospect for years, the move from Nashville and out from under Juuse Saros, gives Askarov has the opportunity to seize a starting role in San Jose. With the young core and foundations now in place, it’s just a short matter of time before this team becomes a powerhouse, and Askarov is a fantasy star.

2 - Jesper Wallstedt – Minnesota Wild

There is no sugar coating this, Wallstedt had a terrible season posting brutal numbers in both the AHL, and NHL in his third season in North America. Despite the setback, Wallstedt remains an elite goalie prospect and with the Wild building a defence that consist of Brock Faber, Zeev Buium, and David Jiricek the future still remains very bright.

3 - Jacob Fowler – Montreal Canadiens

It is difficult to understand how Fowler was not the top goalie selected in his draft year. Five other goalies went before he was selected 69^th overall in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Since then, he has established himself as an elite prospect playing at Boston College in the NCAA. Fowler has won a WJC Gold Medal with USA, a Hockey East Championship, and was named the Goalie of the Year winning the Mike Richter Award. Fowler is trending to be the next great Montreal Canadiens goalie following the likes of Ken Dryden, Patrick, Roy and Carey Price.

4 - Ilya Nabokov – Colorado Avalanche

A late bloomer, Nabokov was drafted in 2024 by the Avalanche after a breakout season in the KHL as a 21-year-old, where Nabokov won a Gagarian Cup and playoff MVP. Nabokov has signed his ELC with Colorado but has been loaned back to play the 2025-26 season in the KHL to ensure he gets playing time. Expect him to finish the season in the AHL as the KHL season ends in March, allowing him a small sample of North American hockey before being full time in 2026-27.

5 - Sebastian Cossa – Detroit Red Wings

The Wings 2021 15^th overall draft pick has now played three full seasons of professional hockey with time in the ECHL, AHL, and he made his NHL debut in December with a 6-foot-5 shootout win over Buffalo. The past two seasons have been consistent and strong for Cossa, playing 40+ games in Grand Rapids and posting 20+ wins. The addition of John Gibson suggests that Detroit thinks he needs a little more development before he becomes their starting goalie.

6 - Drew Commesso – Chicago Blackhawks

On last years list I suggested Commesso was on track to develop into the Hawks starting goalie for the Connor Bedard glory years. Since then, the Hawks acquired Spencer Knight, and he appears to be the incumbent franchise goalie for the foreseeable future. Commesso had another impressive year of development in the AHL and is still quite capable of being an NHL starting goalie. Where and when are less certain now.

7 - Trey Augustine – Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings added insulation to their goaltending future when they selected Augustine 41^st overall in 2023. Since then, he has been developing with Michigan State U. in the NCAA with a career record of 42-16-6, two Big Ten Championships and two WJC Gold Medals with USA. Augustine will play his junior season with the Spartans and will also need some AHL development time. He is further away than Cossa, but his upside could be higher.

8 - Niklas Kokko – Seattle Kraken

Kokko made his North American debut last season, and it was a strong one posting a 20-10-2 record in the AHL with a 2.26 GAA and .913 SV%. His strong play earned him an NHL recall, and he had a rough start coming in to relieve Joey Daccord in a 7-2 loss to the Blues where he allowed two goals on six shots. With Grubauer and Daccord under contract for the next two seasons, the 21-year-old Finnish netminder can continue to develop in the AHL with Coachella. He is a prospect on the rise.

9 - Mikhail Yegorov – New Jersey Devils

The Devils selected the Russian goalie from the USHL with their second-round pick in 2024 and Yegorov started his D+1 season back in the USHL with Omaha. Committed to Boston University in the NCAA, the Terriers were having goaltending concerns and brought “Big Mike” in just in time for the Bean Pot Tournament where he was outstanding leading the Terriers to victory. Yegorov played in 18 games total with an 11-6-1 record and 2.15 GAA. Still only 19-years-old, the 6-foot-5 netminder is a long way from the NHL, but he is showing tremendous potential.

10 - Hampton Slukynsky – Los Angeles Kings

Perhaps Slukynsky is still a little under the radar and not quite a household name in less deep dynasty leagues, but that is about to change. Selected 118^th overall by the Kings, Slukynsky posted a 19-5-1 record as a freshman at Western Michigan and a sparkling 1.90 GAA. His trophy case includes USHL Goalie of the Year, Championships from the USHL, NCAA National and NCHC, and Gold Medals with USA from the U-18, WJC and World Championship. He is still just 20-years-old and needs a lot of development time before the NHL, but his stock is rising fast!

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – MINNESOTA WILD – Top 15 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #14

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 20:36:01 +0000

ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 18: Minnesota Wild forward Liam Ohgren (28) controls the puck during the second period of an NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Seattle Kraken on April 18, 2024, at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire)

Prospect System Ranking – 14th (May 2025 - 7th)
GM: Bill Guerin Hired: August 2019
COACH: John Hynes Hired: November 2023

The Minnesota Wild are finally emerging from the shadow of the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts, freeing up nearly $13 million in cap space. While a portion of that will be earmarked for Kirill Kaprizov’s looming extension, GM Bill Guerin now has real flexibility to shape the roster.

That timing aligns perfectly with a young core featuring Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi (unsigned), Brock Faber, and newly signed Zeev Buium—players poised to drive the franchise forward.

Buium, McKeen’s sixth-ranked prospect, is as dynamic as they come and is set to push for an NHL role in 2025-26 after an outstanding NCAA career. Once he graduates, Danila Yurov will take over as the system’s top prospect. Fresh off signing his entry-level deal, Yurov joins Minnesota after five years in the KHL, where he tallied 88 points in 209 games. At 21, his playmaking and vision could translate immediately to NHL production.

Several other prospects are on the cusp of breaking through. Liam Öhgren impressed in his first North American season, producing 37 points in 41 AHL games, and should compete for a roster spot out of training camp. In net, Jesper Wallstedt is expected to challenge for the backup job behind Filip Gustavsson with Marc-André Fleury now retired. Early on, a timeshare between the pipes isn’t out of the question.

Riley Heidt, meanwhile, is turning pro after a prolific WHL career that saw him record 370 points in 281 games. His creativity and offensive instincts will be assets as he adjusts to the AHL game.

While Minnesota added intriguing talent such as Adam Benak at the 2025 draft, the absence of a first-round pick limited the overall impact of their class. Still, with multiple high-end prospects on the verge of making the jump and newfound financial flexibility, the Wild are positioned to become one of the NHL’s most intriguing young teams in the short term.

Minnesota Wild Top-15 Prospects

1 - Zeev Buium

Zeev Buium was just as good in his sophomore season compared to his freshman year, solidifying himself as a top-tier offensive defenceman. Early in the year, he displayed strong breakout capabilities, maintaining composure under pressure and making smart decisions with the puck. His skating and agility have remained elite, providing him with the ability to create space and generate offensive opportunities. As the season progressed, Buium’s defensive game matured, showcasing sound positioning, effective gap control, and reliable man-to-man coverage. His active stick and awareness allow him to break up plays and transition quickly. While his high-risk plays can lead to turnovers, his offensive contributions and skating often outweigh the occasional mistake. Strengths include his dynamic skating, puck-handling, and hockey IQ, excelling in all situations with significant ice time. To elevate his game further, reducing unnecessary risks and refining decision making will be key. Zeev Buium projects as a top-line NHL defenceman with first line power play potential, providing both offensive production and defensive reliability.

2 - Danila Yurov

After recovering from shoulder surgery, Danila Yurov took some time to find his game this season but quickly returned to elite form. Once a raw talent, he’s now one of the most dynamic players in the KHL. Yurov plays at a high pace, using his speed to drive offence and pressure opponents defensively. He creates chances off the rush, breaks up plays with an active stick, and consistently wins puck battles. His shot has developed into a major weapon over the past few years. His wrist shot and one-timer are both dangerous and he does a great job working himself into space to create quality looks. While strength in battles remains a concern, he’s improved significantly, learning to use positioning and stickwork to stay competitive. Yurov officially signed his ELC in May, ending fan’s anxieties as he gears up for his first North American season. He looks NHL ready and could challenge for a top six role in Minnesota next season.

3 - Liam Öhgren

Liam Öhgren split the 2024-25 season between the NHL and AHL. While his NHL production was minimal, he hovered around a point-per-game mark with Iowa. Despite injury concerns in his development years, Öhgren played nearly 65 pro contests. He terrorized AHL goalies with his snappy, accurate release, picking corners with ease. In transition, Öhgren is clinical, regularly achieving clean zone entries using his stickhandling and speed changes. What stands out is how he constantly switches up his approach, creating space and time. He also drives hard to the net, causing chaos, and cleaning up pucks around the net. Öhgren will be a fixture on Minnesota's second or third line for years to come and has a good shot at a full-time NHL role in the bottom six this year alongside fellow Minnesota youngster Danila Yurov. He may never have elite production in the NHL, but he brings lots of value off the puck and in the defensive zone.

4 - Riley Heidt

The 2025-26 Cougars campaign ended earlier than expected, following an opening-round loss to a lower-seeded opponent, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of effort or results from Heidt, their captain and best player. The cerebral center was a linchpin for his team, scoring points in bunches while also consistently helping to elevate the play of those he shared the ice with. The continued progression of his off-puck play is also worth mentioning, as it went from something of a weakness in his draft year to a genuine strength nowadays. After a fairly stable tenure in Prince George that spanned five seasons it will be interesting to see how Heidt translates his game to the AHL level and how long the Wild will want him to grow there before he's ready for the ultimate challenge of the NHL. If all goes according to plan, he could become a top six pivot in Minnesota.

5 - Jesper Wallstedt

It’s not a secret that Jesper Wallstedt took a massive dip in performance this past season. He’s been known as one of the best goalie prospects in many people's eyes for the past couple of years, but now that’s being drawn into doubt. He still possesses a strong skill set, which is promising, including great positioning, anticipation, footwork, and athleticism. The problem is that he seems to have lost all confidence and lacks consistency from game to game. He’s always been a reserved goalie, someone who’s very methodical. But now it looks to almost hinder him. He lacked the same swagger and intensity seen previously. He looks defeated after allowing a bad one and opens the gates. He also struggled with his rebound control, which has given him the tendency to easily get burned on rebound shots. His previous play and skill set should still leave one hopeful about his future. His future rides on how he plays next year. If he turns it around, he can still end up a starter, if not, it will be exceedingly difficult to reach that once promising potential.

6 - Ryder Ritchie

Last summer Ritchie felt that he and his former club, the Raiders, weren't fully on the same page, which led to him requesting a change of scenery. That decision couldn't have worked out much better for him on the ice, as he was traded to the championship-winning Tigers, led by superstar-in-the-making Gavin McKenna (certainly not a bad guy to hang out with and pick things up from). Playing in more of a secondary role helped him find his game a little better after an up-and-down prior season, and he's now looking much more like the guy who earned WHL Rookie of the Year honors in 2022-23. The son of former NHLer Byron Ritchie, Ryder is a winger with a good, balanced blend of different smarts and skills, the kind of player who can find a way to fit and contribute on any line but might never be the best option to drive one at the NHL level. He’s a quality complement to the rest of the Wild’s prospect pool.

7 - Hunter Haight

Hunter Haight was selected in the second-round for his two-way game and potential as a middle lineup depth piece. This year, he surprised many by posting over half a point per game in his first pro season. Haight is always in the right place, active off the puck, and constantly adjusting his angles to create opportunities. He drives to the net with such fluidity, almost as if the puck is glued to his stick, able to get a quick release in tight with precision. His defensive game is solid as well. He closes gaps quickly and shows a willingness to block shots. This season has been encouraging for Haight's development, and after one more year in Iowa and an offseason to get stronger, I could see him transitioning to the NHL. He looks like a future asset for Minnesota's bottom six. Haight’s biggest barrier is his size, which, at his level of skill, might barricade him from receiving NHL looks, given the plethora of depth talent Minnesota possesses.

8 - Charlie Stramel

A first-round selection in 2023, Stramel’s sophomore season at Wisconsin was pretty much an unmitigated disaster, leaving little hope that he was anything more than a wasted high selection. However, following a move to Michigan State through the transfer portal, Stramel has re-invigorated hope in his NHL chances. The big pivot had a solid junior year for one of the best teams in the country, and he’s going to return to the Spartans for his senior year, where he’ll likely take on even greater responsibility. At this point, Stramel isn’t likely to be a top six forward. You could probably make the argument that his draft projection wasn’t even that optimistic. However, he still possesses many attributes that you look for in a bottom six center in today’s era; he’s got size, he can skate, he can play a power game, and he plays both ends of the rink. Let’s see if he can build off his first solid offensive showing at the NCAA level.

