Sasha Chmelevski – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Top 20 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #12

Brock Otten, Derek Neumeier, Chapin Landvogt and Josh Bell — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 18:09:08 +0000

Top 20 San Jose Shark Prospects

1. Shane Wright

To say that Wright had an eventful season would be an understatement. He went from the NHL to the AHL, then to the World Juniors, then back to the OHL, where he joined Windsor for the first time following the trading of his rights, and finally back to the AHL for Coachella Valley's playoff run. His results over that span were a very mixed bag. He didn't look NHL-ready in the fall but left a serious statement in his early AHL stint. He won a World Juniors gold as Canada's captain but didn't personally dominate during the tournament. He was great during the OHL regular season, but quiet as his team was swept in the opening round of the playoffs. Overall, it wasn't the performance that people expected out of a player who had been projected by many to go first overall in 2022, though you can't discount the possible impact of all the instability. Finding a steady environment for him next season will be paramount.

2. Eduard Sale

A slick trickster, Sale entered the last season looking like a possible top 10 pick in the 2023 draft, ultimately slipping to the Seattle Kraken at 20th overall. Coming off his first full season in the Czech Extraliga, where he led all rookies with 14 points and took home Rookie of the Year honors, Sale also made his presence known for his country at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, WJC, and U18 Worlds. In fact, it was at that last tournament, as an underager in 2022, where he really arrived on the scene as a top prospect, racking up 8 assists in 6 games while being the prime set-up master for top prospect Jiri Kulich. Sale’s movement stands out as a top trait, stemming from technically-sound skating mechanics. He’s able to accelerate quite quickly, reaching his top speed effortlessly while displaying strong edges that he utilizes to change direction on a dime. Deceptive with quick shoulder drops and head fakes, his puck-handling is another top-flight trait and is perhaps only topped by his instinctive passes. That he’s also strong in small-area battles will be a big plus, because he’s scheduled to join the OHL Barrie Colts for 2023-24, which should be a wonderful barometer for determining just how far he is in his development.

3. Ryker Evans

Seattle made a bold move when they selected Evans with the 35th overall pick in 2021, going way outside the consensus of publicly published draft lists to nab the overager. That decision is looking better and better as time passes. Coachella Valley was one of the best teams in the AHL in 2022-23, and despite being a rookie he was already one of their best players. He is a dynamic difference-maker from the back end, able to break pucks out of his own zone, move them safely up the ice, and contribute to getting them in the opposing net. He makes a big impact at both even strength and on the powerplay. He defends pretty well too, by focusing on his gaps and getting sticks on pucks precisely. Evans was a number one defenseman in his days with WHL Regina, and if he stays on his current trajectory, he should become top half of the lineup kind of player for the Kraken, too.

4. Jagger Firkus

There is a certain ’X factor‘ to Firkus that is difficult to describe, but anyone who has watched him a lot can attest to its presence. There are times where it looks like he just inherently knows that he's going to beat you offensively, and in those moments, there is absolutely nothing that you can do to stop him. If it weren't for some other WHLer named Connor Bedard, Fircus’ goal-scoring prowess would get a lot more attention. Not only can his shot find any bit of space that a goalie is careless enough to offer up, but his ability to sneak into dangerous ice in the offensive zone is almost supernatural. A scout's common sense might note that small, scrawny players with questionable skating ability don't usually pan out in the NHL. Then again, Firkus is anything but common.

5. Jani Nyman

There are still games where Nyman blends into the scenery a little too much, but when he's really on his game he is one of the best players on the ice, even against older competition. He's a hulking winger who can work a cycle, score from in tight or distance, find teammates with high-danger passes at the right times, and move up and down the ice with momentum. Even more exciting is his continued progress in all these different areas, and if that continues, the end result could see him become an exhausting nightmare to contain or defend against at the highest levels, very similar to someone like Alex Tuch in Buffalo. If Seattle is smart, they will patiently let Nyman lay as much groundwork as necessary and then take his time building upon it to ensure he eventually reaches his highest possible ceiling.

6. David Goyette

Goyette is one of the smoothest skaters that you'll ever see at the junior level. He's just so fast, agile, and nimble, which allows him to create separation in all directions. He's also an impressively clean puck handler in motion, so it won't come as a surprise then that he is a go-to player in transition or that he is at his most effective offensively off the rush. When he does get in tight, he can deke goalies into paralysis. His lack of strength is a weakness, and it looks unlikely that he will ever be able to bulk up much, but you can't hit what you can't catch, so he should be able to remain successful so long as he doesn't lose a step with his skating. Goyette is a true leader in Sudbury and was instrumental in pulling them out of the OHL's basement and back into the playoffs last season.

7. Ty Nelson

Heading into the 2022 NHL Draft weekend there was talk that Nelson could sneak into the first round, but he ultimately fell a lot further than that, all the way down to the third round. Seattle certainly isn't complaining now, because they selected a player who suddenly had a chip on his shoulder, determined to prove the doubter wrongs, which is exactly what happened. The first overall pick in the 2020 OHL draft cemented himself as one of the best defensemen in the league, logging a mountain of minutes and leading the blueline for a Battalion team that finished second during the regular season. For a small guy he has a big personality, an elite compete level, and a cannon of a shot. Nelson could become a special player if he can continue harnessing his energy into explosive play without being too reckless.

8. Lukas Dragicevic

When it comes to offensive defensemen, there simply aren't many others who are as dangerous as Dragicevic from the offensive blueline onward. He possesses elusive footwork and slick hands, which he can use in tandem to dance around and embarrass anyone who tries to recklessly pressure him. He has a bomb of a slapshot that he loves to uncork, but he also has a hard, accurate wrister that he can use to try to beat goalies clean or send in for a deflection. As good as he is on the attacking line, he's also not shy about getting closer to the net to generate offense. Unsurprisingly, he's a monster on the powerplay. Dragicevic is additionally a major factor at driving the play up the ice. However, as easily as he can pull you out of your seat when h has the puck, he can just as easily make you pull out your hair with his mistakes and inconsistency. His decision-making is downright baffling at times, with frequent unforced turnovers. He can get lost in his own end, and worse yet, will often completely shut off his effort. He will need the right shutdown-minded partner on his left side who can cover for his risk-taking.

9. Carson Rehkopf

Rehkopf’s strong athletic profile made him a very intriguing player for scouts this year, even with concerns over the variance in his engagement level. His skating explosiveness is a strength, and it makes him a great quick strike player who can consistently beat defenders to spots or pucks. Additionally, his shot was one of the heaviest in the 2023 draft class. When he’s on, Rehkopf is dialled in physically and flashes the tools to be a very good two-way player and potential shutdown type. When he’s off, he tends to disappear and makes little impact. Are the issues with consistency related to conditioning, mindset, confidence, or all three? We’ll find out the answer in the next few years, but for now, Seattle will need to be patient with Rehkopf as he figures out what kind of player he wants to be. With OHL Kitchener rebuilding this year, he’ll get all the ice time that he can handle, barring a trade to a more stacked club.

10. Oscar Fisker Molgaard

One has to wonder if there’s any such thing as a coincidence when a team hires one of the few former Danish NHLers (namely Frans Nielsen) and a few months later selects the only Danish player of note in the following draft. Regardless of any external motivations, Seattle has added a player to its suddenly burgeoning prospect bin who was one of this season’s biggest surprises in the Swedish SHL. Coming seemingly out of nowhere, Molgaard suited up for 41 SHL games, with his +6 for a struggling club being perhaps the most noticeable outcome of his play. A fleet-footed lightweight who has shown himself to be a playmaker at the junior level, he approaches the game with maturity and a strong understanding of play both with and without the puck. Tricky and creative with the puck, Molgaard is very adept at finding shooting lanes and displaying slick mitts around the goalmouth area. His forte in an offensive sense nonetheless remains the carrying and distribution of pucks. Translating those abilities to SHL play turned heads in the scouting community last season. With time on his side, he’s scheduled to continue his development with HV71 this season.

11. Caden Price

A recent draft pick of the Kraken, Price had a disappointing draft year on a poor Kelowna team. There’s a lot of hope that his play will pick up as the team around him improves. Decision making can be an issue, but Price has the potential to be an impact defender at both ends.

12. Tye Kartye

Talk about a great story. Kartye has gone from obscure OHL free agent signing to scoring big goals in the NHL playoffs for the Kraken within a single season. Kartye is so good away from the puck, a testament to the way he thinks the game. He could be a longtime fixture on Seattle’s third line.

13. Ryan Winterton

Winterton just needs to stay healthy. That’s it, that’s all. When he’s on the ice, like last season’s OHL playoffs, he’s an impact player. But the injuries remain a lingering issue, especially given the power forward style that he likes to play. He’ll turn pro this year and fingers crossed that he has put the injuries behind him.

14. Tucker Robertson

Robertson is such an easy player to cheer for given his tenacious style of play. His engine never stops. He was a pillar of strength for Peterborough in their OHL title run last year and it will be interesting to see how his offensive game translates to the pro level this year. The keys are continuing to improve his speed and quickness.

15. Jacob Melanson

The improvement over his QMJHL career was outstanding, with Melanson ending his time in the Q scoring 50 goals last season. Better yet, he brings value outside of scoring with his physicality. Another player to watch as he turns pro this year.

16 Niklas Kokko

A second-round selection in 2022, Kokko had a promising season, split between Liiga and the Finnish second tier. Signed by the Kraken, where Kokko plays this year remains a bit of a mystery, but at this point he appears to be the top goaltending prospect in the system.

17. Semyon Vyazovoi

Evaluating Russian goaltenders pre-KHL can be difficult. But Vyazovoi has been lights out in the MHL and was even impressive in the Russian second league (VHL) last year. Seattle is hoping that he can get some time in the KHL as a 20-year-old this season.

18. Ville Ottavainen

Offense will never be a big part of Ottavainen’s game, but he shows a lot of promise in the defensive end with his combination of length, mobility, and physicality. After two good seasons in Finland, he’ll be playing in Coachella Valley this year.

19. Tyson Jugnauth

Not a lot of players had good years on Wisconsin last year, but Jugnauth was one of the few. His freshman season showed a ton of promise, especially in the offensive end. He’s likely to be a three- or four-year college project, but the upside is big.

20. Logan Morrison

When Morrison finally signed an NHL deal towards the end of the OHL season, those who follow the OHL closely rejoiced. No one deserved it more. Yes, there are concerns over his skating and projection, but the IQ and playmaking ability are high end.

MCKEEN’S 2023 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #12 San Jose Sharks

Josh Bell — Sun, 21 May 2023 12:59:01 +0000

It has been a year since Doug Wilson turned over the GM reigns after missing the playoffs for three straight years, following an impressive 19 years of sustained success. He was ultimately replaced by Mike Grier in July following the draft. This year will be Grier’s first opportunity to put his imprint on the organization. His first big move was the trading of Timo Meier for a package of prospects including the fourth ranked on the Sharks, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and 23-year-old Fabian Zetterlund, who graduated this year, plus a first, second and seventh round pick along with other pieces. They surprisingly did not move Erik Karlsson at the deadline but will have more opportunity this summer to add to their stockpile of draft picks and prospects. Kevin Labanc has been in the rumour mill as well. Tomas Hertl has a no movement clause so will be in control of his destiny.

The current group of prospects moves up to 12^th overall from 24^th, led by William Eklund, who is NHL ready, but San Jose wisely let him get another year of development in. The first overall pick last season (27^th overall) in Filip Bystedt had an outstanding season with a jump in his offensive play and an excellent World Junior tournament for Sweden. Mukhamadullin was brought over to North America soon after being acquired. In addition to New Jersey’s pick, they also have the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft and should be able to add a foundational piece in a deep draft. It is the beginning of a new era for a perennially successful franchise. Wins may be hard to come by next year, but on a path forward.

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 09: San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund (72) carries the puck during the San Jose Sharks game versus the Vegas Golden Knights on October 9, 2021, at SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Matt Cohen/Icon Sportswire)

William Eklund

Nobody would have been surprised if the rebuilding Sharks let their best prospect play in the NHL all season, especially considering he spent the majority of the past three playing professionally in Sweden. But give them credit for doing the right thing with Eklund's development and letting him cook mostly in the AHL instead. That extra marinating was the right call, as he started his full-time transition to North America a little slowly before finding another level after the midway point. His game is built around controlling possession, as he is a tenacious forechecker when trying to get the puck, and when he does have it, he blends high-end skating ability, high-end hands and a killer instinct to open up offensive opportunities. He leans more as a playmaker than a shooter, but he can punish defender if they give him too much time and space. Eklund will be a full-time NHLer next season for sure and should be a contender for the Calder Trophy.

2. Thomas Bordeleau

There are few prospects in the sport right now who have better offensive vision than Bordeleau. He is such a crafty, creative player in the offensive zone, and is also a premier stick-handler and playmaker. He will make defenders pay dearly if they give him too much time and space, which makes him an obvious choice to use a lot with the man advantage. He does rely on his cerebral advantages a little too often, though. He will let his pace lag, he doesn't battle hard for interior ice, and he sometimes looks flat-out disinterested in defending. But then the puck will find its way to him, and he will turn it into a scoring chance nobody else saw, so you can never be too down on him. Bordeleau could become a very special player with the right tweaks to his approach.

3. Filip Bystedt

One of the most publicly underrated prospects from the 2022 draft class, the Sharks knew exactly what they were doing when they picked Bystedt 27th overall. The blend of size, powerful and fluid skating ability, and full-speed puck magic was highly desirable, even though it hadn't yet led to much scoring in the SHL. Fast forward one year and he is already rewarding them for their trust and investment, with a huge uptick in points for Linkopings HC and an excellent showing at the World Juniors on behalf of Sweden. Even more impressive, he produced a lot for his club team despite averaging just 12:49 per game, which ranked just 10th among their forwards. Bystedt is trending sharply in the right direction, and it's thrilling to think of just how good he could be once he reaches his prime playing years and has mastered all of his tools.

4. Shakir Mukhamadullin

The scouting appeal with Mukhamadullin has always been around his stellar physical tools and athleticism, but there was no denying that a lot of refinement had to be made with his awareness and decision-making. Now 21 years old and with more than 150 KHL games under his belt, it's fair to say that a lot of progress has been made. With his immense reach and clean 360-degree mobility he can be a suffocating defensive presence. He still gets caught out of position at times, but his ability to recover back into place is effortless. Has a heavy shot from the point and puts a ton of zip into his passes. Not a guy you want handling the puck too much, but the right partner can solve that issue. Mukhamadullin was a part of the Timo Meier return and the Sharks got him to America right afterwards, so they must be excited about his long-term upside.

5. Henry Thrun

Thrun was originally drafted by Anaheim, and the Ducks must have been incredibly disappointed when he informed them that he didn't want to sign there. They did acquire a 3rd-rounder from the Sharks for his rights, which will be a higher pick than the 4th-rounder they had originally used, but good luck drafting a prospect equally as good. The Massachusetts native moved from one coast to the other and immediately started working, scoring two points in his NHL debut and then sticking around for the remainder of the regular season. His hockey sense is outstanding, being Harvard's captain exemplified his astute leadership abilities, and there are no discernible weaknesses anywhere in his game. Its rare to find defensemen this age who are already so polished. Thrun has a long career ahead of him and should be a foundational piece of San Jose's long-term rebuild.