9 - David Spacek

David Spacek’s rise through the ranks comes as a surprise to many, as the 2022 fifth rounder nearly tripled his point totals from his first North American pro season. Spacek has shown that he can produce from his days in the QMJHL to 2024-25 with the Iowa Wild. Spacek has a high level of energy on the ice, itching to be involved in play and eager to work in the corners. Despite being a little on the smaller end at 6-foot-0, Spacek battles hard in front of the net to establish positioning and engages physically whenever possible. Spacek’s skating is another positive trait, allowing him to join the rush and get back in time to break up the counterattack. One area I would like to see him improve is his first pass under pressure; he tends to throw the puck away to get it out of his end and could benefit from a touch more patience. He projects as a bottom-pairing defenceman who can provide offence while competing hard in his end.

10 - Adam Benak

The hockey world temporarily stood still during the 2024 Hlinka-Gretzky tournament for the 5-foot-8 Czech Forward Adam Benak. Even though his hype tapered off during his season, his year with Youngstown was great, being a point-per-game player. The draw of Benak’s game comes down to his skill and offensive strengths. His creativity in the offensive zone is advanced, especially for a player his size, warranting the chance Minnesota took on him in the fourth round. However, his skating drawbacks and physical limitations with his size are very real and are critical in talking about his NHL viability. We have ranked him as Minnesota’s 10th-best prospect, next to another short-statured, similarly hyped Aron Kiviharju. Brantford took Benak second in the CHL Import Draft and should seriously see some great things from the Czech as he looks to show the hockey world why he was once regarded so highly.

11 - Aron Kiviharju

Injuries and primarily size-related concerns eventually saw the once highly touted U18 star become a fourth-round pick in 2024, but he quickly let GM Bill Guerin know about how astute a pick he had ultimately made. Now Kiviharju has finally gotten in a full season of Liiga play in his DY+1 and also captained the silver medal winning Finnish side at the WJC, averaging just over 21+ minutes of TOI over seven contests. Another season of Liiga play is on dock.

12 - Carson Lambos

With multiple layers of blueline deception, Lambos entered pro play two seasons ago as an agile defender who understands timing, dekes, and how to generate offence. A healthy shot from the point helps. But despite an average of approximately 20 minutes of TOI per night this past winter, his offensive totals only slightly improved. At his best, Lambos shows the patience to make a positive impact. Although clearly knocking on the door, Lambos faces solid organizational competition.

13 - Rasmus Kumpulainen

Kumpulainen’s size/skill package had him looking like an exciting prospect in his draft year, especially after he put in a solid POINT-PER-GAME U18 Worlds performance. He followed that up with a good, but not great, season of OHL play with the Oshawa Generals. Having signed his ELC, the crafty puck-protector was then loaned to Liiga outfit Lahti this past season and experienced his fair share of struggles, also seen in his yeoman WJC. Crucial year ahead to get back on track.

14 - Justin Kipkie

It’s not that often nowadays that unsigned draftees get re-drafted, but Minnesota decided not to let Arizona-drafted Kipkie slip through to free agency this past summer, selecting him in the fifth round after a big offensive campaign (including 13 points in 11 playoff games) as the captain of the Victoria Royals. There’s some irony in his Arizona connection because Kipkie is now taking his wares to Arizona State University, where he’ll look like the elder statesman on a very young blueline.

15 - Aaron Pionk

Pionk’s older brother Neal is already a well-paid blueline star for the Winnipeg Jets. Unlike his older brother, Aaron has actually been drafted. Already an exceptional high school and then USHL player, the younger Pionk is coming off a sophomore season of college hockey that saw him best his solid freshman performance by six points and +10 +/- improvement. In addition to sound two-way ability, Pionk excels in closing gaps and stopping opponents off the rush. Will he build on that this season?

2025 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT: #7 Minnesota Wild – Top 15 NHL Affiliated Prospects

Sat, 31 May 2025 12:29:49 +0000

Minnesota Wild forward Liam Ohgren (28) (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire)

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Minnesota 25 Prospects

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Goaltending issues – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 16:22:53 +0000

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 14: San Jose Sharks goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (40) doesn’t see a rebound in front of him during the game between the Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks Tuesday January 14, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire)

When you’re early in a season, there is always the fear of overreacting to small sample sizes, but sometimes early success or failure really is an indication of what’s to come. That holds true when it comes to two goaltenders who struggled in the opening weeks of the 2024-25 campaign -- Tristan Jarry and Alexandar Georgiev.

Jarry and Georgiev started in the Penguins’ and Avalanche’s season opener, respectively, but neither is even on that team anymore and a failure in between the pipes is the cause in both cases. Georgiev had a disastrous start, going 0-3-0 with a 5.79 GAA and an .802 save percentage across his first four games. He didn’t even post a start in which he allowed fewer than three goals until Nov. 7. In the end, he had an 8-7-0 record, 3.38 GAA and .874 save percentage in 18 outings before the Avalanche cut him loose, packaging him with Nikolai Kovalenko and two picks to get Mackenzie Blackwood from San Jose.

We can’t fully judge the trade yet until we know what becomes of those draft picks -- it will take a while because it’s a 2025 fifth-round selection and a 2026 second-round pick that went San Jose’s way -- but Colorado has plenty of reason to be happy. Blackwood has been brilliant between the pipes for the Avalanche, while Georgiev has done no better in San Jose than he had for Colorado in 2024-25.

Colorado’s situation can be considered lucky compared to Pittsburgh’s. Georgiev is in the final season of his three-year, $10.2 million contract anyway, so putting together an offering with some sweeteners to a rebuilding squad was perfectly feasible. Jarry is in just the second season of his five-year, $26.88 million contract, so finding a taker for him would be far more difficult.

No one wants that contract, and I can say that without any reservation because it’s been proven. Jarry was put on waivers Wednesday, giving the other 31 teams to take over his contract without giving up any assets and every squad passed on the offer. With that, Pittsburgh sent Jarry to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Similar to Georgiev, Jarry had a terrible start to the 2024-25 campaign, allowing 12 goals on 73 shots (.836 save percentage) over his first three appearances. Jarry then spent time in the minors on a conditioning stint and seemed to stabilize, posting a 2.16 GAA and a .926 save percentage in five AHL outings, but that didn’t translate into NHL success. After rejoining the Penguins, he allowed five goals on 38 shots to Columbus in his first start back and has continued to struggle, posting an 8-8-4 record, 3.31 GAA and .884 save percentage through 22 NHL outings this campaign.

Given that Jarry floundered even after a strong showing in the minors, it’d be hard to trust him even if he shows promise again in the AHL, especially because the 18-20-8 Penguins have very little margin for error left in their fight to stay in the Wild Card picture. There’s always the chance that injuries or a trade will change things, but for now, Pittsburgh seems set to spend the final months of the season with the goaltending duo of Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist, the latter of whom was called up in a move corresponding with Jarry’s demotion. Blomqvist is just 23 and someone the Penguins hope will be a significant part of the team long-term.

Speaking of the future, there are likely no good solutions when it comes to Jarry. Barring a comeback for the ages, the Penguins will likely look to part ways with him over the summer. They could try bundling draft picks to trade him but at $5.375 million through 2027-28 for a goaltender struggling to stay in the NHL, finding a suitor would be a challenge. Maybe a combination of the Penguins’ offering a really nice sweetener -- Penguins GM Kyle Dubas showed during his time in Toronto that he’d willingly sacrifice a first-round pick in exchange for cap savings -- and retaining some of his remaining salary would be enough to make it happen, but the Penguins would have to decide if they’re really that desperate to move him.

An alternative would be to buy out his remaining term, which would leave Pittsburgh with a cap hit of roughly $1.75 million in 2025-26 for a saving of roughly $3.63 million, but the dead cap would increase to $5.05 million in 2026-27 and be $4.55 million in 2027-28. The Penguins would then have $797,222 of dead cap space in each campaign from 2028-29 through 2030-31. In other words, they’d have a meaningful amount of extra wiggle room next season, but after that, any benefit to buying him out is basically over.

Still, the Penguins might be uniquely positioned for that arrangement to make sense. Erik Karlsson is 34, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang are 37 and Evgeni Malkin is 38. Realistically, Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup window has already closed, but the franchise is reluctant to start a rebuild while the old guard is still playing good hockey. So how about this: The Penguins make the 2025-26 the last dance with this group and then embrace the rebuild. Yes, Crosby and Karlsson are signed through 2026-27 and Letang through 2027-28, but by that point, Crosby and Letang will be approaching 40 while Malkin, whose contract expires after 2025-26, might be gone. Unless something major changes, it seems hard to see how the Penguins will be competitive by that point anyway, so they’ll likely be in rebuild mode regardless of what they want.

So perhaps that’s what will end up happening. In the meantime, though, Jarry will report to the minors while Crosby and Co. will chase a return to the playoffs.

Boston Bruins (Mon vs SJS, Wed @ NJD, Thu vs OTT, Sat vs COL)

The Bruins stopped a six-game losing streak with a 4-3 overtime victory over Florida on Jan. 11 and put more distance on that slump by besting Tampa Bay 6-2 on Jan. 14. Still, the Bruins have no breathing room in the battle for a Wild Card spot, so they need to stay strong. They’ll host the Sharks on Monday, play in New Jersey on Wednesday and then spend their final two games of the week at home, facing Ottawa and Colorado on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

With over half the campaign in the bank, Boston is still searching for offense up the middle. Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha kept the Bruins afloat in that regard last season, providing 60 and 59 points, respectively, but Boston believed it could do even better by signing Elias Lindholm to a massive seven-year, $54.25 million contract.

That hasn’t worked out. Lindholm has just seven goals and 22 points in 46 appearances this year. What makes that more troubling is it comes after he was limited to 15 goals and 44 points in 75 outings in 2023-24. Boston clearly felt that down campaign was an anomaly for Lindholm, who has surpassed the 60-point milestone on three occasions, but perhaps the back half of his career won’t be filled with offensive accomplishments.

Making matters worse is the lackluster production from Zacha (10 goals, 24 points) and Coyle (10 goals, 15 points) this campaign. At least Brad Marchand (16 goals, 35 points) and David Pastrnak (20 goals, 48 points) are still doing well, but the Bruins’ scoring depth beyond that is looking rather bad.

Although it would be awkward to add yet another center when Coyle, Zacha and Lindholm consume a collective $17.75 million in cap space, that might be the play that would improve the Bruins the most. Then again, perhaps the Bruins won’t be buyers at the deadline.

“We’ll see where we’re at,” Bruins president Cam Neely recently said, per Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com. “I think right now, we’ve got to look at two paths: one that we’re buying and one that we may be retooling a little bit.”

In other words, these next few weeks are all the more important. Perhaps that will provide Boston with extra motivation, especially from the team’s core.

Carolina Hurricanes (Mon @ CHI, Tue @ DAL, Thu vs CBJ, Sat @ NYI)

The Hurricanes got off to a 20-10-1 start but went just 6-6-2 from Dec. 20-Jan. 15, so they have some work to do. They’ll start on the road next week with matches in Chicago on Monday and Dallas on Tuesday before returning home to host the Blue Jackets on Thursday. The Hurricanes will conclude the week with a road tilt versus the Islanders.

Carolina got some good news with the activation of Frederik Andersen (knee) off injured reserve. Although Andersen started the campaign with a 3-1-0 record, 1.49 GAA and .941 save percentage in four outings, he hasn’t played since Oct. 26. Rust might be a factor, but he still should have the edge for the starting gig ahead of Pyotr Kochetkov, who has a 16-9-2 record, 2.54 GAA and .901 save percentage in 28 appearances. It seems extremely likely that Kochetkov will see his workload diminish but given Andersen’s age (35) and injury history, Carolina might hesitate to lean on him too much even if he produces good results. Despite the Hurricanes’ mediocre play of late, Carolina’s position is still strong enough to prioritize making sure Andersen will be optimal for the playoffs.

Andersen isn’t the only veteran of importance for the team. The 36-year-old Jordan Staal is a valued member too, though the team captain’s contributions typically aren’t in the offensive zone. One notable exception to that was from Jan. 5-10 -- a stretch in which Staal collected five goals and eight points over four games. That stretch included a hat trick on Jan. 9, the fifth of his career and second since joining Carolina in 2012.

The good times are probably over, though. He had no points and no shots for Carolina on Jan. 12 and Jan. 15, so if you picked him up for the hot streak, it’s time to move on. On the plus side, Brent Burns is still hot. He has five assists over his past five appearances and nine points (two goals) across his last 11 outings. Burns has taken a step back offensively in 2024-25, largely due to his diminished power-play role, but his recent success has pushed him up to four goals and 18 points in 45 outings in 2024-25. Who knows, maybe he’ll have a strong second half, though I’d feel more confident about suggesting that if he was on the top power-play unit. As it is, Burns has just one assist with the man advantage this season, down from 20 power-play points in 2023-24.

Minnesota Wild (Mon @ COL, Thu vs UTA, Sat vs CGY, Sun @ CHI)

The Wild are enduring about as close as they get to a cold spell with three defeats over their past four games, dropping them to 27-14-4. Things won’t get any easier Monday in Colorado, but the rest of the week looks favorable. Minnesota will host Utah on Thursday, Calgary on Saturday and play in Chicago on Sunday.

The Wild's biggest issue is the absence of star forward Kirill Kaprizov (lower body). He was moved to long-term injured reserve Thursday, and although it’s retroactive to Dec. 23, they probably wouldn’t have done that if he was expected back soon. Minnesota will also miss Marcus Johansson (head) next week after sustaining the injury Wednesday.

Those absences have opened the door for Liam Ohgren, who was recalled from AHL Iowa on Thursday and will presumably play regularly next week. The 20-year-old was taken with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and has shown promise in the AHL, supplying 12 goals and 23 points in 25 outings this season. He hasn’t recorded a point in eight games with Minnesota in 2024-25, but he’s also averaged just 9:53 of ice time over that stretch. It’ll be interesting to see if he plays a bigger role than he did during his stint in October, both because he’s gotten some seasoning in the minors and the fact that Kaprizov and Johansson were eating big minutes.

Then again, Jakub Lauko is also in the mix. He hasn’t played since Dec. 14 due to a lower-body injury, but he’s off IR now, setting the stage for his return. Before the injury, he had two goals and four points across 24 appearances with the Wild in 2024-25 while averaging just 10:00. Lauko is more of a gritty forward without Ohgren’s offensive upside, but perhaps that’s what the Wild want to help fill out the minutes lost, especially given Lauko’s edge in NHL experience.

That aside, Minnesota has to be happy that Ryan Hartman has stepped up in the face of those injuries, providing three goals and seven points across his past eight appearances, especially after struggling up to that point with four goals and seven points across his past 32 outings. Hartman hasn’t seen consistent use on the power play in 2024-25, but his recent play might lead to Minnesota reevaluating that. Although he hasn’t come close to replicating his 34-goal, 65-point showing in 2021-22 since that campaign, Hartman can still be an effective secondary scorer under the right circumstances and did provide 10 power-play points -- 45 overall -- in 2023-24.

Nashville Predators (Tue vs SJS, Thu @ SJS, Sat @ ANA)

This has been a miserable season for the Predators, but they’ve won their last two games and do have some favorable matchups ahead. They’ll play a home-and-away series against San Jose on Tuesday and Thursday before facing the Ducks in Anaheim on Saturday.

There’s not much in the way of silver linings for Nashville this campaign, but at least Steven Stamkos has gotten better as he’s settled in with the club. He has an impressive 11 goals and 21 points across his past 26 appearances, a stark change from his opening eight games in which he was limited to just one point (a goal). There were plenty of assessments that Tampa Bay was right to cut him loose when the squad did, and while the Lightning certainly have to be happy with how things are working out with Jake Guentzel, it seems Stamkos has something left in the tank.

Jonathan Marchessault has also hit his stride. He had five goals and 13 points over his first 28 outings with the Predators, but he’s been one of the league’s top players dating back to Dec. 10 with nine goals and 20 points across 16 games.

That begs the question, though: If Nashville’s big free-agent signings are paying off after all, then why is Nashville still just 15-22-7? Sure, the Predators have looked better from Dec. 12 onward with an 8-6-1 record, but even that stretch doesn’t align with the team’s high offseason expectations.

Part of the problem is secondary scoring. In addition to Stamkos and Marchessault, the Predators do have Filip Forsberg (13 goals, 38 points), Ryan O’Reilly (13 goals, 26 points) and defenseman Roman Josi (eight goals, 30 points), but no one else has reached the 20-point mark. That gives Nashville five players who have passed that milestone while the average team has 7.17. The average team also has 5.56 players with at least 10 goals while Nashville has four.

The fall of Gustav Nyquist, who recorded 75 points last campaign but has just 18 points (seven goals) in 43 appearances in 2024-25, is a big factor in that, and unlike Stamkos and Marchessault, Nyquist doesn’t seem to be getting meaningfully better as the campaign progresses. It’d also have been nice if the 22-year-old Luke Evangelista built off his 2023-24 39-point showing, but instead, he has four goals and 14 points in 39 appearances this season.

The other factor is the defense. Nashville is tied for 21st in xGA/60 with 3.07, per Moneypuck. Juuse Saros has held his own with a plus-2.5 goals saved above expected, but that just suggests he’s been average rather than exceptional and on a team with as leaky a defense as the Predators’, they really do need the Saros of old. Instead, the current version is 10-18-6 with a 2.75 GAA and a .903 save percentage. He continues to be consistent too, supplying a 4-5-1 record, 2.80 GAA and .889 save percentage across his past 10 games.

Ottawa Senators (Tue @ NYR, Thu @ BOS, Sat vs TOR, Sun vs UTA)

Ottawa is 22-18-4 and in the mix for a playoff spot, but the Senators have to be nervous given the recent success enjoyed by Detroit and Montreal. The pressure is on Ottawa going into its road tilts against the Rangers on Tuesday and the Bruins on Thursday. The Senators will then play in Toronto on Saturday and Utah on Sunday.

Ottawa’s forwards have been going through a quiet stretch with Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk each recording three or fewer points over Ottawa’s past four games. Shane Pinto is enjoying some success, though, supplying two goals and four points over his past four games.

Pinto hasn’t been great overall in 2024-25 with eight goals and 14 points in 36 appearances. He showed offensive potential over his previous two campaigns with 29 goals and 62 points across 123 outings, but the 24-year-old hasn’t taken the next step yet, despite averaging a healthy 17:40 of ice time in 2024-25.

It’d help if he shot the puck more. He’s averaging just 6.1 shots/60, down from 8.9 last year, which is why he’s been limited to eight markers despite a healthy 12.3 shooting percentage (his career average is 10.9). He’s showing no signs of doing that, though, managing just six shots over his past four games. Unless that changes, Pinto likely won’t be a long-term play.

Things have looked better in goal, though. Linus Ullmark (back) is still out and probably won’t return next week, but his continued absence has been made tolerable by the rise of Leevi Merilainen. The 22-year-old rookie has a 5-2-1 record, 1.84 GAA and .930 save percentage in eight outings in 2024-25. He’s made four consecutive starts for Ottawa, allowing a mere three goals on 106 shots (.972 save percentage).

It’s inevitable that he’s going to have bad games, but if his overall level of play remains high, then Ottawa will have a near impossible time justifying sending him down after Ullmark returns. Instead, Anton Forsberg, who is 4-8-1 with a 3.10 GAA and an .883 save percentage, might find himself on waivers, which would allow Ottawa to go with an Ullmark-Merilainen combo. There’s also a chance that Forsberg might be traded or even claimed because he’s in the final season of a three-year, $8.25 million deal, which makes him a tolerable rental from a cap perspective but given his lackluster play over the past three years (30-31-3, 3.21 GAA, .894 save percentage), the other team would need to be fairly desperate.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Mon @ TOR, Tue @ MTL, Fri @ CHI, Sat @ DET)

Tampa Bay has played in just 43 games through Friday’s action, the second least in the league, so the Lightning are going to have a bit of a busier schedule than most for the remainder of the campaign. The Lightning will experience that in the upcoming week during their four-game road trip with stops in Toronto on Monday, Montreal on Tuesday, Chicago on Friday and Detroit on Saturday.

The Lightning are fortunate to be healthy in goal and up front, but blueliner Erik Cernak did sustain an undisclosed injury Thursday and is day-to-day as of the time of writing. Tampa Bay was already missing J.J. Moser (lower body), so that brings Tampa Bay down to five healthy blueliners if Cernak is unavailable.

Nick Perbix might see an increase in playing time from his season average of 15:28. He has four goals, 11 points, 14 PIM, 28 hits and 40 blocks in 38 appearances in 2024-25, so he’s only a factor in the deepest of fantasy leagues. The 23-year-old Emil Lilleberg getting a bigger role would be more interesting. Lilleberg ranks second among all defensemen with 72 PIM, and he has 71 hits. If an increase in playing time leads to even a modest uptick in offensive production -- he has nine assists in 40 appearances while averaging 15:43 of ice time -- then that would be interesting in leagues that also use penalty minutes.

Regardless of what happens on defense, though, Tampa Bay has a forward group to be envious of. The Lightning have five forwards with 37 or more points compared to the league average of 1.59. There’s also Nick Paul, who is a solid secondary scorer with 11 goals and 25 points in 37 appearances. He’s on a bit of a roll right now with two goals and five points over his past six games, so he’s worth consideration as a short-term grab, especially given Tampa Bay’s packed upcoming lineup.

Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov remains as dominant as ever. He’s on a seven-game scoring streak in which he’s provided three goals and 11 points, giving him 20 markers and 65 points in 41 outings overall. He ranks third in the scoring race behind Nathan MacKinnon (17 goals, 72 points) and Leon Draisaitl (31 goals, 67 points) and just ahead of Connor McDavid (20 goals, 64 points). It wouldn’t be surprising to see those four compete for the Art Ross Trophy for the remainder of the season.

Vegas Golden Knights (Mon vs STL, Thu @ STL, Fri @ DAL, Sun vs FLA)

Vegas is cruising towards the playoffs with its 29-12-3 record, though it has hit a speed bump, dropping three of its past four games. It wouldn’t be surprising to see better results next week, though. The Golden Knights will start with a home-and-away series against St. Louis on Monday and Thursday. Vegas will then play in Dallas on Friday and host the Panthers on Sunday.

I’m so used to the Golden Knights having injury problems, that it’s weird to see the team basically healthy. Lukas Cormier is on the season-opening injured reserve list, but he’ll probably be sent to the minors once he’s ready to return.

That gives us a glimpse of how this team assembles at full strength. Presently, the forward talent is spread out nicely. Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel and Mark Stone make for a strong first line while Tomas Hertl and William Karlsson each center one of the other two scoring lines -- it's debatable which of those is second and which is third. Presently, Karlsson has Brett Howden on his wing while Hertl has Pavel Dorofeyev.

Then there’s the 23-year-old Cole Schwindt, who doesn’t have much of a role when everyone is healthy. He averaged just 8:24 of ice time from Dec. 19-Jan. 12 and typically doesn’t get consistent linemates. He was then a healthy scratch Tuesday but is projected to draw back into the lineup Friday with the 22-year-old Alexander Holtz resting instead. Holtz also doesn’t have a consistent role when the team is at full strength.

Nicolas Roy is technically the fourth center, but he’s playing more than that role implies, averaging 15:59 per game. He also brings more to the table offensively than someone with the “fourth-line center” label. He had 13 goals and 41 points in 70 outings in 2023-24 and is at six goals and 14 points across 33 appearances this season.

Combine that with the ability to utilize Noah Hanifin, Brayden McNabb, Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore as the squad’s top-four defensemen, and it’s not hard to see why this group is enjoying so much success. There aren’t any glaring needs that they even have going into the playoffs, though it can usually never hurt to have too much depth, so maybe Vegas will look to add a complementary piece or two as some injury insurance.

Winnipeg Jets (Mon @ UTA, Wed @ COL, Fri vs UTA, Sun vs CGY)

Winnipeg has won its past three games, bringing it up to 31-12-3 in 2024-25. That puts them on a 55-win pace, which would be the most in franchise history -- the Jets’ previous best was 52 in 2017-18 and 2023-24. We’ll see if the Jets can continue their smooth performance this campaign next week. They’ll play in Utah on Monday and Colorado on Wednesday before returning home to host Utah on Friday and the Flames on Sunday.

Connor Hellebuyck remains the backbone of their success. He’s allowed just four goals on 93 shots (.957 save percentage) over his past four starts and now has a 28-6-2 record, 1.97 GAA and .929 save percentage in 36 outings. Like the Jets, it’s entirely feasible that he’ll surpass his career high in wins. His current best is 44, which he set in 2017-18. Assumingly, that wasn’t one of the two times he won the Vezina Trophy, finishing second that year to Pekka Rinne with both of those netminders getting similar results -- Hellebuyck was 44-11-9 with a 2.36 GAA and a .924 save percentage in 67 appearances while Rinne was 42-13-4 with a 2.31 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 59 starts.

This season, Hellebuyck is looking like a heavy favorite in the Vezina Trophy race. In addition to dominating the win category (the next best goaltender is Jake Oettinger with 22), he also leads in save percentage (Hellebuyck’s .929 narrowly beats Anthony Stolarz’s .927, though Stolarz has been limited to 17 starts due to injury) and GAA (his 1.97 tops Darcy Kuemper’s 2.06, and again, Hellebuyck has a huge edge in starts compared to Kuemper’s 22) among those with at least 10 appearances.

In a different year, I think there’d be a strong Hart argument to be made for Hellebuyck too, but that would require the top of the scoring leaderboard to be less impressive. We’re probably going to see one or more forwards top 120 points, so odds are one of them will get the Hart. Still, Hellebuyck’s dominance this campaign is remarkable.