6. Tristen Robins

Robins isn't the biggest, fastest, or most naturally athletic of players, but he overcomes those limitations with sharp hockey sense and an exceptional mental edge. It's impossible to not root for him because he plays with such poise, confidence and fearlessness, and he has a magical knack for making big plays at big times. He is always around the puck because he anticipates the play so well and knows how to find open ice. There might not be another prospect in the sport who is more unassumingly lethal as a goal-scorer, but WHL goalies eventually learned that the hard way, and AHL ones have started as well. It's unlikely that Robins will ever be a first line forward in the NHL like he was in Saskatoon, but he'll be a guy that coaches make sure to keep in their lineups.

7. Artemi Knyazev

Kniazev hasn't really changed a whole lot since his draft year, which can be both a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. He is a true play-driving defenseman who operates at a high pace and wants to be a possession conduit for his team. He jumps at every opportunity to join the rush and is always ready to follow it all the way up to prime scoring territory. There is an aggressive confidence to him, which is a mentality that can be very efficacious. Problems arise, though, when he plays with that kind of fire a little too frequently. It would also be nice to see him expand his game to additional dimensions. However, even if Kniazev remains a fairly one-dimensional, pigeonholed kind of player he could be a true specialist as a play driver as he continues to master his craft.

8. Cameron Lund

Lund is another one of those prospects who just can't properly be analyzed by solely looking at his stats or the win-loss records of the teams he has played on. Does he have the individual skills and profile that could lead to increased production down the road? Absolutely. He protects pucks well down low, is a handful to box out of the crease, and brings power and accuracy to both his shots and passes. However, even if gaudy point production never becomes a go-to part of his game there's a very comfortable floor as a bottom six center that he could settle into. He wins 50-50 battles with his strength and grit, and already displays the conditioning and resilience to be someone who can survive the grind of long seasons playing that way. If Lunds spends a full four years in college, he could be a dramatically different player by the time he enters the pro ranks.

9. Ozzy Wiesblatt

The three seasons since getting picked in the 1st round by the Sharks have not gone kindly for Wiesblatt. Not only has he been stuck on bad teams with both the WHL's Raiders and the AHL's Barracuda, but he’s also had to battle through injury troubles and the accompanying rust. However, anyone who is very familiar with him knows that it would be beyond foolish to write him off just yet. He is a tenacious forward who loves to stomp his foot on the gas pedal and attack enemies head-on with his speed and stick tricks. It's a risky approach that gets him into trouble at times right now, but once he crosses a certain point with his physical development, the impact he leaves could be very different. Slowing things down more often and leaning further into his playmaking acumen wouldn't hurt, either.

10. Sasha Chmelevski

Chmelevski transferred his talents from his sunny home state of California to the cold expanse of Russia for the 2022-23 season, and he must have found the change beneficial because he agreed to stay there for at least another year. A forward who has always leaned heavily on his goal scoring to get by, he did light the lamp a team-leading 26 times for Ufa in the KHL, which was double his total output from the year prior and a good sign for him overall. San Jose still holds Chmelevski's NHL rights, so it will be very interesting to see what happens when — or if — he decides to play hockey stateside again, because there will be roster spots ripe for the taking on a young Sharks team that will likely be in major need of scoring support.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Top 20 Prospects

Contributors – Brock Otten, Ethan Hetu, Dylan Krill, Zack Szweras, — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 21:04:46 +0000

1 - William Eklund LW

Eklund was selected with the 7^th overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft by the San Jose Sharks. He got a taste of the NHL last season playing in nine games with the Sharks at the start of the season. Eklund looked comfortable in the best league in the world, producing four points. After that short stint, the Sharks decided it was best for the organization to loan him back to Djurgårdens in the SHL to allow for his entry level contract to slide. Eklund exploded on the scene as a draft eligible with his ridiculous start to the 2020-21 season where he was dominating play in the SHL as an 18-year-old. As the season went on, Eklund had a battle with COVID and could not get back to the same form as at the start of the season. He finished that year with 23 points in 40 games on route to being selected by the Sharks. In his return to the SHL this year, he played top minutes for a poor Djurgårdens team that was relegated to Sweden’s second league Allsvenskan. Eklund produced one goal and 14 points in 29 games for Djurgårdens last season. His game is a combination of puck skills and speed. He has a unique ability to weave through the ice, navigating through the opposition. He is capable of contributing in all three zones, often being relied on in the defensive end to make a play to transition the puck. Eklund has a good set of hands which he uses to win battles in tight. On top of that, he also has a powerful shot which can be a threat from in tight and mid-range. While there are some conversations about Eklund staying down the middle in the NHL, his game is better suited for the wing, which allows him to burst up the boards and deke into the middle of the ice. No matter what position he plays, Eklund is expected to have a role with the Sharks to start next season. - ZS

2 - Thomas Bordeleau C

Thomas Bordeleau was a second-round pick at the 2020 NHL draft, but he’d likely find his way into the first-round if the draft were re-done today. After his time at the U.S. National Team Development Program, Bordeleau went to the University of Michigan, where he authored a brilliant freshman season, leading a stacked Wolverines team in scoring with 30 points in just 24 games. Bordeleau’s next season was similarly good, and he made strides in his overall game, earning him a selection to the USA’s Winter Olympic team. With a brilliant World Junior Championships under his belt and a solid eight-game run at the NHL level, Bordeleau looks poised to face the tests of his NHL rookie season. Bordeleau is an undersized center, but that doesn’t stop him from being an effective driver of play. He approaches his role as a scoring-line center like a basketball point guard, always looking to be the focal point of play, the premier passer, and the place where his line’s offensive chances are first generated. He’s got exceptional hands and his overall offensive toolbox is where it needs to be for a player with his style. Bordeleau’s skating is what allows him to create time and space with the puck as well, and his skill level regularly solves the problems he faces on the ice. But the flip side of that reality is that some would knock Bordeleau for too often relying on his skill to solve problems, and if he struggles to score at the NHL level it’ll likely be because he hasn’t been able to adjust his more perimeter-oriented style he played in college to the NHL level, where effective scorers need to utilize the middle of the ice. Additionally, it’s fair to wonder if he can stick at center and weather all the pressures placed on NHL pivots. But even with those two drawbacks taken into account, Bordeleau is a promising prospect who offers skill that’s difficult to find. He could be an effective top-six player if he learns to how to effectively translate his talent to the NHL game. - EH

3 - Mattias Havelid D

Havelid was selected 45^th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2022 NHL draft. He was the second Swedish player selected by the Sharks in this draft, following Linköping teammate and best friend Filip Bystedt. Havelid is an offensively skilled, undersized defenceman, who makes up for his lack of size with strong gap control and body balance even when pressured physically. Offensively, he has a wicked wrist shot which he loves to shoot from the point. To complement his shot, he is also an effective passer, he is calm under pressure and surveys the ice for open teammates before crisply sending the puck their way. His decision making is another area that stands out, as he rarely gets flustered and usually makes the right decision. Havelid had a strong season in the J20 league for Linköping scoring 10 goals and 19 points in 29 games. He also contributed 10 points in 8 playoff games. He also made an impact internationally, as Sweden’s assistant captain during the April U18 tournament, where he dominated the tournament with 12 points in six games, helping lead Sweden to a gold medal over the powerhouse US. Havelid’s 12 points not only led all defenceman in the tournament, but he was second overall in points behind only teammate Jonathan Lekkerimaki. If Havelid continues to play with confidence and adds more strength to his frame, he could be poised for a long NHL career. He is expected to begin next season with Linköping hopefully in a top-six role in the SHL. - ZS

4 - Benjamin Gaudreau G

Don’t let the average stats fool you, Gaudreau is one of the best goaltenders in the Ontario Hockey League. The reality is that since entering the OHL, the defense in front of him with the Sarnia Sting has been inexperienced and porous. That leads to Gaudreau being left hung out to dry on a lot of odd man rushes and high danger scoring chances against. Yet he consistently finds a way to keep the Sting in games. His technical abilities are very sound. He tracks the play extremely well and always seems to be in the correct position. Additionally, his movements in the crease are refined, allowing him to remain square. His athletic abilities, composure, and rebound control are all above average as well. This coming season should be a breakout one for Gaudreau to establish himself as one of the best goaltending prospects outside of the pro level. The Sting should be a top team in the OHL’s Western Conference and Gaudreau is the leading candidate to be the starting netminder for Canada at the 2023 World Junior Championships. He should also be a leading candidate for the Jim Rutherford trophy, awarded to the OHL’s top netminder. - BO

5 - Tristen Robins RW

In a somewhat surprising move, the Sharks sent Robins back to the WHL for his overage year this past season. Many expected the talented pivot to start the year in the AHL, but San Jose felt it would be best for his development to play another year with Saskatoon. Truthfully, from a production standpoint, his year was only mediocre. More was probably expected of him. Does that change his future outlook? Probably not, but it would have been great to have seen Robins dominate the way that he is capable of. Robins’ game is very well rounded. He is at his best when he can attack the offensive zone with speed, catching defenders flat footed. However, he is also tenacious and will fight through checks to make plays. Equal parts playmaker and shooter, his offensive zone awareness is also a standout quality. Moving to the pro level finally this year, it will be interesting to see how Robins performs. A potential middle six forward for San Jose in the future, he should have little trouble adjusting at the AHL level. However, his only average overage season this past year has cast a tiny bit of doubt about whether he can transcend above a depth piece. - BO

6 - Ozzy Wiesblatt RW

It was a tough year for Wiesblatt on a lot of fronts. For one, the former first round selection struggled with injuries and ended up being shut down for the year with a shoulder injury. For two, he scored only ten goals and was kept under the point per game mark for the first time since his U17 season. Now, granted, Prince Albert was a lower scoring team and that needs to be taken into consideration. However, expectations were no doubt higher for Wiesblatt in his final WHL season. A tenacious, high-energy attacker, Wiesblatt never stops moving his feet and is constantly engaged in the play. He can use his speed to apply pressure, but is also physical and fearless, finding a way to win many of the battles he engages in. At the very least, Wiesblatt does look like someone who could play a bottom six role for the Sharks and excel on the penalty kill. Whether he plays higher in the lineup depends on the further development of his offensive skill set, in particular his finishing ability and ability to make skilled plays with the puck at full speed. Assuming his shoulder is fully healed, Wiesblatt will start the year in the AHL with the Barracuda. The true nature of his upside likely won’t be determined for a few years at that level. - BO

7 - Filip Bystedt C

Bystedt was recently selected 27^th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2022 NHL draft. He is a big-bodied centre who uses a combination of size and speed to advance play. Standing at 6’4”, 205 Ibs, he uses his large frame to protect the puck when attacking. On top of puck protection, he generates power through his skating stride. Bystedt often has long, powerful strides and a quick first step allowing him to generate speed efficiently. Offensively, he is a good playmaker, often protecting the puck, waiting for a passing lane to open up before crisply sending the puck to his linemates. On top of his playmaking ability, Bystedt also has a quick release on his shot, making it an additional threat. This past season, he excelled in the J20 league for Linköping contributing 33 assists and 49 points in 40 games. He also saw action in the SHL in a limited role finishing with 2 points in 15 games. At the U18 tournament in April, he had more of a quiet performance for Sweden’s gold medal run with only 3 points in 6 games. Bystedt has looked different at each level he performed at last season. Next season, he should look to further establish his identity and play to his strengths of speed, puck protection, and playmaking. Bystedt is expected to split time between the J20 and SHL with Linköping. - ZS

8 - Cameron Lund RW

As one of the top picks in the second round of the 2022 draft, Cameron Lund might disappoint those who simply look at his box score numbers. Lund’s 50 points in 62 games is hardly the dominating production one would expect from a top-of-the-line USHL prospect. But like with most players, looking at just Lund’s box score statistics doesn’t tell the full story of what kind of player he is. Lund was one of the faster-rising prospects of last year’s draft cycle, improving with each and every passing USHL game. By the end of the year, Lund looked exponentially more sure of himself and confident in his abilities on both ends of the ice. A six-foot-two center, Lund uses his size to protect the puck and create space for himself and his teammates in order to generate offensive chances. Since Lund isn’t a great skater and doesn’t have the sort of straight-line speed or edgework to create space with his feet, whether Lund’s strength and poise with the puck will continue to allow him to be a strong puck protector at the next level will go a long way to determining just how high his offensive upside is. If Lund can actually make some adjustments to how he skates and find a new gear to his game, then at that point a whole new level of NHL upside would be possible. But at this moment, Lund’s skating looks like it could hold him back. There’s still enough in his game to give confidence that he can make the NHL despite his less-than-ideal feet, and he already has enough pro-style qualities in his game to make one think that he’ll find a way to carve out a role in the NHL if he can’t quite cut it as a scorer. - EH

9 - Artemi Knyazev D

Knyazev is a former standout in the QMJHL who is coming off his first pro season in the AHL. On a struggling San Jose Barracuda team, he certainly got his minutes and that was great for his development. However, it also proved that he still has a long way to go before becoming an NHL defender. Knyazev is intriguing because of his athletic tools on the blueline. He is a terrific mover who is both fluid and explosive. This allows him to play a higher risk game as an offensive player because he has the speed to recover his positioning. He also likes to play a physical game and is aggressive in seeking out big hits. However, his decision making at both ends and his overall defensive awareness are a big work in progress. He has a tendency to chase the play and his risky rushes were not always well timed as a pro. A longer-term project, Knyazev has the potential to be an NHL defender. He is skilled and he has the mobility to be an asset in today’s game. It will be up to San Jose’s coaching staff and development team to refine his approach and bring out the best in his skill set. He will return to the Barracuda this year and should continue to see a ton of ice time in a variety of different situations. - BO

10 - Brandon Coe RW

The 98th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft, Brandon Coe had a breakout season with the Battalion and looks like great mid-round pick for Sharks. The former 3rd overall selection in the 2017 OHL Draft adapted well in his rookie season and finished with 23 points (10G,13A) in 63 games. In the 2018-2019 season, Coe finished with 37 points (17G,20A) in 65 games. During the 2019-2020 season, Coe took a step forward and finished with 57 points (25G,32A) in 60 games, which was 2nd on the team in points. In the 2020-2021 season, Coe got the opportunity like some others to play in the AHL, which was an exception made because of the OHL being shutdown. He was able to adapt well with his size and finished with five points (1G,4A) in 17 games. During the 2021-2022 season, Coe made the return to the OHL and had a breakout season, finishing with 101 points (34G,67A) in 62 games, which was 5th in the league for points, 4th in the league for assists and 1st on the team in both assists and points. Coe’s best assets are his hockey sense and physicality. He understands how to utilize his size while driving play, being able to protect the puck very effectively and contain possession for his team. He fights his way into space easily and shows no difficulty controlling the puck in traffic, making offensive zone entries consistently. He’s also very strong defensively, actively using his stick and body to breakup plays. Coe plays with a bite and knows how to use his physicality to wear down opponents and win puck battles consistently. Going into the 2022-2023 season, Coe will make his return to the AHL and look to bring his confidence from last year with him. - DK

11 - Danil Gushchin

The highly skilled winger is not given enough credit for his competitiveness off the puck, an area of his game that has improved since being drafted. How his game translates to the AHL level remains to be seen, but his upside is undeniable.

12 - Nick Cicek

After a strong season in the AHL with San Jose, the Sharks signed the former Portland Winterhawk (WHL) captain to an ELC. The big defender projects as a strong and physical two-way presence and has emerged as one of the top defensive prospects in the system.

13 - Eetu Makiniemi

Acquired in the recent Brent Burns to Carolina deal, Makiniemi enters a San Jose system loaded with goaltending depth, but lacking in a true future heir apparent in net. He was great in limited games last season with Charlotte and should play more this year.