We shouldn’t sell the offense short, though. The Jets do rank second in goals per game with 3.57. The top line of Kyle Connor (26 goals, 60 points), Mark Scheifele (27 goals, 53 points) and Gabriel Vilardi (19 goals, 41 points) have led the charge in that regard, but Nikolaj Ehlers’ contributions shouldn’t be overlooked either. He has 14 goals and 38 points across 37 outings in 2024-25, including five goals and 13 points in 13 games since returning from a lower-body injury. Ehlers numbers become more impressive when you consider he’s averaging a somewhat modest 15:37. No player has more points than Ehlers while averaging under 16 minutes (Jason Zucker is next with 33 points), and that’s despite Ehlers missing nine games due to his injury.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – MINNESOTA WILD – Top 15 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #8

Introduction - Dave Hall, Profiles - Derek Neumeier — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 13:00:05 +0000

Prospect System Ranking – 8th (Previous Rank - 5th)
GM: Bill Guerin Hired: August 2019
COACH: John Hynes Hired: November 2023

The Minnesota Wild are saddled with nearly $15 million in dead cap space due to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. This financial squeeze only intensifies the need for young, affordable talent to step up.

Despite holding McKeen’s eighth-ranked prospect system, there are limited names ready to make an immediate NHL impact. Marat Khusnutdinov (ranked 99th) is one of the few exceptions, having come over from the KHL and suited up for 16 games in Minnesota last season. Liam Öhgren (98th) also grabbed two points in four NHL games but will likely spend more time in Iowa before securing a full-time spot.

All eyes are on Jesper Wallstedt, the 11th-ranked McKeen’s prospect overall and the second-rated goaltender. Having spent two years in the AHL, Wallstedt will likely remain in Iowa for another season, with Marc-André Fleury signing a one-year extension. But make no mistake about it, Wallstedt is the future between the pipes at the Xcel Energy Centre.

The Wild were fortunate to land one of the more intriguing defensive prospects in the 2024 NHL Draft when Zeev Buium (ranked 25th) fell to them at 12th overall. Despite being projected as a top 10 pick by most, Buium slipped and instantly became Minnesota’s top defensive prospect. Coming off a stellar freshman season at the University of Denver, which included accolades such as NCAA (NCHC) Best Offensive Defenceman and a U20 WJC Gold Medal, expectations are sky-high in his sophomore year. The hope is that he signs his pro papers by season’s end.

Meanwhile, Danila Yurov (36th) continues to develop well in the KHL. Coming off a historic season, he posted 49 points in 62 games to mark the best season for a second-year player in KHL history. Expected to return to Metallurg Magnitogorsk to defend his championship, Yurov should provide a significant talent boost for the Wild if he makes the jump to North America after the 2024-25 season.

Although the Wild may lack youthful talent ready to make the leap, their core group of young players is already well established. Led by 27-year-old Kirill Kaprizov, the team features youngsters like Matt Boldy (23), Marco Rossi (22), and the recently extended Brock Faber (21), they will hold down the fort until the list of reinforcements are ready to make the jump.

Minnesota Wild Top-15 Prospects

1. Jesper Wallstedt

With the Wild re-upping Marc-Andre Fleury for one final, farewell season it looks likely that Wallstedt will be heading back to the AHL for his third tour of duty there. And really, that’s probably for the best. His game is steadily progressing down there, he’s going to get the lion’s share of the starts for Iowa once again, and the NHL can be utterly vicious to young goalies if they’re not absolutely, completely ready to face it. Wallstedt sure does seem like he’s close to being ready, though. The group of skaters in front of him throughout 2023-24 wasn’t very good, and the club easily could have sunk near the bottom of the league standings if it wasn’t for their star young netminder and team MVP keeping them afloat. Much like many of the world’s best goalies, his large frame, tight technique, and unflappable mindset help him make stopping pucks look simple.

2. Zeev Buium

The top of the 2024 draft was so crowded that Buium easily could have been selected a lot higher than he was, and some other teams surely would have done so if they were the ones picking, but the Wild certainly aren't complaining about how that worked out for them. He wrapped up a true dream season for himself right before that, which included winning both a World Junior gold medal as well as an NCAA Frozen Four championship, the latter of which occurred alongside his older brother, Detroit prospect Shai. His game revolves around doing everything at a high pace, and he's masterfully methodical and precise with how he drives the puck through zones and opens things up offensively. He doesn't quite have the skating of Quinn Hughes or the offensive vision of Adam Fox, but the best-case scenario for him would be to become something of a blend of the two.

3. Danila Yurov

Yurov has finally started to get the ice time in the KHL that he so clearly deserved, and lo and behold, the results so far have been magnificent. He led his entire Magnitogorsk Metallurg team in scoring during the regular season, and not content to stop there, he continued to play a key role for the club as they romped through the playoffs and captured the league championship. There are few forwards out there who can boast having a bag of tricks as deep as his, with smooth hands that can drive possession with care and then extend it through mazes of sticks and skates. The Wild must be thrilled by his progression, because they want to be more competitive as soon as possible, and Yurov, achieving professional success already, might be able to make an impact in the NHL immediately, whenever he crosses the pond.

4. Riley Heidt

The Wild were able to wait all the way until 64th overall in the 2023 draft to pick Heidt, and the organization must still be outright thrilled by that stroke of good fortune, especially with the work he’s done dragging the Cougars from the WHL basement up to being one of the best teams in the league. He's a monstrous offensive threat and point producer, thanks primarily to his exceptional hockey sense and playmaking ability. He's also intensely focused, biding his time patiently to read the play and pick his spots before striking with surgical precision. There's a certain aura about him offensively, where he always seems to be in control and a step or two ahead of his victims. He's also making a lot of necessary progress with his off-puck engagement and resiliency. Prior worries about his ability to translate his game to the NHL level are starting to fall away quickly.

5. Liam Öhgren

Ohgren has had to fight through two straight injury-plagued seasons, so it was a nice gesture when Minnesota called him up late in the year after they were eliminated from the playoffs. And then he returned the favour by scoring his first career NHL goal, which probably felt great for both parties. He is a stocky bulldog of a forward who is great at driving pucks into high-danger areas, and then he also has an aptitude for getting them across the goal in ways both dirty and clean. How he plays takes its toll on his body, but the results speak for themselves. He’s also a born leader who has worn a letter on multiple Tre Kronor sweaters, which he could very likely do again at some point in the future, and his trophy case is already occupied by a number of differently coloured medals.

6. Marat Khusnutdinov

Khusnutdinov had a rather muted opening trial with the Wild, but the franchise is hoping that him getting his feet wet this spring will be a valuable stepping stone that will make him just that much better in the fall when he embarks upon his first full campaign in North America. Make no mistake, though, he showed some flashes of the razzle-dazzle that he was well-known for over in Russia. He can be truly electrifying with how he flies through the neutral zone with the puck on his stick, and once he gets more accustomed to the smaller ice surface of the NHL, he should be able to resume doing this as a regular occurrence. How well will he be able to handle the physical grind of an 82-game season? That’s the big question, and the answer will heavily influence how much value he brings.

7. Ryder Ritchie

Ritchie must feel glad to be done with 2023-24, which was a season riddled with injury issues, inconsistency, and bad puck luck while playing for a bad Raiders team. At least he was able to end his playing time on a high note, walking away with a gold medal from the U18s as a member of the Canadian squad, while scoring at a point-per-game clip. He had entered his draft year as one of the top prospects to watch after a stellar rookie season and impressive showing at the 2023 Hlinka tournament, where he also won a gold medal for Canada, so Minnesota is betting that he can rekindle more of his previous fire moving forward. He's a slippery, skilled winger who loves to attack and can single-handedly create scoring looks for himself or his teammates, while also having a lot of smarts and commitment for his defensive duties.

8. Carson Lambos

Are there any other prospects out there whose stock has fallen as much as Lambos’s has in recent years? Once considered a possible Top 10 pick in the 2021 draft, he ended up sliding down to the 26th selection that year. Things haven’t gone much better since, with stagnated development throughout the remainder of his tenure in the WHL, getting snubbed by Hockey Canada for their 2023 World Juniors roster, and then a wholly pedestrian debut season in the AHL. While he’s certainly not a liability in any of the key areas of the defense position, he doesn’t really excel in any of them either. It’s almost like he’s a player without a clear identity, and that’s always a cause for concern. Luckily for him and for the Wild, there’s still a lot of time left for him to figure things out, and he won’t be rushed along.

9. Daemon Hunt

Hunt is the type of defenceman who has a knack for winning over his coaches, because he seems to always find a way to get the job done, even if it's not always pretty or exciting. If he needs to bear down and defend hard, he can do it. If his team needs a goal and he needs to ramp up the pace, he can do that, too. The best way to describe him might be "low maintenance," and every team needs at least a few guys who fit that description. He’s wise and mature beyond his years, and comes across as someone with natural leadership tendencies, too. It's easy to foresee him repeatedly earning roster spots over more highly-touted peers and grinding out a long and popular NHL career, even if he rarely draws in on a team's top two defensive pairings or becomes any kind of special teams specialist.

10. Charlie Stramel

The 2023-24 season is one that Stramel surely wants to forget. His draft year was strong, strong enough that he got selected 21st overall by the Wild, but he unfortunately followed it up by taking a step backward. His point production slowed down, his overall impact on games waned, his ice time was cut, and he was left off the American roster for the World Juniors despite being included the prior two times. Unsurprisingly, he opted to enter the NCAA transfer portal after it was all said and done, leaving the struggling Wisconsin program for the up-and-coming Michigan State and a reunion with his former coach Adam Nightingale, which might be a career-saving change of scenery for him. There's still enough of a foundation in place for him to eventually become a physical two-way forward in the NHL, but he'll desperately need to find some way to snap out of his funk.

11. Aron Kiviharju

At the start of last season, it would have been unheard of to think that Kiviharju would slide to the 4th round of the draft. However, his progression hit a roadblock, raising questions about his NHL upside. His hockey sense is undeniably great, but for a defenceman of his size, his skating and puck skills might not be as good as they need to be. Many past defenders who resembled him struggled to succeed. Will he be able to buck that trend?

12. Ryan O'Rourke

O’Rourke garnered a lot of fans during his OHL days with his no-nonsense, shutdown brand of defending. The concern that has surfaced, however, is whether his individual tools are good enough to be that kind of player in the pros. He’s not especially big, tough, or athletic, and now he’s much less able to neutralize opponents than he used to be. His character is high and he has experience being a leader, but can those traits help him turn the tide?

13. Hunter Haight

A trade from Barrie to Saginaw in 2022-23 helped provide a short-lived reset for Haight, but overall, he continues to look like a prospect who won't quite live up to his draft status. He plays fast and competes well, but his on-ice impacts and results don't always move the needle as much as they should. At this point it's tricky to envision what kind of role he would fill on an NHL roster.

14. Caeden Bankier

Bankier is a nice find for Minnesota coming out of the 2021 draft, as none of the players in the dozen picks immediately before him or after him are looking as impressive thus far. He protects pucks adeptly with his frame and hands, and he reads the play well enough to get pucks on his stick in offensive situations. There’s NHL potential here as someone who can dress as a checker while also being able to move up the lineup when called upon.

15. Rasmus Kumpulainen

Leaving Finland to go play in the OHL was the best thing for Kumpulainen's career, even though his progression as a player is still moving incrementally. He's a big body who's good at slowing things down and protecting the puck with his reach and strength. Unfortunately, he's a bit of a one-note kind of player. Could he become a 4th-line center who is heavy on the puck down low? Absolutely. Anything more than that, though, is doubtful.

MCKEEN’S 2024 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #5 Minnesota Wild – Organizational Overview – Top 15 Prospects

Player Profiles - Derek Neumeier, Team Overview - Robert Howard — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 11:21:26 +0000

A very disappointing season for the Wild, after two 100-point seasons. It led to a coaching change early in the season but did not result in a playoff berth. GM Bill Guerin’s hands have been largely tied by the salary cap and over $15 million dollars in dead cap space for the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter contracts. Those are reduced to less than $2 million following the 2024-25 season and should provide some welcome oxygen to the organization. It is a big reason why they have not been able to make a big splash in free agency, or at the trade deadline to push this team past the first round of the playoffs. They enter the year with less than $6 million in cap space. Any advancement will likely have to come from within. The core has shown they can do it in the past, and they boast some exceptional young talent in Kirill Kaprizov (27-years old), Joel Eriksson Ek (27) and Matthew Boldy (23).

Marco Rossi (22) graduated to the NHL this season and showed glimpses of his potential, firing 21 goals. Brock Faber (21) emerged as a budding star this season and in the Calder Trophy discussion. 24-year-old Filip Gustavsson struggled in 2023-24 after a promising 2022-23, but not unusual for a young goalie. Marc-Andre Fleury has signed for one more year to ease the pressure on the youngster, while the 9th ranked affiliated prospect on our list, Jesper Wallstedt, continues to develop in the AHL, where he has been excellent. In addition to that core, they boast the fifth best prospect pool among NHL teams, giving them hope for further roster additions. Along with Wallstedt, Danila Yurov ranks 25th by McKeens, after a breakout season in the KHL with 49 points in 62 games. He could have an immediate impact if he decides to come to North America. A deep pool and a strong scouting and development team will look for more gems to emerge from that group.

RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	Acquired	GP	G(W)	A(L)	PTS(GAA)	PIM(SPCT)
1	Jesper Wallstedt	G	21	6-3/215	Iowa (AHL)	`21(20th)	45	22	19	2.70	0.910
2	Danila Yurov	RW	19	6-1/175	Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)	`22(24th)	62	21	28	49	35
3	Riley Heidt	C	19	5-10/180	Prince George (WHL)	`23(64th)	66	37	80	117	42
4	Liam Ohgren	LW	20	6-1/200	Farjestads (SHL)	`22(19th)	26	12	7	19	12
					Minnesota (NHL)	`22(19th)	4	1	1	2	0
5	Marat Khusnutdinov	C	21	5-11/175	SKA St. Petersburg-HK Sochi (KHL)	`20(37th)	55	6	14	20	10
					Minnesota (NHL)	`20(37th)	16	1	3	4	6
6	Carson Lambos	D	21	6-1/200	Iowa (AHL)	`21(26th)	69	4	10	14	64
7	Ryan O'Rourke	D	21	6-0/180	Iowa (AHL)	`20(39th)	70	3	9	12	62
8	Charlie Stramel	C	19	6-3/215	Wisconsin (B1G)	`23(21st)	34	3	5	8	20
9	Caedan Bankier	C	21	6-2/190	Iowa (AHL)	`21(86th)	51	13	10	23	22
10	Daemon Hunt	D	21	6-0/200	Iowa (AHL)	`20(65th)	51	3	26	29	29
				6-0/200	Minnesota (NHL)	`20(65th)	12	0	1	1	0
11	Rasmus Kumpulainen	C	18	6-2/190	Oshawa (OHL)	`23(53rd)	58	28	28	56	48
12	Samuel Walker	RW	24	5-11/160	Iowa (AHL)	`17(200th)	70	14	31	45	24
13	Adam Beckman	LW	22	6-1/170	Iowa (AHL)	`19(75th)	51	19	14	33	24
				6-1/170	Minnesota (NHL)	`19(75th)	11	0	2	2	12
14	Vladislav Firstov	LW	22	6-1/185	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	`19(42nd)	67	17	18	35	68
15	Hunter Haight	C	20	5-10/175	Saginaw (OHL)	`22(47th)	68	25	42	67	28

1. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Iowa Wild (AHL)

With the Wild re-upping Marc-Andre Fleury for one final, farewell season it looks likely that Wallstedt will be heading back to the AHL for his third tour of duty there. And really, that’s probably for the best. His game is steadily progressing down there, he’s going to get the lion’s share of the starts for Iowa once again, and the NHL can be utterly vicious to young goalies if they’re not absolutely, completely ready to face it. Wallstedt sure does seem like he’s close to being ready, though. The group of skaters in front of him throughout 2023-24 wasn’t very good, and the club easily could have sunk near the bottom of the league standings if it wasn’t for their star young netminder and team MVP keeping them afloat. Much like many of the world’s best goalies, his large frame, tight technique and unflappable mindset help him make stopping pucks look simple.

2. Danila Yurov, RW, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)

3. Riley Heidt, C, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

The Wild were able to wait all the way to 64th overall in the 2023 draft to pick Heidt, and the organization must still be outright thrilled by that stroke of good fortune, especially with the work he’s done dragging the Cougars from the WHL basement up to being one of the best teams in the league. He's a monstrous offensive threat and point producer, thanks primarily to his exceptional hockey sense and playmaking ability. He's also intensely focused, biding his time patiently to read the play and pick his spots before striking with surgical precision. There's a certain aura about him offensively, where he always seems to be in control and a step or two ahead of his victims. He's also making a lot of necessary progress with his off-puck engagement and resiliency. Prior worries about his ability to translate his game to the NHL level are starting to fall away quickly.

4. Liam Ohgren, LW, Farjestad BK (SHL)

Ohgren has had to fight through two straight injury-plagued seasons, so it was a nice gesture when Minnesota called him up late in the year after they were eliminated from the playoffs. And then he returned the favour by scoring his first career NHL goal, which probably felt great for both parties. He is a stocky, bulldog of a forward who is great at driving pucks into high-danger areas, and then he also has an aptitude for getting them across the goal in ways both dirty and clean. How he plays takes its toll on his body, but the results speak for themselves. He’s also a born leader who has worn a letter on multiple Tre Kronor sweaters, which he could very likely do again at some point in the future, and his trophy case is already occupied by a number of differently coloured medals.

5. Marat Khusnutdinov, C, HK Sochi (KHL)

Khusnutdinov had a rather muted opening trial with the Wild, but the franchise is hoping that him getting his feet wet this spring will be a valuable steppingstone that will make him just that much better in the fall when he embarks upon his first full campaign in North America. Make no mistake, though, he did show some flashes of the razzle-dazzle that he became well-known for over in Russia. He can be truly electrifying with how he flies through the neutral zone with the puck on his stick, and once he gets more accustomed to the smaller ice surface of the NHL he should be able to resume doing this as a regular occurrence. But how well will he be able to handle the physical grind of an 82-game season? That’s the big question, and the answer will heavily influence how much value he brings.

6. Carson Lambos, D, Iowa Wild (AHL)

Are there any other prospects out there whose stock has fallen as much as Lambos has in recent years? Once considered a possible Top 10 pick in the 2021 draft, he ended up sliding down to the 26th selection that year. Things haven’t gone much better since, with stagnated development throughout the remainder of his tenure in the WHL, getting snubbed by Hockey Canada for their 2023 World Juniors roster, and then a wholly pedestrian debut season in the AHL. While he’s certainly not a liability in any of the key areas of the defense position, he doesn’t really excel in any of them either. It’s almost like he’s a player without a clear identity, and that’s always a cause for concern. Luckily for him and for the Wild, there’s still a lot of time left for him to figure things out, and he won’t be rushed along.

7. Ryan O'Rourke, D, Iowa Wild (AHL)

O’Rourke garnered a lot of fans and admirers during his OHL days with his old school, no-nonsense, shutdown brand of defending. The concern about him that is starting to nag now, however, is whether his individual tools are actually good enough to be that kind of player effectively at the professional level. He’s not the biggest of guys, or the toughest of guys, or the most athletic of guys, and now he’s finding himself unable to neutralize opposing forwards like he used to before. There are still things to like about him, though. His character rates highly, his shot is heavy, and he has a lot of experience being a leader. Him becoming an NHLer in the future is far from certain, and if he does carve out a roster spot it will most likely be as a bottom-pair defenseman and secondary penalty killer.

8. Charlie Stramel, C, University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

9. Caedan Bankier, C, Iowa Wild (AHL)

Bankier is shaping up to be a very nice find for Minnesota coming out of the 2021 draft, as none of the players in the dozen picks immediately before him or the dozen immediately after him are as valuable as prospects as of this point in time. You can really tell just how great of a job the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers did nurturing his development during his time with them. He protects pucks very adeptly with his frame and smooth hands, and he reads the play well enough to consistently get the puck on his stick in prime offensive situations. He knows how to score points within a tight system. His odds of having a long NHL career are pretty good, because he should be able to hold his own in a checking role while also being able to chip in points and move up the lineup when called upon.

10. Daemon Hunt, D, Iowa Wild (AHL)

Hunt is the type of defenseman who has a knack for winning over his coaches, because he seems to always find a way to get the job done, even if it's not always pretty or exciting. If he needs to bear down and defend hard, he can do it. If his team needs a goal and he needs to ramp up the pace, he can do that too. The best way to describe him might be "low maintenance," and every team needs at least some guys who fit that description. He’s wise and mature beyond his years, and comes across as someone with natural leadership tendencies, too. It's easy to foresee him repeatedly earning roster spots over more highly touted peers and grinding out a long and popular NHL career, even if he rarely draws in on a team's top two defense pairings or becomes any kind of special teams’ specialist.

PROSPECT CRITERIA: Players under 26 years of age as of 9/15/2024 who have appeared in less than 60 games (30 for goalies) and less than 25 in one season (25 for goalies).

MCKEEN’S 2024 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT: TOP 30 NHL PROSPECTS

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 12:22:26 +0000

At McKeen’s Hockey we do a ranked affiliated prospect list twice a season. Our first, this ranking, follows the end of the regular season for most prospects but does not include the playoffs. It is a ranking of the top 200, plus the top 15 by team, prior to the NHL Draft. Once the NHL Draft is complete, we begin the process of updating the organizational ranking to a top 20, and then rank the top 300. That is completed in August, once the dust has settled on free agency, and any trades that are made in the meantime. We include that ranking in our McKeen’s NHL Yearbook, published in late August, Early September.

Our team of 16 scouts are based in key markets around the world, in the rinks, supported by video scouting. They utilize some terrific tools from Hudl/InStat, which can isolate so many aspects of a player’s game, along with proprietary statistics. They spend countless hours in rinks and in front of screens and are deeply familiar with these players and their progression. Our management team of Brock Otten (Director of Scouting) and Derek Neumeier (Assistant Director of Scouting/Senior Western Regional Scout), along with Video Scouting Coordinator, Josh Bell, will take the teams input and finalize the list you see below. Brock, Derek and Josh are responsible for the player write-ups in the Prospect Guide.

The organizational rankings are based on an algorithm that takes into account how many prospects are ranked within the top 200. The teams are broken down by the number of prospects in our top 1 -25, 26 - 50, 51 - 100, and 101 - 200. A weight is attached to each group and then some subjective tweaking is done based on our knowledge of the players. There can be a wider discrepancy in the top 25 group than the latter groupings that needs to be taken into account.

Here is our definition of an NHL prospect: Players under 26 years of age as of 9/15/2024 who have appeared in less than 60 NHL games (30 for goalies) and less than 35 in one season (25 for goalies).

Check back in with us in the fall to see how things change following the draft. We are releasing out top 30 NHL Prospects free to non-subscribers. If you want to learn more, link here.

Subscribers can link to the full top 200 listing here

Here is an excerpt of Brock Otten's Risers and Fallers article from the magazine to give you more perspective and a little taste of our content.

The best part of scouting is the somewhat unpredictable nature of human development. Some players improve dramatically from one year to the next…others do not. When we compare the rankings from our 2023-24 NHL Yearbook (where we did a Top 300 prospect ranking) to now, these are the players who have risen/fallen the most.

Risers

DALLAS, TX - APRIL 22: Dallas Stars center Logan Stankoven (11) reacts to a goal score during game one of the Western Conference First Round between the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights on April 22, 2024 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire)

Logan Stankoven (27 to 5) - Dallas Stars

Stankoven’s jump from one of the best players in the WHL to one of the best players in the AHL has been impressive. So has his quick start in the NHL.

Ryan Leonard (32 to 6) – Washington Capitals

Leonard is returning to Boston College after a Championship barely eluded him this year. However, he has proven to be an elite play driver to go with his strong off puck play.

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 11: Look on Montreal Canadiens right wing Joshua Roy (89) during warm-up before the St. Louis Blues versus the Montreal Canadiens game on February 11, 2024, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

Josh Roy (63 to 35) – Montreal Canadiens

Roy continues to prove doubters wrong after a terrific AHL season with Laval. His skill set has become so well rounded since being drafted.

Conor Geekie (68 to 18) – Utah

Geekie’s power game from the middle of the ice makes him such an interesting prospect for today’s NHL. His skating continues to improve.

Mavrik Bourque (79 to 23) – Dallas Stars

Bourque emerged as one of the best players in the AHL this season as a sophomore professional. He’s ready to take that next step with the Stars.

Gabe Perreault (86 to 19) – New York Rangers

Once thought to be the third wheel on the talented Will Smith/Ryan Leonard threesome, Perreault’s progression as a play driver at Boston College this season has altered the perception that he can be a front-line NHL player.

Bradly Nadeau (109 to 34) – Carolina Hurricanes

Drafting early out of the BCHL has yielded inconsistent results, however Nadeau was exceptional as a freshman at Maine. Did he leave school too early though?

Jagger Firkus (112 to 47) – Seattle Kraken

Firkus took his game to another level this year in his final WHL season, leading the league in scoring. He’s ready to be a pro.

Gavin Brindley (122 to 66) – Columbus Blue Jackets

One of the most improved players in the NCAA this year, Brindley emerged as a star for the University of Michigan and really altered his projection as a potential top six forward.

Quentin Musty (125 to 51) – San Jose Sharks

The dynamic American winger worked hard to fine tune components of his game in Sudbury this year and deserves a bump for improving his consistency.

Jani Nyman (135 to 81) – Seattle Kraken

Nyman emerged as one of the top goal scorers in Finland this season as a U20 player. This, combined with his strong WJC performance, has helped push him up our board north.

Logan Mailloux (145 to 45) – Montreal Canadiens

Mailloux proved to be way more refined at the AHL level than previously perceived. Simply put, he was one of the best defensive prospects in the AHL this year.