14 - Michael Fisher

Drafted out of the Massachustettes prep scene, Fisher is a highly athletic defender who oozes potential at both ends. He likely plays in the USHL this season before heading to Northeastern.

15 - Gannon Laroque

One of the breakout stars of the WHL last season, the 6’2, right shot defender emerged as a confident puck mover to go with his staunch defensive player. He has already been named Victoria’s captain for this season and should be one of the WHL’s best defenders.

16 - Strauss Mann

Mann’s development path has not been traditional thus far. After starring for the University of Michigan, he bet on himself by going to the SHL after graduation. He turned a strong performance with Skellefteå into an ELC.

17 - Sasha Chmelevski

The Sharks will retain the rights to the former OHL star after he decided to sign in the KHL this season. It is odd timing considering that he had a great chance to crack San Jose full time this year.

18 - Santeri Hatakka

The Finnish defender showed some positive things in his first pro NA season last year with the Barracuda. The strong skating, defense first rearguard looks like a potential #4-6 defender for San Jose in the future.

19 - Mason Beaupit

The key to Beaupit’s development will be his ability to harness his athleticism to play a more technically refined game in the crease. The Spokane Chiefs (WHL) netminder has intriguing tools and could be a diamond in the rough among the team’s many goaltending prospects.

20 - Magnus Chrona

The 6’6 netminder won a National championship with Denver this past season. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning a year ago, he will return for his senior season and may prove to be a difficult sign for the Sharks.

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: SAN JOSE SHARKS – RANK: #16 – TIER III

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 11:42:58 +0000

San Jose Sharks

#16 San Jose - The Sharks have been prevented from undergoing a full rebuild due to multiple bad contracts at the NHL level, but they have drafted heavily for upside lately, especially at forward, and now a path back to NHL relevence is in sight.

Sweden's William Eklund during the ice hockey match in the training match between Sweden and Denmark on April 28, 2021 in Malmö.
Photo: Mathilda Ahlberg / BILDBYRÅN

William Eklund

While it was a very successful draft season for the 5’10 forward out of the storied Djurgårdens program, it was far from an easy one. Yes, he led the SHL in U20 scoring by a forward (ahead of the likes of Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz) and was the league’s rookie of the year. However, bad luck seemed to follow him like a cloud hanging over him. First, he contracted Covid in December, eliminating him from contention for the Swedish World Junior team. Then he had to have his appendix removed in January after falling ill. Finally, he got injured at the Swedish training camp for the World Championships in May and was not able to participate at that event either.

Eklund’s skating might just be his strongest asset. His mother was a figure skater, and it shows in Eklund’s skating that he has taken advantage of that growing up. His edges are exceptional, and it gives him the opportunity to turn fast (faster than his opponent) and those turns give him the little extra space that he needs to create chances for himself or his teammates. William Eklund is also elusive because of how quick his hands are. As a slightly smaller forward, the Sharks may need to be patient with him as he spends a year or two more in Sweden to further gain strength. Even as one of the older players in the draft, he is still somewhat physically immature. He can get pushed off the puck a little too easily and he needs to become stronger to really make an impact in the NHL. As he gets stronger and builds confidence in his physical abilities, Eklund does have the chance to be a physically intense competitor who is difficult to separate from the puck. He may be the highest future point producer of anyone that was available in 2021. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Thomas Bordeleau

Even surrounded by talents like 2021 top five picks Owen Power, Matthew Beniers, and Kent Johnson, as well as 2020 first rounder Brendan Brisson, Bordeleau stood out as an offensive producer without parallel. His 22 assists were seventh in all of the NCAA ranks, and he wasn’t just teeing them up for a solitary big shot sniper either, as no one among his teammates scored more than 10 times.

A smaller forward, Bordeleau plays a gutsy game, working to get into the hard areas of the ice to create a play, and succeeded more than most. Although he lacks elite speed, he has quick feet, and even quicker hands. He reads opponents very well, and rapidly picks up on their errors, forcing turnovers. His quick hands also work to make him an asset on the faceoff dot. The next step in his progression is to reintroduce his wicked wrist shot as a primary weapon again, as that was his primary selling feature during his time with the USNTDP. Considering how well he managed to perform without the sniper’s approach, the frequency of his setups for linemates, and even his proving that he didn’t need to be protected and could even be a regular penalty killer, the avenues to Bordeleau’s success at the NHL level are multiple. He could turn pro after this coming season, and possibly reach the NHL by 2023-24, with a likely top six outcome. - RW

Ozzy Wiesblatt

After being drafted with the final first-round pick in 2020 by the Sharks, Wiesblatt got a chance to play six AHL games with the Barracuda with the pandemic curtailing major junior hockey in Canada. After the new year, he was returned to the WHL’s Raiders, where he posted 28 points in 21 games to cap a successful campaign.

A feisty, aggressive skater with an explosive first step, Wiesblatt fights through traffic and keeps his feet moving at a frenetic pace, utilizing his low center of gravity. He excels in tight spaces and is a tenacious forechecker without the puck, creating turnovers and opportunities on the penalty kill. He possesses quick hands but perhaps lacks the offensive upside that top-line players usually have. Although he’s a fairly disciplined player, Wiesblatt may need to play more of an agitator role in order to have success at the NHL level. His release is good but lacks velocity, and he will need to continue to add strength to compensate for his lack of size. With another two seasons of junior eligibility remaining, Wiesblatt will almost certainly return to the WHL for 2021-22, where he will likely be one of the top players in the league, and perhaps an invite to the World Junior Championships in December is in the cards as well. - AS

Ryan Merkley

A dynamic offensive defenseman, Merkley started his pro journey last season after four years in the Ontario Hockey League. Given his high-risk style of play, the San Jose Sharks will have to be patient with Merkley as he learns to mitigate risk at the pro level, just as he had to do at the junior level. That was extremely evident with the Barracuda of the AHL in his rookie year. His skating ability and high skill level allows him to keep pace at the pro level...with ease. However, his decision making at both ends still leaves something to be desired.

An electric skater, especially due to his confidence on his edges and his ability to navigate traffic, Merkley can be a real asset in transition. Additionally, his ability to open up lanes on the powerplay with his footwork can give his offensive unit a major advantage. Over the course of his OHL career, his defensive commitment and ability improved, however, to be an NHL player, it will need to improve further. The offensive production this past year for the Barracuda may not be at the level some expected, but it is important to note that Merkley did not get first unit powerplay time, the situation where he would have likely been most effective. Look for him to improve his offensive numbers this year in the AHL with greater responsibility. He still projects as a potential offensively oriented top four defender and powerplay QB, however, he may yet be a few years away from making an impact. - BO

Jonathan Dahlen

Dahlén has absolutely ripped apart the HockeyAllsvenskan over the last two years; he scored an unbelievable total of 148 points in just 96 games. He led the league in points last year with a nine-point lead over the second most productive player (Jens Lööke), who, on the other hand, played seven more games. Dahlén had no reason to stay in the Swedish second tier league; he should be ready for an NHL challenge. Even though he helped his team to promote to the top Swedish league, he´ll fight for a regular spot in the National Hockey League with San Jose.

A Sharks prospect, who was drafted by the Senators in the second round in 2016, signed a one-way contract with the team. He is a dynamic, offensively skilled winger, who would be best in the top-six. The jump from the Swedish second tier to the best league in the world is not easy, but Dahlén´s ridiculous numbers have proven he is capable of playing in a much better league than he did in the last two years. He is speedy and agile and has all the offensive tools in his skillset – he´s a great puck handler, passer and shooter, but he rather relies on his playmaking skills. On the other hand, he lacks grit and there were some consistency issues during his previous North American seasons, but he should be more NHL ready this time. If everything goes right for Dahlén, he is able to be a 0.5 point per game player even next season. - MD

Ben Gaudreau

With a strong performance at the World Under 18 Hockey Championships in Texas, Gaudreau put himself in the conversation with the likes of Jesper Wallstedt and Sebastian Cossa as one of the top goaltenders available. The starter for the gold medal winning Canadians at the event, he was named the tournament’s top goaltender, an award won by the likes of Yaroslav Askarov, Ilya Samsonov, Juuse Saros, and John Gibson in the last decade. An incredibly meticulous and detailed oriented netminder, Gaudreau combines good size (6-2”) with an elite ability to process the action around him.

Ultimately, Gaudreau’s ability to read the play is a major strength. He just seems to be one step ahead of the play unfolding around him, allowing him to consistently be in the correct position. His play tracking ability is among the best of any goaltender to come through the OHL in recent years. Additionally, his movement is so refined. Rarely do you see him over-extend on his pushes, taking him out of the play or putting him out of position. Where Gaudreau sometimes gets himself in trouble is that holes can open up while moving and he can be susceptible to some “softer” goals to the five-hole area and close to the body as he pushes laterally. Like any young goaltender, he will also need to continue to improve his control of his lower body and pads, directing shots away from the slot with more consistency. All that said, Gaudreau definitely has the makeup, athleticism, and temperament to be a top flight NHL goaltender in time. He will return to the OHL this season with Sarnia and look to establish himself as one of the league’s best. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Danil Gushchin

The third member of the relatively new Russian pipeline of talent that flows through Muskegon, Gushchin followed previous transplants Andrei Svechnikov (Car) and Yegor Afanasyev (Nsh) to the shores of Lake Michigan and made it into a home. After three seasons with the Lumberjacks, he departs as the club’s all-time leader in points, and with an NHL contract in hand. Lacking the size of the aforementioned trail setters, Gushchin more than made up for it with superb energy, and continuously growing skill with the puck. Highlight reel plays were par for the course all year long, as he grew more and more confident with the puck, and more and more able to make defenders look silly.

His straight-ahead speed is solid, but he shines playing an East-West game, forcing opponents to move laterally, and creating holes in otherwise airtight defenses. He packs a very heavy shot into his small frame, and plays relatively fearless, even though his lack of size makes him an inviting target and he isn’t shy about putting himself in harm’s way. There is risk in a player like this, particularly in that he might flounder if put in a bottom six role, teamed up with linemates lacking in the ability to play with high-end skills. And while he was a dangerous penalty killer with Muskegon, that risk will remain until he proves otherwise. Thankfully, his abilities wouldn’t look out of place in a top six role in the NHL. Where he plays this season remains to be seen, as he could go to the OHL with Niagara, as previously planned, or play in the AHL as a 19-year-old. - RW

Tristen Robins

Tristen Robins has a motor that is working all the time. What makes him a promising hockey player is that his mind and body work at the same high speed. He is a 200-f00t player that makes quick decisive plays at both ends of the rink. He is capable of driving a line because of strong transition skills and passing ability. When in the offensive zone, he is comfortable with the puck on his stick and capable of picking corners with his shot or picking apart defenses with his passing. He plays the puck into space incredibly well and leads his guys into scoring opportunities. He makes quick passes and is always moving which makes him so difficult to defend. He is not scared of traffic and will carry the puck to the net, where his trigger reflexes enable him to push the puck wide to help break down the defensive zone coverage.

The biggest concern over his game is his size, but he is tenacious and hardworking so it shouldn’t be an issue like it is with other smaller players. Robins is a player that will need a season or two in the AHL where he can adjust to the pace and the size of the players. He will truly begin his pro journey this season with the Barracuda (after a two-game cup of coffee last year) and it will be interesting to see how he adapts. - VG

Joachim Blichfeld

Blichfeld split 2020-21 between the Sharks and the AHL’s Barracuda, dressing in five NHL games and scoring his first-ever goal against the Wild’s Kaapo Kahkonen. He also earned a two-game suspension for a hit on Nathan MacKinnon. In the minors, Blichfeld posted 12 goals and 25 points in 22 games. A seventh-round pick five years ago, Blichfeld has quietly raised his stock and is knocking at the door of full-time NHL duties.

He possesses good wheels but doesn’t always move his feet enough, something that can be fixed with pro seasoning. His bread and butter is as a volume shooter, utilizing his terrific release, but finding the space to do so at the pro level isn’t that easy. Blichfeld is only average with the puck and as a passer, which may destine him as a bottom-six role player in the NHL if he cracks full-time. He needs to add strength in order to withstand the physical rigours of the game, and up his motor to pursue the puck rather than wait in the weeds to unleash his shot. With the Sharks stagnating a bit, undergoing off-ice drama with Evander Kane, and possessing a thin prospect pool, there could be an opportunity to grab a roster spot this fall in camp for the Dane, who has beaten the odds thus far. - AS

Sasha Chmelevski

2020/21 has to be considered a breakout season for Chmelevski at the pro level. The former OHL star was among the leading scorers for the Barracuda, got his first NHL points (in five games), and even performed very well for the U.S. at the World Championships to close out the year. This has set him up nicely for the upcoming season, where he will compete for a full-time roster spot on the Sharks and could even be a front runner for a bottom six role.

Chemelski is a high energy player who can provide a lot of versatility because of his well-rounded skill set and tenacious work ethic. His skating has improved considerably since being drafted by the Sharks, as has his play away from the puck. A talented playmaker, he excels in transition when he is able to back down opposing defenses by driving the middle with speed. Ultimately, he projects as a middle six forward for San Jose who can play in any situation, although he may have to start on the lower lines and as a penalty killer before working his way up. - BO

Brandon Coe

With the OHL on hiatus, Coe played last season in the AHL with the Barracuda, filling a checking line role. The 6’4 winger skates exceptionally well for his size, but he still needs to gain confidence in his ability to carry the puck and be a go-to offensive player. That is why it appears that San Jose is sending him back to the OHL this year for his overage season.

Artemi Knyazev

After three solid seasons in the QMJHL with Chicoutimi, this mobile, two-way blueliner has emerged as a legitimate defensive prospect for the Sharks. He turns pro this season and will look to become an immediate impact player for the Barracuda.

Dillon Hamaliuk

A big power winger, Hamaliuk’s offensive development has not gone according to plan since being drafted in the second round of the 2019 draft. Even as an overager in the WHL this past season, he failed to crack the point per game mark. But the Sharks did sign him and must see him as a potential checking line player. It will be interesting to see how he performs in the AHL this year.

Yegor Spiridonov

A strong defensive center and penalty killer, the Sharks are still waiting for Spirodonov’s offensive game to take that next step forward. He will try to become a KHL regular this season with SKA St. Petersburg before possibly crossing the pond. The upside is not high, but Spiridonov could still become a valuable role player for San Jose in the future.

Liam Gilmartin

Gilmartin was a valuable role player for the U.S. U18 team this past year. He provides a lot of versatility to his coaches because of his all-around skill set and nonstop motor. Gilmartin will play for Dale Hunter and the London Knights this coming season, a coach notoriously good at developing players like Gilmartin.

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: San Jose Sharks Top 20 Prospects

Rachel Howard — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 21:27:01 +0000

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

Ryan Merkley, D (21^st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 1)

A move to the London Knights to play under Dale Hunter last offseason may have saved Merkley’s status as a top end defensive prospect, as he improved considerably in terms of maturity and engagement level. Merkley’s best assets are his four-way mobility and his creative playmaking. His edgework is high end, as his lateral movement is so fluid and explosive. He plays a higher risk style of game, pushing the pace, which leads to the odd turnover, but he did cut down on those turnovers last year by playing less selfishly and by selecting pinches more carefully. Even without a great shot, he moves well enough to keep defenders guessing. Previously prone to tantrums when things were not going his way, he appears to have figured out how to control his emotions more effectively. Additionally, we saw him more consistently engaged physically in his own zone. The Sharks would be wise not to rush him, ensuring that he can build up confidence at the professional level without becoming frustrated and reverting back to his previous tendencies. He still projects as a quality top four puck moving defender who can anchor a powerplay unit. – BO

Ozzy Weisblatt, RW (31^st overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

The competitive Weisblatt is an abrasive energy player. His speed and relentless pursuit of the puck makes him valuable in a variety of situations. He was a difference maker last year, finishing the shortened season second in team scoring, and among the leaders for all U18 players in the WHL. While not large, he is extremely quick, with the acceleration, powerful stride, and breakaway top speed to be a threat, with and without the puck. He will look to attack quickly in transition and is aggressive trying to beat defenders wide to the net. He is also one of the first back to the defensive end, applying back pressure and trying to force turnovers. Wiesblatt also has strong edgework that allows him to change direction quickly at full speed. He is an intelligent playmaker who demonstrates poise with the puck in all situations. At times, he can be too predictable in his attacks, leading to costly turnovers. He does not have a ton of confidence in his shooting, often passing up shot opportunities to pass instead. Even if Wiesblatt’s offensive abilities fail to translate, he could be an effective middle six piece who fits on both special teams’ units. – BO

Thomas Bordeleau, C (38^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Bordeleau greatest asset is a wicked wrist shot which he loves firing right over the goalie’s shoulder. He can fire it off successfully whether he is static or in motion, and his lightning release gives the netminder no time to set up. Before he prepares the shot, Bordeleau can also impress with his stick skills. His hands are quick and soft, and he regularly pulls off creative maneuvers. He is a dynamic zone entry machine, and his unpredictable approach leaves defenders guessing, and generally coming up short. He used to limit his effectiveness by staying to the offensive perimeter, but by last season’s second half, he was pushing play up the middle as well, and pulling it off more often than not. Bordeleau will have to show that he can more consistently play with the type of effort needed to succeed in the tough parts of the ice. Even with his greater willingness to play on the inside, that effort is not yet consistent. At higher levels, the outside path will prove much harder for generating scoring chances. He needs to keep his feet moving and get his nose dirty to reach his top six scoring forward potential. – RW

Jonathan Dahlen, LW/C (42^nd overall, 2016 [Ottawa]. Previous ranking: 3)

Dahlen is kind of an odd bird in the way that he chose to play in Allsvenskan in three of the last four seasons, although almost all teams in the SHL would have wanted to sign him. He is creative with strong offensive instincts. He has developed his playmaking and is a more dynamic offensive driver than earlier in his career. He is strong both on the power play and at even strength, generally serving as his line’s play driver. His top speed is average by NHL standards, but he has impressive agility and is very elusive with the puck in the offensive zone. Dahlen’s defensive play is okay but still not great and it can cause him to disappear during parts of games as he rarely plays the PK, wins battles in his own end, or turns the play around all on his own. He will need to improve on that side of the game to reach the highest level. He is a top six forward talent. The 22-year-old will probably play in Sweden for at least one more year, maybe even two. He is still a good prospect, and if he can keep developing, could reach his ceiling. - JH

Yegor Spiridonov, C/LW (108^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 2)

Spiridonov is a limited skater technically but has good balance has at least average speed. He is strong and smart and makes good decisions. He is strong along the boards and in tight areas, works hard and is smart without the puck. He finds open spaces offensively; he has good instincts getting ready to shoot and he plays responsibly defensively. He has the assets to be a useful player on both a power play and a penalty kill. He is good at getting open to shoot but his accuracy and timing on the puck could be better, and he hasn’t yet proven himself as a goal scorer, although he is fine as a playmaker. On the penalty kill, Spiridonov is particularly good at reading passing lanes and disturbing the play. He can detect where the play is going and act appropriately, rather than react after the fact. He has very limited men’s level experience, with much of his success coming in the Russian junior leagues. The lack of elite puck skills and limited skating give Spiridonov a third line ceiling, but his work ethic, strength, PK capabilities, and team play would fit that role, where he could provide offensive depth. - JH

Sasha Chmelevski, C (185^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 4)

The concern around Chmelevski has long been his skating, and in his first full AHL season, that lack of speed and agility was obvious. Though his puck skills and menacing wrist shot release have made him a lethal offensive option, he had trouble getting past the more mobile defenders of the pro ranks and was hesitant to carry the puck through the neutral zone. Even if he never improves on his feet, he still projects as a long-term NHL piece, as he excels in every other facet of the game. He processes the game at a high speed and makes great decisions with the puck, both offensively and defensively, and has shown himself capable as a penalty-killer. He dealt with injuries for stretches of the 2019-20 season but still posted a solid scoring line and exhibited an ability to score goals in different ways, including as a net-front guy and rebound goblin. Chmelevski's shot and hockey sense give him top-six potential in the future, but with his lack of speed and the uncertain ability to take on heavy responsibility on defense, the Sharks could ultimately deploy him as a middle-six two-way center once his time comes. - TD

Alexander True, C (Undrafted free agent, signed Jul. 18, 2018. Previous ranking: 5)

Not long ago, it was difficult to decide whether True was even a legitimate prospect worthy of being on the radar of an NHL organization. An undrafted center without particularly impressive numbers as a WHL overager has since progressed into one of the most heralded prospects in the San Jose system. He is a dangerous power forward with a plethora of offensive tools, the most notable of which is his overpowering size and balance, which makes him capable of driving the net and playing the cycle against nearly anyone. Possessing a hard shot and great passing skill, his offensive game is more than just grinding; he can set himself or anyone else up for a quality scoring chance from just about anywhere in the zone, though sometimes his decision making and skating speed lags behind his puck skills. Importantly, True is mean, and while that comes with some discipline issues, it also includes a likable assertiveness and aggression. He showed exactly what he can be during a brief NHL recall last season, a bottom six play-driving, cycling center who is hard to defend against. - TD

John Leonard, LW (182^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 6)

A sixth-round draft pick, Leonard is a good example of a solid investment and solid development not ending on draft day. Leonard signed with San Jose following his junior season at UMass, and the late bloomer has not disappointed. He spent two seasons in the USHL where his offensive output increased from five goals and nine points to 19 goals and 34 points. Still, neither total was enough for an NHL team to draft him in his first two years of eligibility. His game picked up in a big way in college, and after finally hearing his name called at the draft following his freshman season, he netted a career-high 40 points as a sophomore and was on pace to eclipse that total as a junior, as he led the country in goals and led UMass in scoring before COVID-19 put an early end to the season. The junior was also named New England’s best forward as well as a Hobey Baker finalist. He has soft hands and is able to easily grab loose pucks. He is not afraid to shoot - as evidenced by his goal total — and has a quick release. The former afterthought now has some projecting top six potential. – JS

Tristen Robins, C (56^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Robins used a terrific second half last season to lead the Saskatoon Blades in scoring. There is a lot to like about him as a very well-rounded offensive player. He plays with pace both with and without the puck and has an elusiveness that makes him a constant threat. The transition to center showcased his ability to create with the puck on his stick and unlocked a new level of confidence. An aggressive shooter, he possesses a quality release which he utilizes for quick strikes coming through the middle. He works the give and go well with his linemates and is always looking to attack. He keeps his feet moving in the offensive zone and can be a menace to defend as he slips behind defenders. Robins is also a competent two-way player whose play without the puck really improved after that aforementioned move to the middle. He uses his speed well to apply back pressure and to angle off forwards in the neutral zone, forcing turnovers. Adding strength will be key for Robins’ effectiveness in traffic and in the cycle. – BO

Brandon Coe, RW (98^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

While North Bay struggled to find the win column consistently last season, Coe was able to elevate his game to become an offensive leader. The major allure of his game comes from his size and speed combination. He is very explosive and powerful for a 6-3” forward, consistently blowing past defenders in transition. However, he is more than just a North-South player, as his lateral quickness and edgework are strong, too, allowing him to cut in and out of traffic at top speed. Coe has also learned to use his size more effectively to protect the puck down low and has gained confidence in his heavy shot being a weapon. There is a question of whether he thinks the game well enough to be more than just a change of pace energy player at the NHL level. Additionally, he needs to improve his play away from the puck to become a more consistent three zone player. His physical tools are intriguing but developing them into a cohesive player will be a project. – BO

Danil Gushchin, LW (76^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Gushchin needs to play with an edge to be successful. It is clear that when he does so, his skill set can absolutely shine. His hands and feet are both very quick and deceptive. He is capable of pulling off fantastic zone entries. Despite lacking in size, he is incredibly dogged on the puck and skilled at sheltering it from backcheckers, earning himself more than a few penalties. In short, his puck skills are above and beyond is age group. But he does not always play with that edge, which can be spotted by a more lackadaisical approach to puck handling and an excess of turnovers. Gushchin doesn’t have blazing speed, but his feet play up thanks to edgework and agility that can dazzle. His ability to make extra sharp cuts plays into his usage on zone entries as he can carve up multiple layers of the defense. When he loses that edge, his feet stop moving, he stops taking risks, and he functionally disappears. Gushchin tends to be more “on” when his team has the puck, and flat when they don’t. He can go from an expert reading of the play to a disinterested bystander in a single shift. – RW

Artemi Knyazev, D (48^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 7)

Knyazev saw modest growth in his second season in North America for a much-improved Sagueneens team last year. His 43 points were tops among blueliners on the club, and among the top ten in scoring among defensemen in the QMJHL. He also fine-tuned his defensive game as he improved his play-reading on the smaller ice. His skating is the focal point of his play, and the gatekeeper to his success; it allows him to cover a lot of ice in a short time and in all directions. Not only fast, Knyazev is agile and reaches top speed quickly. He is an offense-first defender and thinks the game with offense in mind. He continued his play as a defensive sharpshooter with a second-consecutive year with double digits in goals. His 11 goals were the most on the team on the back end. His abilities slotted in well next to massive blueliner Louis Crevier, as the pint-sized Knyazev had more permission to freewheel with the big Crevier minding his post. Knyazev is still a project for the pro game, and undersized, but he has the foundation to be a solid powerplay contributor and speedy defender at the NHL level. - MS

Dillon Hamaliuk, LW (55^th overall, 20191. Previous ranking: 8)

Hamaliuk moved to Kelowna to help them compete for a Memorial Cup but like most of his teammates never really took stride last year. When his game is on, he is an imposing albeit somewhat lumbering figure on the ice. He is excellent in the cycle game where his size and reach help him dictate play along the walls. He has decent hands that work with his game, he can carry off the wall, and is a solid net front guy. He scores a lot of goals from the goal mouth where he can use his strength to finish off plays in traffic. His skating is a bit of a concern as he looks a step behind the play through the neutral zone and is reliant on others to get the puck in the zone. Defensively he is physical and willing to engage to make a play. It was somewhat of a disappointing season to only collect 31 points in 56 games after being brought in to bolster the offense, after nearly being a point-per-game player last season. - VG

Joachim Blichfeld, RW (210^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Blichfeld is yet another steal from untapped regions of Europe taken with a seventh-round pick by an organization deserving of tons of credit in the way they get max value out of every draft selection. After dominating the WHL in his final season with Portland with a league-best 114 points, his transition to the pros was a highly-anticipated one, and the Danish winger delivered with 16 goals and 16 assists in just 44 games of action as an AHL rookie. A big reason for his success with the Barracuda is his heavy, rapid shot, which is a weapon at even strength and on the power play (five of his 16 goals came on the man-advantage). Grading out as an average skater, Blichfeld is not really one to carry the puck, but does a superb job at finding open areas of the ice away from the puck to receive shooting chances. With steady hands and decent awareness of the ice, he is a fairly versatile player who could kill penalties and be a depth scorer in the NHL. - TD

Alexei Melnichuk, G (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 4, 2020. Previous ranking: 10)

A late free agent signing, Melnichuk alone was responsible for moving the Sharks up two slots in our organizational prospect rankings. On the smaller side for a modern netminder, he gained some notoriety two years ago when a hot start with SKA-Neva St. Petersburg in Russia’s second men’s league, led to an invitation to wear the national colors during the Junior Super Series. Melnichuk excelled in the tune up series and earned a spot on the Russian WJC team as the backup. He bombed in his only game. That might have prevented him from being drafted, but two years later, with a stellar (mostly) full season debut in the KHL to his name, Melnichuk was back in the crosshairs of NHL scouts. He moves well in his crease and likes to challenge shooters when he can. He works hard for his saves and reads the games well, although the numbers at InStatScout make clear that he can really struggle with shots to the top corners, the bane of many smaller netminders. If Melnichuk adapts well to the AHL, he may be in the NHL before long. - RW

Jacob McGrew, RW (159^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 11)

Jake McGrew is a California native who has done enough to earn himself a look from as a late round flier. Unfortunately, his career has been derailed by a couple of season-ending knee surgeries. Last season started with high expectations after his first 30 goal season in 2018-19. He jumped out of the gate with five goals in his first six games and looked to be breaking out, but another season ending knee surgery put a halt to a promising overage campaign. At this point he seems to be a long shot to make the NHL and may even struggle to play in the AHL next season. When he is healthy, he plays an up-tempo game and has a great release that enables him to score goals. If he gets healthy, he has a shot at be a middle six forward if he can get his development back on track and avoid any more long-term injuries. - VG

Brinson Pasichnuk, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 31, 2020. Previous ranking: 12)

If you don’t have picks, you have to attack the free talent pool with gusto. Two members of the Sharks’ top 15 were free talent pickups, and the depth of the system includes a clean dozen others who received some consideration. Pasichnuk is the only one of the bunch that was added in 2020. A physical defender – although one who plays relatively clean – with a big shot from the point, the Arizona State graduate was one of the top NCAA free agents last offseason. Lauded for his maturity, on and off the ice, Pasichnuk may have a chance to break right into the San Jose NHL lineup whenever the 2020-21 season begins. In truth, he very well may deserve to rank higher on this list than the Spinal Tap number, as he has almost a sure-fire NHL player. The challenge is that that he is also older than most of the players above him and his ceiling may not be far above his floor. - RW

Santeri Hatakka, D (184^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Hatakka split the 2019-20 season between the Liiga and Mestis, Finland’s second-highest league. He also has a solid, yet unspectacular World Juniors tournament. He role was limited in the Liiga as he averaged fewer than 11 minutes of ice-time per game. A strong skater with very good acceleration, he moves well in all directions and can carry the puck from his own end. Stickhandling needs work, though, as he has occasional problems controlling the puck efficiently and keeping up his pace. His willing ness to battle has always stood out. Furthermore, he defends well in tight areas and is very assertive in the defensive zone. He did not have the strongest season possible, but he showed glimpses of potential in the Liiga and could break out as soon as the upcoming season if he can move up the depth chart. Overall, Hatakka is a mobile defenseman with strong physical tool and some untapped offensive potential. - MB

Scott Reedy, C/RW (102^nd overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 14)

A smart and versatile forward who finally put his sense to use offensively, scoring a career high 15 goals in his junior season with the Golden Gophers, Reedy has a few tools that suggest he could make a career for himself on the fourth line, playing in the corners and eating up some minutes on the PK. Before he gets there though, he has to show that he can regain some of the speed he showed in his first year with the USNTDP program. To his credit, his feet move well, but his legs are heavy. That means he can maneuver around small spaces nimbly enough but falls behind when the game opens up. He will have to stress his power credentials more and rely very heavily on his hockey IQ to overcome the skating deficit. Of course, he also has to sign, which he still has not as of this writing. He could become a free agent if he plays out his senior year without putting pen to paper with the Sharks. - RW

Lean Bergmann, LW/RW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 28, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

In his current state, Bergmann is the definition of a raw prospect. He can score, he has very quick hands for someone his size, and he can effectively utilize his size and strength to create offensive chances for himself. The German loves to drive the net, with and without the puck, and has the physicality to make it happen. As a net-front power-play guy, he can get bumped off the puck in front of the goal pretty easily, which makes me fear for how ineffective his body strength would actually be at the NHL level. He is a good shooter and has solid skating speed, especially at 200+ pounds, but has little passing game. He played on the penalty kill with the AHL Barracuda and competes hard. He focuses his energy on shoveling pucks on goal and wearing down his opponents, which is precisely what an NHL team would want out of a depth player like Bergmann can be in the near future. - TD

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

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

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

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

PROSPECT CRITERIA

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

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

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – SAN JOSE SHARKS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 25

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 11:45:50 +0000

San Jose Sharks

On the bright side, the San Jose system is not the worst in hockey. At least not now. For every team (there aren’t many) that is currently leaner, we have to remind ourselves that the Sharks will not have a first round pick whenever the 2020 draft actually happens. That pick, a lock for a lottery (if there is one), was transferred to Ottawa as part of the big Erik Karlsson trade.