Josh Doan (153 to 55) - Utah

What a terrific story to the end of the Coyotes franchise. Doan emerged as a potential star this season and finished the year strong in the NHL, scoring in his debut.

Riley Heidt (157 to 44) – Minnesota Wild

We still don’t understand how Heidt fell as far as he did in the 2023 draft, however he is proving NHL scouts wrong thus far after a remarkable year with Prince George.

Ville Koivunen (165 to 71) – Pittsburgh Penguins

The main piece of the Jake Guentzel to Carolina deal, Koivunen emerged as one of the top players in Liiga this year.

Ethan Del Mastro (169 to 73) – Chicago Blackhawks

There was little doubt that Del Mastro’s strong defensive ability would translate to the AHL level well, but he continues to improve offensively and that has altered his projection.

Theo Lindstein (185 to 91) – St. Louis Blues

Lindstein’s strong year for Brynas has helped to elevate his upside as a two-way defender. We may have ranked him too low in our 2023 Draft Rankings.

Carson Rehkopf (201 to 69) – Seattle Kraken

Consistency off the puck and a lack of engagement held Rehkopf back last year. This year marked improvement in those areas helped him emerge as a top offensive talent in the OHL.

Easton Cowan (204 to 67) – Toronto Maple Leafs

One of the surprises of the 2023 draft, Cowan set a new OHL record with a 42-game point streak. More than just a high energy guy now, he can be a difference maker offensively.

Seamus Casey (214 to 63) – New Jersey Devils

Casey continues to improve in the NCAA. He may not have elite size, but he has everything else, and it has the Devils excited about his future.

Jacob Fowler (222 to 52) – Montreal Canadiens

Fowler compiled a list of accolades as a freshman this year at Boston College, emerging as one of the top goaltending prospects in the game.

Fraser Minten (226 to 84) – Toronto Maple Leafs

After starting the year with the Leafs, Minten returned to the WHL and ended up captaining Canada at the World Juniors.

Jackson Blake (277 to 117) – Carolina Hurricanes

A finalist for the Hobey Baker this year, Blake became an NCAA star for North Dakota, and he now turns pro.

Erik Portillo (Unranked to 118) – Los Angeles Kings

Acquired by the Kings, Portillo turned pro after three years at Michigan and he was one of the best goaltenders in the AHL as a first-year pro.

Rodwin Dionicio (Unranked to 139) – Anaheim Ducks

Dionicio still plays a high risk, high reward game from the back end, but his offensive upside has become too large to ignore.

Fallers

EDM - Xavier Bourgault

Xavier Bourgault (from 48 to 113) – Edmonton Oilers

After a mediocre first professional year last season, Bourgault was even more disappointing as a sophomore with Bakersfield. The Oilers just haven’t been developing prospects well in recent years.

Eduard Sale (72 to 140) – Seattle Kraken

Sale’s first year in North America did not go according to plan as he struggled to be a consistent impact player in the OHL.

Jack Rathbone (96 to not ranked) – Pittsburgh Penguins

Perhaps we ranked Rathbone too aggressively this summer, but not only did he fail to earn a spot on Vancouver, but he’s now an NHL after thought after entering Pittsburgh’s organization via trade.

Jacob Perreault (127 to not ranked) – Montreal Canadiens

Perreault’s off puck play and skating just haven’t improved to the point where he can be a consistent pro and it caused the Ducks to move on from him, trading him to Montreal.

Jan Jenik (156 to not ranked) - Utah

Once a highly ranked prospect, Jenik continues to fall. He just hasn’t been able to take that next step and even passed through waivers this year unclaimed.

RNK	PLAYER	NHL	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	GP	G(W)	A(L)	PTS(GAA)	PIM(SPCT)
1	Will Smith	SJ	C	19	6-0/175	Boston College (HE)	41	25	46	71	14
2	Matvei Michkov	Phi	RW	19	5-10/170	SKA St. Petersburg-HK Sochi (KHL)	48	19	22	41	26
3	Brandt Clarke	LA	D	21	6-2/185	Los Angeles (NHL)	16	2	4	6	10
4	Cutter Gauthier	Ana	LW	20	6-2/190	Boston College (HE)	41	38	27	65	18
5	Logan Stankoven	Dal	C	21	5-8/170	Dallas (NHL)	24	6	8	14	4
6	Ryan Leonard	Wsh	RW	19	5-11/190	Boston College (HE)	41	31	29	60	38
7	Alexander Nikishin	Car	D	22	6-3/195	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	67	17	39	56	39
8	Yaroslav Askarov	Nsh	G	21	6-3/175	Milwaukee (AHL)	44	30	13	2.39	0.911
9	Jesper Wallstedt	Min	G	21	6-3/215	Iowa (AHL)	45	22	19	2.70	0.910
10	Matthew Savoie	Buf	C	20	5-9/179	Wen-MJ (WHL)	34	30	41	71	10
11	Simon Edvinsson	Det	D	21	6-6/215	Detroit (NHL)	16	1	1	2	4
12	Jonathan Lekkerimaki	Van	RW	19	5-11/170	Orebro (SHL)	46	19	12	31	10
13	Dustin Wolf	Cgy	G	23	6-0/166	Calgary (AHL)	36	20	12	2.45	0.922
14	Devon Levi	Buf	G	21	6-0/192	Rochester (AHL)	26	16	6	2.42	0.927
15	Olen Zellweger	Ana	D	20	5-9/180	Anaheim (NHL)	26	2	7	9	4
16	Dmitri Simashev	Ari	D	19	6-4/198	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	63	4	6	10	18
17	David Reinbacher	Mtl	D	19	6-2/185	Kloten (Sui-NL)	35	1	10	11	18
18	Conor Geekie	Ari	C	19	6-3/193	Wen-SC (WHL)	55	43	56	99	66
19	Gabe Perreault	NYR	RW	18	5-11/165	Boston College (HE)	36	19	41	60	29
20	Daniil But	Ari	LW	19	6-5/203	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	55	10	11	21	10
21	Shane Wright	Sea	C	20	6-0/200	Coachella Valley (AHL)	59	22	25	47	18
22	Jiri Kulich	Buf	C	20	6-1/186	Rochester (AHL)	57	27	18	45	26
23	Mavrik Bourque	Dal	C	22	5-10/190	Texas (AHL)	71	26	51	77	32
24	Nate Danielson	Det	C	19	6-2/185	Bdn-Por (WHL)	54	24	43	67	42
25	Danila Yurov	Min	RW	19	6-1/175	Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)	62	21	28	49	35
26	Brennan Othmann	NYR	LW	21	6-0/175	Hartford (AHL)	67	21	28	49	65
27	Lane Hutson	Mtl	D	20	5-10/160	Boston University (HE)	38	15	34	49	24
28	Tom Willander	Van	D	19	6-1/180	Boston University (HE)	38	4	21	25	12
29	Marco Kasper	Det	C	20	6-1/185	Grand Rapids (AHL)	71	14	21	35	30
30	Dalibor Dvorsky	StL	C	18	6-1/200	Sudbury (OHL)	52	45	43	88	17

2024 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT: TOP 200 NHL PROSPECTS

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 25 May 2024 17:02:31 +0000

At McKeen’s Hockey we do a ranked affiliated prospect list twice a season. Our first is following the end of the regular season for most prospects but does not include the playoffs. It is a ranking of the top 200, plus the top 15 by team, prior to the NHL Draft. Once the NHL Draft is complete, we begin the process of updating the organizational ranking to a top 20, and then rank the top 300. That is completed in August, once the dust has settled on free agency, and any trades that are made in the meantime. We include that ranking in our McKeen’s NHL Yearbook, published in late August, Early September.

Check back in with us in the fall to see how things change following the draft.