I am sure that they will add some nice prospects with their pair of second rounders and the late first round pick they got in trade from Tampa Bay, but not having a high end first rounder while other teams will be injecting heavy doses of talent into their systems will likely knock the Sharks into the league basement when we re-do this exercise as part of the 2020-21 annual guidebook.

How do things get so bad? In a large part, this is related to the natural success cycle that many teams go through. Their top players are all veterans and are all very good, and the organization did whatever it could to maximize their chances at postseason success. While it’s true that the core of Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Logan Couture never won a Stanley Cup, they were always in the hunt. This will be only the second season since the lockout in which the Sharks did not qualify for the postseason, and in those 15 seasons, they got past the first round nine times, including four appearances in the Western Conference finals and one trip to the Stanley Cup.

One may lament the lack of rings, but San Jose should be proud of the success they experienced.

But that’s over now. Marleau left the team twice. Pavelski is with Dallas. Thornton is 40. Vlasic is 33 and struggling. Burns is 35 and still going strong, but 35 is not the new 25. Karlsson and Tomas Hertl will be healthy again, Couture still has time left before exiting his prime. Timo Meier and Evander Kane may be ready to become the new core up front. Yet there is no guarantee that the new core will have anywhere like the success of the old core. There are serious questions about the team’s goaltending as incumbent starter Martin Jones with two straight seasons with save percentages below .900.

In short, this is an organization that should be preparing to bring in fresh faces to a lot of spots in the lineup. There is not a single area, in the NHL or anywhere in the system, that can be fairly considered deep. We see three players who could, with some luck and the right opportunity, emerge as top half of the lineup players, although one has shown an unwillingness to stick with the slings and arrows of player development outside of his native Sweden. Another is among the more mercurial prospects in the sport. And even going deeper into the system, Martin Jones’ replacement is not yet here, with not a single goalie featuring in their top 15.

Finally, we remember that having a deep system is a numbers game, as the attrition rate is frightfully large. In the past four drafts, the Sharks have drafted five players thrice, and six once. San Jose has eight picks for 2020 at present. They need to make them count to supplement the new core. - RW

ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: San Jose Sharks defensemen Ryan Merkley (6) in action during a NHL preseason game between the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks played on September 20, 2018 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)

Ryan Merkley, D (21^st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 1)

It has not always been easy for the highly touted Merkley in the Ontario Hockey League. Through his four years in the league, he has endured trades (from organizations who became too distraught with him), benchings (from coaches who grew distraught with him), and snubs from Hockey Canada. However, a move to the London Knights to play under Dale Hunter this offseason may have saved Merkley’s status as a top end defensive prospect. No bones about it, Merkley had a terrific year playing under Hunter and improved considerably in terms of maturity and engagement level.

Merkley’s best assets are his four-way mobility and his creativity as a playmaker. His edgework is among the best in the OHL, as his lateral movement is so fluid and explosive. This makes him very difficult to contain when he is manning the point. While he will likely always play a higher risk style of game by pushing the pace, and you will have to live with the odd turnover from him trying to beat a defender one on one, he did cut down on those turnovers this year by playing less selfishly and by selecting his times to pinch more carefully. His shot has never developed to become a huge weapon, but he moves well enough to keep defenders guessing.

Where we saw the biggest improvements this year from Merkley were in his defensive engagement and in his attitude on ice. Previously prone to tantrums when things were not going his way, we saw little of that in London. He appears to have figured out how to control his emotions more effectively, committing fewer undisciplined penalties and behaving maturely when things do not go his way. Additionally, we saw him more consistently engaged as a physical player in his own zone.

While it is extremely encouraging to see Merkley taking some steps forward, it is also important to temper expectations as he approaches his first pro season. The Sharks would be wise not to rush him, to ensure that he can build up confidence at the professional level without becoming frustrated and reverting back to his previous tendencies. In the future, he projects as a quality top four puck moving defender who can anchor a powerplay unit. - BO

Yegor Spiridonov, C/LW (108^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 3)

A two-way center who is good in many areas but without having elite skills. Spiridonov is a limited skater technically but has good balance and is not slow, with at least average speed. He is strong and smart and makes good decisions all over the ice. He is strong along the boards and in tight areas of the game but lacks a flashy offensive game. He works hard and is smart without the puck. He finds open spaces offensively; he has good instincts getting ready to shoot and he plays responsibly defensively.

He has the assets to be a useful player on both a power play and a penalty kill. On the power play I would like to see him improve his shot. He is good at getting open to shoot but his accuracy and timing on the puck could be better. He has yet to prove himself as a goal scorer. He is an okay playmaker. On the penalty kill he is particularly good at reading passing lanes and disturbing the play. He can detect where the play is going and act rather than react to a play when it is already happening.

Spridonov has yet to play in the KHL and if he does, it will probably be in a limited role. In VHL, Russia’s second pro league, is where he probably will play most of his next season trying to develop his game. His contract with St Petersburg is for one more year. The lack of elite puck skills and limited skating makes me project him as a third line center at best. His work ethic, strength, PK capabilities, and team play are what you look for a player in that role. He has good instincts to put up some points offensively as well in that role. - JH

Jonathan Dahlen, LW/C (42^nd overall, 2016 [Ottawa]. 2019 Rank: 8)

Originally a 2nd round pick of the Senators in 2016, Dahlen has been traded twice, played one season in the AHL and returned to Sweden for the 2019-20 season. He is kind of an odd bird in the way that he chose to play in Allsvenskan although almost all teams in the SHL would have wanted to sign him. He was named the top forward and league MVP in Allsvenskan scoring 77 points in 51 games and had five points in the first playoff game before the pandemic ended the season.

He is creative with strong offensive instincts. He has developed his playmaking and is a more dynamic offensive driver than earlier in his career. He is strong both on the power play and at even strength. He likes to be the driver as well and is not that comfortable when playing a smaller role on a line. His top speed is average by NHL standards, but he has impressive agility and is very elusive with the puck in the offensive zone.

His defensive play is okay but still not great and it can make him invisible during parts of games as he rarely plays the PK, wins battles in his own end, or turns the play all on his own. He will need to improve on that side of the game if he wants to reach the highest level. He is a top six forward talent and that is a tough position to reach in the NHL. I believe he will take his time before he steps over to North America again. The 22-year-old will probably play in Sweden for at least one more year, maybe even two. Still a good prospect and if he can keep developing, he could reach his ceiling. - JH

SAN JOSE, CA - SEPTEMBER 12: Sasha Chmelevski of the San Jose Sharks (Photo by Kavin Mistry/NHLI via Getty Images)

Sasha Chmelevski, C (185^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 2)

Chmelevski is a future NHLer and a certified steal three years removed from being selected by the Sharks in the sixth round. However, the concern around the Huntington Beach native has long been his skating, and in his first full AHL season, that lack of speed and agility was obvious. Though his puck skills and menacing wrist shot release made him a lethal offensive option, he had trouble getting past the more mobile defenders of the pro ranks and was hesitant to carry the puck through the neutral zone in fear of being unable to weave past defensemen as he did in the OHL.

Even if he never improves on his feet, I would bet a large sum on the former American WJC star becoming a long-term NHL piece, as he excels in every other facet of the game. He processes the game at a high speed and makes great decisions with the puck, both offensively and defensively, where he has shown himself capable as a penalty-killer. He dealt with injuries for certain stretches of the 2019-20 AHL season but still posted a solid 42-11-16-27 line and exhibited an ability to score goals in different ways, sometimes as a net-front guy and rebound goblin.

Chmelevski's shot and hockey sense give him top-six potential in the future, but with a lack of blistering speed and the uncertain ability to take on heavy responsibility on defense, the Sharks could deploy him as a middle-six two-way center as soon as his NHL career kicks off, which will be in the near future. - TD

Alexander True, C (Undrafted free agent, signed Jul. 18, 2018. 2019 Rank: 20)

The emergence of True over the past couple of seasons is one of the most fascinating development stories in hockey, and another example of San Jose’s terrific job of scouting otherwise unheralded European players. Not long ago, it was difficult to decide whether the Danish forward was even a legitimate prospect worthy of being on the radar of an NHL organization. An undrafted center without particularly impressive numbers as a WHL overager progressed into one of the most heralded prospects in the San Jose system.

True is a dangerous power forward with a plethora of offensive tools, the most notable of which is his freakish size and balance, which makes him capable of driving the net and playing the cycle against nearly anyone. Possessing a hard shot and great passing skill, his offensive game is more than just 90s-style grind; he can set himself or anyone else up for a quality scoring chance from just about anywhere in the zone, though sometimes his decision making and lack of skating speed lags behind his puck skills.

Most importantly for someone who plays this style, True is mean, and while that comes with some discipline issues, it also includes a likable assertiveness and mental aggression. True earned a brief NHL recall to the struggling Sharks and showed exactly what he can be long-term, a play-driving, cycling center who can be hard to defend against in the bottom-six of a good Sharks forward lineup. - TD

John Leonard, LW (182^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

His game picked up in a big way in college, and after finally hearing his name called at the draft following his freshman season, he netted a career-high 40 points as a sophomore and was on pace to eclipse that total as a junior, as he led the country in goals and led UMass in scoring before COVID-19 put an early end to the season. The junior was also named New England’s best forward as well as a Hobey Baker finalist. He has soft hands and is able to easily grab loose pucks. He is not afraid to shoot - as evidenced by his goal total — and has a quick release. The former afterthought now has some projecting top six potential. - JS

Artemi Knyazev, D (48^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 12)

Knyazev saw modest growth in his second season in North America for a much-improved Sagueneens team this year. His 43 points were tops among blueliners on the club, and among the top ten in scoring among defensemen in the QMJHL. He also fine-tuned his defensive game as he improved his play-reading on the smaller ice.

His skating is the focal point of his play, and the gatekeeper to his success; it allows him to cover a lot of ice in a short time and in all directions. Not only fast, Knyazev is agile and reaches top speed quickly. He is an offence-first defender and thinks the game with offence in mind. He continued his play as a defensive sharpshooter with a second-consecutive year with double digits in goals. His 11 goals were the most on the team on the back end.

His abilities slotted in well next to massive blueliner Louis Crevier, as the pint-sized Knyazev had more permission to freewheel with the big Crevier minding his post. Knyazev is still a project for the pro game, and undersized, but he has the foundation to be a solid powerplay contributor and speedy defender at the NHL level. - MS

Dillon Hamaliuk, LW (55^th overall, 20191. 2019 Rank: 13)

Hamaliuk moved to Kelowna to help them compete for a Memorial Cup but like most of his teammates never really took stride this year. When his game is on, he is an imposing albeit somewhat lumbering figure on the ice. He is excellent in the cycle game where his size and reach help him dictate play along the walls. He has decent hands that work with his game, he can carry off the wall, and is a solid net front guy. He scores a lot of goals from the goal mouth where he can use his strength to finish off plays in traffic.

His skating is a bit of a concern as he looks a step behind the play through the neutral zone and is reliant on others to get the puck in the zone. Defensively he is physical and willing to engage to make a play. It was somewhat of a disappointing season to only collect 31 points in 56 games after being brought in to bolster the offense, after nearly being a point-per-game player last season. - VG

Joachim Blichfeld, RW (210^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 7)

A big reason for his success with the Barracuda is his heavy, rapid shot, which is a weapon at even strength and on the power play (five of his 16 goals came on the man-advantage). Grading out as an average skater, Blichfeld is not really one to carry the puck, but does a superb job at finding open areas of the ice away from the puck to receive shooting chances. With steady hands and decent awareness of the ice, he is a fairly versatile player who could kill penalties and be a depth scorer in the NHL. - TD

Alexei Melnichuk, G (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 4, 2020. 2019 Rank: IE)

That might have prevented him from being drafted, but two years later, with a stellar (mostly) full season debut in the KHL to his name, Melnichuk was back in the crosshairs of NHL scouts. He moves well in his crease and likes to challenge shooters when he can. He works hard for his saves and reads the games well, although the numbers at InStathockey make clear that he can really struggle with shots to the top corners, the bane of many smaller netminders. If Melnichuk adapts well to the AHL, he may be in the NHL before long. - RW

Jacob McGrew, RW (159^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

At this point he seems to be a long shot to make the NHL and may even struggle to play in the AHL next season. When he is healthy, he plays an up-tempo game and has a great release that enables him to score goals. If he gets healthy, he has a shot at be a middle six forward if he can get his development back on track and avoid any more long-term injuries. - VG

Brinson Pasichnuk, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 31, 2020. 2019 Rank: IE)

A physical defender – although one who plays relatively clean – with a big shot from the point, the Arizona State graduate was one of the top NCAA free agents this year. Lauded for his maturity, on and off the ice, Pasichnuk may have a chance to break right into the San Jose NHL lineup whenever the 2020-21 season begins. In truth, he very well may deserve to rank higher on this list as he is almost a sure-fire NHL player. The challenge is that that he is also older than most of the players above him and his ceiling may not be far above his floor. - RW

Santeri Hatakka, D (184^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

A strong skater with very good acceleration, he moves well in all directions and can carry the puck from his own end. Stickhandling needs work, though, as he has occasional problems controlling the puck efficiently and keeping up his pace. His willingness to battle has always stood out. Furthermore, he defends well in tight areas and is very assertive in the defensive zone.

He did not have the strongest season possible, but he showed glimpses of potential in the Liiga and could break out as soon as the upcoming season if he can move up the depth chart. Overall, Hatakka is a mobile defenseman with strong physical tool and some untapped offensive potential. - MB

Scott Reedy, C/RW (102^nd overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 13)

To his credit, his feet move well, but his legs are heavy. That means he can maneuver around small spaces nimbly enough but falls behind when the game opens up. He will have to stress his power credentials more and rely very heavily on his hockey IQ to overcome the skating deficit. Of course, he also has to sign, which he still has not as of this writing. He could become a free agent if he plays out his senior year without putting pen to paper with the Sharks. - RW

Lean Bergmann, LW/RW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 28, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

He is a good shooter and has solid skating speed, especially at 200+ pounds, but has little passing game. He played on the penalty kill with the AHL Barracuda and competes hard. He focuses his energy on shoveling pucks on goal and wearing down his opponents, which is precisely what an NHL team would want out of a depth player like Bergmann can be in the near future. - TD

AHL Pacific Division Report, October – Developing prospects

Tom Dorsa — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 13:10:03 +0000

October is a month of formation for minor league hockey teams. In the first month of a long regular season, you start to see the players -- most often a mix of wily veterans and first- or second-year pros -- align and adapt to one another’s unique playing styles.

For some clubs, players, and coaches, that transition can be seamless, but for some it’s a disastrous early-season experiment. Such is the beauty of the American Hockey League, wherein young prospects are given chances to succeed not only in spite of, but because of, their early-season mistakes.

As mentioned above, development is a work in progress. Some young players can adjust with relative ease, while the unlucky struggle to acclimatize themselves to the speed, skill, and physicality of the hockey world’s second-best professional sanctioning body.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at the teams and notable prospects in the AHL’s Pacific Division. The teams on the West Coast, desert, and Rocky Mountains have all made strides and adjustments in the early portion of the campaign, and this article will take you through some of the news and notes from each of the Pacific Division’s seven member teams.

Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames)

Record: 7-1-1-1, 16 points, .800 points percentage

The Heat are absolutely on fire (pun intended) to start the 2019-20 AHL campaign. Exploding offensively, the youthful club has scored the most goals in the Western Conference (39) thus far and had four players averaging a point per game.

The job Cail MacLean has done with a team missing the two-way contributions of top-ranked prospect Jusso Valimaki cannot be overstated. Since moving from Glen Falls, New York to Stockton as part of the AHL’s California expansion four years ago, the Heat have never won a playoff series.

Their chances to do so look better than ever before in this season’s early parts. Unfortunately for the fans in San Joaquin county, looming concerns over an arena lease have clouded the much-deserved celebration of the club’s early success.

Calgary Flames Dillon Dube

Dillon Dube, 3rd in McKeen’s Yearbook preseason rankings of Flames farm system (7GP-1G-6A-7P): Though it was a disappointment for the 21-year-old to not crack the Flames’ opening night roster after a decent NHL showing last season, he was arguably the Heat’s best player in October. A playmaker and forechecker extraordinaire heading into the season, he is starting to display heightened awareness and patience on offense as well as an increased defensive presence and responsibility. With exceptional penalty kill work, the former Team Canada World Junior captain is one of the first guys going up to Calgary if needed and can easily find a way to contribute to the big-league team.

Eetu Tuulola, 14th (8-4-1-5): Skating was the biggest concern surrounding the first-year winger from Finland, and while his acceleration and balance can still lag at times, his straight-line speed looks solid. Adding some quickness to his massive 6-3”, 220lbs frame makes the 21-year-old Tuulola a scary player, as his body control, shooting ability, and versatile usefulness on the power play have already impressed scouts around the game.

Glenn Gawdin, 18th (8-2-6-8): Gawdin, a second-year pro, has long had an incredible offensive game, but like Tuulola, his skating had held him back from becoming a go-to option for offense in the pro ranks. His acceleration looks a little better, and he has displayed more energy out on the ice than in his 2018-19 rookie season. His point-per-game pace to this point is a direct reflection of that assertiveness, but I still see Gawdin as more of a two-way bottom-six center with some offensive potential. His smarts and discipline have always been his biggest draw to me, and his skating is too big of a concern for him to pan out as a top-six offensive option.

Tucson Roadrunners (Arizona Coyotes)

Record:8-3-0-0, 16 points, .727% points percentage

After injuries decimated their young club late into the 2018-19 season, the Roadrunners appear to be reaching the potential they missed out on due to ailments last campaign. Head coach Jay Varady’s club was briefly in first place in the Pacific Division in October.

While the club has been top heavy in terms of point-scoring, they have been carried mightily by a pair of young netminders, Adin Hill and Ivan Provsetov, who have combined to allow just 25 goals, the fewest in the AHL’s Western Conference.

After missing the playoffs last year, we expected the team to come back with a vengeance and contend for the top spot in the seven-team division, which they won in 2017-18. Their first 11 games, a solid 16 percent of their season schedule, confirms those beliefs.

Lane Pederson, Unranked in McKeen’s Yearbook preseason rankings of Coyotes farm system (11-9-5-14): Although the former WHLer is not the most intriguing prospect in the game, or the most well-known, Pederson has inarguably been the best skater on the Roadrunners roster this season. Third in the league in both goals and points, his offensive contributions are no coincidence if you remember his efforts in Coyotes training camp, through which he almost broke the NHL roster. His skating has improved from his WHL days, and while his passing game/vision are still to be developed, his shot is a force. He is reliable defensively and kills penalties for Tucson. He went undrafted, but if there was a second or third-round pick attached to his name, hype would be building fast for the potential middle-six center.

Ivan Prosvetov, 6th (3-1-0-0, 1.98 GAA, .944 Sv% in four starts): We knew that Prosvetov was a beast in the goal and would eventually turn into a high-end pro, but it’s somewhat surprising to see how quickly he has transformed into a mature, disciplined netminder. He was a hot head in the OHL, once receiving a five-game suspension for batting a puck into spectators during a stoppage of play. It looks like he has harnessed that competitive fire, boosting his package of 6-5” length and athletic ability with an energized demeanor on the ice. At 20 years old, younger than the large majority of AHL netminders, he is a step ahead of the competition.

Kyle Capobianco, 4th (3-0-2-2): Capobianco looks like, and is to a degree, an NHL player. He made the Coyotes’ opening night roster and has appeared in nine big-league contests so far, after his 2018-19 campaign came to a disastrous end due to a season-ending leg injury in February. So this prospect blurb acts like more of a check-up on a prospect than an actual scouting piece, in this case: he’s fine. He does not look a step slow due to his injury, his playmaking and skating are still capable of contributing in all three zones, and his potential as a power-play quarterback is still there. He will be a full-time NHLer in short order.

Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings)

Record: 6-2-2-0, 14 points, .700% points percentage

Last season, Ontario finished seventh out of seven Pacific Division teams, had a .441 points percentage, and recorded a -61 goal differential. Their struggles were a direct reflection of a Kings farm system that had become depleted due to their NHL parent club’s sustained success and desire for more.

The Kings of that era valued size and defensive strength over anything else, and now, as the game of hockey has progressed, so has the L.A. system. The revamped Reign roster is beginning to see the effects of the newly-implemented Rob Blake system, and have used that speed and skill to ascend back to the top of the division table.

Of course, a healthy chunk of the credit for the Reign’s turnaround has to go to head coach Mike Stothers, as well as many of their young players. If October is any indicator, the Reign could be playing postseason hockey again this season.

Los Angeles Kings Goalie Cal Petersen e)

Cal Petersen, 11th in McKeen’s Yearbook preseason rankings of Kings farm system (6-2-2-0, 2.55 GAA, .929 Sv% in ten starts): Since his pro debut in 2017-18, Petersen has been one of the AHL’s top goaltenders. Last season was grim, as his GAA floated over four due mostly to a horrid club in front of him, but he looks to have bounced back big time. The 25-year-old plays a wild, entertaining style of highly-athletic goaltending, and rarely cracks mentally. His hulking physical size and ability to read plays as they develop helps him compensate for a lack of decisive tool-selection and overall refinement. His contract goes from a two-way deal this year to one-way the next year and beyond, meaning he is essentially auditioning for an NHL job this season.

Carl Grundstrom, 8th (4-5-2-7): Along with a 2019 first round pick (used on Tobias Bjornfot), Grundstrom was the return from Toronto in the Jake Muzzin trade, and the young forward has added some instant value to the Kings system. In dominating the AHL in the early parts of the season, he has earned some appearances with L.A. and can only get better from here. He is a hard-working player who competes in all three zones, never slows down out there, and can flash a surprising goal-scoring touch. A hard forechecker to escape, that effort translates to the other end of the ice, where he has become an impactful penalty killer. He can be prone to mistakes, but Grundstrom’s relentless motor and two-way reliability give him a solid ceiling of a middle-six winger with some offensive upside that has not even been tapped into.

Matt Luff, 20th (9-3-4-7): The undrafted 22-year-old was one of Ontario’s best players (and a bright spot in his short Kings stint) last season, and he looks to have carried that promise and excellence into 2019-20. One thing that helps accumulate NHL-worthy stats is just how much the winger loves to shoot, leading the club with 34 shots through nine AHL games so far, in addition to being third on the team in shots (153) despite just 33 games with the AHL team has year. Luff has good reason to be a volume shooter, with a heavy, spinning wrist shot that has menacing velocity and tremendous accuracy, but his toughness and puck skills are also elements to watch out of the depth forward.

Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)

Record: 5-5-1-0, 11 points, .500% points percentage

While Edmonton’s two superstar talents, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisiatl, have ripped the NHL to shreds in the early going of the 2019-20 season, some of the club’s top prospects are continuing the trend in the AHL.

Oilers’ CEO Bob Nicholson’s laid-out plan of allowing prospects to “over-ripen” seems to be the organization’s modus operandi, and the Condors are reaping the benefits of having more experienced, longer-tenured players on the roster this season.

For head coach Jay Woodcroft, it’s mostly the same players that dominated during their historic 2018-19 run that have been at the forefront of their 2019-20 operations. You can’t bank on Bakersfield having the same 17-game winning streak as the division champs did last season, but they will compete to bring playoff hockey to Kern County, California for the second time after relocating from Oklahoma City in 2015.

Tyler Benson, 4th in McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Oilers farm system (11-2-7-9): His maturity, hockey IQ, and vision make it easy to forget, but Benson is only 21 years old and has just one full pro season under his belt. After pacing the Condors in points last season, his heads-up rushing action and high-end playmaking skills have put him out front early this year. A speedy skater with beautiful acceleration and swift pivots, his ability to draw space to himself and pass the puck off is reminiscent of the NHL’s preeminent puck-movers. His only flaw is his shot, which lacks speed and accuracy. His early-career development was plagued by injuries, but with full health, he looks downright scary good and could soon be a top-six facilitator for the Oilers.

Kailer Yamamoto, 6th (11-4-3-7): Sent down to Bakersfield as part of a rehab schedule for his wrist injury from last season, Yamamato has had a pretty decent start to his AHL season. The former first-round pick has been so-so on offense, and you would like to see him use his slippery skating, speedy hands, and creativity to drive offense more. But his penalty kill and overall defensive game have been exceptional, and it is impressive to see the way he has rounded out his game. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 21-year-old get a recall to Edmonton soon, especially as the Oilers’ bottom six is starved for skill.

Evan Bouchard, 2nd (11-3-4-7): The reigning Max Kaminsky trophy winner as the Ontario Hockey League’s best blueliner, Bouchard has been playing up to that billing since joining the AHL ranks at the start of the season. With his creativity, vision, and booming shot, the 10th overall pick in 2018 has excelled with Bakersfield thus far. Two of the defenseman’s three goals have come on the man-advantage, which speaks to his effectiveness on the power play. His skating is not as big of an issue as it was in his draft season, but can still improve.

San Jose Barracuda (San Jose Sharks)

Record:4-4-0-1, 9 points, .500% points percentage

San Jose has so few certified “veteran” players on the roster that it is genuinely impressive that they have posted a .500 record so far this season. Kudos to Roy Sommer, the club’s head coach, but also, the team’s European scouting group for plucking legitimate talent from some obscure areas.

Swedish winger Joel Kellman, German forward Lean Bergmann, and Danish forwards Alexander True and Joachim Blichfeld are the club’s top-four scorers through nine games. All four of the Barracuda stars were either undrafted signees or seventh-round draft selections.

Their top goaltender, Josef Korenar, was also an undrafted signee who has emerged as one of the AHL’s top goalies at just 21. Hopefully the team can be carried by these otherwise-unheard of players to the club’s fifth consecutive postseason appearance since relocating from Worcester, Massachusetts.

Sasha Chmelevski, 2nd in McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Sharks farm system (6-0-1-1): Both things can be true: Chmelevski has had a hard time adjusting to the pro ranks, and he has been battling injuries since the beginning of the season, having missed the last few Barracuda games with a lower-body ailment. So, you have to take his early-season results with a grain of salt. He has flashed some of that quick, precise passing and smart decision making early on in his pro career, especially on the San Jose power play, where he is playing first-unit minutes. His injuries have hampered his skating some, and you would like to see him use his heavy, accurate wrist shot more. He almost made the Sharks roster out of training camp, which means there is something special about the 21-year-old, but we just have to wait and see a fully healthy version of him.

Joachim Blichfeld, 7th (8-3-3-6): Whereas Chmelevski has had a troublesome professional hockey adjustment process, Blichfeld has been excellent since puck drop on opening night. While his offensive numbers don’t equal that of his godly WHL totals a year ago (68-53-61-114), he has been exceptional at what he does best; drive play with speed and creativity, fire the puck at will, and get into dirty areas without the puck. He has been a pest in front of the goal and seeks out crease-front rebounds at every chance. A power-play staple, the right-hander has played a variety of roles on the man-advantage. However, the Danish winger can be prone to frequent turnovers, and needs to amp up his three-zone awareness to prevent getting the puck stick-checked away.

Josef Korenar, 10th (3-2-1-2, 1.82, .932): An AHL All-Star last season, the 21-year-old Czech has only stepped his game up from there. Most importantly, the former undrafted signee has provided the Sharks with one thing they arguably didn’t have: a denoted goaltender of the future. His tool selection can still be a little spotty, and he plays an inconsistent positional game (when to come out and challenge, when to guard posts, etc), but his raw package is that of a future NHL stud. Korenar displays otherworldly smarts, vision, and anticipation while playing a calm and composed style in the crease. He is highly athletic and can scramble to make saves, and his rebound control has improved since last season.

Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche)

Record: 4-5-0-0, 8 points, .444% points percentage

Whereas some teams have benefited from an influx of their organization’s brightest young stars, the Eagles have stagnated with a bunch of veteran guys with low ceilings. I don’t believe their slow start to the season is a coincidence; they just don’t really have that pure, youthful skill to mesh with the aged, seasoned pros on the club.

It is not like Colorado has no high-end prospects on the roster, as the club sports names like Shane Bowers, Conor Timmins, or Martin Kaut, but moreso that these young players are having trouble finding a rhythm or just coming into their own as prospects.

Luckily, they are through just nine games of the Pacific Division’s 68-game schedule. Head coach Greg Cronin and the club have time on their side and a group of experienced players who know what it takes to make it through the tough and tiresome winter months. With that, the goal is to bring playoff hockey to Loveland, CO, in just their second year in the AHL.

Conor Timmins, 6th in McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Avalanche farm system (7-1-2-3): We all knew Timmins could play, but how quickly he has jumped back into action and found a way to contribute after missing the entirety of the 2018-19 season is nothing short of amazing. The right-shot defenseman who made the Avs roster out of camp has not missed a beat, and has emerged as the versatile, three-zone defender he was picked as in the second-round of the 2017 draft. His physical strength makes him capable of outmuscling anyone in a puck battle, and his vision to get the puck out of the zone — via his solid outlet pass or his skating — makes him a threat joining the rush. He has the potential to be a top-four minute-munching defender at the highest level of the game.

Nick Henry, 11th (9-1-2-3): An assist machine in his final year with WHL Lethbridge, Henry’s main asset — playmaking and transitional play — has translated well in his first full professional season. Although he is not racking up points at an insane pace, the 20-year-old has been instrumental in driving play for the Eagles’ fourth line. His skating is not great, but good enough to get through the neutral zone, where his vision and high hockey IQ can take over a rush. He is solid defensively, with decent strength for an undersized winger, and his energy and tenacity on the forecheck has been noticeable. His main issue is his hesitance to shoot, mainly defaulting to passing; he will need to improve upon his shot assertiveness to succeed long-term in the pros.