Subscribers can link to the listing here

RNK	PLAYER	NHL	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	GP	G(W)	A(L)	PTS(GAA)	PIM(SPCT)
1	Will Smith	SJ	C	19	6-0/175	Boston College (HE)	41	25	46	71	14
2	Matvei Michkov	Phi	RW	19	5-10/170	SKA St. Petersburg-HK Sochi (KHL)	48	19	22	41	26
3	Brandt Clarke	LA	D	21	6-2/185	Los Angeles (NHL)	16	2	4	6	10
4	Cutter Gauthier	Ana	LW	20	6-2/190	Boston College (HE)	41	38	27	65	18
5	Logan Stankoven	Dal	C	21	5-8/170	Dallas (NHL)	24	6	8	14	4
6	Ryan Leonard	Wsh	RW	19	5-11/190	Boston College (HE)	41	31	29	60	38
7	Alexander Nikishin	Car	D	22	6-3/195	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	67	17	39	56	39
8	Yaroslav Askarov	Nsh	G	21	6-3/175	Milwaukee (AHL)	44	30	13	2.39	0.911
9	Jesper Wallstedt	Min	G	21	6-3/215	Iowa (AHL)	45	22	19	2.70	0.910
10	Matthew Savoie	Buf	C	20	5-9/179	Wen-MJ (WHL)	34	30	41	71	10
11	Simon Edvinsson	Det	D	21	6-6/215	Detroit (NHL)	16	1	1	2	4
12	Jonathan Lekkerimaki	Van	RW	19	5-11/170	Orebro (SHL)	46	19	12	31	10
13	Dustin Wolf	Cgy	G	23	6-0/166	Calgary (AHL)	36	20	12	2.45	0.922
14	Devon Levi	Buf	G	21	6-0/192	Rochester (AHL)	26	16	6	2.42	0.927
15	Olen Zellweger	Ana	D	20	5-9/180	Anaheim (NHL)	26	2	7	9	4
16	Dmitri Simashev	Ari	D	19	6-4/198	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	63	4	6	10	18
17	David Reinbacher	Mtl	D	19	6-2/185	Kloten (Sui-NL)	35	1	10	11	18
18	Conor Geekie	Ari	C	19	6-3/193	Wen-SC (WHL)	55	43	56	99	66
19	Gabe Perreault	NYR	RW	18	5-11/165	Boston College (HE)	36	19	41	60	29
20	Daniil But	Ari	LW	19	6-5/203	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	55	10	11	21	10
21	Shane Wright	Sea	C	20	6-0/200	Coachella Valley (AHL)	59	22	25	47	18
22	Jiri Kulich	Buf	C	20	6-1/186	Rochester (AHL)	57	27	18	45	26
23	Mavrik Bourque	Dal	C	22	5-10/190	Texas (AHL)	71	26	51	77	32
24	Nate Danielson	Det	C	19	6-2/185	Bdn-Por (WHL)	54	24	43	67	42
25	Danila Yurov	Min	RW	19	6-1/175	Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)	62	21	28	49	35
26	Brennan Othmann	NYR	LW	21	6-0/175	Hartford (AHL)	67	21	28	49	65
27	Lane Hutson	Mtl	D	20	5-10/160	Boston University (HE)	38	15	34	49	24
28	Tom Willander	Van	D	19	6-1/180	Boston University (HE)	38	4	21	25	12
29	Marco Kasper	Det	C	20	6-1/185	Grand Rapids (AHL)	71	14	21	35	30
30	Dalibor Dvorsky	StL	C	18	6-1/200	Sudbury (OHL)	52	45	43	88	17
31	Brad Lambert	Wpg	C	20	6-0/180	Manitoba (AHL)	64	21	34	55	38
32	Ivan Miroshnichenko	Wsh	LW	20	6-1/185	Washington (NHL)	21	2	4	6	6
33	Axel Sandin Pellikka	Det	D	19	5-11/180	Skelleftea (SHL)	39	10	8	18	17
34	Bradly Nadeau	Car	LW	18	5-10/165	Maine (HE)	37	19	27	46	12
35	Joshua Roy	Mtl	RW	20	6-0/190	Montreal (NHL)	23	4	5	9	0
36	Denton Mateychuk	CBJ	D	19	5-11/190	Moose Jaw (WHL)	52	17	58	75	31
37	Brayden Yager	Pit	C	19	5-11/165	Moose Jaw (WHL)	57	35	60	95	20
38	Calum Ritchie	Col	C	19	6-2/185	Oshawa (OHL)	50	28	52	80	20
39	Joakim Kemell	Nsh	RW	20	5-10/185	Milwaukee (AHL)	67	16	25	41	23
40	Colby Barlow	Wpg	LW	19	6-0/195	Owen Sound (OHL)	50	40	18	58	27
41	Jimmy Snuggerud	StL	RW	19	6-1/185	Minnesota (B1G)	39	21	13	34	42
42	Matthew Coronato	Cgy	RW	21	5-10/183	Calgary (NHL)	34	3	6	9	4
43	Frank Nazar	Chi	C	20	5-10/180	Michigan (B1G)	41	17	24	41	18
44	Riley Heidt	Min	C	19	5-10/180	Prince George (WHL)	66	37	80	117	42
45	Logan Mailloux	Mtl	D	21	6-3/215	Laval (AHL)	72	14	33	47	91
46	Sebastian Cossa	Det	G	21	6-6/229	Grand Rapids (AHL)	40	22	9	2.41	0.913
47	Jagger Firkus	Sea	RW	20	5-10/155	Moose Jaw (WHL)	63	61	65	126	30
48	Mikhail Gulyayev	Col	D	19	5-11/170	Avangard Omsk (KHL)	64	4	8	12	8
49	Scott Morrow	Car	D	21	6-2/195	Massachusetts (HE)	37	6	24	30	25
50	Matthew Wood	Nsh	RW	19	6-3/195	Connecticut (HE)	35	16	12	28	43
51	Quentin Musty	SJ	LW	18	6-2/200	Sudbury (OHL)	53	43	59	102	72
52	Jacob Fowler	Mtl	G	19	6-1/215	Boston College (HE)	39	32	6	2.14	0.926
53	Fabian Lysell	Bos	RW	21	5-11/181	Providence (AHL)	56	15	35	50	37
54	Shakir Mukhamadullin	SJ	D	22	6-3/180	San Jose (AHL)	55	7	27	34	24
55	Josh Doan	Ari	RW	22	6-1/183	Arizona (NHL)	11	5	4	9	0
56	Thomas Bordeleau	SJ	C	22	5-9/180	San Jose (NHL)	27	6	5	11	18
57	Lian Bichsel	Dal	D	19	6-6/233	Rogle (SHL)	29	2	2	4	28
58	Nikolai Kovalenko	Col	RW	24	5-10/180	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	42	11	24	35	30
59	Aatu Raty	Van	C	21	6-2/185	Abbotsford (AHL)	72	18	34	52	18
60	Oliver Moore	Chi	C	19	5-11/185	Minnesota (B1G)	39	9	24	33	8
61	Samuel Honzek	Cgy	LW	19	6-4/186	Vancouver (WHL)	33	10	21	31	18
62	Jakob Pelletier	Cgy	LW	23	5-9/170	Calgary (NHL)	13	1	2	3	2
63	Seamus Casey	NJ	D	20	5-9/165	Michigan (B1G)	40	7	38	45	14
64	Tristan Luneau	Ana	D	20	6-1/195	Anaheim (NHL)	7	1	2	3	4
65	Chaz Lucius	Wpg	C	20	6-1/185	Manitoba (AHL)	17	2	11	13	6
66	Gavin Brindley	CBJ	C	19	5-9/165	Michigan (B1G)	40	25	28	53	28
67	Easton Cowan	Tor	RW	18	5-10/170	London (OHL)	54	34	62	96	64
68	Zachary L'Heureux	Nsh	LW	20	5-11/195	Milwaukee (AHL)	66	19	29	48	197
69	Carson Rehkopf	Sea	LW	19	6-1/195	Kitchener (OHL)	60	52	43	95	45
70	Filip Bystedt	SJ	C	20	6-4/205	Linkopings (SHL)	47	8	9	17	2
71	Ville Koivunen	Pit	LW	20	6-0/175	Karpat (Fin-Liiga)	59	22	34	56	26
72	Noah Ostlund	Buf	C	20	5-11/163	Vaxjo Lakers (SHL)	38	12	11	23	4
73	Ethan Del Mastro	Chi	D	21	6-4/210	Rockford (AHL)	69	7	30	37	54
74	Lukas Cormier	VGK	D	22	5-10/180	Henderson (AHL)	58	4	16	20	33
75	Liam Ohgren	Min	LW	20	6-1/200	Farjestads (SHL)	26	12	7	19	12
76	Marat Khusnutdinov	Min	C	21	5-11/175	Minnesota (NHL)	16	1	3	4	6
77	Mackie Samoskevich	Fla	RW	21	5-11/190	Charlotte (AHL)	62	22	32	54	24
78	Stanislav Svozil	CBJ	D	21	6-1/180	Cleveland (AHL)	57	5	18	23	24
79	Zachary Bolduc	StL	LW	21	6-1/175	St. Louis (NHL)	25	5	4	9	6
80	Rutger McGroarty	Wpg	LW	20	6-1/200	Michigan (B1G)	36	16	36	52	6
81	Jani Nyman	Sea	RW	19	6-3/215	Ilves (Fin-Liiga)	48	26	17	43	2
82	Andrew Cristall	Wsh	LW	19	5-9/165	Kelowna (WHL)	62	40	71	111	46
83	Oliver Bonk	Phi	D	19	6-2/175	London (OHL)	60	24	43	67	32
84	Fraser Minten	Tor	C	19	6-1/185	Kam-Sas (WHL)	43	22	26	48	25
85	Tanner Molendyk	Nsh	D	19	5-11/185	Saskatoon (WHL)	50	10	46	56	18
86	David Goyette	Sea	C	20	5-10/175	Sudbury (OHL)	68	40	77	117	29
87	David Edstrom	SJ	C	19	6-3/185	Frolunda (SHL)	44	7	12	19	8
88	Anton Wahlberg	Buf	C	18	6-3/194	Malmo (SHL)	43	5	5	10	4
89	Emil Andrae	Phi	D	22	5-9/185	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	61	5	27	32	66
90	Trey Augustine	Det	G	19	6-1/185	Michigan State (B1G)	35	23	9	2.96	0.915
91	Theo Lindstein	StL	D	19	6-0/180	Brynas (HockeyAllsvenskan)	49	4	11	15	4
92	Mads Sogaard	Ott	G	23	6-7/195	Belleville (AHL)	32	18	9	2.45	0.916
93	Isak Rosen	Buf	RW	21	6-0/175	Rochester (AHL)	67	20	30	50	12
94	Maveric Lamoureux	Ari	D	20	6-7/214	Drummondville (QMJHL)	39	9	24	33	53
95	Drew Commesso	Chi	G	21	6-2/180	Rockford (AHL)	38	18	16	2.65	0.906
96	Ville Heinola	Wpg	D	23	6-0/180	Manitoba (AHL)	41	10	17	27	24
97	Carter Mazur	Det	LW	22	6-0/170	Grand Rapids (AHL)	60	17	20	37	48
98	Otto Stenberg	StL	C	18	5-11/180	Frolunda (SHL)	31	3	3	6	8
99	Egor Afanasyev	Nsh	LW	23	6-3/205	Milwaukee (AHL)	56	27	27	54	60
100	Nikita Chibrikov	Wpg	RW	21	5-10/170	Manitoba (AHL)	70	17	30	47	53
101	Zach Dean	StL	C	21	6-0/175	Springfield (AHL)	49	9	5	14	24
102	William Dufour	NYI	RW	22	6-2/195	Bridgeport (AHL)	55	15	10	25	35
103	Sam Rinzel	Chi	D	19	6-4/180	Minnesota (B1G)	39	2	26	28	20
104	Joel Blomqvist	Pit	G	22	6-2/185	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	45	25	12	2.16	0.921
105	Arseni Gritsyuk	NJ	RW	23	5-10/170	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	50	19	19	38	8
106	Corson Ceulemans	CBJ	D	20	6-2/200	Cleveland (AHL)	47	3	9	12	12
107	Michael Hrabal	Ari	G	19	6-6/209	Massachusetts (HE)	30	16	12	2.59	0.912
108	Brendan Brisson	VGK	C	22	5-11/180	Vegas (NHL)	15	2	6	8	2
109	Owen Pickering	Pit	D	20	6-4/180	Swift Current (WHL)	59	7	39	46	35
110	Owen Beck	Mtl	C	20	5-11/185	Pbo-Sag (OHL)	57	34	47	81	18
111	William Wallinder	Det	D	21	6-4/190	Grand Rapids (AHL)	65	3	12	15	10
112	Xavier Bourgault	Edm	C	21	6-0/170	Bakersfield (AHL)	55	8	12	20	24
113	Jordan Dumais	CBJ	RW	20	5-8/165	Halifax (QMJHL)	21	16	31	47	6
114	Aleksi Heimosalmi	Car	D	20	5-11/170	Assat (Fin-Liiga)	47	2	14	16	12
115	Brandon Bussi	Bos	G	25	6-4/218	Providence (AHL)	41	23	10	2.67	0.913
116	Jackson Blake	Car	RW	20	5-10/160	North Dakota (NCHC)	40	22	38	60	26
117	Erik Portillo	LA	G	23	6-6/210	Ontario (AHL)	39	24	11	2.50	0.918
118	Sean Farrell	Mtl	C	22	5-8/175	Laval (AHL)	47	9	19	28	10
119	Kasper Halttunen	SJ	RW	18	6-3/205	London (OHL)	57	32	29	61	61
120	Topi Niemela	Tor	D	22	5-11/165	Toronto (AHL)	68	8	31	39	43
121	Ethan Gauthier	TB	RW	19	5-11/175	Drummondville (QMJHL)	64	36	35	71	42
122	Daniil Miromanov	Cgy	D	26	6-4/200	VGK-Cgy (NHL)	24	3	4	7	8
123	Ruslan Iskhakov	NYI	C	23	5-8/155	Bridgeport (AHL)	69	18	32	50	30
124	Shai Buium	Det	D	21	6-3/210	Denver (NCHC)	43	7	29	36	14
125	Jakub Dobes	Mtl	G	22	6-3/200	Laval (AHL)	51	24	18	2.93	0.906
126	Oliver Kapanen	Mtl	C	20	6-0/170	KalPa (Fin-Liiga)	51	14	20	34	32
127	Danny Nelson	NYI	C	18	6-3/200	Notre Dame (B1G)	30	9	14	23	32
128	Lenni Hameenaho	NJ	RW	19	6-0/175	Assat (Fin-Liiga)	46	14	17	31	10
129	Nick Lardis	Chi	LW	18	5-11/165	Brantford (OHL)	37	29	21	50	12
130	Ty Nelson	Sea	D	20	5-10/195	North Bay (OHL)	54	16	36	52	50
131	Isaac Howard	TB	LW	20	5-10/185	Michigan State (B1G)	36	8	28	36	10
132	Fyodor Svechkov	Nsh	C	21	6-0/185	Milwaukee (AHL)	57	16	23	39	18
133	Jeremie Poirier	Cgy	D	21	6-1/196	Calgary (AHL)	23	3	10	13	22
134	Reid Schaefer	Nsh	LW	20	6-3/215	Milwaukee (AHL)	63	7	14	21	39
135	Zack Ostapchuk	Ott	C	20	6-3/205	Belleville (AHL)	69	17	11	28	47
136	Nathan Gaucher	Ana	C	20	6-3/207	San Diego (AHL)	72	10	15	25	68
137	Rodwin Dionicio	Ana	D	20	6-2/207	Wsr-Sag (OHL)	60	25	48	73	108
138	Eduard Sale	Sea	LW	19	6-1/170	Bar-Kit (OHL)	49	15	23	38	8
139	Danil Gushchin	SJ	RW	22	5-8/165	San Jose (AHL)	56	20	34	54	24
140	Sean Behrens	Col	D	21	5-10/175	Denver (NCHC)	44	4	27	31	53
141	Christian Kyrou	Dal	D	20	5-10/170	Texas (AHL)	57	8	15	23	22
142	Niklas Kokko	Sea	G	20	6-3/185	Pelicans (Fin-Liiga)	13	9	0	1.49	0.926
143	Vasily Ponomarev	Pit	C	22	5-10/180	Tuc-Chi-WBS (AHL)	45	9	21	30	16
144	Ryan Winterton	Sea	RW	20	6-2/190	Coachella Valley (AHL)	58	22	13	35	23
145	Dmitri Buchelnikov	Det	LW	20	5-10/165	Admiral Vladivostok (KHL)	55	13	16	29	8
146	Oscar Fisker Molgaard	Sea	C	19	6-0/165	HV 71 (SHL)	50	9	12	21	6
147	Aku Raty	Ari	RW	22	6-1/190	Tucson (AHL)	55	15	29	44	22
148	Matyas Sapovaliv	VGK	C	20	6-3/180	Saginaw (OHL)	54	19	43	62	22
149	Georgii Merkulov	Bos	C	23	5-11/175	Providence (AHL)	67	30	35	65	20
150	Topias Vilen	NJ	D	21	6-1/195	Utica (AHL)	54	2	27	29	16
151	Ryan Chesley	Wsh	D	20	6-0/200	Minnesota (B1G)	39	2	6	8	19
152	Jayden Perron	Car	RW	19	5-9/165	North Dakota (NCHC)	39	11	7	18	8
153	Tristen Robins	SJ	C	22	5-10/175	San Jose (AHL)	42	7	11	18	12
154	Calle Odelius	NYI	D	19	6-0/190	Djurgardens (HockeyAllsvenskan)	10	0	4	4	2
155	Vincent Iorio	Wsh	D	21	6-2/190	Hershey (AHL)	60	4	10	14	30
156	Raphael Lavoie	Edm	RW	23	6-4/215	Bakersfield (AHL)	66	28	22	50	64
157	Ronnie Attard	Phi	D	25	6-3/210	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	48	10	17	27	37
158	Niko Huuhtanen	TB	RW	20	6-2/205	Jukurit (Fin-Liiga)	52	19	27	46	46
159	Carson Bjarnason	Phi	G	18	6-3/185	Brandon (WHL)	46	24	17	3.01	0.907
160	Lukas Dragicevic	Sea	D	19	6-1/190	Tri-City (WHL)	66	14	36	50	52
161	Leevi Merilainen	Ott	G	21	6-2/160	Belleville (AHL)	24	10	9	2.87	0.906
162	Tyler Kleven	Ott	D	22	6-4/200	Belleville (AHL)	53	5	16	21	51
163	Hunter Brzustewicz	Cgy	D	19	5-11/185	Kitchener (OHL)	67	13	79	92	24
164	Ryan Greene	Chi	C	20	6-1/180	Boston University (HE)	40	12	24	36	6
165	Damian Clara	Ana	G	19	6-6/214	Brynas (HockeyAllsvenskan)	34	25	8	2.23	0.913
166	Carson Lambos	Min	D	21	6-1/200	Iowa (AHL)	69	4	10	14	64
167	Denver Barkey	Phi	C	19	5-8/160	London (OHL)	64	35	67	102	28
168	Gage Goncalves	TB	C	23	6-1/170	Syracuse (AHL)	69	13	45	58	43
169	Arshdeep Bains	Van	LW	23	6-0/185	Abbotsford (AHL)	59	16	39	55	28
170	Bogdan Konyushkov	Mtl	D	21	5-11/175	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	65	6	22	28	18
171	Alexei Kolosov	Phi	G	22	6-1/185	Dinamo Minsk (KHL)	47	22	21	2.39	0.907
172	Samuel Fagemo	LA	RW	24	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	50	43	19	62	26
173	Filip Mesar	Mtl	C	20	5-9/175	Kitchener (OHL)	45	19	33	52	12
174	Matthew Robertson	NYR	D	23	6-3/200	Hartford (AHL)	68	4	17	21	49
175	Adam Engstrom	Mtl	D	20	6-2/185	Rogle (SHL)	51	4	18	22	4
176	Michael Buchinger	StL	D	20	5-11/185	Guelph (OHL)	52	10	37	47	37
177	Semyon Chistyakov	Nsh	D	22	5-11/180	Avangard Omsk (KHL)	59	4	20	24	16
178	John Farinacci	Bos	C	23	5-11/197	Providence (AHL)	71	12	26	38	16
179	Angus Crookshank	Ott	LW	24	5-10/180	Belleville (AHL)	50	24	22	46	60
180	Yegor Sidorov	Ana	RW	19	6-0/180	Saskatoon (WHL)	66	50	38	88	66
181	Samu Tuomaala	Phi	RW	21	5-10/175	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	69	15	28	43	12
182	Logan Morrison	Sea	C	21	6-0/180	Coachella Valley (AHL)	64	16	25	41	4
183	Jean-Luc Foudy	Col	C	21	5-11/175	Colorado (AHL)	26	4	10	14	18
184	Adam Gajan	Chi	G	19	6-3/167	Green Bay (USHL)	43	23	12	3.35	0.893
185	Nolan Allan	Chi	D	21	6-2/195	Rockford (AHL)	60	5	12	17	47
186	Oskar Olausson	Col	RW	21	6-1/180	Colorado (AHL)	39	11	9	20	24
187	Samuel Poulin	Pit	C	23	6-1/205	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	41	16	15	31	35
188	Brett Berard	NYR	LW	21	5-9/165	Hartford (AHL)	71	25	23	48	62
189	Colton Dach	Chi	C	21	6-4/205	Rockford (AHL)	48	11	15	26	39
190	Jack Thompson	SJ	D	22	6-0/180	Syr-SJ (AHL)	62	6	35	41	16
191	Riley Kidney	Mtl	C	21	5-11/170	Laval (AHL)	65	7	13	20	41
192	Roby Jarventie	Ott	RW	21	6-3/195	Belleville (AHL)	22	9	11	20	22
193	Carey Terrance	Ana	C	18	6-1/175	Erie (OHL)	56	29	23	52	25
194	Luca Del Bel Belluz	CBJ	C	20	6-1/185	Cleveland (AHL)	58	9	22	31	12
195	Luca Pinelli	CBJ	C	19	5-9/165	Ottawa (OHL)	68	48	34	82	44
196	Francesco Pinelli	LA	C	21	6-1/185	Ontario (AHL)	67	13	7	20	24
197	Elias Salomonsson	Wpg	D	19	6-1/185	Skelleftea (SHL)	31	2	9	11	58
198	Sam Colangelo	Ana	RW	21	6-2/205	Western Michigan (NCHC)	38	24	19	43	23
199	Sasha Pastujov	Ana	RW	20	6-0/185	San Diego (AHL)	46	10	13	23	14
200	Andrew Gibson	Det	D	19	6-3/195	Saul St. Marie (OHL)	68	12	32	44	58