Logan O’Connor, 12th (9-1-2-3): The former University of Denver captain continued his emergence as a top-notch prospect in the Avs system in October. Boosted onto the top line for the Eagles (mostly playing with veterans T.J. Tynan and Erik Condra), O’Connor’s well-rounded, mature game has provided plus value for Colorado thus far. He has the acceleration and top speed of an NHL top-six winger, along with the hockey IQ and smarts to make an impact in all three zones. He can play any role, at any forward position, against any competition, and that kind of versatility is what makes him a surefire future NHLer.

San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks)

Record: 2-6-0-0, 4 points, .250% points percentage

The diagnosis for their slow start is a simple one: the Gulls have suffered from a transitioning, transformative roster in Anaheim depleting the AHL club, which made the Western Conference Finals last season.

Head coach Kevin Dineen has his work cut out for him with a roster that has lost his stars from last campaign, such as former first-round picks Sam Steel and Max Jones as well as Team U.S.A. World Junior hero Troy Terry, all of whom are on the Ducks’ active roster.

There still shine some bright lights amid a dark and frightening tunnel however, as a Ducks farm system with a decent amount of talent steps on the ice in San Diego.

Isac Lundestrom, 4th in the McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Ducks farm system (6-2-1-3): After starting the season eating healthy scratches with the Ducks, the 2018 first-rounder returned to the AHL and has fared well centering the Gulls’ third line, scoring his first career AHL goal just a few games ago. His ability as a puck carrier has received a well-deserved spotlight on the power play, and his versatility and maturity (it’s easy to forget that he is just 19-years-old) has received abundant penalty kill time thus far. The youthful Swede is such a multi-faceted player and thinks the game at such a high level that he will not need much more improving to do before being a solid, consistent NHL player. He just needs to improve upon his offensive assertiveness, most importantly how underused his wrist shot is.

Joshua Mahura, 9th (6-0-0-0): Mahura was recently recalled to the NHL roster (where he promptly recorded three assists in his season debut), and it was a well-deserved promotion. The scoresheet won’t prove it to you, but he had quietly been one of the Gulls’ better players in the young season. Playing on both special teams, the defender exhibited his high-end two-way versatility and desire to play up at most times. He is a highly dangerous option to start or join a rush at any opportunity, and that same mentality is paying off in the NHL, with his 3.9 CF% Rel. It’s early, and both the Ducks and Gulls are undergoing a lot of changes, but perhaps he has already played his last regular season AHL game.

AHL Western Conference 2019-20 Season Preview

Tom Dorsa — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 19:20:02 +0000

The new hockey season is finally upon us, and with it, comes the return of the American Hockey League, which serves as the primary development league of all 31 National Hockey League franchises.

As the AHL’s 31 teams prepare to clash over the long winter stretch, hoping to lift the Calder Cup in June, their NHL parent clubs are bulking up their farm team’s rosters with some of their best and brightest prospects.

With the NHL season up and running, the rosters for the AHL teams in each organization are coming to fruition. The solid mix of veterans with familiar faces alongside some exciting, exuberant youthful prospects of many teams are giving fans in the AHL’s member cities hope for the present and the future, while giving NHL fans faces to look for as potential replacements for the parent clubs, if and when the need arises.

Let’s take a team-by-team look at the competitors in the AHL’s Western Conference, beginning with last season’s conference champions.

(Team rundown is listed by 2018-19 point totals, and are not a projection of 2019-20 conference standings.)

Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights)

The Wolves, who paced the Western Conference with a 44-22-6-4 record in the regular season, lost their two leading scorers from last season over the summer. Daniel Carr, whose 71 points in 52 games led the AHL in points per game (1.37) last season, departed for the Nashville Predators system, while T.J. Tynan (led the league with 59 assists) joined the Colorado Avalanche organization.

Head coach Rocky Thompson might have trouble finding the same scoring, but will not have any issue on the blue line, with a defensive corps headlined by some top prospects like Nic Hague (4th in McKeen’s Vegas farm system rankings), Zach Whitecloud (6th), and Jake Bischoff (8th) all manning the defensive zone. Hague and Bischoff are presently up with Vegas, but both should spend significant time on the farm this year.

Chicago should maintain a spot near the summit of the Central Division standings, bolstered by all-world defense and solid goaltending.

Prospects to watch (quotes from the 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Nicolas Hague

“[T]he 2017 second-rounder has can’t-miss shutdown potential in a two-way package. His lanky, 6-6” frame makes him nearly unbeatable at the blueline, as his length and mobility give him a package that can compete with any AHL forward for space in the defensive zone.”

Lucas Elvenes

“[A] smooth skater with soft hands. He has skill, and his inconsistent scoring is a product of him being more of a perimeter player, as he likes to create from the outside and that play isn’t always there and his creativity isn’t enough in those instances.”

Dylan Coghlan

“[A]n impactful offensive-defenseman by virtue of his skating, his atomic bomb of a slapshot, and his vision and playmaking, which allow him to quarterback a power play unit. His ceiling is as a middle-pair puck-rusher, but we will have to see how he does with an increase in tougher minutes on a depleted AHL Chicago this season.”

Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)

The Condors made American Hockey League history last season with a stretch of 17 consecutive wins between January 12 and March 1. The win streak is tied for the second-longest in the 83-year history of the AHL, and allowed the Condors to soar (pun intended) to the Pacific Division regular season title.

Though they fell to the San Diego Gulls in the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, Bakersfield enjoyed its most successful season since the Oilers moved its primary development affiliate from Oklahoma City to Kern County, California, scoring more goals (242) and allowing fewer (182) than ever before.

With a solid group of top prospects from a deep Edmonton farm system, the Condors can be expected to contend alongside their California rivals for another Pacific Division crown.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Tyler Benson

“A speedy and creative forward, the former second-rounder’s natural playmaking ability — driven by top-notch vision, decision-making, and very crisp and accurate passes — can carry play from both the left wing and from the center position.”

Kailer Yamamoto

“A highly creative, smooth-skating winger, the former first-rounder creates plays out of thin air and is intense on the puck at all times. The quick-handed forward possesses strong hockey sense and the ability to drive play and carry a line from his position with his speed and vision.”

Cameron Hebig

“The undersized center plays a solid 200-foot game, exhibits mature offensive anticipation, has lightning-fast hands, and possesses a pro-level wrist shot, albeit a criminally underused one.”

Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators)

After failing to make the playoffs in 2017-18, the Admirals returned to the postseason scene, losing to the Iowa Wild 3-2 in a five-game set. Riding a 14-game point streak through a hard Spring schedule, the Admirals made an improbable climb from seventh to second in the Central Division to end the season.

Milwaukee, celebrating their 50th season in the North American pro scene, look to rebound with an influx of solid Nashville prospects. Though AHL staples Adam Helewka and Dustin Siemens departed in the offseason, the introduction of prospects Rem Pitlick and Jeremy Davies (a New Jersey prospect traded in the P.K. Subban deal) will boost the offense.

Goaltender Troy Grosenick, one of the AHL’s best, will be back in the Admirals crease with a deeper team in front of him and head coach Karl Taylor.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Eeli Tolvanen

“His shot is mesmerizing, with speed, a wicked and deceptive release, and insane accuracy, while his skating has improved to compliment has lethal shooting. His excellent touch for the puck gives him an underrated playmaking game as well, as his hands can create space for himself and teammates while his elite stick skills enable him to dish passes over with ease.”

Rem Pitlick

“As solid as his shot is, Pitlick is also a clever playmaker, with good vision as he flies down the wing towards the net. While he will take risks to create offense, he is responsible in his own end, and has been a trusted penalty college for the University of Minnesota.”

Frederic Allard

“A former point-per-game blueliner in the QMJHL, his speed, shot, and offensive vision all grade out as average or better. He sees the ice and anticipates plays at a very mature level, and he has legitimate top-four potential if he can work on his defensive game, with his puck-moving and skating playing big roles in his projected big-league value.”

Iowa Wild (Minnesota Wild)

For the first time since the team formerly known as the Houston Aeros moved to Iowa, fans in Des Moines were treated to postseason hockey from an Iowa Wild team that won more games (37) and scored more goals (242) than in any past season.

The offense was paced by usual suspects like team captain Cal O’Reilly, but goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen carried the defensive efforts of the club with poise and consistency. First-year head coach Tim Army’s group knocked off Milwaukee in the first-round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Although the AHL club made few big-name acquisitions in the offseason, their returning players should keep them afloat in their search for a postseason spot in the Spring of 2020.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Nico Sturm

“He has great size and skates very well, with intriguing puck skills to boot. He is close to ready and has a third line ceiling.”

Kaapo Kahkonen

“His calm, composed mentality in the crease bodes well for his highly-athletic, technically-refined butterfly style, and his maturity as a young netminder was on display for all of last season in Des Moines. From a talent standpoint, he projects to be a midtier NHL starter in the near future.”

Louie Belpedio

“A right-handed, puck-moving defenseman is an untouchable prospective asset to any organization, but throw in some offensive upside and a veteran level of composure, and you have a surefire future NHLer. His smarts are top notch, and his speedy skating and vision make his mission of exiting the zone as fast as possible an easy one most times.”

Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings)

The Griffins are a team that benefits mightily from the Red Wings’ aggressive style of prospect development. A year after the debut of Filip Zadina -- the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft -- Grand Rapids will say hello to Joe Veleno and Moritz Sieder, two more first-round picks.

Add in Michael Rasmussen and Evgeny Svechnikov, you can argue that the Griffins have the most young, raw talent in the game, and head coach Ben Simon is prepared to put it all to use. Only three years removed from a Calder Cup championship (2016-17), the Griffins look primed for another run at the AHL equivalent of the Stanley Cup.

The Griffins fell victim to Chicago, the eventual conference champions, in the first round of last season’s playoffs.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Filip Zadina

“His intense skating speed, technical footwork skill, and elite shooting prowess [are] capable of changing the game on every shift. Furthermore, even if the numbers don’t pop, the fact that he did it all as a teenager is incredibly impressive.”

Moritz Sieder

“Big, mobile right-shot defenseman who oozes confidence and has great hockey sense. He has the quickness to join the rush and he does so in a timely manner. The German blueliner is very gifted offensively, possessing high-level passing skills and a strong shot selection.”

Evgeny Svechnikov

“He is a beast with the puck, able to get inside position on anyone and his control and balance are incredible for his size. He doesn’t shy from playing hard defensively. We will have to see if his injuries continue to hold him back when he returns this season, but if his health holds -- and his consistency improves -- he can be a middle-six scoring wing in the NHL.”

San Jose Barracuda (San Jose Sharks)

In their four years at SAP Center (after formerly playing in Worcester, MA), the Barracuda have never missed the playoffs. A beacon of consistency in the minor leagues in spite of an NHL club that is a perennial contender, there is no reason San Jose shouldn’t be hosting postseason games next Spring.

With the additions of Noah Gregor, Sasha Chmelevski, and Ivan Chekhovich -- along with a formidable returning core of players -- the Sharks boast a reinvigorated prospect pool ready to make things happen at the AHL level.

The Barracuda led the Pacific Division for much of the season before the Condors went on an incredible 17-game winning streak; San Jose finished second, four points behind Bakersfield. San Jose fell three games to one to San Diego in the first round of the playoffs.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Joachim Blichfeld

“[I]s a natural scorer with very good offensive instincts, has a great shot, and plays a pretty good all round game. He should be able to translate his game to a higher level of play. He will start as a bottom six forward, and could move up to a top six role if he settles in and produces even a portion of his WHL production.”

Sasha Chmelevski

“He is the type of forward who can excel in any situation and this versatility will make him an NHL player sooner rather than later. His best asset might be his shot release, which is lightning quick. But he is more than just a goal scorer, as he processes the game very well and is especially dangerous in transition with his ability to make quick decisions with the puck.”

Antti Suomela

“He still has the potential to be a top-six forward; a lethal skater and often deadly setup man, Suomela can contribute in many ways, even without the puck, as his anticipation for where the play is flowing is unreal. He still has the potential to be a top-six forward; a lethal skater and often deadly setup man, Suomela can contribute in many ways, even without the puck, as his anticipation for where the play is flowing is unreal.”

Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets)

In their four years in Winnipeg, the Moose have played in the playoffs just once, missing the postseason last year with a very young and inexperienced team. With some of their younger players expected to make a leap this season, the Moose should be much improved.

Getting Sami Niku back to the AHL club is a major boost. Last season, Niku made the Jets roster but was a healthy scratch for the majority of the NHL campaign, and instead the mobile, smart defender will get some valuable reps instead of wasting away in the press box.

Youthful goalie Mikhail Berdin is anticipated as the club’s number-one goalie, and seems capable of the job after success in a somewhat-limited role last year. Head coach Pascal Vincent, the winner of the 2018 Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s most outstanding coach, is back behind the bench of the Jets’ affiliate.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Logan Stanley

“The physical beast is one of the tallest prospects (or player of any level) in hockey, and his high-end defensive game leans heavily on his near-incomparable length. With his long and impassable gaps, active stick, and ability to take any opposing forward off the puck, his defensive game is one that seems NHL ready at just 20 years old.”

Michael Spacek

“As one of the finest defensive players in the Winnipeg system, Spacek has a clear NHL future due solely to his hard work and intensity in all three zones, but he can be better than a defensive specialist. The Czech native’s high-end two-way game has translated well from the WHL to pro hockey, as his shot, passing skill, and of course, his maturity and responsibility as a defender has impressed in the Winnipeg system.”

Mikhail Berdin

“Extremely athletic and hard-nosed, Berdin plays a fundamentally refined game that minimizes high-danger chances. He also possesses the last-resort agility to shut down anything that he can’t immediately get to.”

Texas Stars (Dallas Stars)

A year removed from winning the Western Conference and coming just a game away from taking home the franchise’s second Calder Cup, the Stars missed the postseason last year amid injuries and recalls toward the end of the season.

In addition, Texas has bid farewell to their two longest tenured players this offseason. Travis Morin, the 2014 AHL Most Valuable Player, retired from pro hockey while Justin Dowling, the team’s captain last season, made the Dallas roster out of training camp and seems primed to stick in the NHL.

With that transition brings youth and excitement into head coach Derek Laxdal’s lineup, as 11 first-year pros will compete in their rookie season with the Stars, including goaltender Jake Oettinger and forward Riley Tufte, both former first-round picks.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Jason Robertson

“At his best, Robertson is a monster in possession who prolongs offensive zone time because of how well he protects the puck. He also possesses terrific instincts, a great release, and a high skill level with the puck that makes him a very complete offensive player.”

Jake Oettinger

“Not only is Oettinger one of the top prospects in the Dallas system, the 20-year-old is firmly among the elite goaltending prospects in the sport. He is a 6-5” behemoth in the crease, but with the mental composure of a veteran and the agility of an NHL starter, boasting one of the most impressive packages of netminding skill in the game today.”

Joel L’Esperance

“The 6-2” center plays a high-energy game in all three zones, forechecks hard, and has some solid technical skating skill for a big man. He has a splendid wrist shot and a hockey IQ that is as high as his experience from the college ranks would suggest.”

San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks)

After a somewhat surprising run to the Western Conference Finals that ended with a loss to Chicago, head coach Dallas Eakins was given a promotion to the Anaheim Ducks and now serves as the bench boss of the Gull’s NHL parent club.

What that means is, like with Texas, a lot of transition and a lot of unknown. Kevin Dineen was hired as the head coach in the offseason and now oversees a team with a lot of turnover from the year prior. Prospects like Hunter Drew and Andrew Morand will lead the club from the side of youth, while AHL scoring phenom Andrew Poturalski joins the fray after a Calder Cup championship with Charlotte.

The 2019-20 Ducks sure look like the 2018-19 Gulls, and San Diego will have to rediscover an identity to be in contention for a postseason spot as the winter turns to spring again.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Joshua Mahura

“A crisp, accurate, and heads-up passer, the 2016 third-rounder is a beast in transitional play, and is never afraid to start -- or join -- an offensive rush. Solid vision of up-ice development is aided by his tight gaps, which can force turnovers at the blue line and spark a chance the other way.”

Antoine Morand

“Knows where to be on the ice. He is a creator who distributes very well and can run an offense. He is a solid skater with great agility and strong edgework, but his size is a question mark going forward. Morand will have to bulk up to have extended success at the NHL level.”

Andrew Poturalski

“A decisive, speedy playmaker with quick hands and high-end vision, the 25-year-old possesses a ceiling of a depth scoring forward with potential to have a ton of success on the power play.”

Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks)

The IceHogs failed to qualify for the postseason in a transformative 2018-19 campaign that saw their NHL parent club make many internal moves that trickled down to Rockford. Most notably, Jeremy Colliton getting a midseason promotion from AHL bench boss to NHL headman, leaving Derek King and crew without much time to implement their voices on the room.

Now, King will get a full season as head coach and an influx of well-regarded prospects at his disposal. Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin, two 2018 first-round picks, will man the blue line, while returning goaltenders Collin Delia and IIHF World Championships winner Kevin Lankinen can hold down the fort in the crease.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Aleksi Saarela

“Saarela is a hard-working, dynamic player who wins battles and moves so efficiently that his energy stays high throughout the entirety of each game. He is a great shooter and his accuracy is impressive which makes him a tough opponent to stop. He is an all-around fun and creative player to watch and with his hockey sense and skill, he has the potential to be a top six forward and lead a team despite his size.”

Adam Boqvist

“An elite offensive defender, Boqvist has the requisite tools to be a high scorer in the NHL. His skating stride is not only smooth, it is powerful, and it allows him to take risks by jumping up into the rush quite frequently. He also possesses fantastic scoring instincts for a defender, sliding down into the slot or using his agility to open up shooting lanes for himself at the blueline.”

Dylan Sikura

“From the standpoint of raw skating, he was one of the best in the AHL and in this very deep farm system. His playmaking has long been his calling card, and he loves to make space for teammates with his speed only to pass it off. He is a smaller center, but does not shy away from doing the dirty work on both ends of the rink.”

Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche)

After winning two straight Kelly Cups in their final two years of action in the ECHL, the Eagles wasted no time bringing Calder Cup playoff action to Loveland, Colorado in their first season of AHL play. Finishing fourth in the Pacific Division before losing to Bakersfield in round one, it was a terrific start for an AHL expansion team.

Eagles head coach Greg Cronin has arguably a deeper team in the dressing room this season, and the Eagles can be expected to not only reach the postseason again, but perhaps go even deeper. Losing top scorer Andrew Agozzino and starting goaltender Pavel Francouz is a pain, but the addition of veterans T.J. Tynan and Erik Condra, as well as prospect Calle Rosen and the health of Conor Timmins bring balance to the club.

Like the Avalanche above them, they’re a team that preaches chaos and excitement over anything else. They’re incredibly fun.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Martin Kaut

“Although his offensive game was stagnant, his defensive game -- where his value is most apparent -- needed no adjustment from Europe to the North American style. His incredible rink sense make him a pest on the puck, and his willingness to play deep in the defensive zone is an unteachable, immeasurable talent.”

Shane Bowers

“Bowers is the type of player that specializes in performing the little things, doing the grunt work while his linemates hog the glory. He can accelerate the cycle game, bringing the puck in from the perimeter and putting a scoring chance in motion. He plays with energy and can be used in all situations.”

Logan O’Connor

“He is a wonderful skater with the acceleration of a top-line scorer, and possesses the smarts and discipline to consistently make a major impact in all three zones. His versatility is his strongest weapon, as he can play all three forward spots -- up and down the lineup -- with surprising effectiveness.”

Tucson Roadrunners (Arizona Coyotes)

Injuries bit the Roadrunners hard near the end of the 2018-19 season, and the team narrowly missed the playoffs directly because of it. In particular, the losses of defenseman Kyle Capobianco and forwards Michael Bunting and Nick Merkley all hit head coach Jay Varady hard, but the team is full of depth and excitement if their health cooperates.

This team won the Pacific Division title in 2018, with several of those players still suiting up in Tucson brick red and black. In their fourth year in Arizona, they should be expected to contend for the Pacific crown once again, so long as heavily-revered goaltending prospect Adin Hill can play up to his level.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Nick Merkley

“Agile and athletic, he has the edgework and plus acceleration to make up for his small, albeit stocky, stature. His creativity with the puck is fueled by his elite hands, and his shot is an ever-evolving weapon. It is difficult to tell what kind of player Merkley is going to be, but if he can finally stay healthy, the 22-year-old has the skill and potential to be a future top-six winger.”

Adin Hill

“At 6-6”, Hill’s size is the first thing that jumps out about the 2015 third-rounder, but his incredible technical refinement and immeasurable mental composure are major bright spots in the development of the Coyotes’ goaltender of the future. With both AHL Tucson and the NHL club, Hill displayed his excellent total package as a near-term big-leaguer.”

Tyler Steenbergen

“His 200-foot game, defensive responsibility, and effectiveness as a bottom-six, penalty-killing guy who can play all three forward spots reliably gives him something many players of his ilk have not: a surefire NHL ceiling.”

San Antonio Rampage (St. Louis Blues)

While no St. Louis Blues fan will trade their first and only Stanley Cup last season for a better prospect pool, the Blues are certainly lacking in terms of a competitive AHL team. Their 2018-19 season started about as poorly as their parent club’s, and the Rampage never got above a .500 winning percentage at any point of the season.

But a new year always brings promise and hope. Prospect winger Klim Kostin, a 2017 first-round pick, had a solid preseason with St. Louis and brings to his third season in the AHL a quest to be more disciplined and consistent, while goaltender Ville Husso looks for redemption after a disastrous season in 2018-19.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Ville Husso

“Husso had a horrendous season that further damaged his falling prospect stock. After a strong 2017-18 campaign, the Finn went 6-18-0 with a 3.67 GAA and .871 Sv% in 2018-19, eventually losing the clear-cut starting job to a slew of random cast-offs that featured Binnington and Jared Coreau. Husso still has the raw skill to make a name for himself, including his athleticism, size (and more importantly, the way he uses it), and his ability to read plays as they develop and position himself accordingly.”

Klim Kostin

“Though he went through another underwhelming AHL season, the 6-3”, 212lbs 20-year-old impressed scouts with his body control, momentum on his skates, and his physical, power-forward game. A fast shot and nifty puck-protection skills make Kostin a fun player to watch when he gets to enter the zone with momentum, though his lack of speed and assertiveness can hold him back.”

Mitch Reinke

“His speed allows him to frequently exit the defensive zone, while his vision and hockey sense give him the instincts to put the puck in the right place. He can jump into the play and let off his strong, accurate wrist shot, but he is more of a facilitator than anything.”

Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames)

Since moving to Stockton from Glens Fall, New York, the Flames have not won a single playoff series. With their NHL parent club in a “win now” window, it has obviously been difficult for Stockton to establish a consistent winner in the AHL.

And with Calgary bulking up the big-league club for another potential run at the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs, Stockton head coach Cail MacLean has his work cut out for him again. Especially without Jusso Valimaki, who tore his ACL in offseason training and is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season, several others with the AHL Flames will need to step their games up this year.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Dillon Dube

“Shifty and quick on his feet, the former captain of Team Canada at the World Junior Championship exhibited plus value as a playmaking passer while also playing as a forceful, self-assured shooting option. His undersized frame is not a hindrance to his highend rough-and-tumble, forechecking game, as his play in the cycle is where he really shines as a passer and in-tight puck-handler.”

Matthew Phillips

“Grading out as an above-average skater and shooter, the Calgary native can impact games with his slippery skating, tricky shot release, and plus vision to create lanes for his linemates. At just 5-7” and 155 pounds, his physical game obviously lags, but he can be effective enough at separating himself from opposing defenders against the boards.”

Tyler Parsons

“A master scrambler, Parsons lacks technical refinement but more than makes up for it with competitiveness, play-tracking, and the reflexes to complement his all-out style of goaltending. The 2017 WJC gold medalist needs nothing more than a clean bill of health to continue his ascent up the ranks of NHL goaltending prospects, as the 2016 second-rounder projects to be a mid-tier NHL starter, but with more room to grow.”

Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings)

The Reign suffered through a dreadful 2018-19 season, one that became increasingly hard as the campaign continued, with the Kings recalling many Ontario’s best players.

Matt Luff, Carl Grundstrom, and Austin Wagner joined L.A.’s forward group, Sean Walker and Matt Roy saw time on the blue line, and Cal Petersen played in the crease at some points in the year. Using a core of inexperienced defensemen, ineffective forwards, and whoever else the Reign could snag from ECHL Manchester was not a recipe for success.

New additions Jaret Anderson-Dolan (2017 second-rounder) and Rasmus Kupari (2018 first-rounder) hope to turn the tide, to say nothing of the possible return to help of 2017 first rounder Gabriel Vilardi, bringing excitement to San Bernardino county. The Reign could be a sneaky playoff team, or just die out early like last season, but unpredictability can be entertaining, at least.

Prospects to Watch (quotes from 2019-20 McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook):

Rasmus Kupari

“His greatest asset is, without doubt, his skating. Highly agile on his skates, he can make tight turns and cuts and he possesses strong edge control. He stops and starts well and has excellent top-end speed. He can maneuver with the puck in tight spaces and has a lot of puck skill as well.”

Gabriel Vilardi

“He possesses a great size and skill package down the middle and is a terrific playmaker who thinks the game at a high level and really can dominate possession down low. He is just so strong and difficult to separate from the puck. Vilardi played only four games for Ontario last year because of a lingering back injury that appears to be threatening his promising career.”

Jaret Anderson-Dolan

“Anderson-Dolan had a tough season last year battling injuries, but managed to finish the season strong. He finished the season by putting up 20 goals and 43 points in 32 games for the [Spokane] Chiefs, and 15 in 13 games in the playoffs, demonstrating that his multi-tool impact was still there.”

Sasha Chmelevski – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Top 20 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #12

Top 20 San Jose Shark Prospects

1. Shane Wright

2. Eduard Sale

3. Ryker Evans

4. Jagger Firkus

5. Jani Nyman

6. David Goyette

7. Ty Nelson

8. Lukas Dragicevic

9. Carson Rehkopf

10. Oscar Fisker Molgaard

11. Caden Price

12. Tye Kartye

13. Ryan Winterton

14. Tucker Robertson

15. Jacob Melanson

16 Niklas Kokko

17. Semyon Vyazovoi

18. Ville Ottavainen

19. Tyson Jugnauth

20. Logan Morrison

MCKEEN’S 2023 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #12 San Jose Sharks

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Top 20 Prospects

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: SAN JOSE SHARKS – RANK: #16 – TIER III

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: San Jose Sharks Top 20 Prospects

Ryan Merkley, D (21st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 1)

Ozzy Weisblatt, RW (31st overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Thomas Bordeleau, C (38th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jonathan Dahlen, LW/C (42nd overall, 2016 [Ottawa]. Previous ranking: 3)

Yegor Spiridonov, C/LW (108th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 2)

Sasha Chmelevski, C (185th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 4)

Alexander True, C (Undrafted free agent, signed Jul. 18, 2018. Previous ranking: 5)

John Leonard, LW (182nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 6)

Tristen Robins, C (56th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Brandon Coe, RW (98th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Danil Gushchin, LW (76th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Artemi Knyazev, D (48th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 7)

Dillon Hamaliuk, LW (55th overall, 20191. Previous ranking: 8)

Joachim Blichfeld, RW (210th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Alexei Melnichuk, G (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 4, 2020. Previous ranking: 10)

Jacob McGrew, RW (159th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 11)

Brinson Pasichnuk, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 31, 2020. Previous ranking: 12)

Santeri Hatakka, D (184th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Scott Reedy, C/RW (102nd overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 14)

Lean Bergmann, LW/RW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 28, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

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

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – SAN JOSE SHARKS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 25

San Jose Sharks

Ryan Merkley, D (21st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 1)

Yegor Spiridonov, C/LW (108th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 3)

Jonathan Dahlen, LW/C (42nd overall, 2016 [Ottawa]. 2019 Rank: 8)

Sasha Chmelevski, C (185th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 2)

Alexander True, C (Undrafted free agent, signed Jul. 18, 2018. 2019 Rank: 20)

John Leonard, LW (182nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

Artemi Knyazev, D (48th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 12)

Dillon Hamaliuk, LW (55th overall, 20191. 2019 Rank: 13)

Joachim Blichfeld, RW (210th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 7)

Alexei Melnichuk, G (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 4, 2020. 2019 Rank: IE)

Jacob McGrew, RW (159th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

Brinson Pasichnuk, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 31, 2020. 2019 Rank: IE)

Santeri Hatakka, D (184th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Scott Reedy, C/RW (102nd overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 13)

Lean Bergmann, LW/RW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 28, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

AHL Pacific Division Report, October – Developing prospects

AHL Western Conference 2019-20 Season Preview

Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights)

Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)

Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators)

Iowa Wild (Minnesota Wild)

Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings)

San Jose Barracuda (San Jose Sharks)

Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets)

Texas Stars (Dallas Stars)

San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks)

Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks)

Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche)

Tucson Roadrunners (Arizona Coyotes)

Ryan Merkley, D (21^st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 1)

Ozzy Weisblatt, RW (31^st overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Thomas Bordeleau, C (38^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jonathan Dahlen, LW/C (42^nd overall, 2016 [Ottawa]. Previous ranking: 3)

Yegor Spiridonov, C/LW (108^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 2)

Sasha Chmelevski, C (185^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 4)

John Leonard, LW (182^nd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 6)

Tristen Robins, C (56^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Brandon Coe, RW (98^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Danil Gushchin, LW (76^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Artemi Knyazev, D (48^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 7)

Dillon Hamaliuk, LW (55^th overall, 20191. Previous ranking: 8)

Joachim Blichfeld, RW (210^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Jacob McGrew, RW (159^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 11)

Santeri Hatakka, D (184^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Scott Reedy, C/RW (102^nd overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 14)

Ryan Merkley, D (21^st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 1)

Yegor Spiridonov, C/LW (108^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 3)

Jonathan Dahlen, LW/C (42^nd overall, 2016 [Ottawa]. 2019 Rank: 8)

Sasha Chmelevski, C (185^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 2)

John Leonard, LW (182^nd overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

Artemi Knyazev, D (48^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 12)

Dillon Hamaliuk, LW (55^th overall, 20191. 2019 Rank: 13)

Joachim Blichfeld, RW (210^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 7)

Jacob McGrew, RW (159^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: UR)

Santeri Hatakka, D (184^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Scott Reedy, C/RW (102^nd overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 13)