BELL: 20 Prospect Points – Lambert, Öhgren, Celebrini, Catton & More

Josh Bell — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:46:51 +0000

Winnipeg Jets forward Brad Lambert. Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

Welcome to 20 Prospect Points, a bi-weekly column where I dive into the trending news surrounding prospects - drafted and draft-eligible - from around the globe.

This edition dives into the impressive play of prospects Brad Lambert and Liam Öhgren, the ridiculous - and historic - play of Macklin Celebini, the recent surge from Michael Hage, and much more.

Drafted Prospects

#1 At this point, it’s fairly safe to call Brad Lambert’s AHL rookie season a success. The Winnipeg Jets’ prospect has been on an extremely impressive run as of late, with 12 points in his last eight games. That brings his total on the season up to 43 (18 goals, 25 assists) in 51 games. He’s leading the Manitoba Moose in points. Keep an eye on the young Finn who might just end up being one of the better steals of the 2022 NHL Draft.

#2 Another player who’s been on a tear is Chicago Blackhawks’ prospect Gavin Hayes. The Soo Greyhounds left winger is riding a nine-game point streak where he’s collected 16 points. That brings his total on the year to 76 points (37 goals, 39 assists). One note though is that this is just about on par with his season last year, and you’d like to see some positive growth here. Keep an eye on him down the stretch to see if he can build on this streak.

#3 Another OHLer that’s been having a stellar season is Slovak Dalibor Dvorsky. It’s hard to believe that this is his first season in North America, because he has not missed a beat. The Sudbury Wolves forward and St. Louis Blues prospect hit the 40-goal mark over the weekend, also seeing his point total on the season rise to 82 (40 goals, 42 assists). He’s a quiet star on that team behind David Goyette and Quentin Musty, but Dvorsky is just as much deserving of the spotlight.

#4 Overseas, Minnesota Wild prospect Liam Öhgren continues to tear up the SHL for Färjestad BK. In fact, he’s getting better and better. He has points in 10 of his last 11, with 13 (seven goals, six assists) over that stretch. That’s through just 26 games and his 0.73 points per game is the highest of any U20 player in the league, including Jonathan Lekkermäki who’s been earning a great deal of attention.

#5 I’ve mentioned Finnish prospect Jesse Kiiskinen before in this column, but he’s deserving of another mention. He wrapped his regular season up with the Pelicans U20 of the U20 SM-sarja, with 10 points in his final four games (sure, he had a six-game performance in there where he had five goals). That’s carried over into the playoffs with three assists in as many games and playing while seeing his ice time increase. The Nashville Predators must be happy with how their 68th overall pick has developed.

#6 Zac Funk just will not stop scoring. Since the last 20 Prospect Points (two weeks ago), the newly signed Washington Capitals prospect has added another 16 points (eight goals, eight assists), bringing his season total to 119 points (67 goals, 52 assists) in 66 games. He’s been absolutely on fire this season. It’s hard to believe that he put up just 58 points last season and he’s now over double that this year. The Caps made the right call here.

#7 In the QMJHL, New Jersey Devils prospect Cam Squires has been taking his game to the next level recently, with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) through a seven-game stretch which recently just ended. Drafted 122nd overall in the 2023 draft, Squires is on pace to just modestly raise his production from his draft year (71 up from 64) but this late surge is worth keeping an eye on as he heads into playoffs.

#8 Another late draft pick, the Montreal Canadiens drafted Yevgeni Volokhin 144th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, a Russian netminder coming off a 20-6-3 season with Mamonty Yugry where he had a .927 save percentage (SV%). He returned to the MHL this season with Mamonty Yugry and looked even better with a .938 SV% and 22-4-4 record along with five shutouts. That’s gotten even better in playoffs through three games with a remarkable .981 SV% and two shutouts. It’s worth noting that he has four shutouts in his last nine games.

#9 Another 2023 draftee, Jacob Fowler was selected 69th overall by the Canadiens and has been stellar in the NCAA this season. He’s won his last eight games and 13 of his last 14. He has one shutout in that stretch. He’s repping a .923 SV% and a 27-5-1 record. With the NCAA Frozen Four right around the corner, Fowler should continue to be the steady backbone of Boston College.

#10 One last drafted goaltender to mention here is another returnee to this list, Niklas Kokko continues to stand out with the Liiga’s Pelicans. After playing just nine Liiga games before this season, Kokko’s performance deserves attention. The Seattle Kraken prospect is 9-0-3 since being loaned to the Pelicans in January, with a .926 SV% and four shutouts. In fact, he has two shutouts in his last three games.

Draft-Eligible Prospects

#11 Macklin Celebrini just continues to show what he’s projected to be the first overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. The still-17-year-old is third in the entire NCAA in points (55), second in goals (30), and is tied in first for points per game (1.67) with Gabe Perreault. At this point, it seems a one-and-done is likely for the 2024 top prospect.

#12 Up in the WHL, Berkly Catton has been the quiet star of the 2024 group. While the focus seems to have been on Celebrini, Demidov, and the defensive stars, don’t sleep on Catton. I believe he hasn’t been talked about as much as he should be this season. He’s at 113 points (52 goals, 61 assists) in just 66 games, with 20 of those points coming in March. He needs to be looked at in the top five.

#13 Another potentially under-valued prospect in this class is Michael Hage. The Chicago Steel player has been one of my favourites in this class all season and has been really exploding as of late. He has an eight-game point streak rolling right now where he’s had 16 points (seven goals, nine assists), bringing his season total to 65 points (30 goals, 35 assists). He’s third in the league in points now, tied for seventh in points per game, and is tied for fourth in goals.

#14 Cole Eiserman may have been falling down draft rankings all season due to some off-puck play, but man - can he ever score goals. The USNTDP star has 48 goals in 45 games this season, bringing his U18 total (including last season) to 74 in 65 games. That 1.14 goal per game rate is the highest ever for the U18 program. Plus, he’s only eight goals away from Cole Caufield’s career record of 82. Keep an eye on that.

#15 I keep bringing him up, but how about Ondrej Becher? With his season winding down, the Czech forward just hit the 90-point mark on the season, in no small part due to his current 17-game point streak. He has 28 goals and an impressive 62 assists. It helps when you have players like Funk, Riley Heidt, and Terik Parascak putting the puck in the net, but Becher’s ability to find his teammates has been on full display this season. The double-overage should hear his name called this season.

#16 Speaking of Terik Parascak, what a run he’s on. He has eight goals and 16 points in his last six games, crossing the 40-goal, 100-point plateau this season (103 points, 43 goals, 60 assists). He becomes the first CHL rookie to hit 100-points this season. He leads all rookies in points, well ahead of the competition so far. For his recent efforts, he was named WHL Player of the Week.

#17 If there’s a player that an NHL team should bite on early, it’s Michael Brandsegg-Nygård. The Norwegian prospect’s numbers might not jump off the page at first look, but when you take a deeper look at his game you can see the value. McKeen’s Felix Robbins took a deep look at his game here.

This is a player that you should bet on making it.

#18 Looking ahead to the 2025 NHL Draft, Cameron Schmidt has been garnering some attention. The Vancouver Giants forward is playing at nearly a point-per-game pace this season with 56 points (30 goals, 26 assists) in 57 games. That 30th goal puts him in rare company, with only six players hitting that mark at 16 years old: Connor Bedard, Brayden Yager, Nolan Patrick, Brett Connolly, Patrick Marleau, and Gavin McKenna who hit it this season as well.

#19 Michael Misa is going to be a name you hear a lot over the next year, as the exceptional-status prospect enters his draft year in 2024-25. Last year’s OHL Rookie of the Year, Misa has continued his stellar play this season, albeit a little more sporadically than he may like. For example, he recently had nine points in three games - but that came after three games without a point. It’s been a bit of a trend this year, but it will be interesting to see how he progresses in his draft yet.

#20 Another 2025-eligible to keep an eye on, goaltender Love Härenstam has been stellar over the past month and a half - ever since the Five Nations Tournament (where he won both his starts including a 42-save performance against Team USA). Since then, he’s 5-1, regularly facing 30+ shots a night. On the season, he has an impressive .905 SV%. That’s especially impressive as a 17-year-old playing in the J20 Nationell. He’s worth some check ins over the next year.